Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. – Numbers 35:33

Today's Scripture Reading (December 31, 2021): Numbers 35

As we close the book on 2021, there are a couple of outstanding issues that we will be carrying into the new year. Maybe the biggest is that, despite how hard we have fought, the COVID-19 pandemic is still not in the rear-view mirror. There is still work to do in fighting the virus. One of the problems is that there are still not enough of us who are vaccinated. The only way to prevent new variations of the virus is to stop it from being transmitted. Every time the virus jumps from one person to the next, even if they are asymptomatic, there is a chance that the virus will change. Some of us cannot be vaccinated, but that only makes it more important for the rest of us to take the shot. I get it, no one likes to be told what to do, but we need to choose to do this so that we can get back to some semblance of normality. If we don't, then normality will include the idea of new variations of the virus and more death of the people we love. We need to fix this situation in 2022, or that new version of normality will be how we will live out our lives. (and if you aren't clear, I don't like this version of normalcy.)

Another of the other holdovers is our climate situation. Yeah, I have heard the arguments. I know that there is evidence that our world has had more carbon in the atmosphere in the distant history of this planet. But there is also something else that was true when the carbon level of the atmosphere was higher; there were no humans. If our endgame is a version of the earth post, or after, humanity, then we are well on our way to that reality. But if we want humans to continue on the earth, we need to change.

As it nears its closure, Numbers makes this comment: "Do not pollute the land where you are." It is good advice for all of us. Take care of the place where you live, and if all of us do that, then the world will be in good shape. Somehow, we have to stop trying to justify what we want to do. Just don't pollute.

But then Numbers adds this thought. Bloodshed also pollutes the land, and the only way to clean up that bloodshed is by making sure that we convict the ones responsible for the death. This is the Bible's idea of justice. We don't need a scapegoat or to blame the victim. What we need is to make sure that the ones who are responsible for the bloodshed are convicted of the crime. And that requires that we stop trying to justify the things we do. We need to begin to see each other as valuable to God and to stop trying to justify our bad behavior. If we don't, we will irreparably damage the land on which we live.

In our race-divided world, sometimes that is harder than we think. It is too easy to blame, and those who instigate the crime often receive a pass, especially if the criminals look "like us." But that pollutes the land in a way that we will never be able to clean up. And the victims of our violence deserve more, as does the land on which we live.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Numbers 36

Caleb son of Jephunneh, from the tribe of Judah; - Numbers 34:19

Today's Scripture Reading (December 30, 2021): Numbers 34

Many years ago, I was reading a book on leadership when I was introduced to the concept of "Leading from the Second Chair." According to this principle, we are often asked to be leaders in a situation where we also act under another leader's authority. And yet, we need to be able to get our ideas across, even in those situations. And there are definite dos and don'ts in that kind of leadership. One of the key concepts is that we need to learn to "dream within a dream." Our actions should always be in the same direction as those under whose authority we work. When we are leading from the second chair, we need to be an asset and not a liability to the dream of the organization.

Leading from the second chair also means that we need to make sure that we solve problems, not create them. Leadership comes with enough problems without critical situations arising from friendly fire. The reality of leadership is that the issues that threaten to derail us often come from within the organization, not from whatever forces might be opposing us on the outside.

I would add that when leading from the second chair, we also need to know on which hills we might be willing to die. We need to know which issues are of such importance that we will stick to what we believe even if it does cause problems within the team because we think the team is beginning to move in the wrong direction. And if we have chosen our hills or issues well, we will find that there are listening ears for what we have to say.

As Aaron dies and Moses's time on the planet grows to an end, Joshua is chosen to replace Moses and Eleazar, Aaron's son, to replace Aaron. But other leaders were needed, which included one from each tribe. And the first of those secondary leaders to be mentioned was Caleb, son of Jephunneh. And there is a good reason for his mention first in this list. If there was one person within Israel who might have challenged Joshua's leadership, it was Caleb. Only Joshua and Caleb were present with the spies who had entered Canaan decades earlier. And only Joshua and Caleb had voted to move into the land at that time.

Traditional Jewish accounts share some additional information for us. According to these accounts, Caleb was adamant while in Canaan that they should bring some samples of what was present in the land back to Israel. The ten spies who would eventually vote against the proposal to enter Canaan believed that the people should not be given any evidence of positives from the Promised Land.  The others acquiesce only after Caleb drew his sword and insisted that samples be brought back to Israel. It was part of Caleb's "dream within a dream."

However, we have no evidence that Caleb ever wanted to challenge Joshua for the nation's leadership. He was content to lead from the second chair and dream within the dream. It was something that he had become good at, and he was willing to do it again, as Israel moved into the land that Caleb had voted to enter almost four decades earlier.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Numbers 35

At the LORD's command Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor, where he died on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. – Numbers 33:38

Today's Scripture Reading (December 29, 2021): Numbers 33

My grandmother kept a journal when she traveled. I am not sure if she did at other times, but I had traveled with her as a child and would often see her jotting things down in the journal. Most of her notes were mundane things about the trip; it included weather, "We rose to the sun brightly beaming down on us" or "we passed through a horrible storm this afternoon just east of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada." At other times it was beginning and ending information. We started at 8:30 am and stopped at 4:00 pm. Or maybe it was the location of a particularly good, or bad, restaurant, or perhaps a campground where we were able to pick wild blueberries for our evening snack. All of it was contained within grandma's journal, and she would reflect on past trips when planning the next trip.

This section of the book of Number is essentially someone's travel journal. Most of it is just that we started from this place and ended up at that place. And it is easy to skip through the travelogue of places as miss a little message written about two-thirds through the travel journal. When Israel arrived at Mount Hor, Aaron died. People had likely died throughout this list of places; after all, the Book of Numbers is really about the passing of the torch from one generation to the next. Everyone from the first generation, except for Joshua and Caleb, would die in the wilderness. But Aaron was special.

First, he was Moses's older brother and right-hand man. And that fact alone would have made Aaron's death hard on Moses. The myth is that because we know death is coming, that somehow makes it easier to accept. But that is just a myth; death is always hard on us emotionally, even when we expect its arrival. And, in the case of Aaron, he was also the first High Priest of the nation. There is some indication that his son, Eleazar, had been acting as the High Priest for some time before this moment of death, but Aaron's death would still have been a significant moment in the nation's history.

According to Numbers, Aaron was not sick. Even at 123, he was healthy and full of life. The proof of Aaron's health was that at God's command, Aaron left the community that he had served for the last four decades climbed up on the mountain, never to return. It was a moment hidden within the notes of the travelogue and, even though Numbers doesn't tell us, it likely shook the emotions of all of Israel.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Numbers 34

… then when the land is subdued before the LORD, you may return and be free from your obligation to the LORD and to Israel. And this land will be your possession before the LORD. – Numbers 32:22

Today's Scripture Reading (December 28, 2021): Numbers 32

Former President Trump has a knack for making news, sometimes even when he is not trying. That seemed to be the case in early December 2021 when the former President made this comment; "Anybody that doesn't think there wasn't massive Election Fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election is either very stupid, or very corrupt!" Words are funny things, and it didn't take long for grammar nerds to pick apart the comment. The double negative, something that we have all been warned about since we were in elementary school, destroyed the message that the President was trying to share with his listeners. Instead of continuing his message about voter fraud in the 2020 election, when the statement was dissected by those who understood grammar, it seemed to say the exact opposite. According to the former President, "anyone who doesn't think that there wasn't massive Election Fraud," in other words, "anyone who thinks there was massive Election Fraud," is either very stupid or very corrupt. And once again, bad grammar has sunk the message.

We all know that that was not what the former President meant. It is just proof of something else we have known for a long time; just because someone has been elected to the highest office in the land does not mean that they know how to talk. For some Presidents, like Franklin Delano Roosevelt, that was a reality of which they were very aware and became very careful about the words that emerged from their mouths. For others, well, it just didn't matter. And the truth is that their followers understood the message even if what they said was grammatically incorrect.

But there are also times when we should really listen to the words being spoken because they might state paint a picture of reality of which we really need to be aware. And that seems to happen here. The intended message is that the tribes of Reuben and Gad, if they will help conquer the Canaan, may settle in the area on the East side of the Jordan River. It was a win for the tribes of Reuben and Gad. The region of the Transjordan had already been defeated. The tribes could leave their families and flocks on the East side of the Jordan and only send their armies over to fight the dangerous fight on the West side of the river. For Reuben and Gad, that was a good thing.

However, that is not quite what the words say. Moses indicates that if they help with the taking of Canaan, they would be "free from your obligation to the Lord and to Israel." Taken at face value, it is as if they would no longer be part of Israel or God. From that point forward, they would be on their own.

Whether they were intended or not, the words provided a truth, not just for the Transjordanian tribes but the entire nation. Throughout their history of the country, the tribes of Israel struggled with their obligations, both to God and to each other. In the end, the failure of their obligation to God and Israel resulted in the demise of the Northern Kingdom in 721 B.C.E., including Reuben and Gad. The failure also resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the Kingdom of Judah to Babylon in 586 B.C.E. The nation was then free of their obligation to God and Israel, but they were free of the benefits of God and Israel as well.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Numbers 33

Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as the LORD's part, as the LORD commanded Moses. – Numbers 31:41

Today's Scripture Reading (December 27, 2021): Numbers 31

Over the past few decades, we have seen the rise of autocratic leaders. Maybe "rise" isn't quite the right word. Authoritarian leaders, or political rulers who believed that they were the final say and above the law of the land, have been the norm throughout our race's history. But recently, we have seen democracies fall into the trap of autocracy. Even the United States has flirted with the concept of autocracy in recent years. The familiar word of the anthem of the United States finishes with a question.

            O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

            O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

The answer to the question might no longer be yes; the flag is still there, but generation by generation, it appears to be waving over a less and less free nation. The next few elections in the United States will tell the story of the fight between democracy and autocracy. But with the continuing battle over who is allowed to vote and the tendencies of the inhabitant of the Oval Office, enhanced by racial and class tensions within the society, the United States might no longer be the home of the free. And the brave? Only time will tell.

There is no doubt that Moses was essentially an autocratic leader. No one elected him to his position; God had called and assigned him. And if you don't believe that God exists, then no one appointed him. He simply grabbed power and ruled the emerging nation of Israel with nothing but his whims to guide him.

And some in Israel seemed to believe exactly that. This Moses was nothing more than an upstart, an autocratic leader who had seen an opportunity to seize control of the nation and had done just that. In a world that knew nothing of democracy, they often seemed to want to overthrow the leadership of Moses and install someone else as a new autocratic leader.

But that was not Moses's point of view. Moses remembered the day when the old shepherd found the burning bush. He remembered the struggle he had with the God who called himself "I am that I am" or "I will be what I will be." Moses remembered his reluctance to lead this group of people out of Egypt and God's insistence about what lay ahead. Moses knew that he was not an autocratic leader; he was nothing more than a servant of God.

And as a servant, Moses, the leader, brought tribute to Eleazer, the priest. On earth, Eleazer was Moses's nephew. But it was not his nephew to whom Moses bowed his knee. Eleazer stood in for the presence of God, and because of that, Moses brought tribute to him. While his enemies might have believed that he was an autocratic leader, Moses knew precisely who he was and who was leading the nation; God.

Our political leaders are often called "Civil Servants." The terminology is more important than we often believe. Our political leaders need to understand that they are servants; if not servants of God, then they are at least servants of the people. Because any other belief can only end in autocracy and the failure of the fragile political system that we call democracy, a political leader that believes, deep in his being, that he serves no one can never be a democratic leader. And it will be in their hands that our democracies will die. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Numbers 32

When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said. – Numbers 30:2

Today's Scripture Reading (December 26, 2021): Numbers 30

John Green in "The Fault in Our Stars" includes this bit of dialogue;

"Sometimes people don't understand the promises they're making when they make them," I said.

Isaac shot me a look. "Right, of course. But you keep the promise anyway. That's
what love is. Love is keeping the promise anyway. Don't you believe in true love?"

Green is right. The words "I promise" roll off our tongues so easily, sometimes without us even thinking about what we are really saying.  It is so easy to say the words "I promise" without feeling the impact.  The value of I promise is that it means that I will do what I have said I will do. But most of us know the other side of the equation. Most of us have failed at following through on our promises. Maybe we forget, or we promise things over which we have no control. But often, Green is right. We fail at our promises because we don't love enough. 

Maybe we promise too much. We don't feel the weight of the words, so we don't take them seriously enough. We promise to do things that might seem small to us. It is so easy to make a promise to a friend who is having a tough day that we will pray for them, but then never give them a second thought after we have parted. One of the traits that set promise keepers apart from promise breakers is that they are careful with their promises and often have found a way to follow through on the commitment, setting limits on how far the vow might extend. I have a friend who never says "I'll pray for you" without setting limits on the prayer. First, he limits the amount of time for the prayer. I will pray for you for the next two weeks. And next, he places your picture in a PowerPoint file representing his prayer list. But if he says he will pray for you, you can be sure that he will follow through on his promise.

It is so easy to get caught up in the difference between the sexes mentioned in the passage.  The instructions seem so archaic to our enlightened minds.  But if we get caught up in those differences, we miss the point. We are to be people of our word. It should be so simple. Do what you say you will do. Don't jump too fast to say the words "I promise." Feel the weight of the words and remember them. And then, be people who keep their promises.

Be a person of your word today.  But don't accomplish being a promise keeper by not making any promises. Instead, be careful in making the big promises and follow through on the little ones.  We are designed to be people of our word, and we can do it!

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Numbers 31

And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. – Luke 2:7

Today's Scripture Reading (December 25, 2021): Luke 2

American author Robert Tew argues that we need to "make room for what matters … let go of what doesn't. It's that simple." I agree. It really is that simple, but that doesn't mean that it is easy. We seem to accumulate many things in our lives that don't really matter. Our houses are filled with them. I have a friend whose house is filled with the boxes of his possessions. The problem with the clutter is that, because of excess and the things that he doesn't need, he struggles to find the things that he does need. It is a nightmare that you might see on an episode of "Hoarders," but the truth is that we are all guilty of it to at least a small extent. The simple solution is to make room for the important if it were only that easy.

I love Craig Groeschel's idea of 'it.' He applies its concept, an intangible that some organizations have, and some don't, to his understanding of the church. He says that some churches have it, and some don't. Craig insists that "it" can't be described and that he really doesn't know how to get it, although there are things that we can do to increase or decrease the possibilities of having it.

It seems obvious, but on top of this list of “to do’s” has to be that the church must make room for Jesus. He can't be just a concept or an idea. We have to know him and the reality of his presence. Jesus is the only one whose person is more important than his ideas. Jesus is real, and as the Christian community, we have to understand that. If he is anything less, we won't have it. And since the church is, well, us, he has to be real in our lives; we have to make room for him.

There might have been no room at the inn for Jesus, but for life to go the way it was designed to, we have to make room for him in our lives. Is there room for Jesus in your life, or have you put up the "No Vacancy" sign? The choice is ours. Why not make room for Jesus today – and have a Merry Christmas.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: November 30

On the tenth day of this seventh month hold a sacred assembly. You must deny yourselves and do no work. – Numbers 29:7

Today's Scripture Reading (December 24, 2021): Numbers 29

Welcome to Christmas Eve. Every year brings us to this moment. As children, it was a night filled with anticipation for what the next day might hold. Tonight would be a time when sleep came slowly. As a young boy, I remember sneaking out of my room and into my sister’s room on this night. Then we would stand on her bed imagining that we could see Santa’s sleigh in the sky. I think we conducted this Christmas Eve ritual long after both of us had stopped believing in that Jolly Old Elf. Christmas was special.

Over the past few years, I have to admit that I emotionally understand Third Day’s song “Christmas Like a Child.”

            I want to feel Christmas how it used to be

            With all of its wonder falling on me

            This season has felt so empty, oh for quite while

            I want to feel Christmas like a child.

The dream is of experiencing Christmas without all of the extra stuff that has seemed to become attached to it over the years, like worries about bills and tasks that are waiting for us in the New Year. To lose it all for just this moment and just experience Christmas.

As Numbers works through its reflection on the various sacrifices and Holy Days commanded to be celebrated by Israel, part of that reflection is centered on the observance of the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur. On the tenth day of the seventh month, the people were to observe a day of remembrance. They were to do no work and to deny themselves. Yon Kippur was not designed to be a happy day; it was intended to be a day of repentance and sacrifice. It was a reminder of the reasons behind the need for atonement, a day when the people considered not just their personal sin but the sin of the nation.

The Christian Day of Atonement is Good Friday. On that day, Christ died as the sacrifice for our sins, and we recognize that it is his blood that atones for our sins. But the reality is that the end of the life of Christ cannot be separated from the beginning. Jesus left his throne in heaven to be born as the child in the manger. It was a sacrifice that would not have been necessary except for our sin.

Christmas starts tonight. And it should be a time of celebration for the birth of a child, but it is also a time of mourning for our sin, which was the reason why Jesus left heaven to step into our existence. It is a time when we commit to denying ourselves to concentrate all of who we are on God and the people around us. Christmas should be a time when love reigns and everything else falls away because we recognize the importance of all of those around us, acknowledging that it is because of our value in the sight of God that he sent his child to us to make atonement for our sins.   

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Luke 2