843 acres

M’Cheyne: Num 22 (text | audio, 6:18 min)
Ps 62 (text | audio, 1:21 min)
Ps 63 (text | audio, 1:08 min)
Highlighted: Num 22:17 

News: A few weeks ago, when Suspect #2 was fleeing the Boston police, every major news network was covering substantially the same programming and, as a result, most of us had a shared experience. Do you remember when this was the norm—when everyone watched the 5 o’clock news and read the local paper? In Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam writes, “News and entertainment have become increasingly individualized. No longer must we coordinate our tastes and timing with others in order to enjoy the rarest culture or the most esoteric information” [1]. Individualized newsfeeds have not merely resulted in social isolation, however; they have also resulted in our ability to avoid news we do not want to hear.

Payment: As the Israelites approached the end of their forty years of wandering, they came to Moab. Fearful of an attack, King Balak of Moab tried to hire a well-known pagan sorcerer, Balaam, to curse them. Balaam initially refused, but accepted when the king made a better offer: “I will reward you handsomely” [2]. Balaam changed his mind because he “loved the wages of wickedness” [3]. When he went to Balak, however, the Lord would not permit him to curse the Israelites. He opened his mouth and blessed them three times. Balak was livid: “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times. Now leave at once and go home!” [4].

Desires: Balak tried to craft his own news. He was not willing to hear what the Lord wanted to say, so he hired someone to tell him what he wanted to hear. Yet God showed him that his blessing was not for sale. How different are we from Balak? Paul warns, “The time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” [5].

Prayer: Lord, Today, it is easy to craft our own newsfeed. We love to hear the news we want to hear. As a result, however, not only do we avoid hearing the bad news of the world around us, we also avoid hearing the bad news about what is in our own hearts. Give us a love for your truth—whether it seems bad or good—so that our ears are open, not itching. Amen.

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Footnotes

[1] Robert Putnam. Bowling Alone. | [2] Numbers 22:17 NIV (ESV reads, “I will surely do you great honor.”) | [3] 2 Peter 2:14-15 NIV | [4] Numbers 24:10-11 NIV | [5] 2 Timothy 4:3 NIV

M’Cheyne: Num 19 (text | audio, 3:45 min)
Ps 56 (text | audio, 1:15 min)
Ps 57 (text | audio, 1:20 min)
Highlighted: Ps 57:4 

Dangers: Austin Tice, a law student, former Marine and freelance reporter, has been missing since mid-August in Syria, where at least 110 journalists have been killed since the uprising began in 2011 [1]. Tice was aware of the dangers in country and, on July 25, he wrote his friends,

It’s nice and all, but please quit telling me to be safe … Sometime between when our granddads licked the Nazis and when we started putting warnings on our coffee cups about the temperature of our beverage, America lost that pioneering spirit. We became a fat, weak, complacent, coddled, unambitious and cowardly nation. I went off to two wars with misguided notions of patriotism and found in both that the first priority was to never get killed, something we could have achieved from our living rooms in America with a lot less hassle … We kill ourselves every day with McDonald’s and alcohol and a thousand other drugs, but we’ve lost the sense that there actually are things out there worth fighting for … No, I don’t have a death wish—I have a life wish” [2].

Death: Dietrich Bonhoeffer says, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die” [3]. God calls us to die daily—to our selfish desires, to peer approval, to cultural norms, to the love of money, and to a hundred other things that rob us of our job in him. And he knows that our obedience will likely put us in danger. Here, in Psalm 57, David was in a cave with 600 men and King Saul was pursuing him with 3,000 men. David cried out, “My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts” [4]. Saul was angry with David because God had blessed him and had anointed him as king. Instead of running from the dangers of obedience, however, David—like Jesus—trusted in God’s “steadfast love” and “faithfulness” more than he feared “the children of men” [5].

Prayer: Lord, We confess that, in our fight against sin, many of us have become complacent, coddled, unambitious and cowardly. Instead of pursuing obedience when it seems unpleasant, we have pursued safety, comfort and security. Increase our affection for Christ and make us unafraid to die daily, knowing that we will gain eternal life in him who died for us. Amen.

 M’Cheyne Weekend Texts (our reading plan)

Saturday, May 11: Num 20 (text | audio, 4:33 min) and Ps 58 (text | audio, 1:06 min) and Ps 59 (text | audio, 1:53 min)
Sunday, May 12: Num 21 (text | audio, 5:32 min) and Ps 60 (text | audio, 1:15 min) and Ps 61 (text | audio, 1:21 min)

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Footnotes

[1] Wikipedia. List of journalists killed during the Syrian civil war. | [2] “Austin Tice: It’s nice and all, but please quit telling me to be safe.” Washington Post. 23 August 2012. | [3] The Cost of Discipleship. | [4] Psalm 57:4 ESV | [5] Psalm 57:10, 4 ESV

M’Cheyne: Num 17 (text | audio, 1:56 min)
Num 18 (text | audio, 5:41 min)
Ps 55 (text | audio, 2:24 min)
Highlighted: Num 18:20-21

Faith: If we do not trust God with our money, do we really trust him with our salvation? [1] What we do with every penny says something about our view of God, what he means to us, and what we value. Fundamentally, giving and tithing are faith issues—do we trust God and his promises to provide for us when we give our money away?

Ministry. When God called the Levites as ministers, he did not give them land from which to generate income. Instead, he told the other tribes to provide for their expenses. He told Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites. I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting” [2].

Not Buying or Selling: Years later, Jesus told the Pharisees not to neglect tithing [3]. Like the Sabbath, the tithe is a regular offering of our first fruits [4]. In other words, we tithe before we know what God has for us in the future. Thus, tithing confronts our love for materialism and our fear of insecurity: “If I do not give, I could buy X and, if I do give, will I have enough money to do Y?” To overcome these temptations, we must know and trust God and his promises, e.g., “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouses, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it” [5]. Do we believe him?

Prayer: Lord, Although you have never promised to make us wealthy, you have promised to equip us with everything good for doing your will, to meet all of our needs according to the glorious riches in Christ Jesus, and to bless us abundantly so that, in all things and at all times, having all that we need, we will abound in every good work. Yet we confess that materialism and insecurity are strong. Forgive us and spur us onto the obedient giving of our first fruits, as we proclaim our trust and true freedom in you and your promises. Amen.

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Footnotes

[1] See Douglas Leblanc. Tithing: Test Me in This. 2010 (p. 147). | [2] Numbers 18:20-21 | [3] Matthew 23:23 NIV 2011 (“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”) | [4] Although all of our money belongs to the Lord in an ordinary sense, a tenth of it belongs to Him in a special sense – just as the Sabbath is a special day, even though all days belong to Him. | [5] Malachi 3:10 NIV 2011. See also 2 Corinthians 9:6 NIV 2011 (“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”)

M’Cheyne: Num 16 (text | audio, 7:49 min)
Ps 52 (text | audio, 1:03 min)
Ps 53 (text | audio, 0:51 min)
Ps 54 (text | audio, 0:40 min)
Highlighted: Ps 52:4

Words: When I come across passages in the Bible about the importance of taming the tongue, I am tempted to avoid writing about them because I feel woefully inadequate. On the one hand, as a lawyer and a writer, words are an important part of my life. Words set us apart as human beings. They help us communicate with each other, which—in turn—helps us to know and love one another.

Tame: On the other hand, however, I feel inadequate to discuss the taming of the tongue because I know how far I have to go in bridling it. The psalmist condemns deceitful words, “You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue” [1]. Jesus tells us that we will be accountable for our words: “On the day of judgment, people will give account for every careless word they speak, and by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” [2]. To be mature Christians, we must tame our tongues. As James writes, “No human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it, we bless our Lord and Father, and with it, we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so” [3].

Prayer: Lord, Thank you for giving us words to help us talk with you and others. Also, thank you for using words—letters, testimonies, psalms, histories—to help us understand your love for us. Yet we confess that we often use words carelessly and sometimes even deceitfully. Knowing that we do not have the power to tame our tongues, we beg you to help us set watch over our mouths. Help us be quick to listen and slow to speak. Give us wisdom to use our tongues to glorify you and encourage one another. Amen.

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Footnotes

[1] Psalm 52:4 ESV | [2] Matthew 12:36-37 ESV | [3] James 3:8-10 ESV

M’Cheyne: Num 15 (text | audio, 6:02 min);
Ps 51 (text | audio, 2:10 min)
Highlighted: Num 15:1-2, 17-18, 37-38 

Rebellion: When the Israelites were on the verge of entering the Promised Land, they reached the apex of their unbelief and sin. Their grumbling and rebellion had gotten so bad that Moses was ready to die [1], and he and Aaron had fallen on their faces [2]. Although God spared them from being wiped out completely for their rebellion, he announced his judgment on the entire generation that had rejected him—he sent them back into the wilderness for forty years. Then he repeated the laws they were supposed to observe when they arrived in the land—even though it would not be for another forty years that they would set foot in it. Why would he do this, especially if this generation (except Joshua and Caleb)—would perish in the wilderness?

Grace: Although God had disciplined them because they had doubted his promises and questioned his methods, he reminded them of his laws because he wanted them to know that he had not wavered in his commitment to them. Thus, as he repeated his laws about the land, he used words of surety and longevity, emphatically reassuring them that he would bring his people into Canaan: “After you enter the land I am giving you as a home … When you enter the land … throughout the generations to come” [3]. He had not changed his plans. Even though they would wander in the wilderness for the next forty years, they were to remember that he had already planned what they were going to do when they arrived.

Today: Today, he is the same. God does not waver in his promises. He loves his people and is faithful to his purposes and promises—even though we are faithless. Just as a child on most needs a hug when his/her father disciplines him/her, we most need assurance of God’s love when we have failed. We are great sinners, but he is a great Savior—even when “we are faithless, he remains faithful” [4].

Prayer: Lord, We praise you that your persevering and unwavering grace is not dependent on us. Yet we long to be faithful and holy to reflect your character. Imprint upon us your unmerited favor and gracious faithfulness so that we long to obey your laws and trust in your promises to lead us home to the ultimate promised land. Amen.

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Footnotes

[1] See Numbers 12 |  [2] See Numbers 14 | [3] Num 15:1-2, 17-18, 37-38 | [4] 2 Timothy 2:13

M’Cheyne: Num 14 (text | audio, 7:14 min)
Ps 50 (text | audio, 2:17 min)
Highlighted: Num 14:10, 12

The Inner Ring: In 1944, C.S. Lewis spoke of our dangerous desire for exclusivity: “[I]n all men’s lives … one of the most dominant elements is the desire to be inside the local Ring and the terror of being left outside … Men tell … themselves that it is a hardship to stay late at the office … on some bit of important extra work … But it is not quite true. It is a terrible bore … when old Fatty Smithson draws you aside and whispers … ‘Charles and I saw at once that you’ve got to be on this committee.’ A terrible bore … but how much more terrible if you were left out! It is tiring and unhealthy to lose your Saturday afternoons; but to have them free because you don’t matter, that is much worse” [1].

Fellowship with God: Throughout his life, Moses was in the inner ring of fellowship with God. He led God’s people out of Egypt and through the Red Sea. On Mount Sinai, the Lord would speak to Moses “face to face, as one speaks to a friend” [2]. When God was angry with the grumbling Israelites, he almost started over with Moses only: “How long will these people treat me with contempt? … I will destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater” [3].

The Promised Land: When Moses did not trust in God enough to honor him as holy in the sight of the Israelites, however, God denied his entry into Canaan and replaced him with Joshua: “After you have seen [Canaan from afar], you too will be gathered to your people … [for] you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy … Give [Joshua] some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him” [4]. Thus, God declared that no one—not even Moses—was immune from his justice, for his salvation was received by grace alone.

Prayer: Lord, Thousands of years after Moses, Jesus left the inner ring of fellowship with the Father to redeem us. He laid down his life and was killed outside the camp. If we are in him, we receive your unmerited grace to enter the only inner ring that matters [5]. Forgive us for prizing others’ opinions more than yours. Work in us to crave being in your inner ring so that we will receive your grace to enter the Promised Land. Amen.

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Footnotes

[1] C.S. Lewis, The Inner Ring. Commencement Speech. 1944. | [2] Exodus 33:11 NIV 2011 |  3] Num. 14:10, 12 | [4] See Num. 27:12-23 | [5] See Mark 8:34-38 (noting that the inner ring of society exclusivity is worthless in light of the inner ring of eternal communion with the Father) (“Then [Jesus] called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.’”)