Numbers 31 – 33
Verse 31:4 gets into that area where God supposedly “condones” wars:
You shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war.
God said this so war at times is ok. Although I often wonder if today that still applies. At the time the Israelites were the “chosen” people where today we are all technically fall under that umbrella. So is it ok the fight those who reject God or follow a different god? How about follow God but differently? Christians and Muslims come to mind initially, but how about Catholics and Protestants? This is where the fine line is with interpreting the Bible; you really need a whole Bible view to really understand the meaning and nuances.
In this case, these are the words of God. Moses had that connection and it grew by faith. I honestly would have a difficult time doing anything God spoke to me, since it would take me some time to be convinced. Gideon had that same question and used a fleece to test God when he was asked to go to war. So when it comes to the lives of others, being very sure is not wrong. It took a burning bush for Moses to finally get the connection and decipher what was his voice and Gods!
Verse 32:13 had me re-reading the chapter a few times:
And the LORD’s anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was gone.
The more I read the more I understood this was more a history of how they got to where they were and 32:14 expresses some concern of where they are headed:
And behold, you have risen in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the LORD against Israel!
The saying on shampoo bottles, “wash, rinse, repeat,” comes to mind. We just keep finding more ways to get in trouble with the Lord. We can either wander in the wilderness or attach to God and learn from His Word. I am not saying reading the Bible will help you be sinless, but it will help you discern sin better and avoid it at all costs. So again read your Bible and follow Jesus closely!
Verse 33:55 is a sharp warning to the people to follow God’s orders:
But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell.
I read this and wonder if the people really understood the consequences 3500 years later. If you “preview” what happens, they eventually fail at this and to this day people are laying claim to their land and being a thorn in their sides. Sometimes not doing what God commands have impact on your week, month or millennium! I wonder today, after 200 years of being in God’s grace if we have not blown it? Since the Civil War era this country has been on a coordinated fall. Sure the people rise up and their faith becomes strong for a moment, like on September 12, 2001. We as a nation rose up and became one, but years later the agents of discontent have worked their magic and we have split again. No longer one nation under God, but rather one nation under “me”.