Month: May 2018

Deuteronomy 13 records the vital importance of not worshiping false gods. Moses tells us even if a prophet or visionary offers miracles or visions as “proof” of the power of other gods, we are not to be tricked by this test. Moses said even if one’s closest loved ones offered the temptation to worship other gods, not to do it. In fact, in such situations, the response was to stone that relative to death. That’s how important it was not to worship false gods! The consequences seem so extreme to us, but once again we see how vital it was for the Israelites to remain faithful to the LORD and to follow only Him. This principle remains true for us. When we turn away from the LORD the consequence is always death–either spiritual or physical death, or both. That’s why it is vital for us to love and serve Him alone.

Deuteronomy 14 starts by reminding the Israelites of which animals were clean and unclean. Moses wanted them to keep their holiness in every area of their lives as of first and foremost importance. The second half of the chapter is devoted to instructions concerning the peoples’ tithes. They were instructed to bring their tithes to the place the LORD directed every third year. As we read the account we find the people were told to celebrate and eat the tithes of grain and animals together, and to “remember” the Levites. Because the Levites were set apart to serve God, and weren’t given their own land, the rest of the tribes were to provide for them. This principle carries over throughout the history of God’s people and into the development of the early church as we read in the New Testament. While the Apostle Paul, tells us he served as a tentmaker, to pay his own way as he shared the gospel in various places, he also tells us that existing churches supported him. He tells us Peter and the other apostles received support for their ministries from those they served. The principle is vital, because even though there is no group of “Levites” in our day, those who invest their lives full-time in serving Jesus, rely on those who don’t for support. This frees up full-time workers to advance the Kingdom of God in ways that would not be possible without that full-time focus.

Deuteronomy 15 restates the laws of canceling debts, releasing slaves, and the sacrifice of firstborn male animals. One of the statements that catches our eye is there ought to be no poor people among the Israelites. Moses tells the people as they obey God they will be blessed abundantly. Then they ought to show kindness to the poor. This principle carried throughout Israel’s history, although it was often abused. For example, Jesus condemned the Pharisees for making a public show of helping the poor. Yet, in Acts 3-4, we find Peter and John healed a lame beggar, giving the man something far better than “alms,” or financial offerings. In James 1, we’re told true religion before the Lord is found in helping widows and orphans in their distress. As Jesus’ followers, we are called to follow in the long line of God’s people who alleviate the poverty of others. We do this both by sharing the good news of Jesus, so people will not be spiritually poor, and by meeting the physical needs of those struggling with poverty. To share Jesus without meeting physical needs makes our “good news” seem shallow. To meet the physical needs of others, without telling them about Jesus is merely social welfare, and while helpful, leaves the people we “help” still condemned to an eternity without Jesus.

John 19 records the crucifixion, death, and burial of Jesus. We read again of Pilate’s desire to release Jesus, but the Jews called for His death. They even said they had no king but Caesar. As Jesus endured the cross, John tells us, He made three statements from the cross. In all, the four gospels record seven “last words” of Jesus from the cross. John’s statements include: 1) Jesus telling John that Mary was his mother, and he her son. In this way Jesus ensured His mother would be cared for after He rose from the dead and returned to heaven. 2) Jesus said, “I thirst.” This is a statement any human being in Jesus’ situation would have made. We can scarcely imagine the pain Jesus must have gone through. The blood loss He experienced from being whipped, would have caused severe dehydration and thirst. Hanging on the cross would only have added to that thirst.  3) Jesus said, “It is finished.” The Greek word John used to record the statement does not mean, “It is over,” but rather “It is completed,” or “It is fulfilled.”  Jesus’ death fulfilled or completed the purpose for which He came: to pay the penalty for human sin, and therefore to free us from sin and death! When Jesus rose from the dead on Easter morning, the affirmation of that completed work was accomplished. As Jesus’ followers, we can be sure our sin is forgiven and our hope for our future life with Him is sure, because Jesus completed His work on the cross for us.

Deuteronomy 10 starts with Moses telling of receiving two new stone tablets with the Ten Commandments. These were the same as the first ones God had written. Moses placed them in the Ark of the covenant as God commanded. The remainder of chapter 10 and all of chapter 11 offers Moses’ admonition to the Israelites to love and obey God, because of His great love for them. He tells them of the consequences for obedience and disobedience, and then tells them to choose “life,” which means to choose obedience, rather than choosing “death,” which would be the result of disobedience.  These chapters offer us a strong reminder that in every era we receive consequences for our actions. While we typically think of the word “consequence” as negative, consequences are simply the logical outcomes of previous actions. The logical outcome of loving and obeying the God of the universe is “life.” While we know people, including ourselves, who have loved and obeyed God and still experienced challenge and difficulty, the principle remains: loving and obeying God leads to life. Because of Jesus’ coming, because of His perfect life, sacrificial death and resurrection, we who trust God, and love and obey Him in the power of the Holy Spirit will experience life in all its abundance. We might experience bumps on the road in the short-term, but in eternal terms, our lives will be blessed.

Deuteronomy 11 offers us a crucial truth for God’s people in any era  of history: Do not worship as the pagans worship. Worship only as God decrees. The Israelites were about to enter a land filled with idol worshipers. God told them to destroy every idol and every “high place” where the idols were worshiped. The analogy for us is not to indulge ourselves in pagan worship practices, whether witchcraft or Satanism, eastern religions or any practice that doesn’t originate from our desire to worship the one, true living God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We live in relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The world over, people practice religion–the pursuit of “God” or a deity through actions designed to please or appease the god of that religion. Religion is as old as humanity, but only through the one, true God do we gain a relationship that brings lives of meaning and purpose here and now and forever.

John 18 records the betrayal, arrest, and trial of Jesus. It also records Peter’s denial of Jesus. As we move through the chapter, we might easily miss a couple of amazing responses to Jesus in it. First, when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, and He told them He was Jesus they “fell back.” 400 trained soldiers faced one man, Jesus, and at the mere admission from Jesus that He was the one they were seeking, they fell back. We might think of Jesus as a “nice” man, as a “pleasant” man, and to be sure, Jesus must have been kind and caring as we see through His interactions with so many. But John shows us in the situation when  the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, a military or at least police action, Jesus’ mere presence was enough to frighten 400 soldiers!

During Jesus’ interaction with Pilate, Jesus told Pilate His Kingdom was not of this world. Pilate responded, “So you are a king then?”  Jesus neither confirmed nor denied the position, but told Pilate, He came to reveal the truth.  Pilate asked, “What is truth?” but didn’t wait for Jesus’ response. Pilate had the truth standing in front of him, and could have learned the deep truths of God and reality. Instead, he walked away, returning to the crowd and telling them he found no guilt in Jesus. Despite finding Jesus not guilty, he condemned Jesus, because he was afraid of the crowd. We could say the crowd was more guilty than Pilate, because they called for Jesus’ crucifixion. But Pilate had both the power and authority to free Jesus. Instead, because of his fear of the crowd, and his fear he might lose his position, he succumbed to the crowd. Lest we be too hard on Pilate, think of how often we have been in a position to stand up for Jesus, but let the opportunity go, because we either didn’t want to start an argument, or didn’t want to be seen as a fanatic. We always find it easier to condemn others’ actions, than to hold ourselves accountable for our own.  But as Jesus reminded the Pharisees back in John 8, we can only condemn others if we have no sin ourselves.

Deuteronomy 7 offers us an explanation for why God chose the Israelites and what they needed to do to remain God’s holy people. God chose them simply because He loved them and had promised their ancestors He would form them into a great nation. They were not a great nation in and of themselves. The requisite for their continuing to receive God’s love and blessing as they entered the Promised Land was they would destroy the pagan people of the land, along with their idols. God knew if the Israelites intermingled with the pagans, they would adopt the pagan ways of those people. This happened eventually, because the Israelites failed to put God first, and to obey His instructions. The promises God made included material blessing, physical health, and a close relationship with Him. Who would not want all that? Yet, the Israelites soon traded all that for immediate moments of fun with groups of pagans. We could condemn them if it weren’t for our own propensity to turn away from the amazing promises of God, for our own “15 minute decisions.” Thank God that He is so much more faithful than we are!

In Deuteronomy 8, Moses reminds the Israelites again of the blessings God will offer them as they obey Him. He also tells them they will lose everything if they disobey. This constant challenge to remember the blessing and avoid the curse of God has been before us as God’s people from the beginning. The choice seems so clear and obvious, yet the fallen, sinful natures within us move us away from the clear choice of blessing, and toward the curse. We can never work our way into God’s blessing. We can never be “good enough” to gain God’s blessing. We have God’s blessing, because we are His people, when we trust Jesus as Lord, just as the Israelites had God’s blessing as they entered the Promised Land. The only thing left to do is to step into that blessing, and live it in the power of the Holy Spirit.

In Deuteronomy 9, Moses reminded the Israelites they were about to enter a land where the inhabitants were more numerous and stronger than they. The only path to victory was to accept God’s gracious leadership and let Him provide it! Moses reminded the Israelites of how they had failed to do that in the wilderness by creating and worshiping the golden calf. This was a time to remember their sinful past, learn from it, and rely totally on God.  How much each of us needs that reminder in our lives each day!

John 17 is often known as “The High Priestly Prayer” of Jesus. That’s because in it Jesus prays for God to protect His followers, and not only the disciples who were with Him at the moment, but all who would one day belong to Him, because of their efforts. That includes us! Jesus’ prayer is we will all be one as He and the heavenly Father are one.  That is an amazing prayer, especially if you have ever been part of a group of Jesus’ followers before.  What I mean by that is we have a tendency not to be “one” when we’re together. We find all kinds of reasons to divide and break unity with one another. The reasons can be as substantial as matters of theology, and as insignificant as the color of the worship center carpet. Over the years, as the lead pastor of New Life Christian Ministries, I have said many times in a new members’ class, “One of the most important reasons New Life has continued to grow is we have never divided, and the reason we haven’t divided is because we have unity in our mission.” While the statement might seem a bit simplistic, the truth is most churches never get larger, because the people divide among themselves, and never grow. They’re too busy arguing over insignificant matters. As my good friend, Pastor John Nuzzo puts it, “If people aren’t fighting over something important, they just fight.”  We don’t have uniformity or even unanimity at New Life, but we do have unity on the important matters. We don’t argue over the small stuff, and if someone wants to argue over that, they eventually find it’s a non-starter at New Life. We have had people leave, because we believe the Bible is true and not just metaphorically true, but literally true. That’s okay. Even when we believe the Bible is true, we can disagree over certain matters, but we can’t disagree over whether there is a God, who has a Son named Jesus, who lived a perfect life, died on the cross to pay the penalty for sin, and to redeem us. We can’t disagree that He rose again from the dead, returned to heaven, and sent His Spirit to empower us to live together in unity until He returns. In John 17, Jesus prayed for that kind of unity, and we believe only as the Holy Spirit works among us, and as we live out the written word in the power of the Holy Spirit will that unity continue to be a reality among us. Let’s all pray, as Jesus did, that we will all be one to His glory and praise!

Deuteronomy 4 starts with Moses urging Israel to obey God and all His commands. Moses moves on to urge them not to worship idols. Moses reminds the Israelites God alone is the one, true, living God and therefore, He will not tolerate the worship of idols. Moses even reminds the Israelites he has been excluded from entering the Promised Land for disobedience, so they must be obedient. At the close of the chapter Moses introduces what is coming in the chapters ahead. He tells the people he is going to introduce laws they must obey.

In Deuteronomy 5 Moses restates the Ten Commandments. After doing so he urges the Israelites again to obey those commands and all the commands they will receive through him. As we read through the Ten Commandments a second time, we see again how important God considered the Sabbath, and honoring parents. These are the only commands with additional explanation. As 21st century followers of Jesus, we are not “under the Law,” and yet these commandments apply to us.  Jesus told us He didn’t come to destroy the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them.  Many different interpretations of that statement have been offered, but surely it means at least this: Jesus came to show us the depth of meaning of each of God’s commands, and to fulfill them, because we could not. As those living in the Spirit, we are not to devote our time in attempting to be perfect rule followers. That has never worked for God’s people. We are to learn and understand the principles the laws offer, and then live them out in the power of the Holy Spirit. That way God will be glorified and we will grow individually and together into all God has for us.  Honoring the Sabbath is a command Jesus addressed directly. He said the Sabbath was made for us, not us for the Sabbath. In saying that Jesus made it clear we aren’t to worry about whether there’s a lose thread on our t-shirt as we go to worship, (because that would be ‘bearing a burden,’ which is work, and thus breaks the Sabbath, according to the traditions of the Pharisees!) but we are to stop one day each week to rest, to be renewed, and to reflect on God’s glory and power. Corporate worship ought to be part of that weekly Sabbath, but it is only one part of a bigger picture of putting God first in our lives.

Deuteronomy 6 is one of the most beautiful calls for whole-hearted commitment to God offered in the entire Bible. Indeed, it includes the statement Jesus said is the greatest commandment in the Law: we must love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our strength. The Israelites were called to remember this commitment, and to share it with their children at the start and end of each day, and when they went out and came in. In other words, they were always to put God first in their lives. Moses reminded the Israelites this would be the only way their lives would be blessed and that they would live victoriously in the new land God was about to give them.

In John 16, Jesus tells the disciples of the coming of the Holy Spirit. I have always appreciated Jesus’ telling the disciples when the Holy Spirit comes He will remind them of everything Jesus said. The reason I appreciate this, is because it tells us when we read God’s word and put it in our minds, the Holy Spirit will be able to call it out when we need it. The disciples had seen and heard Jesus perform miracles, teach, and cast out demons. Their memories were of events they had experienced personally. The Holy Spirit would bring these to mind so they could retell them to others, and one day to record them in the gospels. Once we have read these accounts, the Holy Spirit can, in the same way, bring them to our minds, so we will be able to retell them and help those who need God’s truth, encouragement, correction, and support.

Many times over the years, when someone has asked me a question, or when I have been meeting with a hurting or questioning person, the Holy Spirit has brought to my mind a word of Scripture that has been just what was needed in the moment. John 16 acknowledges the disciples didn’t understand a great deal of what Jesus said and did while He was with them. The Holy Spirit would bring a clarity to these events after Jesus left, and He came, that they never knew even as they experienced the events as they happened!

Today, we turn to the fifth and final book of the Pentateuch: Deuteronomy. The name means “second Law” in Greek, and signifies Moses’ second giving of the Law to the people of Israel. As we would expect, much of Deuteronomy repeats information we have already received in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers, but we will also read of laws and experiences unique to the record of Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 1 rehearses the forty year history of Israel’s wilderness wanderings in one chapter. At the beginning we’re told it ought to have taken eleven days to make the journey that took forty years. We’re told of Moses appointing leaders for the tribes, and judges to help him. We’re also told of the Israelites’ rebellion against God by failing to enter the Promised Land, because the majority of the scouts who went into spy out the land reported the people were too great for them to defeat. We already know all this from the previous books of the Pentateuch, but repetition is the mother of learning.  Deuteronomy 2 rehearses  more of the wanderings through the wilderness and recounts the victory over Sihon, the King of Hesbon. Deuteronomy 3 retells the accounts of Israel’s victory over Og, and the division of the land east of the Jordan River. It offers us some new information regarding Moses being told he could not enter the Promised Land. Moses tells us he pleaded with God to let him enter, but God’s mind would not be changed. I have always felt bad for Moses, because he endured so much as Israel’s leader, but he didn’t get to be part of entering the Promised Land. Imagine leading a group of people for forty years, when the mission ought to have taken two weeks. Imagine at the end of that lengthy and often discouraging time being told, “You have made it to the doorway of the ‘prize,’ but you can’t pass through.” I understand God’s decision to show the people how important His glory is, by not letting Moses usurp it without consequence. Even so, I feel bad for Moses, who led so long and so well, but in the end came up 50 yards short of the finish line.

In John 15, Jesus offers an analogy of how closely connected we must be to Him. He tells us He is the “vine” and we are the “branches.” In the analogy, the vine is the source of all growth, all health, and all strength. He tells us as long as we abide or remain in Him we will “bear fruit.” I have always loved this analogy, because it reminds us of two vital truths: 1) It’s all about Jesus. He is the one who gets the glory for every good thing we do. We will only do good things as we stay connected to Him; and 2) Jesus expects us to bear fruit. Some have said Jesus only expects us to be “faithful” not “successful.” We are to do our best and that’s all that’s necessary.  Here we find Jesus not only calling us to be faithful, but to be “fruitful.” He does care about our “success.” Success can be defined in many ways by the world, but for Jesus success is defined as staying connected to Him, and by doing so to produce fruit. That fruit will include our own growth as His followers, and seeing others come to know Him through our interaction in their lives.

Jesus continued the image by adding that we are His friends, not His servants. We demonstrate that friendship by loving one another. He tells us greater love has no one than to lay down our life for our friends. In less than twenty-four hours, Jesus would be laying down His life for them, so His words ring true.

Finally, Jesus tells the disciples they will be hated by the world, and they ought to understand that, because the world first hated Him. If they hated Jesus, who was perfect, they would certainly hate us for representing Him, albeit imperfectly. As we follow Jesus and represent Him in the world, we must expect times when we will be rejected. Thankfully, we have the Holy Spirit to strengthen us for such times and in such times!

Number 35 records the distribution of property for the Levites. They didn’t get a specific area of land, but rather 48 cities with land surrounding them for pasturing their animals. These cities would be located throughout the Promised Land. Six of the cities were to be set apart as “Cities of Refuge.” Their purpose was to provide refuge for any who killed another person accidentally. Murder was punishable by death, but if someone killed another person accidentally, the perpetrator could flee to a city of refuge and be safe there from being punished.

Numbers 36 concludes the book with a restating of the principle that women could inherit property in tribes where there were no male heirs to receive the property. While the culture was extremely male-centered, indeed, the entire world was at that time, the laws of the Israelites gave some assurances to woman, and the right to see their family’s property remain with their tribe was one of them.

John 14 contains one of Jesus’ most quoted statements, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The statement comes to us in the context of Jesus telling the disciples He was returning to heaven to prepare a place for them. After telling them, He said, “You know the way to the place I am going.” Thomas spoke up and said, “We don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” After Jesus told them He was the way, truth, and life, Philip spoke up and said, “Show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus responded that anyone who had seen Him had seen the Father. Imagine, what it must have been like for Jesus to have been with the disciples for three years, to have invested everything into equipping them for taking over after He died, rose from the dead and returned to heaven, and then the night before His crucifixion they seemed so clueless. Most of us would have been angry or frustrated, but Jesus seems to have explained patiently the details of who He was and the significance of His coming.

John 14 also contains Jesus’ statement: Truly, truly I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. What an incredible statement! Jesus  healed the sick, cast out demons, and even raised the dead, yet He said we would do greater works than He did, if we believe in Him. All Jesus’ statements are true, and we can see the truth of this one through a few examples: 1) Billy Graham preached the gospel to millions of people. Jesus never did that.  2) Many people have preached the gospel in multiple nations. Jesus never did that. 3) Thousands of people have been saved through the ministries of many different churches and mission organizations.  Jesus never did that.  While Jesus is the source of all those actions, they are greater than anything He did personally while He walked the earth. That was His plan. He called us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every nation. As we respond to that call, we will continue to do greater things than He did–just as He promised!

In Numbers 31 we read of God’s command for the Israelites to destroy the Midianites. You might recall the Midianites had led the Israelites into idolatry. God had the priests lead the people into battle. When it was over, the Israelites had not lost a single soldier, and all the Midianites except the young women who were virgins were dead. The carnage seems extreme, especially given Moses called the Israelites to kill the women and male children who the Israelites had spared after the battle ended. Why would he do such a thing? The short answer is: God’s on-going commitment to the Israelites being a holy nation. Moses was unwilling for the Israelites to permit the women who had led the Israelites into idolatry in the first place to live. The “spoils” of the battle were divided among the Israelites. A disproportionate portion was given to the men who fought in the battle. The rest was divided among the whole people of Israel, with a portion going to the Levites. This would continue to be the process used by Israel as they moved against the people of the Promised Land.

In Numbers 32 the leaders of the tribes of Reuben and Gad, went to Moses and asked to receive their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan River. At first, Moses was angry, because he thought they were trying to get out of conquering the Promised Land, and that their unwillingness to fight would discourage the whole nation from moving forward, as the bad report of the ten spies had done a generation before them. When they explained they would go and fight with the rest of the tribes to overtake the Promised Land, and then return to live with the wives and children on the east side of the Jordan, Moses agreed. The half-tribe of Manasseh also joined in making their home on the east side of the Jordan.

Numbers 33 recounts the travels of the Israelites through the wilderness. It makes each of the places they went, where they stand, and some of the significant events that took place. The end of the chapter tells us of how the Israelites were to distribute the Promised Land among each other after they had gone in and defeated the people who lived there. Numbers 34 records God’s declaration of the geographical borders of Israel. It was within those boundaries the land was to be divided among the tribes. At the end of the chapter we also read the names of the tribal leaders who would be responsible for participating in the distribution of the land.

John 13 records details of the Lord’s Supper we don’t find in the other gospels. This has caused some to say the gospels are inaccurate, because they record differing details of various events. In my experience, it’s when two or more people offer exactly the same details of an event that I start wondering whether the story is true. My brother Kenn and I used to rehearse accounts of events for our Mom that would show us in a better light than was true. She would see through the accounts, because they were the same. John’s gospel was written much later than the rest of the gospels, and as we have noted, was written more for the purpose of showing Jesus as God, than to record a chronological history of His birth, life, teaching, death, and resurrection. First, John 13 records Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, which no other gospel records. This action shows us Jesus’ heart for serving. He carried out this menial task to show the disciples that as Jesus’ followers, even as leaders among His followers, no task was too small, unimportant, or humiliating for them to do.

John 13 also gives us more detail about how Jesus identified the one who would betray Him. We’re told Satan “entered” into Judas, when Jesus had identified him as the betrayer, by handing him a piece of bread. The rest of the disciples still didn’t understand Judas would be the betrayer. John adds Judas went out immediately after receiving the morsel of bread and states “And it was night.” If we remember back to John 3, Jesus told us people who are doing evil love the darkness. This reminder of Judas carrying out his betrayal at night, underlines the truth of evil being carried at night.

Jesus also told the disciples He was giving them a new commandment: to love one another. Jesus said everyone would know they were His disciples if they loved one another.  If we stop to think about that statement for a moment, we might think Jesus would tell us people would know we were His disciples if we loved them, but Jesus didn’t say that. The command was for us to love each other. As we love one another as Jesus’ followers, people will see the example and be aware of the difference from the world. In the world people love others who are like them, or who have done something for them, but not simply because they do. As Jesus’ followers we are commanded to love each other regardless of our backgrounds, our previous relationships or anything.

John 13 ends with a brief record of Jesus telling Peter he would deny knowing Him three times. Peter had claimed he would lay down his life for Jesus, but we know Peter didn’t do that, and he did deny Jesus three times. While that reality is so hard to handle, it reminds us we have all denied Jesus in some way.  Thankfully, we live on the resurrection side of Easter and we know Jesus forgave and restored Peter to serving Him. Peter went on to serve Jesus in great ways. That gives us comfort to know Jesus will forgive us when we fall short, as He already did by dying on the cross in our places, and He will empower us to serve Him in great ways, too, as we repent, and turn back to Him.

Numbers 28-29 record an extensive list of offerings the people of Israel were to present to the LORD. The first offering listed was the “daily” offering, and was to be presented 365 days a year. All the other offerings were in addition to the daily offering.  The Sabbath offering was to be presented each week. An additional offering was to be presented on the first day of each month. Then we are presented with a list of offerings for the various holy days of the Jews. These offerings include: animal sacrifices, grain, and “alcoholic drink.” The number of animals and quantity of grain and alcohol varied with the particular holy day or feast being celebrated, but the principle is clear: God is to be worshiped through the giving of offerings daily. While we no longer present such offerings to the LORD, the principle applies to us as well. We speak often of presenting our time, talent, treasure and touch to the LORD as a response of gratitude for who He is and all He has done in our lives. The practice is not just for Sunday, or the weekend, but is to be carried out daily. As we become more and more generous with our time, talents, treasure and touch, we reflect the heart of God who is the most generous being in the universe. While the extent of the sacrifices God required of the Israelites, might seem significant to us, let’s remember every animal, quart of grain, or ounce of alcoholic drink given and poured out as offerings to God were provided by God in the first place.  The same is true for us. God created us, and God gives us every good and perfect gift we possess. That we are here to present our time, talents, treasure and touch in offering to the LORD and in service to others is a gift God has first given to us. All we give is merely a response of gratitude to Him, and a token of His great blessing to us.

Numbers 30 offers us a restatement of laws concerning vows and pledges. The principles we learned in past chapters and books are the same:  If a man made a vow, he was bound by it. If a woman made a vow and her father or husband didn’t object the day he heard of it, the vow stood. But the father or husband had the right to nullify the vow or pledge when he first heard of it. When Jesus came to earth, He would tell us not to make vows or pledges, but simply to say, “Yes,” or “No.” In Moses’ time, the vows and pledges people made demonstrated their commitment to the LORD.  The LORD called them to honor those vows and pledges or suffer consequences for it. Once Jesus came and established the new covenant, and gave each of us the Holy Spirit to empower us to carry out our commitments, He removed the requirement for the external vow or pledge to keep us to our commitments. That does not mean our yeses, or noes are not binding. It means we don’t need an external source of confirmation to make them binding.

John 12 marks the turning point in John’s gospel. From here to the end of it, Jesus moved toward His death and resurrection. The first significant sign of that transition was Mary’s anointing of Jesus at their home in Bethany.  While some complained of the “waste” of the money, because the ointment could have been sold and the money given to the poor, Jesus affirmed Mary’s extravagance, and said she was preparing His body for burial. (As a side note, some religious leaders were in attendance at this event, and they decided not only to kill Jesus, but Lazarus as well, because Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead. Killing Lazarus would remove some of the evidence of Jesus’ miraculous power.)

The next significant moment in John 12 was the triumphal entry. While all four gospels record this event, only John tells us they put palm branches on the path before Jesus. This is where we get the term “Palm Sunday,” in reference to the day of the triumphal entry.  In the remainder of the chapter, Jesus told the crowds of His impending death. They didn’t understand, because in their view the Christ or Messiah was to live forever. They couldn’t understand how Jesus could say He must be “lifted up” or crucified. As we remember from John 3, this method of death, was foretold by Jesus, and His cross would have the same saving effect eternally, that Moses’ bronze serpent had physically for the Israelites, when they were bitten by the poisonous snakes the LORD sent as punishment for their disobedience. The Jews continued their disbelief and unwillingness to trust Jesus as Messiah.

In Numbers 25 the Israelites end up being cursed by the Moabites, but not because Balaam offered a curse. The Israelites managed to bring the curse upon themselves, by intermingling with the Moabites sexually and in worshiping their pagan gods. God sent a plague on the Israelites, while Moses called on any who were faithful to God to put to death those who were sinning with the Moabites. Eleazar ended matters by killing an Israelite man who was with a Midianite woman. When the carnage had been counted 24,000 Israelites had died. What a severe lesson! The people of Israel would soon repeat this sin of intermingling with the people of the Promised Land, but God was determined to have His people remain holy. As Jesus’ followers, we are called to be in the world, but not of it. The challenge to do so can be great, because the more we spend time among those who fail to follow the Lord, the greater the opportunities to be influenced in that direction ourselves.

Numbers 26 records a second “numbering” of Israel. God called Moses and Eleazar to count the fighting men aged twenty and older as had been done at the beginning of the Exodus. The people were getting ready to move into the  Promised Land, and God was preparing them for this important transition. Once in the land, and having overcome their enemies, the tribes would be given allotments according to the numbers of their groups.

In Numbers 27 Zolophehad brought a complaint to Moses about her clan missing out on an inheritance, because no sons were born to her father. After consulting with God, it was determined she and her sisters would receive an inheritance. In the remainder of the chapter God directs Moses to select Joshua as his replacement. At first, God told Moses it was His time to die, but Moses asked God to appoint someone to replace Him so the people wouldn’t be like sheep without a shepherd. God granted Moses’ wish and had Moses appoint Moses before the people, which Moses did.

In John 11 we read the record of Lazarus’ death. Jesus knew about Lazarus’ illness, because his sisters sent word to Jesus about it, but Jesus didn’t go and heal him right away. He let Lazarus die, then came four days later. Lazarus’ sisters Martha and Mary each went out to Jesus and confronted Him in their own ways. Jesus told Martha her brother would rise from the dead. Martha agreed, but thought Jesus meant the resurrection on the last day. Jesus countered by saying, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he died, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in m shall never die.” Those statements have comforted many believers throughout history, because we realize when we face death it is only a temporary set back. Ultimately, Jesus talks with Martha, weeps with Mary, and then raises Lazarus from the dead. We would think this would convince the Pharisees that Jesus was the Messiah. Instead, it convinced them to plot Jesus’ death! They reasoned anyone with Jesus’ power would ultimately draw the Romans’ attention and Israel would be crushed, so better to have one die than the entire nation sacrificed. This statement was prophetic: Jesus would die not only for Israel, but for the entire world.