DAY 65

DWELLING

Numbers 35 & 36 and Mark 10:1-31

We come to the close of the Book of Numbers. This means you have read Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers as well as the Gospel of Matthew – congratulations!

At the end of this Book of the Bible we find a few interesting and noteworthy items. The Levites are once again taken care of. With their duties of serving they would not have time or means to develop their own land, and so God specifies they be given 48 cities, 6 of which are cities of refuge. The direction on “cities of refuge” is interesting in that they provide a place for someone who has accidentally killed another to stay and be safe. It is very clear about the distinction between who can find refuge and who cannot. Why? Because “you shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell, for I the Lord dwell in the midst of the people of Israel.” (35:34). This is not just the people’s land, it is the land in which God will dwell with them!

The final chapter may seem like another post-script. What it does for me is reinforce the egalitarian nature of the people God was creating. God, in Chapter 36, essentially establishes that all the twelve tribes will remain. They will not cease to exist because of a lack of male heirs. God wants to maintain the integrity of the entire nation…God wants to dwell with the entire nation.

In Mark 10:1-31 we have some words from Jesus about divorce. I specifically describe it this way, “some words from Jesus” for a few reasons. One of those reasons is that in our zeal to uphold marriage we, the Church, have come across to some people as if we, the Church, believe divorce is unforgivable…as if God won’t want to dwell with you ever.

I want to tell you that God does forgive divorce – I know this is direct, but I think I need to be, and if you would indulge me a bit.

I am divorced. I have poured over the words of the Bible about it, and I conclude a few things. No one that I can find stood before God on their wedding day with divorce as a goal. God affirms and describes the goal; the two shall become one flesh. So you and God had the same goal in mind.

Yet people experience the pain of divorce, and they have been for many years. So what of it?

First, it is not God’s design, it is not His plan. When we don’t follow God’s plan we have a fancy word for that failure – sin. Divorce is a sin. It is also painful. People experience real pain and suffering through it, and if fact people need healing from it.

Most people want to be forgiven and want also to have the deep wounds of divorce healed. To be forgiven requires repenting of our sin, then God who is faithful will forgive our sin. What does it mean to repent? In my mind (after reconciliation attempts have been exhausted and the divorce has happened) it means you go to God, on your knees and in your pain and say you are sorry. You know it was not His design, and you know it was not your goal, but you have erred, and you ask His forgiveness.

Isn’t that what Jesus is saying. He attributes the cause of divorce to hard hearts. He also points out that people who divorce someone for another person commits adultery. Those are tough words, we will come across them again, and I will comment on re-marriage at that time. For today I simply want us to grasp something that I think we need to be able to say in this day and age. And that is, divorce is a sin, I sinned when I got divorced, and it doesn’t matter “whose fault it was”. Today we keep wanting to skip this step of “owning my/our sin”, I think because it hurts so much. I think we are afraid that if we admit it is a sin it will then some how hurt more, or that God won't forgive us. The reality is if I ever want forgiveness I need to own it so I can repent of it. I need to have the courage to accept that it is sin, my sin, if I ever want to receive forgiveness.

I know that can be hard to read; trust me it is hard to write. Today, if you are divorced, or know someone who is, I pray you not feel like this blog is “dumping on you (or them)”. My goal is the opposite. My goal is that you go to God and receive His forgiveness. We in the Church have behaved in such as way as to drive people away from God at a time when they really need to feel His loving arms of forgiveness and hope. So go to Him, He desires to forgive and heal…after all He desires to dwell with you, and isn't that what forgiveness is about, restoring our relationship with Him? For those who have labored through the first four books of the Old Testament you know how serious God is about being in a relationship with us (all those sacrifices)...He wants it to be real and so we need to come to Him honestly, seeking his forgiveness...when we do, He will dwell with us.