DAY 58

DON’T PANIC

Numbers 15 & 16 and Mark 6:1-29

Numbers 15 & 16 and Mark 6:1-29 are wonderful in their own right; I pray you have read them. As promised I do want to comment about yesterday’s Old Testament lessons.

I titled the Day 55 Blog “Getting our bearings”. I found that with the reading of Leviticus we may have lost the flow of time and so I provided just a quick synopsis of time as it relates to the Israelites and the Books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. One of the “bearings I hope you were able to sight” was that God basically spent about a year getting people organized and trained at the base of Mount Sinai. God has them celebrate the Passover, and now it is time, time to scout out, and under God’s leadership, enter the Promise Land.

Two things happen to undermine God's plan. The first is they challenge God's appointed leader Moses. The challenge comes not from the periphery of Moses circle of leaders, but from his closest allies! I am not sure of the details regards the situation with Moses marrying another women. It certainly doesn't seem proper. The issue however is Aaron and Miriam acting separate from God and not only judging Moses, but challenging his leadership - within days of their going to conquer the Promise Land. Their timing (and probably Moses) could not be worse. There are some lessons here: keep God's big picture and stay focused. If there is an issue, consult with God and certainly leave the judging to Him. 

The next situation that will undermine God's plan is the spies sent to check out the land. Think about their task, Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel…Number 13:2, emphasis mine. God has determined to give this land to them. The task of the spies is to not to tell Moses whether they should try and invade, God has already made that decision, their job was most likely to get specifics. Yet the size of the mission seems overwhelming and they panic. They say they feel like grasshoppers in 13:33!

Days ago I pointed out how serious this entire enterprise of the Exodus and the forming of His People is to God. Time and time again we have come into situations where God’s reaction might seem extreme to us. Remember when He was going to kill Moses because Moses’ children were not circumcised, or all the plagues, and then there are the reactions to the people of Israel’s seemingly unending errors. God is not just being petulant. For centuries before Abraham God seemingly disappeared from the consciousness of humanity. Then God breaks upon the scene with Abraham and begins the process of shaping a people. He has patiently waited for this moment and it is from this people that His world will be restored…with all that they panic…they panic and cannot believe that God can actually give them this land.

The result, after much negotiating on Moses part with God, is they will wander in the wilderness and none of them will enter the Promise Land. Their choice will not thwart God’s plan, but their choice does have consequences for them.

How about us, any missions out there that seem overwhelming, yet you sense they are from God? Any moments you know the right answer, but you can sense the panic coming on? How about a God mission, but right in the middle of it someone does something you completely disagreed with (like marry someone)? You might want to take a deep breath, remember all God has done in your own life, don’t panic and then...jump in.