A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Numbers 20 (Part 2)

The hostility between the Israelites and the Edomites would last for years, until at last King David put Edom under Israel’s control. 2nd Samuel 8:14—He also put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and all the Edomites became David's servants. But, again, as we see in so much of Israel’s history, this too did not last. For we read in 2nd Kings 8 that Joram becomes king of Israel (this was after Israel and Judah split), and Joram was a king after the ways of Ahab his father, and did not do what was right in the sight of God. And he attacked Edom, after Edom established a king for themselves. 2nd Kings 8:21-22—21 So Joram went to Zair, and all his chariots with him. Then he rose by night and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots; and the troops fled to their tents. 22 Thus Edom has been in revolt against Judah's authority to this day. For Edom’s rebellion, God sent word by way of the prophet in Ezekiel 25:12-14—12 “‘Thus says the Lord GOD: "Because of what Edom did against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has greatly offended by avenging itself on them," 13 therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "I will also stretch out My hand against Edom, cut off man and beast from it, and make it desolate from Teman; Dedan shall fall by the sword. 14 I will lay My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, that they may do in Edom according to My anger and according to My fury; and they shall know My vengeance," says the Lord GOD.’”

This tension between the people of Edom and the people of Israel continued for many years. It got to the point that God gave His prophets messages to give to the people concerning Edom. Obadiah 1:18—“The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame; but the house of Esau shall be stubble; they shall kindle them and devour them, and no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,” for the LORD has spoken. Malachi 1:2-4—2 "I have loved you," says the LORD. "Yet you say, 'In what way have You loved us?' Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" says the LORD. "Yet Jacob I have loved; 3 but Esau I have hated, and laid waste his mountains and his heritage for the jackals of the wilderness." 4 Even though Edom has said, "We have been impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places," thus says the LORD of hosts: “They may build, but I will throw down; they shall be called the Territory of Wickedness, and the people against whom the LORD will have indignation forever.” And God finally dealt the death blow to the land of Edom, although we don’t read about it in any of the canonical books of Scripture, but in the Apocryphal book of 1st Maccabees 5:3—Then Judas [Maccabee] fought against the children of Esau in Idumea, and them that were in Acrabathane: because they beset the Israelites round about, and he made a great slaughter of them. While Judas Maccabee may have been the overall ruler of the people, the military campaign against the Edomites was carried out by a man named John Hyrcanus. He led the battle and subdued the Edomites circa 120 BC. The victory was such that they forced the men of Edom to be circumcised and become Jews. Flavius Josephus writes in his Antiquities of the Jews (Book 13, chapter 9):

Hyrcanus took also Dora and Marissa, cities of Idumea, and subdued all the Idumeans; and permitted them to stay in that country, if they would circumcise their genitals, and make use of the laws of the Jews; and they were so desirous of living in the country of their forefathers, that they submitted to the use of circumcision, and of the rest of the Jewish ways of living; at which time therefore this befell them, that they were hereafter no other than Jews.

Unfortunately, this was not the last we heard from the Edomites, for a man was born in Idumea, whose father was an Edomite, and he would come to be king over the Jews. The man’s name was Herod. Yes, Herod the Great, who was king at the time of Jesus’ birth, was an Edomite, as were his sons. Which may explain why the Herods were so incensed that the child born in Bethlehem was celebrated as King of the Jews. “So how does an Edomite wind up being King over Israel?” Remember, at the time of Jesus’ birth Judea was under Roman occupation. And Herod was a very shrewd man. He was also a friend of Rome. And he was wealthy. Wealthy enough to buy the kingdom. Josephus (Antiquities, Book 14, chapter 14):

[Mark Antony] was very ready to give him [Herod] the assistance he desired, and this because he called to mind the friendship he had had with Antipater because Herod offered him money to make him king, as he had formerly given it him to make him tetrarch, and chiefly because of his hatred to Antigo he was very ready to give him the assistance he desired, and this because he called to mind the friendship he had had with Antipater because Herod offered him money to make him king, as he had formerly given it him to make him tetrarch, and chiefly because of his hatred to Antigonus; for he took him to be a seditious person, and an enemy to the Romans… And this was the principal instance of Antony’s affection for Herod, that he not only procured him a kingdom which he did not expect, (for he did not come with an intention to ask the kingdom for himself, which he did not suppose the Romans would grant him, who used to bestow it on some of the royal family, but intended to desire it for his wife’s brother, who was grandson by his father to Aristobulus, and to Hyrcanus by his mother,) but that he procured it for him so suddenly, that he obtained what he did not expect, and departed out of Italy in so few days as seven in all…when the senate was dissolved, Antony and Caesar went out of the senate house with Herod between them, and with the consuls and other magistrates before them, in order to offer sacrifices, and to lay up their decrees in the capitol. Antony also feasted Herod the first day of his reign. And thus did this man receive the kingdom, having obtained it on the hundred and eighty-fourth Olympiad, when Caius Domitius Calvinus was consul the second time, and Caius Asinius Pollio [the first time].

In fact, the entire family was in Rome’s back pocket. No wonder Christ referred to Herod Antipas as “that fox” in Luke 13:32!

Numbers 20:20-29—20 Then he said, "You shall not pass through." So Edom came out against them with many men and with a strong hand. 21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel turned away from him. 22 Now the children of Israel, the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. 23 And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying: 24 "Aaron shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against My word at the water of Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to Mount Hor; 26 and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; for Aaron shall be gathered to his people and die there." 27 So Moses did just as the LORD commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 28 Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 29 Now when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, all the house of Israel mourned for Aaron thirty days.

Again, this Aaron, who was the first high priest over the people of Israel, gets a very short notice of his death. So as we took a brief glimpse at the life of Miriam at the beginning of the chapter, let us end the chapter by examining the life of Aaron. He was three years old when Moses was born (Exodus 7:7), and we first see his name mentioned in Exodus 4:14 when God tells Moses that Aaron will be his mouthpiece, since Moses expressed reluctance at speaking to Pharaoh. And we see Aaron called a prophet by God in Exodus 7:1—So the LORD said to Moses: “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.” And most times when you see Aaron mentioned, Moses is mentioned with him. That is how closely these two were knit together. They are mentioned together 295 times. It is Aaron who cast down his rod at Pharaoh’s feet and it became a serpent (Exodus 7:10). It is Aaron who took his rod and smote the waters of the Nile to turn them to blood (Exodus 7:20). It was Aaron who, with his rod, smote the dust and turned it into lice (Exodus 8:17). So many times Aaron was faithful to do the commands of God and to glorify Him in Pharaoh’s sight. However…

In Exodus 32 we see just how human Aaron was. Moses is up on Mount Sinai as God is giving him the law for the people. He is up there 40 days and 40 nights. The people start wondering if he is going to come back down. They have not seen God, only the smoke and the fire on the mountain. But in Egypt, they could see Ra. They could see Osiris. They could see Isis. But they could not see יהוה‎. And since their leader is on the mountain, they turn to the one they believe to be the second in command, that being Aaron. They want a god that will lead them, and more specifically a god they can see. Exodus 32:1—Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, "Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." And in the same way that Adam did not correct Eve when she took and ate of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, so Aaron does not correct the people of their folly here. Rather, Aaron said to them, "Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me" (Exodus 32:2). This man that God used so many times in speaking to and against Pharaoh had now cast in his lot with the people who were so fondly reminiscing of the gods they had in Egypt. They had forgotten יהוה and now wanted a god they could touch and see and feel. Abraham knew the God he could not see (Genesis 13:4). Isaac knew the invisible God (Genesis 25:21). Jacob knew God (Genesis 28:13). Joseph knew God (Genesis 39:4).

But now these people had been in servitude to Egypt and Pharaoh for 430 years, and had forgotten the name of God, and only knew of the dumb idols worshipped by Egypt. Aaron, who should have corrected the people and given them hope in the Living God, instead went along with their foolishness and made a golden calf. And it happened in the most peculiar manner! Exodus 32:24—And I said to them, 'Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.' So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out." Yep, just threw all the precious metal into the fire and *POOF!* This fully formed calf miraculously popped out! Not only that, he laid the charge at the people’s feet (Exodus 32:22-23). If this sounds familiar, it should. Genesis 3:12—"The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree." Both Aaron and Adam were in position to prevent grievous sin, and instead of doing so they brought the sin full circle (see also Exodus 32:25).

And this is why Jesus is our better High Priest, one who is fully submitted to the will of the Father, and who has never disobeyed nor has even thought of being disobedient. Hebrews 9:26-28—26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever. The Levitical priests were set apart from their brethren, but Jesus was set apart from all Creation, as He did no sin, nor was guile found in His Mouth (1st Peter 2:22; Isaiah 53:9). He would not have fashioned the Golden Calf simply by the whims of the people; He would not have quarreled with Moses about who was greater. In fact, He calmed such a spirit among His apostles. Matthew 20:26-27—26 “Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave.” As humble as Moses was, our Great High Priest was even more humble, and humbled Himself to death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). May we be as humble as He, and serve one another in love. 

Brother, let me be your servant/Let me be as Christ to you.

Pray that I might have the grace/To let you be my servant, too.

We are pilgrims on a journey/We are brothers on the road.

We are here to help each other/Walk the mile and bear the load.

 I will hold the Christ-light for you/In the night time of your fear.

I will hold my hand out to you/ Speak the peace you long to hear.

(“The Servant’s Song”, Richard Gillard)

The next important event in Aaron’s life is when he strives, along with Miriam, against the leadership of Moses due to Moses’ Ethiopian wife (Numbers 12:1). Now we see here in Numbers 20 that Aaron is about to die and his mantle passed to his son Eleazar. We will see God make a covenant with the house of Eleazar in Numbers 25, so we will not go into that now. Let us focus for a moment on Mount Hor. It was, according to most experts, to the northeast of Kadesh, on the edge of the land of Edom (but not within its boundaries), in the land of what we now call Jordan near the city of Petra. There is another site that some have thought to be this Mount Hor, and its location is near the Israel-Egypt border (the position of historian Henry Clay Turnbull), while yet another hypothesis says it is near Medina in Saudi Arabia. Most evidence points to the Petra location. We will read of yet another Mount Hor in Numbers 34, but we will address that when we get there. At any rate, it is only mentioned a few times in the book of Numbers, and nowhere else in Scripture. It is only noteworthy as the place where Aaron died and was buried. But, as they have done so often throughout their history, this was appropriated by the Muslims, who built a mosque at its summit atop an old Byzantine church.

So we see at the beginning of Numbers 20 Moses’ sister dies, and at the end of the chapter his brother dies. Most men would have thrown in the towel and called on God to choose someone else to take his position. But not Moses. He was a most humble man (Numbers 12:3), fully submitted to the will of God and whatever He had planned for his life. As we should be.

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.

A Survey of the Old Tedstament Law--Numbers 16 (Part 1)

Numbers 16:1-3—1 Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men; 2 and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown. 3 They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?" 

Ever see the movie “The Ten Commandments”? Used to watch it every Easter when it would come on ABC. And every Easter, Charlton Heston led me to the Lord. Haha. Well, when I started studying the Bible, I realized the movie wasn’t really true to the Scriptures in some areas. This is one of those areas. Dathan was played by Edward G. Robinson, and in the movie this episode we are looking at took place right after the Golden Calf episode. So the writers kinda mixed up and muddled up the sequence of events for dramatic license. Just wanted to get that out of the way. Here we see again a murmuring against what God has commanded. He put Moses in charge, and Aaron as the High Priest. But this band of rebels was not happy with that. They looked at Moses and Aaron as taking these mantles upon themselves. "You take too much upon yourselves…Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?" And they were not happy at how Moses and Aaron were running things, and this band thought they were just as entitled to run things as Moses and Aaron. But that is not what God commanded. God had a certain way He wanted things done, and these men were rebelling against that command. And we will see the consequences of his actions later. Suffice it to say it is never good to rebel against what God has ordained. 

So what can we learn from this today? We learn that God has set up an organization for how He wants the church set up. We find this organization in Ephesians 4:11—And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. Notice what Paul says. He Himself gave some to be. In other words, God is the one who appoints those who are apostles, prophets, etc. Those who are in these positions, and are truly apostles, prophets, etc., do not take these mantles upon themselves. But don’t we see Korah’s type of rebellion today; when a member of a church thinks he (or she) can do a better job than the one pastoring that particular flock, and decides to plant seeds of doubt among the members? Again, a pastor also does not (or should not) take that office upon himself lightly. For if a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work (1st Timothy 1:3). The amount of time involved in shepherding a flock—the time spent studying the Scriptures for what the people need to hear, the time visiting the sick and infirm, the time spent in meetings to determine how to spend the church’s funds—is more than many can bear, more than any rabble-rousers can imagine, and can take a toll on that preacher and his family. It is no small thing to shepherd a flock! So you can only imagine the tolls it took on Moses and Aaron top lead almost a million people from Egypt, through the desert, to the land God promised them. Which is why God was so patient with Moses in the times he cried to Him and bemoaned his situation—it was no small thing to lead this group of grumblers and backbiters, when there were scarce resources and there was scorching heat and the threat of those in the surrounding land to come upon them. 

But Korah thought it was. He and those with him thought they could lead this mass of people through the desert just as well as Moses could, and that anyone could minister to God as well as Aaron did. Numbers 16:4-7—4 So when Moses heard it, he fell on his face; 5 and he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will show who is His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him. That one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him. 6 Do this: Take censers, Korah and all your company; 7 put fire in them and put incense in them before the LORD tomorrow, and it shall be that the man whom the LORD chooses is the holy one. You take too much upon yourselves, you sons of Levi!" In verse 7, Moses turns Korah’s argument back on him, by saying that Korah and his band have taken too much upon themselves. And he’s right. When it says in Numbers 12:3 that no one was more humble than Moses, that was the absolute truth. And he had to be. A man who was proud in his heart could not lead this bunch of grumblers through the desert, or his pride would puff him up and he would leave them all behind and take God up on His offer to wipe them all out and start over with that person. And what glory would God get out of that? (Numbers 14:13-19). 

And in keeping with this idea, what is the first thing Moses does when Korah makes his claim? So when Moses heard it, he fell on his face. So many of us would be angry with these people, since God just told them in Numbers 14 that because they have grumbled against Him so many times that they would not enter the Promised Land. This time, it wasn’t grumbling because of food or water or the giants in the land, it was the grumblings of a handful of men who let one thing overtake them: pride. And if Moses was a prideful man, he and Korah would end up throwing hands against one another. But what does Moses do? He humbles himself and bows his face to the earth and instantly gets a word from the Lord, that they should let God decide who the Prophet and High Priest really are. That one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him. Here again we see the principle of Election, that God chooses who will be His and who will be chosen to perform the duties of ministering between the people and God, as Moses says again in verses 6-7—6 Take censers, Korah and all your company; 7 put fire in them and put incense in them before the LORD tomorrow, and it shall be that the man whom the LORD chooses is the holy one. In this way, Moses was letting Korah and company know that he was not making the decision, but God. 

Remember back in Leviticus 11, when Nadab and Abihu brought a different incense to burn before God, and He burned them up on the spot? Wasn’t Moses that did that, wasn’t Gershom, wasn’t Eleazar. It was God. Why? Because they did something in a way that God did not approve of. And in the same way, Korah and company were to bring a censer of coals and Aaron was to bring a censer of coals, and God would make the decision. Many people these days think it is some kind of badge of honor to say “Only God can judge me!” And they say it in an almost prideful manner, as if God will excuse their sins. But when someone says “Only God can judge me”, they should be ready for Him, because one thing is certain—He will!

 

And Korah decided also to cast his lot on his own righteousness, rather than acknowledging that He chose Aaron to be High Priest. And even today, we have those who will rail against God’s people, thinking that they themselves are better than the people of God. Paul says in Romans 8:33—Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Korah laid a charge against the men God had chosen, and thought he could get away with it. How brazen must he have been! How prideful! To think that God would turn His back on the man He chose to be High Priest, and accept this prideful man who boasted against God’s elect! This even more clearly emphasizes the point made in Numbers 12:3, that the man Moses was very humble! 

Numbers 16:8-11—8 Then Moses said to Korah, "Hear now, you sons of Levi: 9 Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the work of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to serve them; 10 and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also? 11 Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD. And what is Aaron that you complain against him?” Korah and company thought it was an easy task to lead almost one million souls from Egypt, to Sinai, around the Sinai Peninsula, through the Wilderness of Paran, to a land which the people did not know. And from the human side, Korah and company were treating their election by God as a minute thing—that God had chosen them to be His, that God had chosen them to perform their assigned duties in the Tabernacle, that God had chosen them to act as mediator between the people and God. And now they want more? Now they want to be the ones in charge of the Tabernacle? A position that God Himself chose Aaron for, flawed as he was? This rank jealousy coming from Levites, the ones who were to stand before God and present unblemished sacrifices. How could they stand before God with such a heart polluted by the same sin that caused Satan to be cast out of Heaven, when he declared 13 “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13-14). What do you read over and over again in this passage? I…I…I…… And just as it was Satan exalting himself above the seat of God, here we see Korah—not Moses and Aaron—exalting himself and those with him above the judgment of God. 

”Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD.” Ouch. This would have been the time for Korah and company to fold their hands and admit that they were in no position to question God. They could have, as Moses, fallen on their faces and begged forgiveness from the Most High, and they may have been struck with leprosy or may have incurred some other punishment from God. As Jesus said of the two sons in Matthew 21:28-31—28 "A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.' 29 He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?" Here, we see that God had two sons—Moses and Korah—We know Moses did the will of God. And here, Korah could have been like the first Son in Jesus’ parable—going against the will of the Father, then regretting it and submitting to God’s will. But he didn’t. Much like the wicked men of Sodom in Genesis 19:11, they kept groping for the door of sin and like the men of Sodom, they would face consequences. Well said is it in Proverbs 16:18—Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Dathan was a prideful man, and he (and those who followed him) would experience a fall like no other! 

Numbers 16:12-14—12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, but they said, "We will not come up! 13 Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you should keep acting like a prince over us? 14 Moreover you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up!" Again we see the longing for slavery. Edward G. Robinson—I mean, Dathan—and Abiram saw their time in bondage as a time of freedom. They could eat what they wanted, they could do what they wanted, they could play however they wanted—all they had to do was dance in the mud and put up statues to honor the pagan gods. Just like today, when we come to know Christ and even confess Him as Lord and Savior, and something comes up that tests our patience, or is disagreeable to us, we can be tempted to seek to go back to the mire we were taken out of, because we see that as easier than following Christ and accepting of the trial we are in. Or we are tempted by something we used to enjoy, and we think “ya know, if it wasn’t for Jesus, I could enjoy that again.” Instead of seeing that trial or temptation as a way to show that we are actually in a better place than we were in, and to give God the glory we see it as God not being fair, and we say that God has not made our lives easier. But here’s the problem—knowing Christ and following Him may not bring instant joy and deliverance from trials. In fact, the trials may become more intense, But don’t let that dissuade you from following Him. Rather, we should use these trials as a way to depend on Him even more. James 1:2—My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. Are you in a financial bind? Ask God how to get through this. Do you have wayward children? Ask God to set them on the correct path. Did you lose your job? Ask God where to seek employment and follow His guiding. But in all these things, ask that His will be done (Matthew 6:10), because His will may be different than your will. 

And be patient. James 1:3—Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. This was one thing Dathan and Abiram were sorely lacking in. “You have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards.” No, they had not come to the land flowing with milk and honey—YET. But they would get there! And it would be a far better place than their time in bondage in Egypt! It has been said that every prayer of the saints is heard by God, and He answers them all. Sometimes the answer is “yes”, sometimes the answer is “no”, sometimes the answer is “wait”. Galatians 5:22—The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering… Patience. Wait on the Lord. David says this in Psalm 27:14—Wait, I say, on the LORD! In our day and age it is hard to be patient. So many things and people around us demanding our attention. So often we are out somewhere and we are behind a slower car, or an elderly couple in the aisle or the checkout at the grocery store. Or maybe we have to wait for five seconds for someone to move out of our way. Our reaction can show who we really are. Do we get angry, and huff and puff? Not only is that impatience, but also displays a bit of pride. “Where I have to go is more important than these people!” Perhaps by slowing you down by five seconds, God may be saving your life! In her song “Granny’s angel”, Nicole C. Mullen posits such a thought in her song “Granny’s Angel”: 

Stuck in traffic, at a quarter ‘til nine

Shirley’s cursin’ “Oops! Is that fatal wreck on my side?

No compassion, ‘cause she don’t realize

Had she been any earlier

BOOM! It would have been her life 

Thing is that no, the people of Israel were not in the Promised Land. But they were getting there. Wait, I say, on the LORD! Abraham Kuyper once said “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” Not only does that speak of all of the physical universe, but it also speaks of time. There is not a year our month or week or day or hour or minute or second over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, “Mine!” God could have very easily stopped their mouths and their grumbling and complaining but He didn’t. Why? I don’t know, but He had His reasons. More than likely, He was weeding out those whom He knew were not fit for the Promised Land. Just like when He told Gideon to not go against the Midianites and Amalekites and people of the East with the 32,000 or the 10,000 but only the 300 faithful men. 

Not only was He weeding out the unfaithful and backbiting, He was also doing it for His glory. See, God does not get glory in victory by large numbers, but by strengthening the hands and minds of the few. Remember, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the whole city celebrated. By the time He gave up His life, the city had turned on Him. In the old hymn “Man of Sorrows, What a Name”, P. P. Bliss states: 

Lifted up was He to die;

"It is finished" was his cry; 

He was lifted up on the cross by those who opposed God. Forsaken even by those who followed Him and knew Him as the Son of God. Only John was left, and Jesus sent him away as well. As Isaiah said, 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted…He was led as a lamb to the slaughter…8 He was taken from prison and from judgment…For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken (Isaiah 53:7-8). What glory could come from one Man, beaten and mocked, dying alone on a cross, put to shame for the world to see? Well, this was not just any man. This was the holy, righteous, perfect Son of God. And what had He done that was deserving of death? Why was He beaten and mocked? What blasphemy had He uttered? Oh no friend, it was not because of any sin He committed, for the Son of God did no sin, nor did He even think of doing any sin. In fact, He was put to death for us. For you. For me. For your neighbor. And God took His Son, battered and broken, from the tomb, raised Him up to sit at His right hand, to rule over all creation. The hymn goes on: 

Now in heaven exalted high:

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

When he comes, our glorious King,

All his ransomed home to bring,

Then anew this song we'll sing:

Hallelujah, what a Savior! 

How dare any of us think that just because He has not yet returned that His promise is null and void? How dare we think that just because we are still stuck on this rock that our lives are for naught? We have the promise of our risen Lord that He will return, and that every eye will see Him, that the mouths of the unbelieving will be stopped, and that we who Know Him will be brought safely into our promised reward. But we have to be patient, and Wait, I say, on the LORD!

Part 2 next week

Jesus Christ is Lord

Amen. 

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

Several major events take place in Numbers 20. First we see the people complain—again—because there is no water at Meribah Kadesh. So God tells Moses to speak to the rock so that water might come out. But Moses, in his anger, instead strikes the rock with his rod, incurring the anger of God so that God would not allow him to see Canaan. Numbers 20:12—Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them." And we will see when we get to Deuteronomy that Moses does indeed die before the people get to the Promised Land. In Numbers 20:14-21 we see messengers being sent to the king of Edom to ask that he allow the people to simply pass through the land, that they would not turn to the left or to the right, and that they would not graze their flocks or their herds there (Numbers 20:17). They told him they would pass along the King’s Highway, an established trade route through the land. However the king of Edom would not allow it, which angered God as we will see later. In Numbers 20:22 God speaks to Moses, telling him to take the garments off Aaron and put them on Aaron’s son Eleazar, as Aaron was getting ready to pass away. They had traveled to Mount Hor, which is about halfway between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. And we see in Numbers 20:28 that Aaron did indeed die at Mount Hor, and when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, all the house of Israel mourned for Aaron thirty days. (Numbers 20:29).

As Numbers 21 opens, the people are complaining (I told you they do this a lot), so God sends fiery serpents to destroy the people. But we see a foreshadowing of the Cross here, as Moses sets up a serpent on a pole, that whoever looks upon that serpent would be healed and not die. We see recorded the words of our Savior in John 3:14—“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” Just as that serpent was lifted up, that whoever looked to it might not die, so our Lord Jesus was lifted up, that all who look to Him might be given eternal life! We then read of Sihon the king of the Amorites and Og of Bashan, how they opposed the people and also incurred the anger of God. We will briefly touch on some of the places in the Scriptures that speak of these two men, as we will see them again in Deuteronomy.

In Numbers 22-24 we read of Balaam, who was sent by Balak (king of Moab) to curse Israel, and the troubles that Balaam encountered in doing so. In a way, Balaam gets a bad rap, as he did not want to, at first, curse Israel, as God told him He would not curse the people, as He had blessed them (Numbers 22:11). And the more Balaam tried to curse the people, the more he realized he could not. And if you know Scripture, you know of Balaam riding a donkey and how an Angel of God stood in that donkey’s way, and that the donkey spoke to Balaam—and Balaam answered it! This gave rise to the hymn “I Saw An Angel In The Road” by Daniel Charles Damon:

I saw an angel in the road and quickly turned aside,

But Balaam had not seen it yet. My master tanned my hide.

Returning to the narrow way, the angel loomed so tall,

My master struck me when I scraped his foot against the wall.

But, fearful of the way ahead, I lay down on the ground.

My master struck again in rage until he heard this sound:

"What have I ever done to you that you abuse me so?"

A donkey speaks, an angel stands, and Balaam's tears now flow.

"Forgive me for the blows I gave in arrogance and fear.

Direct me, God, and help me speak the loving word I hear."                

Numbers 25 shows us that the people do not learn from their mistakes. The people, who have seen the mighty works of God, decided to commit harlotry with the women of Moab (Numbers 25:1) and began to worship the pagan god Ba'al (Numbers 25:3). What was God’s command in response to this rebellion? Numbers 25:5—"Every one of you kill his men who were joined to Baal of Peor." (Baalpeor, KJV) God does not tolerate insolence, and He let the people know that here, in no uncertain terms. In this instance, the penalty was death, as it was when the people enticed Aaron to form the Golden Calf at the foot of Mt. Sinai (Exodus 32:1-6). In the midst of all this, a man brings a Midianite woman to the people, and while he is in his tent having sex with her, Phinehas (son of Eleazar) puts a javelin through both of them (Numbers 25:8). And because of this action, God made a covenant with him that his descendants would be priests to Him (Numbers 25:12-13).

Numbers 26 shows us the second census of the people. The timing of this census is off, since we see in Numbers 26:63-64 that all those who were at Sinai had died off, as God promised in Numbers 14. This census probably came closer to the end of Deuteronomy.

Then in Numbers 27, we see some women come to Moses who had a question about inheritance. Their father died, leaving no sons, only daughters (Numbers 27:3-4). And since an inheritance of land went to sons, they would be left with no place to call home. So Moses asks God, “What shall we do for these?” The answer is that they were to be given a portion of the land given to their uncles, and these daughters were to get the land that their father would have gotten (Numbers 27:7). Then we see that God gave other commands about the people inheriting land (Numbers 27:8-11). At the end of the chapter, we see God telling Moses that his time to die is drawing near (Numbers 27:13), but that Moses will die without entering the Promised Land as punishment for striking the rock at Meribah Kadesh (Numbers 20:12). Moses pleads to have a man set over the people who will faithfully lead the people into the Promised Land (Numbers 27:16-17). So God chooses Joshua to lead the people when Moses passes away, and for Eleazar to be the High Priest, as these two men have been faithful in all the ways of God. We will probably look at Numbers 36 along with this chapter, as it extends the commands contained in this chapter.

Numbers 30 talks about how when a person takes an oath it is binding upon that person, and in Numbers 31 God commands the people to smite the Midianites for the evil that they had perpetrated against the people of Israel in Numbers 25. It should be noted that Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law (the father of his first wife Zipporah) and Hobab, whom Moses pleaded with to be the eyes and ears of the people while they were traversing the wilderness, were Midianites. This will show us that even in the midst of a wicked people, there may be some that do believe in God, like Rahab in Jericho in the Book of Joshua.

In Numbers 32 we read about the Tribe of Gad and the Tribe of Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh not desiring to cross the Jordan after they saw that the land of Gilead was good for grazing cattle, which these tribes had in abundance (Numbers 32:1-5). However, Moses confronts them, saying that it is not right that their brethren should cross the Jordan and fight while these two tribes stay behind. So a deal is made that they will go over Jordan with the other tribes and fight, and when the land is settled they will return to Gilead (Numbers 32:16-27). And they fulfilled their promise, which can be seen in Joshua 22:1-34.

Numbers 33 lists the itinerary of the people for most of the chapter, but ends with a stern warning from Moses, that if the people do not utterly drive out the inhabitants of the land God is giving them, it will cause them to stumble before God (Numbers 33:55-56), and that God will do to the people of Israel what He thought of doing to the inhabitants of the land. And if you read ahead in the Scriptures, you will see this come to fruition in the wavering of the people of Israel between worshipping God and worshipping the pagan gods. For a good example of this, you need not read further than Judges 2. The people all cry out, with one voice, Joshua 24:16—“Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods.” Yet two chapters later, we see the death of Joshua in Judges 2:8, and his body isn’t hardly even cold yet when we read Judges 2:11—Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals. Which is why we need to always be careful to walk circumspectly (Ephesians 5:15), and never let our Adversary gain even a foothold, knowing the sway he can hold over us. We also see in Israel’s history, after the death of King David, how the people of Israel vacillated between the true worship of God and the false worship of the Baals and Ashtoreths.

In Numbers 34 Moses lays out the borders of the Promised Land, and in Numbers 35 he tells about the cities of refuge that are to be given to the Levites for the man guilty of involuntary manslaughter to flee to until he can lay his case out. We know that the Decalogue contains the commandment “Thou shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13). But what if a man kills another man unintentionally? What if his hand swings a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies (Deuteronomy 19:5)? If that were to happen, the one who swung the axe would flee to one of these cities of refuge where he could escape the “avenger of blood” (a family member of the victim who was seeking revenge) until he could remain safely until his case could be heard and he could—if it was found that he did not intend to kill the victim—be vindicated.

As you can see, there is a lot of complaining in this book. Many times the people are not happy with the way Moses does things, even though he is faithful to God in performing his duty. Things haven’t changed a whole lot in the millennia since these things occurred. Many times, no matter how faithful we are to God, things don’t go the way we want them to and we complain. Or we see that one of our neighbors has something we don’t have, and we complain because we don’t have that thing. We need to be on our guard against those feelings, as they can lead us to do something rash and harm our neighbor and in doing so, disobey God and do things He has commanded us to not do. And if we desire that thing too much it can cause us to take our eyes off God and focus them on ourselves.

Lord, help us to always remember that our first duty is not to ourselves, but to You. For You are above all things, You hold the world and all creation in your hand, and at any moment You may require our life from us. Let us never complain about anything You have given us, knowing that everything we have comes from You, and whatever You decree us to have, we should accept with all joyfulness. Let us always purge out from our lives those things which stand against you, and all those things which associate themselves with the unfruitful works of darkness. Let us always be thankful in all things.

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.                                                  

A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Nadab and Abihu (Part 1)

So, with all that being said, we can now move on to Leviticus 10. It is from this chapter that we get a phrase that is used quite commonly. That phrase is “strange fire.” This is, of course, the story of Nadab and Abihu. And this is yet one more tale of someone knowing what God expects out of them and saying “Well, yeah, I know God said that. But did He really mean it? Besides, I think I can do this a whole lot better than God.” And keep in mind, the same God that acts in this chapter is the same God who is acting today. He has not changed. He jealously guards His holiness, and He will not have any foolish humans telling Him how He ought to do things, or telling Him that they can do things better than He can. Leviticus 10:1—Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. Who were Nadab and Abihu? They were sons of Aaron. Did they know what kind of incense God had specifically told them they were to use? Did He not spell out for them, quite plainly? Now, when and where this happened has been debated by scholars over these many years. I would agree with the conclusions of Keil and Delitzsch—

“By the fire which they offered before Jehovah, we are no doubt to understand the firing of the incense-offering. This might be called “strange fire” if it was not offered in the manner prescribed in the law, just as in Exodus 30:9 incense not prepared according to the direction of God is called “strange incense.” The supposition that they presented an incense-offering that was not commanded in the law, and apart from the time of the morning and evening sacrifice, and that this constituted their sin, is supported by the time at which their illegal act took place. It is perfectly obvious from Leviticus 10:12 and Leviticus 10:16 ff. that it occurred in the interval between the sacrificial transaction in chapter 9 and the sacrificial meal which followed it, and therefore upon the day of their inauguration. For in Leviticus 10:12 Moses commands Aaron and his remaining sons Eleazar and Ithamar to eat the meat-offering that was left from the firings of Jehovah, and inquires in Leviticus 10:16 for the goat of the sin-offering, which the priests were to have eaten in a holy place. Knobel's opinion is not an improbable one, therefore, that Nadab and Abihu intended to accompany the shouts of the people with an incense-offering to the praise and glory of God, and presented an incense-offering not only at an improper time, but not prepared from the altar-fire, and committed such a sin by this will-worship, that they were smitten by the fire which came forth from Jehovah, even before their entrance into the holy place, and so died ‘before Jehovah.’”

And since Leviticus 10:4 tells us that Moses commanded they be removed “from before the sanctuary,” this more than likely happened outside the tent, in the courtyard, and not inside the tabernacle. So they probably didn’t offer this mixture on the Altar of Incense. But whenever and wherever this happened, one thing is clear: they were to use only a certain mixture for the incense they were to burn, and that mixture was to be burned only on the Altar of Incense. Exodus 30:7-9, 34-35—“7 Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it…9 You shall not offer strange incense on it,”…34 And the LORD said to Moses: “Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each. 35 You shall make of these an incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy.” What’s that last word? “Holy.” This was what God commanded. This was not a suggestion; this was not God recommending that they make something like this, while telling them “But ya know, if you want to mix it up a little, be My guest.” God said this mixture was “holy.” And it was this mixture and ONLY this mixture that was to be burned on the Altar of Incense—Period, paragraph. This was not a case of “God said it; I believe it; that settles it.” This was (as it always is) “God said it—THAT SETTLES IT.” Whether or not we believe it—really doesn't matter.

When we studied the Trespass Offerings we talked about how there are so many churches today that are bringing the filthy elements of the world into their “church” service. They seem to have this notion that “Well, I know God may not think this is right. But, we know how to draw a crowd better than God does, so we’re gonna do it like this. God will understand.” And what is always their excuse? “We must have done something right because look at all the people that came!” Oh, and let’s not forget the tired old, “We had 20,000 young people meet Jesus tonight!” Well, there may be some who actually came to know Christ—but I dare say it was in spite of their worldly methods, rather than it being a fruit of them. And I'm sure once they realize they’ve been eating rotten fruit, they will seek a place where a pastor actually feeds them solid food, rather than the sugar-coated skubolon they've been choking on. Bishop Joseph Hall, writing in the late 1500’s and early 1600’s, writes, "It is a dangerous thing, in the service of God, to decline from his institutions; we have to do with a God, who is wise to prescribe his own worship - just to require what he has prescribed - and powerful to avenge what he has not prescribed."

Leviticus 10:2-3—2 So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. 3 And Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD spoke, saying: 'By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.'" So Aaron held his peace.  The same fire that had just displayed God’s acceptance of their initial offerings was now displaying His indignation at being scoffed at and mocked by these two disobedient transgressors. No second chances, no opportunity to apologize, no appeal. God killed them. Period, paragraph, end of story. They became their own Sin Offering. And God was quite justified in killing them right then and there, because it was His holiness that he was defending. But how many times do we see it? The defenders of those who offer strange fire to God will rally to their defense, rather than defending God’s right to be worshipped as He sees fit. But God is not man. If your pastor says that something should be done a certain way, and others decide it should be done another way, that is only natural. Man is a fallen creature, and does not possess the ability to demand others to march in lock-step with his decisions. But when God demands something be done a certain way, or not done a certain way, He is the ultimate Authority, the one who gave His life for the church, the One who is Sovereign over every square inch of creation. And if He says to do something or to not do something, He is to be obeyed—regardless of what your pastor or my pastor says.

If we get to the book of Numbers, we find the people time and time again bucking against God’s authority, and grumbling and complaining about the decisions God makes and the authority figures that  God places over them. And time and time again, God sends His wrath and fury upon them, burning the outskirts of the camp (Numbers 11:1); sending quail just to spite the people and then killing them as they chewed it (Numbers 11:33); bringing leprosy upon Miriam (Numbers 12:10); allowing them to be routed in battle against the Canaanites and the Amalekites (Numbers 14:39-45); swallowing up hundreds of Korah’s family (Numbers 16:31-33); sending fiery serpents to bite and kill people (Numbers 21:4-9); destroying 24,000 people in one day for idolatry (Numbers 25:9). And on and on and on. The same God that brought all these plagues and death on the people for complaining against Him and for rebelling against Him and for treating the holiness of God as some flippant thing—this is the same God that rules over all creation to this day. But we don’t get it. We don’t want to think like that. We want to believe in a fuzzy-wuzzy God that just winks and nods at our sins, and that lets us join all kinds of abominable filth to the worship of Almighty YHVH. We want to say, “Oh, that Old Testament God was such an ogre. He wasn’t very nice at all. Now this Jesus, he’s so much more loving and tolerant, and He lets me get away with all kinds of things. I like Him better!” As if Jesus is some laid-back, hippy-type slacker dude that lets us carry on any way we want with no repercussions.

Anyone know what Christ is going to do when He returns? How does John describe Him in Revelation? He ain't no milquetoast! Revelation 19:11-18—11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, "Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, 18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great." Does that sound like some lovey-dovey, “Let’s all just get together for milk and cookies and get past our differences” type of king? This is a king who judges and makes war! A King who is clothed in a robe dipped in blood. Who, with a word from His mouth destroys His enemies, and who leaves their rotting corpses in the field for the vultures to pick at! Not just the kings and generals of the earth—but even the poorest, most destitute soul who follows those kings will be slaughtered by this King on His white horse. And He will not feel one ounce of remorse about it because this is His creation, and He will rule it the way He sees fit, and if any dare to try and stand in His way he will hack them in pieces the way Samuel hacked up Agag. And He will look around and ask, “Who’s next?” But there won’t be a “Next” because He will have vanquished all His enemies. This is the God that Nadab and Abihu said, “Oh, that’s OK, He’ll understand!” That’s the same God that “pastors” like Perry Noble and Steven Furtick think will sit sweetly and idly by while he feeds load after load of watered-down manure and satanic music to those who sit under their teaching. He will sit by for now. But one day they will give account. I pray I never lose the sense of awe of God like these seem to have.

Leviticus 10:4-7—4 Then Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, "Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp." 5 So they went near and carried them by their tunics out of the camp, as Moses had said. 6 And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, "Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the people. But let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD has kindled. 7 You shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you." And they did according to the word of Moses. They would not even touch the actual bodies of these two—they carried them by their tunics. They knew that a very unhappy God had just killed their cousins for adding to or taking away from what God had said to do. And they carried them out of the camp. Probably out to where the Sin Offerings were burned, although we can't say for sure. But wherever they took the bodies, one thing is clear: they were not to remain in the camp, therefore defiling and polluting the camp. Now, notice something else too—something that had not dawned on me until I read what Keil and Delitzsch said on this matter. The fire of God had burned up these two men. Yet they were carried out by their tunics. So this obviously means that their tunics were not burned. Their bodies had been burned—but not their clothing. This is a very Sovereign God! One who can burn a body without singing clothes! This same Sovereign God who made a bush that burned but was not consumed, and who allowed three men (well, actually, four) to stand in a furnace and not be burned at all, and to make it so that their clothing did not even smell like smoke. This is a powerful God. And yet some exist who will say “We’re gonna do things our own way, and God will have to bless it, and that’s that!” Yeah, good luck with that.

And notice what Moses commands of them. "Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the people." They could not mourn over these two men. Why? Why couldn’t they mourn? After all, these were their cousins! That sounds like a very mean, nasty God! Well, yea—to human minds. But God would not let these men mourn for their cousins for one very important reason: God’s holiness is to be treasured and jealously guarded against all those who would stand against it. I dare say that when we are in Heaven, and if we could see into Hell, and see people there that we knew and loved in this life, we would not shed a tear. Because God’s justice will have been satisfied, and we will know that in their suffering in hell, God will be glorified. And think about this as well: In order to carry them out of the camp, they had to carry them through the camp. All of Israel was a spectator to the aftermath of what they only saw glimpses of: They had no doubt seen the fire come down, and now they were seeing these charred bodies—still wrapped in the clothing they wore—being hauled through their midst, the men carrying the bodies neither weeping nor mourning. Matthew Henry—“Nadab and Abihu (who had been in the mount with God, Exodus 24:1) were looked upon as the great favourites of heaven, and the hopes of their people; and now on a sudden, when the tidings of the event had scarcely reached their ears, to see them both carried out dead, with the visible marks of divine vengeance upon them, as sacrifices to the justice of God, they could not choose but cry out, Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God?” And yet, time after time, these same people who saw the charred bodies of these two rebellious creatures would rebel themselves against this mighty and sovereign God.

Leviticus 10:8-11—8 Then the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying: "9 Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, 10 that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, 11 and that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them by the hand of Moses." Let’s talk about one thing real quick. If you have a MacArthur Study Bible, you will see that Dr. MacArthur postulates that the reason for this prohibition against wine and intoxicating drink is this: “Taken in its context, this prohibition suggests that intoxication led Nadab and Abihu to perform their blasphemous act.” Now, he is certainly not the only commentator to suggest such a connection. Nearly every commentary I have read theorizes such. And while it’s certainly entirely possible, we don’t necessarily have the connection in the words. If we had a connecting word like “therefore” at the beginning of verse 8, and it read “Therefore, the LORD said to Aaron…”—then it would be obvious. But no matter whether one holds to such an opinion or not, it is certainly not a hill worth dying on. Here’s why: does man need to be intoxicated to rebel against God? Was Adam drunk when he ate of the tree? Was David inebriated when he took Bathsheba? Was either Herod, or Annas or Caiaphas under the influence of strong drink when they led the Lord of Glory to His death? No. Man can buck against the commands of God quite easily without the aid of alcohol.

That said, let’s talk about the reason for this injunction. “That you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, and that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them by the hand of Moses.” This seems to indicate that God has set up some kind of dividing line between what is good and evil, does it not? Yes it does. And why does it? Because there are things which God considers clean, and there are things which God considers unclean. There are things that God considers to be good, and there are things which God considers to be sinful. Amos 7:7-8—7 Thus He showed me: Behold, the Lord stood on a wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in His hand. 8 And the LORD said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said: “Behold, I am setting a plumb line In the midst of My people Israel; I will not pass by them anymore.” When we talk about the church being the “House of God”, what description to we give of Christ? Acts 4:11—“This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’” God does not deal in loopholes. He does not have “grey areas” when He speaks. He does not approve of something one day and disapprove of that same thing the next day. The LORD our God is not the schizophrenic “God” of Mormonism, who changes His mind every time the wind blows (or they elect a new “prophet”). He deals in black and white. He does not say to a people, “Well, if you guys think homosexuality is OK in your culture and in your context—well, I won’t consider it to be a sin for you people. But I will for others.” This idea of God adapting His commandments to fit in with what a certain culture believes is nonsense.

And if you want to build a (literal) house that will stand, you have to deal in absolutes. You have to be able to say, “This wall is not straight” and “These pipes are the wrong size.” You have to measure angles very precisely or your house will not stand. You don’t just eyeball these things. And when God sets out to build a (spiritual) house, you can be sure that He has very exacting standards. A cornerstone and a plumb line—these are the things God uses to determine whether the angles are correct or not. Every part of His house is measured against his plumb line, and against the cornerstone.  And right now, His creation is not plumb. It is not level with the Cornerstone. And even the creation knows it—even if the crown of His creation, Man, does not. Isaiah 1:3—“The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master's crib; but Israel does not know, My people do not consider.” Romans 8:20-22—20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.

Man does not need intoxicating drink to rebel against the Cornerstone, or to become out of line with what God considers to be plumb. It’s how we are born. But when we use such liquors, and we cloud our judgment even further, we move ourselves even further away from that plumb line. There are some who do not want to divorce themselves from these drinks, and they will find all kinds of excuses to rationalize their behavior. “Oh, I'm just an alcoholic. I can't help myself!” You're right—you can't help yourself. That’s why you need to submit yourself to the yoke of Christ and learn from Him and seek Him. Is it easy? No. No burdensome sin that we carry around is easy to get rid of. But if you keep giving in to it, you only have yourself to blame. Proverbs 20:1—Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. If you want a nearly perfect description of one who is in bondage to alcohol, read Proverbs 23:29-35—29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? 30 Those who linger long at the wine, those who go in search of mixed wine. 31 Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly; 32 at the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper. 33 Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart will utter perverse things. 34 Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying: "35 They have struck me, but I was not hurt; they have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?" This admonition carries over into the New Testament when Paul writes, Ephesians 5:18—Do not be drunk on wine, but be filled with the Spirit. Why? Why does God warn us not to become intoxicated? So that we may discern between what is clean and what is unclean, between what is holy and what is profane. We can find sinful things all on our own—we don’t need the help of strong drink to get us there more quickly. In fact, it is not for no reason that liquor stores often describe themselves as selling wine and…what? “Spirits.” There’s a reason liquor is called “Spirits.”