Luke 24:1-12

Part 18 of 21

[24:1] But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. [2] And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, [3] but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. [4] While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. [5] And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? [6] He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, [7] that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” [8] And they remembered his words, [9] and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. [10] Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, [11] but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. [12] But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.
(Luke 24:1-12 ESV)

18. There were the grave clothes. Where was He?

It was as He had said!

The Lord of Life who died for us

Has risen from the dead!

Luke 23:50-56

Part 17 of 21

[50] Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, [51] who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. [52] This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. [53] Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. [54] It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. [55] The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. [56] Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.
On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
(Luke 23:50-56 ESV)

17. King of the kingdom, slain by men,

Body now in the grave,

Can He bring hope if He is gone?

How can a dead man save?

Luke 23:44-49

Part 16 of 21

[44] It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, [45] while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. [46] Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. [47] Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” [48] And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. [49] And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.
(Luke 23:44-49 ESV)

16. How can the Lord of Glory die,

All of His days now past?

Where did the life of Jesus go

When He had breathed His last?

Luke 23:26-43

Part 15 of 21

[26] And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. [27] And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. [28] But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. [29] For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ [30] Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ [31] For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” [32] Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. [33] And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. [34] And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. [35] And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” [36] The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine [37] and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” [38] There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” [39] One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” [40] But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? [41] And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” [42] And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” [43] And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
(Luke 23:26-43 ESV)

15. “Dry” wood? A day of such distress!

Many seek death, alone.

“Father, forgive! Will we receive

Your kingdom as our own?”

Luke 23:13-25

Part 14 of 21

[13] Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, [14] and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. [15] Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. [16] I will therefore punish and release him.” [18] But they all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”—[19] a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. [20] Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, [21] but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” [22] A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.” [23] But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. [24] So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. [25] He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will.
(Luke 23:13-25 ESV)

14. Though Pilate chose that He should live,

Our Lord was born to die.

“Release to us Barabbas now!”

And Jesus? “Crucify!”

Luke 23:1-12

Part 13 of 21

[23:1] Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. [2] And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” [3] And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” [4] Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” [5] But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.”
[6] When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. [7] And when he learned that he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. [8] When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. [9] So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. [10] The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. [11] And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. [12] And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.
(Luke 23:1-12 ESV)

13. There was no guilt in Jesus Christ.

What was this Man's offense?

I will believe and follow Him.

No other choice makes sense.

Luke 22:66-71

Part 12 of 21

[66] When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their council, and they said, [67] “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, [68] and if I ask you, you will not answer. [69] But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” [70] So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” And he said to them, “You say that I am.” [71] Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.”
(Luke 22:66-71 ESV)

12. He is Messiah, Son of God,

But they would not believe.

In the distress I face today

He is the One I need.

Luke 22:63-65

Part 11 of 21

[63] Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. [64] They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” [65] And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him.
(Luke 22:63-65 ESV)

11. Beaten and mocked by ruthless men

Spewing out hate toward God,

Jesus, my Lord, faced shame for me.

My life is not that hard.

Luke 22:54-62

Part 10 of 21

[54] Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house, and Peter was following at a distance. [55] And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. [56] Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” [57] But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” [58] And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” [59] And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” [60] But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. [61] And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” [62] And he went out and wept bitterly.
(Luke 22:54-62 ESV)

10. Peter was with Him for three years.

Yes, he was one of them.

But he denied the Lord of life.

Yet Jesus died for him.

Luke 22:47-53

Part 9 of 21

[47] While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, [48] but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” [49] And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” [50] And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. [51] But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. [52] Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? [53] When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”
(Luke 22:47-53 ESV)

9. Kiss of a friend betrays the Light.
   Followers slash, despise.
   Like them I'm weak, impulsive, base,
   But Jesus, strong and wise.

Luke 22:39-46

Part 8 of 21

[39] And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. [40] And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” [41] And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, [42] saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” [43] And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. [44] And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. [45] And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, [46] and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
(Luke 22:39-46 ESV)

8. “Father, I need Your Spirit now.

Teach me to trust Your will.

Wounded and senseless, bring me joy,

In need and empty, fill!”

Luke 22:35-38

Part 7 of 21

[35] And he said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” [36] He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. [37] For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” [38] And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”
(Luke 22:35-38 ESV)

7. Danger feels very far from me.

Boredom is close at hand.

Have I forgotten why I'm here?

I serve the Son of Man.

Luke 22:31-34

Part 6 of 21

[31] “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, [32] but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” [33] Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” [34] Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.”
(Luke 22:31-34 ESV)

6. “Keep me, O God, from Satan's trap.

If I should faint or stray,

Revive me with Your Word again,

Remind me how to pray.”

Luke 22:24-30

Part 5 of 21

[24] A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. [25] And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. [26] But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. [27] For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.
[28] “You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, [29] and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, [30] that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
(Luke 22:24-30 ESV)

5. Follower lost in fog of self–

What do I have to give?

Jesus the King serves as a slave.

“Lord, show me how to live!”

Luke 22:14-23

Part 4 of 21

[14] And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. [15] And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. [16] For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” [17] And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. [18] For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” [19] And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” [20] And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. [21] But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. [22] For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” [23] And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.
(Luke 22:14-23 ESV)

4. “This is My body and My blood.

Do this. Remember Me.”

“Why was this meal Your strong desire?

Make my blind soul to see.”

Luke 22:7-13

Part 3 of 21

[7] Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. [8] So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” [9] They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” [10] He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters [11] and tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ [12] And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” [13] And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
(Luke 22:7-13 ESV)

3. “Heavenly Teacher, Lamb of Love,

Who came to take my sin,

Your long-appointed day has come.”

Am I prepared for Him?

Luke 22:3-6

Part 2 of 21

[3] Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. [4] He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. [5] And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. [6] So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.
(Luke 22:3-6 ESV)

2. Why would a friend betray this Man?

Was it for filthy gain?

How did the devil get his life?

Could I have been that friend?

Luke 22:1-2

The Passover Man

A meditation on Luke 22-24

Part 1 of 21

[22:1] Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. [2] And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people.
(Luke 22:1-2 ESV)

1. Secret of malice and of fear,

Passover Man must die.

Chief priest and scribe: “How can we kill,

Yet hide from ear and eye?”

1 Kings 18

The Lord intended to send rain again upon the land of Israel, but that rain would only come according to His own Word through His servant Elijah. Even those who believed in the Lord, like Ahab's servant, Obadiah, found it hard to imagine that this trouble would ever come to a good end. But God's plans even for the disobedient northern kingdom involved a future time of refreshment.

Ahab could not see it. He addressed Elijah as the “troubler of Israel.” But it was Ahab, the idolatrous king of Israel, who had brought trouble upon the land.

Rain would come again after a great contest between the Lord God and the false gods worshiped and supported by Ahab and Jezebel. Elijah issued the Lord's challenge directly to the people of Israel who had assembled to witness this battle between gods. How long would the people go “limping” between one religious system and another? The true God needed to be obeyed. Was Baal a true god? If so, he needed to prove it by responding by fire from heaven.

When the prophets of Baal did all that they could to bring about that result, nothing happened. Then Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes of Israel, and built a simple altar to the Lord. Why twelve? God remembered all twelve of the tribes, and He would show His abiding concern for them by answering from heaven according to the Word of His prophet. The Lord displayed that He was real and that He cared about Israel that day. The people saw with their own eyes and responded, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”

God had not abandoned them, but He would bring His vengeance against the false prophets who deceived His people. Once this contest was completed, Elijah prayed earnestly for rain, and the Lord heard his prayer. (James 5:17-18) God had vindicated His own Name in the sight of many.

It is not safe to abandon the Lord and to follow false gods. We need to hear the Son of God and receive His good gifts. He has water from heaven for all who will receive it. That water comes forth from the Father and the Son because of the victory that the Son of God has accomplished for us in His death and resurrection.

The wrath of God that we deserved came down upon the Lord Jesus. But God has remembered His people and displayed His glory in the resurrection of His Son. The Lord has forgiven all who will hear His voice and follow Jesus.

1 Kings 17

The end of 1 Kings and the beginning of 2 Kings tell us the story of two prophets, Elijah and Elisha. Both men worked extraordinary miracles and spoke boldly to the rulers of their day who had departed from the way of the Lord.

Elijah served God while Ahab was king of Israel. Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, had given themselves over to the worship of dead idols. Elijah came to them and to all Israel in the Name of the Lord, the living God.

Elijah's prayers made a difference. By his word, a drought came to Israel, remaining for years. By his word given a second time that drought came to an end. He was a man like us, but God listened to the voice of this righteous servant.

The Lord provided for him as Elijah did His bidding. His life was not an easy one, but in a time when famine had come upon the land, God gave Elijah food. Whether through the birds bringing him what he needed in a secluded hideaway, or through a poor widow who, in faith, followed his instruction and shared what she had, the Lord kept Elijah alive.

It was through Elijah that the Lord gave one of the two Old Testament accounts of a resurrection miracle. What was the purpose of this sign? In a world of so much distress and death, why did one widow's son get to live on the earth again after the breath of life was gone from his body? “The Lord listened to the voice of Elijah.” God wanted to give a testimony of resurrection life connected to the Word of His servant. As the widow herself testified, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”

Jesus performed three such miracles during His days upon the earth. But when His days were done, He gave His life for our salvation, and then performed another resurrection that was far beyond anything that He had done before. He, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, brought His own life back from the dead. This resurrection miracle was different than all the other resurrections in the Bible, not only because it was performed through the agency of the one who had died. His resurrection was not unto mortality, but to immortality. He rose from the dead never to die again.

There is another great day of resurrection that is coming for the church. By the Word of the One who died for our sins and rose for our justification there will be a general resurrection.

The dead shall be raised. This is the promise of Jesus to us, a promise that has been secured through His own outstanding resurrection miracle. Through that great sign, now we know that He is the Man of God, and that the Word of the Lord in His mouth is the truth.

1 Kings 16

God was still working in the northern kingdom of Israel. He was sending His Word through His prophets. He was raising up leaders “out of the dust” and then pronouncing His judgment against them for their disobedience. He had not utterly abandoned His people.

During the long reign of Asa in Judah, God brought several kings to Israel in the north. One served for only seven days. All of them were evil in the sight of the Lord.

The names of these kings are easily forgotten. As a whole we can remember that they walked in the way of Jeroboam, the king of Israel after the split between the north and the south in the days of Rehoboam of Judah, the son of Solomon. Rather than encouraging what was good, they not only sinned themselves, but they made Israel sin.

Through all of this, God still called Israel “My people.” As His people, they were supposed to worship Him and to go to the place that He had appointed in Jerusalem in accord with the festivals that He had established. Instead they gave themselves to idols, provoking the Lord to anger.

We observe their disobedience in the brief words preserved about the days of these kings. They created societal instability that was passed down to the next generation. They took their places in history through deception and murder. Yet through all of these disturbing events, the Lord was working out His will according to the words He had spoken through His prophets.

At the end of 1 Kings 16 we come to two names that we will remember, Ahab and his wife Jezebel. Their lives intersected with the stories of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. Ahab was worse than those who came before him. But God's Word would prevail and would endure long after Ahab and Jezebel were gone.

Our focus in the history of Israel now turns to the prophets who confronted Ahab. Chapters like 1 Kings 16 are distressing to read. But these disappointing accounts prepare us for a better day that is coming. The true King of Israel, Jesus of Nazareth, is reigning even now at the right hand of the Father in heaven. He is a perfect King. He is also a true Prophet. His Word will endure forever, and His Kingdom is stable and good.

There are times in the life of the church throughout the world when we may wonder whether we are back to the evil of the earlier days recorded in this book. Yet with the eyes of faith we know that Jesus is reigning. His Word speaks peace to our hearts. His Spirit reigns in our lives.

Numbers 28

God commanded Israel to bring Him daily offerings, one in the morning, and one at twilight. With the appointed grain and drink offering, this was to be a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

Every Sabbath there was an extra offering. And every month, at the beginning of the month, another offering was required.

The rhythm of ceremonial life was established by God. The life of His nation was filled with these markers of their relationship to Him. He was their God. They were His people.

Beyond these daily, weekly, and monthly occasions, the Lord commanded that His people celebrate the festivals that He had established. In this chapter we read again of Passover in the first month. Then on the appointed day, the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost.

More will be noted in the next chapter, but in the New Testament ceremonial life, all of these temporary rules have found their fulfillment. Christ, our Passover has come. He was sacrificed as our Substitute. We have been purchased by His blood. This happened in close connection with an actual Old Testament Passover festival. The accounts of the Lord's Supper prove this.

After fifty days, the harvest of the nations began through the Spirit-filled preaching of the gospel. This all began on the day of Pentecost that year. Even now the final harvest is coming in throughout the world.

We no longer live in a time of shadowy preparation. We do not bring sheep, grain, and strong drink the same way. One sacrifice without blemish has been freely given. His offering has been received, and the old way of life under the ceremonial law has been fulfilled.

The church, filled the Pentecost Spirit, gathers together on the day of Resurrection, when the Lamb became the first fruits of the Resurrection Age. We partake in the meal that He appointed for us at His table. We enjoy His body and blood through His spiritual presence with His people. And we look for even these markers of truth to yield soon to the end of all things in the return of the King.

Numbers 27

God loves women just as surely as He loves men. He had a plan for the women of Israel whereby they would have a part in the inheritance that He was giving to His chosen people.

Women could not receive circumcision, the sign of initiation in the Old Covenant, yet through their men they were a part of the community of the circumcised. This was reflective of the complexity of the Lord's plan for both men and women. Men would be born of women, but women would find their protection, provision, and even their inheritance through their connection with men.

But what if a family line in Israel ended without any men? What would become of that family's share of the Lord's gift of the land?

This was the problem that the daughters of Zelophehad brought to Moses, and it was significant enough to the Lord that this issue found its way into five chapters in the Bible: Numbers 26, 27, and 36, Joshua 17, and 1 Chronicles 7. This was because the Lord cared deeply about the women of Israel, and even more, because He cared passionately about His provision of an inheritance for all His chosen ones.

The Lord spoke directly to this issue: “If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter.” Beyond this specific case, God made provision for the continued passing on of the land from generation to generation despite the fact that the progress of the family line might not be what everyone expected. The tribal lands for Israel would be preserved along family lines.

More generally, the Lord cared about the future of Israel. Moses would not be with them forever. He would take His place in another “land.” Joshua, would lead the people. The continuity of the covenant community would be assured despite the fact that even the most important people in Israel would die.

Joshua would be set apart for his role by the laying on of hands in the sight of the whole congregation. Moses did as the Lord commanded.

In the New Covenant, both men and women can receive the covenant sign of baptism. More important than this is the difference between Moses and Jesus, the Mediator of the New Covenant. Moses would die. So would Jesus, but Jesus' death would be followed by His astounding resurrection. Moses no longer reigns over us. But Jesus ever lives as the one Mediator between God and man.

Our inheritance and the continuity of all our covenant blessings are perfectly secure. Jesus lives.

Numbers 26

The time had come for the fighting men of Israel to be numbered again. The men that were counted in the first census were largely gone.

Roughly 600,000 fighting men were included in the census at the beginning of the wilderness wanderings. Another 600,000 were listed at the end. God had raised up the next generation to take the land according to His promise.

All the tribes were presented by their various clans. What observations can we make from these details?

Reuben: Some of the Reubenites died in Korah's rebellion.

Simeon: The number for this tribe was significantly lower. Simeon would be eventually folded into Judah, but for now they had a separate number.

Judah: The tribe of David, and the tribe of Jesus, was still the largest of the tribes.

Joseph's sons were two tribes now, as we knew they would be from Genesis. Manasseh was greatly increased from the first census. The promised dominance of Ephraim over Manasseh was still yet to come.

Benjamin: The tribe from which King Saul would eventually be born had grown significantly.

These numbers would be used to distribute the new land. The lot would be cast by tribe as the Lord would choose, but the size of the territory would be determined by this second census.

The Levites, as before, would be set apart from the rest. They would not have the same land allotments given to the other tribes.

Most striking was that, except for Caleb and Joshua, all the original fighting men were gone, and another group, their children and grandchildren, would take their place.

God had been true to His promise of discipline. The first group would not enter the land. But He was also true to His promise of blessing. He would keep His good Word to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

O the depths of the righteousness of God, who demands an accounting from the unfaithful!

O the depths of the mercy of God, who provides what He demands for His chosen ones!

Who is this God of both righteousness and mercy? How can we know this God who brings one generation down in the desert, and raises up their offspring according to His good purpose?

We see Him best in the cross and the resurrection of His Son. On that cross, Jesus, the Righteous One, loved us with His very blood. He kept His Word at the cost of His own life. In His resurrection we see the beginning of a massive victory, not only for the tribes of Israel, but for all the clans of the earth. His empty tomb was a sign for all who would believe that God's promise of a resurrection kingdom had been secured for us through Jesus, the greatest descendant of the tribe of Judah.

Numbers 25

God had spoken amazing words of triumph for Israel through the mouth of Balaam, a man who did not love the Lord or the descendants of Jacob. The king of Moab was unable to crush Israel through the words of this sorcerer. Yet, “the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab.”

There is more than one way to bring trouble upon the church. That which could not be accomplished through incantations, came to pass, at least in part, through immorality.

The immorality was not only sexual, it was religious. The men of Israel became entangled in Baal worship.

This spiritual adultery brought about the fierce anger of the Lord against His beloved. God instructed Moses to put the chiefs of Israel to death publicly. Moses sent out the judges as agents of divine judgment against all those who had joined themselves to a false god.

One man, Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, zealously obeyed the Lord's call for justice, and his story is recorded in this chapter. Because of this one man's dedication to the Lord, a plague that killed twenty-four thousand people was stopped.

Phinehas killed one man and his Midianite partner with a single spear, piercing them both for their tansgression. That one act brought a “covenant of peace” to him and to his descendants.

The story of Phinehas is a story of divine justice through the death of the guilty. The story of Jesus is the account of an innocent man being pierced for our transgressions.

The death of Jesus brought about a much more extensive covenant of peace for the Lord's people. A plague of far more devastating dimensions was ended for us in the death of our perfect Substitute.

What motivated Christ in this great battle against sin? Zeal for the Lord's house consumed Him. We are that house, the beloved bride of our faithful Redeemer.

1 Kings 15

The history of the kings of Israel and Judah was full of disobedience and disappointment. The Lord repeatedly referred back to David as the touchstone of what a king should be. This despite what is called here “the matter of Uriah the Hittite.” The prophets continued to talk about David long after his death, sometimes referring to a future David who would come.

Abijam, David's grandson, was not the David who would come. He did not follow in David's ways. Yet the Lord kept the line of David going in Jerusalem according to His promise.

Abijam's son, Asa, was commended by the Lord in this account. He took steps to purify the worship and life of Judah, even taking action against his own mother when she made an idolatrous image.

Asa concerned himself not only with the religious and moral life of Judah. He also took decisive action against the rulers to the north in Israel who still tried to prevent their people from coming to Jerusalem.

Like David, Solomon, Rehoboam, and Abijam before him, Asa would die and be buried. There was more to the story of Asa, not all of it glowing, that we find elsewhere in the Scriptures. Here in 1 Kings the focus of God is on Asa as a better king than Abijam. Yet we also hear that Asa faced challenges with his body in his old age.

The story of diseases of body and soul afflicting the sons of Adam are all too familiar to us. We ask for the Lord's healing, but we also seek to be faithful in the midst of what may be severe trials that will not go away. The difficulties that come from the fall of mankind touch both rulers and their subjects. Eventually our days come to an end. Is there any answer to the problems of disease and the grave?

Our hearts long for eternity. But where can we find solid hope and lasting treasures? Certainly not among the northern kings. Nadab, the son of Jeroboam, reigned for two years. His evil days came to an inglorious end. His assassin destroyed all the house of Jeroboam in accord with the prophetic word God gave to Jeroboam in earlier days.

Baasha, the man who killed Nadab, would also do what was evil in the sight of the Lord. With evil rulers in the northern kingdom, and the stain of mortality even among better kings in the south, we are forced to look beyond this earth for one who will be able to truly defeat sin and death forever.

Even though the victory of the kingdom of God has come decisively for us in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we so easily imagine that our hope lies in better leaders among the sons of man. An Asa may certainly be better than a Nadab. And a David is better than both of them. Yet even with a David there is the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

But now our perfect David has come. We can search the Scriptures from beginning to end, and we will find no sin in Him. He has become for us the way of life and the gate to eternal blessing.

Numbers 24

The king of Moab, Balak, wanted results. He got a champion sorcerer, Balaam, to come and look at the camp of Israel in order to speak a powerful curse against them. Two times now this guru of spells had spoken words from God upon Israel that were blessings instead of curses.

By the third try Balaam was beginning to see more clearly that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel. Therefore he abandoned some of his magical arts and went toward the wilderness. He saw the tribes of Israel in their formation. Then the Spirit of God came upon this unlikely prophet.

Israel would be blessed like a very sturdy grove, a fruitful forest. God's kingdom would be higher than the other kingdoms of the world. God confirmed the promise He gave so long ago to Abraham: “Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you.”

Balak clapped his hands together, not in approval, but with deep frustration and anger. Balaam had forfeited any gain that would have been his as compensation from the king of Moab. But God would still use this sorcerer as an amazing spokesman of some very important revelation. Balaam would speak further words of blessing upon Israel.

This time the good word was not only about the nation, but about one special person from out of the chosen nation. A star would come out of Jacob, one who would have the scepter of a king.

This coming Messiah would be the same one announced to Eve who would crush the head of the serpent. This One from Jacob would have true dominion.

Before the coming of the holy One of Israel, the people of God would face great hardship and discipline from the Almighty. Even today the church has been warned that in this world we will have tribulation.

Yet we can be of good cheer, because a great star has appeared. That sign in the heavens announced the coming of the Holy One of Israel. Though He faced great affliction for our sake, because of His righteousness and mercy we have a sure hope.

Balaam's words were completed. He had disappointed the leaders of Moab who were counting on him to severely weaken Israel. But who can stop the hand of the Almighty? He will bless us with peace. He has purchased us through the blood of an acceptable Substitute. The King who died on the cross and rose from the dead is our true and everlasting King.

1 Kings 14

Jeroboam had not obeyed the Word of God concerning the Lord's ordained system of worship. But when his son became sick, he sent his wife secretly to the Lord's prophet who had originally told him that he would be king. Jeroboam would not obey God. Yet he expressed confidence that the Lord's appointed messenger would know the truth about the future.

This strange combination of admiration for God's Word and an unwillingness to obey the Lord can take place not only in the life of an isolated individual. It can also characterize a whole society. When the Messiah came, He encountered a religious world that gave service to God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him.

Jeroboam's wife was a visual parable of this double-mindedness. She went to the Lord's prophet to find out the secret providences of Almighty God, yet she disguised herself with the hope that her identity might remain hidden.

The prophet had unbearable news for her. His Word concerning the death of her son was quickly fulfilled. But the Lord's ambassador had more to say. God had “found something pleasing” in the house of Jeroboam only in the life of the boy who would die. In his honorable burial, he would be different than the other descendants of Jeroboam. The king's dynasty would come to an end in disgrace. The false worship of Israel would have consequences that would eventually result not only in the end of the line of Jeroboam, but in the discipline of the nation through the brutality of the Assyrians. These conquerors would come from a distant land and would scatter the northern tribes “beyond the Euphrates.”

The situation was not much better in the region of Judah to the south and in the Lord's chosen city of Jerusalem. They also worshiped false gods and committed indecent spiritual practices. The wealth and glory of Rehoboam's father, Solomon, would be slowly carried away over the generations that followed, and the troubles between the northern tribes and the southern kingdom would continue.

This would all take place according to the Word of the Lord. But that Word also contained promises of God's eternal mercy and grace to His people. How would God remain faithful to His promises of blessing and also true to these words of judgment?

In the cross we find the fulfillment of all the promises of God. Christ has taken the unbearable Word of God's wrath upon Himself for our sake. “Something pleasing” in the sight of God has been credited to our account because of Jesus. He is moving us toward the sincerity of true worship and joyful obedience.

Numbers 23

God gave the Israelites a way to approach Him in the Old Testament Law. This ceremonial Law was the authorized system of access to God. It included the offering up of blood sacrifices according to His specific instructions.

Balaam, the sorcerer, was an expert not in authorized religious devotion, but in unauthorized spirituality. He used blood sacrifices as well, and he gave instructions to Balak, the king of Moab, concerning everything that he needed in order to practice his craft.

But Balaam was a man under strict orders from above. God had told him in a very clear and persuasive way that he must only say what the Lord gave him to say.

The king of Moab was expecting results. He wanted Israel crushed through Balaam's arts. The Lord spoke an entirely different message through Baalam: “How can I curse whom God has not cursed? … Who can count the dust of Jacob?”

Balak would not give up. Would the result be different if his sorcerer looked on from a different spot where he could not see so many Israelites?

The message that Balaam brought back to the elders of Moab the second time was no better: “God is not man, that he should lie, ... There is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel.”

This was a shocking word. Balak had summoned Balaam for spiritual help against Israel. He had expected the sorcerer to curse the people of Yahweh. He had thought that Balaam's evil words would bring great harm upon Israel. But Balaam could not even utter any words of cursing.

Israel's strength was not in herself, but in the settled determination of the Almighty to bless His chosen people. No weapon formed against them could ultimately prosper.

His Old Testament nation and His New Testament church were and are a people that He has brought into being. He was able to make the words of the sorcerer a rebuke to the man who wanted to curse His people.

“All that the Lord says, that I must do.” These were Balaam's words. Yet his heart was far from right.

The righteous One, the Son of God, gave a Word of blessing upon the Lord's people in His resurrection. It was a Word that did not tear down the weak, but established them in the righteousness and power of Jesus Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the King of heaven and earth.

His Name is now the only clear and powerful pathway to eternal blessing. He is the Way to life that God has authorized. There is no other Name given among men by which we must be saved.

Numbers 22

Over the next four chapters we follow the story of a very interesting spiritual war. A key figure in that conflict was a man named Balaam, a sorcerer known to the king of Moab.

The king was a firm believer in the ways and words of Balaam's sorcery, and he wanted to hire him to curse the Israelites. This desire to curse God's people was born out of fear, since the people of Israel had multiplied greatly, and had defeated those who stood in their way as enemies.

Balak, the king of Moab was convinced that the curse of Balaam would be a sure thing. In Genesis 12, God said to His servant Abram, “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you.” Balak thought that Balaam's words were as sure as that!

God spoke to Balaam and warned him not to do what Balak wanted, not even to go with those who came to call him to the king. Balaam treated the Lord as yet another god who he was able to contact as a sorcerer. He did not want to cross Yahweh on this matter, but the sorcerer did not obey the Lord from a pure heart.

Balak sent messengers a second time with an even more persuasive offer. He had money. He was a king who could make life difficult for those who refused his entreaties. But Balaam at least knew that Yahweh was more to be feared than the king of Moab.

Nonetheless, this time the Lord instructed Balaam to go. He must have had a point in letting this sorcerer move into position against Israel. God would surely vindicate His own Name and save His people. He could turn the curses of enemies into blessings for Israel, bringing low those who dared to lift a hand against His nation.

Balaam set off according to the Lord's instruction, yet he met an obstacle that only his donkey could see. In his mad raging he was ready to kill the animal. Yet God gave the donkey a voice which He used to correct the sorcerer.

Balaam was an expert in unauthorized access to spiritual realms. He was a sorcerer who was sought after by a powerful king. Yet he was unable to see the angel of the Lord standing before him.

Then the Lord Himself opened Balaam's eyes to see the unseen one, and the magician fell on his face before the angel of the Lord. Even though God had told Balaam to go meet with Balak, the Lord's message through His angel revealed Balaam's inner corruption. “I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me.”

This unusual encounter reinforced the Lord's earlier instruction. Balaam would not be permitted to say anything on his own. God would use this man to give a message from the Lord, and would not permit that message to be tainted by the imaginations of the sorcerer's own perverse heart.

Balaam got the point. He said to Balak, “The word that God puts in my mouth, that must I speak.”

The Lord could bring a sorcerer to fall on his face before Him. Balaam was no serious threat to Almighty God.

When Jesus came as the final prophet, He did not need to be backed into a corner in order to say only what God gave Him to say or to do only what God told Him to do. This was the continuous impulse of His sinless being. Balaam knew how to play some spiritual tricks, but Jesus was the only authorized way to eternal life.

God promised Abram in Genesis 12 that those who cursed Abram would be cursed, and that those who blessed Abram would be blessed. He also said that through Abram all the people groups of the earth would be blessed. Jesus, the seed of Abraham, has become the source of blessing for all who turn to Him for life. He did not come here for money. He came as the perfect expression of divine love.

Numbers 21

God's plan does not call for a compromise with evil, but an utter defeat of it. He does call us to live quietly, peacefully, and submissively in all societies in as much as that is possible. But in the days approaching the conquest of Canaan, He gave His people a glimpse of what was coming by bringing a sentence of utter destruction upon their enemies, the Canaanites.

How can we make sense of this in light of the love of the cross? We are reminded that the cross itself is not a compromise with evil, but a stunning defeat of it through the death of Christ as our substitute.

The enemy within the hearts of the people of God was at least as serious as the enemy powers outside Israel. God would not compromise with that internal foe either. The people were brought to look to the serpent on the pole, and live. In John 3:14-16 we learn that this is the way that God loves the world. He has provided a Redeemer for all mankind, so that we might look to Him and live. Our Substitute has been lifted up upon the cross. He died for all who would look to Him for life, and now we are counted among the living.

The Lord carried His people safely past those who would have destroyed them. He provided for their need for water in the wilderness. The praise of His people became a chosen instrument for refreshment and nourishment. “Spring up. O well! Sing to it!”

Great works of victory against powerful enemies are recorded in the songs of God's people. They rejoice in the Lord and He enables them to live and thrive.

Our New Testament songs are not recounting a victory against Sihon and Og. But we do sing, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.” The Word above all earthly powers has defeated the evil inside us and outside us.

Believing, we rejoice! And in the praise of the saints of the Lord, there is power. May the Lord continue to use the songs of His people to defeat every enemy. May the victory of the cross be complete in our lives and over all the earth. And may the Name of Jesus Christ be our boast forever and ever.