BIBLE IN A YEAR
Bible in a Year – Day 53: Dying Wish
Feb 22nd
Today’s Reading: Numbers 26 & 27
It would be a strange thing to know when you were going to die. I mean, imagine if you knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you were going to die next week. What would you do? What would you say? How would you arrange your days? Would you have a dying wish for those around you?
Moses experienced that unusual phenomenon when God spoke clearly to him and told him when he was going to die. And not only did he know it was going to happen, but he had seen the very same kind of death happen to his brother Aaron. And so, faced with the reality that his death was coming soon, Moses must have had a million things going through his head.
Some in Moses’ position might have, as Moses was known to do on occasion, begged God for mercy – to change his mind. Others might have prayed for peace or provision for their family. Others might have gotten angry and said, “Why me?” But Moses had other things on his mind. You see, these people that he had been leading around the desert were precious to him. They mattered to him personally, but, perhaps more than that, they mattered to him because they mattered to God.
You’ll notice that just prior to Moses being told he was going to die, he conducted another census. And the results of the census were that there were just as many people as there had been before – except this was a unique group of people. This was the second generation of nomadic Israelites. This was a group of men and women – young men and women – who had been roaming through the dessert their entire lives. I can imagine that, in their eyes, Moses was god-like. He was the one who had freed their parents from Egyptian slavery. He was the one that was going to lead them to the promised land. He was, in a way, their father.
And so, this father – a father to an entire nation of young men and women – voiced his dying wish to his father in heaven:
Moses said to the Lord, “May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.” (Numbers 27:15-17)
Moses realized the incredible leadership void that would be left in his absence and he prayed to God for someone to take his place. His brother Aaron was gone. All of those wise old men who had been around for so many years to help Moses lead the nation were gone, too. From the first census, there were only 3 people left: Moses, Caleb and Joshua. And so, God told Moses to appoint Joshua, “a man in whom is the spirit of leadership,” to lead the people into the promised land.
Moses laid his hands on Joshua, commissioned him and, in the process, was witness to God fulfilling his dying wish for the people of Israel.
Bible in a Year – Day 52: What a Fool
Feb 21st
Today’s Reading: Numbers 23, 24 & 25
Being God’s messenger is not always a fun gig. Balaam learned that lesson first-hand. Here he had an opportunity to make a lot of money and go home a happy man, but he knew that nothing was worth going against the word of God. From the outset, Balaam had insisted that he would only speak what was spoken to him by the Lord. And he honored that commitment.
Balak, on the other hand, didn’t have any desire to know what the Lord had to say. All he wanted was for Israel to be cursed. And so, in his stubbornness, he asked Balaam three different times to curse Israel, and three times, Balaam blessed Israel, according to the words that God spoke to him.
I think it’s interesting how Balaam’s interaction with Balak parallels Balaam’s donkey’s interaction with Balaam. If you remember, Balaam set off for Moab and on three different occasions, his donkey turned away, tried to turn back and refused to go. Balaam, of course, beat the donkey into submission. Then the donkey spoke to Balaam and Balaam’s eyes were opened to the reality of what that donkey saw.
Now, suddenly, Balaam gets to play the part of the donkey. Three times he seeks God and three times brings a word of blessing instead of a curse. Balak (playing the part of Balaam from the donkey encounter) refuses to listen to Balaam and instead, uses new tactics to keep moving along the same path. The Bible doesn’t say that Balak beat Balaam, but you can almost imagine that he would have if he thought it would get him what he wanted.
And so, we have these two stories, back to back, of a stubborn person exercising his authority (or perceived authority) over another person/donkey. In both cases, the stubborn person is in the wrong, is not seeking God and has been blinded to the truth – blinded, it seems, by their own ambition or selfish motives. God, then, sometimes needs to use the “inferior” to frustrate the plans of the “superior.”
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. (1 Corinthians 1:27)
Like Balaam, I have had times in my life where I was on the “wise, strong” side of the equation and God had to use foolish and weak things or people to bring me to the knowledge of the truth he wanted to convey to me. At other times, I’ve been the donkey – the foolish and weak one – struggling to help others see what I was seeing. In both scenarios, God was there, he was speaking, he was indicating his will. And, very often, the difference between being the “fool” and being the “wise” was my own stubbornness versus my desire to see and hear what God had for me.
Bible in a Year – Day 51: Cover Your Donkey
Feb 20th
Today’s Reading: Numbers 21 & 22
When you start talking about talking donkeys, if you’re like me, you have Shrek flashbacks and hear Eddie Murphy’s voice. But this is no animated comedy. This is serious stuff. And, once you scratch beneath the surface, it’s a little disturbing. Let’s deconstruct this story of Balaam that starts in chapter 22:
1. Balak is scared to death of the Israelites – remember, an army of 600,000 (plus or minus given the ones who had been killed and new ones who had come of age)
2. Balak sends men to ask Balaam to come and curse Israel
3. Balaam consults the Lord (good choice)
4. God tells him not to go and not to put a curse on Israel
5. Balaam sends the men back, so Balak sends another group “more numerous and more distinguished than the first” to try to convince Balaam to come
6. Balaam consults the Lord again (good choice)
7. Here’s where it gets wacky. God tells Balaam to go with the men
8. Balaam goes with the men. God is “very angry” and sends and angel to block Balaams path (What? See #7)
9. The donkey sees the angel 3 times and tries to avoid said angel. Donkey is beaten 3 times as his reward
10. Donkey gets ticked off, goes all “Donkey” on Balaam and Balaam actually engages the conversation
11. Balaam apologizes to the Lord for the misunderstanding and offers to turn around and go back
12. God tells Balaam to go with the men
13. Balaam goes to Balak and the story continues in chapter 23
Now, what in the world is happening here? God tells Balaam not to go, then he tells him to go, then he’s angry at him for going, then he tells him to go again. It seems like Balaam is following God’s instructions, but he still has to deal with an insubordinate, talking donkey and an angry God. So what’s up?
The fact is, I have no idea. This, for me, is one of those stories that just doesn’t have a clear explanation. Maybe it’s an illustration of God’s absolute authority. Maybe it’s a case of misunderstanding the word of the Lord. Or maybe (and I suspect this is the case) we just don’t get all of the story. We are told that God was “very angry when he went” even though God had told Balaam, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them.” Now, there are several theories that people have come up with as to what was going on here, but the confusion comes, in part, from the translation of verses 20 and 22.
More precisely, there are multiple ways to translate a few of the words, which have a dramatic impact on how the text is read. One alternative way to translate these phrases is “If [or when] these men summon you, go with them,” which would mean that there was a condition – something that needed to take place prior to Balaam going. The fact then that he “got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with them” would seem to indicate that Balaam didn’t wait for the condition to be met before agreeing to go. Instead, he took the initiative.
Another possibility is found in the translation of the phrase, “God was very angry when he went.” That could also be translated “God was very angry because he went,” or “God was very angry as he went.” So, either God was angry about the timing, the act itself, or God became angry about something as Balaam was on his way. I tend to believe that, perhaps, it was the latter of the three.
Imagine, for a moment, that you’re Balaam. God has given you permission to go with these men, but has instructed you to say only what he tells you to say. You accept those conditions and hop on your donkey to head off to Moab. Along the way (because donkeys don’t travel very fast) you have a lot of time to contemplate what it is that you’re doing. If I was Balaam, I might be planning a way to “have my cake and eat it, too.” Maybe I could agree to issue the curse, take the money and run. Or maybe I could issue some kind of “false curse” and still get the money. There are a million things that Balaam could have been thinking that were not part of God’s plan, but, in the words of the Apostle Jude a couple thousand years later, “rushed for profit into Balaam’s error.”
Is it possible that Balaam’s own thoughts of what he could do with all that money were the thing that stirred God’s anger as he went? I know it would be a temptation for me.
Bible in a Year – Day 50: Water Rocks!
Feb 19th
Today’s Reading: Numbers 18, 19 & 20
Do you see the pattern here? The people grumble against Moses, Moses pleads with God, God proves himself faithful to Moses and Moses is proven (by God) to the people of Israel. It happens over and over again as this vast group of people roam through the desert. This time, however, there’s a hitch – a variation in the pattern – and one that will have significant consequences for Moses and Aaron.
If you blinked (or dozed off) you might have missed it. In Numbers 20:8, God tells Moses:
“Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.” (Numbers 20:8 – emphasis mine)
So what did Moses do?
He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. (Numbers 20:10-11 – emphasis mine)
There’s a problem. You see, in the past, Moses has done things exactly as the Lord has instructed him. Not only that, but he has always taken great pains to give credit where credit is due. He has always been careful to say “The Lord will…” or “The Lord said…” but this time, there is no “Lord” mentioned. Instead, Moses, in his frustration and anger calls an audible.
“Must we bring you water out of this rock?” Again, no mention of God doing anything. Then, instead of speaking to the rock like God had instructed, Moses strikes the rock twice with his staff. It doesn’t seem like a huge offense, though, right? I mean, the rock spewed water and the people were happy. The end. Well, not quite.
But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “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.” (Numbers 20:12)
God, judge and jury, has issued a verdict against Moses and Aaron. They will not enter into the promised land. You have to wonder if Moses and Aaron were thinking to themselves, “Really? After everything we’ve done and been through, you’re going to punish us for “striking” the rock instead of “speaking” to it? What gives?”
What gives is something that I think every leader needs to be aware of and careful to avoid. You see, Moses and Aaron had fallen into a trap. They had begun to read their own press clippings – to believe they were as great as the people said they were. They had begun to get a chip on their shoulder – to get defensive against those people who didn’t think they were so great. And so, when God gave them the instructions on how to give the people water, they took it as an opportunity to not only give them water, but to show those no good, arrogant so-and-so Israelites who was boss. “Must we bring you water out of this rock?”
They say that pride comes before the fall and for these two guys, that was certainly the case. You see, when we begin to take credit for what God is doing – when we begin to believe (or to portray to others) that we are capable of doing it without him – we are getting ever closer to falling into that pit. If it happened to Moses and Aaron, two great Biblical heroes, it can happen to us.
Bible in a Year – Day 49: Back Seat Drivers
Feb 18th
Today’s Reading: Numbers 16 & 17
It seems to be built into our nature to believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if we were in charge, we would do things better than “they” are doing things. Throughout his journey, Moses faced grumbling from the Israelites. But the confrontation we read about today is different. This is a potential coup!
Notice the language in chapter 16, verses 1&2:
became insolent (v 1)
rose up against Moses (v 2)
well-known community leaders (v 2)
Then comes their accusation in verse 3:
“You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?” (Numbers 16:3)
In other words, “You’re no better than us! What makes you so special?” And, the reality was that there was nothing about Moses that made him special. He was a reluctant leader, not a great speaker, overwhelmed by the enormity of the task he was given. The only reason that Moses was “above the Lord’s assembly” was that God had put him there.
This is a theme that we see time and time again in the Bible; people chosen by God for a specific task, not because of anything they’ve done, but because of some unknown divine purpose. And, ironically, the very people who were rising up in rebellion against Moses were recipients of the same kind of chosen-ness. They were Levites – a tribe chosen by God to care for the temple. So what was the problem?
The problem was that they weren’t priests. They weren’t the top dog. They weren’t in charge. And from their impeccable view from the back seat driver position, they could see clearly where things needed to go. They were tired of playing second fiddle. They didn’t want to pack up the tabernacle and haul it from place to place. They wanted to be priests.
I wonder how often we are guilty of the same kind of arrogance that the Levites display here. We have been called by God, appointed to a certain position, given a specific task. And what do we do? We grumble about our responsibilities. We complain about those in leadership over us. We make our plans and scheme how we can claw our way to the top, convinced that we could do it better (and equally convinced that we deserve a shot). But look at Moses’ words to the Levites:
“Now listen, you Levites! Isn’t it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the Lord’s tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them? He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too. It is against the Lord that you and all your followers have banded together.” (Numbers 16:8-11)
I have to constantly remind myself of how privileged I am to get to play a part in what God is doing in this world. It’s not my role to decide what part to play. It’s my role to do the will of God. If I’m the water boy or the tabernacle carrier, then, so be it. My responsibility is to be the best tabernacle carrier I can be, without complaining, without whining and without trying to stage a revolt and take the reigns of my own little kingdom.
