March 8, Reading Notes

Numbers 10:1-11:23

Num. 10:1-10

The trumpets were the final addition to moving. They were used for all sorts of things from battle to feast days. Notice that only the priest could blow them. The other interesting thing was that in battle, they were used to call God for help. Even in the trumpets, there was symbolism mixed in.

Num. 10:11-28

Here we go! I can just hear Willie Nelson standing there, as the tribes are passing by, singing, “On the Road Again.”

If you made a diagram of the Tabernacle with the Levites around it and then surrounded by the other tribes, you get an idea of how they took off, led by Judah. Writing out their order helps give a good visual image of how they moved out.

I wonder how long this all took. People had to pack up their tents and find little Joe and Sarah playing with their friends. They had to load it on Nellie (the family cow), then you moved out 3 tribes as the Levites were working like crazy to tear down the Tabernacle, besides getting their own stuff in order. How long does it take to move 2-4 million people? Do they walk in single file or a quarter mile wide? It must have taken forever. I think Willie would have gotten tired playing that song.

Num. 10:29-36

This is sort of an “odds & ends” summary. Moses appeals for his father-in-law to go with, thinking they would soon be in the land. I always notice that Moses’ father-in-law had more names or aliases than Jason Bourne. Actually, Hobab might have been his real name, and Jethro (believe it or not) means excellence or gain and might have been an official or formal name to fit his position.

I don’t know what to think of what Moses said when the cloud lifted and rested. He took great care for the people and took his position very seriously. God doesn’t command him to do this, but I suppose with the signal of the trumpets, Moses, as a leader, wanted to motivate the people and focus their attention on the Lord.

Num. 11:1-15

So, they finally move. The Promised Land is on the radar and they know it is their destination. They have just seen wonder on wonder and the cloud is leading them. And they complain about the manna and want meat.

A couple of notes here. Their desire was valid. The expression of their desire was not. They could have asked God personally. They could have gone to Moses patiently. I’m sure the meat would have come. In any case, once inside the land, they would have had anything they wanted.

Second, Paul mentions this event in 1 Corinthians 10:10 “And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.” We should ask ourselves what was wrong with their complaining. Then we need to ask ourselves about our complaining. Is there a difference? Actually, I like complaining, but I’m getting better. If we see our lives, as disciples, as living out God’s will every day, we realize that God, more than us, is in charge of our circumstances. The challenge is for us to live our lives accepting what God brings into our lives and to respond in a way that shows we are His followers and children. Paul addresses grumbling one more time in Philippians 2:13 “for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 14 Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world…”

The "rabble" means a mixed group of people, Jews and non-Jews, probably Egyptians who were sympathetic to the cause while they were still in Egypt. Now a year into the Exodus, living on manna, they were helping the Jews to grumble and be discontent. These people had be good to the Jews when it had to do with human injustice, but had no clue regarding the spiritual ramifications of the promise of Abraham, the promise to Adam and Eve and the destiny of the nation of Israel.

As disciples, you would expect to find dissenting voices outside the church, but more often than not, it comes from the brethren (and sistren). Paul's words to the Corinthians about their inability to see immaturity and "nice" people who were not believers, still hold true for us; 1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: "Bad company ruins good morals." 34 Come to your right mind, and sin no more. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

It is hard to imagine the intense pressure on Moses. God was mad, Moses wasn't real happy, and the people were standing at the doors of their tents weeping out loud. In a few days, Moses went from success to utter failure in his thinking. And in this pressure and sense of failure, he wanted help or death.

I've got to admit, I like Moses' poetic flair in his nervous breakdown.

Num. 11:16-17

This is important enough to take note of. God was willing to go with the people and their needs. He waited for natural problems to arise before He moved and answered requests. Of course Moses needed help, but now, in a whiney sort of way, he was asking and God was willing to provide. The provision of 70 elders on whom the Spirit would rest is a great thing. Moses doesn't need to feel jealous because they are provided out of Moses' own cry to God. Joshua will get a little bent, but God prepared Moses for this by letting Moses melt down. This isn't quite, but it resembles, the beginning of the office of prophet.

Num. 11:18-23

God is really not happy here. There is no better way to spit in God's face than to say they were better off in Egypt and to say they wanted flavorful food. They didn't fully grasp that God was in their presence, listening to them. If anyone had had any sense, they would have fallen on their faces and asked God for forgiveness. They definitely shouldn't have eaten without seeking forgiveness and giving thanks.

I had to laugh the first time I read v. 20. If saying "until it comes out of their nostrils" is a guy thing, then God is a guy.

What is amazing here is that in the emotional stress of leading, Moses totally loses perspective. Why does he think this is his responsibility? Why would he think God would have a hard time providing meat? "Well, you know, the manna is sort of like….whatever. Meat comes from animals and you just can’t conjure those up, can you?" Of course God could. Moses himself is losing sight of who God is. If God created them on the day of creation, He can do it now. His hand has not lost its touch or "become shortened."

Mark 14:1-21

We know these stories so I'll just mention 3 things that strike me.

First, Jesus didn't fall into the mold of social causes and social justice. When Mary anointed Him and the disciples got all righteously religious and told Him what she did was a waste, Jesus told them it was ok, that the poor would be there every day. They were trying to press Jesus into some kind of thinking that already existed. This event seems to have really made Judas mad.

Second, Jesus waited until the last possible second to send the disciples to find a place to celebrate the Passover. And it worked. It made a lasting impression that God could be trusted even if He makes us wait until, not only the last hour, but until our strength is failing and our hope is beginning to get strained. Boom! There was a room and it was a good one.

Third, the disciples never knew that Judas was the rat. Jesus' security in His Father allowed Him to show Judas an amazing kind of love. It was such a constant and sincere love that the disciples never picked up on it.

Psalm 51

This is a great Psalm of David, written after God spoke judgment on David for what he did with Bathsheba and Uriah.

There are lots of great verses here like verse 17. I just have a couple observations.

First, according to what we're reading in the OT, David should have been put to death for this, a couple of times over. God Himself spared David. God forgives. There is no human sin He will not forgive and that should be a comfort to us, not only in working with others, but also when we hear that tiny voice telling us we're as useful to God as a screen door on a submarine. We may sin, but we get up and keep on going, following Christ, receiving grace upon grace and forgiveness that goes beyond our guilt.

Second, I always have a hard time with verse 4. This verse is true in terms of ultimate guilt; but if we have sinned against others, don't use this verse as proof that you don't have to apologize or make restitution. In my experience I would say the rule of thumb is this: If we have really harmed someone, you let them tell you what restitution looks like, and you keep saying you're sorry until they release you from that obligation. Too often, the guilty party forces the party they wronged to grant forgiveness, to get "themselves" off the hook, instead of lifting the pain and the injustice from the other person.

In this case, I sense that David did not work with Bathsheba's family until they were satisfied. I don't really sense that his repentance went past God, into the families that he ruined. We'll talk more about this when we get to 2 Samuel 11. David is a great man, but he really destroyed himself in what he did and how he handled it.

Still, it's a great Psalm, and what the Spirit of God says here is true.

Proverbs 10:31-32

If you pair these verses up it might look like -

31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, because 32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the perverse tongue will be cut off. Because the mouth of the wicked knows what is perverse.

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.