Pastor Billington's Blog

Numbers 27

God defies the patriarchy!!! Or does he? While the passage certainly does indicate the worth and rights of women, God declares here that family and tribal legacies are to be protected. We would do well to remember that the whole is greater and more important than individual parts. We (men in particular, but women too) need to do a better job of putting the needs of our families ahead of our own. That’s what sacrificial leadership is, and it’s what is needed in the church as well.

For example, Moses doesn’t whine and moan about his punishment. He is most concerned about the next generation of leadership for the nation. When he asks God for direction, God chooses Joshua, who was one of only two spies willing to obey God and invade the promised land! Moses is an example of what leadership should look like in the home, the church, and the nation.

Thought for the day: Jesus’ words and life model leadership for us.

Mark 10:45 (WEB) “For the Son of Man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Numbers 26

The census is for the allotment of the land when the Israelites finally take possession of it. Larger tribes will receive a greater inheritance. Joshua and Caleb are all that are left from the original census; an entire generation has passed away. This was because of God’s judgement for their sin. But even with that we see compassion. The children of Korah did not die for their father’s sin (26:11). Sometimes the consequences of our actions affect others, while other times they do not. Even in the midst of God’s judgment, we often find mercy.

Thought for the day: We deserve judgment, but thankfully God gives us grace and mercy!

Ephesians 2:4-5 (WEB) “But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—”

Numbers 25

If you can’t beat them, seduce them.

We don’t always realize how the people we hang around with, the colleagues we work with, or the spouses we marry will influence us. The Moabites were able to lure the Israelites into idolatry by having their women seduce them. It sounds like a plot in a spy movie! God was not pleased, and a plague is the result. Believe it or not, there was actually a leader who brought one of the women into his tent in the midst of the nation’s punishment. Phineas recognizes this, kills him, and God’s wrath is assuaged and the plague stops. Phineas and his offspring are rewarded as a result of his actions. God then instructs Israel to wage war against the Midianites for their part in the plot.

Thought for the day: Holiness is important and necessary if we hope to experience God’s blessing. A part of holiness is being careful who we hang around with and who we marry.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (WEB) “Don’t be unequally yoked with unbelievers, for what fellowship do righteousness and iniquity have? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? What agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what portion does a believer have with an unbeliever? What agreement does a temple of God have with idols? For you are a temple of the living God. Even as God said, ‘I will dwell in them and walk in them. I will be their God and they will be my people.’ Therefore, ‘Come out from amongst them, and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Touch no unclean thing. I will receive you. I will be to you a Father. You will be to me sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty.”

Numbers 24

Balaam not only blesses Israel, he also gives a number of prophecies concerning their future. He anticipates a coming king (star, scepter) that will defeat Israel’s enemies. He also gives three prophecies regarding the future. The first and third probably refer to David’s defeat of the Amalekites and the Philistines. The second possibly refers to the eventual rise of the Assyrians.

Thought for the day: David’s kingdom and victorious reign anticipates Christ’s ultimate rule over creation.

Hebrews 1:7-9 (WEB) “Of the angels he says, ‘He makes his angels winds, and his servants a flame of fire.’ But of the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your Kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.’ “

Numbers 23

Balaam doesn’t come out immediately and say that the Israelites are blessed. Instead he says, “I will only say what the Lord tells me to say.” It seems that he is trying to walk a fine line, presumably to get paid! But ultimately, Balaam is more scared of God than he is of Balak. Although hired to curse Israel, he blesses them three times (twice in our passage today), and Balak is not amused!

Ironically, Balaam does find a way to circumvent God. He later gives some advice that causes God to turn on His people.

Numbers 31:16 (WEB) “Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of Yahweh.”

Thought for the day: Balaam’s mantra should be our mantra: “Must I not take heed to speak that which Yahweh puts in my mouth?” God’s Word should guide our thought, actions, and speech!

Psalm 119:41-48 (WEB) “Let your loving kindness also come to me, LORD, your salvation, according to your word. So I will have an answer for him who reproaches me, for I trust in your word. Don’t snatch the word of truth out of my mouth, for I put my hope in your ordinances. So I will obey your law continually, forever and ever. I will walk in liberty, for I have sought your precepts. I will also speak of your statutes before kings, and will not be disappointed. I will delight myself in your commandments, because I love them. I reach out my hands for your commandments, which I love. I will meditate on your statutes.”

Numbers 22

So, we come to one of the more humorous and tragic stories in the Bible. It’s also confusing! Is Balaam a follower of God, or not really? It appears that he was but was overtaken by his own greed. Why does God tell him to go with the messengers, but then get mad when he does? Verse 22:20 reads “if the men have come,” but Balaam takes the initiative to go to them in 22:21. That’s why God uses his donkey to confront him!

Balaam’s greed becomes notorious as an example of how NOT to be.

2 Peter 2:15-16 (WEB) “Forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of wrongdoing; but he was rebuked for his own disobedience. A speechless donkey spoke with a man’s voice and stopped the madness of the prophet.”

Jude 1:11 (WEB) “Woe to them! For they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in Korah’s rebellion.”

Thought for the day: Don’t give in to greed! It will lead you down a dark, God defying path.

1 Timothy 6:10 (WEB) “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some have been led astray from the faith in their greed, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Numbers 21

The Israelites endure a demoralizing defeat. Then, they pray to God and experience a decisive victory. So decisive, in fact, that they name the place of their victory “Utter Destruction.”

But as they journey on, they suffer discouragement and cry out to God in complaint. God sends fiery serpents among them to poison them. Their salvation is to look at a serpent that Moses lifts up on a pole. Foreshadowing, anyone?

John 3:14-15 (WEB) “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

They journey on, mostly without incident. But then they get to Sihon. Since they look more like an invading army, they again ask for permission to take the main road through Amorite territory. Not only are they refused passage, but they are attacked! God gives them the victory, and verse 31 looks forward to their ultimate conquest and resettlement (as does verse 35). King Og of Bahan was next to try his luck, and he too was defeated!

Thought for the day: No matter what we face in life, we can face it with confidence and calm, because of Jesus Christ.

John 14:27 (WEB) “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, I give to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.”

Numbers 20

Sibling rivalry extends from Esau and Jacob all the way to Edom and Israel. Edom refuses to let Israel travel through the heart of their territory, even though it would be easier for them.

Does Moses’ punishment seem overly harsh to you? Think about this: not only does he disobey God, but he also neglects to give God the glory. “Must we bring you water from this rock!” These indications show us that something is off with Moses heart. If we can see that, then God certainly knows that!

Thought for the day: How is your heart?

Jeremiah 17:10 (WEB) “I, Yahweh, search the mind. I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”