A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Numbers 12 (Part 2)

Numbers 12:10-14—10 And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper. 11 So Aaron said to Moses, "Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. 12 Please do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother's womb!" 13 So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, "Please heal her, O God, I pray!" 14 Then the LORD said to Moses, "If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again." 

How angry was God with Miriam? So angry that He caused her to be leprous. We covered all the regulations concerning leprosy in Leviticus 13 and 14. And now, Miriam, sister of the man to whom God spoke face to face, would have to live under these regulations. As I said at the outset, she didn’t like Moses marrying a woman darker than him, so God made her white as snow. And yet again, as in our previous chapter, we see Moses entreat God to stop the consequence of the actions of one who had spoken rashly. 

The question God asks, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days?” There is no commandment or injunction in the Law like this except in Deuteronomy 25:9, and that only speaks of a woman spitting in the face of a man who will not marry her according to the Levirate marriage. It was, however, from everything I’ve read, a common practice at the time, when a daughter had brought shame on the family, for the father to publicly disgrace her and send her away for a time of remorse and repentance, that she may come back sorrowful and more apt to not disgrace the family any more. The Pulpit Commentary says:

 

It was the distinctive note of public disgrace inflicted by one who had a right to inflict it. In the case of a father, it meant that he was thoroughly ashamed of his child, and judged it best (which would be only in extreme cases) to put his child to shame before all the world. So public a disgrace would certainly be felt in patriarchal times as a most severe calamity, and entailed by ordinary custom (as we learn here) retirement and mourning for seven days at least. How much more, when her heavenly Father had been driven to inflict a public disgrace upon her for perverse behavior, should the shame and the sorrow not be lightly put away, but patiently endured for a decent period!

 God knows how to punish the unruly. He knows how to chasten His children (Deuteronomy 8:5; Hebrews 12:6). He has to chastise us, because we can, many times, be unruly children who need a spanking. He could have very easily sent down fire and consumed her, but He didn’t. He could have turned her into a pillar of salt as He did with Lot’s wife, but He didn’t. He could have made two she-bears appear (2nd Kings 2:23-24) and devour her, but He didn’t. He doesn’t destroy His children. He chastises them, He punishes them, He may even leave them alone with Satan for a spell that they may learn that sin is sin and they may repent and turn again to Him (1st Corinthians 5:5). And this was a case where God chastised Miriam for her speaking so harshly against God’s servant. 1st Chronicles 16:22—"Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm."

You may think “Why didn’t Aaron suffer some kind of punishment?” Well, he was the High Priest. He would have had to have been put outside the camp, and the people would have been without a High Priest for seven days. There were certain duties the High Priest alone had to carry out. Not only that, there would have been the shame of the situation, if the High Priest had become leprous and put outside the camp for seven days. Knowing this people, how rebellious and stiff-necked they were, and how quickly they turned from serving God to serving idols, what kind of shape would the camp be in? Whatever the reason Aaron was spared punishment, we must remember one thing—this was God’s decision, and we must always agree that His is the proper punishment. You see, there are many parents who do not know or understand how to properly punish their children. Many are too harsh and end up abusing their children, leaving scars that the child will bear for most of, if not all of, their life. They grow up into adults that despise authority and rebel any time anyone tries to impose any kind of rules over them. And if you try to share the gospel with them, they spurn it as just another attempt to place them under some ogre who only wants to punish them and berate and abuse them. Dave Pelzer wrote a series of books about the abuse he suffered at the hands of his mother, the first being “A Child Called ‘It’”. These books chronicle his life and how he went from being severely abused to becoming a functioning member of society. Not all such children are so lucky, however. Many never escape the mental problems brought on by the physical abuse, end up in jail and/or prison and, worst of all, never know Jesus as their Savior and wind up spending eternity in Hell. 

Some, on the other hand, are far too lenient and do not punish their children enough, so the child grows up and has no respect for any authority, neither parent, nor human law, nor God. When they grow older, they will not have any respect for any kind of boundaries, and they will be like the Israelites who consistently refused to be ruled by the Great King and Potentate of all Creation. You can see them all over the place, especially on social media, flaunting their sins, never thinking about giving an account to anyone, especially God. They go through life seeking more and more attention from this world, only thinking of what they can get now, only thinking of the material gains of attention, likes, follows, and money. Never thinking that there is One greater than themselves, they chase after one dopamine high after another, never accomplishing anything that will be of any benefit in eternity, only the fleeting winds of what this world can offer. 

James 4:13-14—13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit"; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Ecclesiastes 5:13-17—13 There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: Riches kept for their owner to his hurt. 14 But those riches perish through misfortune; when he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand. 15 As he came from his mother's womb, naked shall he return, to go as he came; and he shall take nothing from his labor which he may carry away in his hand. 16 And this also is a severe evil—just exactly as he came, so shall he go. And what profit has he who has labored for the wind? 17 All his days he also eats in darkness, and he has much sorrow and sickness and anger. James 5:1-3—1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Anything we can gain in this life will be burnt up at the last Day. And if it is only something that profits us a little in the here and now, it will be gone forever, never to be remembered again. Parents, make sure you discipline your children in the right way, and for the right reasons. Let them understand why you’re chastening them—not because they are making your life inconvenient, but so they learn correction early, that they may not suffer a far greater and eternal punishment later. Proverbs 13:24—He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly. Proverbs 23:13—Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. Proverbs 29:15—The rod and rebuke give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. So God knows how and whom to punish. And He does so perfectly. So let us not question why Aaron wasn’t punished for his insolence, but rather, let us remember the example that God has given us, and not speak falsely about His leaders. 

And let us also remember another thing: when God chastises us, it is always with a promise. See, the abusive parent simply chastises the child for no reason but to exact punishment. But when God punished us, it is for a reason: that we may know that we have done wrong. You may say, “But Christ died on the Cross for my sins, why do I need to be punished now?” (It is the principle behind the horrendous Roman Catholic idea of Purgatory.) For this reason: that you may turn from your wicked ways and follow Him. It was why God allowed the Babylonians to carry away Israel captive. 2nd Chronicles 36:15-17—15 And the LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. 16 But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy. 17 Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand. The kings and priests rebelled against God, they worshipped idols, and were resistant to His urgings. So He gave them into the hands of their enemies and they were taken out of their land. But God… This captivity was but for a moment. He would show the people of Israel that He was not done with them, and had not utterly cast them away. Further on, in 2nd Chronicles 36:22-23—22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 23 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: ‘All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up!’” You see, chastisement is much different than condemnation. We are condemned when we reject God and His offer of eternal salvation through Jesus Christ. When we embrace Him, however, He will guide us along, and correct us when we do wrong. Just as a father does his son. And a good father will explain to his son that the punishment he receives for his disobedience is so that he may know to do right rather than wrong, that he may grow up to live a peaceable life. Hebrews 12:6-11—6 “For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. As Charles Spurgeon said of this passage:

 

Oh! What comfort there is here! Whenever we are under the scourging hand of God, how we ought to be cheered with the thought that this is a part of the heritage of the children. There are Elis who spoil their children. God is not one of them. He spares not the rod, and the more he loves, often the more he corrects. A tree of common fruit may be let alone so long as there is some little fruit on it, but the very best fruit gets the sharpest pruning; and I have noticed that in those countries where the best wine is made, the vine-dressers cut the shoots right close in, and in the winter you cannot tell that there is a vine there at all unless you watch very carefully. They must cut them back sharp to get sweet clusters. The Lord does thus with his beloved. It is not anger. Afflictions are not always anger. There are often tokens of great love. 

There is one more thing to glean from this passage. The Ethiopian woman Moses married. At the time that Numbers was written, what we now call Ethiopia was called Cush. If you see the word “Cush” in the Bible, it is referring to what is now Ethiopia. Cush was a son of Ham, one of the sons of Noah. It was Ham that found Noah drunk and naked in his tent, and told his brothers. Something must have happened more than Ham simply finding Noah in such a state, as it says in Genesis 9:24—So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. Something happened we don’t know what—we can speculate, but we do not know. Anyway, Noah places a curse on Ham’s descendants that they will serve the descendants of Shem and Japheth. This may have been what had incensed Miriam and Aaron to anger against Moses taking a wife of the Cushites. At any rate, what I learned was that this was a picture of the Church. Jews at the time of Christ looked very unfavorably upon the Gentiles. As I said before, there was a saying among Jews that the Gentiles were to be used as fuel for the fires of Hell. The Jews believed that Gentiles were not fit for the kingdom of God. Jesus, when He encountered the Syro-Phoenician woman, says rather quizzingly, that the Kingdom is not for Gentiles. Mark 7:26-27—26 The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." Many would say that Jesus was not being loving here, but hold on. Jesus was the embodiment of love, and would not have simply cast aside this woman, seeing as how He healed the servant of a Roman centurion (Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:6-10). No, rather He said this to test her faith, to see if she believed that Gentiles could be saved. She answers Him well, and He performs what she asked of Him. Mark 7:28-30—28 And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs." 29 Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter." 30 And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed. And in so doing, showed that He had broken down the middle wall of separation between Jew and Gentile. Let us not despise our brethren for their spouse, remembering that the same Jesus died for all, both Jew and Gentile, Black and White, Red, Brown and Yellow. 

Numbers 12:15-16—15 So Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again. 16 And afterward the people moved from Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran. So, after the Quail Incident, after the Miriam/Aaron Incident, the people finally move from Hazeroth to the Wilderness of Paran. The first we read of the Wilderness of Paran is in Genesis 21. Hagar had birthed Ishmael to Abraham. Ishmael mocked Isaac at Isaac’s weaning, and Sarah told Moses to cast out the bondwoman and her son (Genesis 21:10). Hagar and Ishmael go out, eventually they run out of water and Hagar doesn’t know what to do to feed or water her and her son. Then God speaks to her, and she lifts up her eyes and what does she see? Genesis 21:19—Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. Eventually, Ishmael would settle in the Wilderness of Paran (Genesis 21:21). The same Wilderness of Paran that God was leading the people to. And why was He leading them there? Because there was a well. And they had to have water for over a half million people. So He led them to a place where there was water in this vast and rugged wilderness. If you get a chance, look up “Wilderness of Paran” and you will see that it is indeed a vast wilderness, literally a desert. Nothing but sand and rocks as far as the eye can see. This is where the cloud was leading them. You may think “Why would God lead them to such a place?” 

Glad you asked. It’s because there was water there. After the quails and the Aaron/Miriam episode, God was leading them to where they could find water. And He was showing them, and showing us, that even after we rebel against Him fiercely, even after our puny human minds can’t comprehend His provision and we dare to question Him, even after we show just how unworthy we are to be called His, He is still leading us and guiding us in the way that we should go. He may not take us out of the world when we first come to accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, He will most likely leave us here as a witness to His greatness and glory. He will lead us through trials and temptations, through desert and wilderness, through gale and flood, through wind and fire and rain and all sorts of tests so that when we overcome them through Him, we can say to each other and to the world, “God is good”. Robert Hawker sums up nicely this theme of Jesus’ love for us, and His patience in leading us in the love of God:

 

Reader! do not close this Chapter without having an eye in the intercession of Moses for Aaron and Miriam, to the intercession of JESUS on the cross, for those who crucified him. Oh! what a volume is folded up in that one prayer of JESUS to comfort poor sinners, and to show the all-prevailing efficacy of JESUS’S advocacy. FATHER! forgive them for they know not what they do. Oh! LAMB of GOD! let this first cry of thine upon the cross, be the first and last of my soul-reviving consolations under all the discouragements by reason of my unworthiness and neglect of thee. Surely, dear LORD! when I sin against thee, I know not what do. 

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.

A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Numbers 12 (Part 1)

Numbers 12:1-3—1 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2 So they said, "Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?" And the LORD heard it. 3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) 

This may very well be another case of “be careful what you wish for”. The people are still in Hazeroth (חֲצֵרוֹת, “settlement”), no indication of how long after the quails this was, when, not the people of the camp, but Moses’ own brother and sister question Moses’ qualifications as a prophet. Why? Because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. So basically, God told Miriam, “You don’t like that Moses married a woman whose skin is darker than his? Then I will make you whiter than white!”. And He did, and we will get to that. But first, I want to touch on what Aaron and Miriam were guilty of. And that is something that pervades even some parts of the church today. And that is racism. It was much worse until the 1960’s, but really has never gone away. And it is not a concept unique to America, you find it all across the globe. In the 1990’s you had a Civil War in Rwanda between the Hutus and Tutsis. In the early 2000’s there was a Civil War in Bosnia. Tensions were high between Japan and China, probably still are. Then you have the hatred with which Roman Catholics view us Protestants. So for all the slogans many are putting forth, to “end racism” and so on and so forth, while their efforts are commendable, it’s not gonna happen. Why? Because we are human, and we have built-in prejudices. If you remember the group DC Talk, they had a song years ago (“What Have We Become?”) that started: 

Preacher shuns his brother

‘Cause his bride’s a different color

And this is not acceptable

His Papa told him so

Was love that he’d been preaching

But this was overreaching

The boundaries stretching further

Than his heart would choose to go

There are those who say that having black skin is the “Curse of Ham” (one of Noah’s sons), or the “Mark of Cain”. The latter is how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints excused their racism against blacks in denying them the higher “Melchizedek Priesthood”. But in reality, racism goes against everything the Jesus taught, everything we find in Scripture, and everything about the gospel. Even in Jesus’ and Paul’s day, the Jews hated the Gentiles. There was a saying among Jews that the Gentiles were to be used as fuel for the fires of Hell. (For all the people who say “Jews didn’t have a concept of a fiery Hell”, ask them about this). When Jesus came, He demolished this thinking. And even Paul wrote against it. Galatians 3:28—There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:11-14—11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands—12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation. Revelation 14:6-7—6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—7 saying with a loud voice, "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water." In the Dallas Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel, it states the following:

 

All races are equals before God. Any teaching that encourages racial groups to view themselves as privileged oppressors or entitled victims of oppression is wrong. A person’s feelings of offense or oppression does not necessarily prove that someone else is guilty of sinful behaviors, oppression, or prejudice…Racism is a sin rooted in pride and malice which must be condemned and renounced by all who would honor the image of God in all people. All cultures, including our own, at times contain laws and systems that foster racist attitudes and policies. Individuals of any particular ethnic group are capable of racism.

Notice that last sentence. “Individuals of any particular ethnic group are capable of racism.” This is true. It doesn’t matter if you’re white, black, yellow, red, or brown. You can be just as guilty of racism as anyone else. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. And it has indeed gotten better over the years, but there are some pockets where it still exists. The racism displayed by Aaron and Miriam was not about skin color, but about national origin. He had married an Ethiopian woman (a Cushite), and they didn’t like that. But apparently they were okay with him being married to a Midianite woman (his first wife, Zipporah). And this bigotry led them to question why they had to submit to Moses’ being a prophet, seeing as how Aaron was High Priest and Miriam was a prophet. “Why would God speak through a man who has married an unclean woman?” If you haven’t guessed by now, God does not take too well to being criticized. Questioned, perhaps; who doesn’t sometimes wonder why God is doing something a certain way? But to criticize God is to say that He doesn’t know what He is doing, and if He doesn’t know what He’s doing, then He is not God. Just like stealing is a sin because you are saying that God hasn’t given you enough; just like adultery is a sin because God hasn’t given you the right woman; just like murder is a sin because God made the person you don’t like and you had to take him out of this world. 

Now, after Aaron and Miriam criticize God in verse 2, God speaks to them in verse 4. And notice the first word in that verse. Suddenly. God didn’t wait around, He didn’t just kinda meander in their general direction. He spoke to them Suddenly. He calls all three to the Tabernacle, and He’s gonna talk to them. All of them. And it is not a long discourse, just enough to get their attention. Numbers 12:4-9—4 Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, "Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!" So the three came out. 5 Then the LORD came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. 6 Then He said, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. 7 Not so with My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house. 8 I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?" 9 So the anger of the LORD was aroused against them, and He departed. God basically said “Alright, all of you, get out here. We need to talk. And by ‘we’, I mean ‘Me’”. 

There are many today who reckon themselves a prophet (or prophetess), who obviously have not been called to that office by God. And why do they call themselves a prophet (or prophetess)? Obviously it is not only to gain prestige, but also not a small income. And when you question these people, does God get upset? No. Who gets upset? Those who have joined themselves to this so-called prophet (or prophetess), those who hang on every word they say, and who buy the excuses when their prophecies don’t come true. Benny Hinn made some prophecies in 1989, that didn’t even come close to coming true. Did his ministry crumble? Was he brought to tears and repentance for falsely speaking in the name of God? No. In fact, his global outreach continues to grow. Why? Because he preaches what people want to hear. He preaches that if you send him every dime in your bank account, then you will become rich. How often has that happened? I dare say any guess that is higher than ZERO is wrong. Because he is not speaking for God. He will have his reward. You see, if a man is truly a prophet and is truly speaking from God, then what he says will come true 100% of the time. We will see that in Deuteronomy 18:21-22—21 And if you say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?'—22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him. And God says pretty much the same thing here. That any “prophecy” that does not come from God is not a true prophecy. God does not beat around the bush when He gives a prophecy. He speaks plainly to the prophet, He makes it clear what He is saying, so there is no confusion on the part of the prophet or the person(s) that prophet is speaking to. 

For if a man claims to speak what God has told him, and it does not come true, what does this mean? It means that that man makes God a liar. And God is not a liar. We see twice in the New Testament that God cannot lie—not just that He does not lie, or even could lie. It is clear—God CANNOT  lie. Hebrews 6:17-18—17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. How could we have any kind of faith in Him if He could lie? How could we ever believe Him, not knowing if He is telling the truth or if He is not? But we see here that it is IMPOSSIBLE for God to lie. Also, Titus 1:1-2—1 Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began. Many atheists and skeptics like to pose questions to us about what God cannot do. Like “Can God make a rock so big He cannot lift it?” or “Can God make a round square?” These are silly and fallacious questions. But one question is applicable: “Can God lie?” Well, of course not. For lying is a sin, and God cannot sin. We must never make the mistake of thinking that God is capable of the shortcomings that we humans are so very capable of. We will see that also when we get to Numbers 23:19—“God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” Neither could Jesus lie, and He didn’t. He didn’t even want to. 1st Peter 2:21-22—21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 "Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth". 

Now, we do have an example of a true prophet who had an instance of believing he was speaking for God in 2^nd Samuel 7. David has the idea that he will build the Temple to YHVH. And Nathan, speaking on his own with no forethought, says, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you” (2nd Samuel 7:3). He had not received a word from the Lord; he had not received a message or a dream or any such thing to indicate that the Lord was in what he was saying. And God corrected him that night. 2nd Samuel 7:5-6—5 “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Would you build a house for Me to dwell in? 6 For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle.”’” Nathan was not speaking prophetic words from God, but rather was being, so to speak, a supportive friend, and God corrected him that night. Most likely so it would not seem to the people that His prophets would speak a false prophecy, and so that office would continue in honor. So when Aaron and Miriam spoke against the prophet of God, it was not out of character for God to become angry with a righteous indignation. He is a jealous God (Exodus 20:5), and He is jealous over His people and those people He calls His servants. This should not make us afraid, but should rather make us happy, that He watches over us and will not allow us to be taken away from Him. CH Mackintosh—

 

Let us see to it that we be not found doing that which is so offensive to Him, even speaking against those who are dear to His heart. There is not a single one of God's people in whom we cannot find some good thing, provided only we look for it in the right way. Let us be occupied only with the good; let us dwell upon that, and seek to strengthen and develop it, in every possible way. And, on the other hand, if we have not been able to discover the good thing in our brother and fellow-servant; if our eye has only detected the crooked thing; if we have not succeeded in finding the vital spark amid the ashes — the precious gem among the surrounding rubbish; if we have only seen what was of mere nature, why then let us, with a loving and delicate hand, draw the curtain of silence around our brother, or speak of him only at the throne of grace.

 

Part 2 next week

 

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen. 

A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Numbers 11 (Part 3)

 And now, the climax of our story. The pièce de resistance of the whole chapter. The “be careful what you wish for” portion of our passage. Numbers 11:31-35—31 Now a wind went out from the LORD, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp, about a day's journey on this side and about a day's journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground. 32 And the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers); and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. 33 But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was aroused against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague. 34 So he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving. 35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people moved to Hazeroth, and camped at Hazeroth.  A little background. The people were on the Sinai Peninsula, between the Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez. At the time of year this was (spring), quail usually fly from the southwestern direction, in a northeasterly direction, from Africa. In this case, however, the wind blew them from the southeast, to a place about 30-40 miles inland to the Sinai Peninsula. And by the time they got there, their little wings were tired. So this was a work produced by God. He caused these quail to fly in a direction and for a distance they were not used to.

Now, how much quail did God provide? Enough to cover the ground for a whole day’s journey on either side of the camp and, in some places, they fell two cubits deep. Keeping in mind that a cubit is about a foot and a half, that equals three feet deep. Three feet deep! In other words, about waist-high. And how far was a day’s journey? At the short end, about twenty miles. Twenty miles! So many quail, they covered the ground for, at the very least, a diameter of, say, 50 miles, and a depth at some places of three feet! Enough, I dare say, to feed a half million people for thirty days as He promised. The person who gathered least grabbed up ten homers. A homer is—get this—SIX BUSHELS!! So each person gathered AT LEAST sixty bushels! And I can just hear the skeptics now “Uh, that’s impossible!” And actually, it’s not. From The Expositor’s Bible:

 

Fowls of this kind migrate at certain seasons in such enormous multitudes that in the small island of Capri, near Naples, one hundred and sixty thousand have been netted in one season. When exhausted, they would easily be taken as they flew at a height of about two cubits above the ground. The whole camp was engaged in capturing quails from one morning to the evening of the following day. 

And this number (160,000) was not gathered by a half million people. And not brought about by a miracle of God. In our passage, there had to have been millions of quail, sitting on the ground, and the people could just pick up as many as they wanted. And that was a problem for the people. They wanted meat so bad, they picked it up and picked it up and picked it up until they could pick up no more. For better than a day and a half (And the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quail). And then they laid them out on the ground possibly to show off how many they gathered. And yes, this was a problem. Because they were showing off the work they had performed. But what is missing here? Well, why did God send so many quail? What were the people doing that God looked down and sent so many birds? They were complaining. Just like in Exodus 16 when He first sent the manna because they were complaining about the food after coming out of their bondage in Egypt, they were complaining (again!) about the food after coming out of their bondage in Egypt. So God gave them manna in Exodus 16, and He gives them quail here in Numbers 11 (both times after they complained about how much better they had it in Egypt), and what do they fail to do? They fail to give thanks. They just dig in. Why? Because they were a stiff-necked people. Eight times in Exodus and Deuteronomy He calls them that (Exodus 32:9, Exodus 33:3, Exodus 33:5; Exodus 34:9; Deuteronomy 9:6; Deuteronomy 9:13; Deuteronomy 10:16; Deuteronomy 31:27). Yet He continues with them! They are a rebellious, stiff-necked, grumbling, complaining, murmuring, ungrateful, unthankful people, yet He continually calls them His. And we are no different. 

What’s that? You read about how rebellious they were, and think you are any better? Ha! We are just as rebellious, stiff-necked, grumbling, complaining, murmuring, ungrateful, and unthankful as they were. Yet God continues to call us His. Probably not a lot of people saying “Amen” here. Sometimes we need to be pricked in our hearts. Sometimes we need to be reminded of just who we are. Like the Jews in Acts 2 needed that reminder. Acts 2:36—[Peter said] "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." He did not pull any punches. He let them know that it was not their leaders or the Romans or Pilate that put Jesus on the tree. It was them. Acts 2:37—Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" It’s not always easy to tell someone that what they have done is wrong. It’s often a bitter pill to swallow. How would you like to be told that you killed the Son of God? But they had to be told, in order to remind them of their heinous deed and that they were lowly sinners, just like the ones they looked down upon. But after the bad tasting medicine comes the cure. Acts 2:38—Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” You have to understand that you are sick in order to realize you need the cure. The people in Numbers didn’t realize how sick they were. They murmured and complained because they thought they deserved more than what God provided. So He gave it to them. And instead of thanking Him and saying “Thank you, Lord! I’m sorry for complaining!” they indulged their flesh, they tore the quail with their teeth, and while they were still chewing it (while the meat was still between their teeth), God struck them and they died. 

This episode is memorialized in Psalm 78:27-31—27 He also rained meat on them like the dust, feathered fowl like the sand of the seas; 28 and He let them fall in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings. 29 So they ate and were well filled, for He gave them their own desire. 30 They were not deprived of their craving; but while their food was still in their mouths, 31 the wrath of God came against them, and slew the stoutest of them, and struck down the choice men of Israel. And the people learned not to complain or grumble against God, and they went happily along their way, never sinning again, right? Not quite. The Psalm continues, Psalm 78:32—In spite of this they still sinned, and did not believe in His wondrous works. “You’re kidding, right? I mean, God sent them quail, many died while they were still eating it, and they still didn’t get the message?” No, they didn’t. If you know your Bible, you know that the people would grumble again later, there were many times they would not bow their knee to God. I mean, think about it. What happens at the beginning of this chapter? They were grumbling and complaining, so what did God do? He burned up the outside of the camp. And what did they do a few verses later? They grumbled again. These people did not learn! Proof: when the burning of the outskirts of the camp happened, they named the place “Burning” (תַּבְעֵרָה, Taberah) as a way to remember what happened. But they didn’t. They went back to being the same stiff-necked people they were. And this time, even more of them died with quail between their teeth. So they named the placeקִבְרוֹתאֲוָ  הַתַּה (Kibroth Hattaavah), meaning “Graves of Lust”. They named it “These people wanted something so bad they complained to God to make things better, and when they complained He gave them what they wanted, and they died because of it”, basically. 

We too should be wary of our desires. Do we desire more, just to spend it on our lusts? James 4:3—You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Do we want to be more like the world, buying things and having things just to have them? To show them off when friends come around? Or are we happy having what God has given us, though it be but a morsel of bread? Let us not go down to our own Kibroth Hattaavah, lusting for things instead of enjoying the things that God has given us. For do not be surprised when those things we lust for cause our doom. From the hymn “We Bring No Glittering Treasures” by Harriet Phillips:

We bring no glittering treasures/No gems from earth's deep mine;
We come, with simple measures/To chant Thy love divine.
Children, thy favours sharing/Their voice of thanks would raise;
Father, accept our offering/Our song of grateful praise.

That priceless gift of heaven/Love's written word of truth,
To us is early given/To guide our steps in youth;
We hear the wondrous story/The tale of Calvary;
We read of homes in glory/From sin and sorrow free.

Redeemer, grant Thy blessing!/O teach us how to pray,
That each, Thy fear possessing/May tread life's onward way!
Then, where the pure are dwelling/We hope to meet again,
And, sweeter numbers swelling/Forever praise Thy name.

 

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.

 

A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Numbers 11 (Part 2)

 Numbers 11:10-15—10 Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent; and the anger of the LORD was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased. 11 So Moses said to the LORD, "Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me? 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom, as a guardian carries a nursing child,' to the land which You swore to their fathers? 13 Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all over me, saying, 'Give us meat, that we may eat.' 14 I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. 15        If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now—if I have found favor in Your sight—and do not let me see my wretchedness!" So this time, when the people complained, God was angry, and now Moses was displeased as well. But Moses’ displeasure comes out a bit different than God’s anger. Whereas God was angry because of their not appreciating what He had done for them, Moses’ displeasure comes across as whining. And notice the things he says. Does this remind you of anybody? “The woman you gave me, she gave me of the tree and I ate” (Genesis 3:12). In both places, you see a sort of blaming God. “The woman you gave me”, and “You have laid the burden of all these people on me. Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them?” are both cases of these men saying that God gave them too big a task. “It’s all Your fault! I couldn’t handle it!” Instead of chastising the people, he decided that maybe God is a harsh taskmaster. After all, who was it that was guiding the people? Who was it that was keeping these people in order? Who was it that was feeding the people? Was it Moses? No, it was God who was responsible for all these things.

 Are we not the same? We pray for the sick, pray for the lost, pray for things for our neighbor. And when things don’t go according to the way we want them to go, don’t we feel discouraged? Don’t we feel like we didn’t do enough? Don’t we often think there might have been something more that we could have done? And why do we think these things? Because we are human. We tend to think too highly of ourselves, and think that we have all the control and all the answers to everything. When, in reality, God is the One in control. Is someone sick? God is the Great Physician who can heal. Is someone lost? It is God who gives the Holy Spirit to open their eyes to the truth. Is your neighbor out of work, or going through a divorce, or having trouble keeping their kids in line? Are these things too hard for God to work out? So many questions, but we know the One who has all the answers. 

And, guess what? God does have the answers. Numbers 11:16-18—16 So the LORD said to Moses: "Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. 17 Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone. 18    Then you shall say to the people, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the hearing of the LORD, saying, "Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt." Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you shall eat."'"  He tells Moses to gather seventy leaders and meet at the door of the Tabernacle. Then He says He will take of the Spirit that He has put on Moses and put it on these seventy men, in a sense making them equal to Moses. And they will bear the burden that Moses thought he was bearing alone. Poor Moses, always taking on too much by himself. This wasn’t the first time he had done so. Back in Exodus 18, his father-in-law had to remind him that he was only one man, and there were others whom he needed to judge smaller matters. Exodus 18:13-16—13 And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. 14 So when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, "What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?" 15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God. 16 When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws." In other words, “Poor me! I am the only one who can judge any matter between two men, no matter how big or small! Only I can do that!” And Jethro had to let him know that it was okay to let other men judge the smaller matters, and for Moses to go to God for the bigger matters. Exodus 18:17-23—17 So Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you do is not good. 18 Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself. 19 Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. 20 And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. 21 Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 22 And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace." 

Aren’t we guilty of the same thing sometimes, though? We think that we and we alone have all the answers? That we are the only ones that can solve any kind of problem? And yet that is not the case. God has given wisdom to others, and if we would just let go of our iron-fisted grip on the situation, God can use those people to settle those matters. Keep in mind, when Moses was sitting there judging those matters, he was doing it for about half million people! That is a population twice the size of Buffalo, NY. And out of all those half million people, he thought he was the only one who could judge matters great or small. The same thing happened here in Numbers—he cried out to God that he and he alone could lead these people, that he and he alone could provide for these people, that he and he alone was responsible for the well-being of these people. When in reality, these were God’s people, and He could do and provide for these people, and He showed here that He could. 

“Then you shall say to the people, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the hearing of the LORD, saying, "Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt." Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you shall eat.” Even the Apostles, when they had Jesus with them, thought that they were responsible for feeding 5000 people at one time. There they were, out in the middle of nowhere, it was getting toward sundown, and there were all these mouths to feed. Matthew 14:15—When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food." As if to say “we and we alone are responsible for feeding these people! But let us do the easy thing and send these people to their homes that they may eat!” It still hadn’t gotten through their heads that God was with them. The One who created all things, the One who made even the very planet they were standing on, as well as the sun that gave them light and the moon and stars that guided them by night. But what did Jesus say? Matthew 14:16-19—16 But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." 17 And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish." 18 He said, "Bring them here to Me." 19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. Why do we think we have all the answers to the concerns of this life? We think we are the only ones who can judge matters; we think we are the only ones who can bear with a group of people; we think we alone are responsible for feeding a bunch of people. And we too often forget that God has the answers, and the resources, and the knowledge and wisdom to work everything out, if we will just get out of His way and let Him do it. As He did with the loaves and fishes; as He did with Jethro’s advice to Moses, and as He does here with this grumbling and murmuring people in the wilderness. Of this episode, FB Meyer said:

 

“It seemed impossible to suppose that God could provide a table in the wilderness of such magnitude that in it the whole host could participate. Unbelief says, Can God? Faith answers, God can! Child of God! God’s hand is not waxed short, that it cannot reach to you. Even if we believe not, He remains faithful. This equipment of the elders reminds us that we, too, need to receive the Holy Spirit, first for our sanctification in character, and then for our service and office.”

Numbers 11:19-23—19 “You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, 20 but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have despised the LORD who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever come up out of Egypt?’” 21 And Moses said, "The people whom I am among are six hundred thousand men on foot; yet You have said, 'I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month.' 22 Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?" 23 And the LORD said to Moses, "Has the LORD's arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not." As soon as Moses spits out his pleas, God has an answer for him. He tells Moses “Don’t worry. Just bring seventy elders to the Tabernacle, and I’ll give these people so much meat they’ll make themselves sick on it.” 

Look at God’s reply to Moses. When Moses asked, “Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?” As much faith as Moses had, as many times as He talked with God, and as many miracles as God showed him, there was still a touch of doubt in his mind. He still couldn’t understand just how God could provide enough food for a half million people. Would herds of cattle be enough to feed these people? Could they gather enough sheep out of their flocks? What if they went out and caught all the fish in the sea in a net, would that quiet their murmuring and their grumbling stomachs?

In His reply, we see God uses anthropomorphic devices to describe certain characteristics of Himself. “Has the LORD's arm been shortened?” Does God, who is spirit (John 4:24), have an arm? No. But we read many times in the Old Testament about the LORD’s mighty hand and outstretched arm. For example, 6 times in Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 4:34, Deuteronomy 5:15, Deuteronomy 7:19, Deuteronomy 9:29, Deuteronomy 11:2, Deuteronomy 26:8), as well as 2^nd Chronicles 6:32; Job 35:9; and Ezekiel 20:33-34. This was how God related to the people. He had no form that they could see. Even Moses only saw His hind parts (Exodus 33:23). But they knew what an arm was, they knew what a hand was. Many times we see the writers of Scripture employ this and other devices to describe the power that God had and would use to deliver His people over and over and over and over again. As He would show here to these people who had forgotten just how powerful and mighty their God was (and is). No, His arm has not been shortened. They did not like the manna which He sent down every day at sundown? Fine. They wanted meat to eat? Fine. They wanted so much that it would come out their nostrils? Fine. He could do that. The same one who rebuked the wind and the waves (Mark 4:39; Luke 8:24) could make the wind blow wherever He wanted and bring some quail to them. And He did. And we will get to that shortly. 

Numbers 11:24-30—24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD, and he gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle. 25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again. 26 But two men had remained in the camp: the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those listed, but who had not gone out to the tabernacle; yet they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp." 28 So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, "Moses my lord, forbid them!" 29 Then Moses said to him, "Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!" 30 And Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel. As I have said so many times before, and will undoubtedly say many times more before I am through, are we any different? We think we know the only ones who are preaching truth, and up comes this new person, preaching and teaching, and we just can’t seem to wrap our heads around the fact that they are teaching truth. So we have to find a chink in their armor. We have to look for a speck in their eye, because they are not on our approved-of list. We know the modern-day greats, like John MacArthur, RC Sproul, Paul Washer. Men that we know are mighty in the Word and speak truth. But what about men like Jeff Durbin? Keith Foskey? “Who are they? I’ve never heard of them, so I’m not even going to give them a chance.” It’s another way of saying "us four no more Katie bar the door". And it not limited to little Independent churches with 10 members. The same can happen at larger churches: The lead pastor is off this Sunday, so they have a guest speaker in, and what happens to the attendance? It drops off the charts. Don’t think you’re any different. And when we do this, we are just like these Israelites who scoffed at the idea of someone they didn’t approve of prophesying in the camp. Now, don’t get me wrong. If someone is speaking falsely, and preaching a different Christ and a different gospel, we should mark and avoid them (Romans 16:17-18; Galatians 1:7-8). But if someone is preaching truth, they deserve to be heard. You never know, you may hear something you need to hear! And perhaps God has sent that person so they can speak that word and you can hear it. The Expositor’s Bible says of this:

 

“We can only wonder that still any order of men should try in the name of the Church to shut the mouths of those who approve themselves reverent students of the Divine Word. At the same time let it not be forgotten that the power of prophesying is no chance gift, no easy faculty. He who is to speak on God’s behalf must indeed know the mind of God. How can one claim the right to instruct others who has never opened his mind to the Divine voice, who has not reverently compared Scripture with Providence and all the phases of revelation that are unfolded in conscience and human life? Men who draw a narrow circle and keep their thoughts within it can never become prophets.” 

Again, the Apostles were no different. Mark 9:38—Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us." When John said this, Jesus might have had a flashback. This was almost the same thing that the people said in Numbers 11. There was someone doing the things of God, who were not part of their group. And John could not stand that these people were doing something that only they could do. But that wasn’t the case. These other people did these things because they had received power from God to do so. Just like Eldad and Medad. The Spirit of the LORD rested upon them, and they did what the people thought only Moses could do. And in Both cases, those who objected were rebuked. After Jesus says, in Mark 9:39—“Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me”, He goes into a short commentary of why He allows them to cast out the demons in His name. Is it so these people will gain a great following and get millions of dollars from the gullible people watching them on TV? No. Mark 9:40—“For he who is not against us is on our side.” And if you are on Jesus’ side, you are on the correct side. He then goes on to discuss how the righteous shall in no way lose their reward, but the unrighteous will go to a place where they are eaten by worms and are burned in conscious, everlasting torment. If someone is speaking the truth in Christ, hear them. For they are on Jesus’s side. The early Methodist minister Joseph Benson said:

 

“Forbid him not — Neither directly nor indirectly discourage or hinder any man, who brings sinners from the power of Satan to God, because he followeth not us, in opinions, modes of worship, or any thing else which does not affect the essence of religion. For he that is not against us, is for us — Our Lord had formerly said, He that is not with me, is against me: thereby admonishing his hearers that the war between him and Satan admitted of no neutrality, and that those who were indifferent to him now, would finally be treated as enemies. But here, in another view, he uses a very different proverb; directing his followers to judge of men’s characters in the most candid manner; and charitably to hope, that those who did not oppose his cause wished well to it.” 

There may be some who say “Who is this Joseph Benson anyway? I have never heard of him! Why not quote Spurgeon or Whitefield? I will not listen to what this Benson fellow says!” And you would miss out on reading some splendid teachings about our Lord and Savior!

Part 3 next week

 

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.