Fellowship Church of Winter Springs

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Bible Study-39 (Numbers 25-29)

Book of NumbersRather than focusing on the account of Pinchas in Numbers 25, I would like to reflect on the related Scripture recorded in I Kings 18 and 19. This is the account of Elijah fleeing to Mount Sinai while being pursued by Jezebel. We think of Elijah as an awesome and fearless prophet of God, but we see that he possessed very common human traits.

After the powerful confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel, he was threatened by Jezebel, wife of King Ahab. Now we tend to expect our hero to stand up to this threat, but, instead, he ran for his life. Later James would write that Elijah was a man with a nature like ours (James 5:17). This we understand all too well. Indeed, Elijah ran something like 200 miles south to Mt. Sinai. We recall the Word of the Lord to Joshua ben Nun saying;

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

Evidently, Elijah had forgotten this exhortation. Nevertheless, Elijah was sustained by angels along the way so we know that the Lord had not deserted him.

Eventually, Elijah arrived at Mt. Sinai. At this point, the Word of God came to the mighty prophet; words that I’m sure he did not want to hear. God asked His prophet, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Elijah’s excuses did not satisfy the Lord, yet, we see that God’s grace was still extended to him. He commanded him to “Go forth and stand on the mountain”. God would reveal Himself to Elijah in a very important way.
We know the account concerning the “great and strong wind”. After the wind, an earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire. These are some of the manifestations which had occurred at Mt. Sinai some 700 years earlier when God revealed Himself to Israel in the days of Moses. Yet now, God was not in any of these manifestations. At this point Elijah heard what is translated as a “sound of a gentle blowing”. Another version translated it as a “still small voice”. The Hebrew expression is still more instructive – “kol demamah dekah” or a “small, silent voice”. This was the Word of God in the heart of Elijah. Again, God asked, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Elijah’s career in this space-time frame was ending. He was commanded to anoint the next generation of leadership; Hazael in Damascus, Jehu ben Nimshi in Israel and Elisha as a prophet in his place. But his earthly ministry was ending. We are not told if this was due to his fear of Jezebel or perhaps his incorrect assessment of his countrymen in that he thought he was the sole remaining man faithful to God in Israel. Whatever the case, his career was ending.

Yet, God had a place for Him in the future. God declared to Malachi,

“Behold, I am going to send to you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.” (Malachi 4:5)

We read in the Gospels the account where Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus and revealed God’s plan for His death in Jerusalem. I expect to see Elijah functioning in an awesome way when the Kingdom of God is finally established.

This should bring hope to each of us who are aware of our human shortcomings. God’s mercy still prevails in spite of our weaknesses. We have a hope for the future. Paul wrote,

“If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.” (I Corinthians 15:19)

The Psalmist wrote,

“Before the Lord, for He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth, He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.” (Psalm 96:13)

God will yet rule (judge) over the “unruly” human community.

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Bible Study-38 (Numbers 22-25)

Book of NumbersThe story of Balaam is one of the most unusual in the Bible. Evidently, like Job of an earlier age, Balaam was not a part of the covenant people of Israel; nevertheless, he enjoyed a relationship with God. That relationship is reflected by the fact that he knew (yadah) God. This means that his relationship was based on a very real interactive experience with God that went far beyond just knowing about God. Indeed, Balaam possessed a very unique God-given gift.

The shame of Balaam is that he chose to use his God-given gift to his own advantage rather than dedicating that gift to the purposes of God. After Balak requested his services to pronounce a curse upon Israel, he inquired of God and was told not to participate. A second request was made by Balak with a substantial increased promised reward. Balaam again inquired of God seeking permission to respond positively to Balak’s offer. This time God permitted it with certain restrictions. The first answer that God gave Balaam was crystal clear; he should not have asked again.

Balaam obeyed God in word but not in spirit. Repeatedly, he could only speak blessing concerning Israel. This enraged Balak who eventually denied Balaam his coveted reward and sent him home. But Balaam did not go home. He instead advised Balak on how he could cause Israel to bring a curse upon themselves. Following Balaam advice, Balak sent Moabite women to entice the men of Israel to sin. This they readily did which brought about an immediate judgment from God. In this way Balak’s desired end was accomplished. Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, intervened to stop the judgment.

There are a number of lessons to be learned from the experience of Balaam. First of all, we can say “whom God has blessed, no one can curse”. This should be a great comfort to every true believer. The enemy continually attempts to bring a curse on every true follower of God, but is unable to do so. We may face many difficulties such as opposition, intimidation and slander but we must not accept nor fear the black art of witchcraft or divination. God is well- able to protect us.

A second lesson is that we alone can bring a curse upon ourselves through sin. This is what Israel did by entering into harlotry at Peor.

Finally, every God-given gift should be dedicated to God’s purpose and not used for our own personal advantage. Balaam expected the wages of divination but lost his life as a result (Numbers 31:7-8). Consider Balaam’s position as he stands before God in judgment when God asked the question, “What have you done with the talent that I gave you?”

One more note of interest in this portion of the Bible. On the way to join Balak, Balaam’s mule spoke audibly to him. Balaam should have stopped there and set up a “talking mule” tent. He could have gotten rich on that phenomenon alone. Instead, he threatened to kill the mule. When the angel of the Lord intervened, he threatened to kill Balaam instead. In other words he reversed the threat that Balaam had made to his donkey. This should be an encouragement to all animal lovers. It reflects how God looks upon the animals around us that we tend to take for granted.

In spite of Balaam’s worldly intentions, God used him to prophecy concerning Israel. Balaam declared,

“As I see him from the top of the rocks, and I look at him from the hills; Behold, a people who dwells apart, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.” (Numbers 23:9)

And,

“The Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them” (Numbers 23:21b)

Finally, we believe that Balaam foresaw the Messiah in the distant future.

“I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob and a scepter shall rise from Israel,…” (Numbers 24:17a)

So Balaam was used of God in spite of himself. Hopefully, you do not share this testimony.

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Bible Study-37 (Numbers 19-21)

This section of the Bible contains at least three interesting and important subjects. These include the (1) red heifer, (2) waters of Meribah and (3) incident of serpents in the wilderness. The most mysterious of the three is that of the red heifer. A red heifer was chosen, slaughtered and burned completely by the priest. The ashes of the red heifer were collected and preserved in a clean place. Evidently, the ashes were then mixed in water which was used in a purification ritual. Also, continuity was maintained from the ashes of one heifer to the next one that was used in this manner.

Today, there is a search by some groups in Israel for a suitable “red heifer” and for the ashes from the heifer previously sacrificed. The previous sacrifice would have been made sometime near the end of the Second Temple era. Some maintain that these two ingredients will have to be produced before purification can be accomplished for Israel to ascend the “Temple Mount” to begin work of the Third Temple.

Israel wandered in the desert for about 38 ½ years as a result of the judgment passed upon them. They had failed to trust that God would be able to bring them into the land of Canaan. Soon they forgot the reason for their distress and blamed both God and Moses for their dilemma. They murmured along the way.

Moses is one of the most “positive” characters portrayed in the Bible. He repeatedly interceded for Israel even when God proposed eliminating them and starting over with him and his descendants. However, during the wandering in the desert, even Moses became critical of the people. At Meribah, he was instructed by God to bring forth water for the people in a very specific way. Moses disobeyed and, in addition, demonstrated his disgust for the people by calling them “rebels” or, perhaps, “fools”. Even though Moses disobeyed God before the people, God was merciful and provided water. As a result of this seemingly “minor” incident (if we place it in the context of 40 years of consistently faithful service before God) Moses was judged with the rest of that generation and was not allowed to enter the land.

Sometimes we have difficulty understanding God’s judgments. This incident with Moses is one such case. Was God too harsh on His servant? Who is in a position to judge what God does? Now, with the advantage of a long, historical perspective, we suspect that this was fully in accordance with God’s plan of redemption. This is especially true, when taken together with the account of the bronze serpent which is recorded as closely following these events. Moses, God’s instrument of deliverance from Egypt, would not lead Israel into the Promised Land. This would be accomplished by Joshua ben Nun. Note also that earlier, Moses had changed Joshua’s name from Hoshea (Numbers 13:16). Joshua would be the name given to the ultimate “goel – redeemer” (Luke 1: 31).

As Israel continued to complain during the journey, God again judged them by sending serpents among the people. To me and to Indiana Jones, this would represent a terrifying situation. Many were bitten and died. The people confessed their sin and petitioned Moses to pray to God to remove the serpents. We presume that Moses repeated this petition to the Lord. God’s answer provides much insight into His interaction with His people. He instructed Moses to craft a “bronze serpent” and to place it on a staff and set it in the midst of the camp. If a person was bitten, then he had a choice (a) to ignore God’s provision and die, or (b) to humble himself and exercise faith by looking to God’s provision, the bronze serpent, and live.

Almost 1500 years later, Joshua’s namesake Yehoshua or Jesus would compare His ministry to that of the “bronze serpent”. He said, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). Jesus became an object of faith. He said that He was not sent to further judge man who was already in trouble (snake bitten), but was sent as an object of faith, i.e., an object of life.

When we face difficulties we pray and request that the difficulties be removed. Sometimes God’s answer is not the removal of the difficulty but a means to overcome that difficulty. We must be in a position to utilize what God provides.

Please note that my new book, “Israel: God’s Interdimensional Portal” is available for download on Amazon.

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Bible Study-36 (Numbers 16-18)

Torah_Korach (Korah)Election is an important concept revealed in the Bible. God chooses whomever He wills for the task at hand. From a human perspective, there may be others who appear better qualified and better suited for the job. Nevertheless, God’s choice is God’s choice. Often related to election is human rejection of that choice. In the section of the Bible that we are considering we see both election and the rebellion against that election portrayed.

God originally chose Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt and to bring them to the Promised Land. Moses served as an important, prophetic picture of the coming Messiah functioning in the capacity of prophet, priest and king. Yet, Moses did not see himself as qualified for the task. He said of himself, “I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since Thou hast spoken to Thy servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” (Exodus 4:10b) The important component in election is the anointing of the Lord. The Lord makes the difference, not the human talent of the person involved. The most important human “talent” required is obedience.

Rebellion against God’s election is seen in Korah, a Levite, and Dathan and Abiram, descendants of Reuben. All three saw themselves as being cheated by God’s election. Korah functioned as a helper of the priest. Dathan and Abiram were descendents of Reuben who was the firstborn of Jacob but had been passed over for leadership in Israel. Judah had been chosen in Reuben’s place. So, all three had complaints. They justified themselves by fabricating artificial reasons for their rebellion.

An interesting side note is appropriate. When challenged, “Thus Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the doorway of the tent of meeting”. (Numbers 16:19a) The fact that he was able to do this implies that Korah and his comrades exercised considerable political strength in the congregation. I suspect that if Korah lived in modern Israel, he would be Prime Minister.

The judgment of Korah, Dathan and Abiram came swiftly. The ground opened up and swallowed them and their families. Fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 leaders that had allied themselves with Korah.

Again, God demonstrated His election for the priesthood. He commanded that each tribe bring a “rod” (evidently a small branch from a tree). Each was marked and placed in the tent of meeting. The rods were examined on the following day and Aaron’s rod had “sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds.” Thus, God’s election was confirmed.

In this case, God confirmed His election promptly. This is not always the case. There were many times when my position as pastor was challenged. Even though I would have preferred that the “ground open up and those in rebellion be swallowed up”, this never happened in such a concise way. In reality though, God did repeatedly confirm his choice and His anointing. Every true “called” pastor should rest in God’s election. If he is obedient to God’s call, no individual or group in rebellion can move him. He must simply trust the Lord and remain in submission to God’s calling. The Lord will uphold him.

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Bible Study-35 (Numbers 13-15)

Book of NumbersThere are many “what might have been” incidents in the Bible. This section of the Bible records one such event. According to the record in Numbers, God commanded Moses to send spies into the land of Canaan to assess the difficulties that they would face as they entered the land. The result was a disaster resulting in the people revolting against the Lord and against Moses. However, when we consider the commentary on this event recorded in Deuteronomy 1:19-23, we find that it was the people who wanted to send spies into the land. God allowed them to do so. Upon their return, the majority report was that the land was indeed a land of “milk and honey” but the inhabitants of the land were much too formidable for Israel to conquer. The minority report, given by Caleb and Joshua, expressed the faith that since God was with Israel they were well able to take the superlative by repeating the term able, i.e., we are more than able to do it. The people obviously received the majority report.

Joshua and Caleb were able to “see” in a deeper spiritual sense than were the other spies.  They were much like the prophet Elisha in a later incident recorded in II Kings 6.  Elisha’s servant was alarmed when he saw the Syrian army circling the city. Elisha prayed that God give the servant the ability to see in a much broader sense.

“Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (II Kings 6:17)

As believers, we need to see and think in terms of God’s “horses and chariots of fire” today.

God’s plan for Israel to conquer the land was very simple. Recorded in Exodus 23:29-30, God would give them possession of the land, little by little, as they because fruitful and possessed it. They were approaching the land from the south, from the desert. God would bless them at the same time that He judged the Canaanites. They would, perhaps over generations, possess the land as they moved northward through the land. I call this the “Holy Ooze” plan. The Canaanites would hate this “holy” community and be repulsed by it and, thereby, be pushed northward out of the land.

The people rejected this “much too slow” plan. They embraced the typical human view of a brisk military campaign to take the land. Viewed from a normal human perspective, they concluded that they would not be able to overwhelm the Canaanites. They failed to take into consideration that God was in their midst and He would make the difference. Caleb and Joshua recognized this fact while the other ten spies did not. Caleb ben Jephunah and Joshua ben Nun have become the heroes of the modern settlement movement in Israel because the modern Israelis face a very similar situation today. The stated will of God is clear; however, the opposition is great.

The lesson to be derived from this section is that we must not over analyze the “faith assignment” (Romans 1:17) given to us by God. If God is the lord of our endeavors, He will cause us to prevail without regard to the opposition. We must take a step in faith and trust Him for the outcome.

One final thought recorded in this section that is worthy of our attention today. Here God again said to Moses that He had decided to wipe out Israel and “start over” with Moses and his descendants. In an earlier event recorded in Exodus 32:9-10, God declared that He was about to do the same thing. These two incidents amount to what is called “Replacement Theology” which is common in Christianity today. That doctrine declares that God has given up on Israel as a covenant partner in the plan of redemption and has now replaced Israel with the Church. Moses was given the test of Messiah. Would he be impressed with God discernment and pridefully accept God’s proposal or would he plead with God to remember His revealed plan of redemption and maintain it. Moses did the latter and gained God’s approval. Much of Christianity has done the opposite today by embracing “Replacement Theology”.

Who We Are

Fellowship Church is a non-denominational congregation of believers in Messiah Jesus who love, worship and serve the Holy One of Israel with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. We are located in Winter Springs, Florida.

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Fellowship Church
5340 Red Bug Lake Road
Winter Springs, Florida 32708
407.699.1011