Boundaries of our Inheritance - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 34:2,

"Command the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter Canaan, the land that will be allotted to you as an inheritance is to have these boundaries'"

As the Lord gave Moses directions for their entry into the promised land, note that he gave them boundaries. A boundary is something that fixes a limit or extent. The Lord gave them land, but that land was defined. It was not left up to the Israelites to decide for themselves whatever they wanted. The Lord gave them what he wanted.

We read in 1 Corinthians 3:21b-23, "All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God." How many times I have seen this taken as a license by those who should know better! Paul speaks of our inheritance in Jesus Christ as "all things", however, Paul is not saying anything and everything is ours. What he is saying is that everything the Lord desires to give us is ours, all of it.

In looking at the context of what Paul was saying in 1 Corinthians 3, he was providing a limit or boundary on the outlook of the believers there. "Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become 'fools' so that you may become wise." Verse 18. That is a limit, a boundary. What was theirs as an inheritance in Jesus Christ was all theirs, and fully so, but not everything in life - just those things the Lord desires to give us.

I am reminded that, in what passes as the "church" today, a lot of things are offered that actually fall outside of what it is the Lord has determined to give us. It behoves all of us to verify what we are hearing as "all things are ours" actually falls within the boundaries of what it is the Lord is actually providing for us.

And, by the way, he offers us a whole lot! Forget this extra nonsense that appeals to something other than our new nature in Jesus Christ. Just as the Lord provided boundaries for the inheritance he gave the Israelites, so he has boundaries for our inheritance as his children today.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Entering into Eternal Life - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 34:2,

"Command the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter Canaan, the land that will be allotted to you as an inheritance is to have these boundaries...'"

In this chapter the Lord tells Moses what the boundaries will be of the promised land that is to be divided among the tribes and clans of Israel, and also the roster, one from each tribe, of those who would help in the specific assignment of which portions to which tribe and clan.

The writer of Hebrews likens the entrance of the Israelites into the promised land as entering into the rest of the Lord when he rested on the seventh day of the creation week. Israel would now rest from their sojourn of forty years in the wilderness.

The writer of Hebrews also likens that entrance of the Israelites into the promised land to that of our entrance into the kingdom of God for those who embrace Jesus Christ in faith. He does it to demonstrate that just as those who disobeyed the Lord were not able to enter into the rest of the Lord, so people today who refuse the Lord are not able to enter into eternal life - all based on faith.

"Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed." Hebrews 3:16-4:2.

Because of this simili by the writer of Hebrews (we don't know who the inspired person was that wrote Hebrews), as I read of the boundaries and allocation of the promised land in Numbers 34, it causes me to think of what will be our inheritance in the kingdom of heaven. What will the specifics of our existence be like? Just like everyone else, I don't have those details, but I do have an idea that it will be more than we can possibly imagine!

In thinking of life in the resurrection, David said, "Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

How wonderful is that?!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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It has been, and always will be, all about faith! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 33:1,

"Here are the stages in the journey of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt by divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron."

This chapter chronicles the itinerary the Israelites followed during their forty year period in the wilderness. It began with the exodus from Egypt and ended as they made their way to the east bank of the Jordan from which they would enter Canaan and take it from its inhabitants.

This sojourn of Israel in the wilderness was an amazing undertaking. They were consigned to it when they failed to trust the Lord in entering and taking the promised land just after their exodus from Egypt. After spies were sent in to check out the land, the nation feared the inhabitants over the Lord's assurance he would bring them victory. Because they refused to go, the Lord sent them on this forty year sojourn in the wilderness until that generation had passed.

Based on a count of the fighting men, there were several million Israelites that made the trek. As I count the encampments listed in this chapter (if I counted right) there were forty-one locations where they stayed over the forty year period. We read elsewhere that the duration of each encampment varied, maybe a few days, maybe a year or so.

In Numbers 9:18-23 we read, "At the Lord's command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the Lord's order and did not set out. Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the Lord's command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. At the Lord's command they encamped, and at the Lord's command they set out. They obeyed the Lord's order, in accordance with his command through Moses."

The logistics for this horde was staggering! One suggestion claims 4 million pounds of food was needed each day! That would be the equivalent of 3 freight trains a mile long each to bring what was needed every day. The same source calculates the need for 8 million pounds of wood each day for cooking and warmth. 11 million gallons of water would be needed each day for drinking and to wash a few dishes! Those are staggering numbers! The same source says the campground needed for this group would take 750 square miles (about half the state of Rhode Island).

Given all this, it appears to me the forty year sojourn in the wilderness had, as one of its goals, to teach the Israelites as a nation to follow the Lord no matter the outlook. A faith-building exercise. They refused to trust in the Lord's ability to bring about victory for them against the Canaanites, and so they went through a forty year curriculum to teach them something of the Lord's ability to provide and bring success.

It has been, and always will be, all about faith!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Sin Finding Us Out - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 32:23,

"But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out."

"This" in the above verse refers to a commitment the tribes of Gad and Reuben made to fight together with the rest of Israel to take the promised land from the Canaanites. Those two tribes wanted land on the east side of the Jordan, already won, and Moses told them they could have it only after Gad and Reuben agreed to fight together with the other ten tribes.

Moses' statement was a threat to these two tribes should they renege on their commitment, born out of a truth about sin. No one can sin and not pay the consequences.

We may feel we can "get away with it" if we are crafty enough, but no one is as crafty as God, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:13.

The book of Proverbs is a manual on skillful living. Here is a thought it provides on this issue: "The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception." Proverbs 14:8. We may think we can get away with sin, and we might-- but only for a while. To think our sin won't "find you out" is merely a deception.

Here is a thought Paul provides, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." Galatians 6:7-8.

A sobering truth about sin: it will find us out!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Doing Our Part - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 32:5,

"'If we have found favor in your eyes,' they said, 'let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.'"

As the time began to draw near for Israel to cross the Jordan River and enter the promised land to take it from the current inhabitants, the tribes of Reuben and Gad approached Moses to see if they could stay on the east side of the Jordan and not go in. The Israelites had already vanquished inhabitants on the east side and these two tribes saw the land there was good for livestock. Since both had "very large herds and flocks", verse 1, they wanted to take that land for themselves.

Moses became angry with them and called them a brood of sinners, verse 14. He pointed out that forty years earlier the Israelites refused to go into the land to take it from the Canaanites-- so the Lord condemned them to wandering in the wilderness for the forty years until that whole generation had passed. Moses viewed the request by these two tribes as engaging in the same disobedience - a reluctance to participate in what the Lord wanted done.

All was resolved, however, when the Reubenites and Gadites agreed to cross the Jordan (even ahead of the others) and join the fight and not leave till all the other tribes received their part of the land first. Moses accepted the proposal and told Eleazar to make sure these two tribes got the land they had requested.

The account causes me to think of us today. Then, the Lord had things he wanted accomplished by his people Israel, and they refused. As a result they incurred his wrath. Today, the Lord has things he wants accomplished by his people. He is building his kingdom and we all have our part to play.

It is God's will that we participate with him as he builds his kingdom. Here are a few passages to consider:

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20.
"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10.
"Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church." 1 Corinthians 14:12.
"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." 1 Corinthians 12:7.
"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? Now eagerly desire the greater gifts." 1 Corinthians 12:27-31.

As the tribes of Reuben and Gad agreed to do what was requested of them by the Lord, how about us? What are we doing to help the Lord build his kingdom? What part of it are we involved in? We all have a part to play.

Here is a good starting point, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

How am I engaged in God's agenda? What part am I involved in today?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Thoughts on Gratefulness and Reparation - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 31:48-50,

"Then the officers who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—went to Moses and said to him, 'Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one is missing. So we have brought as an offering to the Lord the gold articles each of us acquired—armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings and necklaces—to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord.'"

Following the conquest of the Midianites, the Israeli soldiers were to distribute the booty taken in a prescribed way, as recounted in verses 25-47.

Following this, the commanders of the army brought to Moses the gold articles they had acquired in the defeat of the Midianites as an offering to the Lord. This they did for two reasons.

The first is that at the end of the fight, they found that they had not lost a single man out of the twelve thousand troops that had gone into battle.

The second reason was they wanted to make atonement for themselves. In verses 14-18 we read, "Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who returned from the battle. 'Have you allowed all the women to live?' he asked them. 'They were the ones who followed Balaam's advice and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the Peor incident, so that a plague struck the Lord's people. Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.'"

Out of a heart of gratefulness to the Lord in not losing any men in battle and due to their poor judgment (while putting the Midianites to death) in allowing the very women who enticed the Israelite men to abandon God earlier live, they brought this voluntary offering of gold to the Lord.

Gratefulness and a desire to make reparation for bad judgment. Both heartfelt attitudes expressed in a very tangible way. It causes me to think of what it is I am grateful to the Lord for and what I might need to make reparation for. How would I express that?

I do thank the Lord with profound gratitude for sending his Son to provide a reparation, an atonement, for my sin and making a way for me into his family!

How about you?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Worshipping the Lord Who Is (and Not my Fantasy) - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 31:1-2a,

"The Lord said to Moses, 'Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites.'"

The result of this direction from the Lord was the death of the five kings of Midian, the pagan sorcerer Balaam, all the men and boys of Midian and all the women who were not virgins. The virgins were taken as servants into the Israelite households. The entire nation of Midian was wiped out in a genocidal conquest at the Lord's direction.

The question arises (and has in many places) as to how the Lord could direct the genocide of an entirre nation. Naturally, many answers have been put forward in the defense of the Lord's direction to Moses. It is one of those perfect questions for a debate in ethics. There are a number of times in Scripture where the Lord exercises his divine prerogatives (how about destroying the entire world in Noah's day?) that could be material for a debate.

I approach it this way for myself: the Lord's character is such that he is kind, faithful and just in all he does. That is exactly how the Lord reveals himself to us in the pages of Scripture, "I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight", Jeremiah 9:24. The full counsel of the Scriptures bears this out. 

Keeping in mind the wickedness of a people who engaged in pagan idol worship that encompassed child sacrifice, fertility rituals that included the enticement of Israelite men away from their God and the like, far be it from me to question the Lord on his counsel, his judgments, his decisions. He is my Lord and he doesn't have to answer to my perceived ethical predispositions. In short, he doesn't check in with me first about what he does.

If I find myself "offended" by anything the Lord does, who needs to make the adjustment? Do I sit in judgment of my Lord? Far be it from me! And, by the way, I am never offended by my Lord. Quite the opposite. It is from him true morality, true ethics, true justice is found. No one else's opinion makes any difference.

Those who claim to know the Lord but hold a reservation over how he is revealed in the pages of Scripture at times, have yet to fully come to know the Lord. It seems to me there are many who harbor a fantasy of the Lord. Not knowing or studying the Scriptures thoroughly, they "imagine" what the Lord is like - after their own fashion, which leads to ethical questions about what we read in Scripture.

It is imperative we worship the Lord who is, not the Lord we invent!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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On Vows - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 30:10-11,

"If a woman living with her husband makes a vow or obligates herself by a pledge under oath and her husband hears about it but says nothing to her and does not forbid her, then all her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand."

Vows are important. Merriam-Webster's online dictionary defines "vow" as "a solemn promise or assertion; one by which a person is bound to an act, service, or condition." It lists as synonyms, "oath, pledge, promise, troth, word."

As the Lord gave Moses the law his covenanted people were to live by, he included statues that underscored the importance of vows. It also illustrated the patriarchal nature of the society Israel and her neighbors lived in. A father or husband could negate a daughter's or a wife's vows.

In Asaph's psalm, the Lord says to Israel, "Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me." Psalm 50:14-15. Asaph also encouraged the people of Israel to both make and to keep vows to the Lord, "Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them; let all the neighboring lands bring gifts to the One to be feared." Psalm 76:11. In another psalm, the psalmist, in the midst of rejoicing in the Lord's providential and protective care for him exclaimed, "I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people." Psalm 116:13-14.

In Scripture, vows are regarded as that which is important, not to be taken lightly and to be followed through on, "It is a trap to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider one's vows." Proverbs 20:25. In Ecclesiastes 5:4-5, Solomon says, "When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it." The caution he provides in not fulfilling a vow is put this way, "Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?" Verse 6.

Is vow making and keeping important today? In the early church we read that Paul had made a Nazarite vow in Acts 18:18. We also read of four Jewish Christians who had made the same, Acts 21:17-26. These men did so as Jews in fulfilling a special type of vow according to the law God gave Moses. We read of the Nazarite Vow in Numbers 6:1-20.

The vow that is of the utmost importance for us today is that which is found in Romans 10:9-10, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." The vow of making Jesus Christ the Lord of our life brings us the incredible inheritance of eternal life! Eternal pleasures and joy at his right hand (Psalm 16:11)!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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God is Faithful in all He Says and Does - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 30:2,

"When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said."

Obviously the need for this law is that many do not follow through on their word, what they may have promised.

I am reminded that this is one of the great distinctions between God and sinful man. God always follows through on what he says he will do, on all his promises. "God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. " Romans 11:29.

God never fails and is always faithful! Here is where we can be certain of our destination following this life, "He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." 1 Corinthians 1:8-9.

God is faithful in all he says and all he does. Since he has promised us eternal life, we can be certain of it!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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On Faithfulness - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 29:40,

"Moses told the Israelites all that the Lord commanded him."

Moses, although not a perfect man, (as demonstrated at the rock that produced water), was nonetheless faithful. What the Lord told Moses, he was faithful to carry out. When the Lord gave messages to the Israelites, Moses was faithful to speak to them on God's behalf.

The writer of Hebrews acknowledged Moses' faithfulness to the Lord and used Moses' faithfulness as an aid to help us understand the faithfulness of Jesus Christ to the Father. He says, "He [Jesus] was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 'Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house,' bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. But Christ is faithful as the Son over God's house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory." Hebrews 3:2-6.

I cannot think of a greater honor than what Moses received as he was used to help illustrate the faithfulness of God's own Son to his Father. In thinking of Jesus' faithfulness to the Father, I am reminded of Jesus' words of his prayer before his arrest and crucifixion, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." Luke 22:42.

As we look at Moses' faithfulness in following through on what the Lord gave him to do, I am reminded of our own call to be faithful, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.  

Worship of the Heart in Festivals and Feasts - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 29:39,

"In addition to what you vow and your freewill offerings, offer these to the Lord at your appointed festivals: your burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings and fellowship offerings."

This chapter provides this new generation of Israelites instructions for various festivals that were to be marked on their calendar. The chapter begins with instructions on the Festival of Trumpets, followed by the Day of Atonement and Tabernacles. The previous chapter provides instructions for additional festivals to be observed. All of them speak to or picture the coming Son of God as an aid to help the recognition of him when he was to arrive.

As the other feasts and festivals, the Lord makes clear the purpose for these was worship of the heart. In verses 2, 6, 8, 13 and 36 the Lord speaks of the offerings by the people as that which would be a "pleasing aroma" to him. This speaks to me of heartfelt sincerity and devotion the Lord was looking for from his people.

The observance of these festivals was not to be of a private nature, but communal. The Asbury Bible Commentary makes an interesting observation about them, "And here Israel's life is to be permeated by public worship. But such worship must be neither purely formal nor primarily aesthetic nor cerebral. At the heart of worship is offering."

How about our worship today? Is it driven by heartfelt sincerity and devotion? Is it purely formal or is it grounded in personal and corporate gratitude? Does it express our hearts beyond the confines of liturgy, rituals and the trappings of stained glass windows, vestments and the like?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Our Passover - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 28:16-17,

"On the fourteenth day of the first month the Lord's Passover is to be held. On the fifteenth day of this month there is to be a festival; for seven days eat bread made without yeast."

The celebration of the Passover is a remembrance of the Lord's rescue of Israel from her enslavement in Egypt. In a night of horror, the Lord brought the culmination of a series of plagues on Egypt by sending his angel to kill all the firstborn males in Egypt. The firstborn males of Israel would be spared if the doors to their homes had the blood of a lamb applied to the top and sides. This final plague would result in Pharaoh providing the Israelites their freedom.

"Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down." Exodus 12:21-23.

The blood of the lamb spared God's people from death.

In 1 Corinthians 5:7, Paul calls Jesus Christ our Passover lamb. He frees us from our enslavement to sin. The blood he shed protects us from God's eternal judgment when we embrace him in faith.

The writer of Hebrews tells us, "But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" Hebrews 9:11-14.

Jesus Christ is our Passover lamb and God provided us a picture of this all the way back in Moses' day when he instituted the celebration of Passover!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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A Pleasing Aroma to God - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 28:1-2,

"The Lord said to Moses, 'Give this command to the Israelites and say
to them: "Make sure that you present to me at the appointed time my
food offerings, as an aroma pleasing to me."'"

Now that the forty year sojourn in the wilderness for Israel had come
to its end and a new generation of Israelites is now on the scene,
with Moses to shortly pass the mantle of leadership to Joshua, the
Lord reviews the sacrificial offerings and festivals with a few
additional details.

As the Lord speaks to Moses, he begins with calling the offerings his
food offerings that provided a pleasing aroma to him. The notion that
the offerings were a pleasing aroma to him was something he
underscored when he first gave the requirements for offerings forty
years earlier. I count at least 20 occasions where the Lord referred
to the offerings as a pleasing aroma to him, Exodus 29:18 - Leviticus
26:31.

What did the Lord mean by a "pleasing aroma" in reference to the
offerings? Was he like me when I am out grilling on my Weber enjoying
(and celebrating!) the aroma that those rib eye steaks bring? Was it
the actual physical aroma of the roasting meat on the altar that was
pleasing to him?

I don't think that quite captures what the Lord was communicating. The
Quest Study Bible provides a great thought on it in a comment made at
Leviticus 1:9. Quest points to the pleasure God received from the
genuine and heartfelt intent behind the offering made by the
worshippers. The aroma of the offerings was a picture communicating
the pleasure he felt when worshippers expressed their faith and
devotion in him through their worship of him.

Can we bring that pleasure to God through our worship and obedience to
him today? Consider Hebrews 13:15-16, "Through Jesus, therefore, let
us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips
that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to
share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

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me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are
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and let me know.

God Is Immediate - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 27:11b,

"This is to have the force of law for the Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses."

Zelophehad had five daughters and no sons when he died. Because he had no sons, his family would be left out of the distribution of the promised land (when it became available) to the various tribes and clans of Israel. The daughters brought their complaint of this to Moses.

Moses brought it to the Lord and the Lord provided a new provision to the law. It reads, "If a man dies and leaves no son, give his inheritance to his daughter. If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father's brothers. If his father had no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may possess it."

This new addition to the law came some forty years after God gave the law to Moses on Mt. Sinai. Why wasn't this new law incorporated in the original body of law at that time? It certainly wasn't because God didn't think of it or didn't anticipate the occasion requiring it.

It seems to me that God didn't give this law originally because it wasn't needed at the time. It would only be needed when the time came for distributing the land and the passing of it from generation to generation. God provided the direction to Moses when it was time for it, when the occasion arose.

This speaks to me of the interactive nature of God. I'm sure many view God in a "fixed" posture. He has done those things he wanted to do, he has provided the Scriptures he wanted to provide. He created history and the accounting of it as he saw fit, but seems aloof and anything but near at hand today.

I don't find God revealing himself that way at all in the pages of Scripture. On the contrary, he presents himself as being immediate ("existing without intervening space or substance", Merriam-Webster) in his posture toward us. He listens and watches us, He is available to us when we call out to him and will respond to things in real time.

The account of Zelophehad's daughters is just one of many pictures of this aspect of God.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Take it to the Lord - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 27:5-7,

"So Moses brought their case before the Lord, and the Lord said to him, 'What Zelophehad's daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father's relatives and give their father's inheritance to them.'"

In the previous chapter a census was taken as a precursor to distributing the land promised to Israel once they took it from the then current inhabitants. In verse 53 of that chapter we read, "The land is to be allotted to them as an inheritance based on the number of names." Those names were the names of the men in the various clans.

A case came before Moses that involved the five daughters of a man named Zelophehad who had passed away while having no sons. Since there were no sons, the sisters made their plea that since their deceased father had not participated in rebellious activity, his family should not be excluded from a rightful share of the land to be distributed.

Not having that specific circumstance covered in the law, Moses took their case to the Lord. 

Not every conceivable situation in life was accounted for in the law as given by the Lord to Moses. Obviously, had the Lord done so, the books of the law would certainly pile up bigger than Mt. Sinai itself! It would have made the law a useless stack of minutiae. A vast sea of detail that would have made itself unnavigable and useless for the purpose the Lord had given it to Moses for in the first place.

Things we may encounter today might present a similar circumstance. Not every conceivable situation in life is covered specifically in the Scriptures. There may be some principles that can be gleaned in a general sense for a given situation, but sometimes we need to follow Moses' example and take those things before the Lord.

Many things in life present themselves as best being brought to the Lord in prayer. They force us to stop in our tracks and rely on his immediate presence as we look for direction from him. I suspect that is at least one reason why the Lord has not provided all the answers to everything we may encounter in the Scriptures. 

In addition to the Scriptures, we need to rely on the Lord in prayer. 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Our Eternal Inheritance - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 26:52-56,

"The Lord said to Moses, 'The land is to be allotted to them as an inheritance based on the number of names. To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one; each is to receive its inheritance according to the number of those listed. Be sure that the land is distributed by lot. What each group inherits will be according to the names for its ancestral tribe. Each inheritance is to be distributed by lot among the larger and smaller groups.'"

Numbers 26 provides census numbers by the tribes of Israel as well as a breakdown of the various clans of each tribe. In the above few verses, the Lord tells Moses that the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is to be distributed by tribe and according to the relative size of each tribe as their inheritance of what was promised.
 
After their 40 year sojourn in the wilderness, the Israelites now look forward to their share in the inheritance of what was promised to their patriarchs.

As it does to many, this causes me to think of our inheritance in the next life following our sojourn in this one. This life can be likened to a wilderness sojourn in that it is occupied by us living in a cursed world (following mankind's fall in the garden of Eden), suffering the consequences of a collective sinful nature.

For those of us who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith, we look forward to an inheritance that awaits us. Eternal life! We can sing along with David,
"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
    nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalm 16:9-11.

This is our inheritance! Paul tells us, "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory." Ephesians 1:11-14.

Paul counsels those who serve others to be productive in this life as we look forward to our eternal inheritance, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Colossians 3:23-24.

Peter encourages believers in light of the inheritance that is headed our way, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials." 1 Peter 1:3-6.

Paul tells us something amazing about our inheritance in Romans 8:16-17, "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." We will share together in the inheritance of the Son of God as his co-heirs! 

Just as the Israelites could begin to look forward to their inheritance in the promised land, so we too look forward to our own eternal inheritance that we will share together with Jesus Christ! 

How amazing is that?!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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What Excludes: Disobedience or Unbelief? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 26:63-65,

"These are the ones counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. Not one of them was among those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai. For the Lord had told those Israelites they would surely die in the wilderness, and not one of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun."

This chapter provides a second census of the Israelites in the book of Numbers. The first census was taken at the beginning of their forty year sojourn in the wilderness and this one at the end. The observation made is that of all that was counted, only two people remained from the earlier census, Joshua and Caleb. (Of course Moses, who had the count made at the Lord's command, was still alive and leading Israel, but he would not be allowed into the promised land either because of his sin at the incident when he struck the rock with the staff to provide water).

That earlier generation of the first census that was freed and led out of Egypt rebelled against the Lord, which resulted in them not being allowed into the promised land. Joshua and Caleb were two spies of twelve that provided a report to the Israelites on the Canaanites and encouraged the people to take the land as the Lord wanted them to. Due to that encouragement to the nation to follow the Lord, they were the only two who would be allowed to enter into the land.

The writer of Hebrews makes an observation about this generation that perished during the wilderness sojourn. "Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief."

The writer of Hebrews makes the point that the rebellious Israelites that disobeyed were not allowed to enter into the promised land because their rebellion and disobedience demonstrated their "unbelief." Here is yet again another point that when it comes to our standing with God, it is all about faith!

Even if we have been disobedient to the Lord, even if we have been rebellious toward the Lord, if we place our faith and trust in him, we will be allowed to enter into his family, into eternal life. We won't be excluded like those who harbored unbelief in their hearts toward the Lord as expressed in their rebellion and disobedience.

We have all sinned, but Jesus Christ paid the penalty for all of our sins. All the Lord asks is that we believe in him and embrace him in faith. It is today, and always has been, all about our faith in God!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Identifying an Enemy - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 25:16-18,

"The Lord said to Moses, 'Treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them. They treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the Peor incident involving their sister Kozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed when the plague came as a result of that incident.'"

The Midianites and Moabites had formed an alliance against Israel when Israel drew near their borders. They felt threatened by Israel and due to what happened to the Egyptians forty years earlier during the plagues of Egypt (which, apparently everyone was aware of in that part of the world), they feared Israel's relationship with their God. These pagan nations all had their own gods and were considered strong if they could keep their gods happy. This chapter describes a plan of deceit they devised in an attempt to separate Israel from God. They enticed Israelite men by having Moabite women invite them to their fertility festival, which involved Baal worship and sex with the Moabite women.

As do many of the accounts of the history of Israel in the Scriptures, the Lord brings perspective here. When it comes to those who might entice us to sin, they become our enemies. Opportunities to engage in those things the Lord abhors become opportunities to do damage brought on by an appeal from the spiritually dark side of humanity and/or our own sinful nature.

I remain confident the Lord is able to keep believers safely within him throughout life, "He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." 1 Corinthians 1:8-9. And, while this is true, there is nonetheless great damage that can be brought to the church, to the gospel enterprise, to our families and to ourselves when we might yield to such enticements.

Whenever one comes along to offer or entice you into something you have no business being involved in, that one becomes your enemy. Just ask the 24,000 people who died at God's hand due to the Israelite men like Zimri who took advantage of the Moabite women's offer.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Becoming "Woke" - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 24:15-16,

"The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly, the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened..."

This opening formula to Balaam's prophecy occurs twice in this chapter, here and also earlier in verses 3-4 to begin his previous prophecy. What catches my eye this morning is Balaam's claim that his "eyes are opened." Now that the Spirit of God had come on him he had a changed view of things. We might say in today's vernacular, he became "woke".

The race hustlers and social justice warriors use the term "woke" to refer to someone who has become aware of and actively attentive to "racial justice" and "social justice" and other issues the political left finds itself fascinated with.

My thought is that the "woke" condition of the political left is really not much of a new outlook, as it probably simply indicates a person is just more influenced by the collective sinful nature of mankind. An increase in interest or enthusiasm, but only in the same trajectory of rebellion they were already influenced with.

Not so for Balaam! Here is a pagan sorcerer who suddenly is confronted by God and has had the Spirit of God come upon him. Talk about a changed view of reality! Where Balaam existed in a spiritually deep darkness, he suddenly has a whole different viewpoint and outlook, which is what it appears to me he is expressing when he says "whose eyes are opened..."

I don't have any idea about Balaam becoming a regenerated man as all of us who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith become. However, Balaam's newly "woke" condition reminds me of the newly "woke" condition we experience. "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 2 Corinthians 5: 16-17. This echoes Jesus' explanation to Nicodemus when he told him of a new birth. See John 3:1-21.

Talk about becoming "woke"!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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God Will Use Anyone He Wants! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 24:1-4,

"Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not resort to divination as at other times, but turned his face toward the wilderness. When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him and he spoke his message: 'The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly, the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened...'"

Balaam was a pagan sorcerer. He was hired by the king of Moab to curse Israel but wound up blessing them instead. Israel was God's own covenanted people and if anything relative to them were to happen it would have to cross his desk first. Of course, that is only of interest if we buy off on the notion that pagan sorcerers really had any ability to make things happen through their sordid trade (why am I thinking of TV evangelists here?). I personally don't.

What we see happen is that when Balaam began his schtick, God presented himself to Balaam and made him bless Israel instead of cursing them. We are told, "the Spirit of God came on him". Not only did Balaam bless Israel, he also prophesied about future events to take place for the Israelites as well as their enemies and other nations.

What we learn here is that God can cause the Holy Spirit to come upon anyone, regenerated or not! He can and does use anyone he desires for his purposes- even to bless his own people! If he is willing to use a pagan sorcerer, then he just might use you or me! Even your mother-in-law or a TV evangelist!

Who knew?!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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A Most Unique People! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 23:9b,

"I [Balaam] -  see a people [Israel] who live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations."

Balaam was a pagan sorcerer who was hired by Balak, king of Moab, to curse Israel because he felt threatened by them when they moved close to his border. When Balaam went off by himself to get the word on cursing Israel, the Lord spoke to him and gave him something to take back to Balak. In the midst of what the Lord gave to Balaam, the above observation was made.

Balaam saw Israel as a people who "live apart" and did not "consider themselves one of the nations." I find the observation truthful and accurate (well, it was a part of what the Lord gave to Balaam to take back to Balak, so it had to be truthful and accurate!) As a nation, Israel stands alone from all other nations.

Israel has been the only nation that has had a covenant with God. Here is Paul's summation of the unique aspect of Israel as God's covenant nation, "Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen." Romans 9:4-5.

No other nation ever has had this place in God's economy of things. Israel has a unique relationship with God, as Balaam observed how the Israelites viewed themselves, they "live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations." That unique relationship continues today, "as far as election is concerned, they [Israel] are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable." Romans 11:28b-29.

God has inaugurated a new covenant with mankind, but it is with individuals, and not with a nation. Under the terms of this new covenant, members of all nations participate. Israel has been the only nation chosen by God for his purposes of bringing his Son into the world and for bringing and persisting his word, the Scriptures, into the world. Truly not just one of the nations!

Israel is a special nation. A nation that was created by God for his purposes. It has always been a special nation set apart from the family of all nations of the earth to be used by God in his inscrutable ways.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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No Twisting God's Arm! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 23:8,

"How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced?"

Balak, king of Moab hired a sorcerer, Balaam, to curse Israel as he felt threatened by them. Balak believed he could hire Balaam and that Balaam would bring about Israel's demise by cursing the nation. Balak believed Balaam had the connection to the spirit world to cause things to happen.

The Lord gave Balaam a message to give Balak. Embedded within that message was a point everyone needs to know. The Lord determines outcomes, the Lord determines the way things will be, the Lord decides what is to happen and how it is to happen.

Not everybody knows this! Some harbor a delusion they (or other certain people) can effect things through their own agency or at least bring some kind of cosmic, or whatever, pressure to bear on things to determine outcomes. It isn't so. Those things are the exclusive province of God.

We can, of course, ask things of God. And, that doesn't cost money (in spite of what the TV evangelists have to say). However, although God might grant our request, it is his granting, not ours and not those who pay to "make" something happen.

"In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." Proverbs 16:9. "A person's steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand their own way?" Proverbs 20:24.

"'For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,'
declares the Lord.
'As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
    so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.'" Isaiah 55:8-11.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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God Sized Numbers! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 22:5b,

"A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me [Balak]."

Here is Balak's (king of Moab) complaint about the nation of Israel as they camped by Moab. He sent his complaint to Balaam, a sorcerer, to fetch him to curse the Israelites. This he did as he was fearful of the size of Israel, and their recent defeat of the Amorites.

It is the description of the size of the Israelite nation that captures my attention this morning.

This book of Numbers is named so after a census was made of the fighting men at the beginning of their sojourn in the wilderness, and a second one at the end, forty years later. The nation began with 603,550 fighting men at the beginning, Numbers 1:45, and Numbers 26:51 tells us there were 601,730 at the end. These numbers indicate there must have been several million Israelites total Moses led through the wilderness for forty years!

The logistics for this horde was staggering! One source, http://www.messianicseder.com/logistics.html claims 4 million pounds of food was needed each day! That would be the equivalent of 3 freight trains a mile long each to bring what was needed every day. The same source calculates the need for 8 million pounds of wood each day for cooking and warmth. 11 million gallons of water would be needed each day for drinking and to wash a few dishes! Those are staggering numbers! The same source says the campground needed for this group would take 750 square miles (about half the state of Rhode Island).

Other sources can be cited and I'm sure there are differences in the logistics numbers required for Israel each day. I'm not certain of the veracity of these numbers I have mentioned but it does point to the amazing sojourn this was!

Because of what would be required to maintain the nation in the wilderness for forty years, it has led some to doubt the literal numbers mentioned in Numbers 1:45 and 26:51. Some move the decimal point three places to the left, that kind of thing.

I'm sticking with the numbers given. Here is just one reason: look at Balak's observation of the nation:
"Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites." Verse 3.
"This horde is going to lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field." Verse 4.
"A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me." Verse 5b.
"A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land." Verse 11a.
And Balaam observed, "Who can count the dust of Jacob or number even a fourth of Israel?" Numbers 23:10.

It is a challenge for me to wrap my mind around some of these things. What God has done is simply stunning!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.

On Being "Given Over" By God - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 22:21-22b,

"Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him."

Here is an interesting twist. God was angry with Balaam, a pagan sorcerer, when he left to see Balak who had summoned him. Balak, who was king of Moab and fearful of Israel, wanted Balaam to curse Israel and sent envoys to fetch him. We read in verse 20 that God told Balaam to go ahead and go with the envoys to see Balak. But two verses later we read that God was angry when Balaam went. What gives?

It turns out that prior to God telling Balaam to go in verse 20, God had already told Balaam not to go, verse 12. Following that, Balaam had gone back to the Lord to "find out what else the Lord will tell me." Verse 19. Although he claimed to do only what the Lord told him, verse 18, he nonetheless went back to the Lord to see if he couldn't go ahead and do what he wanted to do in spite of already knowing what the Lord wanted.

The Lord simply gave him over to his own desires (he "loved the wages of wickedness", 2 Peter 2:15). Now Balaam would face God as his opponent.

This reminds me of the way Paul tells us that God gives people over to their sinful impulses and reap the judgement for it. "Therefore God gave them [those who reject God] over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another." Romans 1:24. "Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts." Romans 1:26a. "Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done." Romans 1:28.

The horrific judgment of God can be found by the insistence of a compulsion to sin or oppose God's desires. Those who do so just may find themselves in the appalling and dreadful position of being given over to their sinful impulses by God, only to face his opposition and judgment.

Something to think about here.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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God Always Fulfills His Promises! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 21:31,

"So Israel settled in the land of the Amorites."

Finally, after a 40 year sojourn in the wilderness, Israel began to settle. This is the first mention of them occupying land following their exodus from Egypt, and so, it seems to me to be a pivotal verse in Israel's history. We read in verse 25, "Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites and occupied them, including Heshbon and all its surrounding settlements."

This is still on the east side of the Jordan where Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh would be given land. Later, following Moses' death, Israel, led by Joshua, would cross the Jordan and begin the effort of displacing the Canaanites west of the Jordan and taking their land the Lord had given them.

Here we see the Lord's promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob unfolding. The Lord always fulfills his promises! The greatest promise of all is his promise of eternal life when we embrace him in faith, "And this is what he promised us—eternal life." 2 John 25.

And, so, the writer of Hebrews encourages us, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:23. God's promises are wonderful and he keeps every single one of them!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Our Eternal High Priest - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 20:25-26,

"Get Aaron and his son Eleazar and take them up Mount Hor. Remove Aaron's garments and put them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people; he will die there."

The Lord told Moses that Aaron would die on Mount Hor because both of them rebelled against the Lord at the waters of Meribah. Neither Moses nor Aaron would be allowed to enter into the land promised to the nation. The Lord told them to go up on Mount Hor and Moses was to remove the priestly garments off of Aaron and place them on his son, Eleazar, who would succeed him as the high priest. Here we see the first passing of the high priest role in Israel.

I am reminded that the passing of the role of priest from one to another is a contrast to the priestly role Jesus occupies.  "Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever." Hebrews 7:23-28.

Earlier in the book, the author of Hebrews explains, "In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer [Jesus Christ] of their salvation perfect through what he suffered."

Knowing that Jesus Christ lives forever and therefore his role as our high priest lasts forever (unlike human high priests), for all eternity, provides us all the assurance that our salvation is as permanent on any given day as another. Our standing with God will never change as Jesus lives forever to intercede with God on our behalf - we are saved completely and eternally. 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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No Favoritism, No Exceptions - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 20:13,

"These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them."

About 40 years after Korah's rebellion, the people of Israel began to oppose Moses and Aaron again when there was no water for the community. In Numbers 16 we read that Korah, Dathan and Abiram and others rose up against the leadership of Moses and Aaron, God's chosen leaders. It did not end well for those rebels then, when the earth split apart and "swallowed them", Numbers 16:31-34. Now, some 40 years later a new generation tried its hand at rebellion.

This time it was Moses and Aaron who received the judgment of God when Moses disobeyed God. God had told Moses to speak to a rock in front of the assembly and then he would cause water to gush out of it to provide water. Instead Moses struck the rock twice with the staff. Water gushed out but the Lord told Moses and Aaron they would not be allowed to enter the promised land, just as the generation that rebelled 40 years prior were not allowed to enter into the promised land.

We might speculate why the Lord punished Moses so harshly. Perhaps a wavering of trust as seen in verse 12, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them." Possibly that was expressed as Moses disobeyed God. God told Moses to speak to the rock. Instead, Moses spoke to the people and struck the rock, verses 10-11.

In any event, God demonstrated the nature of his justice and holiness by not compromising or showing favoritism to his chosen leaders. All stand before God's righteousness, holiness and justice equally.

I sense there have been some in our day who have taken God's righteousness, holiness and justice towards them somewhat lightly due to their service to him, or their perceived "success" in ministry, as if God might owe them a bit of deference. In this passage we see otherwise, "These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them." Verse 13. 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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The Defilement of Death - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 19:20-21a,

"But if those who are unclean do not purify themselves, they must be cut off from the community, because they have defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, and they are unclean. This is a lasting ordinance for them."

The red heifer water of cleansing ritual was provided by the Lord for those who were defiled by a dead body. Those who performed the ritual became unclean themselves as they carried out the cleansing ritual. Some of the occasions mentioned by the Lord as defiling are:
Whoever touches a human corpse, verse 11.
Whoever entered a tent where someone died, and anyone who happened to be in the tent when someone died, verse 14 (even an open container became unclean).
Anyone out in the open who touched a corpse killed with a sword or someone who died naturally, verse 16.
Anyone who touched a human bone or a grave became unclean, verse 16.

Death as represented by a dead body was defiling. Since we all die, isn't death just a natural thing? Why would a normal aspect to life (death) cause defilement? The answer to me is that death is not natural at all. God did not create us for death. Death was something we brought on ourselves: it is God's judgment of all of us because of the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.

God created us for life. Had mankind not rebelled against God, death would not be a feature of our lives. We would live forever. This is why I feel the loss of a loved one is so traumatic for us, it is why we grieve so. It should be a reminder to each of us of the horrific nature of sin and God's judgment of us for it.

The red heifer water of cleansing provided the opportunity for the community of Israel to live in a covenant relationship with God in spite of the reality of the results of God's judgment of sin.

Jesus Christ came to give life, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10b. Following our death, we look forward to the resurrection of life where things will be completely different for those who embrace him in faith, "God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:3-4.

How wonderful is that?!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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The Superior Covenant - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 19:17-19,

"For the unclean person, put some ashes from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water over them. Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water and sprinkle the tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave or anyone who has been killed or anyone who has died a natural death. The man who is clean is to sprinkle those who are unclean on the third and seventh days, and on the seventh day he is to purify them. Those who are being cleansed must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and that evening they will be clean."

Under the law we find a person could become ceremonially "unclean" by coming into contact with a dead body, a grave or even entering into a tent with a dead body in it. This chapter provides the remedy for reestablishing someone within the community were he to become unclean.

The writer of Hebrews references this chapter in Hebrews 9:13-15, "The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant."

Here in Hebrews 9 he speaks of the superiority of the new covenant that Jesus Christ made possible by his sacrifice on that miserable cross. God's covenant with Israel made it possible for the nation to remain in good standing with him, but the new covenant provides a purification from sins that allows us into his eternal kingdom!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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The Greatest Gift! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 18:21,

"I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting."

In this verse the Lord tells Aaron that he gives all the tithes in Israel to the Levites for their work at the tabernacle.

I notice that "gift" and "give" are prominent words in this chapter. The Lord says he gave the Levites to Aaron and his offspring as a gift to the priests, verse 6. He also tells Aaron that he gave him the service of the priesthood as a gift, verse 7. Eight times the Lord tells Aaron of gifts he gives him, including the tithes mentioned above.

I am reminded of the reality that God is a gift giver. The greatest of all gifts is that which is articulated in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Our salvation is the greatest gift we can receive from anyone! 

This gift is given us from the Lord for simply placing our faith in him.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Obedience??? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 18:1,

"The Lord said to Aaron, 'You, your sons and your family are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons alone are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the priesthood.'"

There is a meme we find ubiquitous in the law provided Moses from the Lord. It is actually throughout all Scripture and establishes the Lord's place among mankind. It is a theme we are all familiar with, but not necessarily acted upon. That theme is that the Lord is God and we are members of his creation. As such he decides, he commands, he tells and we are to follow him in obedience.

Note these phrases from this chapter:
"You, your sons and your family are to bear the responsibility..." verse 1
"They are to be responsible.." verse 3
"You are to be responsible for..." verse 5
"But only you and your sons may serve..." verse 7

Hopefully you see the obvious point I'm making here. The Lord establishes his transcendence over us, his authority, his dominance, his requirements. He tells us what is what.

Among mankind there are many who simply do not recognize God's rightful place in our lives. Many reject the Lord outright and will pay a severe penalty in the judgment following this life. As Paul points out in Romans 9, he is the potter and we are the clay.

What comes to mind this morning, however, is not the atheist or agnostic. It is the thought that many who consider themselves believers fail in the area of obedience. No, I'm not talking about do-gooder things, but the more important things. Say, for instance, the believer that rarely picks up his Bible except on Sunday. How is he to know how to order his life in a manner that recognizes the Lord as his God? How is he going to know what God expects of him? How is he going to know how to please the Lord? One sermon a week will not do!

I am reminded of Paul's counsel to Timothy, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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On Grumbling - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 17:10b,

"This will put an end to their grumbling against me [the Lord], so that they [the Israelites] will not die."

Merriam-Webster defines grumble as "to mutter in discontent."

After the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron (and thus, against the Lord), challenging their leadership, the Lord had Moses gather a staff from the leader of each tribe, 12 in all. He had Moses place them in the tabernacle with the direction that whoever's staff sprouted overnight was the man the Lord chose, "The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites." Verse 5.

Grumbling against the Lord, his choices, his will, is the essence of an absence of faith. When we embrace the Lord in faith, it necessarily requires a fear and reverence for who he is and what he is capable of. Being critical of God's choices places anyone in an appalling position with him.

Here are a few verses about grumbling:
"We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel." 1 Corinthians 10:9-10.
"Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, 'children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.'" Philippians 2:14-15.
"Don't grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!" James 5:9.
"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling." 1 Peter 4:8-9.

As I think about grumbling, Proverbs 19:3 comes to mind, "A person's own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the Lord."

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Slaves to Sin - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 17:12-13,

"The Israelites said to Moses, 'We will die! We are lost, we are all lost! Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die. Are we all going to die?'"

Here is the response of the Israelites to the budding of Aaron's staff. Due to a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, and thus the Lord himself, the Lord had Moses gather staffs from each of the leaders of the tribes of Israel to demonstrate, yet again, who it was that the Lord chose to lead the nation. Moses placed them in the tabernacle and overnight Aaron's rod had budded, blossomed and produced almonds.

What strikes me this morning is the response of the Israelites. It sounds as though they were scared to death of what the Lord might do to them - and rightfully so! Yet Israel continued in their rebellion against the Lord and the choices the Lord made. In chapter 21, for instance, we will read of yet another rebellious episode where the Israelites spoke against God and Moses resulting in the Lord sending venomous snakes among them.

It seems as though no matter the fevered pitch of fear and dread God's response to their rebellion brought them, they continued in their rebellious ways. Sin and rebellion absolutely dominated their lives as demonstrated in their terror of what God might do to them for it, and yet, persist in it. They were utterly mastered by sin.

We all share in that proclivity to sin. However, the Lord has made a way for us. Paul tells us, "But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." Romans 6:17-18. How wonderful is that?!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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