BALAAM, SAINT OR SINNER? (Numbers 22-25)

Balaam is best remembered for his talking donkey. God gave a donkey a human voice! (I've always been more surprised that Balaam answered when the donkey spoke, as if it didn't surprise him.)

But I can't quite decide how I feel about the man. The king of the Moabites, Balak, called Balaam to pronounce curses on the Israelites.

Nothing strange about that. Israel's kings called in God's prophets, to hear God's word on the subject of their enemies. At times, the prophet didn't say what the king wanted to hear, any more than Balak wanted Balaam to bless Israel four separate times.

Although the Moabites worshipped Baal, it appears that Balaam worshipped Israel's God. He asked for seven whole-burnt-offerings (very levitical of him). He inquired of GOD, not of god, and pronounced the blessing God had for the Israelites.

Balak refused to pay Balaam, since he had failed to deliver.  The man suffered for doing God's will.

Up to this point, Balak sounds like a hero to me. Yes, he was willing to accompany Balak, to accept his money, but in the end, he gave God's message.

Definite hero material.

Then we get all the way to Revelation, where Jesus says to the church at Pergamum, "There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality."

That part of the story is left out of Numbers. Perhaps greedy for the money Balak had promised him, Balaam pulled him aside. "I can't curse the Israelites. God won't let me. But this is what you can do to get them to bring God's anger on them all on their own. . ."  And he outlined his plan for the Moabite women to seduce the Israelite men. It worked brilliantly, and 24,000 people died.

Almost a hero . . . but he failed in the end.

No wonder Joshua and the Israelites killed him when the conquered the promised land.

FAVORITE VERSES

Today I write with a heavy heart; I learned that the man to whom I have given my heart is in fact married though separated. I have told him friends and no more, and the pain is deep.

Learning that my ex-husband has aggressive prostrate cancer hasn't helped.

So today I'm turning to my version of spiritual comfort food.  If copyright would allow me to quote my favorite lyrics to praise songs, I would.  Instead I'll share a couple of my favorite verses about God's love, the love that has sustained me through every trial life has thrown my way.

If others of you are in pain as I am today, either emotional or physical, may God's words bring you comfort.   I would love to listen to your favorite verses.

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.  Romans 8:38-39, MSG

Your God is present among you,
    a strong Warrior there to save you.
Happy to have you back, he’ll calm you with his love
    and delight you with his songs.
Zephaniah 3:17, MSG







Though the cherry trees don’t blossom
    and the strawberries don’t ripen,

Though the apples are worm-eaten
    and the wheat fields stunted,
Though the sheep pens are sheepless
    and the cattle barns empty,
I’m singing joyful praise to God.
    I’m turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God.
Counting on God’s Rule to prevail,
    I take heart and gain strength.
I run like a deer.
    I feel like I’m king of the mountain!
Habakkuk 3:17-19, MSG

(Quoting from the Message because that is the version I am using this year).

PROFESSIONAL MINISTERS: WORTHY OF THEIR HIRE (Numbers 18)

Wow, I didn't expect to find such a feast in Numbers 18. Maybe the first verse I noticed today would be the key to the chapter: "You and your sons, along with your father's family, are responsible for taking care of the sins having to do with the Sanctuary; you and your sons are also responsible for sins involving the priesthood."

The chapter goes on to detail several privileges, payments, and responsibilities (and punishments for failure) pertaining to the priesthood.

Their responsibilities included:

• Instilling reverence for holy  things: They had to make sure the other Israelites didn't touch or mishandle the holy things in the Tabernacle. If someone touched something that should remain offlimits, both the lay person and the priest received a death penalty. 
• Care for holy things, so that God's anger would be averted.
• Tithing the tithe they received from the people (who received it or what happened to it isn't specified, except that the animal and grain offerings were killed and burned).

Their payment included:

• Specified portions of the offerings to be eaten.
• The money paid in offerings.
• No land.  God told them "I am your plot of ground."
• As noted above, they were in turn to give one-tenth of what they received. 

Their privileges?

• Their work. Only they served in the sanctuary. 
• A unique relationship with God. "I am your inheritance," God told them. 
• All their needs provided.

The principles still hold true today, don't you agree? Let's see. We still expect our ministers to teach us about holy living and to maintain holiness in their own lives. We expect them to be generous with their time and money.

We pay them (usually) so they can work for the church "full time."

They rarely remain fixed in one place long enough to call it their "home."

They are called to be our pastors, teachers, leaders.

One final thought:  The work of the priesthood was God's exclusive gift to Aaron and his sons; it couldn't be delegated.

Whatever work God has called us to is exclusive; what we don't do remains undone, and it can't be delegated to someone else.

For a writer, I take joy and peace in knowing no one else can or will write the stories God places on my heart. When jealousy threatens to get the better of me (still a struggle for me), I cling to this truth. God's plan for me is unique and exclusive, and I have no business comparing myself to others.

Of course, that also means I'd better get busy--and write the stories God gave me.

ON PAROLE: SIN STOPPERS (Numbers 15)

Back on February 14, I wrote about sin served three ways, and the provision God made for deliberate, willful rebellion against God.

So today when I read that a person who sins defiantly must be kicked out of the community. Ostracized. Excommunicated, although that word isn't used. I was surprised.

Perhaps it's a matter of continuing in willful rebellion, choosing a different lifestyle than the one God gives in the law.

When a few verses later, I read about adding blue tassels to their garments, to remind them of God's commandments, my mind said "ahah! This is about practical ways to avoid temptation."  In God's words, "not get distracted  by everything you feel or see that seduces you into infidelities."

In fact, the instructions reminded me of rules for parolees from jail: Don't associate with former friends and criminals. Stay away from them. As God told the Israelites, remove them from your vicinity.

And how about those nifty ankle bracelets that some parolees have to wear? That's a visual clue to stay within the confines of the law.

Are there people who tempt me to sin? Should I stay away from them?  Do I need to use a rubber band to train my thoughts away from a sinful path? How about posting a Bible verse during the day? A necklace with a religious symbol? What are visual clues I can give myself to remain in God's will?

Let's join God's sin-stopper program, and accept His forgiveness when we fail.

A STUDY IN CONTRASTS (Numbers 13; Mark 5)

I was arrested by God's words to Moses today, after the 10 of the 12 spies discouraged the people of Israel from entering the promised land: "How long will these people treat me like dirt? How long refuse to trust me?"

The idea of treating God like dirt--and how our lack of faith makes God feel--struck me as a rich subject.

But then I read today's portion from the New Testament, about the woman who touched the bottom of Jesus' garment: How excited Jesus sounds!  "Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you're healed and whole. Live well, live blessed!"

Let's compare the two occasions.

• In Numbers, they are deciding whether or not to declare War. Their Commander-in-Chief, God, has already given the command. But the people refuse to ratify the declaration of war. 
• In Mark, the woman had a very personal problem, one that kept her unclean and away from mainstream society for 28 years.  I had a hysterectomy after I have a couple of months of heavy bleeding. I was exhausted. I can't imagine living with it for 28 years! 
• The Israelites had seen God's power displayed over and over again. The ten plagues, crossing the red sea, manna, meat, water, defeating the Amalekites. What more did God have to do to prove Himself trustworthy?  (Nothing, obviously)
• The woman had heard reports of Jesus' healing power, but had no personal experience.
• The spies were chosen for the task. Interesting note: not the same men as were chosen for the census in chapter 2, who led in giving in chapter 7.   (would their response have been any different?)
• The woman was an outcast, no one of influence
• The spies' lack of faith (with the exception, of course, of Joshua and Caleb) caused an entire nation to lose faith and cursed an entire generation to die in the wilderness.
• The crowd didn't believe in the case of Jesus and the woman either. How did Jesus know someone had touched Him? How dare this woman come near the master?
• The woman's faith led both to healing and to Jesus' giving her a benediction of blessing.
• The spies trumpeted their opinions to the crowd.
• The woman came secretly. 
• The spies saw a risk doomed to failure.
• The woman saw a risk with a sure reward.

How often do we let the crowd sway our faith, or lack thereof? 

What are we willing to risk for our faith?  

TIMING and GOD'S WILL (Numbers 9)

This morning, I read "Night of day, it made no difference--when the Cloud lifted, they marched."

My mind scrambled to take in the scene, especially at night time. As a writer, I try to imagine describing the scene, and I have a dozen questions.  Who knew that the Cloud lifted? Did they have an organized watch for that special purpose? I would guess the Levites, or even Aaron and his sons, kept watch. They were in charge of blowing the trumpets, announcing the move. And they camped next to the Tabernacle, where the Cloud must have dominated the sky overhead. They were in the best position to see it move.

It would be even more difficult during the day. What if the children were at play? The parents at work? How do you survive living on the road as they did?

How long does a group of 600,000 men plus women and children stretch? How much space did their camp take?

How much time passed from the time the Cloud lifted until it moved? Was it always the same length of time? Where did God drawn the line between adequate time to prepare to move and dawdling?

God gave them visual clues (Pillar of Cloud/Pillar of Fire) and verbal clues (trumpet blasts) to announce the time to move on. They couldn't make a mistake.

There are days that I want God to make the direction He wants me to move in as clear as He did for the Israelites. Sometimes He does. This spring, I am preparing several different book proposals. They vary greatly; one is nonfiction, one is contemporary romance, a third is a self-publishing endeavor for novellas, and another is historical romance for a new publisher that I hope to work with long term.

I have great hopes for all four of them--and know from experience they probably won't all get a green light. This morning I prayed for God to make His will clear, to close the wrong doors and open the right ones. I should also have asked for God to open the right door at the right time. I sent in a proposal this morning. If the answer is "yes," I trust God will let me know when I need the information.

Almost five years ago, God lifted a pillar from Denver and forced me out. I lived in and loved Colorado for almost twenty years. Then in 2008 my daughter died. I didn't know that among other losses, it started the avalanche of moving me on. A job I had enjoyed for ten years wouldn't let me take a long scheduled vacation to see my first grandchild. My mother's health failed, and she needed to move into a nursing home. I couldn't afford to rent an apartment by myself. Day by day, I became convinced the time had come for me to move.

The bottom line application from today's passage: When God tells us to move, it's time to start packing.

LEADERSHIP IN GIVING (Numbers 7-8)

In the first chapter of Numbers, Moses appointed one man from each tribe of Israel to assist in taking the census.

By chapter 7, we see that those men had grown into leaders. They worked in a clearly coordinated, planned, effort, to present offerings for needs they perceived in beginning Tabernacle worship.

In chapter 8 we read the repetitive list of silver and gold vessels, grains, incense, livestock. Each tribe gave exactly the same items, none of which were commanded by God. They gave willingly and in a coordinated effort.

But back in chapter 7, they began with a very practical need: wagons to carry the furnishings of the Tabernacle, and oxen to pull them.

Their offering flummoxed Moses. I can see him now, scratching his head, asking God what he was supposed to do with the unexpected offering. He must have been puzzled, because God had to spell out the answer: "Receive these so that they can be used to transport the Tend of Meeting."

I love it. Men recognized as leaders, acting under Moses's direction, and then acting on their own initiative. And the first thing they wanted to do was to give back to God. They did nothing to puff themselves up.

May our leaders today do the same.