Bibledoorajar: God Picks His Man

     After the rebellion and the deaths of over 14,000, God instructed Moses to carry out a procedure to confirm once and for all who was the spiritual leader of the Israelites.  God told Moses to have each leader or prince from every tribe fashion a staff or rod and place his name and tribe on it. Aaron's name was to be placed on the rod from the tribe of Levi. The twelve rods were placed overnight in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where God met Moses. God further said,  "and it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you." God was tired of the murmuring and He intended for everyone to see His man for the time clearly. So, as commanded,  Moses placed the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness.
     The next day Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and there for all to see was the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, sprouted putting forth buds, producing blossoms and yielding ripe almonds. Moses took the proof to the people. The tell all rod was to be kept before God in the tabernacle of Testimony as a sign. The message was clear: look (Behold!) at the rod and stop the murmuring!! A great fear passed over the children of Israel for they feared they would surely die. But with time the princes of each tribe accepted the validation of the Aaronic priesthood. For that tine and place that priesthood and no other would show forth the glory of the Lord and care for holy things.
     Years later, Isaiah prophesied about another rod or branch. He said it would grow up tender and blossom and bring forth fruit. It would set captives free and bind up the broken hearted. One day, Jesus came on the scene and announced:  "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free"  Luke 4:13.
      In 1961, at a church gathering, a man stood to testify of his conversion experience. He proclaimed "It seemed like Heaven came down and glory filled my soul." John Peterson was listening in the audience and immediately was inspired to write the hymn, Heaven came down and glory filled my soul. Here's the first verse and chorus.

O what a wonderful, wonderful day - day I will never forget;

After I'd wandered in darkness away, Jesus my Saviour I met.

O what a tender, compassionate friend - He met the need of my heart;

Shadows dispelling, With joy I am telling, He made all the darkness depart.

Heaven came down and glory filled my soul,

When at the cross the Saviour made me whole;

My sins were washed away -

And my night was turned to day -

Heaven came down and glory filled my soul!

Bibledoorajar: Looking Again at Moses' Response

      I have been meditating this week on the responses of Moses when his insolent fellowmen cruelly attacked him about his management of leadership roles(specifically Aaron) within the community. According to Numbers 16, Moses first did this before he spoke: "When Moses heard this, he fell facedown"(verse 4).
     The reader is left to reflect on exactly what Moses's motivation was. Was he humiliated after having been so dishonored? Was he getting his justified anger under control since this would be the fourth recent time that God had been defied by the people? Or, was he so taken with the fear of divine displeasure and wrath falling that he prostrated himself in prayer before he spoke? Did he need the wisdom of God to know what to say even though their conduct was so grossly and obviously out of order?
      Whatever we end up thinking about Moses's behavior it is clear that he put himself in a position of humility and repentance. And apparently God gave him the words he needed to say. He essentially put the matter back into the hands of God and the men. They were given an opportunity with a challenge. They were to perform the incense service the next morning and through this service God would speak as to who His holy one was. According to Leviticus 16:13, the incense would be put on the flaming coals "before Jehovah, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy-seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not". So the challenge associated with the opportunity was the chance of death and not mercy. If the men resisted there would be no healing. Sadly this was the case.
     When we Christians examine our lives in community it is a good thing to remember Moses facedown. Would we have the Father look at our sins or look at our Savior, our true mercy-seat? The right decision means the healing can begin and life in community can continue as the Father would have it. It is an opportunity with a challenge. The right response can only come from help from above. Facedown might be a good plan.

Elevating Our Own Conceits

In Numbers 16 we find the story of the rebellion led by Korah, Dathan and Abiram. After all the difficulties the people had and with seeing God's reaction to their lack of holy fear and faith, these three still managed to recruit 250 chieftains from the various tribes and to conspire a hostile takeover. They were going to oust Moses and Aaron on the basis that all the children of Israel were holy and therefore Moses and Aaron demanded no less respect than they did. The Bible says that they became insolent. This means their intent was rude and disrespectful. "They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, '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 NIV) Moses did not retort in insolence. Instead he fell to the ground facedown and declared that God would declare who was holy the next morning. And so God did and when the insolent did not repent they and their kin experienced the severity of the Lord. (Read Numbers 16)

The apostle Paul wrote in Romans that we Christians must avoid these jealous insolent feelings. He points out that if God did not spare the natural branches (the children of Israel) then He will surely not spare Christians who elevate their own conceits.  Paul says,  “You stand fast through faith.”. and that faith should be accompanied by awe. It is our only position to avoid the severity of our Father. But from the awe position Paul says we have the privilege of gazing or looking upon the goodness of God, the very Giver of our faith. This gazing or looking can also be thought of as beholding. Or, pay attention!!!  "Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us" 1st John 3

Bibledoorajar: Belonging to Him

Even after the children of Israel failed to take the Land as God told them to and even after they failed to take it without His help, He still had plans for a future generation to take the land. In planning for that coming time, He required Moses to institute meal offerings and libations that would be brought before Him voluntarily when they came into the land. He also instituted the wearing of fringes called tzitzit on the corners of some of their clothing. The specifically designed additions were so that they would constantly remember Him and constantly remember that they belonged to Him. The word tzitzit means "LOOKING". Gazing upon the tzitzit would spiritually elevate the Israelite to know that each day with God was a quality day. They would know that they were in the Promised Land, a land separate from the rest of the world, and known as the home of God's people. It would be won with the help of the Lord. If you visit Israel today, you will see the tzitzit being worn by the Orthodox Jews who still live by the Law of Moses and live in the land promised by God.

Christians also live in a separate world having won a victory over the spirit that lives in the world. According to 1 John 4:4:

" But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world."

We have overcome the world through our faith in Jesus Christ and His provision for us. (See 1 John 5). The earnest of the Spirit within makes the natural world less appealing everyday for the true Christian. For many of us, we have lived long enough that we are more than ready to have little to do with the world's ways. The man (E.M. Bartlett) who wrote "Come to Jesus, He will save you" also wrote Camping in Canaan Land",  a land where heartaches are exchanged for pleasure. By faith every day, believers are camping in Canaan and 'LOOKING" at its' rapture. Each day is a quality day!
                                                                                               

Bibledoorajar: The Earnest Foretaste

     Two things happened during this period that send a strong message as to God being able to care for His people. First was an important name change. The leader named Hoshea,  the son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, was renamed Joshua  by Moses (Numbers 13:16). Oshea's meaning is a prayer for God to please save; and Joshua's meaning carries a promise of salvation. The spies were now going forth with a man whose name(s) signified first that God hears prayers for salvation and that, more importantly, He will save in answer to that prayer.  Reading through the Word you see this man called by both names from time to time. It tells us how important it is to not just pray for God's help but to believe the promises that He will save and provide. Every spy saw the same things in the land; every spy saw how very fruitful it was. Every spy knew they were with the leader whose names meant Prayer/Promise, Promise/Prayer.
     The second thing that happened is that they brought back a bunch of grapes with them the cluster of which was so big that they had to hang it on a rod and carry it between two men. This grape cluster was an earnest of good things to come.
     In Israel, they make many souvenirs out of olive wood. One of the things I brought back was the men carrying the grape cluster. It is placed in my home to remind me that I, too, have been given an earnest of good things to come. This earnest linked with prayers/promises keeps me focused on the fullness of heaven awaiting me.

"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: 13-14

Prayer/Promise; Promise/Prayer: sealed with an earnest---a guarantee. Praise God for the Spirit of Holiness.. I am now going forth with an earnest that God hears my prayers and has promised His provision for kingdom living.

Bibledoorajar: Reluctance to Let the Lord Have the Last Word

     After the failure of faith to believe God to go in and possess the land, the people were dismayed to hear Moses say how upset their God was. Last night I was watching a favorite show on PBS and an elderly character needed to have cataracts removed from her eyes but she was filled with fear at the prospect of surgery. In a conversation with a friend she confessed not her fear but that surely God knew her dilemma and understood her reluctance even though it meant blindness. When gently chided by the friend, the character remarked that she had always spoken with God but she had sometimes been reluctant to quickly let Him have the last word. And, so it was with the people of Israel, they chose not to let the Lord have the last word until....They heard two messages from Moses.  God wanted them to continue their faith walk by  being obedient and that He was not with them at the present time to take the land. However, reluctant to let God have the last word, they made their plans to take the land only to be quickly squashed by the Amorites.
      In Bible class yesterday, we were discussing this very phenomena among Christians today. We were talking specifically about how as a body we are reluctant to quickly follow the guidelines of Christ on handling offenses (Matt. 18). We tend to make a plan for ourselves to deal with it (which is usually not adequate) and our actions usually lead to our getting a swift kick from behind having made matters worse. The teacher of the class pointed out that this was going on in the church at Galatia and the Apostle Paul told them to STOP IT because their view was no longer on eternity. They were choosing to bite and devour the very people they were supposed to love throughout eternity. STOP IT, This is what God wanted (and wants) from Him people. Stop being reluctant to let Him have the last word. He always has our best in mind if we will but yield to Him and His ways. This week I am determined to let God have the last word quickly. It's on my mind.

Bibledoorajar: Surround Us Lord

I just returned from Dallas having taken some of our church youth to the annual Leadership Training for Christ meeting. In today's culture, I am always encouraged by the hundreds of youth who come and participate in various venues to bring glory to God. The theme this year was King of my heart. I loved the theme and I loved this song which was new for me. I hope you identify with the words that follow as much as I did. Listen to the melody on line. It will bless you.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem
so the Lord surrounds his people
as the mountains surround Jerusalem
so the Lord surrounds His people

surround us, Lord
surround us o Lord
we need to be in your presence
surround us Lord

surround us Lord
surround us o Lord
we need to be in your presence
surround us Lord
surround us Lord

  Keith Lancaster and the Acapella Company