TO READ: Numbers 6:22-27

G.o.das Peace

May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace.

Numbers 6:26

G.o.d blesses his people. We receive great benefits from our a.s.sociation with him. These benefits are designed to enrich our lives, and this enrichment becomes evident to those who live within the sphere of our influence. So G.o.d blesses people in order that they might be a blessing!

It was customary for the Israelites to be ablesseda by the high priest. The Israelites had been called by G.o.d to be his unique people, and this blessing would designate them as such. As the surrounding people groups observed the conditions under which G.o.das people lived and the special ways in which they conducted their lives, it would become apparent that they were no ordinary people and their G.o.d was no ordinary G.o.d. The people would exhibit the divine favor by demonstrating that G.o.d had given them ahis peace.a The word peace means literally awholenessa or awell-being,a and it was no ordinary sense of well-being that they would enjoy. It was the well-being that comes only from G.o.d himselfa"his peace!

Paul talked about aG.o.das peace which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understanda (Phil. 4:7). G.o.das peace, which is the apeace of G.o.d,a should not be confused with apeace with G.o.d.a The apeace of G.o.da is the inner state of well-being that is the birthright of those who have responded to G.o.das offer of forgiveness and have been brought into a position called apeace with G.o.d.a The peace of G.o.d is a result of having peace with G.o.d. The former is a result of the latter.

This inner sense of wholeness is something that cannot be explained in purely human terms. Anyone can seem to be at peace when he has eradicated all stress and negotiated the end of all hostility. But the peace of G.o.d is that which we enjoy while the stress continues unabated and the hostility persists. How can this be? It works when we realize that when we have committed ourselves to the Captain of our salvation in ongoing, trusting obedience, he will make our well-being his personal responsibility. So we can rest a.s.sured in his benevolence and competence in the midst of the storms of life. We can live with an equanimity that defies description and surpa.s.ses belief.

October 4

TO READ: Numbers 11:1-15

Whining about Dining

Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt, and the people of Israel also began to complain. aOh, for some meat!a they exclaimed. aWe remember all the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cuc.u.mbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic that we wanted.a Numbers 11:4-5

Foreign travel can be a challenge. The food is often below par, the accommodations can leave much to be desired, the travel arrangements are usually haywire, and there is no air-conditioning. A sure and certain recipe for complaints!

As the children of Israel set out on their foreign travel, they certainly complained. The novelty and excitement of being delivered from slavery in Egypt began to wear off once they embarked on their second year of freedom. The wilderness was no easy place to live even when they were settled in camp, but it only took three days on the march before the people began to complain to the Lord about their hardships. Some of the aforeign rabblea in the party became quite outspoken about their preference for Egyptian cuisine, and the Israelites joined in complaining about their steady diet of manna. I suspect many of us who are used to our comfortable lifestyle would have joined in the complaining of the wilderness travelers!

We may be surprised at how severely G.o.d responded to his peopleas complaints, but we must remember that G.o.d had a grand plan for his people. This plan included redeeming them from Egypt (which he had miraculously accomplished), supporting tens of thousands of people in an inhospitable wilderness, taking them into the Promised Land, and enabling them to overthrow the resident population. For this plan to be accomplished, the Lord required his peopleas unwavering obedience and unfaltering trust. He was, and is, looking for those who would cooperate rather than complain, who would count their blessings rather than chorus their gripes. But neither was forthcoming from them. While G.o.d was focusing on the monumental issues, G.o.das people were whining about dining.

In the long run, the wisest policy is to get on board with what G.o.d is doing, whether or not it makes us comfortable. The best way to get on board with him is to trust that he knows what he is doing, to obey what he tells us to do, and to have a thankful att.i.tude for everything he has given us. If we donat, he might become angry with such ungrateful, uncooperative children. He might give us what we want, and then we may discover we donat want it. If we do get on board with G.o.d, we will arrive in the Promised Land, and thatas better than leeks, onions, and garlic.

October 5

TO READ: Numbers 14:1-25

Patience Is a Virtue

aPlease, Lord, prove that your power is as great as you have claimed it to be. For you said, aThe LORD is slow to anger and rich in unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. Even so he does not leave sin unpunished, but he punishes the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations.a Please pardon the sins of this people because of your magnificent, unfailing love, just as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.a Numbers 14:17-19

When we think of masculine virtues, patience does not come immediately to mind. Perhaps this is because men like to fix things and to do it quickly. We like to be in controla"to make things happen. But there are times in the divine plan when there are things that we cannot fix or situations that do not respond to our solutions. What then? The natural reaction is to try harder and increase the blood pressure. But not in the divine economy. With G.o.d, patience is the word!

Surely the greatest example of patience is found in the Lordas dealings with his creatures. During the long history of the chosen people, G.o.d had countless opportunities to demonstrate his patience with them. He had declared that he is aslow to get angrya (Ps. 103:8). Even at the point of considering whether to wipe them out and start again with Joshua and Caleb, G.o.d stood by his rebellious people and gave them yet another chance. Such patience! This did not mean that he turned a blind eye toward their rebellion. On the contrary, G.o.d insisted on punishing evil, but always in the context of patience and long-suffering.

G.o.das need for patience was not exhausted when he got his people into the land he had given them. He is still subjected to provocation when people say, aJesus promised to come back, did he? Then where is he? Why, as far back as anyone can remember, everything has remained exactly the same since the world was first createda (2 Pet. 3:4). Now, G.o.d is certainly capable of fixing that situation by sending his Son immediately, and there is no doubt that he could deal expeditiously with the scoffers. But he chooses not to. Why? Peter says, aThe Lord isnat really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repenta (2 Pet. 3:9). Instead of reacting to provocation, G.o.d chooses to bide his time. He knows what he is planning to do, and he will work when he is good and ready.

We can learn from this. Not everything can be fixed the way we think it should be, but that does not mean that good cannot come out of the situation. If G.o.d, who can fix anything whenever he wants, chooses to live with things that are less than ideal while he works out his purposes, so can we. G.o.das patience is certainly good for usa"where would we be without it? And being patient is good for us, too. Thereas no telling where weall be without it.

October 6

TO READ: Numbers 22:4-41

Hidden Agendas

aWhy did you beat your donkey those three times?a the angel of the LORD demanded. aI have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me.a Numbers 22:32

aWhat you see is what you geta is not always true, particularly in the business world. Take Balaam, for example. He is one of the Bibleas most perplexing characters.

When King Balak of Moab saw the children of Israel approaching the Promised Landa"through his backyard!a"he sent for Balaam to p.r.o.nounce a curse on them and thereby halt their progress. Balaam consulted the Lord and was told not to accede to the kingas request, even though financially the offer was very attractive. King Balak, on hearing of Balaamas refusal, increased the offer. In response, Balaam sought and was given permission by the Lord to goa"on the condition that he only say what the Lord told him to say. Then, when Balaam set out, the Lord was upset that Balaam was going, even though the Lord had said he could! Either the Lord was being incredibly fickle, or Balaam was hiding something and the Lord knew it. The latter solution is most in keeping with what we know of G.o.das character.

After being rebuked by his donkey and the Lord for astubbornly resistinga the Lord, Balaam finally came through and did what was right. It would appear that he continued to struggle with whether to obey or disobey the Lord; otherwise, there would have been no reason for him to respond repeatedly to Balakas requests that he curse the people. Also, even though Balaam blessed Israel verbally, he was later responsible for causing them to rebel against the Lord (31:16; see 25:1-3; Rev. 2:14). On the outside, Balaam was claiming to do what was right, but on the inside he was flirting with a desire to do what was wrong (see 2 Pet. 2:15-16). The pressure point in this case was money, and the motive was greed.

Thereas nothing new about that. When money enters the equation, principles come under pressure. The natural tendency is to opt for that which is comfortable, profitable, and popular. Sometimes the choice is between what is comfortable and what is right, what is popular and what is true, or what is profitable and what is good. The right choice is to opt for what is good and right and true. Men in business must constantly scrutinize their inner motives and make these tough decisions. A torn heart may beat under a well-cut suit, but G.o.d knows the heart and examines the motives, and he is the one who pa.s.ses judgment. Better to be poor and right than wrong and rich.

October 7

TO READ: Numbers 32:1-42

Wholeheartedness

The LORD was furious with Israel and made them wander in the wilderness for forty years until the whole generation that sinned against him had died. But here you are, a brood of sinners, doing exactly the same thing! You are making the LORD even angrier with Israel. If you turn away from him like this and he abandons them again in the wilderness, you will be responsible for destroying this entire nation!

Numbers 32:13-15

There comes a time in life when we are called to afish or cut bait,a when we are required to aput up or shut up.a Such a time had arrived for G.o.das wilderness-weary people. With their wilderness wanderings at last behind them, the children of Israel were rapidly approaching the time when they would enter the Promised Land. The time had come to show that they believed G.o.d and were committed to his purposes. They would cross the Jordan, overcome the inhabitants, and divide up the land as it was apportioned to them. Then they would receive their inheritance. This was no time for vacillation or spinelessness. It was time for wholehearted commitment!

We can, therefore, understand Mosesa disappointment and disgust when the tribes of Reuben and Gad asked if they might be allowed to settle east of Jordan, since they preferred the land there to the land that lay on the other side. Mosesa reaction was violent! He raged at them for their apparent lack of commitment; he paralleled their att.i.tude to that of the previous generation, which had chosen not to cross the Jordan, thus resulting in forty years in the wilderness; and he accused them of destroying the morale of the people and jeopardizing the whole venture. Then he pointedly remarked that, of the whole previous generation, only Joshua and Caleb would enter the land, because athey have wholeheartedly followed the Lorda (32:12).

After Moses had cooled off a little, the delegation was able to a.s.sure him that they were not opting out of their responsibilities to the rest of the people. They would fulfill all their military obligations and only then return to their homes. So Moses granted them their request on this basis.

Moses was surely right in recognizing the potential dangers inherent in halfheartedness. He knew that divided loyalties make for halfhearted commitments, which in turn produce shallow convictions and eventually can lead to compromise and defeat. They were entering an era when men made of sterner material were needed.

Our days are similar, and our needs are the same. This is the time for modern-day Calebs and Joshuas to step forward and show the way to the wavering, to strengthen the knees of the feeble, and to lead the uncertain away from the broad paths of compromise into the narrow lanes of commitment. This is the time for wholehearted commitment.

October 8

TO READ: Psalm 51

Guilt, Shame, and Confession

Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my shameful deedsa"they haunt me day and night.

Psalm 51:2-3

Not everyone who is guilty feels shame. It is possible to chloroform the conscience, so false innocence is not uncommon. Still, not everyone who feels shame is guiltya"false guilt can be imposed by the ignorant or the abuser. But when we do what G.o.d forbids and are guilty before G.o.d, feeling guilty and ashamed is an appropriate response. When a man has done wrong, he should never be ashamed of being ashamed. The real shame is shamelessness that denies wrongdoing and thus neither seeks nor receives forgiveness.