March 13- Water from a Rock

March 13, 2011

Scripture Readings:
Numbers 19:1-20:29; Luke 1:1-25;
Psalm 56:1-13; Proverbs 11:8

Numbers 19:1-20:29

As we read today's story the Israelites have been wandering in the desert for about 37 years.  At this point they are back at Kadesh-Barnea.  This was where the 12 spies launched into Canaan to spy the land.  After their cowardly rejection of the plan to enter Canaan, God punished them with wanderings and told them that they would not enter the land until the whole generation of unbelieving people had died.  Today's reading includes the death of two important people.

Our passage begins with the death of Miriam.  Moses does not eulogize Miriam.  Scripture only points to several incidents in Miriam's life. One shows great faith (her worship and dance after the parting of the Red Sea) and one shows rebelliousness (trying to usurp Moses).  If you and I had our lives pared down to one or two incidents, our lives may not even look as good as Miriam's life. But the point of this passage, I believe, is to record that the generation that wandered in the desert is dying out.

Let me take a moment as we see the passing of Miriam to mention that some commentators believe that the sibling unit of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam are a picture of the Trinity of God. In this picture Moses is God the Father with authority over the nation of Israel. Moses is the law giver and judge for the nation. Aaron plays the role of Jesus the Son who is the visible image and mouthpiece of God, not to mention being the High Priest who stands as an intermediary between the God and the people. Aaron oversees the sacrificial system that cleanses people from sin. Miriam represents the Holy Spirit as she is a prophetess who makes God's will known, and is also a leader of worship, praising God with music and dance. The Hebrew words for spirit are ruah and neshema. Both of these words are feminine. Like the Spanish language, there are both masculine and feminine words in the Hebrew language. The feminine link to the Holy Spirit supports Miriam's ability to represent the Holy Spirit in the Trinity.

Once again, the Israelites are murmuring against Moses and Aaron.  This time they are angry about no water.  They have long memories and are still bringing up the deaths of Korah and his gang of merry usurpers. They still like to do a laundry list of the foods that were available in Egypt like...grain, figs, grapes, and pomegranates. God is going to have the generation that lived in Egypt die out.  This group is not going to get  Egypt (the world system...remember the symbolism) out of their system.  Lack of faith will equal death for this group. Their love of the world will die with them.

In the meantime, Moses and Aaron are on their faces in front of the Lord. May I take just a moment to comment on this?  As we read through the Bible, you will find that the prophets who are in close proximity to God spend a lot of time on their faces lying prostrate. This is important. This is our proper position before a Holy God. Does your heart lay prostrate in front of God?  Do you ever physically pray in a humble position before Him?

The Lord tells Moses to take Aaron's budding staff/rod and command the rock to pour out water.  The Lord says that enough water will pour out to provide for all of these people and their livestock.  By the way, we are talking about over a million people. Some commentators say it is more like 2 or 3 million and their livestock!  This is a bonafide miracle. But we have a problem. Moses and Aaron position themselves to take credit for the miracle in a small way.  It may be small, but God does not tolerate sharing His glory. He wants Moses to give credit where credit is due.  So what did Moses do that got God angry?

Rather than speak to the rock to get the water, Moses hits the rock twice with Aaron's rod.  Several things are wrong with this approach. 

• Moses did not obey God's instructions.
• Moses acted out of anger with the murmuring Israelites.
• Moses fashioned the miracle to look like he had some control over it.
• God was doing more than just providing water for Israel, He was painting a picture of Jesus.
• Jesus is the Rock from which Living Water (the Holy Spirit) pours abundantly.  Moses messed with God's picture.  Our works are not part of the miracle of Christ.  Moses hit the rock and messed up the picture.

Moses and Aaron are punished for this. God pronounces that neither of them will enter the Promised Land. Ouch! After all these years and all of this toil, they will not set foot in Canaan.  This is a lesson to you and me, folks. There are consequences for our disobedience. Both Moses and Aaron are men of faith who are saved and will inherit heaven, but they experience earthly consequences for their sin.  This was a significant consequence.  Have you experienced the consequences of sin in your life? How?

Before we leave this story, Moses, in preparation for leaving the wilderness, sends ambassadors to the king of Edom to see if they can pass through his territory.  Remember that the Edomites are distant cousins because they are descended from Esau who was Jacob/Israel's brother.  They get a resounding "NO" from the king.  After this Aaron is taken up to a mountain and his priestly outfit is put on his son, Eleazar. Aaron dies on Mt. Hor and the community mourns for him for thirty days. God has one of the most important people in the generation of desert wanderers die.  It will not be long before the Israelites enter the Land.

Are you able to get the world system out of yourself through faith in Christ or are you just going to wander in the wilderness your whole life?  These people are a picture of us. All humans face these possibilities.  What is your position in the story?

Luke 1:1-25

Congratulations on finishing the second book of the New Testament!  Today we begin the gospel of Luke. Let's talk a little bit about Luke. He was a Gentile physician and an excellent historian. We will see that he gives one of the most detailed accounts of Jesus' life and ministry.  Luke's gospel includes things that Matthew and Mark omit such as the songs of Christmas, a detailed account of the Virgin birth, twenty miracles (as opposed to six in the other gospels), twenty-three parables (eighteen which do not occur in the other gospels), and a detailed account of the walk from Emmaus with the resurrected Jesus.  It has been said that Dr. Luke uses more medical terms in his gospel than Hippocrates, the father of medicine used in his writings!

Luke was a friend and mission companion of the Apostle Paul.  He was brilliant and faithful.

Luke begins his letter to Theophilus and says that he (Luke) has done a careful study of all of the circulating accounts of the life of Christ and his intent is to give a careful summary of everything so that Theophilus can be confident in the truth he was taught.  Can you picture this doctor Luke comparing the death of Christ to an autopsy of one of his patients who had died?  Dr. Luke is going to investigate for truth!  This is CSI for the faithful.

Luke starts his story with the birth of John the Baptist. We learn the whole account of how John's father, Zechariah, is a priest.  He and his wife, Elizabeth, are both from the line of Aaron.  They are righteous and obedient people.  They are also old and childless. While performing his priestly duties at the Temple, the angel Gabriel comes to Zechariah and tells him that he will have a son named John.  This son will be a Nazarite (remember the Nazarite vow that we read about?), will have the spirit and power of Elijah the prophet, and will precede the coming of the Messiah.  He will be a change agent for humanity.

Zechariah is godly and a priest, but unbelief creeps in as Zechariah wonders aloud, "How can I be sure this will happen?"  Gabriel is angered.  Gabriel reminds Zechariah that he (Gabriel) stands in the very presence of God! Gabriel tells Zechariah that he will be unable to speak until the child is born because he doubted. Zechariah experiences consequences for his sin. This sounds familiar.

Elizabeth does become pregnant and reveals her faith as she proclaims the Lord's kindness in taking away her shame of being barren. 

Would you and I falter in our faith in a similar situation?  Perhaps.  What do you need to trust God with?  Do you believe what you read in the Bible, even if it sounds impossible at times?

Psalm 56:1-13

I love vs. 8  "You keep track of all my sorrows.  You have collected all my tears in your bottle.  You have recorded each one in your book."  How beautiful.  How intimate.  How comforting.

One day God will wipe all of our tears away, but in the meantime, He saves them and records our sorrow. You are not alone.  God cares about you.

Proverbs 11:8

"God rescues the godly from danger, but he lets the wicked fall into trouble."  Can you reconcile yourself to how God has set up His story?  There will be the righteous and the wicked in the story.  Is that okay with you?

What did you see today?

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal
Kathy Fullerton