The Attributes of God:

A Talking Donkey and  a Prophetic Jackass  Numbers 21-25 “And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe, and the Spirit of God came upon him.”                   The story of Balaam is full of paradoxes and irony.  The story begins with a donkey rebuking Balaam and Balaam pronouncing the blessing upon Israel but concludes with Balaam becoming the epitome of ungodliness.  Rather than being a godly prophet, Balaam was the ultimate jackass; a person who was characterized in Scripture as a detestable person who was a local prophet for hire and more concerned about financial gain than he was about honoring and obeying God. Balak, fearing the success and threat of Israel, sought out a local seer known to communicate with the gods.  From the outset, it is clear that Balaam is not a genuine prophet of God but a local seer who claimed to be a...

Pride and Humility Numbers 16-20 “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them” (20:12).                   We naturally blame God for our problems but take credit for our successes.  Of all the sins that grip the heart, there is none more insidious and abhorrent to God than pride.  The book of Proverbs warns repeated that pride brings destruction but with humility comes honor (see Prov. 3:34; 11:2; 16:18; 18:12; 29:23).  In his classic book, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis warns of the dangers of pride, “Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through pride that Lucifer became wicked: Pride leads to every other vice; It is the complete anti-God state of mind.”  He states, “A proud man...

Opportunity or Adversity Numbers 11-15 “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Is the Lord’s power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not.” (11:23                   When confronted with challenges and hardship, do we see it as an opportunity for God to demonstrate His power and grace or a failure of God to care for us? After spending 11 months at Mount Sinai, hearing God's voice, seeing God's glory and power on full display, and receiving the promise of God’s special care, they continued their journey to the promised land.  However, after experiencing the highs, we are often confronted with the valleys of life.  As soon as the people started again on their journey, they quickly forgot God’s promises.  When life reverted to the mundane, they began to complain against Moses and God.  The manna that had richly supplied them with food in the d...

Being set apart for God: A Call to Holiness Numbers 6-10 “The Levites, too, purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes, and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord.  Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them.”                   For almost a year (11 months and 5 days), Israel had remained encamped at the foot of Sinai.  During this time, they received instructions from God regarding His requirements if they were to be His people.  In one of the great acts of grace, God pledged that He would be their God and they would be His people.  However, before they departed from Mt Sinai, one final act needed to be done.  For the people to enter into a relationship with God, they needed to be holy.  The term “holy” is more than just a moral characteristic of God.  It is the one word used to describe the t...