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- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Num. 10
I am just full of questions lately! Today I am wondering about this random conversation between Moses and Hobab, his relative by marriage. I wasn’t even aware Hobab was there, and now Moses is begging him to stay with them. Then there’s Moses’ argument. “Please don’t leave us, since you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can serve as our eyes.” (Num. 10:31). I’m pretty sure that big ol’ cloud was telling them when and where to camp. So why would Moses say this to Hobab? There is still so much about this book that I just don’t understand!
Num. 11
What do we expect from God? An easy life? Fulfillment of our every desire? Comfort and happiness? Should we expect such things? Do we deserve them? What are they worth to us? What should they be worth to us? It’s amazing how quickly we humans lose perspective when things don’t go the way we want. Like the Israelites, we forget where we came from really fast. Whenever something got a little unpleasant, the burden of their bondage to Egypt was quickly overshadowed by enlarged memories of any good thing they now lacked. So they were ready to throw the freedom and blessing God offered away for some temporary, surface satisfaction. It sounds a lot like Esau’s throwing away something as important as his birthright for one little bowl of soup.
Why do we think we are supposed to be comfortable and happy all the time? Why do we think that whatever it is we desire in the moment is the most important thing ever? How can we be so short-sighted? Such is the power of the flesh. It is important that we understand it and that we make a practice of putting it in its place. The Israelites needed to give themselves a reality check. They needed to remember what God saved them from and the promises He was leading them to. That would have made the hardship in the middle look a whole lot different.
So it is with us. We need to know that the desires of the flesh lead to sin, and sin is death. That is what God saved us from. And He is leading us to a time and place where sin can touch us no more. He did not have to do any of that for us, and He certainly owes us nothing more. With that proper perspective of deep gratitude firmly in place, we can know that there is nothing we can possibly encounter in this in-between that is not worth enduring. Giving up eternal blessing for a momentary pleasure is never a good trade.
Num. 12
I think Miriam and Aaron had a little “holier-than-thou” moment here. Clearly, they did not agree with Moses’ decision to marry this Cushite woman, whoever she was. Yet it wasn’t his marriage they spoke out against. It was his leadership. What I think happened there is that when they saw Moses do something they disapproved of, they considered that a ding in his qualification to serve as God’s mouthpiece. Since neither one of them had done anything so grievous (said with tongue firmly planted in cheek), surely they were more deserving of the position than he.
This makes me think of those “disputable matters” Paul wrote about in some of his letters. We have a tendency to put ourselves in the position of determining what behavior is and is not acceptable to God. As Paul said, however, “Who are you to judge another’s household servant? Before his own Lord he stands or falls.” (Rom. 14:4a). Our opinion and approval do not matter. We are not God. Thus, to compare ourselves against another based on our own standards is akin to putting ourselves in the place of God. We see how well that went for Miriam and Aaron.