Hope Alliance Bethlehem

The Israelites were called to engage the Canaanite enemy and lay claim to the entire land of promise on the basis of God's faithfulness.  Though they fell short, Jesus came and announced the defeat of the actual enemy - sin and death.  And on the basis of our union with him, he calls us to engage in the battle against sin.  This fight is largely fought, as the apostle Paul reminds us, through the renewal of our minds.

Just as the nation is ready to lay hold to the land God has promised, two tribes express their desire to settle east of the Jordan River.  Moses' response shows us their folly.  In settling down, they are actually settling for less than God has offered.  Just like them, we tend to get bogged down by our stuff, weary from the journey and comfortable where we are and thus settle for less of God and less faith in God's promises. 

In Numbers 31 God brings judgement on the Midianites for their opposition to His kingdom advancement.  In His providence He has mercy on Israel but condemns Midian.   When we really analyze God's judgement, we find that we can either die to self because of His love or die in our sin because of our guilt.

A life centered on God's rescue helps us remember who we are in light of who God is and what he has done.  This is why we must be intentional in creating a rhythm of life as a response to God's grace and to engage in our communion with him.

With a new census, we once again see the faithfulness and the goodness of God.  And both of these are even more apparent when God resounds to the daughters of Zelophehad.  Though their father's sin had led to their deprivation, God welcomed them into an inheritance that legally wasn't theirs to share.  In the same way, God has welcomed us into the inheritance of enteral life through Jesus.

Failing to realize God's promises, the Israelites on the precious of entering the land fall into temptation.  Sexual immorality for sure, but at its core cheating on God with other gods.  Into this mess steps a man named Phinehas with zeal for God who stops the downward spiral.   On an ever greater scale, Jesus stepped into the downward spiral of this world and through his zeal for God took judgment on himself so that all things could be set new.

The narrative of Balak gives the reader of Numbers an important question to ponder: what kind of king do I want to serve?  One who provokes, tempts and is destined to defeat.  Or one who blesses by by walking among his people and fighting for them til ultimate victory.  The king we need is divine, not human.  Our king is God, who himself became the human king we needed in Jesus.

In that day, Balaam was clearly the go to guy if you found yourself in a tough spot.  But this famous story of Balaam and his donkey shows us that his broken humanity makes him an incapable rescuer. It is God who shows perfect power, vision and loyalty.  And it is ultimately Jesus, our servant rescuer, who demonstrates this rescuing power for the world. 

A new generation is on the move toward the land of promise.  But this new generation is just as corruptible as the last one.  And their impatience and ingratitude, rooted in a desire for self-rule and slavery, invite deadly snakes into their midst.  It is only through the grace of God that the serpents that bring death are defeated.  And it is only through Jesus that the ultimate serpent that brings death is crushed.

With the Israelites still ungrateful and grumbling, Moses has a very public meltdown.  His self-righteousness has caused him to become impatient with God's patient redemptive plan.  And we see that Moses is neither the hero of this story, nor the rescuer that God's people ultimately need.  God is the hero and he sends Jesus as our ultimate rescuer who gives us living water that finally quenches our thirst.