Category Archives: Numbers

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Mandatory Retirement?

Amazing Opportunities As You Grow Older

What? Retire at fifty! That both attracts and repulses me. So why would God force the Levites who worked as Tabernacle caretakers to retire when they were still able bodied men? And what does that say about God’s view of retirement and the potential contribution of the retiree in our world today? Well, we will ultimately find that 100% of the Bible’s regulations tell us that God cares about us, even though our present understanding may be, “as through a glass darkly.” His commands are never grievous and are always for our good. As we trustingly embrace them, nothing but God’s abundant goodness will come our way. In the case of mandatory retirement in Numbers 8, even if that grates against your modern sensibilities, as John Newton put it, “God often takes a course for accomplishing His purposes directly contrary to what our narrow views would prescribe. He brings a death upon our feelings, wishes and prospects when He is about to give us the desire of our hearts.” And what is the desire of your heart as you grow older? Hopefully, it is to have greater impact. And may God give it to you!

The Journey // Focus: Numbers 8:23-26

The Lord also instructed Moses, “This is the rule the Levites must follow: They must begin serving in the Tabernacle at the age of twenty-five,  and they must retire at the age of fifty. After retirement they may assist their fellow Levites by serving as guards at the Tabernacle, but they may not officiate in the service. This is how you must assign duties to the Levites.”

What? Retire at fifty! That both attracts me and repulses me at the same time.

So why would God force the Levites who worked in the care of the Tabernacle to retire from their ministry when they were still able bodied men? And what does that say about God’s view of the retirement age and the potential contribution of those who are aging in our world today?

To begin with, no matter how we in the modern world may feel about the fairness, relevance and the wisdom of the decrees and regulations God laid down in the Pentateuch, or anywhere in Scripture for that matter, my belief is that as sincere God-followers we must forever embrace as settled law that God is all-knowing, all-wise, and always benevolent. The problem with God’s law is never with God, it is with us. We just don’t fully understand, and we can’t. Not now, anyway. We are finite and his is infinite. The Apostle Paul said it this way in Romans 11:33-36,

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?
Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

As someone wisely put it, “God is too wise to make a mistake, too kind to be cruel, and too deep to explain himself.” We would do well with trying to understand and explain God if we would accept that little piece of wisdom.

Beyond that, what we know about service in the Tabernacle was that it was hard work. It involved tedious attention to detail, careful planning and energy draining effort to tear down, pack up and haul the thousands of pieces of God’s house, pieces big and small, for miles and miles, through the Sinai desert. In an act of compassion, God knew that because of the strenuous effort and the raw brawn that it would require, this work would need to be carried out by the able-bodied men within a younger age group. This decree was, therefore, a grace.

We also know that it was a grace of God that he invited men who were above the age of retirement to continue in assisting in the work of his house. He wasn’t forcing capable people out of service or lessening their contribution, he was making a way for them to contribute in a different way. Their work wasn’t downgraded, it was just different.

And finally, what this decree, along with 100 percent of the other laws, regulations and rulings we find in the Bible, even though our understanding of them may be, at the end of the day, “as through a glass darkly,” tells us is that God cares about us. His commands are never grievous and are always for our good. As we trustingly embrace them, nothing but the abundant goodness of God will come our way.

Talk about great retirement benefits!

Going Deeper: Are there any decrees and commands, rules and regulations, from the Bible that you wrestle with, or are angry about, or that embarrass you as a believer? Don’t feel bad about not understanding them. I don’t — at least some of them. Even it you don’t, I would suggest that you offer up an expression of trust to the God who had good reason to give us his law.

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The One Gift We Don’t Publicly Celebrate

Celebrating Generosity

Do you realize that in the modern era of the church, especially in our culture, there is one gift out of the panoply of spiritual gifts that bless the church that we don’t publically celebrate? We celebrate the gift of preaching and the musical/artistic gifts every Lord’s Day. We publically praise the gifts of hospitality and compassion. We give public recognition for the gifts of service. There is not a gift that we don’t cheer in the midst of the congregation, save one: the gift of giving. How unfortunate!

The Journey // Focus: Numbers 7:84

So this was the dedication offering brought by the leaders of Israel at the time the altar was anointed: twelve silver platters, twelve silver basins, and twelve gold incense containers.

Whatever happened to “don’t let the left hand know what the right hand is giving”? Here is a case where the leaders of the twelve tribes led the way in the dedication of the altar in the Tabernacle by bringing a very public offering. And what they brought was very much known by everyone else. They gave a gift to the Lord, and in this case, the left hand knew exactly what the right hand was doing.

Do you realize that in the modern era of the church, especially in our culture, there is one gift out of the panoply of spiritual gifts that bless the church that we don’t publically celebrate? We celebrate the gift of preaching and the musical/artistic gifts every Lord’s Day. We publically praise the gifts of hospitality and compassion. We give public recognition for the gifts of service. There is not a gift that we don’t cheer in the midst of the congregation, save one: the gift of giving. How unfortunate!

I have friends, a husband and wife, whom God has significantly blessed in a material way. And they fully understand that not only do they have a responsibility to be generous with their blessing, but they recognize that God has sovereignly implanted within them the spiritual gift of giving. They, too, recognize that this gift is not one they can wear on their sleeves. And so my wife and I get together with them once a year to celebrate their gift. They are not weird about it, nor are we. It is not a matter of pride, nor of using their significant gift to gain influence. They have a godly, healthy attitude about it. So we celebrate it. I wish we could do it publically, because done in the right way, and received by others in the right way, it would be a huge encouragement and a motivation for others to do what they have done: step out in faith and obedience to give, and thereby, untie God’s hand of blessing to out-give them.

In our culture, we tend to get weird about money—especially when pastor asks us to sanctify it to the Lord through giving, and doubly especially when another does so and starts to get really blessed with more than we have. May the Lord deliver us from our spiritual ridiculousness.

My sense is that we have misinterpreted what the Bible has to say about giving. When Jesus prohibited the left hand knowing what the right hand was doing, he was challenging the odious effort to gain attention from what we were giving. In that case, our giving is more about how we want others to perceive us than the glory we want to bring to God and the good we are hoping to unleash on others through the gift. The fact is, Jesus publicly recognized the amount of the poor widow who put two coins—all she had—into the temple offering box.

There are many instances in Scripture where someone’s gift of giving was publically recorded, recognized and even celebrated. Several times, Nehemiah, the Old Testament wall builder, reminded God of what he personally had given to rebuild Jerusalem—and had the temerity to ask the Lord to remember what he had done.

In Acts 4, the church and its leadership was very well aware of what one wealthy man, Barnabas, gave to support the ministry of the New Testament community. He sold a piece of property, brought the proceeds to the Apostles, and publically laid it at their feet so they could use it as they saw fit. In the very next chapter, a couple named Ananias and Sapphira, seeing how much Barnabas was celebrated for his gift of giving, tried to do the same, although deceitfully and an effort to make themselves look good, and paid the ultimate price for misusing the gift of giving.

My point is, within this context, shouldn’t we celebrate this specific gift as well? I think so. For sure, all giving should be cheered. It is not the amount that matters, it is the heart that counts. (Romans 12:6) All gifts are significant. But some are substantial to the point that like Barnabas’ gift, or the gifts of the Israelite leaders, they create momentum in the life and mission of the people of God.

All that to say, don’t be afraid to share your material gift in front of others if the Holy Spirit prompts you to do so, and if it will glorify God, not you, and if it will encourage others to step out in risky faith and bold obedience. And likewise, when someone else is recognized for their gift of giving, by all means, cheer them. And please, please don’t violate the Eleventh Commandment, “thou shalt not be ridiculous” about the dedication of someone else’s wealth to the Lord’s use.

Going Deeper: Give a generous gift on the Lord’s behalf in a way that inspires others to ridiculous generosity, and of course, brings all the glory to God.

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No Really, God Wants To Bless You

The Blessing

Do you realize that God really does want to bless his people? He wants to bless the non-believer, too, by the way, but their sin obviously blocks the flow of his intentional goodness in their lives. But in terms of his blessing on the people who call on his name, one of the ways he communicates his desire to bless is through the formal blessing of a pastor, or the priest. And when the pastor/priest offers the Aaronic Blessing, as the words are spoken, it is God himself who is entering into that moment to speak and to lay hands on his people to pour forth his favor upon them.

The Journey// Focus: Numbers 6:22-27

The LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’ Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them.”

God wants to bless you. Really! That is not just something we say off-handedly, he deeply desires to pour out of the storehouse of his treasury the multifaceted favor of his glorious riches. So let me just say it one more time, “May God richly bless you!”

Out of my pastoral bag of benedictions, this blessing found in Numbers 6 is my favorite. There are many beautiful benedictions found in Scripture, but this is the one I most often use. I typically use it at the end of a service to dismiss the congregation as they go back into their world, and for me, it is not merely a pastoral ritual to end a meeting and send the people on their way, it is invoking the literal blessing of Almighty God himself.

Invoking the literal blessing of Almighty God himself. To be honest, I am not sure I have ever thought of it quite like that before. I have sincerely offered this blessing countless times, but I have never fully noticed the context that from which it originates here in Numbers 6. And specifically, I don’t think I have ever caught that this is the Lord himself telling Moses to instruct Aaron, the high priest, and his sons, how to bless the people. And here is the clincher: they are to bless the people with this benediction on behalf of the Lord himself.

How often we mindlessly say, “God bless you.” We use it in response to a sneeze. We use it to end a letter. We use it to affirm affection for someone we care for. And we even use it for people we don’t really care for, that is, for people we don’t really know but want to politely and kindly acknowledge with a reference to our God. So we say, “God bless you!”

But do you realize that God really does want to bless his people? He wants to bless the non-believer, too, by the way, but their sin obviously blocks the flow of his intentional goodness in their lives. But in terms of his blessing on the people who call on his name, one of the ways he communicates his desire to bless is through the formal blessing of a pastor, or in this case of Numbers, the Levitical priests. And when the pastor/priest offers this formulaic expression, as the words are spoken, it is God himself who is entering into that moment to speak and to lay hands on his people to bless them with his favor.

So just what is the blessing that God is giving? If you look at the Aaronic blessing, it includes just about everyone one could hope for:

  • “May the Lord bless you.” In a comprehensive way, it means blessing—God’s general goodness, kindness and benevolence.
  • “May the Lord keep you.” It also includes his watchful care. God promises to watch over, hold close and protect his people.
  • “May the Lord make his face shine upon you.” God desires to look upon you with warm love and the Fatherly pride.
  • “May the Lord be gracious to you.” The blessing includes his grace, which is his unmerited and unlimited favor.
  • “May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” God will bless you by giving you audience—paying attention to you, granting you his precious time—and letting you know that all will be well with you, no matter how it may seem otherwise.

That is the blessing—not just what your pastor, priest or I want to give to you as you go your way. No, this is God himself, using your spiritual overseer as his mouthpiece, telling you what he desires to do for you.

Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them. (Numbers 6:27, NLT)

Wow! May the Lord bless you!

Going Deeper: I think the appropriate response to this pastoral benediction is to simply say, “thank you, God.”

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God Is Deadly Serious About The Sanctity Of Marriage

Healthy Families Matter To God

What do the seemingly draconian Old Testament laws about sexual unfaithfulness in marriage tell us about God and his desire for the entire human family? The Bible clearly teaches us that God is deadly serious about the sanctity of marriage and the welfare of the family that derives from the marriage; namely the innocent children who are forever wounded by the unfaithfulness of their parents. And while we no longer serve up the death penalty to adulterers—and by Jesus’ re-definition of adultery in the heart, aren’t we all glad that capital punishment is off the table—God cares just as much today about the health of the human family as he did in the Old Testament. Your family’s health matters to God—make sure it matters that much to you, too!

The Journey // Focus: Numbers 5:20-21, 28

If a wife has gone astray by being unfaithful to her husband and has defiled herself through sexual immorality [and her husband suspects unfaithfulness]—at this point the priest must put the wife under oath by saying, “May the people know that the LORD’S curse is upon you when he makes you infertile…” But if she has not defiled herself and is pure, then she will be unharmed and will still be able to have children.

It would be very easy as a modern reader with a Western worldview to discard this chapter out of hand and think that God and/or the Judeo-Christian tradition had it out for women. On its face, Numbers 5 seems unfair to women, allowing them to be accused of sexual unfaithfulness by a jealous husband with impunity. The suspicious husband could accuse his wife of unfaithfulness and even if she was proven to be innocent, she would still suffer the embarrassment of public humiliation while he suffered no consequence for bringing a false accusation. As one who had been falsely accused said upon being proven innocent, “Now where can I go to get my reputation back”? Being found guilty, even being accused, would mean enduring a horrible ordeal for a wife. For sure, to our modern sensibilities, the ritual law covering a husband’s jealous suspicion of an unfaithful wife seems unfair, misogynistic and draconian.

But, as is the case in so many of these chapters that concern civil and religious law, there is more to the story here. A proper reading and understanding of this chapter requires us to consider one, the culture at the time—God was forming a people without a system of civil law into a nation that was to now live under the rule of his law; two, the context of the law—the law’s greater purpose was to teach the people about the holiness of God and his demands for their holiness as his set apart people; three, a wider reading of Scripture to see how the laws against bearing false witness, the law for dealing with an adulterous husband, and the laws of restitution gave context to this specific law; and four, the new covenant law of love that Jesus imposed over the sexually promiscuous. Likewise, we need to take into account what Jesus also had to say about how husbands treated their wives, the repugnance of divorce, and even how self-righteous men were actually committing adultery simply (and likely continuously) by lusting after women in their hearts.

So, understanding this chapter, which is what I would classify as what theologians term “a hard saying of the Bible”, requires some extra work on our part. Namely, it is important here that we follow the proper hermeneutical principle of allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture.

Having said that, what does this seemingly draconian law tell us about God and his desire for not only his people, but the entire human family? I have a strong belief that this clearly teaches us that God is deadly serious about the sanctity of marriage and the welfare of the family that derives from the marriage; namely the innocent children who are forever wounded by the unfaithfulness of either the husband or the wife. The human race is made up of families, and each family is God’s little society. All these little societies provide stability and health to the larger family of mankind. And in a deeper, truer, more mysterious way, the family, living in loving faithfulness, reflects the image of the Godhead, who lives in utter unity within the mutuality of the Trinity—Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

In Genesis 1 and 2, when God created mankind and instituted marriage, over and over he spoke of his image being reflected in the best possible light among the rest of creation by the loving, faithful relationship of Adam and Eve. More than you and I can possibly realize, God is concerned about your marriage and mine. So serious was he that violation of the marriage covenant through unfaithfulness brought capital punishment. And even though he provided other means for unhappy couples to dissolve their covenant, it grieved his heart. And while we no longer serve up the death penalty to adulterers—and by Jesus’ re-definition of adultery in the heart, aren’t we all glad that capital punishment is off the table—God cares just as much today about the health of the human family as he did in Numbers 5. Our cultural tolerance of boundary-less sex, easy divorce and the acceptance of the single-parent home milieu means that we will have a lot to answer for on the Day of Judgement.

At this point I could list endless research on the destructiveness to men and women, and especially the life-long harm to the most vulnerable, our children, that results from our cavalier attitude toward the sanctity of marriage, but I think you get the picture. What is God deadly serious about? Your marriage, that’s what!

Whether you are married, not yet married, or will be single for life, as a Christ-follower, let us take up the cause of the sanctity of marriage. Let us, first of all, live out God’s ideal in our own homes. Then, let us fearlessly take a stand against the demon-inspired attack in its various forms on God’s ideal of covenantal marriage. Perhaps if enough of us would model the right thing and call out the wrong thing, we could save a few of these “little societies” from destruction.

Going Deeper: Pray daily for your marriage, and for the marriages of your loved ones, and for the marriages in your church. Pray a hedge of protection around them. It may not seem like you are doing much, but your prayer will be heard by the God who answers prayer.

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What God’s Moving Day Teaches Us

Sacred Burdens Are A Privilege, Not A Problem

In the work of God’s Kingdom, the call to serve and bear burdens is not a problem, it is a privilege. In God’s final analysis of you, it won’t be how much you gained, but how much you gave; not if you have done great things, but if you have done things with great love. That is what truly honors the Lord of the Kingdom.

The Journey // Focus: Numbers 4:5-6, 49

When the camp is to set out, Aaron and his sons are to go in and take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it. Then they shall put on it a covering of goatskin and spread on top of that a cloth of blue, and shall put it in poles. …According to the commandment of the LORD through Moses they were listed, each [of the clans of the Levites] with their task of serving or bearing burdens.

As we have come to expect from Leviticus and Numbers, God provided exacting, and from our modern, sophisticated perspective, strange details for everything from A to Z in the life of the Israelite community. They were a newly formed nation that had no previous track record for civil society. Moreover, they were not just any old nation, they were to be a people called to be the Lord’s own distinct people. And much of what God instructed them in was how to worship him in holiness. Even in that, details were given clear down to how the tabernacle was to be moved when the Israelites broke camp and moved on to the next location in their journey toward the Promised Land.

As we have said many times before in these intriguing chapters of ancient Israelite history, but what relevance do that have for the modern day people of God—followers of Jesus Christ? Let me suggest three practical lessons that this Old Testament moving day teaches us:

First, no one is greater than the next in the Kingdom of God, only God is great. I was struck by the fact that it was only Aaron and his sons who were allowed to go into the Holy of Holies on moving day to handle the ark of the covenant and the other holy instruments. Not even Moses, the greatest leader of all time, the man who met with God face-to-face, the guy who parted the Red Sea and brought down the Ten Commandments from the mountain, was allowed to go into the most sacred place on earth to handle the sacred things. Now who was greater, Moses or Aaron? From a human evaluation, Moses gets top billing. But what a powerful reminder that in God’s world, he only is glorious, and we who serve him, whatever our role, live and work for his glory alone. All are given a role to play, and greatness comes by playing that role, whatever it may be, big or small, very public or quite private, when we do it worshipfully and with great love.

Second, in God’s Kingdom, we are all given sacred tasks to carry out, and God expects us to run in our lanes. The Kingdom is not just an idea, it is a reality. It is not just theology, it is people living in community. And as such, it must function as God’s society, peaceful and productive. The proper and efficient functioning of the Kingdom is possible only through the gifts of the Spirit as they are faithfully administered through the lives of believers. In Numbers 4, for example, the sons of Aaron and the Levites broke down, packed up and carried the tabernacle of the Lord’s presence on moving day. And each clan had a very specific job to do. Likewise, in the body of Christ, each has a role to play, and there are no roles more important than the other. (See 1 Corinthians 12:14-26). Call it what you will, the Kingdom, the church, the body of Christ, God has given each of us very important roles to fill to move his people forward, and we must run in our lanes for that journey to be fruitful and fulfilling to all, and pleasing to the Lord. And, by the way, God takes this business of running in our lanes very seriously. If you don’t believe me, just read Numbers 4:15-20.

Third, the ministry we are each called to, whether great or small, exciting or tedious by human evaluation, is a privilege, not a problem. We tend to think of tasks that we are responsible for as burdens to carry. We typically recoil at the idea of serving, conjuring up images of menial work and demeaning servitude. If we do, we have it all wrong. The Lord called the sacred duties of breaking down, packing up, and carrying forth the tabernacle as “serving” and “bearing burdens.” Obviously, God didn’t think of serving and bearing burdens in the pejorative. Whatever job he gives to a person to do is a privilege, and when carried out in the right way with the right attitude, it promotes the health and welfare of his people. And when his people are living in a healthy and efficient relationship with one another and with the Missio Dei, God is glorified.

What does God’s moving day teach you? Simply this: you are important, you are needed, whatever God called you to do is a privilege, not a problem, and it is your opportunity to participate in the greatest, most rewarding activity in all creation—glorifying God.

Wow! How blessed you are.

Going Deeper: The Apostle Paul taught in Colossians 3:15 that in whatever we are doing, we are to do it as unto the Lord, for truly, it is him we are serving. Is that your attitude toward what you have been tasked to do? If not, first, a bit of repentance is in order, then some reorientation of your perspective toward serving and burden bearing will do you a world of good.

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The Best Part of Me

What God Desires—And Deserves

The tithe—the first fruits, the first part, the firstborn, your first love—is what God wants from us. Not just in the legalistic sense, that is, as prescribed in Biblical law, but as the loving and organic response of our lives. That is the worship God not only demands as our Creator and Ruler, but deserves as our loving Heavenly Father.

The Journey // Focus: Numbers 3:40-41

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now count all the firstborn sons in Israel who are one month old or older, and make a list of their names. The Levites must be reserved for me as substitutes for the firstborn sons of Israel; I am the Lord. And the Levites’ livestock must be reserved for me as substitutes for the firstborn livestock of the whole nation of Israel.”

The tithe—the first fruits, the first part, the firstborn, your first love—is what God wants from you and me. Not just in the legalistic sense, that is, as prescribed in Biblical law, but as the loving and organic response of our life. That is our worship. God wants us to recognize him, honor him and obey him through the enthusiastic offering of our tithe—and I am not talking just about money, but the first and best part of us, whatever that is. God not only demands it—and why shouldn’t he, he created us, chose us and has called us into mission for him—but God deserves it for those very same reasons.

To help us remember that we owe him the best part, and to give us a sacred process for acknowledging as much, God established the dedication of the firstborn as that tithe at the time of the proto-Passover in Exodus 13:2-3, 11-12, 14,

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Dedicate to me every firstborn among the Israelites. The first offspring to be born, of both humans and animals, belongs to me.” So Moses said to the people, “This is a day to remember forever—the day you left Egypt, the place of your slavery. Today the Lord has brought you out by the power of his mighty hand. …This is what you must do when the Lord fulfills the promise he swore to you and to your ancestors. When he gives you the land where the Canaanites now live, you must present all firstborn sons and firstborn male animals to the Lord, for they belong to him. …And in the future, your children will ask you, ‘What does all this mean?’ Then you will tell them, ‘With the power of his mighty hand, the Lord brought us out of Egypt, the place of our slavery.’”

The firstborn of the families of the Exodus belonged to the Lord to remind the entire nation that God had miraculously saved them from slavery. He brought them out of Egypt not only as a demonstration of his mighty power, which they were to never forget, but he had displayed that power to save them because he loved them and had sovereignly chose them to be he very own people, a nation set apart as his own. And they were to never forget that as well.

The firstborn of the Israelites’ animals were to be offered as a sacrifice to the Lord, but the firstborn sons of the Israelites were not to be killed, they were to be redeemed by the dedication of the Levites to the Lord’s service in tabernacle worship as a sacred substitute. Here in Numbers 3, two years into their journey from Egypt to Canaan, this substitution was worshipfully and ceremonially made: the Levites for the firstborn of the other eleven tribes.

So what does that mean for you today? Most importantly, reading this account is to remind you of the greatest substitution of all: the sacrifice of God’s only begotten Son, Jesus, who was offered up as a sacrifice to God for your sins. You deserved death because of your sins—we all did; but Jesus died on the cross in our place. He was our substitute. Furthermore, the substitution of the Levites for the firstborn of the Israelites not only foreshadowed God’s mighty power displayed at the cross, it foreshadowed the reason he redeemed you from your enslavement to sin: because he loved you immeasurably and had sovereignly chose you to be his very own, part of a nation set apart as his own holy people.

That is why God still calls us to make an offering of the best of us—the first fruits, the first part, our first love—as a way to recognize that he substituted Jesus as an offering for us. That’s called the tithe, which is to be paid not just in a legal sense, although there are perfectly good reasons to observe that through a formal process, but as the loving and organic response of our life. God wants us to recognize him, honor him and obey him through the enthusiastic offering of the first and best part of you and me, whatever that is.

God not only demands the best part—and why shouldn’t he, he created you, chose you and has called you into mission for him—but God deserves it for those very same reasons.

Going Deeper: Find a creative way to offer your tithe this week—the first part of your income, the best part of something you have produced, the first tenth of your time, talent and energy.

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Order Out Of Chaos

God Is Not Intimidated By Your Mess

The first time we meet God is in Genesis 1, where his Spirit hovered over the chaotic mess from which he brought forth the orderliness and beauty of creation. God is not intimidated by chaos. In fact, confusion, bedlam, anarchy and pandemonium—including yours—are the raw materials from which God fashions his best work.

The Journey // Focus: Numbers 2:1-4

Then the Lord gave these instructions to Moses and Aaron: “When the Israelites set up camp, each tribe will be assigned its own area. The tribal divisions will camp beneath their family banners on all four sides of the Tabernacle, but at some distance from it.”

Is your life out of control? Is you world falling apart? Are you sinking in a sea of chaos—emotionally, relationally, financially or spiritually? Feel like you can’t hold it together any longer? No problem! God specializes in bringing order out of chaos. Colossians 1:15-17 tells us,

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.

Did you catch that? He holds all creation together. “All” includes you—your emotions, your relationships, your finances, your spiritual concerns, whatever… You don’t have to hold it all together; God is doing that for you.

The fact is, the first time we meet God is in Genesis 1, and his Spirit is hovering over the chaotic mess out of which he brought forth the orderliness and beauty of creation. God is not intimidated by chaos. In fact, confusion, bedlam, anarchy and pandemonium are the raw materials from which God fashions his best work.

When you read Numbers 2 as God lays out the “seating plan” for the brand new nation called Israel, you might wonder what, if any, devotional value is present in this chapter. And I would agree, since my task today is to write an inspirational lesson from theses verses, that this is a bit of a stretch. But one of the truths that we do find here is that God loves order. And while he isn’t intimidated by chaos, he is not content to leave it there. He brings process, intentionality, production and even beauty out of it. As the twelve tribes of Israel are specifically assigned where to set up camp, you see a pretty impressive and purposeful design in God’s plan. Actually, given the size of the nation, and thus the size and complexity of the organizational task, God is a pretty impressive event organizer.

God wants to organize your life, too. He is not afraid of your chaos. The fact that you don’t know what to do doesn’t mean that God doesn’t have a plan. He does. And as you submit your chaos to him in utter dependence, as you surrender your fears and frustrations to him in trust, he will bring his creative powers to bear to bring purpose into your situation while at the same time, out of it, bring glory unto himself.

Be encouraged! The Apostle Paul profoundly declared, “For you are God’s masterpiece. He has created you anew in Christ Jesus, so you can do the good things he planned long ago for you to do.” No matter what your situation looks like and not matter how your emotions are evaluating it, you are God’s work of art, his poem, and you are quite a piece of work. God started something incredible in you when he saved you, and even though your growth in salvation may not be along a straight and continuous line, he has guaranteed to “continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

So in review, here is the truth that we can squeeze out of Numbers 2: God brings order out of chaos. His order is purposeful. And his purpose is to use you to bring glory to himself. So don’t be overwhelmed by your chaotic world right now, the Master Builder is fixing to create quite a work of art!

Going Deeper: Verbalize your chaos to the Lord. Surrender your fears to him. Thank him in advance for the work of art that he will bring from it.