Author: chuck

Joshua 17:16 –

The descendants of Joseph responded, “It’s true that the hill country is not large enough for us. But all the Canaanites in the lowlands have iron chariots, both those in Beth-shan and its surrounding settlements and those in the valley of Jezreel. They are too strong for us.”

Talk about issues with faith! They just crossed a river on dry ground and tumbled the walls of Jericho, now they are afraid to fight. It seems odd that someone witness to events like this could have waning faith. Here we don’t have these huge miracles to view and yet I think many today have stronger faith. We have minor miracles and “odd” coincidences that we rest our faith on, not major ones.

How many times have we been in similar situations? Have you ever been faced with something daunting that you believed prayer could not help? I know each and every day I struggle with that. “Your will be done” is the problem. I can imagine sitting in the hills contemplating attacking a stronger foe and wondering if we were in God’s will. Look how many times the Israelites acted without God’s will and failed. Take the first assault on Ai that failed miserably. I too would also doubt if His will was in my actions.

This brings out so many issues with us and our interaction with God. We have seen instances where prayers we answered in minutes and others where prayers remain unanswered 20 years later. How many “unanswered” prayers were answered but never acted upon like these people? How many were outside of God’s will? How many times did we not pray “hard enough” or “right?” This is one of those rabbit holes that is difficult to understand and I am still struggling with it every day. And yes we can change God’s will by prayer, just don’t know how to do that successfully.

Joshua 15:63 –

But the tribe of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites, who lived in the city of Jerusalem, so the Jebusites live there among the people of Judah to this day.

This chapter and the next few are basically how the lands are divided between the tribes of Israel. Interestingly, Jerusalem was not part of Judah’s territory but as you will see later the city is part of the tribe of Benjamin’s territory. The Jebusites appear to be the cause of strife and it’s not until David conquers Jerusalem that it becomes fully part of Israel.

As dry this reading may be without much in the way of insightful happenings, it does open your eyes to the strife that is currently happening in the Middle East. I have always found it fascinating that this region has kept such long deep seeded hatred. Look at our nation, the Indians have for the most integrated in with our society. Even the “bitter” ones are not trying to force the issue with terrorist acts. With that said the Protestant and Catholic one in England has been going a long time. But this one seems to have the oldest roots.

This region has roots of conflict all the way back to Abraham’s son Ishmael. We expect peace in a few years, when they have not been able to solve this for millenniums. Ironically everyone is fighting for the same God, it must drive Him nuts! Unfortunately there is no quick fix and we may never see one in our life. If we do it will most likely be “end times” and hopefully we will not endure the tribulation for this peaceful end.

Joshua 14:11 –

I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then.

This was Caleb speaking to Joshua asking for his allotment of land. As we study the Bible one often wonders how the Israelites only could wander the wilderness for 40 years in order to lose the generation who lost faith. We find Caleb is 85 when he makes this request. We also remember one of the original 12 scouts who brought back the report of giants and caused the people to lose faith God would provide safe passage was Caleb. Caleb and Joshua both brought back positive reports and were ready to follow God, hence why they were spared in the 40 years and allowed to lead the people.

I wonder if at 85 he could travel and fight just the same as when he was 40. Being closer to 40 than 85 in my life I could still say this statement, but in another 35 more years I wonder. Was this an old man boasting, or was he stating fact? That is one of those we may never know the true answer, but one thing for sure at 85 Caleb has not gone into retirement. Moses worked right up to the day he died at 120, so 85 is still young in that respect.

We can go on and on while studying the stories in the Bible and read in amazement about the age some of these people were. I wonder if toxins in our world limit our life or could it be what we are eating? People who eat Kosher appear to age about the same rate, so maybe it is the toxins. Or maybe it’s our mental outlook since we have placed 65 as the “retirement” age. Which by the way came about because that was the life expectancy of people at the time it became “standard”? God wants us to live life to the full, that may not mean retire.

Joshua 13:1 –

When Joshua was an old man, the LORD said to him, “You are growing old, and much land remains to be conquered.”

After listing all Joshua’s successes in the previous chapter, God reminded him of the work still needed to be done. Did you notice the comment of Joshua being “an old man”? As I get older and “retirement” is closer to my future, I read this with a different perspective. God is never really done with us, and our “work is never complete. There will always be more people to talk with, more jobs to finish, more lands to conquer and more people to serve. We have this myth that retirement comes with benefits after the age of 65. Moses died an old man who led his people right to the edge of the Promised Land and then died.

For some reason we get this idea that work stops as you get older. I say just the opposite, work continues until you die. Sure we think it would be nice to live in a paid home and a have a full salary coming in, but I don’t think that’s what God intended. If anything retirement means you’re just not working your original “job” and are still working on the kingdom. That’s what Moses and Joshua have done. Personally I would rather be working my fanny off and just wear out, then slowly die in a nursing home.

Unfortunately for Joshua he does not finish the job and it takes some 400 years before Israel is under a “king” and the job is finished. Now we can relate this in a way to Jesus being our king. We are not complete until our King Jesus has fulfilled our “kingdom”. I know it’s a stretch, but seemed like an analogy that could be pulled. Let’s just not wait 400 years to finish our job with God.

Joshua 12:24 –

The king of Tirzah. In all, thirty-one kings were defeated

This chapter lists the kings the Israelites defeated in taking their lands. It’s a chapter that’s difficult to get any great “theological” significance from and actually continues the question why did they have to be killed? Actually if we go back to Deuteronomy 20, God explains this reasoning. Basically, the Israelites are getting the land and needing to destroy the people not because they necessarily deserve it more, but because they inhabitants have turned so far away from God they need to be expunged.

Deuteronomy 20:18 states:

This will prevent the people of the land from teaching you to imitate their detestable customs in the worship of their gods, which would cause you to sin deeply against the LORD your God.

God has used war against enemies both external and internal, when considering the battles between Judah and Israel. Now one could ask why he not does this all over the world, all the time. I could never answer that question because God’s sovereign will is so far from my understanding I can only assume to figure out the answer. I often look at how quickly our nation is diverting from God’s instruction that I wonder if we are finished. At the same time I look on the horizon and do not see any other nation that isn’t doing the same thing.

Maybe it’s time for the “end” and we should all prepare. But honestly is preparing hunkering down or getting out an showing Jesus’ love for this world? I think you know the answer there, let’s hope we can get compassion and have God spare us one more time like Ninevah.

Joshua 11:23 –

So Joshua took control of the entire land, just as the LORD had instructed Moses. He gave it to the people of Israel as their special possession, dividing the land among the tribes. So the land finally had rest from war.

As I read through these chapters I often wonder why there was no grace extended to the people who occupied these lands. They came in and killed everyone; “all the descendants” of these kings and tribes were killed. This is very harsh when you think about it. What would have been the world’s response if Israel had killed everyone who was living there when they were given back the lands in the 40’s? I am sure many of the problems that exist in that region today would not be. But at the same time there would possibly be more issues, who knows.

Honestly this verse brings a bit of joy, since they “finally had rest from war” since I have a difficult time figuring this killing everyone out. It’s throughout the Old Testament with many examples. One event that comes to mind is Saul’s disobedience with the Amalekite’s. God said kill everything and Saul spared the king and some livestock. This caused issues and was ultimately Saul’s downfall.

When you compare this to the grace in the Gospel it’s difficult to reconcile. First God is killing everyone in the world and now we are to save everyone. How does one explain this to non-believers? You have an instance in Ninevah where God spares the town because they showed remorse. From this one could assume that God would have spared the others if they had repented. Now take this to a personal level, either you will die or live with God; it all depends on your belief and repentance. Either way I am glad we are going back to peace so I don’t have to figure out the logic behind committing effectively genocide.

Joshua 10:13 –

So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies.

This chapter is full or more conquests and battles, which are cool but getting old. I locked on this God event that defies the physical world and is difficult to explain. Think about what this is saying. The rotation of the earth stopped and the sun just stayed in place. Now did the orbits stop also? It does say the moon stopped, which would imply at least that orbit stopped, or that it just never got dark. Did the orbit of the earth stop?

This is one of those events that as a geek I like to explore. It doesn’t say how long the sun hung in the sky, so was it saying they defeated the enemy in a day? Or did God just provide another light source so it appeared the night never came? When one gets into the nuts and bolts of physical events like this it spawns more questions than answers. If you take what happened literally, the rotational mass of the earth is huge, so it’s difficult to imagine the force required to do this. Then what about the momentum of everything spinning?

If you explore this more and more one interesting thing you will find, there is a claim that NASA computers have found a “missing day”. No idea if there is any fact to back this up, or if it’s “internet folk lore”, but it’s fun to see science may have proof of this event. There are stories through the Bible that make you wonder and are almost impossible to prove. So the question is do we believe them wholesale or just assume they are “illustrations” to help our faith? That I cannot answer for you, I tend to believe much wholesale and figure I’ll get the “how” after I die.

Joshua 9:14 –

So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the LORD.

And so the story goes, some cities in the Promised Land learned of the destruction of Jericho and Ai. They created the illusion that they were from far away lands and made a treaty with Israel. The Israelites did not consult God about this treaty and made decisions based on what they saw. When they found out the deception they went to investigate and eventually made these people servants. But I wonder if this is one of the many thorns in the side of Israel today?

What we need to take from this story is not believing what we see all the time. As we know from watching youtube videos or looking a pictures posted on the web. The use of “green screens” and editors gives people the ability to create and deceive people. Heck, the amount of emails I get about dying children who need financial help is amazing. The world is full of people trying to deceive you from your money, lands or freedom. Although I am cynical about videos, pictures and letters, I still am very naïve when it comes to people’s word. I guess I just assume people will not lie to my face.

As we know all to well people will say or do just about anything to gain control over your, get your stuff or save their booties. With a presidential campaign starting this year you can see that’s the case with the men running. How I would love the take them on their word, but it’s difficult with so many contradictions each one gives. If you watch most politicians closely they will say what their present crowd wants to hear and many times contradict themselves with the next group.

With people being so deceptive throughout the world, this is where we need God for guidance. We don’t need to go to Him on the mundane, like French toast or waffles, but we do need to go to him on the big stuff. I wonder if Joshua didn’t think God needed to be bothered or if he just forgot to ask. Either way the repercussions we felt for generations to follow. Also, we need to zone in on that “little voice” and know when it’s God. More than once I have come to an intersection and for whatever reason thought “I should go this way”. Then I ignore it and go the “normal” way only to hit an outlandish traffic jam. Was that God sparing me the aggravation of the traffic or just a coincidental brain fart? The key is knowing when it’s God and when it’s you so when you do go to Him for the big stuff the answer will be clear.

Joshua 8:35 –

Every word of every command that Moses had ever given was read to the entire assembly of Israel, including the women and children and the foreigners who lived among them.

The Lord gave Joshua and the people of Israel favor again and gave them victory over the people of Ai. It’s amazing how just one person spoiled the initial fight. You have to wonder what blessings are lost for others because of stuff we do. Sometimes people say God always remains the same, I sometimes have to wonder since he seems to be more as a father with Israel then, yet more like grandpa with us today. That would be an interesting study for another time.

Where this verse took me this morning is Joshua did not save the Word for a select group of men. He knew it was for all to read and or hear. So he did not pick and choose the best verse for his message, he read it all. I know in today’s byte size world (and yes byte as in digital 8-bits) we get overwhelmed with information and never seem to have time for the Bible. Well guess what, we need to make it. The amazing thing is with all this technology we have access to so many cool things.

My favorite site, biblegateway.com, allows me to view almost any version of the Bible I want. If I want to understand a verse more fully I can get clarity from any number of interpretations. Also, there are apps that allow you to download the Bible on your phone. Heck there is one that will read it to you!! So as much as we say we don’t have time, we have more ways to learn the Word. So to keep with my favorite “slogan” from Nike, “Just Do IT!!” If my ramblings help, great keep using them as a study guide.

My suggestion is start small, like pick Matthew, then keep reading. Work on a chapter a day or a book a week, but keep working at it. Download the app and have it read to you while you are driving. Or you can become an obsessed “blogger” like I have become and make sure you keep reading to blog about it. No matter how you decide to do it, make sure you read with your own filters on. If you have questions, ask … don’t live in a vacuum. I read stuff and wonder why all the time, many times it’s just reading more. Many times it needs to be googled and other times I ask people who are schooled. Get excited, there is a reason this is the best selling book of all time!!

Joshua 7:10 –

But the LORD said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this?”

This chapter was just after defeating Jericho soundly. One man during the plunder took some items for himself and as a result the Lord did not bless their next attack. The fled an army that was smaller and should have been easy to defeat. In a panic Joshua fell to his face asking the Lord why. Interestingly this was His response, which goes against what I would have expected. Why in some cases does God expect submission and reverence, while this time He wants Joshua up?

God in this case wants to explain why they failed and the actions he must take to recover his blessing. Interestingly the friend or foe comment from chapter 4 comes into play here. A friend may overlook the transgressions of one person, but God wants to make a point. Like the DI from PI, if one man fails in the platoon they all must pay. In this case the one person is sorted out and eventually punished for taking the sacred items.

In this instance the man, Achan, and his family were stoned to death even after confessing and return the items. Was this fair? Considering his stealing cost the lives of many during the attack, Achan could be considered a murderer and therefore death was appropriate. But why did his whole family have to die? Unless they all knew about the plunder and remained quiet, then they could be considered accessories. The key to take from this is to follow God without question. The grace of Jesus helps retain our salvation, but does not protect us from the results of our transgressions. So I ask was Achan “saved” or was he “confessing” because he had been singled out already?

Joshua 6:5 –

When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.

When I first thought about this story I could see a dejected army, looking at the walls and wondering how to enter. Then Joshua comes in and gives this vision from the Lord and runs out expecting people to jump up and follow, but they do not. Although the Lord just allowed them to cross the Jordan on dry ground so maybe it’s easier to follow after seeing something so supernatural. What would you have done if Joshua said “this is the way we are taking this city”?

This story is one that is told often and is sung in children’s Bible study classes. For those who have been in church for a long time it’s one that is preached on often. But how often do we look at the archeological history? The site was discovered and had been “dug” starting in 1868. In 1911, they determined the city was unoccupied during the time of this story. But in 1930 they discovered a network of collapsed walls which has collapsed in dramatic fashion. But then in 1958 another study found the city was deserted around the time of the invasion, which in 1995 was confirmed by carbon dating to be 1562 BCE. Biblical historians place the destruction around 1400 BCE which makes the Biblical skeptics jump for joy, since the city was not occupied in 1400 BCE.

Now this is where faith gets tested and we start to question God. But think about this when reading the Bible, they are going off a book written some 4000 years ago which really has no specific dates to go off. Archeologists have found the walls collapsed and the city was emptied around 1562 some 160 years before the “accepted” Biblical timeline. To me that sound more like the “accepted” timeline was proven wrong and NOT the story. But that may just be my interpretation of the discoveries. Not to mention that the carbon dating is “95% accurate” for this finding which over 3200 years is +-160 years. So while science beats their chest about the archeological facts disproving the Bible, I suggest it only proves it more that every before. How cool is that?

And yes Rahab was spared with her family!

Joshua 5:14 –

“Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the LORD’s army.” At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?”

A man appeared before Joshua with a sword and Joshua asked him if he was friend or foe. The response of “neither” is interesting when you think about it. Israel is God’s chosen people and God is saying he is neither friend nor foe. Why is that? Why would God appear before Joshua, before taking the Promised Land and not take sides? If God is not a friend of the Israelites than what is his purpose for choosing them?

This gets deep real quick since we take the attitude that God is our “buddy”. I like to think of God as a Drill Instructor from Parris Island. As a new recruit these men are not your enemy, but neither are they your friend. Their goal is to shape you to become a great Marine not to be your friend. God is similar; He is not here to submit to us as friend or foe, but us to Him. Our “walk” with God takes many turns and twists along the way and God is looking for us to submit to Him and not the other way around. If we live in disobedience we will find God opposing us, just as we find His help when walking in his will.

God is not our “best bud” but our “father in heaven.” Just because he is not a “friend” does not mean He does not have unconditional love for us. There is a huge difference there and we need to embrace it. God is love and sometime love is “tough” whether we like it or not. “Tough love” doesn’t mean God is a foe either; we are getting what we need. We need to accept God as our leader and not a friend, it makes a huge difference in how you approach him; be it on your knees or distracted driving.

Before I leave I just wanted to comment on the man with a sword Joshua is talking with. Who is he? Some say this “man” is God himself becoming a person before Joshua. Others say he is an angel of the Lord bringing Joshua a message from God. While others believe he is Christ in person before Joshua. I think it could be any one, but is all God either way. First God personified in this world was Christ, so if it was God then this man could easily be Christ. If an angel, then it could be a spirit sent by God or a spirit OF God. Who knows it’s just cool when you think about being in front of God like that.

Joshua 4:24 –

He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the LORD’s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the LORD your God forever.

This chapter talks about building a memorial on the banks of the River Jordan to memorialize the crossing. A member of each tribe went to the riverbed where they priests and the arc were and picked up a stone and carried them to the bank. So here you have a pile of 12 stones to make sure future generations understand the power of God. This pile serves as a reminder to many generations of God’s greatness. One can see this stack of 12 stones from the riverbed and know God’s might.

This may have been great for a generation or two, but I wonder if it still exists today? I am sure it would be hard to prove a pile of 12 stones by the Jordan near Gilgal was 4000 to 5000 years old. Also, even if it was found would people still believe the story this pile memorialized? When you start reading stories like this you must read them with faith they are fact. Science today believes they have proven the Red Sea crossing and how God may have “pulled it off” and I am sure this could be explained away as some “blockage” God placed in the river.

We as humans try to explain away God by science, heck we of faith try to prove God through the natural using science. We read stories of Jesus walking on water and I have heard many try to explain that as reeds just below the surface. On and on we try to explain something that God really doesn’t want us to understand. How can a river stop or a sea part and they walk on dry ground, we may never be able to explain that by science. Sometimes we must understand God transcends the limits we know of this earth. Funny how I have accepted God’s ability to manipulate physical aspects but still am have a rough time with “time” and His ability to transcend it. But that’s another “thread”, the point is would a memorial do it or would you need to see it to believe it? This is where Thomas was also, we are more blessed to believe by faith than to know by fact.

Joshua 3:13 –

The priests will carry the Ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth. As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall.

This was the start of God solidifying Joshua’s role as leader and give confidence to the people that God was with him. At the time Joshua led the people across the river is was overflowing it’s banks, so the people knew God was involved and “coincidence” was not at play here. The Bible is very clear that they crossed on “dry ground”. I have to wonder, was it muddy before or was there a rock bed? That would most likely depend on where they crossed, since the “delta” would be muddy, and upstream would be more towards the “bed rock”. Although really that should not matter, God was stopping the river and I am getting lost in how they crossed on dry ground! God could make the “Muddy Mississippi” dry if need be!

Interestingly the river backed up into a town called Adam, wonder what happened there? That’s a lot of water to stop flowing so you can imagine the mess they had. If you look on a map the city sits where the River Jabbok flows into the Jordan, so that was a lot a water. Also, one has to wonder how much time it took for everyone to cross before the river flowed again. Think of stopping the flow on the Chattahoochee during a “dam release” and crossing, that’s what God was doing!

Other than a great story there are a few things we need to take from this. First, God can do anything! Unfortunately we do not see the rivers stop or the seas part anymore, and if something fantastic like this happens, there is usually a scientist explaining God out of the equation. Second, God’s will is greater than ours so might as well go with “the flow” (since we are talking rivers). If you “fight” God and not perform, He will move on and use others. Joshua needed something big to gain the trust of the people, since Moses parted the Red Sea and when he faithfully followed God, God ensured he was seen as a great leader.

I know reading stories like this in today’s world of science become even more difficult. I was even trying to justify the composition of the river bed to prove that “nature” helped them cross on dry ground. We haven’t seen the big miracles like the parting of the Red Sea or stopping the river Jordan. The people who come back from the dead were resuscitated by doctors and not God. If someone predicts something big, that “God warned” them about, it’s passed off as luck and the tons of predictions that never came are thrown out as proof. I think the world has become more cynical as we gain more knowledge of how things work, but at the same time some things still cannot be explained and God is revealed. We just have to open our eyes and hearts!

Joshua 2:1 –

Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia Grove. He instructed them, “Scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho.” So the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night.

I read this and question why they pointed out Rahab’s profession. Why did they choose her home for refuge? Were they staying there for “other” reasons and she just gave them refuge? I always find these stories interesting because they show God using the most unexpected people to do great things for the Lord. I think the Lord is trying to get us to shake the idea that were a better than someone else in this world. We should be less full or ourselves and more full of God.

Think about it, why would God highlight a profession that there are so many laws written “against” anyway? It’s difficult to understand and I am really not sure I can explain. It seems prostitutes are scattered throughout the Bible to the point where many of the unmarried women presented are in that profession. I believe we need to understand that we are not “above” anyone and therefore need to be humbled before man to ensure we remain humble before God.

Now in reading the chapter what else did you notice? How about how the men escaped from the city and the vow they took with Rahab? They vowed to protect Rahab if she had a “scarlet rope” hanging from the window. Then they escaped from what I presumed was the window to hang the rope from, which was built into the walls. Now if you know the story of Jericho, they Israelites marched around a few times and the walls came tumbling down. Does that mean that the common wall for Rahab’s home was gone? What about the window? How did they tag her home if the wall where the window was is gone? We will have to wait a few chapters, but it will be interesting to see how this is played out.

Joshua 1:8 –

Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

Joshua was handed over the role of leader when Moses died. His first job was to lead the people into the Promised Land, but before taking control God had a few things He needed to ensure Joshua understood. “Be strong and courageous” was said three times in this one paragraph. They were going into a hostile land, against a much stronger force, so Joshua needed assurance since this was the same reason they wandered the wilderness for 40 years.

Through all this “strength and courage” God was asking Joshua to have, he throws this into the mix. Basically, God wanted to make sure Joshua was solid in his foundation and never forgets or drifts away from the Word. Notice God did not say read this once and move on to the next study, no He said study “continually.” “Meditate on it day and night” means more than just read and set the book aside. God wanted to ensure Joshua was able to handle any situation with His instructions.

Now when you think about it this applies to us all the same. While Joshua is the leader of the nation of Israel, that does not mean we do not need to follow the same instruction. I pray our pastors take the same responsibilities Joshua did in leading their congregations. But again, does that dismiss us from having to do this? No, we must be just as diligent as Joshua. I am not saying after two years everything will be rosy and you will “prosper” in an earthly sense. Honestly I have been faithful at doing this since 2006 and have seen some incredible “low” times during that period. God did not promise us a rose garden here on earth, our prospering is in His eyes and not the worlds!

The key here is to just make some time in the day! If you cannot find it, do what I did and get up an hour earlier. Just make it a priority to do it every day for 40 days, then it will be habit and easy. The key is to work on little chunks and not try to do everything. As Nike says “just do it” and all will you will enjoy the insight you receive.

Digging into the leader of the Israelites after Moses … looks like it will be fun!!

2 Timothy 4:2 –

Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.

In Paul’s final words to Timothy, he gave him encouragement for pressing on. This verse really should talk to us all, to a point. First we must all learn God’s truth and not some false understanding. Once there we must be able to clearly explain it to someone. So we are all called to “preach” the word of God, just most of us will never do it from a pulpit. The key is being prepared to do this at any time and not be afraid to open ones mouth.

Now the next section I think gets lost in translation or gets misinterpreted. Other versions translate to “in season and out of season” which implies a different time. Now many have interpreted this as preaching from a soap box anywhere. I sometimes wonder if this is what Paul meant. I wonder how receptive people are to “some crazy guy” just talking to whomever will listen. So is this more directed towards us, as in our “season”? Think about this, if you are preaching it doesn’t matter if you are in “summer” or “winter”, you need to be prepared to share the story of Christ. So I think this is more directed towards Timothy and not the time.

I relate this to racing, we drove from SF to LA to race Riverside, I was not “feeling” it an was about to hang up my leathers, when a friend “slapped me upside my head” and reminded me we were riding motorcycle as fast as we could!! Because I listened to him the weekend was a blast. I know this does not relate to preaching, but stick with me on this. Whereas my enthusiasm was at a low I was doing something I trained to do. Much as we need to do with the Gospel, we need to share the passion even if we are not feeling it at that moment.

The last line is perfect for pastors, friends and parents alike. We hate it when people rush us or get upset when we are not on their “schedule”. Many times we talk to people about “what they should do” and expect them to act. With two young adult offspring and many friends, I have found that forcing your opinion doesn’t work all the time. What I have learned and am still learning is to be consistent and not force the issue, but remain clear. So to sum this all up, as Paul says in verse 7 we must “fight the good fight!”

2 Timothy 3:2 –

For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.

This chapter is one of this that starts with mention how to recognize “the last days”. As you read this and the next few verses you have to wonder if we have arrived! As you read each thing to watch for and look in the mirror we sometimes can see ourselves, at least I can with some of these! If we look back in history it’s easy to get to the “Roaring 20’s” and wonder if we are just repeating history. I worry that this time in history is worse.

This verse is just the start of a laundry list of ill’s that plague society today. And at the root is self-gratification and inward thinking. Jesus said we need to die to self and this chapter is an example of why. The very first warning Paul mentions is people who love “only” themselves. This alone could be the root of all evil and not money. I mean think about it, self-love makes you want more pleasure and therefore you need more money to satisfy that unquenchable desire. If you don’t believe me look at the “uber” rich and wonder if they are still looking for “more”.

Once self-love takes control, pride and boasting are easy. You no longer think that there is any “higher power” than yourself. Parents become old and stupid. What should be sacred becomes a hindrance to fun! Slandering your friends who question your morals gets ugly. I have a pro-choice friend and whenever I question their beliefs, the verbal vomit that gets dumped on me is amazing. Recently they were complaining about Planned Parenthood getting audited and I said I hoped every government expenditure got this same scrutiny.

We recently talked about money being the root of all kinds of evil. This takes the blame off us and puts it on something that is just metal or paper. No all these ills that Paul is pointing out and we are experiencing today stems from loving oneself more than God. How many times do we pray “you will be done” and mean it? I know I often hesitate on that and focus on the “pray for it in Jesus’ name.” So how can we “save the world” from the end times? Paul answers it at the end of this chapter!!

2 Timothy 2:15 –

Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.

Another great chapter filled with a ton of information that is difficult to talk about in a few paragraphs. As much information and analogies Paul uses in this chapter, it boils down to this one verse. One cannot just idly sit by and just praise God for salvation. No Paul is calling us to work and focus our energies on knowing God. This is the value of my quest and desire for anyone who reads my ramblings that they make a commitment to read the Bible every day.

Sure it may seem like work going through the chapters that have genealogies, but think of the Prayer of Jabez. That is a little nugget buried in 1st Chronicles chapter 4 that has had books written about it. Commit to reading it all, you will be amazed at the insights you will receive from almost every chapter you read. So “work” at reading, “work” at praying and “work” at knowing God so you too can be proud and explain the truth if necessary. The key with being a soldier, an athlete or a hardworking farmer is the devotion they put to their goal.

The end of this chapter warns us not to get too wrapped up in lust or “foolish” arguments. We can easily get consumed in these distractions, today more than ever before. Think of how technology has made it so easy to communicate ideas it also has made it easy to lose our way. Internet porn is so easy for anyone to find, even with massive filters people find a way around them. Chat rooms open up a world of socializing that many times turns into pointless discussions, debates and “flame” fests. The key Paul wants us to learn is focus on God, work hard for Him and avoid destructive distractions.

2 Timothy 1:8 –

So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News.

Think about Christianity today and then. Paul is being persecuted for his belief in Jesus being the Messiah. Today we practice our faith without fear of persecution or imprisonment. Sure many may dismiss us as living in a fantasy, but we will not sit in prison for these thoughts, or will we? Today there is a Christian pastor in Iran facing death for apostasy against Islam. It’s an interesting argument, since the man says he could never have dismissed Islam since he was never a practicing Muslim

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All in the same, a man may die because of his faith in Jesus. What would you do? Would you accept sitting in jail for your faith, would you die for it? Sure it’s easy to say when you are reading this in the comfort of our society, but how about in the pastor’s shoes in Iran? Would you publically renounce your belief’s to save your life? Or would you die maintaining your faith in Jesus? Again this question is easier to answer hypothetically than actually.

I pray this pastor life is spared and the international community rises up to save this man’s life. I personally could not say what I would do in his place. Most likely my response would be save my butt, get out of there and then recant. But how would God view that? Would I be spat out as “lukewarm” or would God understand? I don’t think we understand the dangers that are still in this world for Christians, we have just become isolated protected society. We need to understand that our life may be lost for God’s ultimate glory and to never back down from our faith.

1 Timothy 6:10 –

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

This is another one of those great chapters that applies so much to today’s society. Initially it warns about false teachers and specifically ones who “quibble” over words. I find I do that often, but more to gain understanding on the meaning and not to undermine someone’s beliefs. I think it’s sad that today you have two Christian churches in England killing one and other in the name of Jesus. You go to the heart of each belief and Jesus died on the cross, was risen and provides the path to salvation. Everything else is really just “quibbling” over specifics.

We get into my favorite subject and that’s money, which really spooks me when I read about how God views people with my mindset. Paul devotes much of this chapter to people who are well off or have the desire for money. Verses 9, 10, 17, 18 and 19 all focus on peoples desires for money. This verse is one of those that I need to “quibble” on the words. This is one of those verses that gets quoted all the time, and depending on the “translation” you sometimes remove the word “kinds”. This implies either money is the root of ALL evil or all KINDS of evil.

Again not to “quibble”, but to clarify, the love of money is the core of so many transgressions that it could almost cover all sins. But we all know this not to be true in ALL cases, Adam was not effected by any form of currency exchange so his sin did not have money as the “root”. The other word people “quibble” about is “love”, many drop that word also so it’s just “money being the root of all evil.”

King David is my example to squash both misconceptions, since he had money and sinned because of lust. David was richer than any of us could imagine, with palaces, gold and every desire one could have. God blessed him even more, until he sinned with Bathsheba. The root of that sin was lust and not money; I mean he gained nothing monetarily going after her. One could argue his love of money and stuff caused him to look at her as more stuff to fulfill that desire, but it was really not the “root” of the evil. Not to get lost in the “translations”, but the key is not making money your god! Verses 17-19 help guide the rich to ensure this doesn’t happen.

1 Timothy 5:8 –

But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.

This is another verse that cuts to the core of many people’s beliefs that deeds are not required. For salvation this is true, but for living a life pleasing to God we need to rethink how we live after salvation. You can always find laundry lists of things one should do as Christians like this chapter. We need to live our lives different for reasons beyond pleasing God, but for showing others the joy of a healthy relationship with God. We tend to like the lack of responsibilities a non-works based relationship with God, because it relies only on praise and worship.

Believe me worship is big, but it places us in a one-way relationship with God. God is looking for more than arms lifted high in a praise song, He asks us to actually work for the kingdom. Spiritual gifts are to be used, but not as a crutch. I have said it more than once, I don’t have this gift or that and therefore I don’t need to do that for God. Just because you are not comfortable taking to new people doesn’t mean that you should not do it because your “gift” lies elsewhere. But I am drifting off topic.

The key point to pull from this verse is being “WORSE than unbelievers.” That if anything should be a wakeup call! The church work days and mission trips are great opportunities to help and do what God expects of us. But they are models to what we should be doing in our day to day lives, not just what we should be doing once a year. Today’s society following Paul’s teaching on helping relatives is very difficult, ours are in California. So when they need our help, it’s difficult to do so in Georgia. I believe this is where family and community start break down in today’s world. We lose contact with our family and then slowly our community, till we are just living in a box and working in another. I think community is about serving others without expectations of anything in return. This verse had me in so many directions, but if anything take from this that God expects us to do more than just pray for “that person”.

1 Timothy 4:12 –

Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.

This chapter was short and difficult to pick a single verse because it was so filled with interesting insights. We had warnings about false teachers, which I could go on for a long time since the truth gets clouded quickly by these “silver tonged devils.” Then my favorite subject of food get touched on, how we must not be led by people who say not to eat food God provided. So is pork ok or not? Then it talks about training and hard work, both physically and spiritually. Then we get to this point about youth and authority.

This will always be difficult for younger people, to have authority over older ones. Unfortunately the older we get the less likely we are to follow ones who are younger than we are. Hence the dilemma Timothy, and you to some extent, face in his ministry. I am sure Jesus as a thirty something ruffled the feather of the “old guard” by preaching outside their “box” and being young. It’s something I unfortunately am not struggling with any more, instead I get the “you don’t know, you’re old” argument.

So it goes into your knowledge and research. If you plan on leading, you must be knowledgeable as well as what Paul describes to Timothy. Don’t just talk the talk, but walk it also! This is not just for younger teachers, but for ALL teachers. The younger you are the more focused you must be to ensure these things hold true. Not saying that older ones need to do the same, but the younger you are the more easily “swayed” you are from the truth. Therefore to have authority, you must be rock solid in your understanding, beliefs and actions.

My mother made an interesting insight … not sure I agree, but I understand the distinction:

I would like to make a few comments though about women “preaching”.  I agree with Paul on that point – and I believe he was referring to women as PASTORS of churches and preaching where “men are present”.  I do believe in women being ordained – and then have the “women and children” ministries in a CHURCH. 

 

Joyce Meyer is a “teacher” – and I think that is in a different category – even when speaking to a audience where men are present.

1 Timothy 3:2 –

So an elder must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach.

As I read this chapter the first thing that comes to mind is why do these characteristics apply to elders and deacons and not the body of the Church? Elders and deacons are accountable to the body so they need to ensure they are living a pure Christian lifestyle. If one fails, it gives the Church a black eye and causes issues within the body. People will question why they are following these rules, when the leaders are not. Over the years we have had some very public downfall of mega church leaders that have caused some major ripples throughout not only their church, but the nation as a whole.

Non-believers still crack jokes about Jim Baker and Jimmy Swaggart who lost their way in the late 80’s. In these two cases the men got lost in lust and greed and lost their standing in society. Each was raking in hundreds of millions each year and instead of following Paul’s guidelines for leader, they allowed compromise to creep in. This opened the door for their downfall. See Paul understood the repercussions of leaders falling that he spelled out specific guidelines to follow.

Now does that mean as “followers” we are not held to the same standard? No way, we are to live by the same standards as an elder. Obviously new Christians cannot follow the first guide in verse 6, but they can strive to become rooted in Christ through prayer and study. As new Christians one should strive to gain knowledge and experience so they could be a deacon or elder one day. Our lives would be much simpler if we embraced what Paul says here, just ask Jimmy, Jim and Tammy Faye (Jim Bakers wife)!

1 Timothy 2:1 –

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.

Paul is really getting into some touch subject very quickly in this letter to Timothy. The end of the chapter deals with women and reminded me of a “old” southern Baptist church we went to very early in my “return”. The preacher was the fire and brimstone type and out of the blue starting ranting on how women should not preach. It was odd since it did not tie into what he was saying and where he continued, but it always struck me since one of the best teachers I have listened to is Joyce Meyers. This is the chapter he was quoting as proof of a male dominant world.

Again this becomes a HUGE interpretation of the original Greek, as well as trying to gain context since it’s like only hearing one side of the conservation. Because of this I decided to focus on another very important aspect of this chapter and the importance of prayer. What is one of the keys here which we all tend to forget is to pray for others. Our lives become a whirlwind of stress and problems that our prayers become very self-centered. We lose sight of other peoples issues and turn into our own.

How do we fix that in our prayer life when our minds are consumed with ourselves? Paul answers this here, pray for others FIRST. I have to force myself to do this and still fail constantly. As the bill collector calls slow and the debts are being reduced, it becomes easier to turn out my focus. But even still a key to prayer is to turn out the focus immediately. Learn to do this in times of ease so when you get stressed, your focus will be serving others.

I am sure right now as you are reading this, people you know who need prayer are popping into your head. Time to stop and pray for those people, don’t wait till you are finished reading! I didn’t wait till this thought was done! Now this becomes very ominous when it says “pray for all people” since that would take forever. I think the structure should be first all people as a general group, then our specific leaders, then specific people who we know need intercession, give thanks and finally lift up your needs. Simple math which is difficult to implement, again force the prayers until they become habit.

1 Timothy 1:16 –

But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.

If you want to step in doo-doo, this is a great chapter to try to write about. False teachings, descriptions of the ungodly and discussion on the law fill this chapter. As I read it I quickly become judgmental and have to quickly catch myself and look at Paul’s realization that he was one of those lawless sinners near the top of the heap. How about you, what is your life like? Are you one of the “worst sinners” like Paul? Or are you a “nice person”?

This verse is awesome when you think about it because it reminds me that I am never so worthless I can’t at least be used as a bad example! I find it interesting how God can take some of the most “washed up” people and through His transformation create “warriors” for His cause! When you look at Paul, he was “religious” being a rabbi and “court official”. He persecuted and killed followers of this so-called messiah in the name of God. But how is Paul different from one who just tells a few white lies?

Verses 8 through 11 get into the nuts and bolts of the Law and who it really was for in this world. You think about it, if you are filled with God’s love and Holy Spirit that Law is not something you really need to focus on. Not saying that one should ignore it, you tend to follow the rules without dwelling on them. The Law is for the morally deficient to understand the proper way to live in society. I believe this is why Jesus says “love” is the greatest commandment. Please note this does NOT mean “love” of self or “love” of money is fine with God!!

Now to step in a pile and look at verses 9 and 10 with a laundry list of sins. For whatever reason, people like to focus on the “homosexuality” part of these verses over all other parts. I have reviewed all the English translations (on biblegateway.com) and found it interesting how each translates the Greek. It’s becomes clear as mud if loving the same sex romantically is a sin, or committing sodomy be it same sex or not, or if being promiscuous is the sin. People have argued the “thorn” in Paul’s side was homosexual tendencies. Me I don’t know, I know many people who love the same sex and Jesus the same! Figure I can include that in the creation discussion when I die!

Today I am moving back into the NT and some of Paul’s writings. As with most of Paul’s stuff it’s convicting right from the get-go!

Numbers 36:13 –

These are the commands and regulations that the LORD gave to the people of Israel through Moses while they were camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River across from Jericho.

And we are finished with Numbers. As we close out this last chapter I searched for something deep to expand on, unfortunately the chapter just goes into detail on inheriting land and keeping it with the tribes. Just like any set of legal documents, they eventually need to be expanded. In this case the people came to Moses with specifics on an inheritance which did not take into account keeping the land within the tribes. So God and Moses needed to expand on the law and clarify it.

Today we see this in our own legal system where the laws have become so complex you really do need a lawyer to keep on top of them. Lawyers will pick holes in the law defending cases, “law makers” will then try to patch up the holes by making new laws or clarifying old ones. After 200+ years our nation continues this cycle of criminals weaseling out of offenses and law makers trying to prevent others from doing the same. Ironically today is actually the opposite; the weasels are making their actions legal.

Case in point is the current banking mess. In the early 90’s the S&L crisis hit and destroyed many. The people responsible paid and went to jail. In today’s mess, the culprits appear to have lobbied and had laws relaxed so they will get off “scot-free”! That is one positive thing about Moses and God writing the “law”, it is not biased by human greed!

Now this is where the legalism comes into the Hebraic Law. Throughout the Torah you have legal type laws, like the division of the land and penalties for crimes, which help maintain an orderly society. Then you have “laws” of what you can or cannot eat, which are more guidelines on keeping the people healthy. Murder is clearly a sin, but is eating pork a sin? Christianity today seems to parse out what works in the OT, like tithing. We take Peters vision and use it to justify eating “unclean foods”, where in scripture it was interpreted to mean accepting everyone to salvation not just the Jews. So where are the lines between guidelines in the Hebraic and actual “laws” that are sins?

Numbers 35:28 –

The slayer should have stayed inside the city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the slayer may return to his own property.

This chapter is dedicated to defining the towns and how they should be laid out. It first talks about how they should dedicate towns for the Levites and then the remaining chapter talks about cities of refuge and the laws pertaining to murder. This quickly becomes one of those chapters where you can easily get lost in the nuts and bolts of how this and that occur.

I find the city of refuge interesting since people will honor that and not avenge the death of another. I can see where a real murderer could “fake” his way into the city if he was only seen by one other person. When you put your lawyer hat on, once can find many holes in these rules. At the same time they are simple, you murder someone and you die, but you must have substantial evidence before you can be put to death.

Today Troy Davis is on “death row” here in Georgia for the 1989 murder of an off duty police officer. I could spend days talking about this alone, but listening to the arguments is interesting when applying it to this chapter. He was tried, convicted and sentenced with 9 witnesses, but he claims innocence. Amnesty International says we need to stop this “barbaric” form of punishment, 7 witnesses recanted and ballistics are in question. Even after reading this I question what the ultimate will of God is in any of these cases.

One final note is on the time the slayer must stay in the city of refuge. Why is it until the high priest dies? What if the victim’s family forgives the slayer and understands it was an accident? Would he be allowed to leave? What happens if they leave under this premise and a friend wrongfully avenges the death? Would they be a murderer or would it be justified? Would this be considered manslaughter? Would Jesus punish the person if they asked for forgiveness? Or would they be forgiven for the sin, but still have to be punished for the sin? This is where it becomes difficult to understand what part of the law did Jesus change and what still applies today.

Numbers 34:13 –

Then Moses told the Israelites, “This territory is the homeland you are to divide among yourselves by sacred lot. The LORD has commanded that the land be divided among the nine and a half remaining tribes. Then Moses told the Israelites, “This territory is the homeland you are to divide among yourselves by sacred lot. The LORD has commanded that the land be divided among the nine and a half remaining tribes.

This chapter was a really dry one as it just handled dividing of the Promised Lands within the tribes of Israel. As I am reading this I cannot help but wonder if this was the start of the Arab/Israeli conflict. I mean think about this God gave them the land, but they had to take it by force. Therefore someone still feels they have claim to this land. The Israeli’s struggle to maintain this land is not something new, but has been going on for thousands of years since they first laid claim to the land

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In recent times after World War II, the 1947 UN Partition Plans were made giving Israel the “Promised Land” back and are the basis of the current conflict. As you read the Bible, you notice the Israeli’s are constantly defending their lands. Ironically you can trace this conflict back to Abraham. When he did not have faith he and Sarah were having a child, they conceived with Sarah’s handmaiden Hagar. Ishmael was born and became the Islamic nation.

This conflict is mired in history and religious theologies that make compromise difficult. I will never be able to unravel this in one morning “thought”, but more just opening the door for you to study it more deeply. The central common figure in the Jewish/Christian/Muslim debate is God! The problem which “theology” is “right”! As a Christian, I have placed my faith in Jesus who, based on my studies, ties all the loose ends up. I am sure God is not happy with where we have gotten with all the “dogmas” killing each other. Each ideology has “factions” in the Middle East today at war, all in the name of self-defense. I will not touch the Protestant/Catholic conflict within the Christian ranks or the Shia/Sunni within the Islamic faith or the Orthodox/Hasidic within the Jewish faith!!

In looking at all the external and internal conflicts I can really only end with this – everyone needs to realize GOD IS LOVE!

Numbers 33:2 –

At the LORD’s direction, Moses kept a written record of their progress. These are the stages of their march, identified by the different places where they stopped along the way.

This chapter is basically a step by step account of their wandering through the desert. This is a dry chapter until you think about it on a personal level. Here you have millions of people wandering around basically the Sinai Peninsula for 40 years with one goal and not really knowing where they are going. The only thing that is guiding them is a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They are not away of the future direction, only what is before them at any given moment.

They are following the right leader throughout the journey. Sure they may grumble, but they have God to follow. Now apply this to your life and what is guiding you. Who do you follow? Your friends who have never known the hope of God? Your atheist teachers who never acknowledge God’s love? Or do you follow the “all mighty” dollar? If you’re not following God you will be lost in the desert, with no real hope for the future.

Now I am not saying all will be rosy along life’s path, but God will be with us and make the best of any situation. Romans 8:28 says it all, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Now it does not say tragedy will not fall on us, but that He will make the best of all that happens in our life. What does all this mean for us? It’s real simple, follow God with all your heart.

Look at Job, who suffered more than we could imagine, God made the best of his suffering. Paul was in prison most of his Christian walk, and look what came of his suffering. Finally Jesus was nailed to a cross to give us ultimate salvation! “Poo happens”, don’t let it bring your hope in the future down. Follow God and know the “future’s so bright, you gotta wear shades!”

Numbers 32:14 –

But here you are, a brood of sinners, doing exactly the same thing! You are making the LORD even angrier with Israel.

In this chapter the tribes of Gad and Ruben were asking for land this side of the Jordan and not in the Promised Land. Initially it sounds acceptable, but the concern was they were repeating the mistakes the previous generation did that left them wandering the desert for 40 years. God was getting angry with them as he sensed them trying to get out of fighting for the Promised Land. On the surface it seemed like they were trying to “weasel” their way out of the fight by settling for this land.

Moses and God quickly found out they really wanted the land and were willing to fight alongside their brothers until the Promised Lands were secure. God and Moses were skeptical, but agreed to their wishes. Now there are two things you need to take from this; the value of their word and the influence on their past with others. First, let’s look at their “word” and the value it has with God. I can’t imagine how many times I have made “vows” with God only to forget them or break them quickly. A persons “word” needs to mean something, not just telling people what they want to hear.

I know many whose “word” can be viewed as nothing more than a way to pacify any immediate criticism before they do what they want. It saddens my heart when this happens, especially with family members … so I can’t imagine how God feels every day. This tied into the value of ones “word”. Actually in this chapter the people of Israel got in trouble for not trusting God in being able to take the Promised Land. They never said they would and chicken out, so God did not have a record of breaking this promise. This did influence God’s perception of their “word” since they had “broke ranks” and ran once before, why would this not be the same. This is where your previous actions influence people perception of you. Hence why following God’s word and direction all the time is critical in your life.

Numbers 31:23 –

that is, all metals that do not burn—must be passed through fire in order to be made ceremonially pure. These metal objects must then be further purified with the water of purification. But everything that burns must be purified by the water alone.

The problem with most people’s understanding of God’s plan in the Old Testament is the constant use of “ceremonially pure” or “clean”. We look at this today and think some major ritual must have to take place to purify things. But was that really the case? And if it was, was it God giving them an example on how to live their lives? Or was this a roundabout way to teach the Israelites how to protect themselves from illness?

If you look at many of God’s “Laws” you will notice many are there for health and welfare of the people. Think about these things then and today. First, then your environment was much different than today. You did not have central plumbing, refrigerators and sewage treatment plants so keeping things clean was of the utmost importance. So many of these laws were put in place for keeping things “ceremonial pure” were to protect the people from disease and illness. So you can see now why cleanliness IS next to Godliness.

Now I keep “harping” on this, but we as Christians should really pay close attention to the Hebraic Law and not look at it as legalistic guidelines. Sacrifices are something Jesus modeled for us cleaning the disciple’s feet. Tithing helps the church survive and grow the kingdom, as well as (with other financial “Laws”) teaches you proper money/asset management. The food “Laws” have been scientifically proven to be the best diet for one’s body. So when people say we don’t need to follow the “Law” anymore, we must rethink that stance.

Numbers 30:2 –

A man who makes a vow to the LORD or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. He must do exactly what he said he would do.

Oh how I wish this was more the norm for today’s culture. Of course that would mess me up royally since more than once I have “written a check my tail can’t cash” (Bo Diddly). How many times have we all said we were going to do something and didn’t? How many times have people said they were doing something that involved us and didn’t? Now imagine how many times this happens to God on a daily basis!

It hurts when this happens to you. You make plans or expect someone to do what they said and nothing happens. I don’t know where this got lost in today’s society or if it’s always been a problem, but either way people tend to over commit. That seems to be the biggest problem with keeping “vows” in our culture now. People have too many outside distractions and “balls in the air” at any given moment that they often forget when making a “vow”. Today we have way more things trying to occupy our time especially with 100+ TV channels, internet and gaming platforms, not to mention outside obligations.

Distractions are the single most destructive thing in our society today. We have so much to drag our attention away from God, family and friends. Think about Facebook alone and how it keeps us “connected” but at the same time detached. Many get distracted from the now, with updating status and checking others to see if they “tagged” you in a post. That is just the tip of the internet iceberg where distractions abound, from the most innocent to the self-destructive and it’s all there on your iPhone.

I think that’s where our ability to keep vows becomes an issue, life’s distractions. We just keep piling on until it’s impossible to keep up with our time or financial commitments. Is it just because we have hundreds of televisions channels, a world of information in our pockets, hectic jobs and obligations all over the place that we have no time for others much less God? The key is to simplify your life first so you can focus on the things that are important before they slip away. Also, it will make your “word” actually mean something because you will have time to honor that “word”.

Numbers 29:14 –

Each of these offerings must be accompanied by a grain offering of choice flour moistened with olive oil—six quarts for each of the thirteen bulls, four quarts for each of the two rams,

This chapter was very repetitive as it laid out what was to be done on the Festival of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and the Festival of Shelters. Basically it was a straight forward list of what was to be sacrificed and how. I talked about the pleasing aroma the other day and how it’s more for us to be pleasing to God and not just to please God’s sense of smell. But when I read this one thing I notice is the way they prepare the offering. If you think about it, slitting the throat of a lamb and tossing it on the fire really would not produce a pleasing smell. Burnt hair, blood boiling and bowls cooking would stink and definitely not be pleasing to anyone.

Notice that most, if not all, of the descriptions of offerings include preparation with grain and olive oil. So it’s like they are offering a meal and not just a lamb. Then I wonder what is done with the meat afterwards? Is it consumed by the Lord’s fire or by the Levites as their sustenance? I assume the latter since they have no “portion” of land to produce anything and their job is to focus on God’s needs. I know some of the uses of the offerings are spelled out but not all. Some are defined to be eaten while others like this are not clear.

You will notice in all these offerings do not preclude the daily sin offering. These sin offering continue throughout the special offerings. We know Jesus ended the sin offering with his death on the cross, but what about the others? Or are they now substituted with the church wide pot luck? Now our offerings are usually in cash to the church which are used to support the operation, much like the Levites were supported by the community with their offerings of grain and lambs. In essence this system is still in effect, only no blood and guts of the sacrificial lambs.

Numbers 28:2 –

Give these instructions to the people of Israel: The offerings you present as special gifts are a pleasing aroma to me; they are my food. See to it that they are brought at the appointed times and offered according to my instructions.”

This chapter gets very detailed in daily, Sabbath, monthly, Passover and harvest offerings. As I go through these offering I can only assume they are for Israel as a nation and not each individual or family. Otherwise they would quickly run out of lambs! This is more “nuts and bolts” of the Law and procedures the Israelites must follow. I wonder if this is just a “setup” for Jesus or something God really enjoyed. It does say the aroma was pleasing to Him.

If then why not now? I understand the redemptive power of Jesus and how He ended the blood sacrifice, but if the aroma was pleasing then why not now? Or is this a tradition the Israelites still follow? I often wonder if the offerings were really for God’s senses or for our obedience These aspects of the Law is where the Jewish religion at times in history gets wrapped up in the legalism and lost the relationship.

We also have to be aware of this in our walk. Granted the “legalistic” aspects of Christianity are technically few I see many get overwhelmed with doing X, Y and Z while losing a relationship with a living God. As an engineer type this happens often to me. It especially gets lost with my morning “routine” with God and writing these thoughts. My prayers become more robotic than a dialog. Worship becomes more knowing when to raise ones hand than throwing them up in praise. And worse yet, I start to miss the joy from seeing God’s love in everyday life! We need to struggle to not just make our “daily offering” but to make sure WE are pleasing to God!!

Numbers 27:8-

And give the following instructions to the people of Israel: If a man dies and has no son, then give his inheritance to his daughters.

This is an interesting chapter with two distinct subjects. One is the claims of inheritance and the other is assigning Joshua as the successor to Moses. I honestly was going to take on Moses not getting to enjoy the promised lands in 12-14, but decided that was too “heavy” of a subject today. So we will dive into inheritance and how it applies today.

Mosaic Law gives a man’s inheritance to his sons, but in this case Zelophehad only had daughters. The 5 daughters petitioned Moses to give them their fathers “portion” of land. God replied accepting their petition and allowed the women their fathers “portion” of land. They also expanded who was to get their inheritance if there were no sons or daughters. It’s an interesting read since after the daughters, the next in sequence are brothers. There is no more mention of sisters, wives or aunts.

It’s easy to see how many women today get offended in reading the Old Testament in today’s society. Men often take much of the OT and make it an argument for male superiority. It goes back to Adam, the argument goes Eve was tempted first and therefore was weaker. But Adam was actually the weakest; he listened to his wife where she was deceived by the master of deception! Also, society was very male oriented, but God shows here that women hold an important part in society.

Today most brothers and sisters would split the inheritance evenly. Now one must consider then the “inheritance” was most likely a business or a farm and not just money, investments and a house as most are today. If you look at it that way the “inheritance” is actually something that they would most likely be “working” already and therefore would pass more to the males than the females. The accepted practice was the brothers are to care for the sisters until they married. One of the more complex aspects of life is death and what happens to your stuff afterwards, hence why today we need wills!

I updated my post yesterday saying “God is a "communist”“ to "God is a "Socialist”“. From my mother:

That "distribution system” is more “socialism"than "communism”,  Perhaps it would be prudent to revisit the definitions of both. In a PERFECT WORLD – no one would go without basic needs.  But IMPERFECT HUMANS designing such a system tend to “think of themselves more highly than they ought” – and so take for themselves (as the Communist system did) essentially “the first fruits”.   They also cancelled “GOD”.  And massacred those who did not play by “their rules” (though in recent verses you have considered, it seems God did the same thing)  Not sure I will ever understand all of that !

Numbers 26:53 –

Divide the land among the tribes, and distribute the grants of land in proportion to the tribes’ populations, as indicated by the number of names on the list.

There you have it, God is a socialist. Here he is dividing the land not on achievement, but on just number so everyone has an equal slice. The land was to be given by lots also, so no one was guaranteed a better plot. One could say the family that “achieved” a large number earned more land, but it was divided by numbers only. One could argue this was actually a working communistic society, since everyone was working for one goal and had a single purpose of following God.

Now why am I getting all “political” on you in this chapter? Honestly that was about the only thing of interest since most of the 65 verses was just naming off people and counting each tribe. Also, since one could argue just about any political stance from the Bible, I thought I would point out this one. Now what is God’s “ideal” society? Honestly I have no idea as far as the “politics” but I do know the single purpose should be following God.

If you look at nations that dismiss God, they may work for a while but they eventually crumble. We see this throughout the Bible, with other nations and with Israel itself. You would think after 8000 years of documentation of the rise and fall of nations one could find a thread of ignoring God. But as with Israel I think each generation needs to figure it out on their own. Unfortunately we are seeing this today with the eroding of our nation.

Is there a way back? If we look at Israel of the centuries you notice they always seem to recover from almost total destruction. And always because of a renewed focus on God. Josiah was one such king, who found the Law and embraced to building back Israel. Unfortunately, reform seems to come from ruin. Some of the most amazing “God stories” come from people who were crushed before focusing their eyes on God. So how “low can we go” in this current slide? How would we be doing if we saved and tithed based on the principles of God? Don’t have the answers for our future other than read and live the Bible. There will always be a need for Josiah’s to rebuild a nation!

 Numbers 25:4 –

The LORD issued the following command to Moses: “Seize all the ringleaders and execute them before the LORD in broad daylight, so his fierce anger will turn away from the people of Israel.”

When we take the Lord casual and turn from Him what kind of wrath do we cause? We get taught that God is always the same, but His punishment seems inconsistent. Why does He not punish us with death for drifting anymore? It’s hard to say God has not changed when you see him dealing with the Israelites. It seems as though He is more like a father to Israel and they are going through the same issues as most children. As fathers “mature” their anger becomes less and more controlled. That is what seems to be happening through the scriptures.

In this instance 24,000 people died for worshiping Baal and being promiscuous with their people. How does this differ from today? Many times through my life I have drifted away from God. I have worshiped the “gods” of Porsche, Yamaha and cash, while at the same time ignoring Gods desires for sexual relationships. Honestly, if God were consistent, I should have been killed more than once. After being a father for 20 years I see God like that then the consistent throughout time.

As Christians I feel we are almost like God’s grandchildren. We get treated with more compassion since He already did the growing pain thing once with Israel. I know a Bible scholar could dive in and show me where God is consistent based on this promise in this verse, but I am not there yet, so I ask questions. This is also where the Trinity breaks down for me, since Jesus intercedes for us in times where compassion is needed. If God and Jesus are the same, how can Jesus intercede? Does Jesus represent the compassionate side of God, which developed with the nation of Israel? Sorry for more questions than answers, the key is not to be afraid to ask, because the quest for answers brings us closer to God!

Numbers 24:13 –

‘Even if Balak were to give me his palace filled with silver and gold, I would be powerless to do anything against the will of the LORD.’ I told you that I could say only what the LORD says!

Balaam blessed Israel a third time and Balak blew up at him. Here he reminds Balak what he said before coming. Balak only wanted to hear what Balak wanted to hear. He had no desire to heard God’s will only his own. Unfortunately for Balak, Balaam continues with telling him what will happen. I am sure Balak did not want to hear that at all!

How many times have we not liked the answer and just kept going? How many times have we asked God one thing and He appears to do another? How many times have we asked for another to fail only to have him blessed? How many times does this have to happen before you realize God is sovereign? I know I can answer more than 1 for all these questions. How about you?

In everything we do we have power of God behind us, but this power is not our to control, but His. Sometimes we get this false sense of “blessing” or “power” when we are on a string of answered prayers. Suddenly we get the impression that God is listening and we are in control. That’s where we start to blow it and start thinking all request will be granted. God is not our personal genie, but something that cannot be put into words easily.

I think the best approach to this was shown by Jesus at Gethsemane. Here he was about to die and asked God to spare him, but he ended this with “your will be done.” Before we start taking a stance like Balak we should look to Jesus. There is nothing wrong about asking and praying for YOUR will, just always remember it’s God’s that will win in the end. We cannot get mad when God tells us something we don’t want to hear, because “if He says it once, He’ll say it a thousand times!”

Numbers 23:19 –

God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?

There are a bunch of interesting truths inside this one verse. First, God not being a man is a key point we tend to miss. We are always trying to personify God which tends to put Him in a “box” and limits our understanding of Him. Granted God did personify Himself in Jesus, but Jesus only represents God in flesh. We cannot keep putting God in a box and trying to limit His glory based on the frailties of a human body.

Second, we need to look at what God does not do since He is not human. He does not lie or change His mind. No matter how hard we try we do both often. Many times we will claim that the “Holy Spirit” made us do it. Often changing our minds is a good thing, because we may be headed down the wrong path. And we can justify a lie to protect people feelings. But even then reality and truth may be needed to really protect the person. Discernment and wisdom is necessary when considering how to handle an instance where you would tend to lie.

Third, the questions actually lead me to Jonah. Here God gave Jonah a message for Nineveh of destruction. When Jonah gave the message, God felt compassion and spared the people, which got Jonah upset. Now did God change his mind or just not tell Jonah that if they repent He will spare them? Unfortunately many times we will only get our “marching orders” and not the entire mission plan. God wants us to be faithful that He understands the ultimate plan and we should not need to know or question it. Ours “is not to reason why”, ours “is just to do”! A paraphrase from Tennyson works well in this since we are really God’s foot soldiers. So what may seem on the surface to be God “reneging” on His word is actually us only knowing or listening to part of it!

Numbers 22:28 –

Then the LORD gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam.

This is one of those funny stories in the Bible, how God talks through a donkey. Balaam is so upset at the donkey he continues the discussion, not asking how he can speak. People love this since they use one of the most unlikely animals to convey God’s wishes. That gives us hope since if God can use and ass then surely He can use one of us!! But if you read before this story it gets confusing. God asked Balaam to God and on his journey He tries to stop Balaam.

In verse 20, God says “get up and go with them” but in verse 22 God “was angry that Balaam was going”. This set off the events which caused the donkey to speak. What was different? The angels repeated what God has told Balaam before to do as He says, which leads me to believe Balaam only got half the message. He was going, but it appears not with the intention to follow God’s lead.

The two things to get from this story are first when you get a prompt to do something, don’t set out “half way”! When you get the “go/do” prompt make sure you “go” AND “do” and not just “go”. The scripture is not clear about what Balaam was thinking; it almost seemed that he was doing exactly what God had asked him to do. Then God tries to stop him! Why? The only explanation was his intentions, since the angels only reinforced what God had told him in the first place. Do not underestimate God’s ability to look into ones heart.

The other more comical lesson is that God can speak through anyone, even an ass! This alone gives me hope that I am reaching people with these ramblings. A donkey is stubborn and difficult, like me, yet God was able to prompt it to speak to Balaam. Through that revelation of the talking donkey, Balaam was able to see the true reason behind the donkey’s actions. God can speak to you from the most unlikely people, including a homeless guy named Chris. Chris came into our shop and said he saw an illuminated cross, we dismissed him as nuts, months later a video was shot in front of the shop and ended with an illuminated cross in our window. God is cool this way!

Numbers 21:7 –

Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people.

This chapter covers a lot of ground and much of the chapter is about occupying lands. This one caught my interest because it was different from the other stories. This snippet starts with the Israelites complaining once again and wishing they had not left Egypt. My first response was how many times will this go on? Moses blows his stack in the last chapter because the people are complaining once again and here they go again. This time God sends poisonous snakes.

The people immediately ask Moses to pray and stop the snakes. He is told to make a bronze snake which will heal those who are bitten. Now a couple of things I find interesting in this story. The people first ask Moses to pray. Do they do this because access to God is limited to Moses, Aaron and the high priests? Or is it because they know Moses has the “hot line” to God? Either way the first thing they do is humble themselves before God and confess their sins.

Take note here since this is key to our praying and coming before God. We must first confess our sins to open those lines of communications. My first pastor at West Side Bible in Phoenix use to describe sin as scar tissue and the only way to clean it away and heal it was through confession. The problem with scar tissue is when you let it go for too long it becomes more and more difficult to clean up. Scar tissue is just like sin, the longer we let it God, the more difficult the cleanup and heal. I have found that when I confess and deal with things up front the mess is easier to deal with.

One thing that bothered me about this story was the brass snake. Granted this snake was used to help heal people, but in some ways it was kind of an idol or at least could have easily become one. Why did God instruct them to do this? It seemed to me that one gets healed by looking at this snake; they could have easily started to worship it. Not a big deal, but one of those curious moments in my reading.

Numbers 20:11 –

Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill.

This has always been one of those stories that has made me wonder about God’s grace. I mean Moses just got mad, what’s the big deal about that? It happens often for me and makes me wonder what I am missing because of my anger. Moses lost entrance into the Promised Land which was a huge punishment. Reading the whole story a few times gave me clarity on why God was so tough. It all comes to who took the glory for the water coming from the rock.

You could tell Moses and Aaron were upset when they called to the people and called them rebels. From there it got worse when they said “we bring you water from this rock!” There was no mention of God, the real source of the water. In anger they forgot to mention God and took the credit for themselves. The whole point of miracles and wonderful “coincidences” is to bring glory to God, not our own egos. Also, God is not using it to prop up His ego, but to help others believe and understand Him.

Now there are two things to take from this story. The first is controlling ones anger. There is a very short window to “arrest” ones impulse for anger, a matter of seconds. Moses and Aaron did not stop the impulse and let the emotion control their actions. When you lose control, it’s real and becomes more difficult to control the longer it goes on. More than once I have let my emotions and pride run amok. It’s lost me relationships, friends, hundreds of thousands of dollars and peace. In anger I have learned to pull away from everyone, rant on emails and press delete, not send.

The other thing to learn from this is to give God the glory and not take credit. This is what really lost it for Moses and Aaron, they may have been given a pass if after calling the nation rebels they said “Must God bring you water from this rock?” We all must learn that the coincidences in our lives point to God and not to our cunning or luck. The key is when given the opportunity to give credit, don’t fear giving it to where it’s due. Finally if you do get punished, notice Moses took it and never complained. The most important example Moses gives to the people is his acceptance of the severe punishment.

Numbers 19:9 –

Then someone who is ceremonially clean will gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them in a purified place outside the camp. They will be kept there for the community of Israel to use in the water for the purification ceremony. This ceremony is performed for the removal of sin.

When I first started reading this it sounded like the start of baptisms, but as you read it’s not that at all. As I read through all these ceremonies I often wonder why go through all this? Is this really necessary for a proper relationship with God? Are Christians missing out on something or are the Jewish people getting too legalistic? Every time I read rituals I don’t get in the Law I often wonder if these are things we should be following.

Initially one looks at this as a long drawn out process to become spiritually clean before God, but what if that’s not the purpose at all. This ritual is performed when handling dead animals and needs to be performed to become ceremonially clean. Now you think “ceremonially” would imply being clean before God, but these sacrifices are performed in the presence of God. I wonder if these ceremonies are performed to cleanse the person so they can interact with others without the risk of spreading disease.

During the 14th century the plague or “Black Death” infected and killed about a third of the population of Europe. The Christians were dying and the Jews were not, which spread a “conspiracy theory” that the Jews were trying to poison the Christians. If you were to look at this scientifically one would notice the health benefits that the cleaning rituals and food laws provide. Many of these legalistic rituals were not to make it more difficult to be with God, but enabled the people to be healthy and serve God better. So when looking at these Laws which make little sense to us today, think about it through the prism of God trying to keep His people healthy.

Numbers 18:3 –

But as the Levites go about all their assigned duties at the Tabernacle, they must be careful not to go near any of the sacred objects or the altar. If they do, both you and they will die.

Imagine if you went to church every weekend and if you did not do everything right the penalty was death. The Levites has specific duties and Aaron was responsible to make sure that they understood the rules. They needed to be careful and respectful of the Lord. Interestingly, if they failed the penalty fell on their teacher also, not just them. I am sure this motivated Aaron to ensure the teachings were correct and people were understanding them fully.

Our relationship with God is so much more casual today than it was in Moses’ time. I often wonder if our attitude has gotten too relaxed and we don’t take our time with God serious. A quote from Crocodile Dundee, “Me and God our mates”, shows our casual attitude when coming before God. Maybe we need to take a different approach and respect God and treat Him as holy. Although on the other hand I don’t think God wants us to be terrified to come to him with our worries, so it’s a fine line on respecting and still keeping the relationship open.

The rest of the chapter deals with how the tithes are to be used. Notice some are to go directly to God, but some is to support the Levi priesthood. That is what happens today with our tithes and offerings, granted we no longer bring goats to church, but our money in part supports the ministry team so they can focus their energies on God. Today as then I think the excess in “blessing” do have a way of corrupting some and that becomes a reason not to tithe. I can only say God instructs us to tithe, let Him deal with the teacher and their students on how the tithe is used. I wonder if the penalty were the same as before if that would be a question today or then?