Tag: Numbers

Links for today’s readings:

Read: Numbers 28 Listen: (3:51) Read: 1 Corinthians 2 Listen: (2:26)

Scripture Focus: Numbers 28.1-2

1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Give this command to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Make sure that you present to me at the appointed time my food offerings, as an aroma pleasing to me.’

Reflection: A Life’s Liturgy

By John Tillman

God prescribes scheduled offerings for the community—a liturgy of life.

Daily offerings are in the morning and evening. Weekly offerings are made on the Sabbath when no other work was to be done. Monthly offerings were made at the beginning of each month. Then there were the festival offerings. Beginning with Passover at the start of the year, each season’s festival reminded the people of the story of God’s love, mercy, and provision for them.

One practical purpose of these offerings was a steady supply of food for the priesthood and Levites. The people’s sacrifices were part of God’s provision for Levite families who would not own land as other tribes would. The spiritual purpose was a constant reminder and acknowledgment of important truths for God’s people, including us.

God is our provider. In the desert, it was hard to forget God’s provision. With no land to farm, they depended on the Lord’s miraculous supply of manna. But once they were established in the land and prospering, they often forgot God and his providence. We too, forget God’s provision when we are prospering.

Sin is serious and grace is costly. God’s grace is not “cheap grace” that pats us on the back and says, “It’s okay.” Sin is not okay. The sacrifices were a repeated reminder that sin was costly and our efforts to atone are insufficient. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross fulfills and completes the promises made by the Tabernacle and Temple sacrifices.

The promises of Eden will be fulfilled. The Tabernacle and Temple were artistic and ceremonial depictions of the Garden of Eden. God killed animals to cover Adam and Eve’s naked shame and promised Eve a snake-crushing seed to end sin’s shame forever. (Genesis 3.15, 21) Jesus’ naked shame on the cross clothes us in his righteousness. His death and resurrection crush the power of the serpent both now and in the future.

Because of Jesus, we don’t need sacrifices, but we need reminders. We must live relying on God, not human power or wealth. We must not downplay sin’s seriousness and show contempt for Jesus’ sacrifice. We must anticipate and participate in Jesus’ ultimate fulfillment of Eden’s promises.

What is your life’s liturgy? Are you reminding yourself of these things regularly? What are you doing daily, weekly, monthly, and at special times of the year to remember these things?

Divine Hours Prayer: The Call to Prayer

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy Name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. — Psalm 103.1-2

– Divine Hours prayers from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime

 by Phyllis Tickle

Read more: Style Versus Substance

Paul didn’t mean that when he was last in Corinth he spoke poorly, abandoned using rhetoric, eschewed wisdom, and forgot all his knowledge.

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Links for today’s readings:

Read: Numbers 25 Listen: (2:20) Read: 2 Thessalonians 2 Listen: (2:32)

Links for this weekend’s readings:

Read: Numbers 26 Listen: (7:47) Read: 2 Thessalonians 3 Listen: (2:16)
Read: Numbers 27 Listen: (3:08) Read: 1 Corinthians 1 Listen: (4:03)

Scripture Focus: Numbers 25.3, 10-13

3 So Israel yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor. And the Lord’s anger burned against them.

10 The Lord said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites. Since he was as zealous for my honor among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal. 12 Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. 13 He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites.”

Reflection: Seduced by Corn Kings

By John Tillman

In his book, Miracles, C.S. Lewis described a type of deity: “the corn king.” Corn kings, were gods, like Adonis or Osiris, who died and were reborn, personifying the cycle of life and death in human and agricultural fertility and fruitfulness. Corn kings promised profit and growth through fertility and harvest. Baal is a god of this type.

Numbers 25 is the first time Israel falls into sin by worshiping Baal. The fall is hard and the consequences harsh. Many Israelites worshiped Baal in this incident, but one man flagrantly brought a shrine prostitute into the camp to have ritual sex with her. A priest, Phinehas, used a spear to stop them. This violence shocks modern readers, but there are important details we might miss. Baal worship didn’t show up by accident. This was a coordinated attack from Israel’s enemies.

Balaam and Balak, who failed to curse Israel in the previous chapters, introduced Baal worship to entice Israel to sin. (Numbers 31.16; Revelation 2:14) This wasn’t mere temptation, it was an act of war. They sought to strip Israel of their identity and force conformity to the Canaanite culture. Giving in to this temptation, wasn’t just moral weakness, it meant rebellion against God.

Phinehas’ zeal was not a zeal against mere sexual sin. Prostitution was a side-dish of sin, not the main course. Worshiping Baal showed flagrant disregard and disrespect for God, his community, and his glory. Siding with a “corn king” for provision and growth, and the enemies of Israel for safety and protection, was a far worse offense than any mere sexual act.

This temptation in the desert is like the temptation of the serpent in the Garden. That temptation and the fall of Adam and Eve was also an act of war. (Genesis 3.1-6; Revelation 12.9)

This war still rages and we are still tempted. Corn kings promise growth, profit, protection, security if only we will do homage, shift our identity, and conform to a few minor moral sacrifices. Corn kings don’t care about exclusivity. They encourage you to worship them right alongside Jesus.

Jesus will not share his glory. With the sword of his word, he is zealous to cleanse the temple of our hearts from other kings. (John 2.15-17; Psalm 69.9) Satan sends corn kings who promise the world. Jesus says, “What profit is that if you lose your soul?” (Mark 8.36) Don’t be seduced. We cannot serve both God and the corn kings of this world. (Matthew 6.24)

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence

I call with my whole heart; answer me, O Lord, that I may keep your statutes. — Psalm 119.145

– Divine Hours prayers from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime

 by Phyllis Tickle

Read more: Balaam’s Success

Israelite culture was susceptible to sexual temptations of ancient fertility cults. Greed is the fertility god of our age and our culture is addicted to it.

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Links for today’s readings:

Read: Numbers 23 Listen: (4:01) Read: 1 Thessalonians 5 Listen: (2:37)

Scripture Focus: Numbers 23:11–12

11 Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them!”

12 He answered, “Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?”

Reflection: The Puppet “Prophet”

Erin Newton

A message from God is a force that cannot be equaled. Behind the words is power that is unparalleled and unmatched. Nothing can be formed against it. No human can resist it.

It can speak both judgment and blessing. It can bring life into creation and banish evil to the depths.

We expect the godly to spout the words of God—with joy no less. Shouts of praise and unashamed proclamations of God’s goodness are welcomed reverberations in the walls of churches.

The godly may pause before messages of criticism and judgment, but the power of the word is overwhelming. Jeremiah hesitates, “But if I say, ‘I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot” (Jeremiah 20.9).

A prophet, the chosen mouthpiece for God, may falter ever so slightly, but the word burns like a fire.

And so it is even with fools. The word of God is not hampered by the motives of the speaker, for Balaam proves that God is not deterred by any vessel. Balaam and Balak were mouthpieces for a world hostile to God, hoping to bring curses to God’s people. Over and over they try to bring a foul word. Again and again, they fail. Overpowered by the good news of God, Balaam speaks words of blessing and praise to the God of Israel’s salvation.

Do you languish waiting for a godly, prophetic voice to speak words of blessing? Are you discouraged at the presence of leaders who only seem to plot curses? Let us not be dismayed. God has overpowered the minds and mouths of even his staunchest opponents. Through the most unlikely mouths, curses have been turned into hope. Messages meant to destroy have been overshadowed with messages of good news.

It is more likely that we pray for good leaders to rise up and wicked speakers to be silenced—but Balaam’s story reminds us that God’s message will prevail—no matter the vessel he must use.

Let us pray for the embers of God’s word to ignite within the mouths of unlikely people. Let us recognize the divine power behind such words.

And remember, Balaam is no happy conversion story. He is a symbol to all who try to stand against God that they are merely puppets.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons

I will bear witness that the Lord is righteous; I will praise the Name of the Lord Most High. — Psalm 7.18

– Divine Hours prayers from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime

 by Phyllis Tickle

Read more: Balaams and Balaks

Balaams today claim to speak for God yet seem willing to tickle the ears of the powerful in exchange for assurances of influence and power.

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Links for today’s readings:

Read: Numbers 22 Listen: (5:55) Read: 1 Thessalonians 4 Listen: (2:24)

Scripture Focus: Numbers 22.6

6 Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed.”

Reflection: Unworthy Prophets

By John Tillman

The prophets we have needed in recent times are those like Nathan, Daniel, and Jeremiah, who would not shirk their duty to speak the truth in order to stay in the good graces of kings. The kind of unworthy prophets we seem to have in abundance are Balaams and Pashhurs, (Jeremiah 19.14-20.6) who comfort and coddle kings to stay close to power.

Balaam was not concerned with the king’s morals. Balaam’s prophecies were for sale. Balaam intended to cash in by putting words in God’s mouth, but God put his words in Balaam’s mouth instead. (Numbers 23.16)

Balaam said what God commanded. This could be because he was overwhelmed by supernatural visions or because he obeyed out of fear of the angel who threatened him. Scripture does not tell us. Although God spoke through Balaam, there was no relationship of love or trust—no expectation of good faith.

We must remember that there will always be political leaders like Balak. They want prophets of God to identify with them, stand with them, and give blessing to their policies in exchange for favors.

We must also remember that there will always be prophets like Balaam. These prophets claim to speak for God but, instead, tickle the ears of the powerful in exchange for assurances of influence and power. These modern Balaams do their best to put words in God’s mouth that are pleasing to the powerful.

Along their desert sojourn, the Israelites faced being hated by Balaks and cursed by Balaams. In our political realms, we will more likely be wooed by Balaks, and have our ears tickled by the Balaams doing their bidding.

As God’s people, we may feel powerless against the Balaams or the Balaks of the world. We can be assured that God is more than able to deal with them according to their sins. This world, ruled by Balaks and preached to by Balaams is not our home. It is the land of our sojourn.

May we keep serving our God and following him through this desert. As Balaam could not deny the beauty of the tents of Israel (Numbers 24.5), may the conspiring prophets and rulers of our culture not be able to deny the beauty of the love of God that works among us.

May a better class of prophets speak the truth to power and to God’s people.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons

I will bear witness that the Lord is righteous; I will praise the name of the Lord Most High. — Psalm 7.18

– Divine Hours prayers from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime

 by Phyllis Tickle

Read more: The Losers Who Write History

Not one of those glowingly positive, king-praising prophets’ writings are in our Bible. Instead we have the writings of the losers.

Read more: The Prophet of Profit

Balaam has an impressive string of mentions throughout scripture which make clear he was unfaithful and deceptive.