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Response to Numbers 36:1-Deuteronomy 1:46
A point of honoring the Father's house and keeping the peace between brothers Numbers 36
Our last consideration of the daughters of Zelophehad was on March 18th in dealing with Numbers 27. The point was honor then and I believe it remains so today. Gilead became a town in the territority of Manasseh east of the Jordan. Gilead's grandson, Zelophehad, died with no sons, but only 5 daughters. According to Numbers 36:6, these daughters had a say in the man whom they would marry. However, to keep peace and organization within the community, their inheritance rights to property now required that they marry within the tribe of their father. As is so often true of life, with priviledge, comes responsibility. Without honor towards God, our father's house, and our fellowman, societies crumble as enmity and strife build feudal lines, adversity reigns, and peace seems fleeting.
Before we dishonor our father's house, we must take the cost into account! Perhaps we need to swallow our pride to keep the peace. Today, the strongest traditional lines in our world quite possibly fall along religious affiliation. Although it often seems so important to ask individuals to change their affiliation, thereby alienating them from their families and instigating adversarial relationships, perhaps we must reconsider. Although the Bible differentiates between Jews and Gentiles and various people groups, it has erased such lines when it comes to the salvation made available through the atoning sacrifice of this man Jesus Christ. The claim made by the law, the Psalmist, and the prophets is that God has become our salvation! (Exodus 15:2, Psalm 118:14, Isaiah 12:2-6)
Exodus 15:2 "The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt Him."
Psalm 118:13-24 "I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: "The Lord's right hand has done mighty things! The Lord's right hand is lifted high; the Lord's right hand has done mighty things!" I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done. The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Salvation need not lead to enmity and strife, but to fellowship, Love, Joy, and Peace with brothers)
Isaiah 12:1-5 "In that day you will say: "I will praise you, O Lord. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation." With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. In that day you will say: "Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. (Sing, Exalt! Be Happy!, Unite!, Serve!, Give Thanks with Joy!)
I John 4:7-12 "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.
This love is manifest through our honor within our families and within all of our relationships. Salvation does not come by any name or classification! Salvation came from the loving Creator Father of us all. He asks that we worship Him in Spirit and in Truth through loving one another! He has been actively involved with you within your culture and within your family from the moment you were born. He only asks that you allow him in to change your life. He asks you to be a servant to all and to change your world through love, joy, and peace from the inside out. If changing who you are does not enhance that love, joy, or peace and allow you to love God with your fellow man, perhaps you are dealing with a false teaching. Love begins within family! Go hug somebody and say your prayers in praise and thanksgiving as you know the gift of a Living and active God who loves you!
A Lesson from History, a Requirement For Confidence, Pure Faith and Devotion Deuteronomy 1;1-18
As I read Deuteronomy 1:1-5 I questioned whether the Children of Israel were still spread out through all this land. However, seeing the extent the cities mentioned cover, it becomes obvious these verses represent the history of where they have been. This is a recap of the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers and all the words God had spoken to Moses in all of these areas. All the areas mentioned in 1 and 2 appear to be found in and around the Sinai Peninsula as far north as Laban, and as far east as the hill country of the Seir mountains.
http://bibleatlas.org/full/mount_horeb.htm verse 2 "It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road. Note this map shows both considered locations for Mount Horeb (Mount Sinai).
http://bibleatlas.org/full/tophel.htm Mount Tophel is mentioned in verse 1 and is located on the northwest edge of the Sinai Peninsula in the Seir Mountains.
http://bibleatlas.org/full/laban.htm Laban is also mentioned in verse 1 and is further North into the promised land than I might have expected.
http://bibleatlas.org/full/valley_of_eshcol.htm Verse 19-25 brings us back to verse 2 and recounts the 11 day journey from Mount Horeb (Mount Sinai in the 2nd year) and came by way of the Seir Mountains to Kadesh Barnea and sent the spies up into the valley of Eshcol. Perhaps it was at this time that the people were arrayed against Canaan as far south as Laban.
http://bibleatlas.org/full/heshbon.htm Having suffered defeat by the hands of the Amalekites and Canaanites in Numbers 14:39, the people turned back toward the Gulf of Aqaba from Kadesh Barnea and for the next 38 years (Deuteronomy 2:14), they wandered, experiencing an exchange of generations throughout the Sinai Peninsula. Deuteronomy 1:3 brings us into the 40th year visiting Aaron's death on Mount Hor and looks forward to Deuteronomy 2:26, or back to Numbers 21 as it guides us east of the Dead Sea through the defeat of Sihon king of the Amorites.
http://bibleatlas.org/full/edrei.htm verse 4, the second of the Amorite Kings, Og King of Bashan brings the Israeli conquest as far north as Edrei. Now on the plains of Moab, Moses addresses the people. He reminds them of their humble beginnings at Mount Horeb (Siani) and expands their dreams as far North as...
http://bibleatlas.org/full/lebanon.htm Lebenon beyond the region of Galilee (vs. 7)
http://bibleatlas.org/full/euphrates_river.htm and the great river Euphrates in the land of the Arameans, ancestral home of Abraham and Terah of Padan-aram (vs. 7)
http://net.bible.org/map.php?map=map11 Topographical landscape of part of the Sinai Peninsula showing the wilderness of Zin with the hill country of Judah. Judges 1:20 "Hebron was given to Caleb" The hill country of Judah was part of the territory spied out. Deuteronomy 1:36 "except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on."
http://net.bible.org/map.php?map=map5 The people are now encamped on the plains of Moab against Jericho in the top left hand corner of this map. They have conquered the land of the Amorites as far north as Og, King of Bashan on the bottom right corner and beyond.
Throughout their 40 years, Moses has set up a constitution with the help of God and the advice of his Midianite father in law, Jethro (Hobab). The organized camp of the 12 tribes has become self governing with Moses serving as a type of Supreme Judge before God for the most critical of cases. They have purified the cultural religious practices removing idols and sanctifying their sacrificial offerings through the guidance of our Almighty God who has chosen them to be set apart as Holy in His sight and in the sight of all peoples and generations as through them, He will fulfill the signs and seals of our religious practices and call all men back to unity with Him.
Without Faith, the Adversary Gains Victory Deuteronomy 1:19-46
We mentioned the mission of the spies into the valley of Eshkol with the maps above. The people had arrived at their final destination within the second year after leaving Egypt. Yet, their years of bondage would not allow them the courage and faith to enter, regardless of the strength and power of their God they had witnessed. They were not united! Their faith was not pure, nor strong! They were still bitter towards God and were accustomed to lives of pain and suffering. They remained in bondage despite their freedom. They lacked the courage to believe that God could indeed bring them to the promised land and fulfill His plan for them. Thus, God allowed them to be overcome by their adversity in the knowledge of good and evil until their Children would rise up with the strength and conviction which came through the admonishment and disciplines of God their Father.
Deuteronomy 1:39 "And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do not yet know good from bad - they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it." This generation did not know the evil of the life of bondage their parents had in Egypt. Neither did they know of the blessings which awaited them in the promised land. Today, we can forget the sufferings and afflictions of this present life as if they did not even exist as we press on toward our goal, our promise of eternal life. The people of Phillipi received a letter in the first century recorded in the Bible which stated it this way:
Philippians 3:8-16; "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
Be strong in your faith! Trust in God until that Day when He lifts you up and carries you across the threshold into that promised land!
Response to Luke 5:27-6:11
Drastic Lifestyle Changes are Not Recommended For New Believers Luke 5:27-39
Matthew, also known as Levi, a tax collector and friend of tax collectors and harlots, many of whom had been baptised by John the Baptist (Matthew 21:32), accepted Jesus call to follow Him and became one of the 12 disciples. This of course was a crew and a following that the righteous Pharisees had little tolerance for. Yet, Jesus knew that the good news was meant for the righteous and the unrighteous.
Many of these sinners would struggle to live pure lives of righteousness. Having enjoyed the old wine and pleasures of this world, it would be an adversarial affliction to completely change their lifestyles overnight and attempt to live the lifestyles of purity and self righteousness of the Pharisees. All new friends and acquaintances would rip the fabric of their new lives in Christ to shreds. In the end, their self esteem would have been battered to a degree that the things of Christ would leave a sour taste in their mouths and they would want no part of it.
And yet, the good news of salvation through Christ does not require such a legalistic framework! Indeed, the first commandment was to Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind and the second was not too hard either - Love your neighbor as yourself! Striving to accomplish these two commandments, allowing the Holy Spirit's work, Christ knew that the fabric of their lives would be changed by degree as they basked in their newfound Love and acceptance of their Father, God Almighty Himself. These sinners too, would find repentance, just as all of us do when we accept that we are all fallen before God.
Teachings Regarding the Laws of Love Luke 6:1-11 (see also Matthew 12:1-14, Mark 2:23-3:6)
Having gained a strong reputation as a Man of God, and having exemplified wisdom and maturity to the favor of Man as He walked with God (Luke 2:52), Jesus had set Himself apart from the other Rabbi's of His day through His authority of scripture and the awesome power of God displayed through those signs of physical healing and the casting out of demons reflected in Luke 4:31-Luke 5:26. However, the religious arena had become cautious as this "man" even claimed to be able to forgive sins! (Luke 5:21). They now hounded his every step and action and that of His disciples, seeking a way to discredit him as his teaching had countered their own. They could only assume that as His Spirit was adverse to their way of thinking, it could only be of the evil one! (Mark 3:22). Jesus judged such a claim as the unpardonable sin! (Mark 3:28-30, Luke 12:10). This should caution all of us from ever condemning a brother of blasphemy, unless He blatantly challenges the authority of God, not the authority or possible teachings of the church!
In Luke 6:1-11, Jesus not only puts the law in its place, but also addresses its purpose. The law, including the Sabbath, was given to help man to succeed in life and find victory through God's salvation from death. Through the Law, we can find unity with God and Man through Love. We can find healing from the afflictions that come from our weaknesses of the flesh. We can find strength in our honor of the principles God has set before us for our good! God gave the law because he knew the pain of our hearts and meant to destroy our adversity through a humble obedience.
If our laws and rituals serve to keep individuals from the love of God, they may be laws and rituals unto ourselves. We certainly must protect ourselves from wickedness and harm by our fellowman, but we must assume that God is already at work in that individuals heart, and that He loves them also. We have no right to tell any individual that they will never experience the love of God (akin to damning them to hell). We must pray for them and reach out to them in peace, yet we may require their removal from our presence for our own protection. God's law serves to grant us love and protection as well as cause refinement of our souls as we deal with the consequences of our actions. We must never cross the line of calumny, and we must never give up as we work with discretion and forgiveness in dealing with the children of God, our fellowmen.
Response to Psalm 66
What a great and glorious day when brothers dwell together in unity! Psalm 133:1
Who is our enemy, but our own adversity! If we strive together in the strength of the Lord, we shall overcome! As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17
Come and see what the Lord has done on our behalf!
Isaiah 45:5-8 "I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things. "You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the Lord, have created it.
Isaiah 40:28-31 "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Let us not rebel, nor secure our faith in our own might or understanding! Our salvation is from God and God alone!
Isaiah 44:3-8 "For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams.
One will say, 'I belong to the Lord'; another will call himself by the name of Jacob; still another will write on his hand, 'The Lord's,' and will take the name Israel. The Lord, Not Idols "This is what the LORD says - Israel's King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come - yes, let him foretell what will come.
Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."
Praise the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name! Psalm 103:1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVBx91LshSA Shout to the Lord all the earth, let us sing!
Response to Proverbs 11:24-26
This proverb sounds like the scrooge meets the philanthropist! There is a book out by Norman Vincent Peale "How to Win Friends and Influence People". Use your gifts on this earth, whether they be words, or deeds, or finances to love your fellowman. If we all work together, we shall harvest fields of rightousness, and there will be no more war!
Until Tomorrow
Rick
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