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Moses and the Art of Personal Evangelism

Published February 17, 2015 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Numbers, personal evangelism, sharing your faith, witnessing

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Numbers 10:29 – 32

One day Moses said to his brother-in-law, Hobab (son of Reuel, the Midianite), “At last we are on our way to the Promised Land. Come with us and we will do you good; for the Lord has given wonderful promises to Israel!”

But his brother-in-law replied, “No, I must return to my own land and kinfolk.”

“Stay with us,” Moses pleaded, “for you know the ways of the wilderness and will be a great help to us. If you come, you will share in all the good things the Lord does for us.”

This is such a brief conversation that seemingly has nothing to do with anything, so we wonder why the Holy Spirit included it in the canon of Scripture. It is such an innocuous exchange, we are tempted to just skip over it. Yet we need to remember this: An untold number of men and women gave their lives in defense of the Bible – of every single verse and word of the Bible. So these four verses must be important. They are in our Bible for a reason and it’s up to us to discover why.

The fact is, there is much the church of the 21st century can learn from these four verses. A recent article makes the point that many pastors and Christian leaders have been making for many years: Christianity is losing in America. This excellent piece by Craig Dunkley paints a bleak picture of an increasingly impotent church.

Data from the Pew Research Center shows that those who consider themselves atheist, agnostic, or unaffiliated with any religion have been rising as a percentage of the U.S. population. In 2012, nearly 20% of the public fell into one of those categories, up nearly 5 percentage points over the preceding 5 years. When focusing on adults under 30, about one third consider themselves atheist, agnostic, or unaffiliated. Almost exclusively, the gains in these groups reflect losses for Christians, with Christians dropping from 78% to 73% of the population over the same period.

Dunkley comes to the right conclusion:

[C]hurches are not teaching their members enough about Christian apologetics. This leaves church members unable to respond effectively when their beliefs are challenged. As a result, they often come to doubt what they’ve been taught, and they are certainly ill-equipped to help “win over” friends or acquaintances who may be seekers “on the fence.”

The whole article is well worth your time so be sure to read it. You can find it here:

http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2015/01/christianity_is_losing_in_america.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook

I want to focus on the second half of the last sentence in the above quote: [Church members] are ill-equipped to help “win over” friends or acquaintances who may be seekers “on the fence.”

That nails the problem most Christians have – they have no clue how to effectively share their faith with others.

And that brings us back to this exchange between Moses and a fellow with the unlikely name of Hobab. Moses didn’t seem to have difficulty sharing what he believed with another. We shouldn’t either, so let’s take a closer look at his experience. Maybe we can learn something from Moses’ encounter that will help us.

Hobab was Moses’ brother in law, the son of Reuel, a.k.a. Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, and Jethro was a helpful person. He joined the Israelite camp not long after it arrived at Mount Sinai. It wasn’t just a friendly, chance encounter. He brought Zipporah, his daughter and Moses’ wife, to her husband, along with the two sons. Jethro and apparently one son didn’t stick around too long and soon went back to Midian. The other son, Hobab, stayed behind. Just before Moses and his people broke camp to begin their desert trek, he had a conversation with Hobab.

Like Moses and the people of Israel, we Christians who make up the church of Jesus Christ are also on a journey of sorts. As we walk through this life on our way to the next, we encounter all kinds of people who are also on a journey. While we know where we are going, most people don’t. If they knew, they’d probably want to adjust their spiritual GPS so that they would travel along with us.

Pilgrims

“Pilgrim” is a good word to describe the people of both Israel and the Church. They were set free from a life of bondage in Egypt and we have been set free from a life of bondage to sin. They were on a journey from their old life of slavery to the Promised Land of Canaan and we have are on a journey from our old life of slavery to sin to Heaven – our Promised Land. Both Israel and the Church may be considered “visitors” to planet earth.

But our homeland is in heaven, where our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, is; and we are looking forward to his return from there. (Philippians 3:20 TLB)

Back in the “golden age” of Contemporary Christian music, Ben Vaughn and Peter Case wrote some lyrics worth remembering:

We are pilgrims in a strange land

We are so far from our homeland

With each passing day it seems so clear

This world will never want us here

We’re not welcome in this world of wrong

We are foreigners who don’t belong

We are strangers, we are aliens We are not of this world

Petra, the group that made this song famous, struck a profound, Biblical cord with these lyrics. We Christians are “not of this world.” We are here temporarily. It’s a good idea to be reminded of this fact from time to time so that we don’t get too attached to the things of this world, which are even more temporary our stay here.

Pilgrims animated by faith

To Moses and the people of Israel, God promised more than once that He was going to lead them to the Promised Land. It was their faith in His promise – His Word – than animated them. Without that promise, who would want to walk across a hot and dusty desert? It was their faith in God’s promise that made them press on. Over the intervening years, the people experienced good times and bad; periods of great faith and times of great faithlessness, but they persevered in spite of their circumstances and their feelings. That’s the real secret every Christian needs to appropriate. It’s our faith, not our feelings, that should move us. It’s what we will have, not what we have, that should be our motivating factor.

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead. (Hebrews 11:1 TLB)

Pilgrims with a story to tell

The Church of Jesus Christ is family; it’s the “household of God.” There are many more on the outside looking in, though. Just as we are “not of this world,” so there are many people all around us who are not part of the “household of God.” Some may not want to be. Some may want what to be part of the “household of God,” but don’t know how to get in. And that’s what Paul was getting at when he wrote this:

But how shall they ask him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? (Romans 10:14 TLB)

Jesus put it in more urgent terms in His so-called “Great Commission”:

And then he told them, “You are to go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.” (Mark 16:15 TLB)

In case you aren’t aware it, there is an “Old Testament Great Commission,” which goes like this:

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who bring the happy news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns. (Isaiah 52:7 TLB)

The original spiritual pilgrims, the Israelites, were journeying to their Promised Land and they had a story to tell, which Moses told Hobab. Hobab wasn’t part of the family of God – he wasn’t an Israelite – but that didn’t stop Moses from making him an offer:

Come with us and we will do you good; for the Lord has given wonderful promises to Israel. (Numbers 10:29 TLB)

Think about how Moses shared his faith – which is what he was doing: He shared God’s Word with Hobab. Remember, Moses didn’t have a Bible; the only Word of God Moses had were the “wonderful promises” God had made to Israel. So it was Moses’ faith in God’s Word that not only animated him to live a life of faith, but also to share that same faith with one who didn’t know.

What Moses did was the essence of personal evangelism, the process of telling an unbeliever what you believe. But Moses didn’t share his opinions or his ideas with Hobab. He kept it simple, sharing only what God had said.

Not only that, look at the phrase, “we will do you good.” In other words, Moses told Hobab that if he came along with them, all the blessings of God would come to him. Even though Hobab never heard the promises of God firsthand and even though God had promised to bless only His people, Moses knew that if an outsider walked in faith alongside the people of God, those promises would become his promises as well.

There are a lot of people in your life and mine who would love to have we have in Christ. But they need to be offered the chance in a way that they can understand and they need to hear the Word of God in such a way as it makes sense to them. Here’s how Moses did that:

“Stay with us,” Moses pleaded, “for you know the ways of the wilderness and will be a great help to us.” (Numbers 10:31 TLB)

It’s like Moses was sweetening the pot. He appeals to Hobab’s sense of vanity; Hobab has a skill that the people of Israel would benefit from. Now, it’s interesting Moses would say such a thing, given that God had just made it clear that Moses and the people of Israel were to be following the visible presence of God in their trip. They didn’t need a human guide. We don’t know why Moses said what he said to Hobab; it may well be that Moses wavered a little in his faith. It wouldn’t be the first time. You’ll recall that’s the very reason Aaron went with Moses in his confrontation with Pharaoh. Regardless of the reason, Moses was quick to make the offer in a way that made it sensible for Hobab to accept.

Following Jesus is the most common sense way to live; it’s the best way to live. To the non-Christian, following Jesus may not make any sense at all, and it’s up to us find a way to make the Christian life make sense to them.

Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. (Titus 2:9, 10 NIV)

That’s the whole point in sharing your faith with the lost: “make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.” Christians need to live their faith and share their faith in such a way as non-Christians find the Christian life something they want to be a part of. The truth is, if a person is lonely, Christ can change that. If a person is angry, Christ can change that. If a person is full of fear, Christ can take it away. If a person is lost and desperate, Christ can change that. Christ is more than able to supply whatever a person lacks in his life. The thing is, he needs to be told that in a way he understands.

Do you know how to “make the teaching about God our Savior attractive?” You should! Your faith should animate you; your beliefs should be a part of your life and sharing them with others should be as natural as breathing.

And so I solemnly urge you before God and before Christ Jesus—who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom—to preach the Word of God urgently at all times, whenever you get the chance, in season and out, when it is convenient and when it is not. Correct and rebuke your people when they need it, encourage them to do right, and all the time be feeding them patiently with God’s Word. (2 Timothy 4:1, 2 TLB)

That’s Paul’s advice to a young preacher, but the principle is applicable to all believers. All of us, preacher or not, should be prepared to give the Gospel to the lost, at any time, whenever the opportunity presents itself. We should care that much about the lost. Paul was right: we are debtors to them. We owe them a coherent, cogent, honest presentation of the Gospel.

Follow the Leader, 2

Published February 13, 2015 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: By the Numbers, Numbers, trumpets

Dizzy Gillespie (1917 – 1993)

Numbers 10:1 – 10

In reading Numbers 9, we learn about the most basic principle of leadership. Who was in charge of the camp? Just who were the Israelites to follow? Clearly it was God’s intention from the beginning that He, no human agent, was to be their leader. God manifested His visible presence for the sole purpose of leading the people in the journey from Mount Sinai to the Promised Land. He would appear as a cloud and as a fire that the all the people could see and follow.

The principle of leadership demonstrated in chapter 9 was not, “whenever the Israelites stopped, the cloud stopped.” Instead, it was the opposite: whenever the cloud stopped the people were to stop. The basic principle of leadership was a simple one: lead and follow. If the cloud moved then the people were to move. If the cloud stopped, the people were to stop. It was never, ever to be the other way around. The movement of the cloud was undeniably the movement of the Lord:

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. (Numbers 9:18 NIV)

Throughout the chapter this point is stressed. The cloud was no mere cloud. It was as it were, the very presence and voice of God that commanded the people to follow. There was no mistake or misunderstanding: Israel was to follow God.

And then comes chapter 10, which opens like this:

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.” (Numbers 10:1, 2 NIV)

So, what do we make of this bit of added information? Were the people to follow the cloud or wait to hear a trumpet blast? The Israelites were to follow whom, the supernatural cloud or the human trumpeters?

Those are good questions, and they’re important for Christians to consider. Just who are we following? Can you be a good Christian and just “follow God,” without regard for the thoughts and opinions of other believers? Can you be a faithful “follower of Christ” and have no relationship with any church or body of believers? Is there such a person as the fabled “lone ranger Christian?” You’ve seen this Christian before. Perhaps you are he. He’s the one who talks all the time about God’s blessings, about how much he loves God, about how thankful he is to God, about how much he prays for others, and yet he never goes to church, never participates in any Christian-themed activities in his community, rarely if ever reads his Bible and outside of droning on and on about his so-called Christian faith, he gives no indication that he is actually in possession of that faith. Yes, the “lone ranger Christian” claims to be following God but has little or no use for the fellowship of other believers. Is that possible? Can you follow God without having any kind of meaningful association with the Body of Christ and other believers? God didn’t think so, and Numbers 10 tells us all about it.

What the trumpets represent

In the world of Christian thought, those two silver trumpets mentioned in the opening verses of Number 10 may represent any number of things, but essentially they were just that: two silver trumpet-like instruments that served a number of purposes in the camp of Israel. They were basically a way to communicate to the masses. For the Christian, though, they do represent something very important to his faith.

First, there were not one but two trumpets, one larger than the other. These trumpets indicated to Israel that God was communicating to them. The people saw the presence of God with their eyes in the form of a cloud and they heard Him in the trumpet blasts. These two trumpets remind us of the Word of God – the Old and New Testaments, through which God communicates to His people today. God is not saying anything new to anybody; He is not saying anything today that He hasn’t already said in His Word.

The Word of God – the Holy Bible – has become, sadly, the most abused, misused, and ignored book in the world. And it’s Christians doing the abusing, misusing, and ignoring! We need to be reminded of that which the psalmist knew so well:

The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever. (Psalm 119:160 NKJV)

The Word of God is the only source of inerrant, infallible truth available to believers. Although those words aren’t found in Scripture, they are important for you to know. The Bible is “inerrant,” meaning it is without error. It is “infallible,” meaning there is nothing false in it. In other words, the Bible is not wrong and it can never be wrong. You can depend on it for wisdom and direction at any time of your life. No matter your age, your location, your social standing, or your education, not only can you depend on the Bible, you need it. It’s food for your spirit. A Christian who neglects his Bible is starving himself. If you are a Christian, there is never a time when you don’t need to read and study your Bible!

And I know this, that whatever God does is final—nothing can be added or taken from it; God’s purpose in this is that man should fear the all-powerful God. (Ecclesiastes 3:14 TLB)

The more you read your Bible, the more you “fear” or stand in awe of God. That explains why so many Christians take God for granted; why they don’t stand in awe of Him: they aren’t in the Word nearly enough.

Second, the trumpets were to have been made of silver. The trumpets were precious and produced a perfect tone. Such is the Word of God. It is precious. It holds all the answers to all the questions you will ever have. A book like the Bible should never be ignored. When you are discouraged, the Bible should be the first place you look for encouragement. When you feel lost and in need of guidance, the Bible will give it to you. When you are lonely, you can find all the comfort you need in your Bible. Whatever lack you may have in your life, the Bible can supply it. It is precious and it is indispensable to the true believer.

The trumpeters

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. (Numbers 10:8 NIV)

Those two trumpets Moses was to fashion out of silver, as beautiful as they may have been, weren’t of much value without somebody to blow into them. That would be the job of the priests, the sons of Aaron. It’s interesting that these priests were the first preachers; the first ones to proclaim the Word of the Lord to the people. These were not ordinary men:

They were called to this specific task, Numbers 8:6

Take the Levites from among all the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean.

Not just any Israelite could do what the Levites, specifically the sons of Aaron, could do. They had to be called by God and set apart by God. While all believers are called to read and study the Word of God, and all believers are called to take the Gospel – their faith – to the lost, only those called to preach it should be preaching it. The job of the pastor is not just for anybody who takes the notion that it might be a career they’d enjoy.

And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? (Romans 19:15 NIV)

They were purified, Numbers 8:10

Handling the Word of God – preaching and teaching it – should only be done those who whose lives have been purified by the Spirit of God. It’s not that preachers are perfect people. Far from it! We have Paul’s testimony on this –

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. (1 Timothy 1:15 NIV)

Notice the tense: Paul didn’t write “I was the worst of the lot,” he wrote, “I am the worst.” He had a realistic view of himself, but he also knew that he had been forgiven and set free from sin.

The trumpeting

This is the proclamation of God’s Word to the people. It is essentially the preaching of the Gospel. No matter how wonderful the trumpet may have looked, it took the breath of a living man to make it produce sound. The preaching of the Gospel must be done in anointing of the Spirit of God. Without that anointing, preaching is all merely “sound and fury signifying nothing…the words of an idiot.”

Think about these points:

[The trumpets were to be sounded] at your times of rejoicing—your appointed festivals and New Moon feasts—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. (Numbers 10:10 NIV)

This is important. All good preaching needs to be connected to the atoning work of God in Christ. Without that, a sermon is just a good talk. That’s not to say a “good talk” isn’t a good thing. It can be. But a “good talk” never saved a soul. It can be encouraging and uplifting, but in the end, a “good talk” is like a Chinese food – it tastes good, but doesn’t stay with you very long.

When both are sounded, the whole community is to assemble before you at the entrance to the tent of meeting. (Numbers 10:3 NIV)

The Word of God draws people. Or it should. Nobody should be coerced into being a part of the Body of Christ. The Word of God is not just for some, but for all.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28 NKJV)

The Word of God to those who love God is like honey to bees. It makes you wonder why anybody who passes themselves off as a Christian doesn’t desire to be in fellowship with other Christians as part of the Body of Christ.

When a trumpet blast is sounded, the tribes camping on the east are to set out. (Numbers 10:5 NIV)

The call of the Gospel is not just to salvation but to progress. A Christian should always be growing and maturing in their faith – he should never be caught standing still.

So I run straight towards the goal in order to win the prize, which is God’s call through Christ Jesus to the life above. (Philippians 3:14 GNB)

Moving ahead in the faith is vital because standing still leads to falling behind and falling behind for the Christian can be deadly. But sometimes going deeper into the faith will lead to conflict –

When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. (Numbers 10:9 NIV)

Can you imagine going into battle against an oppressing enemy in your own country? That doesn’t seem right, somehow. And yet it may happen. When you least expect conflict, conflict will arise and that’s when you need to press on in the power of the Word of God.

So be careful. If you are thinking, “Oh, I would never behave like that”—let this be a warning to you. For you too may fall into sin. But remember this—the wrong desires that come into your life aren’t anything new and different. Many others have faced exactly the same problems before you. And no temptation is irresistible. You can trust God to keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it, for he has promised this and will do what he says. He will show you how to escape temptation’s power so that you can bear up patiently against it. (1 Corinthians 10:12, 13 TLB)

Look carefully at the words Paul used. “He has promised” to help you fight temptation. Well, where is this promise? It’s in the Word of God! “He will do what he says.” Where did God say what He will do? In the Word of God! “He will show you how to escape.” Where does God show you how to escape? In the Word of God! There’s no getting away from the absolute necessity of knowing God’s Word! It’s not enough just to own a copy. You need to crack it open and read it and study it.

And the best place for this to happen is your local church, surrounded by other like-minded believers, being taught by a leader called and anointed by God to such a task.

There is no such thing as the “lone ranger Christian.” At least not for very long. John Donne wrote these words:

No man is an island, Entire of itself, Every man is a piece of the continent, A part of the main.

If you are running around claiming to be a Christian, you had better be “a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” If you aren’t, you can’t be a Christian for too long because you’re following the wrong leader, probably going in the wrong direction, fooling nobody but yourself.

If you are a Christian, pressing on in your faith, fellowshipping with the saints, reading and studying the Word, hang in there and be strong and trust God to do what He says He will do for you.

The trumpet of Christ ne’er sounds a retreat,

All bloodless His battles, yet by blood made meet;

Or be it danger, or be it defeat,

The trumpet of Christ ne’er sounds a retreat.

By The Numbers, 6

Published January 29, 2015 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: By the Numbers, Justification, Levites, Numbers, Sanctification

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LESSONS FROM A LEVITE

Numbers 8:1 -14

Who were the Levites? Simply put, the Levites were part of the tribe of Levi. Numbers 8 deals with the cleansing of the Levites. Just as Numbers 6, the Nazarite chapter, dealt with the Nazarite vow and how the Nazarite was to live in light of that vow, so this chapter will tell us all about the Levites and how they were to live in light of their calling.

According to Numbers 8:15, this is what the Levites were to be doing:

After you have sanctified them and presented them in this way, they shall go in and out of the Tabernacle to do their work. (Numbers 8:15 TLB)

What kind of work did the Levites do in the Tabernacle? What kind of service did they render to the Lord? Was it a cold, legalistic, formulaic, liturgical kind of service? No, not at all! To think that is to completely miss three important facts. First, the Levites did their work in a place where God dwelt. Stop and think about that. These special people worked in the presence of the One who had promised to bless His people; the One who was leading them and feeding them; the One who was going to lead them into a land He promised to give them. A God who treats His people with such care and compassion could never be treated in a distant, robotic fashion. Second, to think that the Levites were only concerned about laws and movements and words dictated by mere rote is to miss the significance of Numbers 7:89 —

When Moses went into the Tabernacle to speak with God, he heard the Voice speaking to him from above the place of mercy over the Ark, between the statues of the two Guardian Angels. (TLB)

We’ve never heard the audible Voice of God. I haven’t and I’m reasonably sure you haven’t either. Of course, He speaks to us everyday as we pray or read and meditate on His Word, but Numbers is talking about the audible Voice of God. How would you react if you actually heard God speaking to directly to you? Wouldn’t you be a little more reverent? Wouldn’t you stand still and pay attention? The Levites did their work in the very place God spoke to His people. And finally, the first four verses of Numbers 8 is all about light.

Tell Aaron that when he lights the seven lamps in the lampstand, he is to set them so that they will throw their light forward. (Numbers 8:2 TLB)

The Levites would do their work in the warm glow of God’s divine presence and voice, not in the darkness and shadows of a cold, hard room.

Not just anybody could serve the Lord like this, only the Levites could. What made them so special? Let’s find out.

Levi the misfit, Genesis 49:5 – 7

Simeon and Levi are two of a kind. They are men of violence and injustice. O my soul, stay away from them. May I never be a party to their wicked plans. For in their anger they murdered a man, and maimed oxen just for fun. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce and cruel. Therefore, I will scatter their descendants throughout Israel (TLB)

Levi was special. So special that his dying father, Jacob, called him and his brother “men of violence and injustice.” They were wicked, angry, scheming murders. Yet Levi’s descendants were given the singular blessing of acting as priests of God. In Levi and his descendants we see the grace of God. Yes, members of Levi’s family were scattered in Israel, but this was because they would, in time, be the priestly tribe. It was an act of God’s grace that took a social misfit and cruel person like Levi and made him the head of the priestly tribe!

But Levi is not the exception to the rule. In the New Testament, God’s grace is explained for us to understand:

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 NKJV)

Jesus didn’t die for the righteous, He died for the sinner! That’s who God calls and uses even today: the misfits, the troublemakers, the drunkards, the murderers.

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen… (1 Corinthians 1:27, 28 NKJV)

God surprises us by using people we might just pass over. Remember this:

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV)

God’s grace: How He works

God’s amazing grace sees a man, not as he is, but as he will be. Such was the case with Levi’s descendants, and such is the case with each one of us. God’s grace is always reaching out and calling the sinner to Himself. Consider again the Levites. They were:

Called, verse 6a

Take the Levites from among all the Israelites… (NIV)

The situation with the Levites was a little different than that of Nazarites. Remember, becoming a Nazarite was up to the individual Israelite. He or she would decide whether or not they wanted to become a Nazarite and for how long. But it was God who called the Levites to serve Him; it was God who decided who be His priests. The Levites prefigured the election of the Church; a body of “called out” believers – people called out and set apart from the rest of the world.

It’s an interesting trait of the Bible: many things in the New Testament are foreshadowed in the Old. In both the case of Levites and Nazarites, we see how God works with people. He calls and we respond.

Cleansed, verse 6b

…make them ceremonially clean. (NIV)

Those whom God calls, He prepares. The Levites had to be made clean, which implies they were not. The Levites had to be made both spiritually and personally prepared to do the work to which they were called. Only a holy people could engage in a holy work. Of special note is that this washing or cleansing was done for them; they didn’t do it themselves.

And the sinner doesn’t clean himself up, either.

For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:13, 14 NKJV)

This cleansing of the spirit is what God does for us. This act of God on our behalf is a practical reality, however, for it gives us a position and standing before God. In other words, while the Levitical priests were washed so that they could serve in the tabernacle, the sinner is washed by the blood of Christ so that he can stand in God’s presence completely justified. This is a profound change that took place at the moment of conversion. In addition, each and every born again believer now has a Divine power whereby he is enabled “to serve the living God.” What that means is this: not a single believer is able to serve God in his own strength any more than a single sinner is able to save himself.

Sanctified, verse 7

Do this by sprinkling water of purification upon them, then having them shave their entire bodies and wash their clothing and themselves. (TLB)

The Blood of Christ cleanses us. He purifies us because this is something nobody can do for themselves. This is God’s grace at work. But that doesn’t let us off the hook any more than the Levitical priests were absolved of any responsibility for cleaning themselves. Just as they had to wash themselves, so we have to work at staying clean as we walk through our lives. There’s sin all around us and we must be on our guard against letting it taint us. We have to take care to “shave off” any habit that might endanger our relationship with Christ. That’s our part of the sanctifying process.

Atoned For, verse 12

Next, the Levite leaders shall lay their hands upon the heads of the young bulls and offer them before the Lord; one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites. (TLB)

Here’s something else no human being can do for themselves: make atonement for their sins. In very graphic fashion, the Levites learned that forgiveness of sins was made possible only through the process of substitution. Those offerings were given in place of the Levite.

It is only through substitution – Christ’s substitution for us – that we may be forgiven our sins and made ready to receive God’s grace. Jesus Christ was our “sin offering.” He was our substitute on the Cross. He was punished so we could be spared punishment.

But it was the Lord’s good plan to bruise him and fill him with grief. However, when his soul has been made an offering for sin, then he shall have a multitude of children, many heirs. He shall live again, and God’s program shall prosper in his hands. (Isaiah 53:10 TLB)

Consecrated, verse 13

Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering to the Lord. (TLB)

This is an interesting verse. Once an offering had been given to God for the Levite, the Levite himself had to be given to God. It’s no different for the Christian. Having been redeemed by the Blood of Christ, it’s up to us to yield ourselves to God.

Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—alive, holy, and pleasing to God—which is your reasonable service. Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:1, 2 NET)

Like or not, we belong to God. We were bought with the Son’s Blood. This may rub some of the more independent-minded believers the wrong way, but it is true, nonetheless.

You do not belong to yourselves but to God; he bought you for a price. So use your bodies for God’s glory. (1 Corinthians 6:19b – 20 GNB)

That last phrase, “use your bodies for God’s glory,” perfectly describes what real consecration is.

Onwed by God, verse 14

In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine. (NIV)

The Levites were God’s property by His choice. They were His by grace. They were His by blood. Choice, grace, and blood. A three-fold cord cannot be easily broken.

A rope made of three cords is hard to break. (Ecclesiastes 4:12b GNB)

All these verses teach us the truth that God’s servants, be they Levitical priests or born again believers, must be pure in heart and sacrificial in spirit. God initiates the work in His people, but it’s up to us to keep it going. In the end, though, God demands undivided loyalty. The Levites were handpicked by God from among the population of Israel to serve Him. Christians have been handpicked by God out of the whole world to serve Him, too. And we belong to Him. Chosen by God. Saved by grace. Bought by the Blood of Jesus. Yes, the rope of three cords is not easily broken.

Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. (Romans 8:33 NIV)

By The Numbers, 5

Published January 28, 2015 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: By the Numbers, Numbers, Shekinah Glory

Numbers 9:15 – 23

At this point in the book of Numbers, the Israelites had been gloriously delivered out of the bondage in Egypt by the supernatural hand of God. The people had been numbered, organized, sanctified, and been given spiritual leadership and direction. They had made offerings and sacrifices to God and celebrated the great Passover feast. As far as God was concerned they were finally ready for their journey to the Promised Land. One thing remained: the Israelites needed to understand who was really leading them. Moses was certainly a powerful, towering personality. He was aided by spiritually endowed elders. And yet, they were not the ones the Israelites were to look to for guidance. The journey they were about to undertake was a serious one; the fulfillment of a promise God made to Abraham generations ago. Such a journey demanded the Israelites pay strict attention the God and God would make sure they couldn’t miss His presence.

Still, if you and I could could go back in time to watch the millions of Israelites trudging across the trackless desert, we might think them mad! Their journey seemed to be a hit-or-miss thing. One day walking straight, the next going round in circles, the next day going backwards. Yes, the journey from the Red Sea to the Promised Land was taken by the longest, most roundabout way possible, but it was the right way because it was God’s way. He was leading them by His very Presence. There’s a minor lesson here for Christians to take note of. Sometimes – maybe most of the time – God asks His people to do things or go places that don’t make a lot of sense to the natural mind. Sometimes God leads His people in a straight line, other times He makes them stand still, yet He’s still leading them. Sometimes it may seem as though God has left His people but we know nothing can make that happen.

For the Israelites, God’s presence looked like both a cloud and fire:

On the day the Tabernacle was raised the Cloud covered it; and that evening the Cloud changed to the appearance of fire, and stayed that way throughout the night. (Numbers 9:15 TLB)

Let’s consider God’s presence for a few moments.

Where did He come from?

The “cloud” was a powerful symbol of God’s presence among His people. Of course, God doesn’t really look like a “cloud.” This was the Shekinah glory, a term that is not found anywhere in the Bible. It was actually coined by Jewish rabbis from a Hebrew expression meaning, “he caused to dwell.” Throughout the Old Testament, God speaks of His intense desire to have a meaningful, intimate relationship with His people. The so-called Shekinah – variously described as a brilliant light, a cloud or mist or fire – refers to God’s accommodation to man. In other words, God made a way to make His presence seen and felt in our world. God is not a resident of our world, but in His love and concern for us, He found a way to “cross over” from His world to ours.

It took Solomon, writing long after the events of Numbers, to come to this inspired conclusion:

But can you, O God, really live on earth? Not even all heaven is large enough to hold you, so how can this Temple that I have built be large enough? (1 Kings 8:27 GNT)

This was not poetry. It was not merely the confession of a humble man. This is a statement of deep, theological fact. No tabernacle, no Temple, no locality on our planet is capable of containing our Almighty God. Trying to contain God would be like trying to bottle lightening. It can’t be done.

And yet, God made it happen to benefit His people. How this cloud was formed is unknown – we have no idea how God made it happen. Like the body of Jesus, everybody could see it and experience it, but there was a mystery about it. This cloud was God. He was not only IN it, He WAS it. The mysterious, ever-present cloud was to the Israelites the visible body of God.

Can you explain the Incarnation? Can you explain how the Son of God became the Son of Man? Can you explain the mystery of God appearing in the flesh?

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.” (John 14:9, 10 NKJV)

The Israelites were to look to the cloud for direction. We are to look to Jesus for direction. The cloud hovered over the Tabernacle. We have this to think about:

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? (1 Corinthians 16:9a NIV)

No Christian ever needs to look for the presence of God. There is, in fact, no place on earth a Christian may hide from God. God is IN you. The glory of God is IN you. All you have to do is learn to experience His presence and hear His voice. But that’s easier said than done. Remember this?

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 9:11 – 13 NIV)

Like the prophet Elijah, some of us are looking for God all over the place, but we don’t without realize He’s already within us.

When He came

Numbers 9:15 indicates the presence of God came to the Israelites ONLY after everything and everybody had been put in order. When the people had done everything God had told them to do, He came. This is not insignificant because it is the same with us today. God comes to us only after we have surrendered our wills to His. When a sinner does that, God takes up resident in Him.

But let’s consider the Christian for a moment. Why do you suppose so many born again believers, from time to time, feel as though God has jumped their ship? The answer to that question is actually another question: Has that born again believer jumped God’s ship? God certainly never, ever abandons us – the story of the Prodigal Son proves this to be true – but we Christians find it far too easy to abandon Him. When we do that; when we choose our way at the expense of God’s will, we will feel as though He has moved away. He hasn’t, but that’s how we feel. God has put that feeling in us to give us a clue. Yes, feelings are important when we learn how to understand them. If you feel as though God has left you, check to see where you are in your journey of faith. It may well be that something – some sin, some habit, some attitude – has come between you and God. God is still there, but you are unable to feel Him. The best remedy to that sad situation is simple: get right with God! Root out and dispose of whatever it is that is shielding His presence from you.

His Character

Two important Hebrew verbs are employed to describe the character of God’s presence. The first one is the verb which means “to cover,” and it’s used in verse 15. The second is the Hebrew verb meaning, “to settle,” in verse 17. Let’s read these two verses together:

On the day the Tabernacle was raised the Cloud covered it; and that evening the Cloud changed to the appearance of fire, and stayed that way throughout the night. (Numbers 9:15 TLB)

When the Cloud lifted, the people of Israel moved on to wherever it stopped, and camped there. (Numbers 9:17 TLB)

The expression, “wherever it stopped,” uses the verb sakan, from which those Jewish rabbis get their idea of the “Skekinah glory.” To understand the Jewish idea of the presence of God is to understand their concept of how God came and went, came and went, came and went. The Shekinah glory always moved ahead of the Israelites, guiding them, showing the way. When it came to rest – when it stopped – it hovered above the Tabernacle. When you stop and think about it, that’s really kind of sad. The Jewish understanding of God’s presence reveals something that breaks the heart. The cloud and the fire of His presence in the Old Testament symbolized God’s nearness to His people, but also His remoteness. Yes, the cloud could be seen, but it was always hovering above the Tabernacle. The Israelite could look at it and certainly see God’s presence, but he couldn’t get close. To that same Israelite, God was as near as a fire, but like a fire, he could only get so close.

Aren’t you glad Jesus came the way He did?

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14 NIV)

This really is a phenomenal verse. The verb “became” means something very special here. It’s not “became” in the sense that when Christ became a man he stopped being what He was before. When Lot’s wife “became” a pillar of salt, she stopped being Lot’s wife, but when Lot “became” the father of Moab, he was still Lot. That’s the sense of what John wrote here. Christ, the eternal Word, became a man but He remained what He was before: the Second Person of the Trinity, the eternal Word of God. It’s a mystery, how these two natures – one Divine the other human – ever existed in one body, but they did and that was God’s accommodation to us.

Pause for a moment. Think about those Old Testament Israelites. We’re not all that far removed from them. They had all the same problems we have today. They had to feed their families. They had to face sickness and death. They faced an uncertain future. Some of them weren’t happy with their national leaders. Those were real-life problems they faced and they’re real-life problems we face, too. God came to them, after a fashion. He appeared as a cloud and as a fire, yet God wasn’t really any of those things.

And then there’s Jesus. God in the flesh. All God yet all man. Who can explain it? The declaration made in 451 AD known as “The Symbol of Chalcedon” does a pretty good job of it:

We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man…in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ...

That’s the difference between God merely appearing as a cloud or as a fire and actually coming to us as the Son of Man.

But there’s more. John tells us that He “made His dwelling among us.” That’s a funny way of referring to “the Word became flesh.” The idea behind that phrase is that the Eternal Word, which assumed the human nature permanently (though not in its sin-weakened condition permanently) “pitched His tent among us.”

Yes, in the Incarnation, God dwelled among men for a time. But unlike that cloud and fire, God is still among us. But He doesn’t hover over us like a cloud. He doesn’t move ahead of us like a fire, lighting our way. He’s right inside us. In the Person of the Holy Spirit, God dwells within every single born again believer. You and I have something the Old Testament Israelites could only dream of: the abiding presence of God.

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