June 5 - Day 12; Numbers 21-31

As I started today's reading I had a challenge focusing. I found myself stopping and pausing along the way which isn't conducive to reading such a large chunk of scripture at once. Yet, I suspect it was the way God was telling me that there was something important I should pay attention to here.

I got hung up at the very beginning with the story of Balaam and Balak. I always marvel at how a donkey could talk and what exactly would I do if one of my animals started talking to me? But lest I digress...

I started to reflect on God's ability and his sovereignty. Balak - a Moabite - became worried because he saw the "strength" of the Israelites and what they'd done to other people groups. He was recognizing that the Lord's blessing was on these people and consequently he became nervous for himself and his people.

Pause #1: Isn't that how people around the world today react to God? Whether they know it is His power or not, they become scared for them self. Maybe you're already a believer and know God as your friend Regardless you know what I'm talking about. When you truly have that inspired moment, when you recognize there is a power bigger than yourself - in fact a power so great that you can't even fathom it - don't you become just a little scared? Suddenly you don't seem so important. Suddenly I must - even for a moment - admit I am not in control. The difference is believers will worship God in this moment of humility. However, unbelievers or those weaker in their faith, will react like Balak and try to take control.

So Balak enlists Balaam into his plan. Balak's plan was to have Balaam curse the Israelites. Instead we see Balaam receiving God's instruction through a donkey.

Pause #2: God can penetrate the heart of any unbeliever He so chooses. Balaam was not a believer in God. He was a Moabite. He was a sorcerer of sorts. Yet God in His sovereignty can use all of creation at His disposal to get our attention. What an awesome God He is!

Then I read on to see Balaam delivering his oracles to Balak.

Pause #3: Balaam was physically unable to speak anything other than what God has placed on his lips. God in His sovereignty will deliver the words to us at the times we need to speak them if we truly seek Him. Even when we're facing opposition or persecution. (Remember Balak could have his way with Balaam and ultimately probably have him killed.) He can make the lowly strong and wise!

When Balak didn't like what Balaam had revealed, he kept trying to change the location or the message. Ultimately he thought the more of the Israelites Balaam was able to see the more likely he would be to curse them. Yet God's message is unchanging and His protection of His people remains.

Pause #4: Isn't this the way the world reacts to the sovereignty of God today. Though we know God to be unchanging, the world continues to manipulate the message and try to bend God into something He is not. By changing perspectives or manipulating His words people constantly are trying to make God something He is not... but yet His truth shines through and His will is revealed.

After all of this, I was ready to stop but I was only 1/2 way through the reading for today. There is still more that God wants me to know.

As I got to Numbers 27 and was reading about how God told Moses to take Joshua with him and have Eleazor commission him and ultimately transfer authority over to Joshua. It says that the Lord told Moses to take Joshua because he was a "man in whom is the spirit."

Pause #5: Lately I've been worried and distracted a lot by what people are saying about me as an employee and my "professional career." How am I being perceived? Am I progressing in my responsibilities? Do people see me as a "go to guy?" Consequently I've become disgruntled and dismayed about my future and my ultimate purpose in life. Bottom line - I've become very focused on the praises of man. Yet when I read this I'm reminded that God is not focused on all of those things I'm concerning myself with. What He is truly concerned with is the spirit within me and how I allow Him to work through me. After all, I just said Sunday in church in response to the sermon that I wanted to make God my ultimate employer and here I am just a mere 5 days later worried about man. God's leadership selection criteria so much different that the evaluation of man. Let me become more preoccupied with what You're saying about me than with those in my place of employment.

Then I began to wonder, how was Joshua ready to take over such responsibility? Ultimately I had to remind myself that Moses truly wasn't ready either when He took over, but God had equipped and prepared Him adequately. Yet, Joshua seems ready to go now. He's got the spirit, the bravery etc... all good qualities for a leader. However, I was reminded to look a back in scripture for some of the first mentions of Joshua to trace his path of preparation. I found it back in Exodus. Chapter 17 records that Joshua fought the Amalekites and the Lord specifically told Moses to make sure Joshua heard that the Amalekites would be wiped off the earth (Ex 17:10, 13-14). Exodus 24 tells us that Joshua went up the mountain with Moses to meet with God. And finally Exodus 33:11 - As Moses was meeting with God in the Tent of Meeting, he would take Joshua with him. We see here in this text that Joshua would see Moses speaking with God "face to face as a man speaks with his friend" AND that Joshua would not leave the tent when Moses did. What was he still doing in there if he wasn't listening any more? Perhaps he was practicing and talking to God himself.

Pause #6: Lots to learn from here. First of all, the younger generation needs to not only see - but hear - their elders talking to God face to face. (ie: praying out loud.) I've become so convicted of that by being a father of two small toddlers. We've really been encouraging them to pray out loud lately. And at first they were very hesitant because they weren't sure how to, but then when they tried they mimicked many of the prayers that we've said over them since they were babies. They use some of the exact words and phrases. I don't want them simply to repeat my prayers but just as they need to be taught how to speak, more importantly they need to hear what conversational prayer with their Holy Father sounds like. When I heard them pray the first few times, I realized how "routine" my own prayers sounded as they were replayed for me through their mouths. I also realized how non-conversational they sounded. I certainly wasn't speaking to God "face to face as a man speaks with a friend."

Pause 6a: Secondly here, I recognize now that Joshua was chosen for this job long before he recognized he was chosen. It may seem that he was groomed for the position by Moses. Certainly Moses did what he could to help Joshua see how a Godly leader received instruction from the Lord. Yet Joshua developed the heart attitude and a friendship with God on his own. Why else would he have stayed in the tent longer? Perhaps I've been chosen for a job that I'm not yet aware. Perhaps part of my lesson is to drink up the opportunities I have to watch Godly leaders soak up their instruction from the Lord, attempt to apply it myself and develop this kinship with my heavenly Father as well. Today, I choose to look less at this job as a destination and more as a training ground and sanctuary.