Numbers - Unnecessary Evil

I finished Numbers a few days ago. my heart went out to Moses as he led stiff-necked Israel through the wilderness. what struck home with me was the absolute, unnecessary delay of God's blessing. Jon Courson said "You can't destroy God's purpose, but you can delay His blessing." Numbers is exactly that.

God gave me a great lesson in the census of all males from 1 month old and above. simply that He counts everyone. it resonated with me the little hands of the children and the frail hands of the aged all count equally to Him. it was very personal to me as a future pastor that I should be equally ministering to everyone God brings me.

of course the tragedy of Israel's refusal to enter the Promised Land is a prominent feature of the account. equally tragic are the many believers who refuse to enter into the Spirit-filled life promised to us in Scripture.

several outbursts of opposition to Moses checked my heart and prepared me to deal with that myself. anyone God is using will face opposition...even from family and friends. I must prepare my heart and simply leave it to the Lord to vindicate me when those times come.

Moses' and Aaron's angry episode at the rock ended their ministry prematurely. sin is just that serious. 40 years of faithful ministry can be brought to an end by 4 minutes of sinful outburst.

the book finishes with regulations regarding offerings and inheritance, all of which were a blessing to read. and it's interesting in the final census that Israel hasn't grown at all during their wilderness wandering. so with us, time spent in disobedience is completely lost.

something else of note. a few weeks ago at men's prayer, Pastor David offered me an internship. soon we'll be meeting regularly to pray together and talk about ministry. we'll also work through the affiliation requirements so I can be a Calvary Chapel pastor. how exciting!