Wilderness Survival.

Junior-high Me owned a book entitled “WILDERNESS SURVIVAL.” I was obsessed; I wanted all the survival skills: Dig a hole, fill it with chopped-up green plants, cover it with a plastic tarp.  Set a stone in the center to weigh down the plastic, leave a can beneath the stone.  Why? Because as the plants dry, the evaporation will collect on the plastic covering, the brick will ensure the moisture drains to the center, and it will drip into the can.

Here are top survival skills according to online sources: 1) shelter building, 2) fire building, 3) water purifying, 4) foraging for food, 5) first aid, 6) fishing and trapping, 7) reading a compass, 8) signaling, 9) making a weapon, and 10) tying three key knots.

Life on earth is all about survival.  Building a home—whether in the jungle or the middle of New York City—is all about survival: shelter, food, and water. 

The Bible encourages us in these pursuits, including hundreds of pages of guidance on shelter, food, illnesses, and more.  But the Bible also commands us to regularly stop our pursuit of survival.  Stop working.  The Sabbath requires we stop using our survival skills: stop building shelters, lighting fires, harvesting food, building weapons.  Stop all of it.

“You … must PRACTICE SELF-DENIAL; you must not do any work” Numbers 29:7.

God allows us to enjoy so many things. We love our jobs.  We love our food. But can we say no? Do we PRACTICE SELF-DENIAL? Do we rest from our work? Do we practice fasting in order to focus on worship? 

Honoring the Sabbath is not just about going to church.  It is as drastic as fasting—honoring the sabbath means stopping ALL our survival skills: stop working on your shelter, your food, your future, your income.  Stop what you are doing to sustain a physical life and focus on your spiritual life.  Worship God instead of your gifts, skills, and talents.  Can you stop everything and spend the day praising your CREATOR?

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Mature, Godly Leadership.

Moses was destined to rescue his people. At 40, he had to flee. At 80, God called him to meet Pharaoh, work miracles, and deliver God’s people. They crossed the Red Sea and spent forty years in the desert. Finally, it was time to enter the Promised Land—but God told Moses he would not be going!

How would you feel about that? Moses’s entire life was leading up to this. He was the man God used to deliver Israel out of slavery and into the Promised Land. But at the last minute God said, “Sorry. You crossed the line when you lost your temper. So you’re not going.”

How would you feel? Would you beg? Argue? Try to make a deal?

Here is Moses’s reaction:

So Moses appealed to the Lord, “May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the community who will go out before them and come back in before them… so that the Lord’s community will not be like sheep without a shepherd.” Numbers 27:15-17.

Moses was devastated. Raised by Pharaoh’s daughter, his life was special. God spent 80 years preparing him for a legacy that would last thousands. But then God forbid him entering the Promised Land. Good stories—good lives—are not supposed to end that way. Why did Moses’s life end OUTSIDE the Promised Land? If anyone deserved to enter it, he did. He should have blown out his 120 birthday candles, tucked himself into the bed, and died in his sleep—in the land God promised Abraham 400 years before.

But Moses accepted it. He asked God to change His mind (see Deuteronomy 3:25), but He accepted God’s decision. Then he prayed for the people, that God would send them a great leader. Moses was concerned about the nation.

As a great leader, his heart was burdened for those he led. Does your heart carry burdens for those you lead? Can you pray for them as you pray for yourself? That is mature and godly leadership. Dear God, make us more selfless.

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Prepare to Meet Your Maker.

Ever heard the line above, a threat in the movies? God came to Moses and said, “Go up to Mt. Abarim and see the Promised Land. After you have seen it, you will be gathered to your people” Numbers 27:12-13.

How would you feel about that? Even at 120, it’s got to be jarring to be told of your death.

But Moses did not beg or cry or plead for his life. Nor did he ask to enter the Promised Land. 

“Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, ‘Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord be not sheep without a shepherd.’” Num.27:15-17.

When God told Moses he was about to die, Moses’s first thought was for the people. They would need a leader. And he immediately prayed for the people, asking God to raise up a leader to take Moses’s place. 

THAT is true leadership. Moses was not worried about himself or afraid of death or whining about entering the Promised Land. Instead, he was thinking like a true leader: ‘When I am gone, what will become of my people?’

May God give us leaders like that! Men and women who don’t think of themselves first, leaders more concerned with people than their own deaths. May God make us selfless, mature leaders like Moses. May he fill us with peace and confidence in the face of death, both our own death and deaths of those around us.

God, make us more like Moses. Make us leaders who think first of those in our care, not of ourselves. And help us to follow selfless, Godly leaders.

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Sex Equals Influence.

Promiscuity often goes hand-in-hand with having no respect for boundaries. And those who “sleep around” are also those who violate other boundaries.  But what if a couple is exclusively dating only each other? Well, that is a better scenario than promiscuity.  But the risk is that your hearts become deeply connected without commitments.  It is easy to break up at the first obstacle—and that creates pain not only for you but for the children born by that time.

And there is another problem.  People who are quick to bed have not had time to evaluate the other person. How do you know whether this guy is a hard worker or loves people or can set a goal and reach it? How do you know this girl is able to resolve conflicts? Will she help you grow in Christ? Sex opens your heart to the influence of the other person, creating a deep connection that will get you into trouble if that connection is with a person who has a lot of problems.

“While Israel was staying in the Acacia Grove, the people began to have sexual relations with the Moabite women. The women invited them to the sacrifices for their gods, and the people ate and bowed in worship to their gods. So Israel aligned itself with Baal of Peor, and the Lord’s anger burned against Israel” Numbers 25:1-3.

Do you see the progression?

First the men sleep with the Moabite women, then they begin to worship the Moabite idols. 

Sex creates influence. Sex with bad people influences us in a bad direction.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for from it flow the springs of life” Proverbs 4:23.

God, help us follow you and understand that your rules exist for a reason—and they protect us and help us live the best life we can.  Show us how to follow you. Fill us with a heart of faith, grace, and joy, not guilt, legalism, or shame.

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Leadership is Hard.

Sheep are wanderers.  Without reliable fencing, you need a shepherd or a sheep dog to protect the flock from itself.  When God told Moses his death was approaching, Moses did not beg for a few more years.  Instead, he prayed for the nation:

“May the Lord … appoint a man over the people … so that the Lord’s people won’t be like sheep without a shepherd” Numbers 27:16-17.

That is the heart of a true leader: Moses wants to pass the baton to a reliable leader because he knows how badly God’s people need good leadership.

But being a leader is HARD WORK!  As Paul says, he was shipwrecked, beaten, stoned, starved, frozen, “and besides these things, there is the DAILY PRESSURE of concern for the churches” 2 Corinthians 11:25-30. What brings a shepherd joy? Seeing his sheep well fed and protected. 

Good leaders enjoy blessing those they lead.  Yet we lose sight of the joy of leadership.  Do you find your joy in casino nights, or wine every evening? Why are you looking there for joy?  Do you have habits you would not wish on the “sheep” you lead? (Do you think you’re better than they are?)  

Have you lost your first love (Rev. 2:4)? 

Jesus preached the word to increase OUR joy.  “These things I have spoken to you so that MY JOY might remain in you and that your joy might be full” John 15:11.  The Word of God brings lasting joy, filling your soul and meeting your needs.  Don’t say you don’t have time.  The more you lead—the more burdens you carry—the more you need the WORD to fill your cup of joy. 

Do you know where the apostle John found some of his joy? In WRITING.  “We write these things so our joy may be complete” 1 John 1:4.  There is joy in writing, which is part of leadership.  Leading well brings joy to the leader.  But you MUST feed your soul with God’s Word.  Let the joy of Jesus’s words remain in you and make your joy full.

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Words.

Could there be anything more powerful than words? Seriously. Imagine one day without words—neither hearing them nor speaking them. And no reading and writing.  Imagine school if language did not exist. How would we teach anyone anything? What if our whole existence were gestures and rudimentary signs (sign language WITHOUT words or letters). Imagine the topics we could not discuss! I think about that when I talk to the dogs—they answer every comment with a bark or something equally limited. Thank God for the AMAZING gift of language!

Do you know the story of Balaam? A friend younger than I am substituted at a youth Bible Study when I was a senior. He taught on Balaam and I was shocked! The Bible had a story about a talking donkey, and I had never heard it?! None of us had! 

Here’s the part that gets me. Balaam was not a godly man, but he absolutely refused to say anything different from what God told him to say. Though he was hired to curse Israel, he consistently said, “I can only speak the words the Lord puts in my heart.” Over and over he said that.

Balak, king of Moab, took him to FOUR locations, each time hoping Balaam would curse Israel; each time the blessing that Balaam came up with was greater than the previous blessing. In the end, Balaam spoke five great blessings over Israel and spoke several curses over Moab. Why? Because Balaam refused to say one word that was inconsistent with the words God gave him. Balak was outraged and Balaam explained:

“How shall I curse whom God hath not cursed? Or how shall I defy whom the Lord hath not defied?” Numbers 23:8

Dear God, fill us with INTEGRITY! May our words be as true to Your heart as Balaam’s. May we honor You with language! Make us silent when we want to speak words that injure. Give us courage to boldly bless those whom You would bless. Stop us from blessing sins that You have cursed. Give us respect for silence. Amen.

Read Numbers, chapters 22-24 to learn about the talking donkey!

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History’s Only Talking Animal

So you think you know the Bible? You’re familiar with Adam and Eve, Noah’s Ark, the Exodus, and the life of Jesus. But can you locate the only talking animal in the history of the world? Sure, animals talk in fables and the tales of Uncle Remus and Disney movies. But when did an animal ever talk in real life?

Only once. Curiously, it is an entire story about talking—about blessings and curses. Balak, king of Moab, hired Balaam to curse Israel. Balaam—who knew God, but was not loyal—told Balak he could only say what God told him to say. But Balaam went with Balak.

“But God was angry because he was going, and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. Now he was riding on his donkey… When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, the donkey turned off from the way and went into the field; but Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back into the way. Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path, with a wall on either side. When the donkey saw the angel, she pressed herself to the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall, so he struck her again. The angel went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right hand or the left. When the donkey saw the angel, she lay down; so Balaam was angry and struck the donkey with his stick. 

And the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” 

Then Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a mockery of me! If there had been a sword in my hand, I would have killed you by now.” 

The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I ever been accustomed to do so to you?” And he said, “No.”

Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand.” Numbers 22:22-35.

When the donkey talks—the only talking animal in history—what does Balaam do? Faint? Scream? No—he engages her in conversation, like it’s the most normal thing in the world. Balaam, you see, is a professional talker. Talking, even to animals, comes naturally to him. But to consider cursing Israel is to take his life in his hands, to flirt with disaster.

Consider the power of words. Balaam was hired because he had a reputation: his blessings and curses came true, because he only said the words God gave him to say. Although his heart was not obedient, he respected his prophetic gift and did not corrupt it by speaking falsely.

So why a talking donkey? Why not a dove reporting the dry land to Noah? Or lions talking to Daniel about the God who stopped them from eating him? Or a fish talking to Jonah or the disciples?

God reserved this unique miracle for this unique prophet. I think the talking donkey symbolizes Balaam. He speaks God’s blessings and curses, but he does it for a profit. His heart is not right. Some men have the heart of a lion. Balaam has the heart of a donkey. Not long after this, he draws Israel into sin, and God has Balaam killed for it. Numbers 31.

We must respect the power of words. Don’t throw curses around recklessly. The Bible is filled with warnings: be careful what you say. James 3:6 says, “the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity, it sets on fire the course of our lives and is set on fire by hell.”

Be careful what you say! God takes words seriously.

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Parable: An Old Testament Dream Sequence.

Five verses in the book of Numbers tell a story I’ve always found puzzling. Snakes? Really? I spent an hour trying to explain it in a typical, straightforward way. But in a dream, it makes sense somehow…

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I’m a skeptical professor up late preparing for a debate about faith.  I’m reading the Gospels, pondering the crazy tale of a preacher who seems willing to die on a cross though he clearly does not deserve it.  But I’m so sleepy.  I put my head down and I’m in the desert, surrounded by this caravan of millions, this exodus of fathers, mothers, children, livestock, wagons, soldiers, trumpets, and the dust from a million sandaled feet… Suddenly everyone is screaming: Snakes!  Snakes! 

I jump on the back of a donkey and grab a couple kids to hold so no one will force me off… Men and women are dropping dead around me. Then someone screams to look to Moses and the bronze serpent on a pole.  And I watch, and everyone who looks at the pole survives. And those who refuse to look at the pole die from their snakebites. And I realize that’s me—I’m one of those people who won’t look at the pole.  What’s some statue gonna do, right?  I believe in science!

But I see people falling dead everywhere, and I’m overcome.  I grab the shoulder of a man near me:  “Look up, man!  Look at the snake!  Don’t you want to live?” He ignores my screams and dies, stubbornly resisting his only way of escape.  In my distraction, I slip off the donkey and I’m bit!  My leg is on fire!  I look for the bronze pole, but I can’t see it anywhere.  I climb up on the animal for a better look.  “God, don’t let me die! Where is the pole?”

And then I see it—only now the pole is a Cross.  And Jesus is on the cross.  And he looks at me, and I realize He is up there for ME. He wants to take my curse! “But I don’t want that!” I scream.  “I don’t want charity! I’ll take care of myself—just tell me what to do!”

I can no longer feel my legs.  My fever is suddenly so high, my eyes are blurring and everything is colorless and brown.  I’m about to pass out.  I don’t want to die!  I look up again.  I try not to, but I can’t help it! I look to Jesus and He sees me and looks at me and I see Him looking at me, and something happens, some transaction happens between us and the pain goes away and I feel better.  No, the pain does not go away, exactly—the pain goes to HIM.  He takes my curse and I am healed.

I wake up and I’m not alone. Someone is with me, and I know Who it is, and I’ll never be alone again.  And I don’t know what all this means, but I realize I’m no longer a skeptic.  Jesus is alive and He took my curse at the cross when I looked to Him for healing.

“Whenever someone was bitten and he looked at the bronze snake, he recovered” Numbers 21:9.

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Snakes on a Pole.

Snakes are not high on most people’s list of beloved animals. (Imagine trying to sell a litter of baby snakes on Craigslist.) Their popularity as pets will never rival that of cats and dogs. They are not affectionate, their babies are not cute—nothing about snakes is attractive. Even non-venomous snakes are widely hated. My dad has said it a million times: “The only good snake is a dead snake.”

Considering the curse of the serpent in Genesis 3, God’s later use of snakes in Numbers 21 seems bizarre. Again (AGAIN?!!) the Hebrews complained about God: “Why have you brought us out here to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water and we detest this wretched food!” They had bitter, ungrateful hearts, and “The Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and they bit them so that many Israelites died” Numbers 21:5-7.

So there was a curse of snakes slithering through the camp of a million Israelites. What did they do? They repented and cried out to Moses. So Moses prayed and God gave him an interesting instruction:

“Make a snake image and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will recover.” So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. Whenever someone was bitten, and he looked at the bronze snake, he recovered” vv.8-9.

What in the world? A snake on a pole? Does that mean anything for us? Yes. Jesus compared Himself to the snake:

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:15-16.

What could this bizarre story about real snakes and bronze snakes have to do with Jesus, the Anointed One, the Savior of the World? The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Prince of Peace? Snakes? Are you kidding me?

Here it is in a nutshell:

The Israelites were dying because of their rebellious, sinful hearts. Death came in the form of snakes. But rescue came in the form of a bronze snake raised high on a pole. If the cursed looked—BY FAITH—to that substitute serpent on the pole, they would not die from the bite of the deadly snakes. In the same way, if we who are dying from sin will look—BY FAITH—to our substitute on the pole, to Jesus, then we will not die from the curse of sin. He took the curse for us. He became sin for us—a fate worse than being a snake. As bad as snakes are, Jesus made Himself even lower, by becoming SIN for us (2 Cor. 5:21). Through Moses, God is saying: “Look here, look at this perfect man who has taken the curse of sin and death for you. Look to Him and live!”

Application: Salvation does not require special words. It is not “come into my heart and forgive my sins and save me.” Words are important, of course. And God is listening, and people should express their faith with words. But what God is really looking for is a heart of faith. Are you looking to Jesus alone for your salvation? Do you recognize that you are DYING IN SIN, and that JESUS (the dead man lifted up on a pole—the substitute who died in YOUR place) IS YOUR ONLY HOPE? Look to Him. He is your only salvation.

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Balaam. Numbers 22-24, 31.

“POSITION WANTED—professional speaker of blessings and curses available to enhance your event or destroy your enemies.  If you are launching a business, planting a vineyard, or starting a family, call me.  I will bless your enterprise.  PROVEN RESULTS!  Check out my online reviews.  I will curse your enemies!  Nations fall at my words.  I must say what God tells me to say, but don’t let that stop you! Contact ProfitsforaProphet.com and ask for Balaam, son of Beor, a/k/a the Mouth from the South.”

Balaam offered blessings for hire, and unlike the words of others, Balaam’s blessings and curses actually came true.  God had given him a gift.  When Balaam sought the Lord, God told him what to say.  So when Moab’s King Balak hired Balaam, Balaam prayed and God told him not to curse Israel.  But Balak (a descendant of Lot) would not accept that.  So he pushed Balaam, sacrificed seven bulls on seven fires, and God gave Balaam a message.  In the end, Balaam pronounced FOUR lengthy, detailed blessings over Israel (the fourth came after Balak refused to pay for the three curses, since they turned out to be blessings). 

Throughout these events, Balaam acts with integrity, never speaking words other than those given to him by God.  Balaam takes his gift seriously. 

The problem is, Balaam is making money off his gift too and, perhaps to please his customer Balak, Balaam found another way to injure Israel: Balaam convinced Balak’s Moabite women to seduce the men of Israel and invite them to their pagan sacrifices.  This resulted in punishment for Israel and the slaughter of most of the Moabites. 

Balaam was also killed, see Numbers 31:8.  The prophet had a gift and he handled it with integrity.  But he failed to apply the same integrity to other areas of his life and he was killed for it.

God, give us the ‘wholeness’ of integrity.  Teach us to be obedient in ALL of our lives, not just one area.

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