When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them. – Numbers 21:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 14, 2012): Numbers 21

I like to try to play chess. I think I have mentioned that I am a very inconsistent player. My problem is twofold. The first is that I do not see my opponents strategy strongly enough. A major part of the game is not found in reacting to what you see on the board, but seeing what your opponents next moves are going to be and reacting to them, shaping them in a way that benefits you. And while I freely admit that I often struggle with that part of my game, probably my biggest problem is my pride. I can go on winning streaks and then I let my guard down – and the losing begins. I start to forget the simple fundamental things that allowed me to win – I think my strategy can carry me where my fundamental play has succeeded in the past. And, every time, I am wrong.

The Christian motto is often “strength in weakness” – or “when I am weak, then he is strong.” There is a reason for that. Whenever we work in the places where we have experience and confidence, pride lurks in the surrounding darkness. And when we start to believe the lie of the expert, we begin to experience pride – it is the feeling that we know exactly what it is that we are doing. And in that moment, disaster is never closer.

If there is one thing that Israel knew, it was how to live in the desert and defeat the enemies that dared to attack them in what had become their environment. After all, they had been doing it for thirty-eight long years. By now, most of their people of the fledgling nation had been born in the desert. They had known no other kind of life. But they were also about to transition into a different life, one away from the desert. And to be successful at that life, they would need to remember their reliance on God; that it is when they are weak that they can find their own strength. The battle with Arad had been a wake-up call. They had lost a battle that their experience told them that they should have won – all because they forgot the one who had been guiding them all the way through the desert.

Whenever you feel you are strong – every time you rely on your education or feel that you should know something – you are treading close to failure. Pride has a way of weighing us down so that we no longer see the solution that we need. And then we begin to trust less in him. And that is a dangerous combination.

You may be good and equipped for a task, without God you will fail. It was the truth of the situation that Israel needed to be reminded of.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Numbers 22

“Aaron will be gathered to his people. He will not enter the land I give the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah. – Numbers 20:24

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 13, 2012): Numbers 20

I love the argument over the phrase that “the wages (or the penalty) of sin is death.” I love it because it is both a great discussion over what the meaning of the words actually is and because sometimes it involves the lunatic fringe of Christian culture – and I actually love the lunatic fringe. In reality, it is the ones on the edges of culture that sometimes remind us of a truth that we have either evaded or forgotten. Those that gather on the street corners with their placards, the very ones who embarrass a lot of those of us who identify with Christ actually have a purpose in our culture. The message that they speak so bluntly is sometimes one that we need to here.

Is the end near? Of course it is. Although cosmologically speaking the definition of near might be a little different from what many of us believe that the word should mean. All of our philosophies and all of our scientific knowledge agree that everything that we see is ultimately temporary – none of it is going to last forever. At some point our sun will go supernova – at some point the universe will collapse back in on itself. And all of this as far as the human race is concerned is only a concern if we do not poison our own world first. The end is coming. And it is near – or far - depending on your point of view.

And the wages of sin is death. We make the comment, but then we explain it a way. The wages of sin is death – and maybe by that we mean spiritual death or a death of the soul. Maybe it is the death of our dreams (I cannot imagine a scarier type of death.) But we write off the possibility that it might just mean physical death, because we all sin and yet we seem to be still alive. If the wages of sin is physical death, then we all should have already died (and as Scrooge would say – have decreased the surplus population.)

But ... sometimes the “wages of sin is death” means exactly what all those placards say it means – physical death. God asked for Aaron’s life, and the outstanding reason was sin. Because of sin Aaron died. It is not always that way, but sometimes it is. And there is no way to get away from that “sometimes.”  

 Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Numbers 21

Then Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Tent of Meeting. – Numbers 19:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 12, 2012): Numbers 19

I watched a football game (the American or Canadian version – not soccer) the other night. I love football. It was the only sport that I had ever been marginally good at. The team that I was watching had been having problems running the ball. The surprise was that it was something the team was predicted to have been good at before the season had started. But they were struggling. In football, there is an adage – run North and South, not East and West. The meaning of the saying is that the purpose of football is to take the ball down the field, not toward the sideline. And often the saying holds truth. But on this night, something happened that became a key element of the game. The team started to run East and West. And the runs worked. All of the running toward the sidelines opened up room in the middle. And the running game finally started to produce results.

Sports are like that. The center of the field is often the most important part of the game. But the whole playing surface needs to be used for success. There is a reason for the sidelines along with the middle. The team that wins often utilizes the entire playing surface.

For Israel, the center of the camp was the Tent of Meeting or the Tabernacle. It was there that much of the important action took place – and most of the sacrifices were done on the altar that was within the tabernacle. The rest of the tribes of the nation were camped around the Tabernacle. But what was important happened at the center.

But one of the exceptions is here. The red heifer is taken outside of the camp where it is killed. And then the blood is taken on the finger of the priest, who is still outside the camp, and sprinkled in the direction of the tabernacle. It was the ultimate sideline play. And standing between priest and the temple were the people of Israel – the tribes, the ones who needed to be cleansed from sin.

It was not an accident that Jesus was killed just outside of Jerusalem. His blood was also figuratively sprinkled toward the temple. And standing between the blood and the Temple were the people. Today, as we come into the Temple to worship, our High Priest stands just on the outside of the sanctuary, cleansing us from our sin so that we can be ready for what he has for us in our worship. The time has come. Come, now is the time to worship!   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Numbers 20

Note:  The VantagePoint Community Church sermon - Sweat the Small Stuff - is now available on the Vantagepoint Website - you will find it here http://www.vantagepointcc.org/The_Essential_James_Part_II___Sweat_the_Small_Stuff.htm

Bring your fellow Levites from your ancestral tribe to join you and assist you when you and your sons minister before the Tent of the Testimony. – Numbers 18:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 11, 2012): Numbers 18

One of my frustrations as a Pastor is that I know that I do not measure up to the expectations that people have of me. And when I say that to some of the leaders, their response is often to try to give me some advice on how I can do better at living up to the job description that they have more me. And my problem is that that is not really the point. Right now I am mulling over some conversations and questions that I know need to be asked at my next leadership meeting. I am also anticipating some of their answers. And I know that the anticipated answers are great answers, I am almost hoping that they will put forward the ideas – but the truth is that the solution I am anticipating, even though it is a good and required solution, it is also outside of my gifting. It needs to be done, but I know that I cannot be the one expected to do it.

I also know that the same scene is playing itself out in churches and businesses all across the world. There is a solution to our problems, but it is not a solution that the Pastor or the CEO can accomplish alone. Someone else needs to come alongside us and help with the task.

The problem does not lie in the leader – the problem is in the expectation. Whenever we expect one person to know everything and be the answer to all of the problems of the community we are making a mistake – and we are being unbiblical. God makes it clear to Moses that anyone who ministers in the Tabernacle is not to do it alone. Everyone who ministers in the Tabernacle has a purpose – and a gifting to take care of the task. And that includes the ones in leadership positions. We all need some help.

In the New Testament, the Christian Community talks a lot about the ministry of the Paraclete, the counselor or the comforter – the one who comes alongside. And we recognize that the Paraclete is the Holy Spirit. But sometimes what we miss is that the Holy Spirit ministers through us. That makes each one of us the Paraclete. And that means that the expectations cannot be about the leader, but rather about what we do together. It takes all of us to accomplish the goals of the community. And our theme needs to be that our community is a place “where no one ministers alone.”

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Number 19

The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites.” – Numbers 17:5

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 10, 2012): Numbers 17

There was a time of relative peace in the world that starts just before the birth of Jesus Christ and then extended for about two hundred years. It was a time of minimal expansionist tendencies on the part of the ruling government (the Roman Empire) and its author was  the ruling king - Caesar Augustus. The period of time is known as the “Pax Romana” which is Latin for the “Roman Peace.” But the truth behind the Roman Peace was that it coexisted with a period of intense internal violence. The Roman Peace was maintained by a very familiar Roman violence. Crimes were often dealt with swiftly and finally. The Roman Cross found frequent use. The Roman Peace was maintained by the Roman threat. To go against the Roman Peace was to risk immediate punishment – and often death.

It is a common tale from history. Rule was always maintained by force. To cross the King would be to risk instant death. The reason was that every King or Queen had a weakness that could be exploited. But the weakness could be overcome and the will of the ruler instigates by the liberal use of violent strength. Second chances were rare. And examples had to be made of the offenders.   

One of the images that we have of God is that he is sitting on his throne in heaven just waiting for us to mess up. He is the King, and unlike earthly Kings, he also knows everything. The combination was dangerous. God is the King who knows and his punishment is far reaching. And, for many of us, this is the God that we serve - except, that it is not the nature of God.

One of the differences between God and an earthly King is that God has nothing to prove and he has no weaknesses to exploit. And that might be the reason that he is characterized by grace. What Israel had done by questioning the leadership of Moses was to commit treason. Even though Israel was designed to be a theocracy (a nation ruled by God), Moses was the visible leader or king that sat on the physical throne of the nation. The penalty for treason throughout history has been death.

But God chose a different path. Rather than punish the offender, God chooses to do one more miracle to settle the leadership question. He chose grace. And he still chooses grace. Far being from a God who cannot wait for us to mess up, he is the God willing to risk one more miracle to bring his children finally home.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Numbers 18

When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. – Numbers 16:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 9, 2012): Numbers 16

When I was in High School I invented a game with some of my friends. Well, invented might be a little strong. We adapted some already existing games into a new format. The foundation stone of our new game was the game of Risk. So we played Risk with all of the existing rules, except that we added ships that could attack coastal spaces and transports that could deliver troops to friendly coastal squares. But in a true war, there is also a economic portion of the battle. So we needed a way to buy troops and ships for the battle. So we added the game of Stock Ticker to our new adaptation. And we set the prices for the various things and began to play.

For one of my friends, the temptation to use all of his economic power at the beginning of the game was too much. After all, Risk is a game of military strategy and battle. What could Stock Ticker really add to the game? And so he neglected Stock Ticker and used all of his money to buy extra armies at the beginning of the game. And it paid off – at least early in the game. He had the advantage that none of the rest of us had. But he did not have enough of an advantage to end the game. And as the rest of our economies started to take off, he found himself in a position where it was impossible for him to win. He had missed something important at the game.

What the leaders of Israel saw was that God had created them equal. When they were slaves none of them were allowed to have an opinion. But now as a community of free people, they all had a right to lead. And rights would not be taken away from them or given up by them easily. And somehow all of that made a lot of sense. Should it not be the one with the best ideas that has the honor of leading?

But as Moses laid facedown before God, he revealed what it was that the rest of the would be leaders lacked – humility. It was not the awesome ideas and leadership aptitudes that Moses possessed that made him the leader that he was. It was his willingness to humble himself before his God – something that none of the other would be leaders had been willing to do.

God is not looking for the next great idea for the church. He is looking for the ones that are willing to lay face down before him in an act of trust and humility. A man that is lying face down is not in a position to fight – but only to trust in the one that he is lying before. God needs more Moses’ that are willing to humble themselves and trust. It is the real attribute of leadership that we often do not give the attention that it deserves. Without an economy, my friend was never a threat in our High School game of Risk, and without humility, none of our ideas really matter.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Numbers 17

Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God. – Numbers 15:40

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 8, 2012): Numbers 15

I grew up in a church that believed in rules. I think we had rules for every possible situation. We had rules that were designed to keep us out of trouble situations and we had rules that were designed to help us do good. But sometimes I think we forgot why the rules actually existed. They were supposed to just be a reminder of who our King was. Instead, we seemed to think it was the rules that somehow made us holy. As long as we followed the rules, we were following God. But the reality was that we made the rules themselves our god – and knelt down at their altar instead of God’s. We repeated the same mistake that the Pharisees made and decided to worship rules and laws instead of God. And as soon as we did that, grace no longer had any place in our lives.

Every law and instruction that was given to Israel had only one reason; to be a reminder that we are the property of the living God. If we are honest, a lot of the rules that we read about in the Torah just seem to be weird. But their purpose was simply to set Israel apart and remind them that they were the property of God. “Be consecrated to your God” could be simply translated – be holy. It was a holiness of heart and not a set of rules that has always been at the center of anyone who dared to be a Gods chaser - and that was exactly who Israel was designed to be.

The idea that somehow we can be followers of God and yet remain unchanged is a false one. If we are truly chasing after God, there are things that will happen inside of us. We will be changed – and longer we commit ourselves to follow after the things of God, the more holy we will become.

We are the followers of a holy God. And we cannot help but become more like him. In the end, if we are faithful, we will become holy for only one reason - because our God is holy.     

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Numbers 16