Deuteronomy 1-4
Deut. 1:15-18 – Though Isreal was the chosen people, Moses charges them to be fair to all, even the alien. I wonder what Moses would say of modern Isreal’s disputes with and treatment of, the Palestinians.
Deut. 2:5, 9 – A glimps into what God was doing for others that was not recorded in the Bible. I wonder what other stories have not been recorded.
Deut. 4:7 – God is near us whenever we pray. I certainly feel that. When my prayer life slips (as it has in these past weeks with my work schedule) I feel less close to God and more on my own. An unhealthy independance and self reliance is easy for me to slip into.
Deut. 4:8 – The laws of God are a priveledge, not a burden.
Duet. 4:25-31 – What a warning and what a promise. It is true that the placing of other things above God is the greatest threat to our well being. Praise God that he allows us to return.

Numbers 27:15-17, 32, Deuteronomy 4:41-43, Numbers 33:50-56, 25:17-19, 34, 35:1-8
The further I get into my chronological Bible, the more the days readings can jump around a bit. Today is especially scattered.
Num. 27:18 – If only it were this easy today to tell what leader is God’s. I’m partly kidding as we have the scriptures to test our leaders against. But some like to compare leadership positions today to these Old Testament times. I don’t think it’s wise to do that.
Deut. 4:41-43 – God’s heart for those caught in an unfortunate situation. Cities of refuge – a place to flee to. God knew that a death at the hand of another, even accidental, brings great anguish and emotions that may lead to further sin and violence. God provided a place for the man to go to escape while the emotions calmed and the truth was discerned. Protection for both the perpetrator and the victim’s family.
Num. 33:50-56 – Think about having to carry out this order, to destroy them all or become a target yourself. Surely, there would be times that you’d get to know those people. Could you still carry it out? Rahab the prostitute in Jericho would be an exception that God would approve of (even tracing the line of Jesus through her), but later the people would grow weary and loose their conviction about carrying this out.
Num. 25:17-19 – Interesting that God puts the carrying out of His judgment in the hands of the people.
Num. 35:1-8 – God’s heart – “Make sure you tae care of the Levites, their special position gives them no tribal inheritance. Take care of and provide for them.”

Numbers 25, Numbers 31, Numbers 26
Num. 25:10-13 – Here’s an example of what it means to be zealous for God’s honor. He was not concerned for his own safety – he walked in on a leader in the midst of adultry! He did not let the fact that this man’s sin was between him and God stop him from stnading up for the Lord. It wasn’t really just between him and God, he in open defiance, paraded her through the campo in front of the people who were trying to tunr away rom this sin. He may not have even notived thier weeping (Num. 25:6) as he brought her to his tent. He certainly did not have God or the people on his mind.
Num. 31 – It seems I should write something about this, but what? What does it say about the heart of God to see such seeming brutality? Moses is angry that they haven’t killed the women and children. He even orders it done. Only the virgins survive. I can understand the anger the Isrealites felt toward them for leading them astray, especially the women. (Of course, it does seem that the Isrealites did not put up much of a fight.) BUt des that justify this? My chronilogical Bible’smnotes hint at ‘cultural’ things to be taken into account. It says:

In raising the moral consciencesness of first a nation, and then the world, God must take his people as he finds them and introduce principles of righteousness within a moral framework with which the people can identify.

That moral framework for the Isrealites, it says, is a culture where revenge includes complete destruction of your enemies. Still hard to accept, but it’s the rest of the scriptures, the examples of God’s love, patience and forgiveness that make it possible to suspend my disbelief and trust that there is an explanation.
Num. 26:1-50 – More names and numbers.
Num. 26:61 – It seems that throughout this time of wanderings and the beginings of battles against other nations, God is making a statement about holiness and His honor. Phinehas is lifted up for being zealous for God’s honor and here we see mention of men who died for not having enogh respect for the Lord, using unauthorized fire. God’s anger is stirred when the people are not holy,set apart for him and they are about to go to battle in the name of a pure nation of God’s people in Canaan.

Numbers 22 -24
Num. 22:28-30 – I somehow doubt that I coul still be angry with the animal after it spoke to me! I would be too shocked, amazed and frightened to rebuke it. I love what the donkey says, “Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?” Think about it, is this like me? Perhaps there’s something else to consider.
Num. 22:31-33 – After he stopped to consider the facts, the Lord opens his eyes. Or perhaps it wasn’t his consideration at all that made the Lord do it. Perhaps he just wanted to figuratively slap Balaam in the face with a reality that he hadn’t considered prior to revealing the angel. And now he also learns that the donkey he’s been to angry at has spared his life. How often are we angry at someone only to realize later that their infuiating actions were meant for our good?
Num. 24:1-9 – I’ve read of the many times Israel has forgotten God and disobeyed Him, to the point that He wanted to destroy them. Yet here, after all that, is this.

“How beautiful are your tents , O Jacob,
your dwelling places O Israel!”

After I sin, it is comforting to see how God still looks over Isreal after the stories of sin and anger. He still loves them greatly, in spite of it all.

Boy, it’s been too long (10 days!) since I got into my Bible.
Numbers 20, Numbers 21, Numbers 33:1-49
Num. 20:10-13 – I have heard it taught from this passage the importance of complete obedience. Certainly, when it comes to God that is important, but is that the main point here? Moses was clearly angry with the people, calling them ‘rebels’. Did he strike the rock in anger? And why did he strike it when God clearly said to speak to it? Is it because of Ex. 17 where in a very similar situation, God said to strike the rock? Maybe Moses was just not paying attention closely to God’s instructions. Any scenario I come up with finds Moses being disrespectful to God and not loving toward the people. Also, God points out that his actions, his disrespect, was done ‘in the sight of the people.’ He was God’s appointed leader and would be looked to as an example of how to live and how to act towards God.
What ever the reason, it costs Moses hie right to enter the promised land.

Numbers 16-18
Num. 16:20-22 – This is real Love and leadership. They stood between God and the object of His wrath on behalf of the innocent, and God honored it.
Num. 16:27-35 – The thought of this makes me sick, the children and ‘little ones’ swallowed up because of their father’s sins. Part of me wants to demand of God, “Why? They did nothing, yet they suffered.” But isn’t it true that our actions as parents have profound impacts on our children? What if these men, standing there in their pride watching Moses speak, had fallen face down in humility and begged God’s forgiveness? We can only speculate, but I believe that God would have answered. There is no record that I can recall of God smiting a man begging for forgiveness. Yes, the children were innocent, but the parents were not. They acted in opposition to God and the kids paid for it. How many kids suffer from the same disobedience today, through abuse and neglect? We can all shake our heads at abuse, but, truth be told, the neglect is a little closer to home than we’d like to imagine. I send the kids upstairs or outside to play because I don’t want to deal with them today, I try to ignore the obvious sounds of fighting or discontent in the other room, I let obvious acts of defiance or disobedience slide because I’m tired, and more. Minor compared with what some kids deal with, but a form of neglect nonetheless. I cannot take this responsibility lightly. They are Gods’ children, helpless and innocent, and I cannot fall asleep at the switch. (Coincidently, Virusdoc wrote on this subject just the other day. Check it out.)
Num. 16:41-45 – Boy, these people aren’t real bright or they have short memories. Isn’t this what pride will do to you, blind you to that which is painfully obvious to those outside of your pride. And again, Moses and Aaron stand up for the people. I think at some point, perhaps even before this, I would have just stood back and let God at ’em. After all, if they’re that determined to get roasted, why should I stand in the way? Moses has a better heart than I.
Num. 17:12-13 – Look at the contrast between Moses and Aaron and the people. They are calm and in control, the people are in a panic. Why? I think it may be because Moses and Aaron got their strength and confidence from God, not themselves. The people relied upon their own wisdom and ability and it led them to some stupid stuff. Challenging Moses and Aaron’s authority twice. And Now that they see the limits of their wisdom, they are frightened. They haven’t gotten yet that to be secure and confident means surrendering all control to The One higher than your self.
Num. 18 – Throughout this chapter, God says that he is making Aaron and the Levites responsible for the temple and the sacrifices so that the Israelites will not die. The clear picture to me are that it is an awesome responsibility and honor to go before the Lord and to deal with Him. To protect the general population, God sets aside specific men who are trained to know the honor and responsibility they bear. But in our day, that position of honor i gone and we deal directly with God under the new covenant. How Holy should we treat that relationship? How special should it be? If in the OT day, there were priests and Levites to protect the ignorant from dying from their disrespect to God, how much respect should we come to Him with?

Numbers 12-14
Num. 12:3 – If only this could be said about me! Sometimes I wonder if this blog isn’t a kind of power trip to feed my pride. I want to be noticed, to be right and to be praised. Sometimes to the point that I feel disappointed, better even angry if I feel that people don’t feel that way. It’s scary when I recognize it, even scarier when I think about how many time I probably don’t. Oh God, give me eyes to see myself clearly and not be deceived.
Num. 12:5-8 – Interesting. The implication here is that God is a little vague with us, deliberately. It says Moses was different than the ‘prophets’, it says God spoke top him clearly, he saw ‘the form of the Lord’. On one hand I long for that kind of special relationship with God, but it also puts some of my occasional questioning and confusion in perspective. Now in the new covenant everything is new, we do get to commune directly with God. But this relationship was special in their time, under their covenant (what we now call ‘old’ was still ‘new’ when this happened), imagine having something special in ours.
Num. 13:21-24 – Two men to carry one grape cluster! Notice also, the land of Hebron. Remember Abraham and Lot from this entry on Gen. 14 when I discovered that Abraham was called a ‘Hebrew’ because he lived in Hebron. Now they’ve returned.
Num. 14:1-3 – One bad apple (or in this case 10) does spoil the whole bunch. A reminder to watch my own faith as it can have a profound effect on those around me. Am I a bringer of hope like Joshua and Caleb or despair like the others?
Num. 14:4-10 – The difference in these men was their perspective. They saw the same challenges but through the perspective of a loving and powerful God who would not let them down. They could not loose because God was with them, not their enemies. The others only saw themselves and the giants. No wonder they were afraid.
Num. 14:10-25 – God is ready to destroy them for their lack of faith. He says they’ve treated Him with contempt, it’s personal, more than just not believing. But Moses pleads with God to change His mind. Not for their sake, but for His reputation. What will become of your name? And God relents, ‘Because you have asked me to.’ The ‘prayer’ of one man spares the lives of thousands. But notice that God says they are forgiven but they still are punished. Forgiveness does not equal lack of discipline.
Num. 14:29 – Those under 20 were spared this punishment. A precedent here that the young are not held to account like the old. The old should know better, the you have much to learn. I also see this as a bit of evidence of the idea of being born innocent and remaining innocent for much of childhood. I look at even my 9 year old an know that she does not understand the concept of right and wrong, good and evil. She understands that there are good things and bad things, but the idea themselves are not known. Therefore she is not responsible for her sins. There will come a time, sooner that I want, where she and her sisters will understand and she, like all of us before her, will walk away from the purity and innocence of youth. Like Adam and Eve she will understand the difference and will choose evil, and walk away from God. God will be waiting for her to return with open arms of unconditional love and forgiveness, but she will have to choose to accept it and commit to His ways and not hers. Here we see a line drawn at the age of 20. For us it’s not so clear cut.
Num. 14:31-33 – Look how God says their children will suffer for their sin. But ultimately they will be blessed.
Num. 14:34-35 – God has had enough.
Num. 14:36-38 – Reminds me of Jesus’ warning about leading His ‘little ones’ into sin in Mat. 18:6, Mark 9:42 and Luke 17:2.
Num. 14:39-45 – They were determined to do their own thing. God says go, they want to stay. He says stay they decide to go!

Numbers 10:1-34, Numbers 9:15-23, Numbers 10:35-36, Numbers 11
Num. 10:29 – All through Exodus, Moses’ father in law was called ‘Jethro’. Here is says, that Moses’ father in law is either Hobab or Reuel, it’s not clear to me which name the text is refering to. Additionally, Ex. 18:27 says that Moses had sent him back to Midian. I’m confused. Perhaps the father of an unnamed wife?
Ex. 11:1-3 – Is it just the complaining that angered God so? Simple ingratitude or was it the subject of their complaint? The Bible does not say what they were complaining about, just ‘hardships’. In the NT we are admonished to do everything without complaining (Phil. 2:14) and to be joyful always (1 Thes. 5:16). Evidenly it offends God greatly when we fail to acknowledge how he cares for us, putting our troubles in perspective. Num. 11:20 even calls it a rejection of God.
Num. 11-10-15 – Even Moses joins in the whining.
Num. 11:18-23 – This is an interesting ‘spat’ between Moses and God. It’s hard to know what to make of this passage. God seems spitefull and vengeful here. It is not the God of patience or tolerance but the jealous and angry God. What, if any impact should this have on my worship of Him? Does His actions here make him less than the perfect God that I want to be? Just because He has a temper does that make Him flawed? It seems that God is the definition of perfect. His actions are the standard we should live by. If so, do passages like this one give us freedom to be angry and vengeful? Do they silently make such behavior acceptable? Is it perhaps the context that makes this OK? If so, what about it? These type of passages are tough to reconcile with the picture of God we get from Sunday School, the picture we want to believe in. I don’t want to just say it’s good just because I want it to be, I want to know why it’s OK. If we acted this way, would God condemn us? It would seem hypocritical for Him to, and I don’t believe that He would. There must be an explination that is out of my reach at the moment.

Numbers 3:14-39, Numbers 4, Numbers 3:40-51
Num. 4:1-15 – Related to my February 25th post, it was the responsibility of Aaron and his sons, and I assume the priests to follow, to take down the curtain and use it to cover the ark and then put the poles in place. The ark was covered and therefore the Kohathites protected from accidentally touching it. See also Num. 4:17-20. In 1 Chron. 13 a man dies as the ark is transported (on a cart, uncovered) and is often talked about as a pasasage that shows God’s harshness and uncaring nature. But looking at these passages, it’s clear that God set things up so that those charged with carying the ark would be protected. Poles to carry it with made it easy to do, and it was covered with 3 layers of fabric or hides. Additionally, the priests (Aaron and sons) was cautioned to be sure that they watch out for the Kohathites and make sure they are not put in danger. In 1 Chron. 13 these instructions and cautions are not heeded and a man pays for the shortcut.

Numbers 9:1-12, Numbers 1-2
Num. 9:1-12 – One year later. The memories of that night must have flooded to mind. I think about one year ago for me. It was about that time that Henry Kriete’s infamous letter came to light about my family of churches. It forever chagned not only how I view my church, but God and my own faith. I’ve realized that I cannot take my knowledge for granted nor cna I just rest on my knowledge. I must keep digging and striving for truth. Truth is elusive to those who think that they’ve already found it.
Num. 1:46. – 600,000 plus men. It seems like a lot for three or so generations from Joseph. From 12 families to 600,000+ in three or four generations? And that’s just the men of fighting age, no women, no children, no elderly. Do I misunderstand the time frame?
Num. 1:47-54 – Nor does it include the Levites!