Pasta for Thought...

Last Sunday we set out to discuss the three Messianic symbols found in Numbers- the water from the rock, (20:7-11), the bronze snake, (21:6-9), and the Cities of Refuge, (Ch. 35). It should come as no surprise that we did not make it through all three. We had a good discussion about the first two, but did not get to the Cities of Refuge. So, now, let's explore that image briefly.

To get a full picture of the story of the Cities of Refuge you should read all of chapter 35. But for now, let me summarize the main idea. As the nation of Israel was preparing to enter into the promised land, God instructed Moses to set up six cities that would be designated as cities of refuge. The cities were to serve as a safe haven for anyone who committed murder unintentionally. The chapter spells out more detail about which offenses were covered and which were not, but the main idea was that anyone who had killed someone accidentally could flee to one of the cities of refuge and there they would find protection from the "Avenger"- (sounds like a Marvel comic). From what I could gather, the role of the avenger was filled by the nearest family member who felt strongly enough to do it, and that the avenger had the right to track down those guilty of murder and exact punishment. And back then, punishment was life for life.

These cities kept their gates open and manned at all times. Twenty-four hours a day. The cities were open to the Jew and the "alien", so even if someone was not a member of the nation of Israel, they could find sanctuary in the cities of refuge. The cities were all built in hill country or on plateaus, so that they were "up high" and were very visible by anyone in the area.

The person guilty of unintentional murder would be protected as long as they stayed within the walls of the city. They were to stay in the city of refuge until the current High Priest died, then they were declared free and allowed to return to their inherited land without guilt or punishment.

So let's summarize some of the notable characteristics of these cities:

1. Intention was key- anyone who intentionally murdered would not find any protection in the city of refuge, but if someone accidentally transgressed, they were protected.
2. The cities were always open.
3. The cities were open to anyone.
4. The cities were "up high" and easy to see.
5. Protection lasted until the High Priest died and then freedom was granted without guilt.

Is it just me or are the Jesus images piling up like last night's dishes???

I don't think any one of us gets out of bed in the morning and sets out to sin on purpose. But we still do it. We don't want to, we don't mean to. But we are weak and we are flawed, and while it is not our intention to violate the principles of scripture, we do it anyway. We are just the kind of people for whom the cities were made. Guilt is not the question. We are guilty. We don't even have an argument. But I think that we can all honestly say that we do not intend to violate God's law. That is one thing I love so much about the book of 1 John. A significant part of the theme of 1 John is our habitual life style- what we are trying to do with our lives. The book challenges us to think about what our intentions are in our lives.

The city gates were always open- ready to accept the refugee at any time. Jesus is the same. I don't know how you feel about "death bed confessions"... I am not even sure how I feel about them. But I do believe this with all my heart- Jesus will accept anyone who comes to Him sincerely and accepts Him, whether they do so when they are 8 or 80. The gate is always open.

The cities were for everyone- the Jew and the "alien". Here we see a foreshadowing of what would happen after Jesus' resurrection and with the spread of the church. There is no one who is excluded from the refuge of Jesus Christ if they are willing to accept Him.

In Moses' time I am guessing that if someone found themselves in need of the city of refuge, they hightailed it to the nearest one. They had to find it quickly and get there. That is why God arranged for them to be up high- in visible places. Well, I have to say, for all of the "lostness" of this world, it is not because Jesus is hard to find. If anyone really wants to find Jesus, its not hard. At least not in the United States. Knowing Jesus and learning about Him in our country is laid out free for the taking. Even so, we bear the responsibility of making sure people who need the refuge of Jesus know how to find Him. We have been given that task. We have to point the way to the city of refuge- Jesus Christ, (read Matthew 5:14- we have to be sure the "city on a hill" is not hidden.)

And then there is the death of the High Priest... wow. The death of the priest brought freedom and the removal of all guilt from the refugee. And in the same way, the death of the One High Priest, Jesus Christ, has washed away our sin and given us the right to return to our inheritance- a life with God. Both now and forevermore.

And so, the establishment of the cities of refuge in the book of Numbers once again gives us a peek at the Messiah to come, and ties together the scripture as the consistent, coherent testament of God. And I love reading it.

Just Keep Swimming...

Jon

A Return to Pasta...

I could spend many words on explaining the long gap between posts. Suffice it to say that in the last 8 months I have been jolicated.... (that's my new verb- "jolicated". Its etymological root is with the name "Jolie Cate" and linguists have traced its origins to late January of 2010.)

Anyway, where were we?

This past Sunday we discussed Numbers 11-14 which tells to story of the nation of Israel leaving the foot of Mt. Sinai and moving to the border of the Promised Land.

And in the Promised Land, it's gonna be so grand
We'll have our fill from the grill,
As much as we can stand
It'll be so great, oh we can hardly wait
'Cause we're goin' to the Promised Land!

Sorry. Veggie Tales muscled its way into my brain. That was the blog equivalent of bursting into song.

Many of us have heard the the story from childhood about how the twelve spies were sent into the land to "scope it out", and how ten of them gave a dismal report full of negativity and pessimism, while only Joshua and Caleb expressed faith and confidence in what God could do. As is too often true, the negative report had more of an effect than the positive, and the whole nation began to plot their return to Egypt, (Num. 14:1-4)

On Sunday we discussed that phenomenon of wanting to go "back to how it was". It is a pretty universal thing. And even though we look at the narrative in the book of Numbers and wonder how in the WORLD these people could want to go back to slavery and hardship and Egypt, we are not so different ourselves. We forget about how bad things were once they are over, and something unknown in the future can become more of an issue than most anything in the past- even if that thing in the past was a great evil.

And so, the nation grumbled against God, and their grumbling was costly. This faithless report of the ten spies and the reaction of the people was a sort of last straw, and God was angry. God pronounces His judgment in Numbers 14:10-12

But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites. ¹¹ The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? ¹² I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they."

Then Moses does what I consider to be a pretty remarkable thing. He goes to bat for the people! He intercedes on their behalf! He tries to talk God down from His anger! I don't know, if it had been me I would have probably said something like, "I hear ya, God. They're a bunch of whiners! Always griping. Always complaining. Can't say that I blame you on the whole "plague" thing." But that is not what he does! He intercedes on behalf of the people, and, I think, does it in an interesting way.

It is good to remember here that Moses himself certainly felt the frustration of dealing with these people. Look back at Numbers 11:14-15...

I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. ¹⁵ If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin."

Moses says "I can't handle these people and their problems- if this is how you are going to treat me just kill me now."

So, Moses was no stranger to the exasperation caused by these people. But still he went to bat for them and pleaded with God to forgive them.

Let's look briefly at how he did it...

The first thing Moses does is say to God, "If you wipe these people out, then think of what the Egyptians will say about you! They will say you were not able to deliver your people!" Moses' first course of action was not to speak about the people, but to appeal to the character of God Himself. In a way, Moses reminded God of who He is. Now, that is a very loose way of saying it- I don't think that God really had forgotten Himself, nor did He need any reminder of his own character. But that is how Moses approached it. And I think that we see here a component of intercessory prayer that is worth remembering. When we set to the task of praying hard for others, we can appeal to the very character of God Himself! Like Moses, we can pray, "God show your strength for all to see! Show yourself to be the powerful and loving God you are!" I think that we sometimes shy away from praying with these kinds of words because we do not want to sound like we are "manipulating" God. But you know, I don't think we need to worry about that. I get the feeling that God is not one to be manipulated by anyone. And if His glory is what we are really after, then He will not mind us bringing it up.

The one other thing that I find interesting about the way that Moses interceded was the fact that he did it at all. These were people who were never happy! These were people who would try the patience of Mother Theresa. If it had been me I would have said to God, "Can I watch while you blow them away?"

Even now we are faced with a similar challenge. We have talked about this before. When we look around and see what people are doing in the world, we can react a couple of ways. We can, as I do most of the time, just shake our heads and say, "Boy do you people have a big surprise coming. When Jesus comes back...... hooo boy are you gonna get it....." Or, we could be more like Moses and we could plead with God for the forgiveness of people, even when we are dead certain that they do not "deserve" it, and even when we don't really like them all that much. Just because we want the world to see the glory of the Lord and know the love of God. That's what Moses did.

I think it is important to note that even though Moses went to bat for these people, God did not let their disobedience go unpunished. In the final verses of Numbers 14 we see the people come to their senses, but too late. They decided that perhaps they will go into the promised land after all, but God does not go with them and many of them died by the sword. The lesson here is that punishment is not delayed forever. And we live in that era in which we cannot know the exact date or time of the Lord's return. So, I think, the lesson is, obey now while there is time. There will come a day when the opportunity is past.

Just Keep Swimming....

Jon