Not one of them was among those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai. – Numbers 26:64

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 7, 2015): Numbers 26

DeForest Kelley died on June 11, 1999 at the age of 79. The actor, who was probably best remembered for playing Dr. Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy on “Star Trek: The Original Series,” had admitted late in life that he was terrified that his catchphrase in the series would appear on his tombstone – “He’s dead, Jim.” As a result of the comment, Newsweek greeted the news of the actor’s death by opening up their obituary for Kelley with the words - "We're not even going to try to resist: He's dead, Jim.” Maybe it was Kelley’s fear of the catch phrase that caused the actor to decide to be cremated and have his ashes scattered over the Pacific Ocean.

This line concerning this census in the book of Numbers has always bothered me, because it is not quite true. There would have been at least three names on the list of the new census that would have been included on the previous list. Obviously it would seem that Moses is still alive. He will die, but according to the story his death happens just before Israel moves into Canaan. It will happen soon, but not quite yet. It is likely that Aaron is dead, although that may not be true because there are two death stories in the Pentateuch that deal with the High Priests death - the first is found in Numbers 20 and the second in Deuteronomy 10. The Book of Deuteronomy is essentially the last speech spoken by Moses to Israel before the prophet’s death. The speech covers the events of the past desert wanderings, and so it is not surprising that an account of Aaron’s death is found there. But the details are slightly different which some have thought may have argued for a different time of death for Aaron. But in all likelihood the priest has already died by this point in the story.

So that leaves two more who were counted in the first census and would have also been counted in this one – Caleb and Joshua. Both leaders would have been included in the first census, and both were still leading at this census. Both leaders were exempt from God’s ruling that all of Israel would die in the desert because these two leaders were the only ones who argued for Israel’s renewed faith in God and for the taking of the Promised Land almost forty years earlier. The only possible exemption that would have excluded them from this census was that all three of these men may have been exempted from military service because of their age (the original command had been “Take a census of the whole Israelite community by families—all those twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army of Israel” – Numbers 26:2). But that exemption would seem suspicious because the purpose of this census was to prove that the time decreed by God had finally come. All who had rebelled at the beginning had been buried in the desert. There was no one left who had been part of the rebellion. Moses, Caleb and Joshua had not rebelled at that time, although Moses too stood under a death sentence and he too would fail to enter the land that he had dreamed of through the desert wanderings. As the census is completed, I can almost hear Caleb leaning up against Joshua and echoing the fictional Dr. McCoy – they’re all dead, Josh. And with that, the stage had been set for Israel’s move into the Promised Land.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Numbers 27

He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites.” – Numbers 25:13

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 6, 2015): Numbers 25

I have always been intrigued by the Cadaver Synod of January 897. The perpetrator of the synod was Pope Stephen VI and the victim was Pope Formosus, who had died nine months earlier. Stephen VI was angry with Pope Formosus for reasons that seems to be unclear. There is no doubt that Formosus had attracted enemies, and one of those enemies was the Holy Roman Emperor, Guy III of Spoleto. Some believe that the Cadaver Synod was really his work to disgrace his former enemy and the Stephen VI was nothing more than his pawn in the exercise.

So in January 897, the rotting corpse of Pope Formosus was exhumed. The corpse was then dressed in his Papal robes, set on his throne and tried by Pope Stephen VI. The trial found Formosus guilty of not being worthy of being a Pope and all of his decisions and ordinations were reversed (interestingly enough, Formosus was the Pope that had made Stephen VI a bishop, a decision that should have been reversed disqualifying Stephen VI from being Pope in the first place, but the action was probably never attempted.) Following the trial, Formosus was re-buried in his grave but then was exhumed once more. This time three fingers, the fingers that Formosus would have used in giving the Papal blessing, were removed and the body was thrown into the Tiber River only to be recovered and removed from the river by a Monk.

The cry against Stephen VI was so great that the Pope was imprisoned and then strangled that summer, ending Stephen VI’s short rein. Formosus was re-instated and his body was returned to his grave. And if only this was the end of the Formosus ordeal. Pope Sergius III reinstated all of the decisions that Steven VI had made and had poor Formosus exhumed one more time. He put Formosus on trial and once again found the former Pope guilty of crimes against the Papacy. This time he had corpse of the former Pope beheaded.

The thing that hits me in the Formosus saga is that somehow church leaders seemed to lose their way. Nothing in their behavior honored God. In fact, church historians believe that most of the charges against Formosus were political in nature, and not sacred. Formosus was not accused of sin, he was accused of making wrong political decisions. For the Papacy, this seemed to be a dark period that would last for at least the next 600 years. Being the Pope was more about the political realm of power than it was about honoring God. The Papacy during this period was sold, it was held within families, it was held by Popes prone to worship other gods, and at one point it was even held by prostitutes who had influence over the sitting Pope (in this case, once again the offending pope was Sergius III) – a period sometime known as the pornocracy.

The Popes in this period had fallen away from the example of Aaron who was willing to defend the honor of his God rather than let evil reign within Israel. Aaron did not seem to worry about the politics of the decision. He simply wanted to let his actions honor God. And even though Aaron’s actions could be viewed as overly violent from a modern perspective, God knew the intent of Aaron’s heart which was for God. Admittedly, Aaron did not always carry out his office well, but God saw a glimpse of light in Aaron that prompted him to make this covenant of the lasting priesthood. During the dark days of the Papacy, it was precisely this zealous pursuit over the things and honor of God that the Popes seemed to forget. They were too tied up in their own political pursuits to worry about what God might want the church to be involved with – or to be men who stood firmly defending God’s honor.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Numbers 26

I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the people of Sheth. – Numbers 24:17

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 5, 2015): Numbers 24

In North America, we are preparing for two elections. The United States will cast their votes for the President who will follow Barak Obama in thirteen months. In Canada, the push to re-elect or replace Stephen Harper has now reached its final stretch – Canada votes in two weeks. For both nations, the objective is clear. We want the golden person who can return our nations to security and wealth. We want jobs for every person who wants a job. We want our enemies to believe that there is no use attacking us because we are too strong. We want a bright future, not just for us, but for our children and grandchildren. It is a good dream.

But there are some other elements of the dream. We want to stop climate change without changing our behavior. We want financial wealth, but also the ability to go into deep debt (because we all know that however much we might have, we always need more.) We want oil to flow like water. Oh yeah, and we want enough fresh water to be able to waste it on our lawns and swimming pools. We want the West Coast drought to end. It is not just a good dream, it is a great one.

Unfortunately, the person who could accomplish all of this has decided not to run, so we will have to accept a person of lesser talents. And I am not much of a prophet (I am definitely not a Balaam) but I can make this prophecy. Whoever Canada elects in two weeks will disappoint the nation. And whoever the United States elects in thirteen months, will disappoint the nation – and the world. Welcome to reality.

Balaam up to this point has been a great disappointment to Balak. The job for which Balaam was hired, he has steadfastly refused to do. Every time he opens his mouth with the order to curse Israel, he blesses them instead. But now he goes even a step further. He speaks of the one for whom we are all waiting. The ultimate leader who will not only change one nation, but the entire world. Balaam introduces Balak to the idea of the Messiah. There is still hope for Balak’s Moab in the short term, but not in the long run. Because the one is coming. He will accomplish everything that we could want in a leader, but he will rise out of Israel – and he will crush the future Moab. And there is absolutely nothing that Balaam or Balak can do to change that one fact.

In the short term, this prophecy tells of the rise of King David. David would crush Moab and bring the entire region around Israel under his control. But this is also one of the most beautiful Messianic passages in the Bible. I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. This prophecy speaks of the one who can accomplish all of our dreams and more, because this is the one who brings true freedom for God’s creation.

For the Christian, we know the realization of the prophecy. God is here and God is near. While Balaam envisioned a military leader (a David) who would crush the neighbors of Israel, what we received was a Messiah who leveled the playing field and gave us hope for the future – the kind of hope that is not available from a human politician (Jesus.) Balaam was right. The Messiah would rule over all the people of the earth. But he would rule in love, seeking to restore and redeem all the people of the earth and invite them into his Kingdom.

And yet we also live in the tension of the prophecy. God is here, but he is also not. God is near, and yet he is also far. He is now, but he is also not yet. And so we as Christians look to the final revelation of Jesus, when all that is bad will fall away, and we will see him as we have never seen him before. And then we will repeat the sound of “God is here and God is near.” And Balaam’s prophecy will finally be complete.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Numbers 25

I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it. – Numbers 23:20

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 4, 2015): Numbers 23

Pope Francis was able to avoid any discussion around same sex marriage while he was on his ten-day visit to Cuba and the United States, but he apparently couldn’t avoid the question on his way home. The Roman Catholic Church (and most of Christianity) has opposed gay marriage since it was first proposed (the history of same sex marriage is an extremely short one, much has changed on this front in the past couple of decades), often simply desiring to find another word that could be used to describe a same-sex union while also protecting the rights of a gay couple.  But Pope Francis’ comment was not directed at the idea of the union itself, but at the highly publicized Kim Davis case which has caused a stir within the United States and has reached even the political campaigns that are currently being waged within the nation. According to Francis, conscientious objection is a basic human right. No should be made to do something that is against what they believe – even if that inaction violates a law of the land. "I can't have in mind all cases that can exist about conscientious objection but, yes, I can say that conscientious objection is a right that is a part of every human right," he said, speaking in Italian. "And if someone does not allow others to be a conscientious objector, he denies a right."

It is a sentiment with which the Protestant Reformers would have found agreed. In fact, if the Pontiffs who reigned during the reformation had maintained this attitude, much of the division between the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Churches and the Reformation Churches would never have been given an opportunity to take root. And it is a basic right in my religious tradition – the right to do whatever God is asking me to do.

Balaam finds himself in an uncomfortable position. He has been hired by Balak to curse Israel. He has shared in a fellowship meal with Balak and he has eaten food that was Balak sacrificed to Ba’al, and yet he still retains some allegiance to this God of Israel. And as he comes out from his conversations with God to converse with Balak, essentially he begins cursing Balak and blessing Israel. And as he does this, he is essentially becoming a conscientious objector. No matter what Balak may want to pay him, he cannot violate his conscience – he must bless who God wants him to bless – and on the other side of the coin he must curse those that God wishes him to curse. This is Balaam’s right.

But Balaam probably knows something else – his words are useless if they violate God’s will. The incident on the road between God, Balaam and a talking donkey proved that. Balaam’s job is not just to curse Israel with his own meaningless words. To be a success, Balaam knows that he must envision a way to remove Israel’s blessing and thereby attract the anger of this God that Israel serves. This is the only path that will achieve all that Balak wants to achieve. And (spoiler alert) this is the task to which Balaam would soon place his efforts.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Numbers 24

Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and gave some to Balaam and the officials who were with him. – Numbers 22:40

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 3, 2015): Numbers 22

In the Star Trek: The Original Series episode, “The Corbomite Maneuver,” the Enterprise encounters an unknown and extremely powerful ship. The ship judges the people that inhabit the Enterprise to be too violent to deal with (earlier the Enterprise had destroyed a marker buoy that had been apparently owned by this new race). Judgment is passed and the Enterprise is to be destroyed. In a last minute effort to save his ship, Captain Kirk decides to take a lesson from the game of Poker. He decides to bluff even though he is holding no cards (and we thought that “The Next Generation” had all of the Poker playing Star Trek characters). He tells the attacking ship that the Enterprise is protected by a substance called “corbomite.” What “corbomite” is apparently is open to discussion, but what it does is not – it reflects the deadly force of the attacker back onto the attacking ship. The Enterprise would be destroyed, but since the Federation began using corbomite, no attacking ship had ever survived an attack on a Federation ship. It was an empty threat, but the Enterprise’s new enemy didn’t know that.

The bluff worked, and the alien ship decides to tow them back home. But then the Enterprise goes on the attack, they attempt to sheer away, but in the process they damage the smaller pilot ship that is towing them. They could destroy the ship, but instead they decide to board it. And it is there that they discover that they have been conversing with a puppet. The real alien is a diminutive, cherubic man named Balok. And Balok has been putting them through a test of character to see what the Enterprise crew is really like. The alien ship, like Captain Kirk’s bluff, is empty with no crew other than the small Balok.

The writers of “The Corbomite Maneuver” probably were not thinking about the story of Balaam and Balak, but there are some interesting parallels between the two stories. First there is the name of the small alien – Balok. Balok’s only hope is to portray an illusion – something that he is not. His threat is really an empty one, as is Captain Kirk’s response. Nothing in this episode is what it seems. Interestingly that is also the story of Balak and Balaam. Nothing is as it seems. Balak’s name actually means wasteful or empty. Balak employs Balaam who on the surface appears to be a prophet of the God of Israel. Balaam continually tells Balak that he cannot go against the will of the God of Israel who calls this people that Balak wants to curse his possession. And yet in this passage Balaam accepts a fellowship meal from Balak, and it seems quite likely that Balak’s sacrifice was being made to Ba’al – one of the gods of the Canaanites. Balaam’s whole persona is really nothing more than an illusion.

Balak’s name may mean empty, but the actions of Balaam are really empty. He is nothing more than a prophet for hire. His protestations about the God of Israel are not out of knowledge of this God, but are most likely a defense in case he fails – and probably a tool to drive the price up for his services. But any appearance that he is a prophet of the God of Israel is nothing but an illusion. The story of Balaam and Balak is a test of character for all who are involved – and unfortunately, unlike the fictional story of the Corbomite Maneuver, everyone in this story fails the test.        

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Numbers 23

… about the well that the princes dug, that the nobles of the people sank—the nobles with scepters and staffs.” Then they went from the wilderness to Mattanah. – Numbers 21:18

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 2, 2015): Number 21

The problem with the three current Republican front runners – Donald Trump, Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson – seems to be linked with the fact that they are political outsiders, which is also their undeniable strength. But being an outsider comes with its own drawbacks. For Donald Trump, it seems that every time he is asked a question, the answer seems to be “we know that a lot of people feeling that way, and we are drawing up a plan.” It is almost like he is daring the American people to elect him before he reveals exactly what he is going to do, not wanting to let any of the other candidates in on his secret plans. Trump seems to live in the land of the generalization – if you don’t say anything specific, it is really hard to be called a liar. For Carly Fiorina, the problem is almost the reverse. She has studied the problem, and she has come up with a solution. But she has never had to do the hard work of getting the plan through the political process, and the frustrations of having to water down the perfect plan just to get it to pass through Congress. To move a plan through its various political stages is something that requires considerable people skills – something that Carly Fiorina seems to lack, but Donald Trump has in abundance.  Ben Carson seems to be a naïve combination of the other two leading candidates. Maybe what we really need is a Donald Fiorina, or a Carly Trump. But the bottom line is that we need a plan to solve any of the world’s problems – and then we need the political will to carry out that plan.

There was a reason why Pope Francis spoke about environmental concerns and immigration reform while he was in the United States last week. If there is going to be real change anywhere in the world, it will be because the political leaders of the United States are willing to get behind the problem and start pushing. So it is no surprise that his address in front of Congress featured specific talking points. Pope Francis was stating the world’s problems to the American leaders, and then he basically begged them to take action. And only time will tell whether the Pontiff’s visit made any lasting difference.

Israel once again was out of water. In the past, the problem had been solved by a miraculous move of God. But God seemed to want to start weaning his children off of his miraculous moves. The solution to a lack of water then is the same as a solution to a lack of water now. And the solution is very specific (Carly Fiorina would have been so proud.) You have to dig a well.

The passage almost seems to give us an image of the princes of Israel using their scepters as a digging tools to get the job done, but I am not sure that that is the message behind the words. But what they did do was give their considerable political clout to the solution of the problem. They worked actively at both the plan and its implementation in order to solve the current crisis. And without them there would be no water unless God decided to make a rock gush like a geyser one more time. But that age seemed to be ending, and a new one beginning.

We still live in that new age, an age where God expects us to work at solving the problems of the world. It is not that he never moves, but often his movement is contained within our efforts to change and to solve. But often the Christian Church reminds me of Carly Fiorina’s current campaign status – we have a plan, but we lack the interpersonal abilities to implement the plan. And I am not sure we can blame that on God. He has given us the skills, we just have never developed them, and we refuse to implement them.       

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Numbers 22

Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. – Numbers 20:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 1, 2015): Numbers 20

One of the challenges that Pope Francis gave to the United States was that she would leave her tendency towards isolation, polarization and paralysis and begin to actively participate in the process of healing the wounds of this world. And, in this simple challenge, he tried to push the mightiest nation in the world to truly be “one nation under God.” God’s concern has never been just about the United States, although I strongly believe that the United States is on God’s list of concerns. But his overarching plan is not for just one nation – it is for the planet. We are here as the caregivers of the entire world. And that means that all of the concerns of the world belong to all of us. Immigration and environmental concerns do not just belong to the United States, but as long as the developed world refuses to act we will find no solution. This is not posturing or hyperbole, it is the truth. The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, Italy, Japan, Russia and the European Union (just to start off this list) have to take an active role in the problems of this planet or their will be no solution. And whether any of us like it or not (and I do not mean this in any mean or demeaning way), the nations take their lead from the United States, so she must set the example. The United States cannot solve the problem by herself – the problem has simply become too big. But she must lead the developed nations toward a solution. If she will not, or if the other nations refuse to follow her, then our planet is doomed. This is the ever present reality in which we live.

Numbers 20, really begins the end of the story of Israel in the wilderness. Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers 1-14 describe the initial years of the Exodus story. Numbers 15-19 describe the high points of thirty-eight years wandering in the desert. And now, it is time for the story to find its end. The Promised Land lies just in front of Israel. It is so close that Israel can almost touch it. And yet, there are still barriers that are separating Israel from their final goal. To a certain extent, the desert wanderings have hardened the nation - and many members of the nation no longer had any real memory of Egypt and the slavery that had existed there.

And yet, there was still at least a nostalgic memory. This memory was released in times of stress. In this case, it was a lack of water. The problem was very real. The nation was threatened. But the reaction of the people was to complain about the leadership. Weren’t they better off in Egypt (a reality that few really remembered). The current situation was all the fault of the Moses and Aaron.  And so they took up positions against them.

What seems to be missing is the reality that they had been here before. God had always come through before, and yet the people lacked the faith to believe that God could do it again. But what is really mystifying is what exactly the people expected to happen next. The reality seems to be that they could point their fingers at somebody and say that it was all their fault – and then die – or they could get to work to find the solution. The problem was too big for any one person, but if they stuck together at least they had a chance to live and reach their goal. And if they honored God with their actions, it was quite possible that he would move again, as he had in the past. At the very least they could begin to pray together, as I am sure they had seen Moses do in similar situations. But instead they chose to complain.

I am not sure that I understand the response, and yet I see it all the time. And this is what the Pope was challenging the world, through the United States, not to do. The time for polarization and finger pointing is over. That path leads only to death. It is time that we rolled our sleeves, and got down on our knees, and work together to find the solution to the problems of the world. They are too big for any of us alone, but the problems will be solved if the world can just find a way to work together. But together has to be the key.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Numbers 21