A future and an inheritance

Text Numbers 36 Time 09/06/13 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

So we come at last to the final chapter of Numbers. We began looking at Numbers back in January 2012 and with a few gaps have continued to look at it over the last 18 months or so. I trust that those of you who have heard all or at least many of these sermons will have come to the conclusion that although Numbers is clearly not an easy book to read it does contain many valuable lessons for us and like the other books of the Bible is to be valued.

Now when we come to the final chapter, it is, perhaps a little bit of a surprise. The very last verse, perhaps, seems appropriate These are the commands and regulations the LORD gave through Moses to the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. But why this story of Zelophehad's daughters, which had already been broached back in Chapter 27?

The first answer to that is to remember that Numbers is part of a larger context – the first five or really the first six books of the Bible. Deuteronomy is a bit different to what goes before but over all Numbers fits very well as the matching parallel to much of Exodus, first describing the scene at Sinai that begins in Exodus 19 and then the wanderings in the desert that are much like Exodus 15:22-18:27.

There is also the overall structure of Numbers itself that has teaching about the Tabernacle at its centre and is surrounded by alternating sections of narrative and law. Having had law in 33:50-35:54 we end, as we began, with narrative. There is also the fact that Chapter 27 and this final chapter deal with similar material and so bind in all the material between which focuses very much on the future and the inheritance that lies ahead for Israel.

They were looking forward to a real and tangible inheritance in the Promised Land. The inheritance that can be ours in Christ is just as real but less tangible in some ways in that it is a spiritual inheritance not a physical one. There are lessons for us here, therefore.

1. Be aware of the danger of losing your inheritance

The problem is raised in verses 1-4. We read there how

The family heads of the clan of Gilead son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, who were from the clans of the descendants of Joseph, came and spoke before Moses and the leaders, the heads of the Israelite families. They said, When the LORD commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance to the Israelites by lot, he ordered you to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters.

This is a reference back to Chapter 27, which had already established their right to inherit. Now they say

Now suppose they marry men from other Israelite tribes; then their inheritance will be taken from our ancestral inheritance and added to that of the tribe they marry into. And so part of the inheritance allotted to us will be taken away. When the Year of Jubilee for the Israelites comes, their inheritance will be added to that of the tribe into which they marry, and their property will be taken from the tribal inheritance of our forefathers.

This was the danger then – that if Zelophehad's daughters married men from other tribes, the inheritance would pass to those tribes. It is not entirely clear what their reference to the Jubilee or fiftieth year might mean.

Now we too as Christians need to be aware of the danger of losing our inheritance. In Hebrews 12:16, 17 the writer says to believers

See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.

If we fall into sexual immorality or godlessness we are in danger of selling our birthright and losing our inheritance. We should be as concerned not to lose our inheritance as The family heads of the clan of Gilead were.

Another example would be on the lines of what is said in Romans 12:6-8 and 1 Peter 4:11, 12.

We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

2. Understand how God will enable you not to lose your inheritance

Then in verses 5-9 we read how at the LORD's command Moses gave this order to the Israelites: What the tribe of the descendants of Joseph is saying is right. This case was a just one. This is what the LORD commands for Zelophehad's daughters: They may marry anyone they please marriage is to be a free choice, not by coercion as long as they marry within the tribal clan of their father. It is said that 10% of marriages are between first and second cousins. Such people share at least one grandparent. In certain Middle Eastern countries half the marriages are of this sort. In the west such marriages were common (in the Royal family especially) until the mid-twentieth century when they became less popular. One of the concerns is genetic disorders which are more common where the relationship is close. Biblically, cousin marriage is not encouraged but is permissible as here because

No inheritance in Israel is to pass from tribe to tribe, for every Israelite shall keep the tribal land inherited from his forefathers.

The law is then universalised

Every daughter who inherits land in any Israelite tribe must marry someone in her father's tribal clan, so that every Israelite will possess the inheritance of his fathers. No inheritance may pass from tribe to tribe, for each Israelite tribe is to keep the land it inherits.

And so God makes provision so that his people do not lose their inheritance. In a similar way he helps us as Christians not to lose our inheritance. An obvious way in which he does that is by forbidding Christians to marry, as it were, outside the tribe. Every believer must marry a fellow believer. 1 Corinthians 7:39 says clearly that A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. More generally, Paul says very clearly in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial ? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

This is one obvious way in which we can avoid the danger of losing the inheritance that is ours in Christ.

3. Consider what you need to do to make sure you don't lose your inheritance

Finally in verses 10-12 we read

So Zelophehad's daughters did as the LORD commanded Moses. Zelophehad's daughters - Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah and Noah - married their cousins on their father's side. They married within the clans of the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in their father's clan and tribe.

The daughters actually did what was required of them. There is another example of such a thing in 1 Chronicles 23:22, which says that

Eleazar died without having sons: he had only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.

Again, for us who are believers we have to do what is in accord with what we have been saying. We have to get out there and do what needs to be done.

In 1 Timothy 4:14, 15 Paul says to Timothy

Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.

2 Timothy 1:4-6 is similar where Paul says

Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

Don't neglect the gift, fan it into flame.

The final verse of the book is verse 13

These are the commands and regulations the LORD gave through Moses to the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.

This could be a reference to what is in this chapter or back to 22 or the whole book, which seems most likely. The ending us similar to the end of Leviticus (27:34) These are the commands the LORD gave Moses at Mount Sinai for the Israelites. The very last word in the book is Jericho and the next thing really is the conquest of Jericho in Joshua. Here is a final call then to live the Christian life. It involves many battles. It is not easy but this is the way forward under the leadership of Christ.

Jesus Christ and the cities of refuge

Text Numbers 35 Time 02/06/13 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

We come this week to the last but one chapter of Numbers, Numbers 35. Last week we were looking at the borders of the land as set out there and the appointment of people to distribute the land among the nine and a half tribes, excluding the two and a half who had already received land the other side of the Jordan in Gilead. That's 12 tribes altogether then, all dealt with but there is also the tribe of Levi, the priestly tribe and they are dealt with rather differently.

That is set out in this chapter along with the fact that six of their cities were to be cities of refuge and re-iterating God's attitude to murder. So, there On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, we read how the Lord told Moses to command Israel to give the Levites towns to live in from the inheritance the Israelites will possess. They were also to give them pasturelands around the towns so that they will have towns to live in and pasturelands for their cattle, flocks and all their other livestock. Verse 4 says that The pasturelands around the towns should extend out fifteen hundred feet from the town wall. They are told to measure three thousand feet on the east side, three thousand on the south side, three thousand on the west and three thousand on the north, with the town in the centre. There is no contradiction here. The pasture lands were to be set out in a square. Altogether there were to be 48 of these towns and six of them were to be cities of refuge.

The towns you give the Levites from the land the Israelites possess we are told in verse 8 are to be given in proportion to the inheritance of each tribe: Take many towns from a tribe that has many, but few from one that has few.

The idea of the cities of refuge was to have a place a person could flee to if he had killed someone accidentally. In ancient times, when a person was killed it was the duty of someone in the family of the dead person (the kinsman-redeemer or the avenger of blood) to pursue the killer and take vengeance. By selecting places of refuge from the avenger, a breathing space was given before the trial before the assembly.

It was arranged that there would be six cities of refuge, (14) three on this side of the Jordan and three in Canaan. The cities were places (15) of refuge for Israelites, aliens and any other people living among them, so that anyone who has killed another accidentally can flee there.

So (16-21) in the case of murder the murderer should die. Six examples are given.

First, If a man strikes someone with an iron object so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death. Or if anyone has a stone in his hand that could kill, and he strikes someone so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death. Or if anyone has a wooden object in his hand that could kill, and he hits someone so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.

Second, If anyone with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at him intentionally so that he dies or if in hostility he hits him with his fist so that he dies, that person shall be put to death; he is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.

However (22-25) if without hostility someone suddenly shoves another or throws something at him unintentionally or, without seeing him, drops a stone on him that could kill him, and he dies, then since he was not his enemy and he did not intend to harm him, the assembly must judge between him and the avenger of blood according to these regulations. The assembly must protect the one accused of murder from the avenger of blood and send him back to the city of refuge to which he fled. He must stay there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil. The example given in Deuteronomy is of two men going to cut wood in a forest and an axe head flying off and killing one of them.

Protection continued only as long as the person stayed within the city of refuge. If he stepped outside he was vulnerable. 28 The accused must stay in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest; only after the death of the high priest may he return to his own property.

So where there as more than one witness to a murderer the murderer was to be put to death and there was no ransom allowed. In the case of manslaughter there was no death penalty as long as the person stayed in the city of refuge for the prescribed time. The closing verses of the chapter say (33, 34) 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. Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites. Sin especially murder pollutes the land.

There is a reminder here then of the need to provide for those who minister.

Otherwise, we no longer have avengers of blood. Things are dealt with in quite a different way although it is clear here that a fair trial is important and that is generally accepted in our society. I think it is clear that murderers should die and that those guilty of manslaughter should not. Certainly a distinction continues to be made between the two crimes in this country and we should be thankful for that. Murder carries a mandatory life sentence while the sentence for manslaughter is at the judge's discretion. Of course, what is in mind here is involuntary manslaughter. It can get rather complex, of course. When is death caused by a car driver manslaughter and what about a drug dealer supplying someone with heroin?

We ought to pray for our law makers and for the judiciary as they make sometimes difficult decisions.

Perhaps the best way for us to think about this passage tonight, however, is to remember these words from the New Testament.

In Hebrews 6:18 the writer refers to Christians as we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us. In 2:13 he also asks how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?

In Romans 8:1 Paul speaks of those who are in Christ Jesus as being under no condemnation, as was the case with a person who fled to a City of Refuge.

There is good reason, therefore, to see these references to cities of refuge as pointing to forward to Christ and the salvation that is found in him. I want to say four things that arise out of these verses this evening then.

1. Realise that by nature you are in a state of danger

A person who killed another person under the Old Testament law was a person who was in danger. From the moment he killed a person he was in danger of being hunted down and killed by the avenger of blood. The law said that if you killed a person then the avenger of blood was free to kill you without offence.

Now we also, all of us, have broken the law. We have not killed anyone but there is hatred and if not hatred other sins in our lives. James warns (2:10) whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. If we say we have no sin we are liars. We have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory. We have gone astray like lost sheep. Further, the Bible is clear that the wages of sin is death. When sin is full grown it brings for the death. If we die in our sins then we will be cast into hell. We are in great danger. The avenger of blood is already on the road to get us as it were. God's wrath is like an avenger of blood hunting down his prey. In Galatians 3:10, quoting Deuteronomy, Paul says clearly Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law. We need to see our danger then.

2. Understand that you will only be saved from danger if you flee

Now a second lesson can be learned from the fact that the only way a man could be saved from danger was by fleeing. If he stayed where he was it was all but certain that the avenger of blood would find him. As soon as the other person died his killer was in danger and he needed to flee as fast as he could. Death can come at any moment to anyone of us. Therefore we need to act quickly and to be ready to flee. There is no place for ease or complacency. The difficulty is waking people up to their danger.

In one of his books John Blanchard writes

“On 12 December 1984 dense fog shrouded the M25 near Godstone, in Surrey, a few miles south of London. The hazard warning lights were on, but were ignored by most drivers. At 6:15 am a lorry carrying huge rolls of paper was involved in an accident, and within minutes the carriageway was engulfed in carnage. Dozens of cars were wrecked. Ten people were killed. A police patrol car was soon on the scene, and two policemen ran back up the motorway to stop oncoming traffic. They waved their arms and shouted as loud as they could, but most drivers took no notice and raced on towards the disaster that awaited them. The policemen then picked up traffic cones and flung them at the cars’ windscreens in a desperate attempt to warn drivers of their danger; one told how tears streamed down his face as car after car went by and he waited for the sickening sound of impact as they hit the growing mass of wreckage farther down the road.” (John Blanchard, “Whatever Happened to Hell?”, page 297)

It is like those policemen – trying to warn people but people not realising they have to flee.

3. Accept that the place of safety to which you can flee is Christ

This is the third thing. There are several things about the cities of refuge that are also true of Christ and that point to him. Let me mention five.

1. Appointed by God

The cities of refuge were not a man-made idea, it was something that God himself instituted. It is God who said there should be cities and how many there should be and God who said that they were places of refuge. It was God also who appointed his Son to be the Christ and to be the Saviour of the world. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

2. Free and open to all

You remember how in verse 15 it say that the Cities of Refuge were for Israelites, aliens and any other people living among them, so that anyone who has killed another accidentally can flee there. So it is with Christ. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. He is the King if the Jews but he is also the Saviour of the world. Romans 10:11-13 As Scripture says, "Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile - the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

3. Close at hand

The cities of refuge were so placed that no-one was never very much more than a day's journey from one or another of them. This is true of the means of drawing near to Christ too, which is by faith. Remember how Paul says in Romans 10:6-10

But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) "or 'Who will descend into the deep?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

4. Easily accessible

The cities of refuge were made accessible by good roads and were in high up places where they could easily be seen. So it is again with the gospel of Jesus Christ. His name is known everywhere. The only real hindrances are made by ourselves.

5. With an ample supply

The cities of refuge were kept well stocked with the necessities of life for those seeking refuge in those places could not go outside of them. This reminds us of how all goodness and wisdom are found in Christ. Once you find him you lack nothing.

4. If you have found the place of safety in Christ you must remain there

Once you entered a city of refuge and were found not to be guilty of murder the only thing needed was to stay inside the city. It must have been something of a trial not ever to leave the city but given the safety it afforded what could be better? Once you become a Christian all that is required is that you remain in Christ. Some days that can seem such a chore but when we remember what being in Christ guarantees who would not wish to be in him? Remain in him then. Christ is the vine and we are the branches. We will bear much fruit if we only remain in him.

The Christian life - Your battle, your boundaries, your lot

Text Numbers 33:50-34:25 Time 26/05/13 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

I want us to look this week at Numbers at the closing verses of Numbers 33 and at Chapter 34. In these chapters Moses is told to tell the Israelites about the task that lies ahead for them in the Promised Land, to make clear to them the boundaries of the land and to begin the process of allotting the land to the different tribes.

Once again, it is a story from a very long time ago and a place far from here. Again there are these lists that are hard to read or appreciate

The boundaries of the land:

Verses 3-5 Your southern side will include some of the Desert of Zin along the border of Edom. On the east, your southern boundary will start from the end of the Salt Sea, cross south of Scorpion Pass, continue on to Zin and go south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and over to Azmon, where it will turn, join the Wadi of Egypt and end at the Sea. We know where Egypt is and perhaps we can guess the Salt Sea is The Dead Sea but most of the other names don't mean much.

The men who would do the allotting:

18-21, etc And appoint one leader from each tribe to help assign the land. These are their names: Caleb son of Jephunneh, from the tribe of Judah; Shemuel son of Ammihud, from the tribe of Simeon; Elidad son of Kislon, from the tribe of Benjamin, etc. We have heard of Caleb but the rest are just names.

However, this is the story of the people of God. If they never had come through the desert and never have settled in Canaan, then there would be no David, no Solomon and no Jesus Christ. It is important then.

But what practical use is it to us today? Well, let's think about it. Here are the people of God and they are about to enter on a new life. God wants Moses to set out some of the things they need to know – that there is a battle ahead, the boundaries of the land, the beginning of the allotment. Now when a person becomes a Christian it is the beginning of a new life. And it is good at the beginning of it to have certain things set out clearly. Indeed, it is good for us all to be reminded of these things from time to time.

So three things

1. Consider the Christian life, the battle to be fought and the life to be lived

So we are still (33:50, 51) On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho and now the LORD says to Moses, Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, certain things are going to need to happen. They, like Christians, had a task to perform. Let's think about that first of all.

1. Consider the task of the Christian negative and positive

1 Negative. 52 When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places.

As you know, the Promised Land was inhabited by various tribes of the Canaanites. These tribes were not only pagans but decadent pagans. What we see here is two parts of God's plan for his world coming together. On the one hand, these Canaanite peoples have become so decadent that God has decided to judge them by removing them. On the other, it is his purpose that the removal of these decadent pagans will provide his own people with a land to live in. And so he puts them under an obligation to drive out the Canaanites and Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places.

Something similar pertains with regard to Christians. God hates sin, of course, and wants to see it destroyed. Among his chief means to this end is by putting Christians under an obligation to oppose sin in their lives and put to death every remnant of it. In Colossians 1:5 Paul says to believers Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Romans 8:13 is similar if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

Just as the Israelites were under an obligation to put to death the Canaanites so, if you are a Christian you are under an obligation to put sin to death wherever it arises in your life. We must not give sin the oxygen it craves but strangle it to death.

2 Positive. Moses goes on in 33:53 to say Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess. They are to (54) Distribute the land by lot, according to your clans. To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one. Whatever falls to them by lot will be theirs. Distribute it according to your ancestral tribes. So not only were they to put to death the Canaanites bu they also had to Take possession of the land they had been given to possess. That included the dividing up of it that is spoken of later.

Now again there is a lesson for us here. The Christian life is to be lived. That may seem a little obvious but it is surprising how often that is forgotten. If we are true believers then we need to live as true believers and do the sorts of things that Christians do – praying, reading the Word, fellowshipping together, telling others of Christ, acting in faith and seeking to please God.

Are you a Christian? Are you putting sin to death then? Are you living the Christian life? This is how it must be.

2. Consider the consequences of failure in this task

In 33:55, 56 there is a warning But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them. There are two warnings then. A failure to deal with the Canaanites will mean constant unhappiness – they will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live, More than that, they themselves will be driven out by God himself.

There is warning here too for every Christian. Most obviously, without this putting sin to death and living the Christian life there can be no real joy in the Christian life. Not only that but if you say you are a Christian but are not living the Christian life then who is to say God will not bring you to judgement.

2. Consider the Christian life and the boundaries to be aware of

When we come into Chapter 34 we learn what the boundaries of the Promised Land are to be. The LORD speaks to Moses, Command the Israelites and say to them: When you enter Canaan, the land that will be allotted to you as an inheritance will have these boundaries:

Four boundaries are then described.

South (3-5) Your southern side will include some of the Desert of Zin along the border of Edom. On the east, your southern boundary will start from the end of the Salt Sea, cross south of Scorpion Pass, continue on to Zin and go south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and over to Azmon, where it will turn, join the Wadi of Egypt and end at the Sea.

West (6) Your western boundary will be the coast of the Great Sea. Mediterranean. This will be your boundary on the west.

North (7-9) For your northern boundary, run a line from the Great Sea to Mount Hor and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath. Then the boundary will go to Zedad, continue to Ziphron and end at Hazar Enan. This will be your boundary on the north.

East (10-12) For your eastern boundary, run a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. The boundary will go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain and continue along the slopes east of the Sea of Kinnereth (Galilee) Then the boundary will go down along the Jordan and end at the Salt Sea Dead Sea).

This will be your land, with its boundaries on every side.

Now in a similar way we can think perhaps of four boundaries that give shape to the Christian life.

1. Grace

That has to be the first and the most important. Grace is basically undeserved love. One of the greatest characteristics of God is that he is the God of all grace. Because he is a God who is love he is willing to be gracious to all who trust in him and call on him. To be saved you must be in grace. Grace must form the border, as it were. If you are outside God's grace then you cannot be his. You are cut off from him. Once you are in his grace, it is important to do nothing to jeopardise that grace, nothing to cheapen it or test it. For example, you may be tempted to say that since you are saved by grace not deeds then it doesn't matter if you sin or whether you do good deeds or not but that is to cross the border, to make yourself a foreigner to grace and that is both foolish and wicked.

2. The Law

The Law summed up in the Ten Commandments is another border for us. Some don't like this idea. They say, you just said that grace was the border. But that is like saying that because the northern border is here then the southern border can't be here. No, grace is a border and law is also a border. One of the things the Ten Commandments do is to show us where we may be going wrong in life and to show us how to live.

So, for example, the commandments teach us to love God by being careful how we use his name and by keeping his day holy. It warns us against selfishness and dishonesty and greed. The Law forms an important border – do not cross it – and if you do, get right back straight away with due repentance.

3. Love

Love is another important barrier. Some Christians again don't get this. They know salvation is by grace and they know about the law but they forget about love. This was one of the problems in Corinth. One of the issues there was food offered to idols. Some simply said an idol is nothing and so it was not an issue. For others it was against their consciences to eat such meat. Paul points out that it is not a simple matter of who is right, who is wrong. There must be love.

4. The brevity of life

This is an obvious one. You don't need me to say much about this. People die at different ages. Some die young, some live many years. George Beverley Shea recently died at 104! We do not know how long we will live.

3. Consider the Christian life and the allotment that takes place

In the final section of Chapter 34 Moses commands the Israelites: (13-15) Assign this land by lot as an inheritance. The LORD has ordered that it be given to the nine and a half tribes, because the families of the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance. These two and a half tribes have received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan of Jericho, toward the sunrise.

And then we have the names of those who are to carry out this business in verses 16-29. The actual allotment takes place later, of course, but this is the first part. We too all have an allotment, as it were. We can think of different aspects to it

1. Place of birth and upbringing

Where you were born and brought up is decided by God. It makes a difference which country you live in, what is the dominant religion and so on. Who your parents are makes a big difference.

2. Place where you live as an adult

I grew up in South Wales. I never would have guessed I would spend so long in London.

3. Your gifts and graces

You discover that there are some things you are good at and some things you are not.

4. Place in the church (Pastors Deacons and women, etc)

If you become a Christian you will be expected to do something. We all have different talents, different things we can do to help -

5. Providences good and bad

Sometimes major changes can come into our lives. It is God who does these things.

 

The things to remember is that this is all this is decided by God, remember. This is your lot. That can be said rather cruelly but this is the case and we need to remember it.

 

I hope you will find this useful to remember in the week ahead.

 

The Christian Pilgrimage, a travel diary

Text Numbers 33:1-49 Time 19/05/13 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

In Numbers 33:1-49 we have the itinerary of the Israelites as they traipsed across the desert those 40 years passing from Egypt to the borders of the Promised Land. It is written like a military itinerary of which we have other examples in ancient literature. It tells us the places where Israel camped and broke camp (pulled up their tent pegs). Moses writes Here are the stages in the journey of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt by (military) divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. Moses explains that it was At the LORD's command that he recorded the stages in their journey.

As is often the case in Numbers, some of it makes for what we find rather tedious reading. The word camped appears here 42 times and most of the rest is places, many of which are not mentioned anywhere else and we do not even know where they are. Take verses 25-28 for example

They left Haradah and camped at Makheloth. They left Makheloth and camped at Tahath. They left Tahath and camped at Terah. They left Terah and camped at Mithcah.

The problem is that it's just a list of names and the names mean nothing to us. It might be more interesting if it was

They left Mortimer Close and waited for a bus in Cricklewood Lane. They left Cricklewood Lane on the bus and got off at Cricklewood Broadway where they waited for another bus. They left Cricklewood Broadway on the bus and got off outside Sainsbury's on the Kilburn High Road. They shopped in Kilburn High Road then waited for a bus back on Quex Road.

Even then it is not that interesting unless we keep in mind the beginning and end and the purpose of the journey. Say I left here and went to Kilburn High Road to buy you all presents and caught the 328 back here to give them to you.

If we remember that these are the people of God, the people to whom Messiah would in due time be born, that they are travelling from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land then there is more interest.

The other thing that will help us is to see that the Christian life can be thought of as a journey. I know that everybody says they are on a journey these days but we really are – a journey from slavery to heaven – and so although we need to be careful how we use biblical pictures we may say that in this passage there are helps for us on the way. So we say

1. Leaving Egypt. Think about the Christian life and its beginning

This is their journey by stages: writes Moses and he begins by noting (3, 4) that The Israelites set out from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after the Passover. They marched out boldly in full view of all the Egyptians, who were burying all their firstborn, whom the LORD had struck down among them; for the LORD had brought judgement on their gods.

In order for the Jews to become a nation with their own land they first had to be brought out from under the slavery that they were enduring in Egypt. And that is what God did for them at the time of the last plague and the first Passover.

Now the Bible makes quite clear that those who are not Christians are slaves, slaves to sin and to the Devil. They have no hope. It is only when we are set free and brought out as Israel was that we have hope. Because Christ the Passover Lamb has been slain we can come out and be delivered.

If you are not a Christian, you need to see where it all starts. You are a slave by nature but God can save you if you look to Christ for deliverance. If you are a Christian, remember how it started. You may not remember very distinctly your conversion but it must have happened for you to have become a Christian. Praise God that you have been brought out through Christ and are now on the road to glory.

2. Crossing the Red Sea. Think about the Christian life – it involves coming through troubles

Next we read (5-7) The Israelites left Rameses and camped at Succoth. They left Succoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the desert. We have evidence to suggest this was a common route to follow. They left Etham, turned back to Pi Hahiroth, which means something like mouth of the canal to the east of Baal Zephon, and camped near Migdol. It sounds like they went through a gap in the canal system out into the desert.

Then it says (8a) They left Pi Hahiroth and passed through the sea into the desert. This is the briefest of references to the great crossing of the Red Sea described in Exodus. You remember how the Egyptians suddenly started coming after them and they were caught between the Egyptian army and the sea they could not cross. Troubles don't always come at the very beginning of the Christian life but they often do and one cannot be a Christian for a very long time before troubles of one sort or another come. Israel got through this crisis by first standing still and waiting on the Lord and then obeying him. Of course, it was a great miracle that led to their escape and we cannot suppose that God will always deliver us in that way. The principle of trusting the Lord at such times holds good, however. If you have ever been delivered in the past you know that it is God who did it and if you are to be delivered in the future it will be by the same method.

3. In the desert, at Marah and Elim. Think about the Christian life – it includes times bitterness and blessing

We then read (8a, 9) and when they had travelled for three days in the Desert of Etham, Exodus calls it the Desert of Shur they camped at Marah. They left Marah and went to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there.

You may remember that after crossing the Red Sea Israel went for three days without finding water. Then when they eventually did find water it was bitter. That is why they called the place Marah. God directed Moses to put a branch in the water and it miraculously became sweet. Elim was clearly an oasis in the desert and it must have been particularly delightful after what they had been through.

Now in the Christian life there are times of bitterness and sorrow and also times of blessedness and joy. The bitter times are made sweet because we know that God is in control and that he will bring us through and in the times when we are blessed abundantly and so happy we remember that we are in a journey and only passing through. Elim is not our home but the world to come.

4. In the desert of Sin. Think about the Christian life – it is good but how often we complain

10-13 They left Elim and camped by the Red Sea. They left the Red Sea and camped in the Desert of Sin. They left the Desert of Sin and camped at Dophkah. They left Dophkah and camped at Alush. Sin here is just a name (a little like Sinai) and has nothing to do with sin, although the period is characterised by constant moaning and murmuring. Daily the Israelites were being given bread from heaven and yet how they grumbled. Too often we are like that too.

5. No water at Rephidim. Think about the Christian life and how it can sometimes be marked by dry spells

In verse 14 we read that They left Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink. Thirstiness was a common thing I the desert or wilderness. We also find in Think about the Christian life that a dryness can creep in and we find it hard to keep going. What is the answer at such times? Well, you remember what happened at Rephidim. It was there that God brought water gushing out for them in that dry and thirsty land. We are told in the New Testament that that rock was Christ and we know that it was after his death on the cross that the Holy Spirit was poured out like rivers of living water on his people. When we are dry we need more than anything else to get ourselves focused on Christ the one who sends the Spirit.

6. Sinai. Think about the Christian life – it has a place for the law

In verse 15 we read that They left Rephidim and camped in the Desert of Sinai. Of course, it was while they were in the Sinai desert that the Law was given, including the Ten Commandments. Some people say there is no real place for the law in The Christian life but that is a mistake. You cannot prove that there is a place for it from Numbers 33 but the fact is that one of its uses is to remind us of God's character and what he requires from us. Do not forget God's law.

7. Place after place. Think about the Christian life – it is marked by sin and always changing

In verses 16-36 you have a whole series of names most of which do not mean very much to us. We go from the Desert of Sinai to Kadesh in the Desert of Zin with 20 stops between, one for every two years of their time in the desert.

Kibroth Hattaavah

Hazeroth

Rithmah.

Rimmon Perez

Libnah

Rissah

Kehelathah

Mount Shepher

Haradah

Makheloth

Tahath

Terah

Mithcah

Hashmonah

Moseroth

Bene Jaakan

Hor Haggidgad

Jotbathah

Abronah

Ezion Geber

Perhaps we can make the following points

1. Sin tends to rob life of significance and retard progress

Even though this passage is covering a lengthy period and many changes there is not much worth preserving here. This we know is because much of what happened was sinful and best forgotten. The Bible does talk about people's sins but it often passes over them in silence. What we must not forget here is that it was because of their sins that the Israelites spent all that time wandering from place to place in the desert.

The Banner of Truth have just brought out a book by Garry Williams, Director of the John Owen Centre, called Silent Witnesses. In the opening part he reflects on history and writing about it. He reflects on the difficulty of portraying Christians from the past. Should we write about their sins or not? At one point he says fairly I think

“Most Christians live lives that appear to be more holy than they are, not necessarily because they are deliberate hypocrites, but because many of their sins are committed in the mind and will and affections, but do not come to fruition in visible actions. It is no surprise that the heroes of the past appear more holy than they were, or that we cannot document most of their sins. The same is true of each of us.”

Our lives as Christians are marred by sins that so often rob life of its significance and retard our progress.

2. The changing nature of all that is earthly and the unsettled nature of life on earth

Perhaps the other thing to reflect on is the changing nature of all that is earthly. There is hardly a place here that we can still locate today. It is also a reminder of the unsettled nature of life on earth. As Christians we always know that earth is not our home. Heaven is. We are pilgrims, sojourners. We are on our way through as the people in the desert were.

8. On the edge of the Promised Land. Think about the Christian life and its end

The final section I want us to look at today is in 37-49. First we read of Aaron's death (37-39) - They left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the border of Edom. 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. Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.

Then we read that The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev of Canaan, heard that the Israelites were coming. Then there is more moving

They left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. They left Zalmonah and camped at Punon. They left Punon and camped at Oboth. They left Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, on the border of Moab. They left Iyim and camped at Dibon Gad. They left Dibon Gad and camped at Almon Diblathaim. They left Almon Diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, near Nebo. They left the mountains of Abarim and camped on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. There on the plains of Moab they camped along the Jordan from Beth Jeshimoth to Abel Shittim.

So by this time they are on the very borders of the Promised Land. There is still a lot of sadness and wandering but it is a wonderful time. It is wonderful time when a Christian is on the borders of the Promised Land. It often happens when a person is old but it doesn't have to be then. It can be sooner.

The current Grace Magazine includes the testimony of Esther Childress who died last December at the age of only 13. She wrote a short time before

"Before I became a Christian I came to church because I had to, and not because I really wanted to. I’d rather stay at my friend’s house or at home. I was slowly moving away from God and my family – I was never at home. I would ‘bunk off’ school and deceive my parents. It wouldn’t really bother me that I was actually sinning against God and I was gradually moving into becoming not a very nice person.

And then, at the end of August last year, I remember going ... to St Ann’s hospital for an x-ray, because I was getting really bad pain in my right leg, and I wasn’t able to sleep. I was sent straight to North Mid hospital for more scans, and shortly after having a biopsy, was diagnosed with bone cancer (which was really a shock because everyone thought that it was just growing pains). In the past year I’ve been given six different types of chemotherapy, two biopsies, I’ve had two operations to remove tumours, and I’ve got a metal knee. More recently I have had radiotherapy on my leg. So far none of these treatments have worked, and there are now multiple tumours in my leg and the cancer has spread to my lungs. It has been hard when I go to the hospital and keep hearing bad news.

But throughout the ups and downs of the past year, I have never felt angry with God or questioned Him about why I am going through all of this. I feel like God is testing my faith and this illness was supposed to, and has, brought me closer to Him. Over time, as I’ve needed God more and more, it’s made me put Him at the centre of my life, and has made me into a changed person whose view on life ... is ‘live one day at a time’. I know that I am in God’s hands and I’m ready for whatever or wherever He wants my life to go – however hard it might be. Obviously I’m really praying that God will heal me, but I have put my trust in Him and I know that He will do what’s best for me, in my life. I have realized that Jesus is my Saviour and I’ve asked Him to forgive me for all of my sins. It’s so AMAZING that someone can wash away all of my sins, so that it’s like I’ve never sinned in the first place. But I know that that doesn’t mean that I can keep on sinning; I have to try not to sin – but I’m still only human, so I will make mistakes, and when I do, saying ‘sorry’ to God; but I’m trying not to, and trying to follow God’s commandments.

Before I got saved I was quite a selfish person, and always did what I wanted to do, even when I hurt someone else’s feelings, it wouldn’t really bother me because I wasn’t that other person. During this past year I’ve had to put myself in other people’s shoes because I turned into that other person. For example, because of having different operations on my leg, I’ve had to go around in a wheelchair. People look at you differently, and it makes you realize how much other people go through that are in similar situations.

… I don’t expect God to heal me – He may have other plans for me. But whatever happens, it’s amazing to know where I’m going to end up on judgement day. God has given me so many blessings in my 13 years of life, and even through this last year. I went on a Mediterranean cruise; I’ve been able to spend time in Dorset, and I’ve just got a dog called ‘Hope’.

It may sound crazy but, although this illness has brought me a lot of pain and discomfort, and I can’t do everything that I would like to do, in some ways this illness has changed my life for the better. I mean, I don’t know what I would be like if I hadn’t got ill – I don’t think that I would have got saved or appreciated life, or realized that every day that I live is a blessing from God. I thank the Lord for making me ill if it meant that I realize all of these things, and made me accept Jesus as my Lord and Saviour.

I’m so grateful that God has given me 13 years of life, loving parents that have supported me, friends and family that have continued praying for me and most importantly His son Jesus Christ who died for me!"

Be sure your sins will find you out

Text Numbers 32 Time 12/05/13 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

Do you like to listen to the news? I tend to listen to a bit in the morning or at other odd times and then watch the TV at Ten. My interest varies. Some of it is very interesting, other bits not so. I tend to find most of the economics and a lot of the politics a bit boring. I suppose it's the human interest stories that I find most interesting.

As you know, for some time now the news has been full of stories about celebrities being arrested and often charged with crimes of sexual abuse and not just celebrities but others too. It all started with Jimmy Savile and then there was Stuart Hall and then ten or more others who all deny the accusations. Every now and again the news introduces or popularise a new word or phrase. Last year it was omnishambles, pleb and green-on-blue. There's also second screening when you, say, watch TV with a laptop and game changer. The one arising from the Savile enquiry and related news items is “historical allegations”. That is to say, the allegations all concern things that happened in the past, sometimes the very distant past. At least one accusation goes back to the 1960s.

I draw attention to this because it reminds us that even though a crime may have occurred a very long time ago, it is still a crime that may lead to a punishment, event though it may occur many, many years, even decades, after the event. It is a reminder of a well known Bible phrase found here in Numbers 32. It is in the second part of verse 23 - and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.

The phrase occurs as part of a sentence that has to do with a very specific set of circumstances but it is one of those cases where a general rule is stated, one that has an application in many different situations and circumstances.

The story in Numbers 32 concerns The Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks. They see that the lands of Jazer and Gilead are suitable for livestock and so they go to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the community, and explain that the area which had just been won was suitable for livestock, and as they had livestock, they say If we have found favour in your eyes … let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.

The problem with this was that for the conquest of the Promised Land itself it was necessary for Israel to be at full strength. Moses raises this issue. As far as Moses was concerned this was the discouraging attitude of the spies al over again- (12) not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly was faithful then. This is why the Israelites had ended up wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. Moses is quite harsh with them (14, 15 And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the Lord even more angry with Israel. If you turn away from following him, he will again leave all this people in the wilderness, and you will be the cause of their destruction.)

The Reubenites and Gadites protest their innocence, however, promising leave their families in situ but arm themselves and go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them to their place. We will not return to our homes they say (18, 19) until each of the Israelites has received their inheritance. We will not receive any inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance has come to us on the east side of the Jordan.

Moses is mollified at this but warns them sternly. He then gives orders about them to Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun and to the family heads of the Israelite tribes in line with their promise. They again make it clear (31, 32) Your servants will do what the Lord has said. We will cross over before the Lord into Canaan armed, but the property we inherit will be on this side of the Jordan. So the Gadites, the Reubenites and the half-tribe of Manasseh are given the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan - the whole land with its cities and the territory around them. We are told how they built up various places as fortified cities, and built pens for their flocks and rebuilt various other places and drove out Amorites there. One man Jair gets a special mention as does another man Nobah.

The phrase we want to focus on then is in 23b. Moses is happy with the arrangement whereby they work alongside others in the conquest and then return to their land later But he wants them to be very aware if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. They must do as they have promised. Moses does not spell out any specific consequences but he wants them to be sure about something - your sin will find you out. Moses clearly believes that God will not allow it to turn out any other way. This is a universal law clearly. And so we say tonight

1. Are you aware of your sin and your propensity to sin?

In this chapter the Reubenites and Gadites had not sinned in the way that Moses thought they might. But they had sinned in other ways, no doubt. And we are the same. We all stumble in various ways. We have all sinned as the Bible tells us and fall short of the glory of God. We have all gone astray like sheep. The proverb asks Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin"? And as Ecclesiastes 7:20 answers Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.

God has drawn a line and said that we must not cross it and yet we have crossed it many times. He has put up the target and said that is where to aim and we have failed to reach it. The pass mark is 100% and we have again and again failed to reach it. We have failed to put God first, we have not worshipped him as we should, we've misused his name and given not time to his worship. Think of your rebelliousness and your grasping ways and your lust and impurity and your hatred and anger, your dishonesty and greed. All these sins are ours and more.

And it is not only that we have sinned in the past but who knows what we might do in the future? Okay, in the past you may have taken some small thing that wasn't yours but what if in the future you turned to robbing banks or get involved in major fraud? You may say “never” but do not presume you would never do such a thing.

There was a case in 2003 where a man called Warren Brown of Norman, Oklahoma was arrested. FBI spokesman Gary Johnson said that Brown, 41, was the pastor of Bible Baptist Church, 3786 N. Porter Ave, in Norman. FBI agents also said Brown was a suspect in up to six more hold ups at banks or credit unions. "We received some tips the night before last that he (Brown) was a person who matched the description from the surveillance pictures," Johnson said. "They also said Brown drives a green minivan (which matched the description of the vehicle the robbery suspect drove). But (our informant) did not have any knowledge that Brown was the robber, just that he looked like him."

Anyway they decided on surveillance of Brown and discovered him robbing a bank. They were eventually able to convict him for a series of bank raids and he went to prison and served his time.

A little while after his imprisonment he wrote a letter in which he said

“What I did was wrong! In no way will I attempt to shift the blame for my actions. I, and I alone, take full responsibility for every decision and action that I have made. In no way will I attempt to rationalise my wicked behaviour. Over the last few months I have pondered the hurt, the loss, and the trauma that I have caused to so many. My behaviour is shocking to me and to all who know me. If you had asked me years ago, "would you ever rob a bank?", I would have told you that is impossible. I thought I was incapable of such reprehensible behaviour - even now, after the event has transpired, I still cannot imagine how I could do such a thing! Everyone who knows me will tell you that I am not in anyway a violent person.”

In a similar way you may have lusted and hated but you imagine that you could never commit adultery or murder someone. Would you ever commit adultery? Would you ever murder? Perhaps the best answer is to say please God, I never will and to turn away from lust and hatred which lead to adultery and murder. We all sin and we all have a propensity to sin.

2. Have you realised the power of sin to find out its perpetrators?

So we all sin and we are all liable to sin. Now the thing about sin that is highlighted here is its power to find you out. There is something about sin, says Moses, that always leads you back to the owner. We use it as an every day phrase. Someone has not done his studying and in the exam he is found out; someone has been messing about instead of working and then the boss or an inspector arrives unannounced.

There are any number of illustrations of the idea. From the school kids who miss a school event to go to a rock concert only to find their faces on the front of the local paper at the concert to any number of hapless burglars who almost want to be caught – one cuts himself badly and leaves a trail of blood all the way back to his home around the corner, another snatches a handbag and runs to hide only to find he has run into the local police station and yet another who tries to steal an alarm clock from a shop under his coat only to have it go off as he heads for the door.

There's the boy who sneaks out at night and leaves something under the bed clothes so that when his parents check they will think he is in bed. One night he puts the lampstand in there. When his father comes into the room he flicks the switch and the lampstand lights up under the bedclothes.

I heard of a taxi driver picking up a fare one night and being surprised that the man asked for his own address. Rather than expressing surprise he thought he would just learn what he could. It turns out that the man was having an affair with the taxi driver's wife.

I read a story of a police woman going through an old file and matching a fingerprint from a bottle with a murder suspect eight years later. The whole story of how fingerprints have led to otherwise undetectable crimes being detected is a fascinating one. The same is true of DNA. After the discovery of DNA matching police went through their files and again and again you heard of people who had apparently got away with it being prosecuted.

My favourite illustration of this is a story that my wife's sister Catrin tells. One day my father-in-law had a little bit of cement work done in front of the fireplace in his study. It was only a small job and I think he did it himself. Cement takes a little while to set and so he left it to do something else and came back later. When he came back there was a footprint in the cement, a little girl's footprint. And so he asked the girls which one of them had done it. Was it you Eleri? No. Was it you Fflur? No. Was it you Catrin? No. Well, let's see. I want each of you to come and place your foot in the print and see which one of you it was. What I like about this story is that even then Catrin didn't realise she'd been rumbled. She was only 6 or so to be fair. And so first Eleri tried. No it wasn't her. Then Fflur. It wasn't her. And then Catrin – it was like Cinderella in reverse – a perfect fit!

There are things that give us away – our footprint, our fingerprint, our blood, our DNA; a photo, an eye witness, a light comes on, an alarm sounds. God has built these things in to our lives so that we may learn this lesson or principle. You know that when you touch something with your hands you leave evidence. It is almost impossible to walk through a room without leaving some trace that modern forensic science can detect. In many places now there is CCTV. Every time you use the telephone or the internet you leave evidence of your presence.

Above all that, God is watching. He sees everything. He knows the actions and words and thoughts of every person. Nothing at all can be hidden from him. One day it is all going to be brought out into the open. In Revelation 20 John says

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.

It is all there. Your sin will find you out

3. Are you convinced that your sin will certainly find you out?

What Moses says is Be sure your sin will find you out. What you have to face is that even if your sin is never discovered in this life it will eventually find you out.

Some think God is too high and mighty to be bothered about us and our sins but he is not. You may think that the day of judgement will never come. But it will. Sometimes people simply forget their sins and suppose that if they have forgotten them then God has too. No he hasn't. Some know that God is love and so they think it will all be alright in the end. No, it won't. Be sure your sin will find you out. Like a heat seeking missile, like a guided rocket, your sin will find its way back to you.

Have you ever lost something and had it sent back to you by post? Some kind soul has seen your name and address and sent back whatever was lost. Sin is like that. It knows your address and will come winging back to you one day. You won't lose it easily even if you want to.

4. What are you going to do to escape from the consequences of sin?

So here it is. Sin, like mud, sticks. There is no getting away from it. What hope is there for us? There is just one way to remove the stain of sin and that is to trust in Jesus Christ. If you trust in him then all your sins will be removed. When you are in Christ you will either not sin or if you do then wherever sin finds you, you can answer it with the blood of Christ. Moses doesn't talk about that here, of course, but that is the great message of the Bible for us all. Trust in Christ and be forgiven.

A call to thankful, generous giving

Text Numbers 31:25-54 Time 05/05/13 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

We looked last week at Israel's victory over Midian described in Numbers 31:1-24. We come this week to the remaining verses of the chapter and the aftermath of the battle. Once again we are reminded why this book is called Numbers. There are lots of numbers in this section – 675,000; 72,000; 61,000, 32,000; and half those numbers - 337,500; 36,000; 30,500 16,000; and a thousandth 675, 72, 61 and 32. There is again a little bit of maths here for those who are interested in that sort of thing.

But what does the chapter have to teach us? What do we learn here? It is really a reminder of the subject of money and possessions and particularly of the need for thankful, generous giving to God. Looking at these verses we can discern at least four general principles that have wide application.

1. Recognise the principle of careful accounting

In verses 25 and 26 it says that The LORD said to Moses, You and Eleazar the priest and the family heads of the community are to count all the people and animals that were captured. A great deal of plunder had been gathered in this battle, not only goods but animals and people too. Normally in wars that did not happen. Normally each man grabbed his own plunder. In this case, however, there was to be giving to the Lord's work out of the plunder. This giving was to be done proportionately. Whether this was then to be a law for the future is not clear but certainly it was a law at this point and one that was fulfilled.

It may seem a strange point to make about giving but the first thing in this area is that we should be aware of what we have to give. I am not very good on money matters and may be you are the same but there is a responsibility on all of us, especially household heads, to have some idea of what money is coming in, in order that we may consider what we give to the Lord in the right way.

From time to time then we need to look at this matter and consider what we are earning and, subsequently, what we are doing with what comes in. A day is coming when we will all be judged and that judgement will include the way we have used all the good gifts God has given us in one way or another.

This applies not just to individuals and families but in churches and in the state too. We want civil government at local and national level that is open and above board when it comes to money matters and where due care is taken to use money wisely. We want church officers who give a careful accounting too. We are thankful to God that we have officers who make sure everything is done decently and in order, especially where financial matters are concerned.

2. Recognise the principle of fair distribution

Now in the first instance the plunder was to be divided between those who fought in the battle and those who did not. 27 Divide the spoils equally says God between the soldiers who took part in the battle and the rest of the community. This became a principle that was reinforced in David's time (see 1 Samuel 30). Here is another general principle then – that of fair distribution. One may have thought that the soldiers would get more but no they were only acting on behalf of others and so there is a fair distribution. Obviously it is not minutely fair in that there were only 12,000 soldiers and a lot more others who were not soldiers. There was a distribution if wealth nevertheless,

This is a difficult subject as it is often difficult to decide what is fair distribution. It is certainly something that civil government should be concerned about, however, and in the church too we must be eager for fairness as far as that is possible. In families the principle will be borne in mind too.

3. Recognise the principle of proportionate giving to the Lord and his work

Verses 28-47 talk about tribute to the Lord from all this plunder. And here a distinction is made.

First (28, 29) From the soldiers who fought in the battle, they were to set apart as tribute for the LORD one out of every 500, whether people, cattle, donkeys or sheep. This tribute from their half share was to be given to Eleazar the priest as the LORD's part. So there was a sort of tax on the live plunder.

Then (30) From the Israelites' half, they were to select one out of every fifty, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep or other animals. Give them to the Levites, who are responsible for the care of the LORD's tabernacle. So at a higher rate there was another tax and again it was all to go to the Lord's work.

The actual figures are then given with regard to the plunder remaining (some of the plunder no doubt would have been lost by death on the march home, including feeding the army) - 675,000 sheep, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys and 32,000 women who had never slept with a man. When those figures are split in half they come out at 337,500 sheep, 36,000 cattle, 30,500 donkeys. When one in every 500 is selected that means Eleazar would receive 675 sheep, 72 head of cattle, 61 donkeys and 32 women, who no doubt worked as temple servants. When one of every 50 is taken that means that the Levites would receive … well, the figures are not given but it must have been 10 times as many - 6,750 sheep, 720 head of cattle, 610 donkeys and 320 women, who again worked no doubt as temple servants.

People always say that giving should be a tenth or tithe but clearly it was not always a tenth. The important principle is not tithing but the principle that giving should be proportionate. The more you have, the more you ought to give. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 8:12 the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.

4. Recognise the principle of giving over and above what is required

The final part of the chapter tells us (48, 49) how the officers who were over the units of the army - the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds - went to Moses and said to him, Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one is missing. This was quite a remarkable thing. It is almost unheard of in history. It was quite something to go out to battle with so few soldiers but now they return and there have been no casualties – perhaps even more remarkable. Exodus 30 reveals that when a census is taken of soldiers then a ransom price of half a shekel per person needs to be paid. Much later in 2 Samuel 24 we read of David taking such a census and being punished by a plague. The idea seems to be present from early on that numbering soldiers is a dangerous thing as it can lead to pride and trust in man instead of in God. A payment needs to be made to avoid that.

From 12,000 soldiers, 6,000 shekels would be required but what we read in verse 50 is that the officers say So we have brought as an offering to the LORD the gold articles each of us acquired - armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings and necklaces - to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD. We then read that these crafted articles accepted by Moses and Eleazar the priest was presented as a gift to the LORD and weighed 16,750 shekels – way over the required amount, getting on for three times as much. This material was brought … into the tent of meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD. It acted as an atonement price and as a reminder to Israel of this great victory.

And so when we think of giving to the Lord there is the principle first of careful accounting and proportionate giving and we must decide what we will regularly give.

1 Corinthians 16:20 states clearly

On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

1 Corinthians 9:7 says

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

However, 1 Corinthians 9:6 also says

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously

and so even when we have decided in a certain amount there is nothing to stop us giving more as these people do here. As long as such thing is done voluntarily without any conversion and humbly without ostentation it is a wonderful thing and to be emulated. Special mercies in particular merit such honour to God and doing good on the behalf of others.

Let me close with some words from Spurgeon (spoken in 1871 on Nehemiah 8:10 & 12: 42, 43)

“It is well to feel that whatever good your gift may do to the church, or the poor, or the sick, it is twice as much benefit to you to give it. It is well to give, because you love to give; as the flower which pours forth its perfume because it never dreamed of doing otherwise; or like the bird which quivers with song, because it is a bird and finds a pleasure in its notes; or like the sun which shines, not by constraint, but because, being a sun, it must shine; or like the waves of the sea which flash back the brilliance of the sun, because it is their nature to reflect and not to hoard the light. Oh, to have such grace in our hearts that we shall joyfully make sacrifices unto our God.”