He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, (Luke 24:6)
Christmas and Easter (I prefer “Resurrection Day”) are the two most important days on the Christian calendar with Resurrection Day being, arguably, the most important of the two. One might argue that we could not have the Resurrection without the Birth, but the Birth without the Resurrection would render both insignificant.
Jesus’ birth came like the birth of any other baby. The Gospel writer Luke records the event taking place in a humble animal shelter visited only by lowly shepherds. However, Luke points out an important fact that is summarily overlooked by most readers. Luke says that, “while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered” (Luke 2:6, emphasis mine). So, apparently, Joseph and Mary had been in Bethlehem a few days before the time of her delivery. Luke does not say, but it seems reasonable that in Bethlehem there were ladies who, seeing a young woman ready to give birth, would have offered their services as midwives. That is the way they did it in those days. Regardless, the birth was no different than any other. The conception nine months prior was the “miracle.” At that time, God planted His seed in Mary’s womb without human aid.
So Jesus came into the world and “dwelt among us”[1] and “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52). He grew up like any other Jewish boy and probably learned carpentry from His earthly father, Joseph. At the age of 30,[2] the age at which priests enter service,[3] Jesus started His three-year earthly ministry. We know from the four Gospel accounts that His ministry ended with His death on the cross. He was buried in a borrowed tomb and rose on the third day.
But what if the resurrection never happened? Paul put it quite succinctly when he said, “if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). If Jesus did not rise from the grave, His death for our sins is of no avail. We have no hope of eternal life, and, worse, our destiny is in hell. That explains why unbelievers live for this life alone because, for them, this life is all there is. They reject the concept of hell and prefer the idea that death ends it all, or that it begins a new cycle through reincarnation.
Many arguments against the resurrection of Jesus exist that have a long history from the very beginning. Some say that Jesus did not die on the cross but only “swooned” and revived in the cool dampness of the tomb, rolled the two-ton stone away, and walked out. That is a silly theory when one considers the beating, torture, and flogging Jesus received before being nailed to the cross. Also, the Roman soldiers who crucified Him were expert executioners and were familiar with death. Had they suspected that He “swooned,” they would have broken His legs like they did with the other two victims.[4] These were professionals; they knew death. Then, to ensure His death, one of the soldiers ran his spear into his side and punctured the pericardium.[5]
Let us say, for argument’s sake, that this one they failed to recognize and Jesus did indeed pass out. Even if He did revive in the cool tomb, the loss of blood from the beatings and flogging, not to mention the puncturing of his heart sac, would have left Him too weak to roll away the heavy stone – one that took several men to move – by Himself.
Another argument suggests that Jesus’ disciples overpowered the Roman guard posted at the tomb.[6] This too is a silly argument. All four Gospels record how the disciples went into hiding at Jesus’ arrest. They feared for their lives. It seems unlikely that these frightened men, most of them fishermen, and at least one un-calloused tax collector, would dare to take on battle-hardened professional Roman soldiers. However, this fabrication spread from the very beginning. Matthew records that an angel came to roll back the stone and the soldiers on watch were scared stiff.[7] The soldiers, knowing the consequence (death) for failing in their responsibility to keep the tomb secure, went to the chief priests, rather than their leaders, hoping to get a sympathetic hearing about the empty tomb. They made a good choice as the Jewish religious leaders paid them off and covered for them as long as they would spread the lie that the disciples had stolen the body.[8]
Still another argument insists that the women who went to the tomb on Sunday morning were so grief-stricken that they failed to recognize Jesus’ tomb and went to the wrong sepulcher which was empty. This argument simply rejects what Scripture clearly reports. Three of the four Gospels record that the women witnessed the tomb where Jesus was laid.[9] John, who was present at the crucifixion along with Jesus’ mother and the other women, does not say, but it stands to reason that he would have accompanied them to the tomb.
Jesus rose from the dead. If that were not true, the Jews, because of their hatred for Him, only needed to exhume the body and present it to the world, but they had no body. Men have tried and failed to show Jesus’ remains, but they cannot.
Jesus rose from the dead. He conquered death, and because He conquered death, we have the assurance that our sins are covered and we have eternal life with him. “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept [died]. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:19-22, emphasis mine). “For if by one man’s [Adam] offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one [Adam] judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [Jesus] the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s [Adam] disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one [Jesus] shall many be made righteous” (Romans 5:17-19, emphasis mine).
Because Jesus conquered death, we can have the assurance of eternal life with Him. That is why the resurrection matters. If you are not sure where you stand before Jesus, please read my page on “Securing Eternal Life.”
Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations … The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, … and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven. And the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law: (Deuteronomy 29:18-21)
Dan was Jacob’s first son born to him by Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid.[1] His name means “judge.” He was the fifth of Jacob’s sons. Before Jacob died, he blessed his sons. Of Dan, Israel said. “Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward” (Genesis 49:16-17). Long after Dan had died and his “tribe” came out of Egypt, Moses declared of the tribe, “And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan” (Deuteronomy 33:22). “By this probably Moses intended to point out the strength and prowess of this tribe, that it should extend its territories, and live a sort of predatory life.”[2]
Among the tribes of Israel, Dan remains rather unremarkable. When one looks at a map displaying the original land allotments to the various tribes, Dan’s portion was rather small. It was only slightly larger than that allotted to Benjamin which bordered Dan on the east. Its eastern border extended from Kiriath-jearim on the south up to Beth-horon in Ephraim. From there it descended southeast to Gezer (Ephraim) and beyond. Then it turned north to Gath-rimmon to the Me Jarkin River, its northern boundary, and west to the Mediterranean Sea. Turning south along the coast for about 12 miles and then east and south again past Ekron and Timnah back to Kiriath-jearim. From its eastern border to the sea was about 25 miles, and its U-shaped width was about 12-13 miles wide at any point. The tribe of Dan did not have much land, and they were not satisfied with their little portion.
The Book of Joshua records the allocation of land once the land was conquered. “And the seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families … And the coast of the children of Dan went out too little for them: therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father” (Joshua 19:40, 47, emphasis mine). It seems that this detail was included after the fact (or it was prophetic). The Book of Judges details Dan’s conquest of land beyond their allotted borders.
The account unfolds beginning in Judges 17 after the death of Samson, when a man by the name of Micah, an Ephraimite, makes some idols of silver stolen from his mother. Not long after, he hired a wayward Levite to be his personal priest. “And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest” (Judges 17:12-13). He was wrong about that, of course. It was at this time that the Danites[3] sought more land besides that which was allotted to them. They sent spies north to assess unconquered land to the north. Their route north took them through the land of Ephraim, and they came to Micah’s house which was on their way. There they saw Micah’s idols and his “priest.”[4]
The Danite spies accomplished their mission and brought back a positive report. “And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye? And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land” (Judges 18:8-9). So the Danites mustered up a large army and headed north. Along the way, they stopped off at Micah’s house and took his idols and his priest. They convinced the Levite to go with them and be their priest – a job promotion. “And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? And the priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod,[5] and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people” (Judges 18:19-20).
So, the Danites took the idols and the “priest,” and after they conquered the land, they set up their own religion. They built a new city in the conquered land and named it after their patriarch, Dan. “And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.[6] And they set them up Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh” (Judges 18:30-31, emphasis mine).
The story does not end there. At the end of the book (i.e., the Bible), the list of the tribes of Israel excludes Dan and Ephraim.[7] Granted, Israel, especially the northern kingdom, continually had problems with idolatry. However, there was always a faithful remnant. Not so with Ephraim and Dan. These two tribes were the first to wholeheartedly embrace it. Later, in the reign of Rehoboam, the northern ten tribes of Israel split off and formed their own kingdom under the reign of Jeroboam.[8] In order to prevent his subjects from going to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple, Jeroboam had two golden calves made and placed one in Bethel (in Ephraim) and the other in Dan,[9] and they were only too happy to take them. I cannot say with complete certainty, but their absence in the Revelation list seems to result from the warning God gave in our beginning passage above (Deuteronomy 29:18-21).
Neither Dan nor Ephraim are included in the list of the 144,000 witnesses, 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel.[10] This, of course, takes place during the seven-year Tribulation. However, it appears that they are restored during the Millennial Reign of Christ after the Tribulation. The Prophet Ezekiel describes the Temple that will exist during the Millennium.[11] Following that, he describes the division of the land of Israel at that time.[12] Remarkably, the first tribe listed is Dan. “Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazarenan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west; a portion for Dan” (Ezekiel 48:1, emphasis mine).
Does this mean there is a contradiction in the Bible? Certainly not! God, speaking through the Prophet Ezekiel said, “For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant. Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant” (Ezekiel 16:59-60, emphasis mine). God later responds to a rhetorical question. “Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (Ezekiel 18:19-20, emphasis mine). God made an unconditional promise to Abraham,[13] and He will keep it. Although Dan and Ephraim sinned and lost the privilege of being represented among the 144,000 witnesses in Revelation, God remains faithful to His promise and Abraham’s descendants will inherit all of the land that He promised to Abraham.
Some may question the veracity of that statement. After all, the Jews, for the most part, have rejected Jesus as their Messiah. It is only through faith in Him that one can inherit eternal life (John 14:6). However, there are many Jews currently coming to Christ now, and when He returns, the Bible says that many Jews at that time will be saved in the same way. “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10, emphasis mine). Notice that the same grace we receive when we place our trust in Christ will also be given to them at that time. As Christ returns in the clouds, they will recognize “Me” (God is speaking) and they will mourn for “Him” (speaking of Christ). They will recognize Him for Who He is and be saved.
The Prophet Amos uttered another prophecy regarding the restoration of the land to Israel. God says, “And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God” (Amos 9:14-15, emphasis mine). Of course, there are many other places where God reaffirms this promise, and we have witnessed in our present day the partial fulfillment of this promise. The Jews are back in their land, and God promises that they will never be removed again. Now, they do not yet possess all of the land God promised to Israel, but they will in the Millennium, and that includes Dan and Ephraim.
We can learn from this that God will keep all of His promises to us no matter how undeserving we may be. Israel has never been deserving. Dan and Ephraim were undeserving. Yet God remains faithful even when we are unfaithful. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God … For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Neither we nor Israel deserve God’s grace. Aren’t we grateful that He is faithful even when we are unfaithful!
If you have not experienced God’s grace and His faithfulness, take time to read my page on “Securing Eternal Life.”
Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. (Joshua 1:2)
Reading through the Pentateuch, one soon finds God’s unconditional promise to the patriarch Abraham giving him and his descendants the land of Canaan. When God cut the deal with Abraham, He took all of the responsibility for its fulfillment on Himself. “In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates” (Genesis 15:18). Before sealing the deal, God told Abraham what would become of his descendants. “And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years” (Genesis 15:13, emphasis mine).
After 400 years of captivity, they came out of Egypt and entered the Promised Land. God instructed the children of Israel to wipe out all of the people living in the land. This God-sanctioned genocide was not without purpose. God also told Abraham the purpose of their 400-year captivity. “But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full” (Genesis 15:16, emphasis mine). It seems that God was giving the inhabitants of Canaan enough time to repent of their wickedness, but that never happened. As we learn later, God’s genocidal instructions came with the warning that if the Israelites failed to complete the destruction, the inhabitants of the land would lead them into idolatry – which they did eventually.
Interestingly, Israel never possessed all the land promised to Abraham, not even during the reign of King Solomon. The “conquest” of the land recorded by Joshua, details their failures. “As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out: but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day” (Joshua 15:63, emphasis mine). “And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute” (Joshua 16:10, emphasis mine). “Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land” (Joshua 17:12, emphasis mine).
While they did not complete the land’s conquest, they remained faithful to God for a while. “And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel. (Joshua 24:31, emphasis mine). The second chapter of the Book of Judges echoes the same message. “And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel” (Judges 2:7, emphasis mine). But then, “And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10, emphasis mine). That did not take long! Only one generation and Israel never fully recovered.
Although Israel constantly fell into idolatry, God always remained faithful to His side of the deal with Abraham. God’s assessment of Abraham’s descendants came not long after they left Egypt. “And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people” (Exodus 32:9). “Stiff-necked” basically means “inflexible, stubborn, and obstinate.” It conjures up the image of a driven animal – ox or mule – that refuses to turn when its master tugs to the left or to the right, but continues down its own chosen way. That is Israel – a stiff-necked people. No matter how many times God applied corrective measures, they persisted in their idolatrous ways. Yet, God remains faithful.
Today, the majority of Israel remains secular. Many claim atheism and others practice Judaism out of tradition only – like Tevye (Fiddler on the Roof). While a growing population of Christian Jews exists, still the majority of Jews in Israel are lost. That, however, does not negate God’s promise to Abraham. The land to which they have returned, as prophesied, belongs to them. The so-called Palestinians, who have no “history” except for that which was initiated long after Israel became a nation in 1948, and who are ethnically Arabs, have no legitimate claim to the land. The land belongs to Israel. The turmoil taking place there now will not be resolved until the world recognizes that fact. However, Scripture tells us that will not happen until Christ returns and settles the question permanently. That event draws nearer daily. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. (Genesis 12:3)
There is a notion going around and gaining strength that the promises God made to Israel have been taken away from Israel and given to the Church. There is also the idea that the Jews occupying the modern nation of Israel are not the same people to whom God made the promise, therefore God’s promises made to Israel are null and void since the original Israelites no longer exist. Both notions are false.
God’s promise to Abraham (Abram) came with no conditions.[1] God promised the land of Israel’s current borders and beyond as an “everlasting” possession. God’s unconditional promise, detailed in Genesis 15, was a “covenant” – a contract – guaranteed by God alone. “For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself” (Hebrews 6:13). God would be going against His own nature if He broke the covenant He made with Abraham and guaranteed by His own name. “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19).
Some will argue that God annulled that covenant and made a “new covenant” that applies to the Church and which was fulfilled at Pentecost.[2] They come to this conclusion from a prophecy given by the Prophet Jeremiah. “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah” (Jeremiah 31:31). However, the plain reading of the text clearly specifies that the promise is to “the house of Israel” and “the house of Judah.” One really has to stretch to make it apply to the Church. These will quickly point to Peter’s words at Pentecost when he said, “this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16). That being the case, we need to see exactly what Joel said. “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit” (Joel 2:28-29, emphasis mine). That certainly came true in part on the Day of Pentecost. However, it was not the complete fulfillment of the prophecy. In the verses that follow, the prophet continues: “And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come” (Joel 2:30-31, emphasis mine). That certainly did not take place at Pentecost, but it is meant for a future time.
In the second chapter of Joel, the prophet is talking about the coming of “the day of the Lord.” That phrase must be understood in its context. Here, the prophet was speaking of the coming of the Lord (i.e., Jesus) to set up His earthly kingdom. The prophets of the O.T. did not foresee the “Church.” The Apostle Paul declares that the Church was a “mystery” to the prophets of old. “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:26-27, emphasis mine). John the Revelator amplifies to whom it was made a mystery. “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets” (Revelation 10:7, emphasis mine). In other words, what was a mystery to the prophets will finally be revealed during and after the time of the Tribulation.
When one reads the prophecies in the O.T., it is clear that they all pertain to Israel. Even those who speak of the coming Messiah, they make clear that the Messiah is coming to save His people. Those prophecies that speak of His suffering and dying, the Jews of Jesus’ time treated as anathema. They believed then, and do even now, that the Messiah would be a human that would be a king in the line of David and would make their nation great among all the nations of the earth. As we study the prophecies, we cannot argue with that line of thinking, apart from Christ. Knowing this, we can understand their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus Himself said, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). However, He was not exactly what they expected, and so, He was “despised and rejected of men” (Isaiah 53:3) and nailed to a Roman cross.
However, the prophets were not erred about Jesus coming as king. That is yet to come, and all the promises made to Israel will be finally and ultimately be fulfilled according to the covenant God made with Abraham – an “everlasting covenant.” Jesus will indeed return and rule the nations with a rod of iron.[3]
However, before all of that happens, the Jews have to be back in the land that God promised Abraham as an everlasting possession. The migration began in the late 19th Century and into the 20th Century. Then on May 14, 1948, Israel took its place among the free nations of the world. That event became the harbinger of the “last days,” because for the last days’ prophecies to be fulfilled, there must be a national Israel – and it is NOT the Church. Today, the population of Israel is over 9.55 million and growing. With the increase of worldwide antisemitism, that number grows daily. Yet some discount that saying those populating Israel are not genetically pure Jews. That is a ridiculous claim! Have those making that claim done serious genetic research to verify that claim? I dare say not! It is only their way to deny what is evident before their eyes. Besides, who believes that God, who knows the number of hairs on every head, can lose track of His chosen people? Besides, can anyone make the claim that Jesus was a “pure” Jew? Jesus’ lineage came from the line of Judah through Tamar (a Canaanite), followed by Rehab (a Canaanite prostitute), and later by Ruth (a Moabite), and who knows how many others who were not named. Does that disqualify Jesus’ Messiahship?
So, God is keeping and will keep His promise to Abraham and to his descendants. But along with those promises, did you catch what was also included in that promise? “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee” (Genesis 12:3). God does not renege on His promises. He promises to bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel. That is a lesson that our elected officials do not seem to understand. Our current President in his recent State of the Union address boasted that the United States stands with Israel. That “sounds” good to American Jews and Evangelicals; but behind the scenes, the United States is giving money to Iran, which hates America and is intent on the annihilation of Israel. Iran uses that money to fund its terrorist proxies, Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS, the Houthis, the Muslim Brotherhood, etc. At the same time, the U.S. is pressuring Israel to cease fire against the demonic Hamas and is actively supplying Israel’s enemy in Gaza. By her actions, the United States is cursing Israel and for this, God will curse America, if He hasn’t already. If America does not repent of its wrongheaded action, America will incur God’s curse upon us. God keeps His promises. If God has reneged on His promise to Abraham, how can we trust Him to keep His promise to us? God is faithful. He keeps His promises.
And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? (Numbers 22:28)
My daily Bible reading brings me to the Book of Numbers, and as the name suggests, there are many long, detailed lists of names and numbers, which make for very dry reading. The minutiae serve as an important resource for deep study, but for casual reading, it can be a little boring. It is easy to forget that it is, after all, God’s Word, and God included everything in it for a reason. That said, Numbers does include some interesting accounts that play out later in Scripture.
There is the account in Chapter 11 where the children of Israel complained because all they had to eat was the manna that God sent from heaven every morning. They were tired of the heavenly bread and wanted meat to eat. (Someone rightly questioned, “With all the herds of sheep, goats, and cattle they had with them, how is it they had no meat to eat?” Good question. I do not know the answer.) Their complaining angered God and He sent them quail to eat for a whole month until it was coming out of their nostrils![1] The lesson – don’t complain about what you don’t have, but be thankful for what you do have.
In Chapter 12, Moses’ siblings, Aaron and Miriam, speak against Moses for his marriage to an Ethiopian woman.
Presumably this woman was Zipporah (Ex. 2:21; 4:25), the daughter of Jethro, since there is no other indication that Moses had more than one wife. However she is also called a Midianite (Ex 2:16), and this leaves her identity somewhat uncertain. Ethiopia is Cush in Hebrew, and the Cushites originally settled on the western shores of Arabia before moving across the Red Sea to Ethiopia, being gradually replaced by the Midianites. Thus, the Cushites and the Midianites probably experienced considerable intermingling and intermarriage in the process. Habakkuk 3:7 indicates that Cushan and Midian were sometimes considered equivalent.[2]
Evidently, they felt they were not getting their share of the limelight. “And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it” (Numbers 12:2). The LORD called a meeting of the three. “And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” (Numbers 12:6-8, emphasis mine). God struck Miriam with leprosy for only seven days because Moses interceded on her behalf. Aaron, being the high priest, was not stricken, but the sight of his sister’s punishment was lesson enough for him. The lesson – do not speak out against the Lord’s anointed.
In Chapters 13 and 14, we have the account of the 12 spies sent out to spy out the Promised Land. Ten returned with a good news/bad news report. Yes, the land was rich and fruitful as God had promised, but it was also full of giants against whom they felt powerless. Their negative report caused the people to become fearful. Only two, Caleb and Joshua encouraged the people saying that God would fight for them to give them the land. However, the people listened to the ten negative reports rather than the two positive ones. They were ready to choose a new leader and return to their life of slavery in Egypt. This too angered the LORD, and He was ready to smite them all with plague and start all over with just Moses. But Moses interceded for the people and assuaged God’s wrath, but not without consequences for the people. For forty years they would wander in the desert until the last of the fearful died out in the desert, except for Caleb and Joshua. Hearing the LORD’s decree, the people repented and took it upon themselves to go fight against the Amalekites on their own. That did not work out well for them and the Amalekites whooped up on them! The lesson – when you trust in your own strength and abilities, you will certainly fail. It always works out better when you trust God to fight your battles.
There is also the account of the sons of Korah, Levites, who rebelled against Moses and Aaron, Chapter 16. These were swallowed up by the ground. Again, don’t mess with God’s anointed. The fate of Korah’s sons failed to penetrate the brains of those that remained, so they continued to “murmur,” and they came against Moses and Aaron. Once more, God was ready to wipe them all out, but Moses and Aaron interceded for the people.
Even so, God sent a plague that killed 14,700 of them.[3]Chapter 17 records another strange event. Following the rebellion, God had Moses gather the heads of the 12 tribes with their staffs (walking sticks) to lay before the Testimony (i.e., the Ark of the Covenant). Each staff bore the name of its respective tribe. Aaron’s staff was also placed among them. To settle who God selected as leader, that man’s staff would blossom. Keep in mind, these staffs were made of hard, dead wood completely devoid of life and completely incapable of producing fruit. All staffs were laid before the Ark that resided in the Holy of Holies. The following morning, Aaron’s staff blossomed and produced almonds.[4] “And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron’s rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not” (Numbers 17:10).
God made it perfectly clear who He had selected to lead the congregation. Yet with all of his qualities, Moses was not perfect. Chapter 20 records what was arguably Moses’ greatest failure. Their wanderings in the desert brought the children of Israel to Kadesh where they found themselves without water once again. As was their pattern, they started whining to Moses about their lack of water and accusing him of having brought them out to the desert to die. Understandably, Moses was more than a little angry with the people, but he took their complaint before the LORD. God told Moses to gather the people around a large rock that was there. He told Moses to “speak” to the rock and that it would bring forth water. “And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them” (Numbers 20:9-12, emphasis mine). Moses’ failure was not that he struck the rock, but that he did not speak to it as instructed. His failure was that he took the credit for bringing water out of the rock rather than attributing the credit to God. His punishment was that he would not lead the people into the Promised Land. The lesson – when God tells you to do something, do it the way He says to do it and not like you think it ought to be done.
The next chapter records an account repeated in the New Testament making the previous lesson clear. In Chapter 21, the Canaanite king, Arad, made an unprovoked attack on the Israelite camp and took some captive. Israel made a vow to God to utterly destroy all the cities of the Canaanites if He would deliver them into their hands. God granted their request, but along the way, they started complaining “because of the way.”[5] God must have thought, “You think this is tough, I’ll show you tough,” so He sent fiery serpents to bite them and many were dying. It did not take long for them to repent and cry out to Moses to save them. So, God instructed Moses to make a brass serpent and put it atop a pole. Then, when anyone was bitten, all they needed to do was look up at the serpent on the pole and they would not die from the snake bite. Jesus referred to this event when He spoke to Nicodemus. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). There is no other cure for the sting of sin. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6, emphasis mine). The lesson – God has provided only one way to survive the sting of death; there is no other way.
I now arrive at the subject of my provocative title. The children of Israel were nearing the end of their wanderings in the wilderness. They were approaching the borders of Moab. The Moabites were the descendants of one of Lot’s daughters.[6]Numbers 22-24 records the encounter between Moab and Israel. Balak, the king of Moab, heard about the approach of the Israelites, and God’s reputation preceded them. “And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel” (Numbers 22:3). Balak got the great idea to hire Balaam to curse Israel, “for,” he said, “I [know] that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed” (Numbers 22:6). However, Balaam assured him that he could only speak as the LORD directed him, so he turned down the job. Balak would not be deterred. He sent a second delegation with a greater offer. When Balaam consulted with God about the matter, God instructed him to return with the delegation, but that he should only speak the words He gave him. So, the next day, Balaam saddled his donkey (ass) and went to see Balak. Along the way, “the Angel of the Lord with sword drawn” confronted him. Balaam did not see Him, but the donkey did, and she veered off the main road. That angered Balaam and he beat the donkey and tried to force her back on the main road. There was a stone wall along one side of the road, and when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she went up against the wall and knocked Balaam off her back. That really made Balaam angry, and he beat her again. The Angel of the Lord moved further down the road again to a place where the donkey could not get around, so she just dropped down. Balaam got off and started beating her again. Then the most remarkable thing happened. “And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?” (Numbers 22:28). What is even more remarkable is that Balaam was not taken aback because the donkey talked. Instead, he engaged her in conversation. “And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee” (Numbers 22:29). The donkey then laid a guilt trip on Balaam. “And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay” (Numbers 22:30).
At that point, God opened Balaam’s eyes so that he could see what the donkey saw. Balaam saw the pre-incarnate Christ with a sword drawn. “And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive. And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again. And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak” (Numbers 22:32-35, emphasis mine).
Balaam did go to Balak, and three different times, instead of cursing Israel, to Balak’s chagrin, all Balaam could utter was a blessing upon the children of Israel. In one of those blessings, he foretold the coming of the Messiah. “I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth” (Numbers 24:17, emphasis mine).
At the end of the chapter, it appears that Balak and Balaam part ways in defeat. In the following chapter, we learn that the children of Israel started fornicating with the Moabite women. The fornication involved more than just illicit sex. The act was part of Baal worship in violation of the first two of the Ten Commandments. God had all the violators hanged or killed by the non-participants.
When we read further, we learn that Balaam had something to do with Israel’s sin. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people” (Numbers 31:1-2). This event took place just prior to Israel entering the Promised Land. “And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males. And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword” (Numbers 31:7-8, emphasis mine). The Midianite women they took captive for which Moses reprimanded them. “And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD” (Numbers 31:15-16, emphasis mine). So, Balaam did not just give up in defeat. He counseled Balak to seduce the men of Israel to fornicate in worship to Baal.
Evidently, Balaam was paid for his advice to Balak. The Apostle Peter writes, “… cursed children Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness” (2 Peter 2:14-15, emphasis mine). Jude adds, “Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core” (Jude 1:11, emphasis mine). Jesus Himself affirmed as much. “But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication” (Revelation 2:14, emphasis mine). At least Balaam’s donkey was smart enough not to try to circumvent the Lord’s will. The lesson – you need to be at least as smart as Balaam’s donkey and not try to find a way around God’s will. In the end, you lose.
However, the greater lesson I learned through my reading in Numbers is that even though Israel is constantly obstinate against God (even today – their majority is secular), God is consistently faithful to His promise to Abraham, and He will bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel. Would that our government would learn that lesson. Our puppet president is making all the wrong decisions in opposition to Israel – cursing Israel. That will only result in God cursing our country. And, if you are paying attention, God has already removed His hand of blessing from our nation. Do not be fooled. Israel will survive without the US, but the US will fade from its former place of greatness. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).
Ernie's Musings 