Numbers 26:12-27:11
It often seems to be the way with the bible that fairly major points just get the scantest of mentions. Almost like a politician trying to bury bad news on a busy day, Numbers sends you well into the boredom zone with its listing out of all the clans and then slips in two major developments; that the rebellious generation has been wiped out and that Girl Power is close to the heart of the Lord. The rebellious generation thing is significant in that it shows how the ebb and flow of history is always under the control of God and that the things that he says will happen do indeed happen. Many people and things may claim to give you hope and security for the future but only One can come good on that promise. Zelophehad’s daughters get such a robust backing from the Lord - “certainly give them property as an inheritance” - that you can almost hear Moses drawing breath in shock. The Lord is keen to preserve the inheritance of his people and he will not let social assumptions about genders get in the way of his will.
Luke 7:36-50
If I was round a mates house and a hooker wandered in and started caressing my feet I suspect I would feel just a tad uncomfortable. If she started sobbing as well then I think I would be searching for the toilet window. That Jesus sits, relaxed and smiling while this excruciating scene is unfolding around him is an astonishing display of his own security. Jesus just seems to have given people space to expose their true natures to him, whether they be filthy clean, bitterly broken or bitterly proud. And then, when guts have been spilt, Jesus doesn’t just delight in the intimacy but goes about the dirty work of picking through the bile and prescribing an appropriate cure. Jesus calls us to deep relationships with him and deep relationships with one another for the sake of our healing. Dinner parties of embarrassing exposure and life-changing redemption should be part and parcel of our following of the Lord. We unveil ourselves before one another just as we unveil ourselves before the Lord and, as we do so, we will hear his voice through one another and through the Spirit speaking “your sins are forgiven.... go in peace”.
Proverbs 8:12-21
Wisdom’s buddy sounds a bit dull; couldn’t they have come up with something that sounds a little more attractive than “prudence”? And don’t you think wisdom is the biggest name-dropper you have ever come across? Ooooh, so you hang out with kings and rulers? You govern with princes and run the world with nobles do you? Don’t make me laugh! Next you will be telling me that you are fabulously wealthy and have mega-riches at your disposal...
