How can we move from curse to blessing?
This morning we conclude our series on Numbers. You may remember that Numbers is a story about two generations. The first generation is represented by Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. The second generation is represented by Joshua, Caleb, and Eleazer (priest).
As we come to Numbers 20 the mantle of leadership is being passed from one generation to the next. First, Miriam dies. Then right before Aaron dies, Moses takes Aaron’s garments and places them on Aaron’s son, Eleazar. He was symbolically anointing Aaron’s son as priest.
When Aaron died, the Israelites mourned for thirty days. Perhaps they weren’t just mourning Aaron’s death. The first generation had squandered a lifetime of opportunities to honor God and the second generation was about to do the very same thing. If that isn’t something to grieve, I don’t know what is.
Just think about the countless opportunities we have to honor God every single day. Do we seize these opportunities or squander them? This morning I want you to consider four opportunities we have every day to honor God. It's thesame opportunity that both generations had.
Our fickleness provides an occasion for honoring God.
The Israelites were a very fickle, indecisive bunch. They vacillated between obedience and rebellion. One moment they’re courageously crossing the Red Sea, while the next moment they’re trying to figure out how to get back to Egypt. We do the same things.
In Numbers 20:2-5 (NIV) the Israelites are thirsty and hungry. "Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. They quarreled with Moses and said, 'If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD! Why did you bring theLORD's community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!' "
The same situation arises again in Numbers 21:4-5 (NIV). "They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way;they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, 'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!' "
Whenever the Israelites had food and water, they were willing to follow God. But the moment their personal needs weren’t being met, they fell away. We see the same thing in Christ’s ministry. So long as he multiplied bread and fish and kept the crowd’s bellies full, they followed him all over the Judean hillside. But the moment Jesus refused them, they protested and turned away.
We are just as fickle as the Israelites, or haven’t you noticed the disturbing trend? American Christianity is no longer about service, sacrifice, or self-denial. Christianity is about getting our personal needs met. And so long as those needs are met, I’ll keep coming to church. But the moment the church stops meeting my personal needs, I’m off to the next church.
One wonders whether we are truly serving God or serving our personal needs. This explains why churchgoers are so fickle and non-committal these days. We’ve become self-interested consumers, more concerned with self and less concerned with God. "I’m hungry. I’m thirsty. I want my needs met.My children want this.I like that."
What does Mark 8:34-38(NIV) mean? "Then he (Jesus) called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels."
Are you a fickle churchgoer? We have this opportunity to deepen our discipleship and truly honor God. God is calling us to deny ourselves, take up the cross, and follow him. Enlarge your discipleship!
Our fears provide an occasion to honor God.
We already saw how God sent the twelve spies into the promised land, and how ten of the spies spread a bad report about the land. They weren’t being driven by faith. They were being driven by their fears.
It’s not necessary that I read all of Numbers 20 and Numbers 21. The Lord was calling upon the Israelites to face their fears and lay hold of the promised land. God is faithful. He is trustworthy. He is all-powerful. With God, nothing is impossible. But the Israelites weren’t thinking about God’s sufficiency. They were focused on their personal inadequacies.
If you listen to the excuses we offer for not honoring God, it's evident that we're not much different than the Israelites. "God, I’m not as smart as her.I’m not as strong as him.I don’t have this skill or that skill.I’m not very articulate.I don’t relate well with people.I’m not very personable.I don’t have natural charisma. I’mjust an ordinary Joe. I’m a grasshopper in a land of giants. You can’t use someone like me."
Every day we squander opportunities to honor God. Our problem is that we fear men more than we fear God. We're so afraid of looking inadequate or incompetent that we never get around to serving God! What does Luke 12:4-12 (NIV) have to say to us?
"I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."
"I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say,for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say."
Our foes provide an occasion to honor God.
As the Israelites progressed toward the promised land, they face Balak, the king of Moab. Balak is so threatened by the Israelites encamped on his border thathe seeks out a diviner named Balaam to curse Israel. Numbers 22:1-6 (NIV) sums up situation.
"Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan across from Jericho.Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites,and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites.The Moabites said to the elders of Midian, 'This horde is going to lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.'So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time,sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the River, in his native land. Balak said: 'A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the country. For I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed."
After calling upon the Lord, Balaam realizes that God’s blessing is indeed on Israel. And God commands Balaam not to go and see Balak. But King Balak is undeterred. He promises Balaam great wealth if only he would come and curse Israel.
Balaam grows increasingly perplexed. On the one hand he wants to obey the Lord. Yet king Balak keeps sweetening the pot with promises of wealth and rewards. Finally Balaam hops on his donkey to go see Balak, but the donkey sees an angel of the Lord blocking its path and refuses to move. (Numbers 22:21-27) Not seeing the angel, Balaam beats his donkey repeatedly until finally God loosens the lips of the donkey and allows it to speak. (Numbers 22:28)
So now Balaam is talking to his donkey (Numbers 22:29). Ever see the show "Mr. Ed"? "A horse is a horse, of course, of course.And no one can talk to a horse of course. That is, of course, unless the horse is the famous Mr. Ed."
In Numbers 22:31 the Lord opens Balaam’s eyes and he too sees the angel of the Lord. He realizes that the donkey just saved his life. But Balaam is enticed by the rewards of King Balak, so the Lord permits Balaam to go and see Balak (2 Peter 2). Balak does everything in his power to bribe Balaam to curse Israel, but Balak refuses. Instead, Balaam blesses Israel and warns king Balak of the coming destruction to his land.
Why is this story important? Every day we are surrounded by people like king Balak—people who oppose God. These arepeople who want nothing more than to see God’s people and his servants ruined. Whenever you attempt to honor God with your life, God’s enemies come out of the woodwork.
If you want to be generous, they’ll mock your kindness.
If you want to be sober, they’ll tempt you with liquor or narcotics.
If you want to have integrity, they’ll harass you until you compromise.
If you want to remain pure, they’ll pressure you sexually.
If you want to share your faith, they’ll try to make you stumble in your walk of faith.
If you demonstrate zeal for the Lord, they’ll throw cold water on you.
Balaam should have avoided Balak, but he got drawn in. Though he never curses Israel, we find him in Numbers 25 using women to seduce the Israelite men into sexual immorality. If he couldn’t curse the Israelites, he’d get his reward from Balak by seducing Israelite men into sin. In 2 Peter 2 Balaam is denounced for his greed and sin.
The Balaks and theBalaams are our foes.Our foes provide an opportunity to honor God. Tragically, some of the Israelites fell into Balaam’s trap and they lost their lives. God’s foes provide the opportunity to stand strong and honor God.
Our future provides an opportunity to honor God.
The book of Numbers ends with Joshua and Caleb being anointed as the new leaders over Israel. You can read about Joshua’s conquest of the promised land in the book of Joshua. But before entering the promised land, Joshua had some hard choices to make about the nation’s future.Would they worship the Lord? Would they honor their covenant relationship with God and withtheir wives? Would they allow God to refine their faith?
The question for us is will we use our fickleness, fear, foes, and future as opportunities to honor God? Or will we turn away from God as the Israelites did?