The Israelites continue to have problems with authority. They have lost faith in Moses and Aaron. So God has to restore their faith.
God has a leader of each of the 12 tribes bring a staff to place in front of the Ark of the Covenant. One of the staffs, the one that belonged to Aaron, has a plant grow out of it while it is sitting there. This is taken as a sign to all of Israel that God has chosen Aaron to be an unquestioned leader.
Being a religious leader is a hard job. In one sense, it is important to listen to the people and allow their vision to shape the present and future. On the other hand, it is more important to listen to what God has to say, because it is God's church.
I think that we can all agree with the last couple sentences... but what makes it hard is that God doesn't speak as loud and clear as the people. And often, the direction from God goes against the direction of the people. Humans think earthly thoughts while God thinks heavenly thoughts... but earthly thoughts make much more sense.
And how can anyone be sure that God is talking to them? How was Moses and Aaron sure? Some people that have claimed to have heard from God often begin their story with taking drugs.
That doesn't mean that God doesn't speak to us. I think that God still speaks in many ways. We are just too busy to hear.
Moses sat alone on Mt. Sinai for 7 days before God showed up with the 10 Commandments.
Sometimes we just need to slow down and pray. And in our prayer we need to stop talking and start listening.
Otherwise we might just run this thing aground.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Numbers 16
After church on Sunday I came home and waited for Michelle's flight to come in. I had a few hours to do nothing so I sat on the couch and turned on the TV... but there was nothing on. Well, there was nothing on except Titanic. So I sat on the couch with my dog and cat and watched Titanic for the first time on 10 years. I forgot how good the movie was. I forgot how sad the ending was... and why did that lady throw that diamond back in to the ocean? She could have fed millions of people with it. She was not a very good steward!
What was so sad was the 1,500 people who died, who didn't have a chance.
In this chapter, almost 15,000 people die. 15,000 of God's own people. Why? Because they are fed up with the leadership, Moses and Aaron. When things aren't going well it is easy to blame the people in charge.
So God kills them... the divine iceberg.
The ground opens up and swallows some. Then a fire comes from heaven and burns a couple hundred of them. Then a plague comes and takes out 14,000.
God kills a lot of people in the Old Testament. I am sure James Cameron could make an incredibly sad movie that makes God out to be the most sinister criminal in the universe. Actually, Cecil B. Demille made a movie like that, the 10 Commandments, but we don't really care about all the innocent Egyptians that were killed.
God realizes that killing people is not an effective way of motivating. People do not respond well to bullying, but they respond to love. Which is why God sent Jesus. And in the killing of Jesus the world was able to better understand God.
I'm sorry Michelle Bachmann, but God is out of the business of using hurricanes and earthquakes to make a point.
God's business is love, and it always will be.
What was so sad was the 1,500 people who died, who didn't have a chance.
In this chapter, almost 15,000 people die. 15,000 of God's own people. Why? Because they are fed up with the leadership, Moses and Aaron. When things aren't going well it is easy to blame the people in charge.
So God kills them... the divine iceberg.
The ground opens up and swallows some. Then a fire comes from heaven and burns a couple hundred of them. Then a plague comes and takes out 14,000.
God kills a lot of people in the Old Testament. I am sure James Cameron could make an incredibly sad movie that makes God out to be the most sinister criminal in the universe. Actually, Cecil B. Demille made a movie like that, the 10 Commandments, but we don't really care about all the innocent Egyptians that were killed.
God realizes that killing people is not an effective way of motivating. People do not respond well to bullying, but they respond to love. Which is why God sent Jesus. And in the killing of Jesus the world was able to better understand God.
I'm sorry Michelle Bachmann, but God is out of the business of using hurricanes and earthquakes to make a point.
God's business is love, and it always will be.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Numbers 15
I do not like the God of Numbers.
In this chapter God tells Moses the sacrifices that must be when the community sins. God breaks these sins into 2 categories, the unintentional sins and those done in defiance.
If you were caught being defiant, you were to be cut off from the people... sent away to live alone.
Then they catch a man collecting wood on the sabbath, and God tells Moses to stone him, so they do. What happened to being cast away? They go straight to stoning? For collecting wood? Maybe his family was cold or he liked to whittle.
If the only God we knew was the God of Numbers, then I would be doing something else right now.
But Numbers isn't the only peek we have behind the curtain. We have the gospels, which gives a whole different view of God.
Which makes me ask the question, did Moses misunderstand?
I sure hope so.
In this chapter God tells Moses the sacrifices that must be when the community sins. God breaks these sins into 2 categories, the unintentional sins and those done in defiance.
If you were caught being defiant, you were to be cut off from the people... sent away to live alone.
Then they catch a man collecting wood on the sabbath, and God tells Moses to stone him, so they do. What happened to being cast away? They go straight to stoning? For collecting wood? Maybe his family was cold or he liked to whittle.
If the only God we knew was the God of Numbers, then I would be doing something else right now.
But Numbers isn't the only peek we have behind the curtain. We have the gospels, which gives a whole different view of God.
Which makes me ask the question, did Moses misunderstand?
I sure hope so.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Numbers 14
In Numbers 14 the Israelites complain because they can not yet go to the promised land. They are sick of living in tents and walking in the wilderness... they are ready to build homes and grow crops.
They are ready for something else.
God is not ready for them to be doing something else... God has a plan.
The Israelites are not fond of God's plan, so they have a little tantrum. They say that life was better in Egypt and that God is a big dummy.
Well, God doesn't like that and decides he wants to wipe them all out. Moses talks God out of that idea. It's like a mother talking a father out of a severe punishment for a child. Instead God kills just a few, but promises that none of the complainers will see the promised land... they will all die on the journey.
The moral of the story? God has more experience being God than we do.
Let God be God.
They are ready for something else.
God is not ready for them to be doing something else... God has a plan.
The Israelites are not fond of God's plan, so they have a little tantrum. They say that life was better in Egypt and that God is a big dummy.
Well, God doesn't like that and decides he wants to wipe them all out. Moses talks God out of that idea. It's like a mother talking a father out of a severe punishment for a child. Instead God kills just a few, but promises that none of the complainers will see the promised land... they will all die on the journey.
The moral of the story? God has more experience being God than we do.
Let God be God.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Numbers 13
Moses sends a group of men into the promised land to explore. They find out what kind of fruit can grow and if the soil is fertile and they find out what kind of people live there and what kind of battle they are up against.
They report back 40 days later that the land is good for growing crops, but the people that live there are powerful with fortified cities. The one of the men, Caleb, silenced the people before Moses and said "we should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." (Verse 30)
Caleb is my kind of guy. Caleb thinks big, even if he is dead wrong. You have to love his enthusiasm!
The Israelites do go and take possession of the land, they are able to do it. But not in Caleb's timeframe, they do it in God's timeframe... many years later.
The church needs people like Caleb, with boldness and enthusiasm.
And the church needs committees that move slower and do their homework before making a bad decision.
And the church needs God to guide us. Even when we aren't asking for guidance we need to be looking for it.
When it all comes together the church can do amazing things.
They report back 40 days later that the land is good for growing crops, but the people that live there are powerful with fortified cities. The one of the men, Caleb, silenced the people before Moses and said "we should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." (Verse 30)
Caleb is my kind of guy. Caleb thinks big, even if he is dead wrong. You have to love his enthusiasm!
The Israelites do go and take possession of the land, they are able to do it. But not in Caleb's timeframe, they do it in God's timeframe... many years later.
The church needs people like Caleb, with boldness and enthusiasm.
And the church needs committees that move slower and do their homework before making a bad decision.
And the church needs God to guide us. Even when we aren't asking for guidance we need to be looking for it.
When it all comes together the church can do amazing things.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Numbers 12
Verse 3 "Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth."
Some people believe that Moses wrote the first 5 books of the Bible, including Numbers. If that is true, then Moses also wrote this verse, claiming to be the most humble person on the planet.
Claiming to be the most humble person on the planet is an oxy-moron. Either Moses didn't write Numbers or he was not the most humble man on the planet.
What does it mean to be humble? Let me tell you, because I am the most humble person in Tarrant County!
Wikipedia says that humility is 3 things:
1. Submitting to God and legitimate authority
2. Recognizing talents in others and giving due honor
3. Recognizing the limits of our own talents
Humility is hard. I don't like anyone telling me what to do... I had enough of that growing up with 2 older sisters. I don't like admitting someone else is better than me and I like being good at everything. (Which I'm not, but sometimes pretend to be)
But I have to think bigger than me... I have to think we.
If we are going to thrive as a church, a community and nation. Then we need humble people. We need people that submit to authority... we need people in authority that submit to the will of the people. We need to affirm the gifts in everyone and we need to realize what we aren't good at.
Our future does not come in realizing our own greatness, but in realizing our weaknesses. And having the courage to whatever it takes to turn our weakness into a strength.
One person at a time.
Some people believe that Moses wrote the first 5 books of the Bible, including Numbers. If that is true, then Moses also wrote this verse, claiming to be the most humble person on the planet.
Claiming to be the most humble person on the planet is an oxy-moron. Either Moses didn't write Numbers or he was not the most humble man on the planet.
What does it mean to be humble? Let me tell you, because I am the most humble person in Tarrant County!
Wikipedia says that humility is 3 things:
1. Submitting to God and legitimate authority
2. Recognizing talents in others and giving due honor
3. Recognizing the limits of our own talents
Humility is hard. I don't like anyone telling me what to do... I had enough of that growing up with 2 older sisters. I don't like admitting someone else is better than me and I like being good at everything. (Which I'm not, but sometimes pretend to be)
But I have to think bigger than me... I have to think we.
If we are going to thrive as a church, a community and nation. Then we need humble people. We need people that submit to authority... we need people in authority that submit to the will of the people. We need to affirm the gifts in everyone and we need to realize what we aren't good at.
Our future does not come in realizing our own greatness, but in realizing our weaknesses. And having the courage to whatever it takes to turn our weakness into a strength.
One person at a time.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Numbers 11
What a chapter!
The people complain about not having meat to eat and they long for the days when they were slaves, because they had meat.
God replies," if meat is what you want then meat is what you'll get. I'll give you so much meat that it comes through your nostrils and you loathe it."
Then God sends quails and the people finally eat meat... and they die from it. Because (v.33) "the anger of the Lord burned against the people."
Our book group just met here in my office. During the conversation we started talking about the Old Testament. One person said that she did a year study on the OT, and didn't like it at all. This chapter is a perfect reason why it is hard to like the OT.
God kills people for complaining about eating the same thing everyday for years... manna.
Well, I probably would complain too. There is nothing that I would want to eat everyday for years. (Maybe pizza, but it would have to be really good)
So God kills them.
What then are we to say when God acts like a jerk? When God does things that are unlike God?
Do we say "well, don't complain." Easier said than done. Everyone complains eventually. I get a number of emails every day complaing about our president. (By the way, please take me off your list if you are sending them to me, they do no good for our country. Instead they widen the divide between our parties.)
*Funny sidenote: I picked Michelle up from the airport last night and as usual we had to leave through the toll booths. In front of us was a car that had a bumper-sticker with the word IDIOT on it, but it was made to look like the Obama symbol. What's funny is this car was in the toll tag only line and had no toll tag. They were trying to pay cash, but there was no one in the booth. It made me laugh really hard. If you are going to publicly announce that someone else is an idiot, you should do everything you can to not look like an idiot. Or as someone else put it, "it takes one to know one." This has nothing to do with politics, and has everything to do with complainers.
But there is no grace in standing behind the puplit every Sunday and telling people not to complain. Because there is a lot to complain about.
Life is rough. People are starving to death in Africa, our economy is in the gutter and there is violence all over the news.
And so we complain. But complaining doesn't do any good.
If you don't like the way the world is, do something about it.
God did.
He let the complainers nail him to a cross.
The people complain about not having meat to eat and they long for the days when they were slaves, because they had meat.
God replies," if meat is what you want then meat is what you'll get. I'll give you so much meat that it comes through your nostrils and you loathe it."
Then God sends quails and the people finally eat meat... and they die from it. Because (v.33) "the anger of the Lord burned against the people."
Our book group just met here in my office. During the conversation we started talking about the Old Testament. One person said that she did a year study on the OT, and didn't like it at all. This chapter is a perfect reason why it is hard to like the OT.
God kills people for complaining about eating the same thing everyday for years... manna.
Well, I probably would complain too. There is nothing that I would want to eat everyday for years. (Maybe pizza, but it would have to be really good)
So God kills them.
What then are we to say when God acts like a jerk? When God does things that are unlike God?
Do we say "well, don't complain." Easier said than done. Everyone complains eventually. I get a number of emails every day complaing about our president. (By the way, please take me off your list if you are sending them to me, they do no good for our country. Instead they widen the divide between our parties.)
*Funny sidenote: I picked Michelle up from the airport last night and as usual we had to leave through the toll booths. In front of us was a car that had a bumper-sticker with the word IDIOT on it, but it was made to look like the Obama symbol. What's funny is this car was in the toll tag only line and had no toll tag. They were trying to pay cash, but there was no one in the booth. It made me laugh really hard. If you are going to publicly announce that someone else is an idiot, you should do everything you can to not look like an idiot. Or as someone else put it, "it takes one to know one." This has nothing to do with politics, and has everything to do with complainers.
But there is no grace in standing behind the puplit every Sunday and telling people not to complain. Because there is a lot to complain about.
Life is rough. People are starving to death in Africa, our economy is in the gutter and there is violence all over the news.
And so we complain. But complaining doesn't do any good.
If you don't like the way the world is, do something about it.
God did.
He let the complainers nail him to a cross.
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