Numbers 11:4-13:25
Oh dear. If the Lord had asked me, I would have suggested he left this particular bit out of the bible. I would have said that it doesn’t reflect well on any of the parties involved, particularly him. Indeed, when it says that God became exceedingly angry I just can’t stop thinking of an evil Mr Kipling. To see the Lord then say he wants to shove so much meat down the Israelites gullets that it starts coming out of their nostrils and then to see him inflict Miriam with leprosy, well.... it’s quite a shock. If it had been one of my boys acting like that, I probably would have packed him off to bed for an early night and told him he better behave a bit more kindly tomorrow. So, what is going on here? Well, I’ve obviously only told part of the story and the stuff about the prophets does a lot to give a sense of the Lord’s commitment to his people and his yearning to see them walk into the hope he has for them. But, while this shiny-happy stuff is great and must be attended to, I just don’t think we can ignore the more challenging actions of God as being irrelevant. To suggest that there is a split in God from Old Testament to New Testament is a heresy for which I personally would tie you to a burning stake (if it wasn’t for that blasted EU human rights law). No, this is ferocious and responsive being is our God and, despite all the collar-loosening it requires, I am pleased that he is not a bland and placid nodding-dog of a being. I have to get into my head that God is more expansive and more expressive than any image of him that I may choose to capture in my head. He should make me feel uncomfortable at times because he is too big for my brain to comprehend. He should stretch me and press me because his emotions are far too weighty for my meagre heart to capture. But, throughout all of this difficult grappling, it is an unsurpassing joy that this untamable and uncontrollable God should choose to relate to those of us who are in Christ as a person relates to his friend.
Luke 3:23-4:13
In housegroup last week it was asked why God ever bothered with the whole Jewish thing if he was always planning to bring salvation through Jesus - why didn’t he just start with Christ? This passage, especially sat alongside the Numbers passage, speaks into that conundrum. We see first of all in the genealogy a clear desire to tie Jesus into King David and Abraham (and to Noah and to Adam). Luke is making it clear - Jesus is a continuation of the promises to all the big players of Jewish history. Then, in the temptation narrative, we begin to see Jesus being put in the position that Israel was put in 1000 years previously but, with Jesus fulfilling the promise of God where Israel failed. Jesus goes into the desert as Israel went into the desert. Jesus is in the desert for 40 days as Israel was in the desert for 40 years. Jesus is hungry as Israel was hungry but whereas Israel rebelled and cried out for quail, Jesus puts his desire for God above his desire for grub. Jesus is led to a place where he is to see the land that he will inherit (the whole world) just as Israel were led to a place (The Desert of Paran) where they could see the land they would inherit (Canaan) but, where the Israelites faultered, Jesus refused to waver and held tight to God as the means of receiving his inheritance. Jesus was given the blessing and protection of God just as Israel were given the blessing and protection of God but whereas Israel turned that into something for their own benefit and their own exaltation Jesus refused to test God, staying true to God’s desire to give his blessing such that all the nations of the world be blessed. Effectively Jesus takes on the role God gave to Israel and fulfills everything that his forebearers flunked. So it is not a case of Jesus being a new plan for salvation of the world but rather He is the fulfillment of the old plan. Jesus did not come to overthrow the law but to fulfill it. He is the hope for the nations that Abraham, David, Elijah and many many others all spoke about. To live in relationship with Jesus is a huge and precious privilege that many millions of devout and holy people longed for but did not receive.
Proverbs 7:21-27
There can be absolutely no doubt about the bible’s advise on how to raise children - tell them what is important, then tell them again and then tell them again. For a parent like me, that is incredibly useful direction.
