anitasanecdotes

In Numbers 26 and 27 a census is taken of all the males 20 years old and older. None of those who had been enrolled at Mt Sinai were there because they were not allowed to go into the Promised Land. Moses is instructed to apportion the inheritance of the new land to each clan based upon its size. There was one clan that had no sons. The daughters petitioned to receive the inheritance. God agreed and made a statute for the giving of inheritances when there are no sons.

Moses is told to go up a mountain to see what God is giving the people of Israel. He is told that he will not be able to enter the land because of his disobedience in the wilderness of Zin. Moses pleads that God assign someone else the task of leading the people. God chooses Joshua. Moses takes Joshua before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation. Eleazar commissions Joshua as God commands.

Even though many of the people of Israel disobeyed God and could not receive the inheritance. God is faithful to the people and does not condemn them all because of what some have done.

In Acts 22 Paul speak to the people in Hebrew. He explains who he is and describes his call from Jesus. He explains that Jesus sent him to the Gentiles. At this the crowd becomes angry again.

They bind him up with thongs and Paul tells a centurion that he is a Roman citizen. The tribune released him because of his citizenship but brought him before the chief priests and council to find out why he was being accused.

In Numbers 24 Balaam is for the third time asked by Balak to give him a blessing. But Balaam remains faithful to the Lord. This time he gives the greatest blessing of Israel than he has given before. His blessing includes the triumph of Israel over Moab, Edom and others. Balak repeats that if only Balaam would have given him a blessing he would have made Balaam rich. But Balaam says that it doesn’t matter if wealth is promised he must be faithful to the word of God.

In Numbers 24 the men of Israel defy the commandments of the Lord and have relations with the women of Moab. They begin to make sacrifices to their gods. God becomes angry commands Moses to kill the chiefs of the people and sends a plague on them. Phinehas a priest of Israel sees one of the men taking a Midianite woman into his household. He kills the man and woman. God stops the plague because of his faithfulness and blesses Phinehas and his descendants.

God sends Israel against Midian.

Acts 21 opens with Paul landing in Tyre on his way to Jerusalem. He is warned by the disciples there not to go to Jerusalem right away. Paul goes to Caesarea and meets Philip the evangelist who has four daughters who have been given the gift of prophecy.

Another prophet Agabus tells Paul that if he goes to Jerusalem he will be bound by the Jews there and will be handed over to the Gentiles. The people urge Paul not to go. But Paul says he is ready to be bound and even die for the name of Jesus. The people pray that the Lord’s will is done.

Paul and his companions arrive in Jerusalem and visit James and the elders. He tells them of all that God has done with the Gentiles. They praise God. Then they tell Paul about the lies that have been spread about him, that he is disobeying the law. They encourage him to go through a purification ritual in order to prove that he follows the law. Paul does as he is advised but the Jews continue to stir up the crowd with more lies.

They capture Paul and start a riot. The tribune arrests him and tries to find out what the charges are. There is too much shouting for him to get a clear accusation. Paul speaks to the tribune in Greek, explains who he is and asks to speak to the people. We find out what he says tomorrow.

Numbers 22 and 23 tells the beginning of the story of Balak, the king of Moab and Balaam, a priest who believes in God. Balak has seen that Israel is a large and powerful nation. He wants protection from them and the ability to defeat them. So Balak sends for Balaam to receive a blessing in order to defeat the Israelites.

Balaam, even though he is not an Israelite, he believes in YHWH. God comes to him in dreams and gives him direction. The first time Balak asks for Balaam, God tells him not to go. Balak asks again for Balaam to come, promising him great honor. God allows him to go but tells him to say what God tells him to say.

Balaam takes his donkey and goes with the officials of Moab. While on the journey an angel of the Lord stands in the path the donkey is traveling. Only the donkey can see the angel and veers away. Three times this happens and each time the donkey changes direction Balaam strikes it. Finally, God has the donkey speak to Balaam to tell him that he is faithful. God opens Balaam’s eyes to see the angel of the Lord. The angel repeats God’s message to say what God tells him to say.

Balak asks Balaam for a blessing. Balaam states that he can only say what God wants him to say. Balaam tells Balak to offer sacrifices and he will ask God what he should do. God gives Balaam a blessing, but for Israel and not Moab. Balak thinks that if he goes to another place the blessing will change so he takes Balaam to a different place. He offers a sacrifice again, but God continues to bless the people of Israel. The chapter ends with Balak trying a third time. Stay tuned to see what God does next.

It is interesting to see that God works through people who are not part of the chosen people of Israel. They have faith as great as Moses. It is also interesting that sometimes we don’t want to hear when God says no. We may try to get the same thing in different ways, but still the answer is no. Perhaps we should listen to what God is saying.

Psalm 30 speaks of God’s faithfulness in times of trouble and how God turns our struggles, our mourning into joy.

God brings blessings and prosperity but we need to remember that God is also there when we struggle. The times of struggle will pass so don’t become disheartened.

Numbers 20 opens with the people of Israel complaining again. They arrive in Kadesh and there is no water. Instead of asking Moses and Aaron to plead to God for water they complain about the lack of water and the conditions of the place.

Moses and Aaron go to the tent of meeting to meet God. God has them take the staff and instructs them to command the rock to yield water. They go to the rock and ask the people if they should bring water out of it. Then Moses strikes the rock twice and it brings forth water.

God punishes Moses and Aaron for not trusting him and showing his holiness by telling them that will not enter the Promised Land. It is hard to say whether it was the striking of the rock or the taking credit for bring water that is what God is talking about. Perhaps it is what God reads in their hearts that leads Him to give this punishment.

Moses approaches the king of Edom to ask for safe passage on the King’s Highway, a faster road to Canaan. The king refuses them safe passage so they went another way and arrive at Mount Hor.

God has Moses take Aaron and his son Eleazar up onto Mount Hor. Because Aaron is not going to enter the new land God transfers the priesthood from Aaron to Eleazar. Aaron dies on the top of the mountain. The people of Israel mourn for one month.

Numbers 21 opens with the Canaanite king of Arad, taking some of the Israelites prisoner. God allows the Israelites to triumph over the Canaanites.

The Israelites head toward the Red Sea to go around Edom and again the people complain against God and Moses. They say that they detest the manna God has provided. God sends poisonous serpents into the people and many die from the bites. The people recognize their sin and ask that God take away the serpents. God has Moses make a serpent of bronze and put it on a pole. When the people are bitten they look at the serpent and they live. This story is referred to in John 3 in a comparison with Jesus’ crucifixion.

The people wander around the wilderness near Moab. There is a reference to a Book of the Wars of the Lord and tales are told from there about their travels and the battles they fight and win along the way.

Acts 20 tells of several of the journeys of Paul. He is anxious to get to Jerusalem for Pentecost. Paul decides to avoid going to Ephesus but sends for the elders of the church and meets with them. He recounts his faithfulness in telling Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith toward Jesus. He tells them that the Holy Spirit is warning of imprisonment and persecution for him. He knows that he will not return to Ephesus and encourages them to remain strong even though some will come to them who will try to lead them astray. He also encourages them toward generosity and blesses them. There is a tearful farewell and he goes to the ship.

There is a striking difference between these passages. The people of Israel and even Moses and Aaron continually have crises of faith. They complain rather than trust. They do things their way instead of obeying. And God punishes them for their disobedience. Paul, on the other hand, continues in faith despite the persecution. He move forward even though the way is full of perils. There is no word of complaint, only acceptance and encouragement to others to keep strong in the faith. Oh, that we would be more like Paul than Moses and the people of Israel.

In Numbers 17 God says he will put a stop to the complaining and make clear the one whom He has chosen to deal with Him. He has the leader of each of the 12 ancestral houses put his name on a staff. Aaron puts his name on the staff of the house of Levi. The staffs are placed in the tabernacle. The next day Aaron’s staff has sprouted and borne blossoms and almonds. It is clear that God has chosen Aaron. The staff is placed in the Ark of the Covenant as a warning to the rebels. The Israelites are afraid of what is going to happen to them.

In Numbers 18 God emphasizes that the Levites are to serve Aaron and his sons in taking care of the tent of meeting. Only Aaron and his sons are to perform the priestly duties in and near the altar and behind the curtain where the ark sits.

Aaron and his children shall receive all the elevation offerings and the best of the oil, wine and grain the people give to the Lord. The Levites shall receive the tithe of the Israelites as their allotment but the tithe of the tithe is given to the Lord and used by Aaron and his family.

Numbers 19 establishes a red heifer as a sacrifice for a purification offering. God also establishes the purification rituals after one has touched a dead person.

In Acts 19 Paul finds some disciples in Ephesus who have only had the water baptism of John. Paul tells them of being baptized in the name of Jesus and they are baptized. The Holy Spirit comes upon them and they speak in tongues and prophesy.

Paul speaks for three months in the synagogue then goes out and speaks in the public hall. He continues to speak for two years until everyone has heard the good news. God also has Paul perform many miraculous healings. Some Jewish exorcists try to use the name of Jesus but the evil spirits do not recognize them as being from the Lord. Many came to believe because of this.

Some of the Greek artisans fear that their business is being destroyed because so many are coming to the Lord and no longer need gods. They try to foment trouble with the followers of Artemis. Paul is warned not to get involved in the melee. The artisans are encouraged to bring their complaint to a court but not to stir up a riot since there is little justification for it.

In Numbers 15, God gives instructions for offerings that will be offered when the people enter the Promised Land. These instructions are the same for the resident aliens as for the Israelites. In addition to burnt offerings, they are instructed to bring the first batch of dough as a donation.

If they unintentionally fail to bring these offerings the priest must make an atonement sacrifice and they will be forgiven. But if they act defiantly they will be cut off from the people.

A man is found to be gathering sticks on the Sabbath. God orders that the man should be killed and the people stone the man. God then has the priests put a blue cord on the fringe of their garments to remind the people of the commandments so they will be holy an do not follow the lust of their hearts and eyes.

In Numbers 16 Moses again is dealing with dissension in the ranks. Some of the leaders led by Korah, a Levite, Dathan and Abiram complain that Moses and Aaron are exalting themselves above everyone else and in their opinion are no better than they are. All of them are holy.

Moses becomes angry but says that they will go before God in the morning and He will decide who is holy. Moses chastises Korah and the Levites with him in particular. They have been set apart already to do the Lord’s work. Moses emphasizes that their complaint is not against Moses or Aaron but is against God.

Moses calls Dathan and Abiram to come to him but they refuse. They complain that Moses has brought them out of a land where they had everything into the wilderness to kill them and lord it over them. They don’t believe the promise of going to a land of milk and honey or receiving an inheritance of land.

The rebels come before the Lord. God tells Moses and Aaron to separate themselves from the rest so He can destroy them. Moses and Aaron plead for the followers of Korah, Dathan and Abiram that they are not to blame. So God has Moses separate the rest from Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Moses says to the people that if these three die a natural death then Moses has not been sent by God, but if they and their households are swallowed up then Moses is meant to lead and these others have disobeyed. The earth swallows up Dathan and Abiram and their households, but everyone who belonged to Korah is swallowed up.

Instead of convincing the people to follow Moses and Aaron, all of the people rebel. God sends a plague on the people. Moses has Aaron make atonement for the people and the plague stops.

These seem like harsh punishments to us, but we need to remember that defying the will of God is a serious thing. The Israelites were chosen by God and yet they did not trust Him nor were they grateful for His providing for them. They resisted the leadership He provided; they resisted being His people; they continually turned away from Him. All who go against God Almighty, the giver of life, deserve punishment and even death. We, too, are deserving of punishment and even death when we sin and turn away. But we have a High Priest, Jesus, who has made atonement for us and pleads for us even as Moses and Aaron did for the people of Israel. Thanks be to God for His mercy toward us.

In Acts 18, Paul leaves Athens and goes to Corinth. He meets Aquila and Pricilla, fellow tentmakers, and stays and works with them. Paul speaks in the synagogue and moves some to believe but others revile him so he moves on to the Gentiles. God tells Paul that He has chosen many in Corinth so Paul should be bold in his preaching. Paul remains in Corinth for 1½ year. The Jews try to bring Paul to trial but the magistrate tells them it is a religious matter and not a legal one.

Paul leaves Corinth with Aquila and Priscilla and goes to Ephesus. After preaching for a while he moves on but Aquila and Priscilla stay. A follower of the Way named Apollos comes to Ephesus. He knows about Jesus but only teaches about the baptism of John. Priscilla and Aquila taught him the right belief and he went on helping many become believers and refuting the Jews in public.

In Numbers 12 Miriam and Aaron are jealous of the fact that God speaks through Moses. God becomes angry because Moses did not deserve their criticism. God states that He speaks directly only to Moses and that they should be afraid to speak against him. God strikes Miriam with leprous lesions. She is shut out of the camp for 7 days until she is clean again.

One of the worst things we can do as a people of faith is to speak against another follower, especially out of jealousy. God gives each of us gifts and each is given particular gifts for a purpose. It is not our place to be jealous of another’s gifts or position. It is worse yet to speak out against one who is following God’s call to ministry. Our witness becomes tarnished when we act so nastily toward one another. It becomes like a disease which can affect the entire body of faith.

In Numbers 13 and 14 God sends men from each tribe to spy out the land of Canaan. The men spend 40 days on their journey. They return with samples of the fruits of the land.

All but Joshua and Caleb speak of how rich the land is but how terrifying the inhabitants are and how the Israelites are no match. The people believe the negative reports.

Only Joshua and Caleb speak out of trust in the Lord instead of fear of what they see. They know that the inhabitants are no match for God. The people continue to be afraid and threaten to stone Joshua and Caleb.

Their lack of faith makes God angry and He considers again destroying the people and beginning anew with Moses. Moses speaks again of how that would look to the Egyptians for the people God has claimed to be destroyed.

Moses reminded God of the covenant He made at Mt Sinai saying the He was slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Moses asks God to forgive them. God agrees to His request but says that none of the people who were brought out of Egypt, saw His miracles and continued to test Him ten times will be allowed to possess the new land.  God kills the men who gave the bad report with a plague. Only Joshua and Caleb survive.

When the people hear what God said they decide to go up against the Amalekites and Canaanites even though God has not blessed their effort. The ark of the covenant and Moses remain in the camp as God commanded. The Amalekites and Canaanites defeat the Israelites who disobeyed God.

The people have trouble listening to and believing in God and His word. They only see things from their perspective and cannot trust that God might have a plan that is greater than their imaginings. They want to determine their own fate regardless of whether God has blessed them. If we claim to be God’s people then we need to listen to what God is trying to tell us. If we go off on our own we run the risk of going against God and His blessing.

Psalm 28 speaks of those who do not regard the works of God that they will get their own reward. The writer trusts in God and receives His blessings.

Psalm 29 speaks of the power of the Lord and asks that God give His strength to His people.

In Numbers 10 God orders that trumpets are to be used to alert the people of times of gathering, times of moving, and during worship.

In the second month of the second year the cloud leaves the tabernacle and the people set out on a three day journey away from Mt. Sinai. The cloud goes to the place where the new camp is to be set.

In Numbers 11 the people complain and make God angry. His fire burns the outlying parts of the camp. Moses prays and God stops the fire. But the rabble complains and gets the people riled up. They long for the food they used to eat in Egypt. They are tired of the manna. Moses has to listen to all of their complaints.

Moses now complains to God. He wonders why he has to deal with these people. He cannot deal with them alone. God has him gather 70 of the elders. God takes some of the spirit that rests on Moses and gives it to the elders. Now they can share in the burden of dealing with the people and prophesy.

Moses complains that the people want meat and he cannot possibly feed all of them. So God says He will provide so much meat for them during the month that they will be sick of it. Moses questions where this meat will come from. God is indignant that Moses believes His power is limited. God sets out to prove His word is true. God sends them quail but he also sends a plague on the people who complained and they die.

The people journeyed on.

God does not tolerate ingratitude. God provides for our needs and still we want more. We must be grateful for what the Lord gives.

In Acts 17 Paul and Silas move from town to town preaching about Jesus. They preach in the synagogues and gain many followers both Jew and Greek, both men and women. The Jewish leaders become jealous and try to attack Paul and Silas but they escape.

Paul goes on to Athens and waits for Silas and Timothy to join him. He becomes distressed at all of the idols in the city. He conducts debates in the synagogues and the marketplace. The Athenians are interested in new things so they bring him to the Areopagus to explain his new teaching. Paul notes that they have an altar inscribed to an unknown god. He explains that that is God, who made everything and does not live in shrines. He gives life to everything that has breath. Paul explains that God is now calling people to repent and tells them about Jesus rising from the dead. Some want to hear more and eventually believe.

It is to be noted that Luke includes that women became believers, even mentioning some by name. This is not just a faith for the men, but women also may believe and even lead others to Christ.

In Numbers 8 God instructs Aaron to set up the lamps in the tent of meeting. Then Moses performs a ritual of purification on the Levites. They are offered by the Israelites as an elevation offering to the Lord.  They are now able to serve the tent of meeting.

God reminds the people that the Levites have been consecrated to the Lord in place of the firstborn. The Levites serve for 25 years (age 25-50) and then they retire.

Numbers 9 opens at the beginning of the second year the Israelites are in the wilderness. God tells the people to keep the Passover. All people are allowed to keep the Passover: those who are unclean because of a death, those who are away from camp as well as aliens living among the Israelites. However, if those who are present in the camp and have nothing that would exclude them from participating refuse to participate they will be cut off from the people.

Whenever the cloud covered the tabernacle the people remain camped. Whenever the cloud lifted from the tent the Israelites set out until they see the cloud which indicates where they will camp. No matter how long the cloud remains over the tabernacle the people remain camped.

The people of Israel know exactly what God expects of them. They have His presence tangibly present in the cloud. They know that He is with them. Often we doubt the presence of God in our lives. We wish we had a physical presence with us at all times and someone who hears God’s voice and tells us what God wants.

What we have is the scriptures. It is God’s presence with us each day. It assures us that God is with us and guides us in knowing what to do.

In Acts 16 Paul meets a young disciple named Timothy. Timothy accompanies Paul in his travels. They tell the people they met the decisions that were made by those in Jerusalem. The churches become stronger.

The Holy Spirit blocks their way into Asia so they go to Troas.  Paul has a vision encouraging him to go to Macedonia so they go there. They end up in the city of Philippi. There they meet a woman named Lydia from Thyatira. She and her household become believers and she invites them to come to her house.

They meet a slave woman who tells fortunes. She persistently tells others that Paul and Silas proclaim a way of salvation. Paul is annoyed at her following them and casts out the spirit inside her. Her owners, upset that she no longer makes them money, have them arrested. While they are imprisoned and are worshipping there is an earthquake and the door are opened. The jailer becomes afraid that he has lost his prisoners but Pat and Silas remain. They preach to him and he believes. Paul explains that they were arrested unjustly and are Roman citizens. They are released and go to Lydia’s house.

You might have noticed that some of the story changes from being told in third person (they) to being told in first person (we). It is believed that Luke, the writer of the book of Acts joins Paul in his journeys.

Numbers 6 deals with the vow of a nazarite (meaning separated one or consecrated one). Anyone can become a nazirite. This vow is not limited to men nor to first born. Nazarites dedicate themselves to the Lord for a specific period of time. One well-known nazirite is Samson. It is believed that John the Baptist could very well have been a nazirite.

Nazarites eat a special diet and do not cut their hair during the time of the vow. What the nazarites do for the Lord is specific to the particular person. They are called to a particular purpose at a particular time.

At the end of the chapter gives Aaron and his sons a special blessing to bring to the Israelites.

In Numbers 7 Moses completes his work on the tabernacle. God has all the leaders of Israel bring wagons and oxen as offerings for the tent of meeting. Moses distributes these wagons and oxen to the Levites for their service of the tabernacle. The Kohathites do not receive any wagons because they carry the holy things on their shoulders.

The leaders also present offerings for the dedication of the altar. Each tribe presented their offering on a separate day. After twelve days, the dedication is complete.

Moses goes into the tent of meeting to speak to God and hears God’s voice speaking from above the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant.

Each of God’s people has a specific job to do, whether as a regular duty or as a special call. Faithfulness to the jobs is required. Each of us has a specific job to do in God’s kingdom as well. It is important for us through prayer and discernment to determine what that job is and to do it faithfully.

Psalm 26 speaks of this faithful service of the Lord. The writer wants God to test his faithfulness and is confident God will find him faithful.

Psalm 27 is another well-known psalm. It speaks of trust in God to sustain us even in difficult times and encouragement to remain faithful.