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The word “trial”, when used for a trouble or difficulty that we may face, is not a word that we just coincidentally also use for a judgment assembly. From God’s perspective, there is a real sense of discovery of our true hearts and whose side we are ultimately on, when we encounter trial — He tells us so in our reading today.

But before I comment on that, I wanted to point something out that I think is important for anyone who is trying to follow the Lord — we mustn’t grow weary of the struggle. In chapter 7 Moses reminds them of God’s mighty deeds at the Exodus, because he knows that when they face the giants of Canaan, they might be shocked and fall back in fear again. No one will successfully withstand their advance! But there’s a caveat (v.22), they would not be able to put an end to the Canaanites quickly; God would give them complete conquest little by little, lest the beasts grow too numerous for them. The problem was that over time the Israelites became weary of war and preferred “peaceful coexistence”, which led to tolerance of and ultimately participation in the idolatry and sinfulness of the Canaanites.

There is a lesson here for modern Christians, especially in a day when tolerance is a keyword and disbelief in ultimate truth is the spirit of the times. We must not grow weary of the struggle against the spirit of the world. Sadly, some seem to be ready to fly the flag of truce; the harsh words of “being out of step with the rest of the world” has wounded them deeply; they’re irresistibly lured to become their “authentic selves”, rather than what God calls them to be; and they’re convinced by the “wisdom” that you’ve got to go along to get along. But true soldiers of the cross mustn’t get weary of the battle; they must continue to stand up and speak up for truth and for righteousness and for their Savior.

But back to the trial idea — God interestingly gave them the rationale for the wilderness wanderings. It wasn’t just about punishment!

“”You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.” Deuteronomy 8:2, 3, NAS95.

The whole thing was a test, a trial, “to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not”. It was all about the questions, “Do you trust Me? Will you obey Me?” You will probably remember the phrase, “…man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Jesus quoted this to Satan in Matthew 4, when Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread that He could eat. Jesus understood this temptation to be a test of His trust in the Father, just like Israel was tested — and Jesus passed. Do we? What do our trials say about us? Whose side are we really on? God’s? Satan’s? Our own? Only one answer is the right one. Are we growing stronger through the trials, like Joshua? Or are we growing weaker like those that died in the desert? What’s really in our hearts?

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Santayana may have said it, but God and Moses knew it; and they were worried that Israel was going to forget. So, just prior to handing over the leadership completely to Joshua and crossing the Jordan River, Moses gives Israel a bit of an historical review of the last 40 years.

One of the first things that Moses began with was his appointment of other leaders to judge the people. And one of the most important and memorable things that he tells them in his charge to them to be fair and just was, “You shall not fear man for the judgment is God’s.” That was important information for the judges, certainly; but it was important for the people to hear, too. They needed to realize that it was God’s judgment and not up for changes or alterations. Those facts are important for us to know, too. Those who articulate God’s word (including His judgments) need to be careful not to soften them, because they are God’s. And those who hear God’s word need to be careful not to “shoot the messenger”, because even if the messengers do soften the message, the message is God’s and it won’t change how He judges us. Indeed, isn’t that one of the lessons of this history of Israel in Deuteronomy?

Moses also wants them to remember their history in the wilderness about what happened to all their enemies: as long as God was with them, one enemy fell after another. This was going to be a crucial remembrance for them as they marched across the Jordan. The only time they lost was when God had consigned them to wandering after the 12 spies incident, but they decided to try to enter anyway. And God hasn’t abandoned His people today either; the “defeats” we suffer are uniformly when we ask selfishly (see James 4:3) or when we fail to pray in faith as defined by Jesus in Mark 11:24.

One really poignant moment in this reading, I thought, was when — on the cusp of entering the land — Moses pleads to God to rescind His judgment against Moses’ disobedience by keeping him out of the Promised Land. “Let me, I pray, cross over and see the fair land that is beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.” Deuteronomy 3:25, NAS95. Moses’ the great intercessor for the people was trying to plead his own case. But God answered, “Enough! Speak to Me no more of this matter” (Deuteronomy 3:26, NAS95), though God does let him see a panoramic, if tantalizing view of it from Mt. Pisgah on the east side of the Jordan River. God’s great nature of justice and mercy is here shown dramatically toward His friend (Exodus 33:11), Moses. Let no leader of God’s people be fooled, God’s rules apply to leaders as well as they apply to the people.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

God wouldn’t curse Israel, because God was for them. But Balaam, the sly dog that he was, counseled Balak how Israel might be able curse themselves! “Why would they do that?” you might wonder. Well, we do it all the time.

Balaam told Balak to send Moabite women among Israel to entice them to sexual sin and even idolatry (Numbers 31:16). The one way you could get the LORD angry enough to destroy Israel was through Israel’s own sin. And it remains so among Christians today. Our salvation is secure; “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38, 39, NAS95. But that is not to say that we ourselves cannot separate ourselves from the LORD; consider this:

“For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:26-31, NAS95.

Israel’s sin did what Balaam could not do on his own. God sent a plague among them and thousands died. It still didn’t keep them from entering the land of Canaan, but it put a pretty big dent in their numbers.

And that is the terrible evil of a stumbling block. Balaam got his reward, death (Numbers 31:8 and Joshua 13:22) for his part in Israel’s sin and plague.

Finally, the time comes for Moses to step aside. His sin against the LORD’s holiness (see 27:14) was due to receive its consequence. But before he crossed over to the other side, God does grant him a panoramic view of the Promised Land from Mt. Abarim, and appoints Joshua to succeed Moses as leader of Israel.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

After Israel had defeated Egypt, the Amelekites, and Sihon (king of the Amorites) other local nations were starting to get a little nervous. Balak, the king of the Moab, was quaking in his boots (OK, they were probably sandals); but he had also figured out that Israel was unconquerable as long as their God was blessing and helping them. So, Balak wisely tries to “fight fire with fire”. Balaam, a prophet of the true God, but not an Israelite, was widely known for being someone who could quite effectively bless or curse; and Balak sends emissaries to buy Balaam’s curse on Israel.

By the way, at an excavation site known as Deir ‘Alla in Jordan, fragments of a text from the prophet Balaam were found which date back to at least 800 years before Christ. One of the fragments is inscribed with the words “Warnings given by Balaam, the son of Beor. A seer of the gods.”

At first Balaam refuses, telling the emissaries that he could speak only what God tells him to say. When they come back with even more money and pressure, Balaam decides to go along with it, with the caveat that he’ll only speak what God gives him to say. God is not pleased, however, and Balaam almost gets killed by an angel, had it not been for his donkey, who later speaks to him. How embarrassing it must have been for the great prophet to be upbraided by a donkey?

When Balaam meets with Balak, Balaam makes every effort to bribe God with multiple sacrifices (three times) in hopes of receiving a curse for Israel. But every time Balaam opens his mouth to prophesy (four times), he blesses Israel rather than cursing them — much to Balak’s displeasure! Those who God blesses are blessed, and those who God curses are cursed.

I’m reminded of Paul’s famous paean of praise for God’s love and faithfulness:

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31-39, NAS95.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

The “hits” just keep on coming with Israel. The longer they wander in the wilderness, the more discontent and grumbly they seem to be — not unlike ourselves, sometimes. In his book, Finishing Strong, Steve Farrar makes the sad but astute observation that as strong as some people seem to start (in the Bible and in our times, too) too many finish weak or not at all. One thing is for sure, you don’t want to finish poorly in this most important “marathon”.

As Israel continued to journey in the wilderness, they sometimes worried about food and water. In Numbers 20 they are acutely anxious about water and they assemble against Moses and Aaron. Moses had, of course, seen the complaint and faithlessness before, but for whatever reason, this time he just “lost it”. Anyone who has ever been a parent can probably relate and empathize — “Are we there yet? I’m hungry. Joey’s looking at me. Are we there yet?” So, instead of speaking to the rock, as God had commanded, Moses struck the rock. Water still came out, but Moses was in big trouble with God. God, because of this disobedience, forbade Moses from entering the promise land! Again, we pause to ask how striking a rock instead of speaking to it could be such a major issue? And it, again, boils down to the higher expectation and accountability given to leadership who must “treat God as holy”. If leadership sins without consequences, the people believe that sin is no big deal. Every leader of God’s people (including moms and dads) need to pay attention here. Everybody wants to be a leader, but few are willing to take the extra accountability of leadership.

In chapter 21 we find the famous story of the brass serpent. Israel wasn’t complaining about the food and water — again. And this time God decided to send poisonous (fiery) serpents among them to bite them. A large number died. When the people repented, God told Moses to build a brass serpent to put on a standard pole, so that it could be hoisted high so that everyone who wanted could see it. Those who would look on the brass serpent survived their snake bite; those who refused died. Jesus referred to this story when He says, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.” John 3:14, 15, NAS95.

One last note on this matter, too; the brass serpent was kept by Israel as a relic. In time it became an object of worship known as Nehushtan (2 Kings 18:4). Sometimes we might wonder why there aren’t more relics from biblical times. There are precious few archaeological items that can be pointed to as authentic objects mentioned in the Bible. We wonder, “Wouldn’t it increase faith? Wouldn’t unbelievers have the proof they seek?” Truthfully, unbelievers seldom let proof change their minds, they simply try to find reasons to invalidate or inauthenticate the object (e.g., the James Ossuary, the Jehoash Inscription, the Ivory Pomegranate that topped the high priest’s staff, etc.). And worse, they often become objects of worship — holy relics.

I hope you’re keeping up your daily reading. Getting behind can become discouraging, if you have more than a day or two to make up. Today’s reading has a lot of challenging food for thought for our permissive culture about what’s fair and right.

Penalty for false witnessing. One part of this section of Scripture that I kind of liked was the provision for false witnessing (19:15-19). If, after the judges have investigated everything, it is determined that the accusation and witnessing was deliberately false, the false witnesses aren’t just charged with perjury and fined or locked up. They suffer the same consequences that would have befallen the victim of their crime, if their lie had been believed. It would make the malicious think twice about trying to frame someone. It’s appropriate justice.

I find this so typical of God and His law — real justice. Fair, even-handed, and spot-on. Perhaps you noticed back in Leviticus (19 and 23) God’s fair provision for the poor, God welfare program for the widows, orphans, and other poor. The provision required work on the part of the poor and was generous without enabling malingerers. The examples could go on.

Some might consider God’s law (in today’s reading) about rebellious children way too severe. Others might consider calling for the death penalty of sexual offenders way over the top, too. But it should be considered in both of these situations there is still leeway given. Bringing charges like this against one’s own child would clearly be a solution of last resort; such parents would surely be without any other options. And the penalty for sexual offenders was not apparently a consequence without discretion. Consider the woman caught in the act of adultery in John 8; Jesus opted for mercy on the basis of her apparent repentance. Occasionally, you see the phrase in God’s law: “your eye shall not pity”. In places where this phrase is used it seems that God is granting no leeway, no discretion about the consequences. But in other situations, where there may be mitigating circumstances, discretion apparently could be allowed.

On a different topic, God gave Israel some rules of warfare. Among the many interesting details here were exemptions for their “draft”. Among the exemptions was one for the fearful. Why? Simply put, fear, cowardice, and discouragement are infectious. And incidentally, when this law is being given, Israel rarely had any casualties. Fear — really faithlessness — has always been contagious. It is today, too. It just takes one person to start saying, “We can’t,” and before long you’ve got a whole army, a whole congregation, and lots of good works at risk. Of course, it works the other way, too. Courage can also be infectious; that’s why a good pep talk by a leader (coach, general, preacher, elder) can really go a long way.

Lastly, 21:22,23 is referenced by Paul in Galatians 3:13 as He speaks of what Jesus did for us on the cross. You see, one hung on a tree is accursed; Jesus became a curse for us and our crimes against the LORD. What a Savior!

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.