Numbers 23

WEEK  12                                             Numbers 23

TUESDAY  Reflections

That's not what I want to hear!

We say things like this to bankers, doctors, politicians, and of course to preachers. We want to hear what we want and not what God wants. Over chapters 23 and 24, Balack moves Balaam to four different locations hoping to get a different answer from God. Balaam to his credit, or perhaps due to God's power is only able to bless Israel.

This reminds me of Romans 8:31, "What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

As you read these chapters notice the blessings God is promising the nation of Israel if they obey him.

Num 23:1-30
(1)  And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams.
(2)  And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram.
(3)  And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the LORD will come to meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place.
(4)  And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram.
(5)  And the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak.
(6)  And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab.
(7)  And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel.
(8)  How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied?
(9)  For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.
(10)  Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!
(11)  And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.
(12)  And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth?
(13)  And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence.
(14)  And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.
(15)  And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the LORD yonder.
(16)  And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.
(17)  And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the LORD spoken?
(18)  And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:
(19)  God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
(20)  Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.
(21)  He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.
(22)  God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.
(23)  Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!
(24)  Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.
(25)  And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
(26)  But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?
(27)  And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence.
(28)  And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward Jeshimon.
(29)  And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.
(30)  And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.

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Numbers 22

WEEK   12                                           Numbers 22

MONDAY  Reflections

You know you're in trouble when your donkey is smarter than you are.

This being said I'm not going to look at that part of the story, I want to look at who Balaam was. Balaam was a prophet (2 Peter 2, Joshua 13:22). He was a man whose words carried power (cursing and blessings, verse 6). He knew the covenant name of God (Yeshua, Demonstrated by the word LORD being in capitals, verse 8). He was also a man motivated by greed. There is more which we will discover but these are the things we see here.

Some have asked, "Was Balaam a prophet of God?" The honest answer is we do not know what Balaam's relationship with God was before this. We know he knew about God. He knew enough to know God's covenant name. However, what Balaam might have been before this really doesn't matter. What matters is how Balaam ended up and that was in active opposition to God's purpose.

The lesson to learn perhaps is it doesn't matter what you have been in the past, but what you are today and in the future. As it has been said, "It isn't how you begin the race but how you finish it that counts." In the end, Balaam's donkey was smarter than this prophet was.

Num 22:1-41
(1)  And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho.
(2)  And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
(3)  And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.
(4)  And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.
(5)  He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:
(6)  Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.
(7)  And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.
(8)  And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam.
(9)  And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee?
(10)  And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying,
(11)  Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out.
(12)  And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.
(13)  And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you.
(14)  And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us.
(15)  And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they.
(16)  And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me:
(17)  For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.
(18)  And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more.
(19)  Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more.
(20)  And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.
(21)  And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.
(22)  And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.
(23)  And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.
(24)  But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.
(25)  And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again.
(26)  And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
(27)  And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.
(28)  And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
(29)  And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.
(30)  And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.
(31)  Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.
(32)  And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:
(33)  And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.
(34)  And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.
(35)  And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
(36)  And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto a city of Moab, which is in the border of Arnon, which is in the utmost coast.
(37)  And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to promote thee to honour?
(38)  And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.
(39)  And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kirjathhuzoth.
(40)  And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him.
(41)  And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people.

Isaiah 62

Longing for a country...

WEEK 11                                              Isaiah 62

SATURDAY  Reflections

I'm kind of homesick for a country

To which I've never been before.

No sad goodbyes will there be spoken

For time won't matter anymore.

Beulah Land I'm longing for you

And some day on thee I'll stand

There my home shall be eternal

Beulah Land, sweet Beulah Land

When we sing this song we understand that Beulah land is God’s eternal kingdom, as is mentioned in Isaiah 62:4. What does Beulah mean? How is it that this idea brings comfort?

Beulah means married. I like the way Benson Commentary puts it. “He alludes to the desolation of Judah during the Babylonish captivity. But thou shalt be called Hephzibah — My delight is in her; a new name, agreeing with her new condition; and thy land, Beulah— Married, agreeing to her new relation. Whereas she was in a desolate condition, she shall now be as a woman well married, to the great improvement of her state.” (Benson, 2019) Oh, how improved will our condition be when we enter into God’s Kingdom!



Isa 62:1-12
(1)  For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.
(2)  And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.
(3)  Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.
(4)  Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.
(5)  For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.
(6)  I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence,
(7)  And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
(8)  The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured:
(9)  But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the LORD; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness.
(10)  Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people.
(11)  Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
(12)  And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

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Numbers 21

WEEK 11                                           Numbers 21

FRIDAY  Reflections

Did God command Moses to break His own commandments?

 

Some have wondered about this as it seems Moses is making an image for people to worship. This isn't what Moses is doing. Moses is making an image of the very thing that is causing their suffering: the serpents. The people were commanded to look at the serpent so they could be healed. They were not told to worship the serpent, this is the difference.

 

To be healed you have to look at the very thing which made you sick. This seems strange, but it really isn't. In our lives, if we are going to repent or even just try and change, we have to admit to what has brought us to the place we are. For the alcoholic, it is admitting they are an alcoholic. For the sinner, it is admitting (confessing) our sins to God. It isn't a pretty thing to look at.

 

This is why this is a perfect symbol of Jesus on the cross. Our actions put him there. The cross is what we deserve for our sins. The cross is every ugly thing we have done personified. However, it is through the cross of Jesus we have healing from our sins. However, the cross itself is not to be worshiped. It is our faith in God, not the cross, which saves us. 

Num 21:1-35
(1)  And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners.
(2)  And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.
(3)  And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah.
(4)  And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
(5)  And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
(6)  And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
(7)  Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
(8)  And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
(9)  And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
(10)  And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in Oboth.
(11)  And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ijeabarim, in the wilderness which is before Moab, toward the sunrising.
(12)  From thence they removed, and pitched in the valley of Zared.
(13)  From thence they removed, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, which is in the wilderness that cometh out of the coasts of the Amorites: for Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
(14)  Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the LORD, What he did in the Red sea, and in the brooks of Arnon,
(15)  And at the stream of the brooks that goeth down to the dwelling of Ar, and lieth upon the border of Moab.
(16)  And from thence they went to Beer: that is the well whereof the LORD spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.
(17)  Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:
(18)  The princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah:
(19)  And from Mattanah to Nahaliel: and from Nahaliel to Bamoth:
(20)  And from Bamoth in the valley, that is in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looketh toward Jeshimon.
(21)  And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,
(22)  Let me pass through thy land: we will not turn into the fields, or into the vineyards; we will not drink of the waters of the well: but we will go along by the king's high way, until we be past thy borders.
(23)  And Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness: and he came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel.
(24)  And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon unto Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon: for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.
(25)  And Israel took all these cities: and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the villages thereof.
(26)  For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, even unto Arnon.
(27)  Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say, Come into Heshbon, let the city of Sihon be built and prepared:
(28)  For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon: it hath consumed Ar of Moab, and the lords of the high places of Arnon.
(29)  Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, O people of Chemosh: he hath given his sons that escaped, and his daughters, into captivity unto Sihon king of the Amorites.
(30)  We have shot at them; Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon, and we have laid them waste even unto Nophah, which reacheth unto Medeba.
(31)  Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites.
(32)  And Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they took the villages thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there.
(33)  And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he, and all his people, to the battle at Edrei.
(34)  And the LORD said unto Moses, Fear him not: for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon.
(35)  So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him alive: and they possessed his land.

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Mark 11 Forgiveness and Requests

Forgiveness and Requests

WEEK  11                                               Mark 11

THURSDAY  Reflections

In the Lord's Prayer asking for needs is right beside asking for forgiveness. Here in this chapter when Jesus is talking about asking God for what you need even what may seem impossible, then he again mentions forgiveness.

 

What is the big deal about forgiveness? and more importantly, is it tied to receiving from God?

 

I'm going to answer the second question with a yes. To receive from God we need to be in proper relationship with God. Just like holding a cup and turning on a faucet doesn't fill the cup unless the cup is under the faucet. To get in proper relationship with God we need forgiveness and God ties forgiveness with forgiving others. Your sins can't be forgiven if you refuse to forgive others.

 

I do believe God gives grace and is patient to those that are struggling to forgive. This is far from the ongoing refusal to forgive (which is dangerous). What if you are ignorant about your inner animosity or maybe about this command? The first is a rebellion against God. The second God gives grace until the person realizes their sin and helps them.

If we are refusing to forgive, then we are also refusing God's help. Both are foolish.

I will remind you, forgiveness is not always easy. There is a reason the poet said, "To err is human, to forgive divine." 

Mar 11:1-33
(1)  And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,
(2)  And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.
(3)  And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.
(4)  And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.
(5)  And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt?
(6)  And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go.
(7)  And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him.
(8)  And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way.
(9)  And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
(10)  Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
(11)  And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.
(12)  And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
(13)  And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
(14)  And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
(15)  And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
(16)  And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
(17)  And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
(18)  And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.
(19)  And when even was come, he went out of the city.
(20)  And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
(21)  And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
(22)  And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
(23)  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
(24)  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
(25)  And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
(26)  But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
(27)  And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders,
(28)  And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?
(29)  And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
(30)  The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me.
(31)  And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him?
(32)  But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.
(33)  And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.