1:1-54 - ‘Every man able to go forth to war’: This is the key phrase in verses 1-46. God is looking for ‘soldiers’: Soldiers of Christ!
To live for Christ is to be engaged in warfare. It is spiritual
warfare. We need ‘the whole armour of God’ (Ephesians 6:10-20). We must
remember that ‘the weapons of our warfare are not worldly’. They have
‘divine power’. They are ‘powerful weapons from God’. They are ‘mighty
through God’ (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). The Levites were to lead worship
(47-54). The battle is the Lord’s (2 Chronicles 20:15). We will never be
strong ‘soldiers of Christ’ unless we are learning to worship the Lord.
Worship lies at the very heart of the life of God’s people. Without
worship, we are weak. Worshipping God, we will grow ‘strong’. We will
‘firmly resist’ the enemy. We will ‘take action’ for God (Daniel 11:32).
2:1-34 - ‘The
Lord said to Moses’: These words appear more than eighty times in
Numbers. Let your life be centred on the Word of the Lord - Listen,
Read, Study, Memorize, Meditate! God’s people were ‘facing the tent of
meeting on every side’ (2). There were to be no gaps in the ranks. We
are not to pull in different directions. We are to pull together.
Everyone has their place. All who are willing to serve the Lord will
find a place in His service. Let us be united in worship and witness.
Without this spirit of co-operation, the work of the Lord will fail.
Each of us needs to be ‘in position’ (17) - on the Lord’s Day for
worship and on other occasions, when we are called upon to ‘serve the
Lord with gladness’ (Psalm 100:2). Let our ‘standard’ (17,31) be the
Lord - not the world: We are God’s people!
3:1-51 - The
Levites were to ‘minister at the tabernacle’ (5-8). Different people
were given different responsibilities. They were not to compete with
each other. There was to be no overlapping. One was not to interfere
with the work of another. The call comes from God. ‘Every male from a
month old and upward’ (15,24,28,34,39-40,43): Long before we even
thought of serving God, He was calling us to be His servants. God is in
control: He determines who will serve Him, and how we will serve Him. Each of us has a part to play. The important thing is the whole
work of God. Let each of us be faithful so that the whole work can move
forward. Never forget this: We serve the Lord as a ‘redeemed’ people,
for whom Christ has provided ‘redemption’ - ‘we have redemption through
His blood’ (44-51; Ephesians 1:7).
4:1-49 - ‘The
sons... from thirty years old up to fifty years old’
(2-3,22-23,29-30...): The service of the Lord calls for maturity. Long
before we ever offered ourselves to God, He had His hand upon us. If,
however, we are to prove worthy servants of the Lord, we must press on
to spiritual maturity. Why is it that so many people upon whom God’s
hand has been laid early in life never attain their true spiritual
status? - They have been distracted. ‘Self’ has intruded where only God
should be. Choose God-centred blessing - not self-centred rebellion. God
is ‘holy’ (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). Serving Him is a ‘holy’ calling
(4,15,19-20). In all of our service, one thing must take priority: Worship. We can ‘put on a performance’. It can be very impressive. Without real worship, it means nothing!
5:1-31 - ‘The
Lord said...’ (1): Let us hear and obey His Word. God is holy: His
people are not to be defiled (3). Sin is not merely moral. It is
spiritual. It is not only a deviation from law. It is an offence against
God - ‘breaking faith with the Lord’ (6). God is holy: ‘Atonement’
is more than a provision for our need of forgiveness. It is a
‘restitution... to the Lord’ (8). Christ’s atoning death does two
things: (a) It meets the demands of God’s holiness. (b) It meets our
need of salvation. We must not do ‘the wrong’ and ‘break faith with the
Lord’ (6-7). We are to obey the Gospel call for ‘faith in our Lord Jesus
Christ’: This is ‘repentance’. We obey God’s ‘command...to repent’
(Acts 20:21; 17:30). No longer ‘trusting in ourselves that we are
righteous’, we confess our sins and look to Christ for mercy (Luke 18:9,13).
6:1-27 - ‘Separate...
to the Lord,... Separate... from wine and strong drink’ (2-3): These
two thoughts are closely connected in the New Testament - ‘Do not get
drunk with wine,... Be filled with the Spirit’ (Ephesians 5:18). We are
to be ‘holy to the Lord’ (8). ‘Consecrated to the Lord’, our whole life
must be controlled by one thing: ‘Do all to the glory of God’ (1
Corinthians 10:31). Motivated by a desire for God’s glory, we will enjoy
God's blessing (22-27). God’s blessing is not a ‘cheap’ thing,
something that doesn’t matter very much. Remember Esau (Genesis
25:29-34). He couldn’t be bothered. He couldn’t care less. God’s
blessing meant nothing to him. He didn’t want God’s blessing. What did
God do? - He gave it to Jacob. ‘The Lord bless you...’: Do you want
this? Or must God find somebody else?
7:1-47 - Why
do we bring our offerings to the Lord? - ‘that they may be used in
doing the service of the tent of meeting’ (5). We give ourselves to the
Lord - ‘Love so amazing, so divine, Shall have my soul, my life,
my all’ - and we ask Him to put our gift to good use - ‘O use me, Lord,
use even me, just as Thou wilt, and when, and where’ (Church Hymnary,
437,485). Why is there so much repetition here? - God does not look
only at the total offering. He prizes each separate offering. Each gift
expresses the giver’s love for Him. Let us ‘lay up... treasures in
heaven’, bringing our offerings in faith, as an expression of our
gratitude to God for His abundant grace. Which matters most to you? -
‘earth’ or ‘heaven’: ‘Where your treasure is, there will your heart be
also’ (Matthew 6:19-21).
7:48-89 - At the end of this long chapter, we have Communion with God:
‘When Moses went into the tent of the meeting to speak with the Lord,
he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat...’ (89).
This is what it’s all about: We ‘draw near to the throne of grace’. We
‘receive mercy and find grace...’ (Hebrews 4:16). Listen for God’s Word.
Speak to God in prayer. So often, the most important things get crowded
out. We lose sight of God - His love, His grace, His mercy. Religion
becomes a burdensome, legalistic thing. There is no joy in it. God comes
to us in mercy - ready to forgive. In love, He offers us a new
beginning. By His grace, we can live as the people of God. God is
speaking. Are you listening to Him? God is listening. Are you speaking
to Him? Nothing is more important than this!
8:1-26 - The Levites were ‘set apart’ for God (14). They were ‘a gift to Aaron... to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting...’ (19). We
are to work together as a team. ‘Yield yourselves to God...’ (Romans
6:13): Help each other to be better servants of Christ. The ‘lampstand’
(1-4): ‘Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’ (Psalm
119:105). Without Christ, the living Word, we remain in darkness. With
Him we ‘walk in the light’, in the joy of His salvation (John 8:12; 1
John 1:7). ‘Service for the people of Israel ’
(19): As servants of Christ - He ‘came not to be served but to serve’
(Mark 10:45) - , we are to serve others for ‘Jesus’ sake’ (2 Corinthians
4:5). To those whom we serve, we say, ‘We are your servants but you are
not our lords’. Jesus is Lord: It is ‘as the Lord commands’ (22).
9:1-23 - God’s
people were ‘in the wilderness’ (1) - No longer in the land of bondage,
not yet in the land of promise. This is our situation - We look back to
what the Lord has done for us, we look forward to what the Lord will
yet do for us. The Passover directs our attention to the death of
Christ, ‘our Passover Lamb’ (4; 1 Corinthians 5:7). The Cloud directs us
to the return of Christ - ‘He is coming with the clouds’ (Revelation
1:7; Matthew 24:30). God’s people are guided by the ‘cloud’ and ‘fire’
(15): Not one without the other, but both together. We need both grace
and faith: Not grace without faith, not faith without grace. God is
‘able to keep us from falling’ (Jude 24) - This is grace. We are to keep
ourselves in the love of God (Jude 21) - This is faith. ‘Kept by the
power of God through faith’ (1 Peter 1:5).
10:1-36 - God’s
Word - ‘the testimony’ (11) - reveals God’s purpose (29) and provides
God’s guidance (33). The ‘cloud’ is like the presence of God’s Spirit
hovering over us. Great things are about to happen. The Spirit of God is
moving over the face of the people of God gathered for worship (11;
Genesis 1:2). Through the Word, the Spirit draws our attention to the
Lord who has promised good to us (29). Instructed by the Word and
strengthened by the Spirit, we ‘journey’ with God (33). We are moving on
with God, looking forward to the fulfilment of His good purpose. We
have heard the trumpet sound, calling us to worship the Lord, to be His
soldiers and servants (1-10). We hear the divine declaration, ‘I am the
Lord your God’ (10), and we say, ‘Yes, Lord, You are our God’ (Psalm
63:1; John 20:28).
11:1-35 - ‘The
people complained in the hearing of the Lord’ (1) - Remember: All our
words are spoken ‘in the hearing of the Lord’! There was ‘a rabble among
them’ (4): What problems there are when such people are mingling with
God’s people! What are we to do when this happens? - Pray for God’s help
(10-15). God will not disappoint us - He gives people who will ‘take their stand with us’ (16), the Spirit who rests on God’s people (25), the Word, ‘strong meat’ to sustain our spiritual strength (31-32; Hebrews 5:12-14). The lure of the world , the pull of the flesh - ‘the rabble’ wanted to go back to ‘Egypt ’ (4-6): This is the attack of the devil.
Standing in Christ’s strength alone, we ‘resist the devil’. Defeated by
Christ, Satan can do nothing but ‘flee from us’ (Philippians 4:13;
James 4:7; 1 John 3:8).
12:1-13:33 - Miriam
and Aaron complained (12:1-2). Caleb and Joshua encouraged (30;
14:6-9). Thank God for encouragers! How did Moses react to criticism? He
‘was very meek’ (3). He was like Jesus - ‘When He was reviled, He did
not revile again’ (1 Peter 2:23). Moses - ‘a servant’ - was ‘entrusted
with all God’s House’: We look beyond Moses to Christ who is ‘faithful
over God’s House as the Son’ (12:7; Hebrews 3:5-6). In times of
difficulty, we draw our strength from Him. Where there is the
encouragement of faith, the discouraging voice of unbelief is not far
behind it. Unbelief sees nothing but problems - ‘We are not able...’
(30-31). ‘Not able’ or ‘well able’? The choice is yours. Choose faith.
There must be no place for unbelief.
14:1-45 - ‘All the congregation raised a loud cry...’, ‘all the people of Israel murmured...’, ‘all
the congregation said to stone them...’ (1-2,10). Was there any ‘light
at the end of the tunnel’? Yes! - ‘The Lord... will bring us into this
land’ (8). With the promise, there was also the warning: ‘Do not rebel
against the Lord’ (9). Though angry, God remained patient: ‘How long will this people despise Me? How long
will they not believe in Me?’ (11). He was waiting patiently for a
change of heart. Moses prayed for mercy without presuming on it: ‘He
will by no means clear the guilty’ (18-19). God announces His pardon
(20). Nevertheless, there may be times when God says, ‘Enough is enough -
It’s time for a new beginning’: Only Caleb, Joshua and the ‘little
ones’ would enter the land (30-31): No one else! Not even Moses!
15:1-41 - We
read of offerings for ‘atonement’ (25,28). We think of Christ: He went
‘outside the camp’ for us (35-36; Hebrews 13:12) - to bring us
forgiveness (25,28). We are to ‘be holy to our God’, the God of our
redemption (40-41). Obedience to God is of the utmost importance: We
need to be reminded of all His commandments (39). Our supreme motivation
is redeeming love. This divine redemption creates a relationship. God
is our God and we are His people. Out of this relationship is to come
the obedience of faith (40-41). ‘E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply, Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall
be till I die’; ‘When
He comes, our glorious King, all His ransomed home to bring, then anew
this song we'll sing, “Hallelujah! What a Saviour!”’ (Mission Praise, 671; Church Hymnary, 380).
16:1-50 - ‘You
have gone too far!’: They regarded themselves as ‘holy’, yet they
refused to go ‘too far’ with God (3)! What kind of ‘holiness’ is this?
There is a ‘holiness’ which is more concerned with respectability than
obedience to God. Faced with ‘the upward call of God in Christ Jesus’,
we dare not say, ‘We will not come up’ (12; Philippians 3:14). We are to
be ‘holy’: ‘Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from
iniquity’ (4; 2 Timothy 2:19). ‘Separate yourselves’ (20): This is not
the false separation of the Pharisees - Spiritual ‘pride’ is ‘an
abomination to the Lord’ (Proverbs 11:1-2). Maintain your high calling
- Don’t get dragged down to the level of those who ‘will not come up’
to where God wants them to be - and remember: ‘By grace... not your own
doing... the gift of God’ (Ephesians 2:8).
17:1-18:32 - The
call comes from God - to Aaron, to Christ (17:5; Hebrews 5:4-6). Christ
is both the Offering for sin and the Great High Priest (Hebrews 5:7-10;
2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 7:25). We look at ourselves, and we say,
‘We perish, we are lost, we are dead’ (17:12). We look to Christ, and
everything changes (John 3:16; Luke 19:10; Ephesians 2:1). ‘Service’ and
‘reward’ (18:31): The Lord blesses those who serve Him faithfully each
day (1 Corinthians 15:58). Building on Christ, we seek to do work of
lasting value - ‘gold, silver precious stones’. We dare not rest content
with shallow superficiality - ‘wood, hay, straw’. There is ‘a reward’
for those whose ‘work’ is ‘built on the Foundation, which is Jesus
Christ’ (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).
19:1-22 - The
sacrifice was to be ‘without defect’. There was to be ‘no blemish’ (2).
Here, we have a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ - ‘without sin’, He
offered Himself ‘for the sins of the people’ (Hebrews 4:15; 2:17). The
gathering of ‘the ashes’ (9-10) speaks of the completeness of Christ’s
work for us - ‘for all time a single sacrifice for sins’ (Hebrews
10:12). The danger of becoming unclean through touching a ‘dead body’
(11) - there is a warning for us here. ‘Dead in trespasses and sins’, we
have been ‘made alive’ in Christ (Ephesians 2:1). We dare not look back
(Luke 17:32; Genesis 19:26; Luke 9:62; 2 Peter 2:20-22). We have been
purified ‘from dead works to serve the living God’ (Hebrews 9:14).
Christ ‘saves to the uttermost’. How dare we ‘shrink back’ from Him?
‘Have faith. Be saved’ (Hebrews 7:25; 10:39).
20:1-29 - No man or woman is indispensable. God’s work goes on, with or without us! (a) Miriam
(Moses’ sister) served and worshipped the Lord (Exodus 2:7-8;
15:20-21). Now, her time had come. She was not to enter the land. She
‘died’ (1). (b) Moses had been the leader of God’s people. He
sinned, and he was excluded from the promised land (12). Do not rest on
your laurels. Yesterday’s grace is not sufficient for today’s
challenges. A day-by-day walk with the Lord is called for. (c) Aaron
(Moses’ brother) had stood alongside Moses in leadership. He ‘died’
(28) without entering the promised land. In the leadership of God’s
people, the names and the faces change - but the Lord never changes. He
remains unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable in His love. When Moses,
Aaron and Miriam had gone, God was still there!
21:1-35 - In
verses 5-9, there is an illustration of God’s salvation (John 3:14-15).
There is sin and death (Romans 5-6; 3:23, 6:23). Christ prays for our
forgiveness (7; Luke 23:34). Lifted up on the Cross, He dies that we
might have eternal life. In love, He appeals to us, ‘Look to me and be
saved’ (John 12:32; Isaiah 45:22). Enter, Destroy Possess (21-24,
33-35): Let Christ enter your heart, destroying Satan’s strongholds and
taking possession of your life (2 Corinthians 10: 3-5). If we are to be
victorious to the ‘praise and glory and honour... of Jesus Christ’ (1
Peter 1:6-8), we must ‘go by the King’s Highway, not turning aside to
the right hand or the left’(22; 20:17). For the Christian, ‘the King’s
Highway is ‘the Way of Holiness’: ‘This is the way, walk in it’ (Isaiah
35:8; 30:21).
22:1-41 - Learn
from the past. In 2 Peter 2:15-16, Jude 11 and Revelation 2:14, we are
encouraged to learn from the events of this chapter. Each passage
contains a warning. (a) 2 Peter 2:15-16 - Don’t leave ‘the straight way’ and follow the crooked way! (b) Jude 11 - Don’t let making a profit become more important than being a prophet! (c) Revelation 2:14
- Make sure you don’t get drawn away from God into sin! What is God
saying to us here? - ‘these things happened... as a warning... they were
written down for our instruction... let anyone who thinks that he
stands take heed lest he fall’. With the warning, there is also the
promise: ‘...God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond
your strength, but with the temptation will also provide a way of
escape...’ (1 Corinthians 10:11-13).
23:1-30 - Our
words are to be an echo of God’s Word. We are to speak only what God
says (8,12). Before we can speak for God, He must speak to us. ‘God’s
Word is truth’ (John 17:17). God does not lie. He does not change His
mind. What He says, He does. He fulfils His purpose (19). How does God
carry forward His purpose of blessing? We receive His blessing. We share
His blessing with others. We can only bring blessing to others when we
ourselves seek blessing from the Lord. His blessing comes to us. His
blessing reaches out through us. We speak His Word, yet - through our words - He
speaks (20). This is the work of the Holy Spirit. ‘God’s Word is the
sword of the Spirit’ (Ephesians 6:17). The Spirit uses the Word to
convict us of our sin and lead us to our Saviour (Hebrews 4:12-16).
24:1-25 - When
‘the Spirit of God came upon him’, Balaam’s ‘oracle’ was described as
‘the message of the man who sees clearly’. His ‘eyes are opened’. He
sees ‘with far-seeing eyes’. He ‘hears the words of God’. He ‘sees the
vision of the Almighty’ (2-4,15-16). Balaam
looks beyond his own time. ‘With far-seeing eyes’, he prophesies
concerning our Lord Jesus Christ: ‘I see Him, but not now’ (17). Balaam
catches a glimpse of Jesus Christ, the ‘King of kings’ (Revelation
19:16). This is what we must pray for: ‘the revelation of Jesus Christ’.
Pray that you will be ‘in the Spirit’, ready to ‘hear what the Spirit
says’ (Revelation 1:1,10; 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22). God is the
unchanging God - Nothing changes Him (23:19). He is also the changing
God. He changed Balaam. He will change us!
25:1-26:22 - Read of Israel ’s
adultery and idolatry and remember God’s Word of warning: ‘Don’t let
the world squeeze you into its mould’ (25:1-5; Romans 12:2). God is
looking for people who have the ‘same zeal’ as He has (25:11). Those who
are zealous for God may be few in number, but we must not be
discouraged. Glorying in Christ our Saviour, we must continue to be
zealous for Him. In Christ we have ‘peace’, ‘atonement’ and a
‘perpetual’ salvation (25:12-13; Romans 5:1-2,9-10). We are saved to
serve - This is the thought contained in the phrase, ‘all in Israel
who are able to go forth to war’ (26:2). The wilderness wanderings were
over. God was doing a new thing. He was looking for a new people,
determined, by grace, to carry His work forward into the future. He is
still looking!
26:23-65 - There
is real sadness in the final words of this chapter: ‘There was not left
a man of them, except Caleb and Joshua’ (65). There is also a sense of
expectation. So many had died in the wilderness. This was now a new
generation. We’re living in changing times. God is equipping His people
for new challenges. We must not stand still. We dare not say, ‘It’s
never been done that way before’! A new generation has to be won for
Christ. Will we rise to the challenge? Or, will we ‘die in the
wilderness (65)? Taking possession of ‘the promised land’ would not be
easy. Making advances for Christ will not be easy. We must lay aside
those things which need to ‘die in the wilderness’. We must take hold of
all that God has given to us - if there is to be ‘Good News for the
next generation’!
27:1-23 -
The daughters of Zelophehad were concerned about the continuation of
the father’s name (1-11). Our first concern must be the glory of God,
our Heavenly Father. We are to honour our parents, loving them deeply.
We must not allow such love to compete with our love for Christ. He must
come first. We are called to a life of single-minded devotion to Jesus
Christ. Joshua is chosen to succeed Moses as the leader of God’s people
(12-23). Soon, Moses would be gone. The Lord was preparing His people
for the future. God had His man - Joshua - waiting to continue the work
which Moses had begun. For each place and time, God has His ‘Joshua’.
The work of God will go on. His work requires more than a ‘Joshua’. What
part will you play in God’s ongoing work? Will you take up the challenge?
28:1-31 - The
sacrifices, offered to God, were to be ‘a pleasing odour’ to Him
(2,6,8,13,24,27). These sacrifices are no longer required. A greater
Sacrifice has been offered and accepted. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, has
offered Himself as a Sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 9:23-26). This Sacrifice
is ‘a pleasing odour’ to God. It is ‘good news’ for us. This is ‘good
news’ - the Gospel of our salvation: ‘Christ died for our sins’ (1
Corinthians 15:3). How do we know that Christ’s Sacrifice is ‘a pleasing
odour’ to God? - God ‘raised’ Him from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:4).
The ‘feast of weeks’ (Pentecost) turns our thoughts towards the Holy
Spirit (26-31; Acts 2:1-4). It is through the power of the Holy Spirit
that the ‘good news’ of Christ becomes real in our lives. He brings us
to Christ and leads us on with Him (Acts 2:37-47).
29:1-40 - Between the feast of weeks (Pentecost) and the feast of trumpets (28:26-29:6), there was the harvest. Pentecost - the outpouring of the Holy Spirit - has ushered in the time of Harvest
- the saved are being gathered in as men and women are being won for
Christ. During this time of harvest, we ‘blow the trumpets’ of worship,
rejoicing in the Lord (1), and ‘alarm’, calling on men and women to pay
attention to the Word of the Lord (Joel 2:1). By blowing the trumpets
for God, we prepare the way for the final trumpet, ‘the trumpet of God’
(1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16). We must get ready, and we
must encourage others to get ready, for Christ’s Return.
Atonement (7-11), Tabernacles (12-40): Christ has ‘tabernacled’ among us
(John 1:14). He has made ‘atonement’ for us (Romans 5:11). Share the
Good News!
30:1-31:20 - Vows
(30:1-16): Be careful what you say - You may live to regret it
(Ecclesiastes 5:2, 4-6; Matthew 12:36-37; James 3:6-11). Learn from
Balaam. Full of good intentions about speaking God’s Word (22:18;
23:12), he hoped to ‘die the death of the righteous’ (23:10). He did not
live up to his good intentions. He sinned and he led others into sin
(31:16). He ended up being slain among God’s enemies (31:8). Why were
the Midianites destroyed (31:7-8)? They opposed the Lord, exerting an
evil influence on His people. We must take care that we do not cause
God’s people ‘to act treacherously against’ Him (31:16). Sin needs to be
removed if we are to press on to a greater enjoyment of God’s blessing.
‘Put to death what is earthly in you... put off the old nature... put
on the new nature’ (Colossians 3:5-11). This is what we must do.
31:21-54 - If
we are to be ‘soldiers of Christ’, we need to be ‘purified’, made
‘clean’. There is purification by ‘fire’ and ‘water’. Purification may
be painful, but we have the promise of God’s protective presence. He
says, ‘I will be with you’. He assures us, ‘the waters... shall not
overwhelm you... and the flame shall not shall not consume you’ (22-24;
Isaiah 43:2). From the Old Testament wars, we learn important spiritual
principles: Enter the war, Destroy the sins, Possess the land. This is what we must do throughout life. Looking beyond Israel ’s
triumphs to Christ’s victory over Satan (Hebrews 2:14-15; 1 John 3:8),
we thank God for His victory and we claim this victory by faith (1
Corinthians 15:57; 1 John 5:4-5). The battle may be ‘fierce’. The
‘victory is secure’ (Church Hymnary, 479). Praise God!
32:1-42 - Some
look for an easy life. They know that there will be conflict on the
other side of the Jordan. They opt out - ‘do not take us across the
Jordan’ (5). They think they’ve travelled far enough. God
says, ‘Let us go on to maturity’ (Hebrews 6:1). ‘My happiness’ - This is
what concerns the self-centred person. Spiritual maturity is not about
happiness. It’s about holiness. We find happiness when we aim at
holiness. What is holiness? - ‘It’s the life apart from the world’s
excess. It’s the Lord’s command, not the Lord’s request. It’s the only
life that the Lord can bless’. Pretend to be more holy than you really
are, and ‘be sure your sin will find you out’ (23). A small minority -
Caleb and Joshua - ‘wholly followed the Lord’ (12): Better a minority
with God than a majority without Him.
33:1-49 - In
the history of Israel - Set free by the power of God, failure to learn,
wandering, the promised land - , there is a picture of the Christian
life - conversion and growth to spiritual maturity by way of learning
from our mistakes. We are not to remain in the past. That would be
nostalgia. It is, however, a good thing for us to remember, with
gratitude, all the way the Lord has led us. This will increase our
appreciation of the goodness of God. It will deepen our sense of
indebtedness to Him. Israel’s redemption was a mighty work of God. Our
salvation is a mighty work of God. Think back over your life - ‘stage by
stage’ (2) - and thank God for all that He has done. ‘These are
the stages of’ what the Lord has done (1): You may see the Lord in
places where you hadn’t noticed Him before!
33:50-34:29 - ‘Drive
out all the inhabitants of the land’ (52): We must drive out the enemy
(Satan) if we are to enter more fully into our salvation in Jesus Christ
(Ephesians 5:3-14). Idolatry is to be banished (52). It has no place
among God’s people. God wants us to ‘possess the land’ (53) - a fuller
enjoyment of Him. Idolatry is settling for ‘second best’ - letting
something or someone else become more important to you than the Lord.
Don’t let it happen! The setting of the boundaries of the land of Canaan
(34:1-29) is a reminder that there are boundaries in the Christian
life, boundaries set by God Himself, the boundaries of Holy Scripture.
When we move beyond the boundaries of God’s holy Word, we move outside
the sphere of God’s blessing. Live in the will of God - within the
boundaries set by His Word.
35:1-36:13 - Cities
of refuge were provided for those who had killed someone accidentally.
This is a good illustration of fleeing to Christ for refuge. He is our
‘strong tower’. We ‘run’ to Him and we are ‘safe’ (Hebrews 6:18;
Proverbs 18:10). God gave
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