Mark Dever shares two sobering lessons.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Sunday, March 18, 2007
A Bible Riddle
3/18/2007 03:49:00 PM
1 comment
God made Adam out of dust,
But thought it best to make me first;
So I was made before the man
According to the Lord's Holy Plan.
My whole body God made complete,
Without arms or hands or feet.
My ways and acts did the Lord control,
But in my body He placed no soul.
A living being I became,
And Adam gave to me a name.
Then from his presence I withdrew,
For this man Adam I never knew.
All my maker's laws I do obey,
And from these laws I never stray.
Thousand's of me go in fear,
But seldom on the earth appear.
Later, for a purpose the Lord did see,
He placed a living soul in me.
But that soul of mine the Lord had to claim,
And from me took it back again.
And when this soul from me had fled,
I was the same as when first made;
Without arms, legs, feet, or soul,
I travel on from pole to pole.
My labors are from day to night,
And to men I once furnished light.
Thousands of people, both young and old,
Did by my death bright lights behold.
No right nor wrong can I conceive,
The bible and it's teachings I can't believe.
The fear of death does not trouble me,
Pure happiness I will never see.
Up in Heaven I can never go,
Nor in the grave or Hell below.
So get your Bible and read with care,
You'll find my name recorded there.
The answer is one word, five letters long, and appears only four times in the King James Version of the Bible.
What is the answer??
[Answer Next Sunday If No One Gets It]
Update: Answer Here.
Matt's Messages - Don't Complain!
“Don’t Complain!”
Life in the Wilderness
March 18, 2007
Numbers 11:1-35
Last week, we read about Israel setting off on her big march.
The twelve tribes with banners unfurled marching in perfect order and obedience whenever and wherever the cloud of the LORD and the Ark of the Covenant led them.
And the ultimate destination of their triumphant march was the land that God had promised to give them.
10 chapters of glorious obedient preparation.
And almost nothing in those chapters has prepared us for what is about to happen.
10 chapters of disobedient problems.
Surprise, surprise!
10 chapters of “Faith is the Victory!” And all of a sudden, it looks a lot like defeat.
In the world of finance, a chapter 11 is a bankruptcy.
And that’s essentially what happens in Numbers chapter 11.
The people of Israel are shown to be spiritually bankrupt.
And it comes out in complaining.
If I could boil down the application of this chapter into one short exhortation, it would be simply this: “Don’t Complain!”
Okay, you’ve got the whole thing. Now you can go home.
But before you go, let’s see what happened and why and what lessons we can draw from it.
Numbers chapter 11, verse 1.
“Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the LORD, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the LORD and the fire died down. So that place was called Taberah [BURNING], because fire from the LORD had burned among them.”
“Now the people complained.” It doesn’t sound that bad, does it?
They didn’t complain for the first 10 chapters. No real hint of it. But here, three days into their journey, they complain.
It appears that they encountered some hardships. We’re not sure what those were real or imagined. But we do know that they complained about it “in the hearing of the LORD.” [Which, by the way, is wherever you are. He doesn’t miss a thing!]
“And when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.”
Is complaining a big deal or just a little one?
The Bible says that it “aroused” God’s anger. So much that he set fire to the outskirts of the camp. We don’t know if that was tents or people or what. But it was terrifying.
And the people cried out to Moses, and Moses called out to God and God made the fire die down. And they named that place “Burning.”
Complaining (or grumbling or the old King James word murmuring) is a big deal.
It’s a real bad sin.
We tend to downplay the sinfulness of complaining because we live with it all the time.
Paul Tripp writes, “We live with grumbling all the time. Isn’t it amazing that we human beings can stand in front of a closet full of clothes and say we don’t have a thing to wear? Or stand in front of a refrigerator full of food and say there’s nothing to eat? We are angry at the food and go on diets because we’re convinced that anything that ever tasted good is fattening. Isn’t it remarkable that we have wonderful activity-filled lives full of meaning and purpose, and we grumble that we’re way too busy? Or that we can look at everything that exists and find some reason to complain? Grumbling may seem like a little thing—a little sin—but I would like to propose to you that grumbling is a pollutant in the waters of your heart. It will kill life.” (Grumbling–A Look At A ‘Little’ Sin, Journal of Biblical Counseling, Volume 18, Number 2, Winter 2000).
That’s true.
And the Israelites found that out first hand.
God takes complaining seriously.
Because (#1) GOD IS HOLY.
All sin is abhorrent to God. All sin is detestable in His sight.
And the sin of complaining is no different.
It’s not an insignificant little trifle that God just overlooks.
God is holy. And He says to not complain.
Complaining arouses His wrath.
Ever think about it like that?
I often don’t. It’s easy for me to slip into complaining-mode.
But that doesn’t make it right.
The problem with complaining is not just that God is holy, so we shouldn’t, but that (#2) GOD IS GENEROUS! So we shouldn’t!
But when our hearts aren’t in the right place, we can’t see that.
That’s what happened to Israel at a place called “Kibroth Hattaavah.” Verse 4.
“The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, ‘If only we had meat to eat!”
The “rabble” here are the Gentiles that were attached to Israel and lived on the outskirts of the camp but hadn’t full assimilated to the people of Israel yet.
They led the way in complaining. And notice where their complaining came from–cravings.
Complaining comes from craving. Note that down.
Complaining comes from craving. A craving is a desire that is out of whack.
Desires aren’t necessarily bad in and of themselves. But when a desire becomes a need, becomes a demand, becomes something you can’t be happy without, it turns into a craving. And cravings lead to complaining.
Here what they wanted so bad was meat to eat.
And it led to (v.4), “Wailing!” They were really yelling this one.
“If only we had meat to eat!” V.5
“We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost–also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” Blech!
Notice how cravings distort the facts!
These guys have talked themselves into believing that they were living it up in Egypt!
Yeah! Back when they were slaves making bricks without straw! That was the life!
But their cravings have made them forget how it really was.
And how generous God really is.
They’re complaining about manna!
Verse 7 reminds us what manna is.
“The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin. The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a handmill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into cakes. And it tasted like something made with olive oil. When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down.”
Was manna good? You bet. The NIV for verse 8 doesn’t really get across the idea.
“It tasted like something made with olive oil.” The “something” there could be translated “pastry.” It tasted like a little pastry with olive oil.
It was good!
And it was free!
Did they have to work really hard to get it? No way!
Just go out and pick it up. And they didn’t even have to pick up on the Sabbath. They got a double the day before.
But here they are complaining!
Bread from heaven! “The original Angel Food Cake!” (Iain Duguid, pg. 150)
And they’re complaining!
And you and I say, “How ridiculous.”
But how often do we do the exact same thing?
We look at the gifts God has generously given us and we find something to complain about.
We had to go the ER on Friday with Isaac. He was having trouble breathing.
He has a bad cold and cough that apparently overwhelmed his lungs.
It was a little scarey watching him suck in the air and have a hard time breathing.
The little guy got an x-ray, diodes stuck on him all over the place, oxygen coming into his nose, a little thingergigger on his thumb to give his vitals the computer.
And he got over an hour’s worth of breathing treatments.
And he bounced back in a big way. We were really proud of him and happy for him!
And you know what, I missed my supper.
Just about a soon as Isaac seemed to be doing a lot better, I began to complain (inwardly) that I hadn’t been able to have my supper.
I’m looking at my son who is breathing freely again, and I’m giving thanks to God for it.
And in the same breath, I’m grumbling inwardly that my tummy is empty!
God is generous! Don’t complain.
Have you ever noticed that complaining is contagious?
If you are around complainers, chances are you’ll become a complainer, too.
But when you’re you around thankful content people, it’s a lot easier to be thankful and content.
Well, the contagious disease of complaining had spread from the rabble to the families of Israel. Verse 10.
“Moses heard the people of every family wailing, each at the entrance to his tent [what a pathetic image!]. The LORD became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled.”
And here’s where Moses goes wrong in this story. It’s the opposite of Moses’ Battle Cry that we saw last week.
I call this, “Moses’ Pity Party.” He starts complaining, too. V.11
“He asked the LORD, ‘Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their forefathers? Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, 'Give us meat to eat!' I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now–if I have found favor in your eyes–and do not let me face my own ruin.’”
Did you notice how self-focused his speech here is?
Complaining is all about me.
Me, me, me, me, me.
And look how generous God is to him! V.16
“The LORD said to Moses: ‘Bring me seventy of Israel's elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the Tent of Meeting, that they may stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone.”
God is so generous! Why would we ever complain?
God knows what Moses needs. So He promises to lighten to load.
And the same time, He is also just. Verse 18.
“Tell the people: 'Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The LORD heard you when you wailed, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!’ Now the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat it. You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, but for a whole month–until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it–because you have rejected the LORD, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’”
Notice that in God’s eyes, complaining amounts to rebellion. Look at verse 20 again.
“You have rejected the LORD, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’”
Ultimately, complaining is rejecting the LORD. The King James Version says, “despised” here.
“You have despised the LORD.”
When we complain, we put the LORD on trial (even when we aren’t thinking about the LORD!), and we’re saying that He is bad and something else that we want is better.
We are breaking covenant with Him!
“You have rejected the LORD.”
But does He break covenant with us? No. He’s faithful.
(#3) GOD IS FAITHFUL. Don’t complain!
“You have rejected the LORD, who is among you,”
He’s right here being faithful. And you want to go back to Egypt?
Let me put in stark terms. It’s like a former Christian saying, “Jesus, I don’t want your salvation any more. Thanks but no thanks for your Cross. I’m going back to my old way of life.”
Now, we don’t go that far with most of our complaining, but that kind of treachery is still inherent in each of our grumbles.
The big story of the next 10 chapters is a story of treacherous grumbling.
And it’s so sad because God is so faithful.
And here, Moses still doesn’t get it yet! He still focused on himself and comes out with another complaint. Verse 21.
“But Moses said, ‘Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, 'I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!' Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?’”
How am I going to pull this one off?
And the LORD says, “You won’t, Dummy. I’m going to do it!” V.23
“The LORD answered Moses, ‘Is the LORD's arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.’”
I love that question. We need to remind ourselves of that question again and again and again. “Is the LORD’s arm too short?”
Is anything to difficult for the LORD?
No way! “He is able, more than able!”
(#4) GOD IS POWERFUL!
His arm is not too short.
Didn’t He do the 10 plagues against Pharoah?
Didn’t He part the Red Sea?
Didn’t He provide the manna?
Didn’t He give the water from the rock?
Didn’t He come down on Mount Sinai?
“Is the LORD’s arm too short?”
Do you need to be asked that question today?
Maybe you’re going through something really difficult. Impossible.
He’s the God of the impossible.
His arm is not too short.
Don’t give in to the temptation to whine and complain and focus on yourself.
Look up! See this God who is Holy, and Generous, and Faithful, and Powerful!
His arm is not too short to accomplish what concerns you today.
And finally, Moses got the message. V.24
“So Moses went out and told the people what the LORD had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the Tent. [Where’s the tent? At the center of the camp. Seventy is two perfect numbers put together: 7 times 10. V.25] Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took of the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirit on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not do so again.”
I’m not sure all of what was happening here, but it was transferring some of the Spirit’s power onto these elders to help Moses with the burden of leading the people. The prophesied in some way to indicate that the Spirit was on them in a special way.
And it happened in the camp, too. V.26
“However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but [for some reason] did not go out to the Tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. A young man ran and told Moses, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses' aide since youth, spoke up and said, ‘Moses, my lord, stop them!’”
Joshua is concerned that there might be a power struggle. And there will be one! Come back next week.
But Moses doesn’t complain. Instead, he speaks in faith. V.29
“But Moses replied, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!’ Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.”
Moses gets it. God is powerful. He has more than enough Spirit to do empower whomever He wants.
I think that the ultimate fulfillment of Moses’ wish happened at Pentecost when the Spirit came to indwell all believers the same!
God is Powerful.
But His power isn’t used willy-nilly. He isn’t moody and capricious.
(#5) GOD IS JUST.
He always does what is right. And His great power is always put to righteous use.
God is Just. And His justice is what we see in verse 31.
“Now a wind went out from the LORD and drove quail in from the sea. It brought them down all around the camp to about three feet above the ground, as far as a day's walk in any direction.”
I call this, “A Quail Storm.” And it is the justice of God. V.32.
“All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers. [Look at the footnote: “That is, probably about 60 bushels.” This is a bushel. The people who gathered the least, picked up 60 of these full of quail!] Then they spread them out all around the camp. But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the LORD burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague. [Many died.] Therefore the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah, [GRAVES OF CRAVING] because there they buried the people who had craved other food. From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth and stayed there.”
God is Just.
Notice how the punishment fits the crime?
You want meat? You’ll get meat!
You reject me? I’ll give you what you want. It won’t be satisfying.
Call the place, “Dead Meat” if you want. Graves of Craving.
If we follow our deceptive cravings to their natural end, they will lead to death.
Only God is truly satisfying!
Sometimes, we might think that God is being too harsh.
But He’s not. He’s perfectly just.
Don’t complain.
He’s Holy.
Don’t complain.
He’s Generous.
Don’t complain.
He’s Faithful.
Don’t complain.
He’s Powerful.
Don’t complain.
He’s Just.
Don’t complain.
And one more.
(#6) GOD IS GRACIOUS.
You know why?
Because this failure in the wilderness is not the end.
He was merciful all along. His fire ate up the outskirts of the camp.
Moses wasn’t burnt to a crisp for his pity party.
He responded to the people’s prayers with mercy.
But one day, many years later, He sent His Son Jesus to do what we could not do on our own.
Jesus passed the test in His wilderness!
He never complained.
Did you ever think about that?
He never sinned. So He never sinfully complained.
He never murmured or grumbled.
He never complained.
“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22).
And He carried the full burden of the people.
Moses couldn’t handle it all and needed 70 helpers.
But Jesus took the whole burden on Himself and carried to the Cross.
God is gracious. He sent His Son to do what we could not do.
I’ve said, “Don’t Complain!” many times in the message.
But it’s a lot easier to say than it is to do.
But Jesus did it. And He did for me.
On the Cross, He took my place. He paid the penalty for my sinful complaining.
And He gave me His perfect track record of thankful, contented speech.
And now, because of Jesus and His Cross, I can be thankful, and contented, too.
Because of His Spirit resting on me (even though I’m not at the Tent of Meeting!), I can change into a contented thankful man.
I can keep from complaining because of the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ.
If you belong to Jesus, you can to.
Don’t Complain!
Trust Jesus.
The twelve tribes with banners unfurled marching in perfect order and obedience whenever and wherever the cloud of the LORD and the Ark of the Covenant led them.
And the ultimate destination of their triumphant march was the land that God had promised to give them.
10 chapters of glorious obedient preparation.
And almost nothing in those chapters has prepared us for what is about to happen.
10 chapters of disobedient problems.
Surprise, surprise!
10 chapters of “Faith is the Victory!” And all of a sudden, it looks a lot like defeat.
In the world of finance, a chapter 11 is a bankruptcy.
And that’s essentially what happens in Numbers chapter 11.
The people of Israel are shown to be spiritually bankrupt.
And it comes out in complaining.
If I could boil down the application of this chapter into one short exhortation, it would be simply this: “Don’t Complain!”
Okay, you’ve got the whole thing. Now you can go home.
But before you go, let’s see what happened and why and what lessons we can draw from it.
Numbers chapter 11, verse 1.
“Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the LORD, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the LORD and the fire died down. So that place was called Taberah [BURNING], because fire from the LORD had burned among them.”
“Now the people complained.” It doesn’t sound that bad, does it?
They didn’t complain for the first 10 chapters. No real hint of it. But here, three days into their journey, they complain.
It appears that they encountered some hardships. We’re not sure what those were real or imagined. But we do know that they complained about it “in the hearing of the LORD.” [Which, by the way, is wherever you are. He doesn’t miss a thing!]
“And when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.”
Is complaining a big deal or just a little one?
The Bible says that it “aroused” God’s anger. So much that he set fire to the outskirts of the camp. We don’t know if that was tents or people or what. But it was terrifying.
And the people cried out to Moses, and Moses called out to God and God made the fire die down. And they named that place “Burning.”
Complaining (or grumbling or the old King James word murmuring) is a big deal.
It’s a real bad sin.
We tend to downplay the sinfulness of complaining because we live with it all the time.
Paul Tripp writes, “We live with grumbling all the time. Isn’t it amazing that we human beings can stand in front of a closet full of clothes and say we don’t have a thing to wear? Or stand in front of a refrigerator full of food and say there’s nothing to eat? We are angry at the food and go on diets because we’re convinced that anything that ever tasted good is fattening. Isn’t it remarkable that we have wonderful activity-filled lives full of meaning and purpose, and we grumble that we’re way too busy? Or that we can look at everything that exists and find some reason to complain? Grumbling may seem like a little thing—a little sin—but I would like to propose to you that grumbling is a pollutant in the waters of your heart. It will kill life.” (Grumbling–A Look At A ‘Little’ Sin, Journal of Biblical Counseling, Volume 18, Number 2, Winter 2000).
That’s true.
And the Israelites found that out first hand.
God takes complaining seriously.
Because (#1) GOD IS HOLY.
All sin is abhorrent to God. All sin is detestable in His sight.
And the sin of complaining is no different.
It’s not an insignificant little trifle that God just overlooks.
God is holy. And He says to not complain.
Complaining arouses His wrath.
Ever think about it like that?
I often don’t. It’s easy for me to slip into complaining-mode.
But that doesn’t make it right.
The problem with complaining is not just that God is holy, so we shouldn’t, but that (#2) GOD IS GENEROUS! So we shouldn’t!
But when our hearts aren’t in the right place, we can’t see that.
That’s what happened to Israel at a place called “Kibroth Hattaavah.” Verse 4.
“The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, ‘If only we had meat to eat!”
The “rabble” here are the Gentiles that were attached to Israel and lived on the outskirts of the camp but hadn’t full assimilated to the people of Israel yet.
They led the way in complaining. And notice where their complaining came from–cravings.
Complaining comes from craving. Note that down.
Complaining comes from craving. A craving is a desire that is out of whack.
Desires aren’t necessarily bad in and of themselves. But when a desire becomes a need, becomes a demand, becomes something you can’t be happy without, it turns into a craving. And cravings lead to complaining.
Here what they wanted so bad was meat to eat.
And it led to (v.4), “Wailing!” They were really yelling this one.
“If only we had meat to eat!” V.5
“We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost–also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” Blech!
Notice how cravings distort the facts!
These guys have talked themselves into believing that they were living it up in Egypt!
Yeah! Back when they were slaves making bricks without straw! That was the life!
But their cravings have made them forget how it really was.
And how generous God really is.
They’re complaining about manna!
Verse 7 reminds us what manna is.
“The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin. The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a handmill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into cakes. And it tasted like something made with olive oil. When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down.”
Was manna good? You bet. The NIV for verse 8 doesn’t really get across the idea.
“It tasted like something made with olive oil.” The “something” there could be translated “pastry.” It tasted like a little pastry with olive oil.
It was good!
And it was free!
Did they have to work really hard to get it? No way!
Just go out and pick it up. And they didn’t even have to pick up on the Sabbath. They got a double the day before.
But here they are complaining!
Bread from heaven! “The original Angel Food Cake!” (Iain Duguid, pg. 150)
And they’re complaining!
And you and I say, “How ridiculous.”
But how often do we do the exact same thing?
We look at the gifts God has generously given us and we find something to complain about.
We had to go the ER on Friday with Isaac. He was having trouble breathing.
He has a bad cold and cough that apparently overwhelmed his lungs.
It was a little scarey watching him suck in the air and have a hard time breathing.
The little guy got an x-ray, diodes stuck on him all over the place, oxygen coming into his nose, a little thingergigger on his thumb to give his vitals the computer.
And he got over an hour’s worth of breathing treatments.
And he bounced back in a big way. We were really proud of him and happy for him!
And you know what, I missed my supper.
Just about a soon as Isaac seemed to be doing a lot better, I began to complain (inwardly) that I hadn’t been able to have my supper.
I’m looking at my son who is breathing freely again, and I’m giving thanks to God for it.
And in the same breath, I’m grumbling inwardly that my tummy is empty!
God is generous! Don’t complain.
Have you ever noticed that complaining is contagious?
If you are around complainers, chances are you’ll become a complainer, too.
But when you’re you around thankful content people, it’s a lot easier to be thankful and content.
Well, the contagious disease of complaining had spread from the rabble to the families of Israel. Verse 10.
“Moses heard the people of every family wailing, each at the entrance to his tent [what a pathetic image!]. The LORD became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled.”
And here’s where Moses goes wrong in this story. It’s the opposite of Moses’ Battle Cry that we saw last week.
I call this, “Moses’ Pity Party.” He starts complaining, too. V.11
“He asked the LORD, ‘Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their forefathers? Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, 'Give us meat to eat!' I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now–if I have found favor in your eyes–and do not let me face my own ruin.’”
Did you notice how self-focused his speech here is?
Complaining is all about me.
Me, me, me, me, me.
And look how generous God is to him! V.16
“The LORD said to Moses: ‘Bring me seventy of Israel's elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the Tent of Meeting, that they may stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone.”
God is so generous! Why would we ever complain?
God knows what Moses needs. So He promises to lighten to load.
And the same time, He is also just. Verse 18.
“Tell the people: 'Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The LORD heard you when you wailed, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!’ Now the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat it. You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, but for a whole month–until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it–because you have rejected the LORD, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’”
Notice that in God’s eyes, complaining amounts to rebellion. Look at verse 20 again.
“You have rejected the LORD, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’”
Ultimately, complaining is rejecting the LORD. The King James Version says, “despised” here.
“You have despised the LORD.”
When we complain, we put the LORD on trial (even when we aren’t thinking about the LORD!), and we’re saying that He is bad and something else that we want is better.
We are breaking covenant with Him!
“You have rejected the LORD.”
But does He break covenant with us? No. He’s faithful.
(#3) GOD IS FAITHFUL. Don’t complain!
“You have rejected the LORD, who is among you,”
He’s right here being faithful. And you want to go back to Egypt?
Let me put in stark terms. It’s like a former Christian saying, “Jesus, I don’t want your salvation any more. Thanks but no thanks for your Cross. I’m going back to my old way of life.”
Now, we don’t go that far with most of our complaining, but that kind of treachery is still inherent in each of our grumbles.
The big story of the next 10 chapters is a story of treacherous grumbling.
And it’s so sad because God is so faithful.
And here, Moses still doesn’t get it yet! He still focused on himself and comes out with another complaint. Verse 21.
“But Moses said, ‘Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, 'I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!' Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?’”
How am I going to pull this one off?
And the LORD says, “You won’t, Dummy. I’m going to do it!” V.23
“The LORD answered Moses, ‘Is the LORD's arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.’”
I love that question. We need to remind ourselves of that question again and again and again. “Is the LORD’s arm too short?”
Is anything to difficult for the LORD?
No way! “He is able, more than able!”
(#4) GOD IS POWERFUL!
His arm is not too short.
Didn’t He do the 10 plagues against Pharoah?
Didn’t He part the Red Sea?
Didn’t He provide the manna?
Didn’t He give the water from the rock?
Didn’t He come down on Mount Sinai?
“Is the LORD’s arm too short?”
Do you need to be asked that question today?
Maybe you’re going through something really difficult. Impossible.
He’s the God of the impossible.
His arm is not too short.
Don’t give in to the temptation to whine and complain and focus on yourself.
Look up! See this God who is Holy, and Generous, and Faithful, and Powerful!
His arm is not too short to accomplish what concerns you today.
And finally, Moses got the message. V.24
“So Moses went out and told the people what the LORD had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the Tent. [Where’s the tent? At the center of the camp. Seventy is two perfect numbers put together: 7 times 10. V.25] Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took of the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirit on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not do so again.”
I’m not sure all of what was happening here, but it was transferring some of the Spirit’s power onto these elders to help Moses with the burden of leading the people. The prophesied in some way to indicate that the Spirit was on them in a special way.
And it happened in the camp, too. V.26
“However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but [for some reason] did not go out to the Tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. A young man ran and told Moses, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses' aide since youth, spoke up and said, ‘Moses, my lord, stop them!’”
Joshua is concerned that there might be a power struggle. And there will be one! Come back next week.
But Moses doesn’t complain. Instead, he speaks in faith. V.29
“But Moses replied, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!’ Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.”
Moses gets it. God is powerful. He has more than enough Spirit to do empower whomever He wants.
I think that the ultimate fulfillment of Moses’ wish happened at Pentecost when the Spirit came to indwell all believers the same!
God is Powerful.
But His power isn’t used willy-nilly. He isn’t moody and capricious.
(#5) GOD IS JUST.
He always does what is right. And His great power is always put to righteous use.
God is Just. And His justice is what we see in verse 31.
“Now a wind went out from the LORD and drove quail in from the sea. It brought them down all around the camp to about three feet above the ground, as far as a day's walk in any direction.”
I call this, “A Quail Storm.” And it is the justice of God. V.32.
“All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers. [Look at the footnote: “That is, probably about 60 bushels.” This is a bushel. The people who gathered the least, picked up 60 of these full of quail!] Then they spread them out all around the camp. But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the LORD burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague. [Many died.] Therefore the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah, [GRAVES OF CRAVING] because there they buried the people who had craved other food. From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth and stayed there.”
God is Just.
Notice how the punishment fits the crime?
You want meat? You’ll get meat!
You reject me? I’ll give you what you want. It won’t be satisfying.
Call the place, “Dead Meat” if you want. Graves of Craving.
If we follow our deceptive cravings to their natural end, they will lead to death.
Only God is truly satisfying!
Sometimes, we might think that God is being too harsh.
But He’s not. He’s perfectly just.
Don’t complain.
He’s Holy.
Don’t complain.
He’s Generous.
Don’t complain.
He’s Faithful.
Don’t complain.
He’s Powerful.
Don’t complain.
He’s Just.
Don’t complain.
And one more.
(#6) GOD IS GRACIOUS.
You know why?
Because this failure in the wilderness is not the end.
He was merciful all along. His fire ate up the outskirts of the camp.
Moses wasn’t burnt to a crisp for his pity party.
He responded to the people’s prayers with mercy.
But one day, many years later, He sent His Son Jesus to do what we could not do on our own.
Jesus passed the test in His wilderness!
He never complained.
Did you ever think about that?
He never sinned. So He never sinfully complained.
He never murmured or grumbled.
He never complained.
“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22).
And He carried the full burden of the people.
Moses couldn’t handle it all and needed 70 helpers.
But Jesus took the whole burden on Himself and carried to the Cross.
God is gracious. He sent His Son to do what we could not do.
I’ve said, “Don’t Complain!” many times in the message.
But it’s a lot easier to say than it is to do.
But Jesus did it. And He did for me.
On the Cross, He took my place. He paid the penalty for my sinful complaining.
And He gave me His perfect track record of thankful, contented speech.
And now, because of Jesus and His Cross, I can be thankful, and contented, too.
Because of His Spirit resting on me (even though I’m not at the Tent of Meeting!), I can change into a contented thankful man.
I can keep from complaining because of the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ.
If you belong to Jesus, you can to.
Don’t Complain!
Trust Jesus.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Sin Quotes
3/16/2007 08:22:00 AM
0 comments
Paul Tripp gives a long list of strong quotes on sin.
Sin is not a small or thin thing. It is a powerful, destructive force around and in me.
Praise God for the even more power, life-giving Cross of Jesus Christ!
Sin is not a small or thin thing. It is a powerful, destructive force around and in me.
Praise God for the even more power, life-giving Cross of Jesus Christ!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Antioch School of Church Planting & Leadership
3/13/2007 01:20:00 PM
0 comments
There is a new school on the block. And it's appearing in your town, in your church!
My friend Steve Kemp is a leader at an organization named BILD.
BILD has just launched a new school for theological education and ministry training that is completely church-based! They just advertised in Christianity today.
Steve is the first dean of the Antioch School of Church Planting and Leadership.
This may be the premier model of the future for training leaders for the Church.
My friend Steve Kemp is a leader at an organization named BILD.
BILD has just launched a new school for theological education and ministry training that is completely church-based! They just advertised in Christianity today.
Steve is the first dean of the Antioch School of Church Planting and Leadership.
This may be the premier model of the future for training leaders for the Church.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Matt's Messages - Marching Orders
“Marching Orders”
Life in the Wilderness
March 11, 2007
Numbers 9:15-10:36
Today is the big day!
Israel is receiving her “Marching Orders.”
13 months ago, Israel was rescued from Egypt, and God brought them to Mount Sinai.
There, at a mountain on fire, He gave the Law and made a covenant with them to be His covenant people.
And He also gave them the instructions for building a tabernacle: a Tent of Meeting to sit in the center of a nation of tents.
A tent where He would dwell among His people.
And then, God had them number the fighting men: 603,550 when you add them all up (chapter 1).
And He arranged them in 4 different divisions of 12 tribes in a circle around the Tent of Meeting (chapter 2).
And then He had them count the Levites: 22,000 divided into 3 major tribes (chapter 3).
And He situated them between the other tribes of Israel and the Tent of Meeting and gave them all the work of taking care of the Tabernacle and the Holy Things (chapter 4).
And the LORD gave them instructions about how to purify the camp (chapter 5) and how to be totally dedicated to Him (chapter 6).
And He gave the priests a special blessing to pronounce over the people (chapter 6).
And they also dedicated the altar with expensive, extensive and expressive offerings in an elaborate 12 day ceremony (chapter 7).
They set up the lampstand and they cleansed and dedicated the Levites to do their holy work (chapter 8).
And last week, we saw them celebrate the Passover again. Passover 2.0 and 2.1 one year after the Red Sea Rescue and the Exodus from Egypt (chapter 9).
And now, it’s time to move out.
The final preparations are to be made and they are going to march in the direction of the land that God has promised this nation–the land of Canaan–the Promised Land.
In Numbers chapters 9 and 10, the people of Israel get their marching orders from the LORD.
And in one triumphant day with banners unfurled and every man at his post, the people of Israel set out on their march.
That’s what we are going to experience today.
Israel’s marching orders.
It starts with a cloud. Verse 15.
“On the day the tabernacle, the Tent of the Testimony, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire. That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire.”
This cloud first showed up at the Red Rescue. And it was a visible miraculous sign of the powerful presence of God.
And then was at the top of the mountain when Moses received the Law.
And when the Tabernacle was completed, the LORD’s cloud of presence came down and into the middle of the camp and covered the Tabernacle.
What a sight that must have been!
Remember where they are, too. They’re in the desert.
During the day a big cloud would be a welcome shade from the heat of the sun.
And at night? A giant column of fire perhaps heating the entire camp and giving light?!
God’s powerful presence in the middle of His people.
And this cloud did more than just sit there. It actually gave the people their marching orders. Verse 17.
“Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. At the LORD's command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp.”
You see how the cloud communicates the command. Verse 19.
“When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the LORD's order and did not set out. Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the LORD's command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. At the LORD's command they encamped, and at the LORD's command they set out. They obeyed the LORD's order, in accordance with his command through Moses.”
Those were a lot of verses to say the same thing over and over again.
The cloud was the LORD’s command. When He said go, they went. When He said stay, they stayed.
Point #1. THE LORD GIVES THE MARCHING ORDERS FOR HIS PEOPLE.
This is a picture of how it should be with God and us.
When God clearly says to do something, we should obey.
There should be no questioning, no excuses, no rationalizing of other behavior.
There should be nothing but obedience.
The LORD gives the marching orders for His people.
It wasn’t just the miraculous fiery cloud that gave the commands. It was also the trumpets. Chapter 10, verse 1.
“The LORD said to Moses: ‘Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together and for having the camps set out. When both are sounded [both trumpets], the whole community is to assemble before you at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. If only one is sounded, the leaders–the heads of the clans of Israel–are to assemble before you. When a trumpet blast is sounded, the tribes camping on the east are to set out. At the sounding of a second blast, the camps on the south are to set out. The blast will be the signal for setting out. To gather the assembly, blow the trumpets, but not with the same signal. The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to blow the trumpets. This is to be a lasting ordinance for you and the generations to come. When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the LORD your God and rescued from your enemies. Also at your times of rejoicing–your appointed feasts and New Moon festivals–you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God. I am the LORD your God.’”
Now these two trumpets weren’t a lot like our modern day trumpets. Short little things with valves and buttons. These were long pieces of hammered silver probably as much as two feet long with big flared ends.
[And just to make it interesting I got out my old trombone to give us an idea of what it might have been like. Don’t worry, I won’t blast you like the priests probably blasted their trumpets so that everyone could hear. Trombone blast.]
What was the point of these trumpets?
A few things, including celebrating feasts and calling upon the LORD to rescue them in battle.
But the most basic function of these trumpets was to give assembling and marching orders.
When God wanted them to get together and to set out, these trumpets were to blast.
They were signals of God’s will, God’s command. God’s marching orders.
The LORD gives the marching orders for His people.
Where do you get your orders?
Some people take their cues from the world.
Some people take their orders from their spouse.
Some people take their prompts from what their friends are doing.
Many people, especially Americans, want to make up their own marching orders.
Go their own way.
But God’s people, Christ-followers are under His command.
Do you think of yourself that way, as under His command?
At this moment in time, Israel recognize that they were under God’s command and obeyed.
And His command was to march. Chapter 10, verse 11.
“On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle of the Testimony. [It’s time to go!] Then the Israelites set out from the Desert of Sinai and traveled from place to place until the cloud came to rest in the Desert of Paran. They set out, this first time, at the LORD's command through Moses.”
The trumpets sound and the tribes fell in to their marching formations. Verse 14.
“The divisions of the camp of Judah went first, under their standard. Nahshon son of Amminadab was in command. Nethanel son of Zuar was over the division of the tribe of Issachar, and Eliab son of Helon was over the division of the tribe of Zebulun.”
Do those names sound familiar? It’s the fourth time in the book of Numbers that we’ve heard them.
These are the same names of the leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel. And they have their banners (their standards) unfurled and proudly they march forward in their order.
The tribes to the East are first. Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
Then the tabernacle. Verse 17.
“Then the tabernacle was taken down, and the Gershonites and Merarites, who carried it, set out. The divisions of the camp of Reuben [to the South] went next, under their standard. Elizur son of Shedeur was in command. Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai was over the division of the tribe of Simeon, and Eliasaph son of Deuel was over the division of the tribe of Gad.”
“Then [more Levites] the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy things. The tabernacle was to be set up before they arrived. [From the West...] The divisions of the camp of Ephraim went next, under their standard. Elishama son of Ammihud was in command. Gamaliel son of Pedahzur was over the division of the tribe of Manasseh, and Abidan son of Gideoni was over the division of the tribe of Benjamin. Finally, as the rear guard for all the units, the divisions of the camp of Dan set out [from the North], under their standard. Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai was in command. Pagiel son of Ocran was over the division of the tribe of Asher, and Ahira son of Enan was over the division of the tribe of Naphtali. This was the order of march for the Israelite divisions as they set out.”
The LORD gives the marching orders for His people.
This was a big day, wasn’t it?
Triumphant, exultant, jubilant, joyful, and...obedient.
The people of Israel began their march.
The LORD gives the marching orders for His people.
And He does so today, as well.
The LORD gives the marching orders for His people today.
But today, we don’t need a cloud. (Sometimes we’d like one, but we don’t need one.)
Today, we don’t need a fiery cloud.
Today, we don’t need the trumpets.
Today, we don’t even need a system of priests to tell us what God wants us to do.
Because, today, we have God’s marching orders right here in God’s Holy Word.
And each one of us who believes in Jesus have the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit inside of us.
God Himself is present and lives within each of one us who believes.
And through His Word and His Spirit, today, He gives us His marching orders.
The question is, “Will we obey?”
The LORD gives the marching orders for His people.
He is the commander in chief of the church.
And we are called to obey.
But you say, “I thought that as a church we are called into a love relationship with Jesus Christ. Not a slavish obedience!”
This is what Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
That’s John 14:15, and I’ve been meditating on it the last couple of days.
You should to. Everyone should have that one memorized. John 14:15. “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
What is the relationship between our love for and trust in Jesus and our obedience to Jesus?
Well, we don’t obey Him to get into His good favor.
We can’t earn God’s blessing by racking up the brownie points through obedience.
But if we do trust Him, and if we do love Him–if we are in a trusting love relationship with Jesus Christ, then we will obey Him.
The LORD gives the marching orders for His people.
And they obey Him out of love.
“If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
Are you obeying Jesus Christ?
Do you think of yourself as “under command?”
And are there any significant areas right now where you are not in compliance with His will?
To the extent that you don’t do what He commands, to that extent you don’t love Him.
Are you obeying Jesus’ commands to love?
To love your enemies?
To do good to those who mistreat you?
To forgive?
Are you obeying Jesus’ commands to give as the Lord has given to you?
To not place your treasure where thieves break in and steal and moths destroy.
To place your treasure in heaven where nobody and nothing can get at it?
Are you obeying Jesus’ commands to make disciples?
To be baptized as a disciple?
To teach disciples to obey everything that Jesus has commanded?
Are you obeying Jesus’ commands to not worry?
To not worry about what you will eat or drink or what you will wear?
To put first the Big Rock of the Kingdom of God and all the little rocks will find their places.
Are you obeying Jesus’ commands to forgive your brother when he sins against you?
The LORD gives the marching orders for His people.
And they obey Him out of love.
There is probably something that you know that the LORD is calling you to do and you are not doing.
Write it down right now and pray for the power to obey in love.
This day was the picture of how God relates to His people. Everything was working just right.
God said to march, and the people got up and marched just as God had commanded.
Have you noticed that Israel has obeyed everything God has commanded for the first 10 chapters?
We’ve seen it over and over again. God speaks to Moses and says “Do this or that.” And Moses tells the people, and they obey. It says over and over again, “They did just as the LORD commanded Moses.”
It’s been almost boring, hasn’t it?
I think that one of the things that makes the first 10 chapters of Numbers so boring to sinners like you and me is how boringly obedient the people of Israel have been.
Well, starting next chapter, they aren’t going to be boring any more. But they’re going to lose an awful lot of their blessings, too.
Right now, they are right where God’s people should be.
The LORD gives the marching orders for His people. And we obey Him out of love.
It’s not always going to be easy.
These people were setting out to march as nomads in tents.
And they were warned (even in verse 9) that they were going to face warfare.
The Christian life isn’t always easy. It’s not a bed of roses.
But they set out together and obediently.
And they were headed for something good.
Point #2. THE LORD PROMISES GOOD THINGS TO HIS PEOPLE.
Israel was marching towards something very good.
That’s what Moses told Hobab. Verse 29.
“Now Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, ‘We are setting out for the place about which the LORD said, 'I will give it to you.' Come with us and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised good things to Israel.’”
Hobab was Moses’ brother-in-law. He would make an excellent desert guide. He and his people knew the desert like the back of their hands. And Moses invited Him to come along.
And what was the incentive? “The LORD has promised good things to Israel.” Verse 30.
“[Hobab] answered, ‘No, I will not go; I am going back to my own land and my own people.’ But Moses said, ‘Please do not leave us. You know where we should camp in the desert, and you can be our eyes. If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the LORD gives us.’”
The book of Judges tells us that Hobab agreed and came along as a guide.
He believed what Moses was saying, that God had promised good things for His people.
You see, when God tells His people to march, He’s promising them that they are marching towards something good!
And that’s just as true today.
Jesus’ commands are for our good and they lead us to good.
And we need to trust Him that He knows what He’s doing and follow Him wherever He leads.
The LORD promises good things to His people.
You can count on that.
Because, when He makes a promise, He always keeps it.
The Lord Jesus has promised Heaven to His people!
That’s the ultimate in “good things.” It’s what the Promised Land was a picture and a foretaste of.
But you have to be one of God’s people to get there.
Hobab was a pagan outside of the covenant. But Moses invited him to tag along.
You and I are Gentiles, naturally outside of the covenant ourselves. But Jesus has invited us to come into the New Covenant by His blood.
Jesus died on the Cross to let us in to His promises for good things.
But we must accept His invitation.
We must put our trust in Jesus and Jesus alone.
And when we do, we become heirs of these great and precious promises, too.
We become God’s people.
And God promises good things to His people!
Have you trusted Jesus Christ alone as your Lord and Savior?
I challenge you today, to receive Him as King and Rescuer.
Putting all of your trust in Him alone.
You’ll never regret it...forever!
Because He’s a great God.
Want to know how great He is?
Where is God in this picture?
Where in the formation do you think the Ark–which was a representation of the Throne of the LORD–marched?
Right here at the front. What the military calls the Vanguard. Verse 33.
“So they set out from the mountain of the LORD and traveled for three days. The ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them during those three days to find them a place to rest.”
Point #3. THE LORD MARCHES AHEAD OF HIS PEOPLE.
God goes first.
Here He is not at the center. He is that vanguard. He is the advance troop.
He is not hanging back being defended by His people.
He goes before them (v.33) “to find them a place to rest.”
Wow!
Did you know that you have a God like that? A warrior God Who is before you and fighting at the forefront of your battles?
We tend to wonder sometimes where God is.
He’s right out front!
Listen to Moses’ battle cry. It’s all about God. Verse 34.
“The cloud of the LORD was over them by day when they set out from the camp. Whenever the ark set out, Moses said, ‘Rise up, O LORD! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you.’ Whenever it came to rest, he said, ‘Return, O LORD, to the countless thousands of Israel.’”
What would happen if we went into our days with faith like that?
If we got up in the morning and said, “Rise up, O LORD! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you as I got into this day.”
And when we lie down at night, “Return, O LORD, I rest, one of the countless thousands of your children.”
The LORD marches ahead of His people!
He doesn’t send us anywhere that He hasn’t gone first.
Maybe it doesn’t seem like that to you right now.
Maybe it seems like God is distant and far away.
Maybe it seems like He doesn’t care or that you’re fighting alone.
But that’s not the truth if you are a child of God.
YHWH is fighting for you. He is the vanguard, the forefront of your battle, your trial, your problem.
And He is fighting for you.
Trust Him.
Trust Him.
Call upon Him to rise up and scatter His enemies.
Trust Him.
And obey Him.
Follow His marching orders no matter what He says.
Because if you do, you will march right into good things.
And He’ll be there before you.
Trust Him.
Trust Him.
The LORD marches ahead of you.
Life in the Wilderness
March 11, 2007
Numbers 9:15-10:36
Today is the big day!
Israel is receiving her “Marching Orders.”
13 months ago, Israel was rescued from Egypt, and God brought them to Mount Sinai.
There, at a mountain on fire, He gave the Law and made a covenant with them to be His covenant people.
And He also gave them the instructions for building a tabernacle: a Tent of Meeting to sit in the center of a nation of tents.
A tent where He would dwell among His people.
And then, God had them number the fighting men: 603,550 when you add them all up (chapter 1).
And He arranged them in 4 different divisions of 12 tribes in a circle around the Tent of Meeting (chapter 2).
And then He had them count the Levites: 22,000 divided into 3 major tribes (chapter 3).
And He situated them between the other tribes of Israel and the Tent of Meeting and gave them all the work of taking care of the Tabernacle and the Holy Things (chapter 4).
And the LORD gave them instructions about how to purify the camp (chapter 5) and how to be totally dedicated to Him (chapter 6).
And He gave the priests a special blessing to pronounce over the people (chapter 6).
And they also dedicated the altar with expensive, extensive and expressive offerings in an elaborate 12 day ceremony (chapter 7).
They set up the lampstand and they cleansed and dedicated the Levites to do their holy work (chapter 8).
And last week, we saw them celebrate the Passover again. Passover 2.0 and 2.1 one year after the Red Sea Rescue and the Exodus from Egypt (chapter 9).
And now, it’s time to move out.
The final preparations are to be made and they are going to march in the direction of the land that God has promised this nation–the land of Canaan–the Promised Land.
In Numbers chapters 9 and 10, the people of Israel get their marching orders from the LORD.
And in one triumphant day with banners unfurled and every man at his post, the people of Israel set out on their march.
That’s what we are going to experience today.
Israel’s marching orders.
It starts with a cloud. Verse 15.
“On the day the tabernacle, the Tent of the Testimony, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire. That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire.”
This cloud first showed up at the Red Rescue. And it was a visible miraculous sign of the powerful presence of God.
And then was at the top of the mountain when Moses received the Law.
And when the Tabernacle was completed, the LORD’s cloud of presence came down and into the middle of the camp and covered the Tabernacle.
What a sight that must have been!
Remember where they are, too. They’re in the desert.
During the day a big cloud would be a welcome shade from the heat of the sun.
And at night? A giant column of fire perhaps heating the entire camp and giving light?!
God’s powerful presence in the middle of His people.
And this cloud did more than just sit there. It actually gave the people their marching orders. Verse 17.
“Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. At the LORD's command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp.”
You see how the cloud communicates the command. Verse 19.
“When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the LORD's order and did not set out. Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the LORD's command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. At the LORD's command they encamped, and at the LORD's command they set out. They obeyed the LORD's order, in accordance with his command through Moses.”
Those were a lot of verses to say the same thing over and over again.
The cloud was the LORD’s command. When He said go, they went. When He said stay, they stayed.
Point #1. THE LORD GIVES THE MARCHING ORDERS FOR HIS PEOPLE.
This is a picture of how it should be with God and us.
When God clearly says to do something, we should obey.
There should be no questioning, no excuses, no rationalizing of other behavior.
There should be nothing but obedience.
The LORD gives the marching orders for His people.
It wasn’t just the miraculous fiery cloud that gave the commands. It was also the trumpets. Chapter 10, verse 1.
“The LORD said to Moses: ‘Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together and for having the camps set out. When both are sounded [both trumpets], the whole community is to assemble before you at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. If only one is sounded, the leaders–the heads of the clans of Israel–are to assemble before you. When a trumpet blast is sounded, the tribes camping on the east are to set out. At the sounding of a second blast, the camps on the south are to set out. The blast will be the signal for setting out. To gather the assembly, blow the trumpets, but not with the same signal. The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to blow the trumpets. This is to be a lasting ordinance for you and the generations to come. When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the LORD your God and rescued from your enemies. Also at your times of rejoicing–your appointed feasts and New Moon festivals–you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God. I am the LORD your God.’”
Now these two trumpets weren’t a lot like our modern day trumpets. Short little things with valves and buttons. These were long pieces of hammered silver probably as much as two feet long with big flared ends.
[And just to make it interesting I got out my old trombone to give us an idea of what it might have been like. Don’t worry, I won’t blast you like the priests probably blasted their trumpets so that everyone could hear. Trombone blast.]
What was the point of these trumpets?
A few things, including celebrating feasts and calling upon the LORD to rescue them in battle.
But the most basic function of these trumpets was to give assembling and marching orders.
When God wanted them to get together and to set out, these trumpets were to blast.
They were signals of God’s will, God’s command. God’s marching orders.
The LORD gives the marching orders for His people.
Where do you get your orders?
Some people take their cues from the world.
Some people take their orders from their spouse.
Some people take their prompts from what their friends are doing.
Many people, especially Americans, want to make up their own marching orders.
Go their own way.
But God’s people, Christ-followers are under His command.
Do you think of yourself that way, as under His command?
At this moment in time, Israel recognize that they were under God’s command and obeyed.
And His command was to march. Chapter 10, verse 11.
“On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle of the Testimony. [It’s time to go!] Then the Israelites set out from the Desert of Sinai and traveled from place to place until the cloud came to rest in the Desert of Paran. They set out, this first time, at the LORD's command through Moses.”
The trumpets sound and the tribes fell in to their marching formations. Verse 14.
“The divisions of the camp of Judah went first, under their standard. Nahshon son of Amminadab was in command. Nethanel son of Zuar was over the division of the tribe of Issachar, and Eliab son of Helon was over the division of the tribe of Zebulun.”
Do those names sound familiar? It’s the fourth time in the book of Numbers that we’ve heard them.
These are the same names of the leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel. And they have their banners (their standards) unfurled and proudly they march forward in their order.
The tribes to the East are first. Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
Then the tabernacle. Verse 17.
“Then the tabernacle was taken down, and the Gershonites and Merarites, who carried it, set out. The divisions of the camp of Reuben [to the South] went next, under their standard. Elizur son of Shedeur was in command. Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai was over the division of the tribe of Simeon, and Eliasaph son of Deuel was over the division of the tribe of Gad.”
“Then [more Levites] the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy things. The tabernacle was to be set up before they arrived. [From the West...] The divisions of the camp of Ephraim went next, under their standard. Elishama son of Ammihud was in command. Gamaliel son of Pedahzur was over the division of the tribe of Manasseh, and Abidan son of Gideoni was over the division of the tribe of Benjamin. Finally, as the rear guard for all the units, the divisions of the camp of Dan set out [from the North], under their standard. Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai was in command. Pagiel son of Ocran was over the division of the tribe of Asher, and Ahira son of Enan was over the division of the tribe of Naphtali. This was the order of march for the Israelite divisions as they set out.”
The LORD gives the marching orders for His people.
This was a big day, wasn’t it?
Triumphant, exultant, jubilant, joyful, and...obedient.
The people of Israel began their march.
The LORD gives the marching orders for His people.
And He does so today, as well.
The LORD gives the marching orders for His people today.
But today, we don’t need a cloud. (Sometimes we’d like one, but we don’t need one.)
Today, we don’t need a fiery cloud.
Today, we don’t need the trumpets.
Today, we don’t even need a system of priests to tell us what God wants us to do.
Because, today, we have God’s marching orders right here in God’s Holy Word.
And each one of us who believes in Jesus have the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit inside of us.
God Himself is present and lives within each of one us who believes.
And through His Word and His Spirit, today, He gives us His marching orders.
The question is, “Will we obey?”
The LORD gives the marching orders for His people.
He is the commander in chief of the church.
And we are called to obey.
But you say, “I thought that as a church we are called into a love relationship with Jesus Christ. Not a slavish obedience!”
This is what Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
That’s John 14:15, and I’ve been meditating on it the last couple of days.
You should to. Everyone should have that one memorized. John 14:15. “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
What is the relationship between our love for and trust in Jesus and our obedience to Jesus?
Well, we don’t obey Him to get into His good favor.
We can’t earn God’s blessing by racking up the brownie points through obedience.
But if we do trust Him, and if we do love Him–if we are in a trusting love relationship with Jesus Christ, then we will obey Him.
The LORD gives the marching orders for His people.
And they obey Him out of love.
“If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
Are you obeying Jesus Christ?
Do you think of yourself as “under command?”
And are there any significant areas right now where you are not in compliance with His will?
To the extent that you don’t do what He commands, to that extent you don’t love Him.
Are you obeying Jesus’ commands to love?
To love your enemies?
To do good to those who mistreat you?
To forgive?
Are you obeying Jesus’ commands to give as the Lord has given to you?
To not place your treasure where thieves break in and steal and moths destroy.
To place your treasure in heaven where nobody and nothing can get at it?
Are you obeying Jesus’ commands to make disciples?
To be baptized as a disciple?
To teach disciples to obey everything that Jesus has commanded?
Are you obeying Jesus’ commands to not worry?
To not worry about what you will eat or drink or what you will wear?
To put first the Big Rock of the Kingdom of God and all the little rocks will find their places.
Are you obeying Jesus’ commands to forgive your brother when he sins against you?
The LORD gives the marching orders for His people.
And they obey Him out of love.
There is probably something that you know that the LORD is calling you to do and you are not doing.
Write it down right now and pray for the power to obey in love.
This day was the picture of how God relates to His people. Everything was working just right.
God said to march, and the people got up and marched just as God had commanded.
Have you noticed that Israel has obeyed everything God has commanded for the first 10 chapters?
We’ve seen it over and over again. God speaks to Moses and says “Do this or that.” And Moses tells the people, and they obey. It says over and over again, “They did just as the LORD commanded Moses.”
It’s been almost boring, hasn’t it?
I think that one of the things that makes the first 10 chapters of Numbers so boring to sinners like you and me is how boringly obedient the people of Israel have been.
Well, starting next chapter, they aren’t going to be boring any more. But they’re going to lose an awful lot of their blessings, too.
Right now, they are right where God’s people should be.
The LORD gives the marching orders for His people. And we obey Him out of love.
It’s not always going to be easy.
These people were setting out to march as nomads in tents.
And they were warned (even in verse 9) that they were going to face warfare.
The Christian life isn’t always easy. It’s not a bed of roses.
But they set out together and obediently.
And they were headed for something good.
Point #2. THE LORD PROMISES GOOD THINGS TO HIS PEOPLE.
Israel was marching towards something very good.
That’s what Moses told Hobab. Verse 29.
“Now Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, ‘We are setting out for the place about which the LORD said, 'I will give it to you.' Come with us and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised good things to Israel.’”
Hobab was Moses’ brother-in-law. He would make an excellent desert guide. He and his people knew the desert like the back of their hands. And Moses invited Him to come along.
And what was the incentive? “The LORD has promised good things to Israel.” Verse 30.
“[Hobab] answered, ‘No, I will not go; I am going back to my own land and my own people.’ But Moses said, ‘Please do not leave us. You know where we should camp in the desert, and you can be our eyes. If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the LORD gives us.’”
The book of Judges tells us that Hobab agreed and came along as a guide.
He believed what Moses was saying, that God had promised good things for His people.
You see, when God tells His people to march, He’s promising them that they are marching towards something good!
And that’s just as true today.
Jesus’ commands are for our good and they lead us to good.
And we need to trust Him that He knows what He’s doing and follow Him wherever He leads.
The LORD promises good things to His people.
You can count on that.
Because, when He makes a promise, He always keeps it.
The Lord Jesus has promised Heaven to His people!
That’s the ultimate in “good things.” It’s what the Promised Land was a picture and a foretaste of.
But you have to be one of God’s people to get there.
Hobab was a pagan outside of the covenant. But Moses invited him to tag along.
You and I are Gentiles, naturally outside of the covenant ourselves. But Jesus has invited us to come into the New Covenant by His blood.
Jesus died on the Cross to let us in to His promises for good things.
But we must accept His invitation.
We must put our trust in Jesus and Jesus alone.
And when we do, we become heirs of these great and precious promises, too.
We become God’s people.
And God promises good things to His people!
Have you trusted Jesus Christ alone as your Lord and Savior?
I challenge you today, to receive Him as King and Rescuer.
Putting all of your trust in Him alone.
You’ll never regret it...forever!
Because He’s a great God.
Want to know how great He is?
Where is God in this picture?
Where in the formation do you think the Ark–which was a representation of the Throne of the LORD–marched?
Right here at the front. What the military calls the Vanguard. Verse 33.
“So they set out from the mountain of the LORD and traveled for three days. The ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them during those three days to find them a place to rest.”
Point #3. THE LORD MARCHES AHEAD OF HIS PEOPLE.
God goes first.
Here He is not at the center. He is that vanguard. He is the advance troop.
He is not hanging back being defended by His people.
He goes before them (v.33) “to find them a place to rest.”
Wow!
Did you know that you have a God like that? A warrior God Who is before you and fighting at the forefront of your battles?
We tend to wonder sometimes where God is.
He’s right out front!
Listen to Moses’ battle cry. It’s all about God. Verse 34.
“The cloud of the LORD was over them by day when they set out from the camp. Whenever the ark set out, Moses said, ‘Rise up, O LORD! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you.’ Whenever it came to rest, he said, ‘Return, O LORD, to the countless thousands of Israel.’”
What would happen if we went into our days with faith like that?
If we got up in the morning and said, “Rise up, O LORD! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you as I got into this day.”
And when we lie down at night, “Return, O LORD, I rest, one of the countless thousands of your children.”
The LORD marches ahead of His people!
He doesn’t send us anywhere that He hasn’t gone first.
Maybe it doesn’t seem like that to you right now.
Maybe it seems like God is distant and far away.
Maybe it seems like He doesn’t care or that you’re fighting alone.
But that’s not the truth if you are a child of God.
YHWH is fighting for you. He is the vanguard, the forefront of your battle, your trial, your problem.
And He is fighting for you.
Trust Him.
Trust Him.
Call upon Him to rise up and scatter His enemies.
Trust Him.
And obey Him.
Follow His marching orders no matter what He says.
Because if you do, you will march right into good things.
And He’ll be there before you.
Trust Him.
Trust Him.
The LORD marches ahead of you.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Preaching: Laying One Block at a Time
3/10/2007 04:28:00 PM
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Piper makes this point:
One sermon may have little effect, but the cumulative effect can be powerful.
One sermon may have little effect, but the cumulative effect can be powerful.
Getting Ready for Resurrection Sunday
3/10/2007 10:25:00 AM
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Bob Kauflin gives us some things to think about when preparing our worship celebrations for Resurrection Sunday. Wise advice, as usual.
