Week 55, Day 5: Vows
Today’s Reading: Numbers 30:1-16
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
Moses spoke to the heads of each tribe regarding the keeping of vows. If a man makes a vow or oath he is to keep it and do all that proceeds out of his mouth. Regarding a daughter still living in his household, a father was given the right to annul the vow the day he heard of it. If he didn’t say anything that day then she was bound to keep her vow. In a similar way, when married her husband was able to confirm or annul her vow the day he hears of it. The Lord required for Israel to take very seriously the taking of a vow and to make sure to keep it. But he also reemphasizes the role of women as submissive to their husbands/ fathers and that the man is in a leading role in the family. This pattern has not been changed in the NT. This is not popular today and thus part of the reason why people want to ignore parts of God’s commands.
Question: Why is it important for people to keep the vows they have taken? Why should this be warning for people to be careful what vows they make?
Week 55, Day 4: Feast of Trumpets
Today’s Reading: Numbers 29:1-40
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
Moses continues in this chapter of reminding Israel of the appointed times they are to present offerings to Jehovah. The seventh month is a very important month for Israel. Below is a summary of the events detailed for the seventh month:
1st day – blowing of trumpets (Feast of trumpets, Lev 23:23-25)
Offering: 1 bull, 1 ram, 7 male lambs, 1 male goat. Also the new moon offering and the normal daily offering
This is the new year on the Jewish calendar (new moon, vs 6).
10th day – a holy convocation, humbling themselves, no work (Day of Atonement, Lev 23:37)
Offering: 1 bull, 1 ram, 7 male lambs, 1 male goat.
15th day – a holy convocation, no laborious work, begins a feast for 7 days (Feast of Tabernacles or booths, Lev 23:34)
Offerings: Day 1 – 13 bulls, 2 rams, 14 male lambs, 1 male goat, Day 2 – 12 bulls, 2 rams, 14 male lambs, 1 male goat, Day 3 – 11 bulls, 2 rams, 14 male lambs, 1 male goat, Day 4 – 10 bulls, 2 rams, 14 male lambs, 1 male goat, Day 5 – 9 bulls, 2 rams, 14 male lambs, 1 male goat, Day 6 – 8 bulls, 2 rams, 14 male lambs, 1 male goat, Day 7 – 7 bulls, 2 rams, 14 male lambs, 1 male goat,
On Day 8 they were to have a solemn assembly, do no laborious work and offer 1 bull, 1 ram, 7 male lambs and 1 male goat.
So Moses reminds Israel of the sacrifices that God expects for them to keep.
Question: How important do you think it was for Israel to give these sacrifices? Could Israel decide that the number of animals sacrificed could be lowered to offer a smaller number? Why can people recognize that it would be wrong to change the number of animals required to offer each day but cannot see the importance of seeking Bible guidance in how we worship God?
Week 55, Day 3: Sacrifices
Today’s Reading: Numbers 28:1-31
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
God tells Moses that he is to command Israel to be careful to present His sacrifices at the appointed times. He then goes over the sacrifices to remind them. What struck me was the thought of just how many animals Israel would have sacrificed over the years. You have rivers of blood shed at the tent of meeting and later at the temple. This should impress upon us how perfect and complete Jesus’ sacrifice was. He gave Himself once and for all. Once He shed His blood there was not a need for the continuation of sacrifices like under the law of Moses. To emphasizie how many animals were sacrificed I’ve summarize the appointed times below.
Each day 2 lambs – morning and at twilight
Each 7th day (Sabbath) 2 lambs
At the beginning of each month 2 bulls, 1 ram, 7 lambs, 1 goat
1st month, beginning the 15th day, for seven days (vs. 24) 2 bulls, 1 ram, 7 lambs, 1 goat
At fest of first fruits 2 bulls, 1 ram, 7 lambs, 1 goat
There was continually, each day a burnt sacrifice that was to be offered at the tent. Each day adds up to a lot of animals.
Question: Why is it that the sacrifice of Jesus was the end of the sacrificial system? Why could the sins of bulls and goats not remove the sins of Israel permanently (see Hebrews 10:1-4)?
Week 55, Day 2: Moses’ Replacement
Today’s Reading: Numbers 27:1-23
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
It has come the time for a replacement to be appointed for Moses. God does not want Israel to be like sheep without a shepherd when Moses dies in the wilderness. The Lord tells Moses to take Joshua. Joshua is described as a man in whom is the Spirit. Joshua has been Moses’ attendant for a long time (Num 11:28). He had demonstrated his devotion to God and belief in God’s words by being one of only two spies who gave a favorable report about taking the land. Now he is to be commissioned and given some of Moses’ authority. He will soon be the one who leads Israel.
Question: Why do you think Eleazar is involved in the process of commissioning Joshua?
Week 55, Day 1: The Census
Today’s Reading: Numbers 26:1-65
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
In this chapter we have Moses and Eleazar counting the people again. This time however we are told that all of the previous generation have now perished in the wilderness (64-65). I don’t know if this indicates that the last of those who were to perish remained until the sin with the women of Midian (ch 25) and subsequent plague. But we know for sure that at this point in time all that remains from the generation that came up out of Egypt are Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb. All the rest had perished as punishment for not obeying God. And soon Moses and Aaron would die as well.
The Census does remind us of the children born to each of the heads of the tribes. And it is important to have them numbered because we are told that the inheritance would depend upon the size of the tribe. This makes sense because each person is to be given their portion of the land as an inheritance.
Question: Why were Caleb and Joshua spared from the doom of perishing in the wilderness? Which tribe was the largest?
Week 54, Day 5: Invitation to sin
Today’s Reading: Numbers 25:1-18
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
The daughters of Midian invite the people of Israel to come to the sacrifices to Baal. There they ate and bowed down to their gods. Thus Israel was enticed to enter into sin through the daughters of Midian. The anger of God is aroused by this and he strikes the people with a plague which kills 22,000. I want to point out how many this is when you compare it to the census in chapter 26. The tribe of Simeon was one of the smaller tribes and had 22,200 men in it. The total number of men in Israel was 601,730. Almost 4 percent of the people fell at this one time. Much more than they would have lost in any battle with Moab or Midian and more than the tribe of Simeon had in it. As mentioned yesterday, this “strategy” was employed by Moab because of the advice given them by Balaam (31:16). Balaam had told Moab how to get Israel to stumble and be punished by God. And thus Midian was able to trick Israel (18).
Question: Why do you think the jealousy of Eleazar for His God pleased God? How do you think this example might apply for us today?
Week 54, Day 4: Held back from honor
Today’s Reading: Numbers 24:1-25
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
Balaam has now blessed Israel three times. Balak’s anger burned against Balaam. He struck his hands together and told him to flee to his place. Balaam seems to have learned the lesson from the angel of the Lord that he must speak only the word of the Lord. And now he is in trouble with Balak. Balak tells him that he would have greatly honored Balaam but God has held him back from honor (11). Sometimes people are more concerned about receiving honor from man than from receiving honor from God. People sometimes view God’s commands as keeping them back from pursuing “honor” or esteem. What they miss is that God’s commands do keep us to a certain track. His commands are a light to our path, guiding us and directing our steps. So yes, His commands direct us away from certain things and “keep” us away from certain practices. But we should always recognize that God knows what is best for us, what will be for our good. And we need to recognize that we do not need to be worried about receiving honor from man. So many get caught up in being praised or “patted on the back” by others that they let go of keeping God’s commands. Soon you see prominent preachers willing to “bend” or teach more leniently in order to be more popular. Or Christians are willing to do underhanded, corrupt practices at work to make their boss happy.
After chapter 25 we start to go away from hearing about Balaam so much. If this was all that was said about Balaam you would think that he has held to his principles and only said what God had spoken to him. But when you consider what we mentioned in 2 Peter 2:15 and Jude 1:11, something went wrong with Balaam. Verse 25 says Balaam rose and returned to his place. So it sounds like Balaam left. But we will see Balaam still around and mentioned in chapter 31:8 & 16 and he has a direct hand in what happens in chapter 25. I think that it is interesting that we find out about some of Balaam’s actions and motives by other passages or references later. The text at this point seems to focus on the words of blessing directed toward Israel.
Question: What other areas of life might someone choose to set aside the commands of God in order to receive honor from man?
Week 54, Day 3: Arguing With God
Today’s Reading: Numbers 23:1-30
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
As Chad pointed out in the last post, Balaam was determined to only report to Balak exactly what God had said. But, that was not satisfactory to Balak. He had in mind the message that he wanted to hear from Jehovah. He had called Balaam to curse the people of Israel, and he wasn’t going to be satisfied until that was accomplished. Twice in Numbers 23 Balak tried to get Balaam to change his report from a blessing to a curse. He was convinced that there had to be some way that Balaam could do what he asked, if he just gave him enough opportunities.
In reality, what we see in this chapter is Balak was arguing with God. The message had been delivered, but he was unwilling to accept it. He kept sending Balaam back to try and get the answer that he wanted. Balaam once responded:
19 “God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
Balak could keep sending Balaam to inquire of God, but the message concerning Israel was not going to change! People today seem to have the same tendency as Balak. They act as if they are willing to accept an answer when inquiring (praying) to God, but when they get an answer they don’t expect, or don’t like, they try to argue with God. They are sure that they are right about what they want, and that God just doesn’t understand what they are asking for, or what they are saying. If they could just give God a different perspective, surely He would see it their way, and give the answer that they want. And so, they climb to the top of a different mountain, and inquire again of the Lord.
This idea should not be confused with “persistence.” Consider Luke 11:5-10. There, we are told of a man who, because of his persistence, received what he asked for. Sometimes, we might have to ask God for something that we desire more than one time. But, even in that process, we need to remember that we must ask within the confines of His will. If we are persistent in asking for something that is contrary to His will, the recurring answer will be “No!” Balak was told that his desires were outside of the will of God, and that should have been enough to make him stop asking. No amount of persistence would change the outcome, and no change of perspective could make God do what what he wanted done. The same is true for us! If we ask amiss, then no amount of persistence will change God’s response for us. It is not God who may need a change of perspective, but us!
Question: What types of things do people ask for that are not in keeping with the will of God?
Week 54, Day 2: A Prophet for hire
Today’s Reading: Numbers 22:1-41
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
In chapter 22 Israel now comes to the plains of Moab, just outside of the promise land. They are on the verge of entering into the land. But here we have yet more trouble for Israel. They have defeated Arad, Sihon king of the Amonites, and Og the king of Bashan. So when they come into the plains of Moab it is only understandable that the king of Moab would be in great fear. But their king, Balak, realizes that he cannot defeat Israel without help. So he sends off to a city thought to be on the Euphrates river (all the way to the region of Mesopotamia). This would be a far journey and would take a while to get there. At first he sends messengers to request that Balaam come to aid them by cursing Israel. Balaam is an interesting person because he appears to be some sort of prophet or priest who God speaks to. God tells Balaam not to go with the men to Moab because the people of Israel are blessed. When Balak receives the response he sends another group but this time leaders more numerous and more distinguished than the first group. They ask again for Balaam to come. Balak has promised to honor Balaam richly and do whatever he wants him to do. Balaam’s response sounds good, “though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything, either small or great, contrary to the command of the Lord my God.” But then he goes back to inquire of God again. I believe that God was angry with Balaam beause He had been very clear in telling Balaam the first time that he was not to go. Thus God sought to kill Balaam along the way, even though God told him to go with them.
Later Balaam is warned again to only speak the word which the Lord tells him. We see from NT passages that Balaam is described as a man who “loved the wages of unrighteousness” 2 Peter 2:15 and that “for pay have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam” Jude 1:11. Even though Balaam said he wouldn’t do anything contrary to the word of God, even for all the riches of Balak’s house, we find out that the temptation of riches and honor did indeed lead to his downfall. Balaam at some point turned away from only speaking what God told him to say. We will see that he paid for this with his life.
Question: Why do you think God opened the mouth of the donkey to speak to Balaam and also open his eyes to see the angel of the Lord?
Week 54, Day 1: Fiery Serpents
Today’s Reading: Numbers 21:1-35
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
I want to point out that in reading about Israel’s wandering in the wilderness that a long amount of time has now passed. The text does not say, “in the twentieth year” of their wandering but we know that Israel was to wander in the wilderness for 40 years because of their disobedience (Num 14:32-34). We can guess that there has been a long period of time pass now because Israel is beginning to make their way towards the east side of the Jordan, where they will cross into the promised land. They are coming closer and closer to the time when the next generation will cross the Jordan. So the exact timing cannot be determined, but I bring this up because when we are told that Israel becomes impatient because of the journey and begins to speak against God and Moses. I wonder how many of the people who are speaking out are of the younger generation who will be entering into Canaan. We cannot tell but I think that it is interesting to consider.
Because they speak out against God, He sends fiery serpents among the people to bit and kill the people. The people cry out to Moses that they have sinned and request Moses to intercede for them. God directs Moses to make a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. Those who were bitten and looked to the bronze serpent would live and not die. God took mercy on them and provided a way for them to be saved. I want to ask you this question. Would you say that they people earned their salvation by looking at the bronze serpent? Those who didn’t look at the bronze serpent died. I don’t think that anyone would say in this situation that the people were “earning” thier salvation. God provided the way for them to be healed and they followed His instructions in order to be saved. I think such examples are good to consider when talking to someone about baptism. So many say by being baptized you are trying to earn your salvation. No. God has provided a way to be saved. If you want to be saved, then be baptized. Just like if the Israelite wanted to be saved from the serpent bite they looked at the bronze serpent. It is not doing something to earn salvation, it is doing what God said to do to receive His salvation.
Question: This question will take some research. The bronze serpent will show up later in Israel’s history. Then it is an object of worship. What name was given to the bronze serpent and who destroyed it?