Numbers 21:1-22:20
Num. 21:1-3
Two big things happen here. First, Israel hasn't wanted a fight, but Arad takes the fight to them, possibly interpreting their response to Edom as being weak. Israel's defeat of Arad brings them up on the front page of everyone's newspaper, and armies are beginning to sharpen their swords. It shouldn't be too hard for an army to defeat defenseless cattle, even if there are a lot of them.
Second, Israel cries out to God because of the attack and God fulfills their request.
Interesting that it took an attack to make the people come to Him with such intensity. I wonder if God allows stuff like this to happen to build the intensity in us to earnestly follow.
Num. 21:4-9
My sense here is that God allowed hard times to develop the people's faith, but also to get the discontented to show themselves and thin them out of the people. Even though Israel is only months from entering the land, there are still people of the past generation who need to die; and there are, among the younger people, those with a bitter heart. What is interesting is that the people come to Moses asking for help.
If you want some good exercise, try to figure out how and why Jesus used this story in John 3 in His talk with Nick.
The element that makes this situation understandable, in contrast to Aaron running among the people with his censer, is that faith saved the people. They had the info, they believed it was true, and they looked. On an unseen spiritual level, when they exercised faith, God Himself saw their faith and their hearts and cured them. The unseen spiritual transaction is what Jesus is talking about.
This snake was later used in Israel for idolatry until Hezekiah destroyed it in 2Kings 18:4. Paul refers to this event as putting the Lord to the test.
Num. 21:10-35
We've lost this Book of Wars, but it is mentioned here because this begins the conquest of the Land. Even though Israel is still on the east side of the Jordan and not in the Land, the next battles will give them possession of land that will become part of Israel.
V.21 They tried not to fight with Sihon, who, by the way, stole this land from the Moabites. Sihon hurt himself in fighting because Israel only wanted the land to the west of the Jordan.
Notice that the Moabites were dispossessed of this land partially due to their worship of Chemosh or Moloch. It was the other side of Baal worship where the unwanted children were thrown, in sacrifice, into the blazing mouth of this god's altar.
V. 33 King Og had to try his hand at fighting Israel and was also defeated.
Num. 22:1-20
This next war will involve the Moabites and the Midianites, but only because of their aggression toward Israel. Both of these people are related to Israel, so God wouldn't have allowed Israel to fight them. Also, both of these nations were on the east side of the Jordan, so they were not in the Promised Land, and therefore were not in danger.
Now, that world back then was far more "spiritual" than our world today. What I mean is that people still understood that the world was ruled by spiritual forces. Rationalism hadn't blinded men to the spiritual. Now, obviously, the spiritual forces were not ones they understood. But here Balak sought a spiritual solution to get rid of Israel because he perceived that a strictly rational approach wouldn't work.
Balaam lived on the Euphrates, probably near Mari on the Syria/Iraq border, not exactly an easy place to get to. Balaam had been used of God and God had apparently spoken to him before. The word around was that if Balaam blessed anything, it was blessed, and if he cursed it, it was cursed.
More will happen tomorrow, but for now it is enough to note that God is working among other peoples, but still as the one true God and people knew something about God, even if they only thought of Him as one god among many.
Luke 1:26-56
The sixth month is Elizabeth's sixth month. Elizabeth had been out of hiding now for a month.
In the announcement, notice the references to David and the fulfillment of things.
Why do you think Gabriel didn't "whammy" Mary when she asked her question, like he did Zechariah?
V.36 It may be here that Gabriel is telling Mary something she already has heard a rumor of.
V. 38 Great faith on Mary's part.
V. 44 Luther, even after he was saved, used this text to prove that a baby can believe and therefore should be baptized for salvation. The text says the baby leaped, but Elizabeth says it leaped for joy. She certainly felt a spirit induced joy when she heard Mary's voice. I think Elizabeth had the joy and the spirit just put his finger in there and tickled John.
V. 45 I wonder if she said this in contrast to her silent husband's questioning of Gabriel.
What do you get out of Mary's prophesying?
V. 56 Notice that Mary was there for about three months. She probably left right after the birth of John. When Mary returned to Nazareth she would have been 3 months pregnant and showing.
Psalm 57
Even with Christ being risen and having the Spirit and having an incredible mission, there are places the Lord needs to lead us when "hanging on" is the best we can do. It's in stormy times when you get pushed to the edge of your faith, and there have to look to the Lord and strengthen yourself in Him.
David was hiding in a cave, gathering family and outcasts and those in debt and those bitter of heart to become his little army. As he looked out of that cave he must have seen a storm pass over.
He remembers the anointing by Samuel and the promise made in verse 2.
Verses 7-11 are that strengthening of soul taking place as David turns to the only one who can sustain him. It sort of reminds me of what Paul says about the faith of Abraham in Romans 4:20-21 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
Sometimes it's ok not to be a hero, but to just survive the storm. Something happens in the "hanging on" that can't happen in any other place.
As happens, one line in a Psalm is enough to resonate in our hearts and someone writes a song. I'm going to link a song I heard years ago listening to Moody radio on my way to UW-Parkside. It's old and from another generation, but it has good images, a good message and a smooth, low voice. Jesus said, Matthew 13:52 And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old." Here's something old.
Proverbs 11:9-11
Notice that this grouping begins and ends with the mouth of the godless/wicked man.
The knowledge of the righteous is not his intelligence, but that knowledge of God that controls his heart and actions. Looking at the Psalm above, it is the "knowledge" that made David's heart steadfast in the middle of the storm he was living through.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.
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