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MARCH 20
Numbers 30-31
Numbers 30
The logical connection between this section and the last section is
that, while taking part in the holy days, people would often be moved to make
vows to the Lord. This happens even today. People will be listening to a sermon
in church and say, "I've got to call 'so-and-so' when I get home and
apologize," or if the preacher is portly they will say, "Lord, I
promise to exercise more." J Men and women could also make a vow to serve
the Lord in the community or at the tabernacle. We’ll see this in Samuel.
Apparently the Levites needed the help. Anyway, this is a restating of what has
already been said about vows, with the additional regulations about a woman
making a vow.
Vs. 1-2 According to the Bible Knowledge Commentary-OT, p. 250,
a vow was a promise to do something
and a pledge was a promise not to do
something.
Vs. 3-5 This had to do with a woman who was still unmarried, in her
father’s house and under his authority. The familiar pattern given here is that
on the day he heard of the vow he either approved by doing nothing, or
disapproved by making the vow void.
Vs. 6-8 This is the situation of a single woman who has taken a vow and
then marries. When her new husband learns of the vow he must make the decision
to let her complete it or he has the right to make it void.
V. 9 This is a parenthetical statement about widows or divorced women.
Interestingly, they are not under the authority of any man and so their vow
“sticks” the minute they utter it.
Vs. 10-16 This is the case of a married woman making a vow or pledge.
The interesting wrinkle here is in v. 15. The husband, not the wife, can still
make the vow void at some later date, but in doing this he bears the guilt or
iniquity of the broken vow. According to the law, he would have to offer
sacrifices to obtain forgiveness.
Where you see this in action is 1 Samuel 1:9-18, when Hannah prays for
a son and makes a vow. According to what the Lord is saying here, Elkanah had
the right to either confirm or dissolve this vow shortly after hearing about
it.
Also, in 1 Timothy 5 Paul alludes to some version of this that had been
accepted by the church in Ephesus, where widows could make a vow of service.
Apparently the younger widows were prone to break their vows the minute they
found a believing boyfriend. Paul commanded Timothy to refuse to enroll younger
widows.
Numbers 31
This chapter introduces a very hard topic. It is hard for us to wrap
our heads around it mentally or emotionally. Also, sometimes we have the joy of
trying to explain this to the unchurched. The question is, “How could a loving
God command the killing of everyone in a city, including women and children?”
This chapter shows Israel going to war and gives us details on who would live
and who would die. Even if you understand that the people Israel fought against
were wicked and the cultures were utterly corrupt, you still have to think
through the killing of children and women (why don't we really care about the
guys?L).
So, here are some leading thoughts and you can do with them what you
will.
There are "realities" that exist regardless of my feelings or
opinions. Gravity works whether I'm having a good day or a bad day. Regardless
of my feelings, I always have to keep an eye on gravity, at least while I'm in
this life. On earth as a human, there is a “spiritual world” that exists that I
can't see. It's there whether I'm having a good day or a bad one. God is there
and the angels, good and bad, are there. It's as real as the keyboard I'm
typing on. It's a reality and someday I'll see that reality. I could see that
"other side" of life right now, but to do that, the way things are
set up right now, I'd have to die. The way God has designed things at this
moment in history, as I am now in this body, I can't see the spiritual world.
But if I leave this body by "dying," in a second I will be conscious
and alive in a body in that reality, possibly seeing both the physical and
spiritual reality together. This is the world and reality that the Bible
teaches.
Death is the only way for us to view or enter this other “world.” But
what is death? I say, "I'd have to die," to see the spiritual side of
life, but I'd actually be "alive" there. So if I'm alive here, and
then, a second later, I'd be alive there, what is death? Death is separation.
Physically, it is the separation of the soul from the body. Spiritually, death
is the separation of man from God. In reality we are never, “not living.” As
humans, during this time, we are either on earth, visually separated from God,
or separated from this earth, visually present with God. But we are never dead.
This is reality regardless of how I feel. "Death" in a physical
sense, is whatever happens to our body that causes the moment of separation,
the moment of transition of our spirit from this reality to that reality. But
the reality is, we are always "alive" and there is only one reality,
with two parts (for us) and there is only one God.
Separation was never meant to be, either from God or from the body.
"Death" is an unnatural thing in God's universe and will be done away
with. Humans were never created to be separated from God. Whatever that union
with God looks like, even saved, we have not yet experienced it. When Adam
broke that union, "death," a separation, occurred immediately, like
plucking a flower; and though it happened slowly, the body had to decline and
decay to the point of the spirit separating from the body. The one separation
necessitated the other. No one was ever born “not” to have a relationship with
God. No one was ever to have a failing body from which the human spirit could
be separated. For now, we rightfully fight against "death;" because
it isn't normal, or what was designed by God.
Our fear of "death" stems from our sin and separation from
God. We inwardly fear God. Our sin rebels against God. We can't see beyond this
small room (called earth and life) that we live in. Actually, “life” is so much
bigger than this “tiny room” that we think is all of reality. Yet fear tells us
this is all there is, and sin tells us we can't face God. So we are trapped in
fear, in a small little slice of reality, thinking it is everything.
When the body "dies," the soul is separated from this body
and we move from the small room into the big room. The Bible teaches that when
we step into "life," as Jesus calls “the next life” in John 3, we are
fully alert. Some people will become fully alert for the first time in their
lives. And we will have a body. We don't even go "bodiless" for more
than a second. After that second of separation from the body, every man, woman
and child enters God’s world; and that, theoretically, is a great thing, right?
There’s the rub.
Now, God is against murder and holds life to be valuable and sacred for
us on earth. But God is about to "call" Moses into His presence.
Moses will "die" but not really be dead. As disciples, we know that
God has the right to "call" us at any time, and we'll be going to a
great place. Paul couldn't wait to get there. If God called you away to work in
Argentina for the rest of your life, you'd miss your friends and family, and
they would miss you, but you wouldn't be dead. You’d just be living somewhere
else. Heaven, God's presence, is "somewhere else," and it's a great
place, unless you're not ready to "meet your Maker."
In the wars Israel would wage, there was an "object lesson"
for all mankind, that societies and cultures can so pollute themselves, that
only total cleansing from the earth can stop their sinful influence, like
cutting out cancer. Sin in this body cannot be cured in this life (Rom. 7-8)
and its power can't be broken by education or reform. Its power could only be
"broken" by willing repentance and acceptance of the one true God,
revealed then as Yahweh, the God of the Jews. Now, the power of sin is only
broken through acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, which gives us
forgiveness, allowing the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We become connected to
God, but the power of sin is there until death and resurrection. (Read Romans
7-8.)
In these wars that Israel fought, there is the lesson that sin can
permeate a culture and society in such a way that God will bring judgment. All
the nations around Israel will see this. All the nations knew that Canaan was
corrupt, and now they'll see Yahweh bring judgment. In demanding the deaths of
these peoples, in reality, God was saying, "Their time on earth is
complete, send them into My presence and I will judge them." It's not a
bad thing to be in God's presence, unless we're not ready to be there. We get
caught up with visual images of slaying and slicing and blood and guts, but the
result was to send these people to God. They never stopped living. They came
into God’s world and God took the matter from there.
Physical "death" is not something God likes, and it's not
something we'll get used to. Christ removed the "sting" from death by
dying for us and facing our judgment "unjudged." In Christ, we who know
Him will also be "unjudged." We think of death and think of how
unfair it is that someone can't live on earth, but reality is far bigger than
this earth, and earth isn't really a good place anyway. Heaven is not
"on" earth; in fact, when this sad episode is finished here, God will
get rid of this earth and make a new, uncontaminated one.
Obviously God wants us to be compassionate and show mercy to victims of
war, tsunamis, disasters, sicknesses and hunger. We are commanded to show love
and to assist those suffering on earth. But we disciples cannot live with a
microscopic view of life, as if this time and life on earth is everything.
Reality is much larger, and this sad tale on earth is a very important, but
very temporary, dot on the surface of eternity. The destiny of every person
ever born is to bow before Jesus and confess that He is Lord. God Himself
determines when that event happens. We have a choice in whether our confession
is compelled from us in heaven, or surrendered freely here on earth, in repentance
and acceptance of Christ. As disciples, in the age of grace, we work in the
harvest while there is still time. Judgment and wrath are coming to the earth,
and for many, before the throne of God.
God is a loving God, but the killing will always seem harsh. It helps
to keep the bigger picture in mind. In God commanding the "deaths" of
these people, there was the fearful "lesson" to the other nations to
fear sin and respect Yahweh; and there was the mission of Israel to send these people
from their bodies, from this small room to that great room, into the presence
of God.
Back to Numbers 31
Vs. 1-7 God has Moses avenge Israel against the Midianites. What they
did was a big thing. They sought to get God to curse His people and they found
a way. How they did it might have circulated around the nations. This would
show the nations not to mess with God.
Notice that Phinehas leads them into battle.
Vs. 8-12 Among the kings of Midian who they killed, they also killed
Balaam. What was he doing in Midian? He must have come back and been given
money and a “house full of gold” for giving such good advice on how to make
Israel bring God's curse upon themselves. Now he was standing in the presence
of God with no gold and in a lot of trouble.
Vs. 13-18 Somehow Moses had the full story on what had happened up on
the mountains and what was said between Balaam and Balak. Either God told
Moses, or Moses interviewed someone who was there, like Balaam. In 2 Samuel 1,
you have the story of the guy who came to David in Ziklag reporting the details
of Saul's death, who was immediately thereafter "dispatched" to join
Balaam. They probably both got together in the hot part of Hades and said,
"Yeh, me too. I thought when I told them the whole story, they'd let me go."
There is an interesting thought here. In order for so many men from
Israel to have sinned sexually so quickly, the Midianites must have had a lot
of women on the job. Apparently once they had the plan from Balaam, they sent all of the women into the Israelite camp
to set up "worship stations" in the name of Baal, and thousands of
the women participated. It makes you wonder what kind of moral climate that
must have been, being willing to sell themselves for Baal and country, to bring
a curse on their enemies.
All the males were
killed, old and young, because males carried on the national identity of this
culture. Remember they were still alive, just sent into God's presence. If the
children were under the age of accountability, they were not judged (Romans
7:9). The rest of these people had somehow heard about Yahweh. Balak knew to
send for Balaam, because Balaam had a link to the same God of the Israelites
who Balak knew about. Abe-Isaac-Jacob became a large group of people who lived
in Canaan over 200 years. Melchizedek, a priest of the Most High God, was the
king in Salem (Jerusalem); and God was giving testimony to His own name through
many men, like Balaam, who we have never heard of. Not to mention that just
down the road, for the past 40 years, you had this community of two to ten
million people whose God had, to their liking and the joy of all in that
ancient world, demolished Egypt. We have some evidence, and have to trust God,
that they had opportunities to come to Him. BTW, Moses' father-in-law was a
Midianite priest who probably became a believer, and this would have been some
of the same territory where Moses would have tended sheep for 40 years.
Regarding the captured women - in Deuteronomy 21 the Lord will give
them laws on how to incorporate all captured women into the nation. Since these
people were not Canaanites (they were actually descendants of Abraham), these
women could have been brought into Israel. The reason the women with sexual
experience were killed here was because they had participated in the event at
Peor.
The young girls who were taken would have become servants of the people
or employed in the service of the tabernacle and absorbed into the culture and
populace of the nation. God gave laws on how they were to treat these people.
Vs. 19-20 Remember the laws of cleansing and the water of uncleanness
that God gave instructions about? Here is how they were to be used.
Vs. 25-47 The Lord Himself instituted some rules/laws regarding how to
divide the captured goods and people. Everything was to be tithed. The goods
and people were divided in half, between the soldiers who fought and the people
who stayed at home. The soldiers tithed 1/500th of their stuff to
the priests. The people tithed 1/50th of their stuff to the Levites.
Vs. 48-54 When the officers of the army counted their men and realized
that they hadn’t lost a single soldier, they were moved with gratefulness to
God and brought a free-will offering to God of the jewelry and precious metals
and stones they had gathered.
Thankfully, following Christ in the harvest, the only death we are to
seek is that of our “old self,” and to carry our cross, presenting ourselves,
living, on the altar before God. And if we “die,” we actually burst into life
in the presence of our Savior. Like Paul, that entrance into His presence, to
see Him face to face, is something each of us should be looking forward to.
Luke 4:1-30
Vs. 1- 2 As mentioned before, Jesus, the newly anointed Son of Man and
King of the earth, was driven by the Spirit to have a showdown with the “god of
this age.” Satan waited until opportune times. There may have been more
temptations, but these are the key temptations.
Vs. 3-4 It is interesting that Satan asked Jesus to prove He was the
Son of God. In the mind of every Jew, whether they really believed it or not,
they understood that the Messiah would be the Son of God. Look at John 1:49 and
John 11:27. Jesus, as a man, depended on God for His provision.
Vs. 5-8 Jesus would have had this anyway. Satan was offering Him a way
to avoid suffering and God’s will. Notice that Jesus showed that worship (lit.,
bend the knee) necessitated service. They always go together, or should.
Vs. 9-13 Matthew and Luke have a different order to the temptations.
Both have the bread first, but they differ in the next two. Since Matthew wrote
with an agenda to show that Jesus was the Messiah of the Jews, and since he
takes some other events out of their chronological order, I'm going to suggest
that Luke has the right order. It really doesn't matter. My thinking is that
Satan was fed up with hearing It is
written, so he quoted Scripture to Jesus to lure Him into putting God to
the test. Ironically, if you catch the double meaning in Jesus’ words, Satan
was the one who was putting God to the test.
Between the temptation and Jesus' visit to Nazareth, comes John 1-4. A
lot of relationship was formed between Jesus and the disciples during this
time.
Vs. 14-15 This is a declaration of victory. Now His public ministry
would begin and He would present Himself to Israel as their Messiah.
Vs. 16-30
Following a great victory came a great rejection. John mentions this in John
1:11, He came to his own, and his own
people did not receive him.
Vs. 18-19 These
are such amazing verses. Jesus was fulfilling them as He stood there. Following
Jesus in the harvest, this is also what His disciples, today, are supposed to
do.
To me, it is amazing that some people today present Jesus as a vague
teacher with a hidden, indistinct message. Boy, the people in Nazareth sure got
the point. Obviously, Jesus touched on their spiritual blindness and their
Jewish nationalism, but the change in "temperature" was immediate. I
remember hearing Bill Hybels say that if you preach self-esteem at church, it's
85 and sunny. If you preach discipleship, it's 32 and falling. Even among
believers, if the message is too oriented toward the Great Commission and
discipleship, you quickly see who is anchored in their “own” definition of
following Jesus in their "rightness," and who is humbly willing to
forsake all and follow their Savior into the harvest. One person becomes your
critic and the other becomes a disciple of Jesus.
These are the people Jesus grew up with, pushing Him out of the city,
taking Him to the hill to kill Him. Once Jesus allowed them to demonstrate
their hearts and fully show their intentions, He supernaturally turned about
and walked through the middle of the crowd and no one laid a hand on Him.
Psalm 63
This is another of these psalms, where, except for the last three
verses, this is the crying out of my heart for the day.
Vs. 1-4 This is a long confession to God that He is David’s hope. What
a wonderful expression of who God should be to all of us. Remember though, it
took suffering to bring David to this place. There is a price to pay if this is
what we want our devotion to God to look like. Working in the harvest will do
this for us.
Vs. 5-8 David must have had some moments of peace in his flight from
Saul. In this quietness he confesses his satisfaction with the Lord’s care. Verse
6 also describes how the Lord became so rooted in David’s heart.
Vs. 9-11 At this place of peace, knowing that he could be on the run
again, David’s confidence was in God. Amen.
Proverbs 11:20-21
We value things like being street smart and being able to figure stuff
out. What about Christians who are just naïve, who really don't get it, who are
just blameless and innocent before God? We usually see them as prey, as
somebody's lunch, and we roll our eyes and laugh at their dumbness. They are
like Forrest Gump. But God loves the Christian Forrest Gumps who are dumb and
blameless before Him. They go through life, following Christ in the harvest;
and God just blesses them, even in their sorrows and trials.
For the wicked it’s like the irritation when you're driving a long
stretch of city traffic with "thousands" of traffic lights. You drive
like crazy, weaving in and out of lanes trying to make a light, trying to be
wise and crafty. But somewhere, miles ago, you passed this old guy or old woman,
driving under the speed limit, just moving along. "Ha, Ha! Left him in the
dust. The dummy doesn't know he needs to drive faster, smarter, like me."
By the time you get to your destination, you're sweaty, you've given yourself
another ulcer and you've made several enemies. As you pull into the parking lot
you notice that the old dude just passed you. Not only did you not save 30
seconds with all your traffic gymnastics, but guess who God delighted in? And
they just passed you.
Please Read
the Following Disclaimer
I'm writing the Reading Notes to and
for those who are following a One Year Bible and are 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, that is, 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 and
important discipleship manual we have and it is the 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, or whom we are to be following. 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,
as disciples, 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, 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 (BKC).
I read the BKC in doing background for the Reading Notes and refer to it quite
often. I also make reference to maps or charts in the BKC, though I will only
note where those resources can be found. Often you can do a search for these
and find them in Google books. Buying both volumes of the Bible Knowledge
Commentary would be a good idea.
I am not endorsing any particular
One Year Bible translation; in fact, I read something you probably don't, Die
Revidierte Lutherbibel, 1984. Unless noted, all Scripture quotes are from the
ESV Bible.
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. Often there is a breadth of opinion on certain events, both
historical and prophetic. Many of my views come from my church background,
theological training and my personal study.
I'm
doing this with discipleship in mind, meaning, I'm writing out thoughts that
will keep discipleship and our growth as disciples applied to what we are
reading. Remember, the real focus of the Reading Notes is to be a
supplement, a disciple’s commentary, giving motivation and insight so that we
will keep following our Lord in the harvest, reaching the lost and making
disciples, who make disciples. Being in
the Word every day, sitting at Jesus’ feet, learning directly from Him, is the
essential essence of being and making disciples.
May the Lord bless you as you follow Him in the
harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples. Dan
If you would like documents
containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
If you would like a full
presentation of discipleship read Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples.
Or if you are struggling with
insomnia and would like a long boring dissertation on disciple making, these
can both be found on https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
Reading Notes ©, Dan Kachikis
2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
The One Year Bible © by
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton Illinois 60189
The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.
All charts/graphics/outlines
from the Bible Knowledge Commentary are used with the permission of David C.
Cook.
© 1983, 2001 John F Walvoord and Roy B Zuck.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary is published by David C Cook.
All rights reserved. Publisher permission
required to reproduce.
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