Bibledoorajar: Shades of Balaam's View

      The children of Israel had now been recounted and had paid the silver ransom to gain coverage from the sin that had led to the plague. Plagues in the Bible are always associated with sin, never anything else. So, it points out how serious the Father was that the children of Israel would appoint themselves just as He had developed and designed. They were redeemed from Egypt but needed added coverage (ransom) when they so terribly and sinfully obviated God's plan to reveal His plan for mankind. Once again, they were clean and organized aright around the tabernacle in just the way to show forth the glory of the coming Messiah. Ready on the East side to lead the way was the tribe of Judah (Praise) which marched under the standard of the Lion. All the tribal standards and emblems showed forth an aspect of the coming Messiah's attributes. As a reminder, when Balaam looked down on this informative formation from the mountain with Balak, he could not help but be amazed at the glory of it. And neither should we because our Jesus came and showed forth all the attributes that God required for our redemption and ransom. Marvelous pictures of our Jesus who has changed not.
      On a trip to Washington D.C. when I was younger, I learned that the Washington Monument was the tallest man made monument in the world. Capped with an aluminum pyramid on top, the whole monument is taller than the pyramids seen in Egypt. I did not learn until years later that on the east side of the Washington monument pyramid top is worded in Latin, God be praised.  Somebody had been reading their Bible! I wish everyone who made a trip to our capitol could really understand the fullness of that message. Look eastward!

 "Keep your lamps all trimmed and burning;
For the Bridegroom watch and wait;
He’ll be with us at the meeting
Just inside the Eastern Gate."

     Isaiah Martin

Bibledoorajar: On the Plains of Moab

     This morning my congregation sang the song Stand up, stand up for Jesus. The song was written in 1858 by George Duffield Jr. He was prompted to write the words following the death of a fellow minister who supposedly told those by his deathbed to continue to stand up for Jesus. We sang the stanza below which alludes to enduring the strife and to seeking the crown of life (inheritance).

"Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
The strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle,
The next the victor's song.
To those who vanquish evil
A crown of life shall be;
They with the King of Glory
Shall reign eternally".

But there is a stanza that Duffield wrote that is usually omitted in hymnals. It speaks of "each soldier to his post and closing up the broken column; to make good the loss so heavy in those that still remain". He wrote this stanza thinking of his dead fellow minister and how the deceased wanted the work to go on by those that could close ranks and continue to stand up.

     After the plague, God had Moses and Eleazer the priest number the fighting men of Israel. It was time to close the broken columns. Many had died since leaving Egypt and more recently in the plains of Moab following the plague. They were numbered according to their clans and the number reached would not only make clear how many could bear the noise of battle but it would also determine their land inheritance in the Promised Land. The larger the clan the greater apportionment of land.  601730 was the total number reached. It was not that different from where they were 38 years before as they left Egypt.

Bibledoorajar: A New Attitude

     After the "Bael-Peor" matter, God spoke to Moses and told him to develop a new attitude or state of mind among the Israelites toward the Midianites. From now on they were to consider them as enemies because they had lured them into idol worship and lust. It was imperative that the Israelites be convinced of the degree of this evil. For them, it was not to be just a matter of harassment and revenge against the Midianites, but a continuing state of mind that would find their actions hated and despised.
     The apostle Paul in writing to Timothy ( a young man who desired to be a representative of God) encouraged him to "FLEE YOUTHFUL LUST". (2 Timothy 2:22) and to "follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart." ... And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." He urged this as a constant state of mind so as  not to become trapped in a similar matter as the Israelites were. Temptation is to be viewed as an enemy and the degree of its' evil to be understood realistically. The psalmist put it this way; "Flee as a bird to your mountain, o thou who art weary of sin". (Psalm 22). When temptations come our way we are reminded that we have a mountain where we can continue to worship and serve Him. We serve from a place of strength but the state of mind has to be maintained.

"And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo! his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him."

Stanza 3, A  Mighty Fortress is our God, Martin Luther

      

   

Bibledoorajar: Take Care

"I'm on my way to Canaan's land, where the soul never dies..."
                                                      William Golden

When the children of Israel disobeyed the demands of the Torah (Law) they were very near to the Promised Land. But choosing acts of lewdness associated with idol worship stopped that near entrance immediately. Instead, death by plague swept through the camp killing all that had been involved in the terrible acts. The fact that God recognized Phineas for fighting back and awarded him a priesthood forever is very instructive for today's believer.

In Colossians 3:17, we see where the apostle Paul instructs the church this way:

"And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."

All aspects of our public and private worship are to take place as a representative of the Lord Jesus. We are His ambassadors to the world and it is our responsibility to arrive in Canaan Land having brought others with us through appropriate actions here on earth. Having been risen with Him, we seek only those things above. We cannot dare make the mistake that the children of Israel made. There are many "Bael-Peors" in this world and we must take them down one by one by doing all in the name of Jesus. Stay focused.

"A love light beams across the foam,
Where the soul never dies;
It shines to light the shores of home,
Where the soul never dies."