Stories We Tell Ourselves. Deuteronomy 26.

We are a storytelling people. Or rather, we are a storytelling species. Every people group on earth tells stories. We tell them to children. We tell them to adults. The only time we stop telling stories is when someone is telling stories to us!

Look at the popularity of movies and television. Before TV there were radio dramas. There were silent films. There were Dime Novels and Penny Dreadfuls. There were plays. There were itinerant preachers and traveling storytellers, men who carried stories from village to village, entertaining people and connecting them to their roots and to each other, to God, to culture, to history. Who doesn’t love a good story?

But the content of the story matters. The “tapes” you play in your head matter. The truths your parents and teachers pour into your mind will shape your entire life.

The truths your life is based on can be as simple as your answers to six questions:

  1. Where do I come from?
  2. Where am I going?
  3. What am I good at and what am I worth–what is my purpose?
  4. What am I bad at and can I/should I improve?
  5. What do family members and friends think of me?
  6. Who is God and what does he think of me?

Stories supply us with answers to these questions, teaching us who we are. Our sense of self is largely influenced by our sense of context, i.e., who we are in comparison to other people living today and other people who lived in the past:

I am a Christian and that means this… I am an American and that makes me different in this way… I am a boy and that means… I am a girl and that means… I am an athlete and therefore… I am good at math, so I might be good at a career like this … I do not enjoy public speaking, therefore I …

God gave the children of Israel a short speech to memorize and quote back to the priest while performing a first fruits offering. Read these words and imagine how God’s words would have influenced the self-concept of those who committed these words to memory:

“My father [Jacob] was a wandering Syrian, and he went down to Egypt and sojourned there, but few in number. But there he became a great, mighty and populous nation. And the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us and imposed hard labor on us. Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction and our toil and our oppression. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror and with signs and wonders. And He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Now behold, I have brought the first of the produce of the ground which You, O Lord have given me” Deuteronomy 26:5-10.

Do you see the way this passage gives the Jew a powerful sense of self? A Jew is not merely a Jewish person. Being Jewish means identifying with a people group that is some 4,000 years old. Being Jewish means being a blood descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (whose name was changed to ‘Israel’). Being Jewish means knowing that you come from somewhere, that you are part of a people who were slaves in Egypt, rescued by God, wandered in the wilderness, received the law from Moses, then conquered and settled in the Promised Land of Israel. Deuteronomy 26 informs the Jew that he is good at gratitude and sacrifices, but he probably should strive to do it better. The passage reminds him that God rescued his people, and God provided the land of milk and honey. Deuteronomy 26 says, in effect: Hear oh Israel, you are God’s chosen people, but you must remain humble and grateful because everything you have comes from God.

Now THAT is a truth on which a life can be built. That is a story that teaches a young person who he is, where he is going, and the purpose of the life he has been given. That is a story that will never steer your life off course.

What stories has the world been telling you? Do you believe them all equally? Or do you accept the good and reject the bad? (And how can you know which is which?) The easiest way to recognize the good, the TRUE, is to have parents who have spent their lives memorizing Biblical wisdom.

I wish everyone could be raised by a pair of Proverbs-31 Parents who “speak with wisdom, and faithful instruction on [their] tongues” Proverbs 31:25-26.

The messages we hear the earliest and the most often are the messages that will determine the future of our lives. Yet most of us begin as early as adolescence to swallow the beliefs of others: peers, celebrities, teachers, songwriters, movie directors, favorite athletes, influencers, and more. And that is part of being a teenager. Young people try on alternative viewpoints to see how they fit. Some they will keep, others they will reject.

The problem is, young people adopt many ideas that are wrong, and it can take years to untie the knots created by wrong thinking. And it does not take a lot of bad ideas to shipwreck a life[1].

There are ideas that are correct and there are ideas that are wrong. And you will only be able to sort them out with Biblical knowledge and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. That is, you must read, understand, and master the Biblical text. Learn your way around the Bible. Memorize everything that you find deeply meaningful. Become a scholar of the word of God. And pray for wisdom about every idea you encounter in the river of ideas we swim in. Be humble enough to seek the Holy Spirit’s leading on everything!

Dear Lord, bless us with Your wisdom. May we be like the “Men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do” 1 Chronicles 12:32.

AΩ.

[1] For example, Americans have long believed that people are philosophically equal, based on the “all men are created equal” idea enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. But today there is a notion that not only am I the moral equal to all the experts and PhDs, but my ideas are equal to the ideas of all the experts and PhDs.

This is ridiculous. And that’s not to say experts are always right. Of course not. Most lawsuits include experts on both sides—they cannot both be right. But these are people with the training and experience to choose the appropriate methodology to evaluate evidence in a manner that tends toward an accurate outcome. In other words, they are actual experts. And the opinion of an expert, while it should be questioned, should not be dismissed without careful reflection. Expertise should mean something. But today it is fashionable to dismiss expertise, often with anger and resentment, but without performing any legitimate analysis.

American culture has a cancer and that cancer is anti-intellectualism. Where does that cancer rage the most? In evangelical churches. Our preference for the backwoods preacher and his homespun wisdom (both of which I love!) can leave us unwilling to think hard about doctrinal or cultural problems, to read anything challenging (including much of the Bible), or to do any research. And no one better mention church history, LOL…

Paul, the Great Teacher of Grace, Did Not Hesitate to Place Great Demands on Christian Behavior; Good Behavior is Not Legalism. Galatians 5:4.

“I spent my whole education degree studying how Jesus taught. He never asked anyone to memorize anything.”

That was my friend James talking. James is focused on grace. He only reads the New Testament. He says things like, “Well, I’m not really an Old Testament guy.” James considers the idea of spiritual disciplines to be legalism. James is also a seminary graduate*.

Some Christians have taken on a posture that deeply resists anything even remotely similar to a rule. I’m not sure whether to call this an anxiety about legalism or an unbalanced view of grace.

But whatever you call it, this refusal to take on “rules”–even self-imposed rules–is unhealthy.

It renders us unable to commit to personal goals. We dislike New Year’s Resolutions. We cannot create for ourselves plans, schedules, or good habits, particularly in spiritual matters. We resist goals and rules of any kind, even the most benign rules we might have invented for ourselves.

My friend James considers memorizing scripture a legalistic practice. James is wrong**. Legalism is adopting rules in order to be justified by them.

Paul describes what we would call legalism this way: “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace” Galatians 5:4.

No Biblical author expounds more brilliantly on grace than Paul. Yet, Paul commands believers to follow all sorts of rules that Christians today might describe as “legalistic.” The difference is this: Paul encourages us to live holy lives to give glory to God, not because we “seek to be justified by law.”

Christians should live holy lives. “Be holy as I am holy” 1 Peter 1:16. Make good choices. Follow the rules (yes, rules!). Here’s one of Paul’s many ‘rules’– “There must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks” Ephesians 5:4. It is not legalism to suggest we clean up our speech!

Paul, the great champion of grace, may be the most un-legalistic person in the Bible! Yet he commands believers to speak right, eat right, serve each other, and so much more. We should live right. Make good choices. Don’t shy away from ‘rules’ or goals or New Year’s Resolutions.

Create a rule for yourself now and then! It’s the fastest way to develop good habits; it is the fastest way to grow. But don’t drift into the prideful self-delusion that tells you that your new good habit somehow makes you better in God’s eyes. That is, don’t fall from grace as you “seek to be justified by the law” that you invented.

AΩ.

* James believes in something critics have begun to call “hyper grace.” https://www.gotquestions.org/hyper-grace.html

** As for Jesus not encouraging scripture memory, this fallacy is called the ‘argument from silence’ and cannot be used to prove a conclusion. Jesus never mentioned memorizing because it was understood. The entire nation was encouraged to memorize the five books of the Torah while still in school. The value of scripture memory was understood.

Grace is Amazing, But You are Peculiar. A Rambling Conversation About Grace and Legalism. Deuteronomy 14.

Are you peculiar? You should be.

More on that below–first, a word about grace. Grace is incredible. It is similar to forgiveness, but not the same. You might say forgiveness falls under the umbrella of grace. But grace is more than forgiveness. Grace is restoration. God does not simply forgive your sins. He restores your life—your soul—to something greater, something akin to what you might have experienced before the fall. God restores your life and redeems you—placing value in we who were once without value. Grace is God giving you esteem again. He removes your shame and fills you with esteem, with value, with purpose, with hope, with joy.

Grace is all the ways in which God makes right all that sin had made wrong.

But grace is not just about mankind, or about our standing with God. The large umbrella of grace also includes truths about God Himself.

He will not fit into the box we would like to place Him in. God surprises us in so many ways, not all of them pleasant. But they broaden our understanding of God—and that is another moment of grace.

Consider Hebrews 11:17-19. When Abraham is certain that Isaac must live because he is the child who fulfills God’s promise (Galatians 4:28), yet Abraham is also certain that Isaac must be sacrificed because God commanded it (Genesis 22:2)—these two mutually exclusive ideas forced Abraham to confront a God he could not possibly understand. And that is a God of Grace.

When I confront the truth that God is beyond my comprehension, I attribute that to God’s grace.

For me, every mystery of God is another tally mark in the God is a God of Grace column.

I understand one god. I might even understand three gods. But I cannot understand a three-in-one God. The Trinity is a mystery of grace.

I may comprehend predestination. I may comprehend free will. But if I believe that scripture supports both doctrines, I again confront a God of grace.

And most telling, I understand sin and hell. I understand a holy God. But I cannot fathom the mystery of a holy God who “knew no sin, yet became sin for us,” 2 Corinthians 5:21. How can holiness become unholiness? And why would God do it “while we were yet enemies” (Romans 5:8)? And how many truly horrible, murderous men, men of unfathomable evil will be in heaven? Surely heaven will include a shocking number of cruel, despicable, seemingly worthless sinners that God redeemed for no reason but His own glory. Think of the worst person you know. Imagine discovering that person in heaven. Because if they are not there, I guarantee someone equally unworthy will be. Why?

How do you reconcile such lavish grace, such reckless love? God is a God of great Grace. He is beyond our comprehension.

Such an eternal, unpredictable God, a mysterious God who insists on remaining invisible, and who refuses to explain so many mysteries—what else is He but a God of great grace. This is no binary, either-or, black-and-white God. This is not a series of ones and zeroes, switches that flip on or off. Decisions are not always yes or no. Nothing is as simple with God as we might like to believe.

God is good, of course. He loves you, absolutely. God will always be the loving One who said, “bring the children to me” Mark 10:14. God is loving and kind and compassionate and merciful and good. But He is not simple or predictable. He is beyond our definitions, our comprehension.

God will not fit into the box we have fashioned for Him. Because He is a God of great grace.

Consider one peculiar command.

“Ye shall not eat of anything that dieth of itself. Thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it, or thou mayest sell it unto an alien. For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God” Deuteronomy 14:21.

Moses has just reminded the people of Israel about all the kosher laws: eat only land animals with a cloven hoof that chew the cud. Eat only those fish with both fins and scales. You may eat birds, but none from a specific list (generally meat eaters and scavengers). The animals that do not make the cut are described as “abominable,” Deuteronomy 14:3.

But the passage concludes with a note about animals that die of natural causes. “Thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates … or sell it unto an alien.” The standard seems different for the animal that dies. It is not described as an abomination—and you can share it with non-Jews. Let them benefit from the meat, if it interests them. But it is not for you.

Why not? What if a cow fell from a ledge, and you saw it happen? That’s a great deal of fresh meat—and not an insignificant loss to the owner. Why can’t a Jew eat the cow?

Because God says, “thou art a holy people … the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto Himself” Deuteronomy 14:2.

Holy and peculiar are similar words. “Holy” means “set apart.” It means being “called out” or different. God expects His children to be different, not just like everyone else. “Peculiar” means the same thing—in this arcane usage, “peculiar” means “special” or “particular.”

God’s children are to be set apart. Called out from the crowd. Different. Special.

We are “not of this world,” John 17:16.

For that reason, God commanded His children not to eat perfectly good meat if the animal died in any manner other than a ritual, kosher killing (there were rules for how it was to be done). The Jewish people were not hunters for the same reason—because wild animals could not be killed according to the rules.

But imagine what the foreigner would think. The Jewish farmer who pays you to pick his crops offers to give your Gentile family an entire cow simply because it stepped off a ledge and died? That is peculiar, is it not? The foreigner would ask questions. He would wonder if it was a trick. He would say “what’s the catch?” But there is no catch. The farmer is a Jew and His God will not allow him to eat this cow.

And that opens up an opportunity for a lot of conversations! The foreign man’s entire family will be talking about this—and all the friends with whom they share the meat. Everyone will be amazed by the Jewish man who gave away a perfectly good cow because his God said not to eat it. It is peculiar.

As I said above, I LOVE grace. I could talk about it forever. And I’m not the only one. Christians love grace. We bask in our freedom in Christ. We enjoy our freedom to eat what we want. Many Christians enjoy the freedom to drink whatever they might want. We enjoy many things once considered taboo not only for Christians but for all Americans: Piercings. Makeup. Two-piece swimsuits. Tattoos. Short sleeves. Mini-skirts. Four-letter words. Long hair on men. We even go to the movies (gasp!). It’s funny, but there was a time….

My great-grandmother (whom I never met) thought Christian girls should not be seen in short pants. My wife’s parents were raised in a church where the men sat on one side of the aisle and the women sat on the other. We can be a legalistic people. We love rules—and that can be a problem. Jesus did not redeem us from the law only to see us return to the law again, Galatians 5:1-4. We are not under a law. “All things are lawful for me” 1 Corinthians 6:12. No one extolled grace more than the Apostle Paul, and yet, no one placed higher expectations on other believers than Paul.*

The fact is, you can—you should—live a peculiar life, a set-apart life, a HOLY life, without living a life centered around rules.

And that is where grace comes into play. God would not place you under a series of rules. But you can make good choices. You can clean up your language, for example. Paul, the Bible’s great champion of grace, spoke many times about speech (see, e.g. Ephesians 4:29, 5:4, and Colossians 4:6). In fact, Paul spoke many times about a great many matters of good behavior and good habits. Like I said, no one explained grace better than Paul–and no one set higher standards for his Christian brothers and sisters than Paul. High standards–rules, if you will–do not conflict with grace.

I think the supposed tension between law and grace[1] makes it seem like a balancing act, as if it is two sides of the same coin, and we should try to be good, while also enjoying the freedom from all restraints that allows us to eat bacon-wrapped shrimp.

But this notion of a peculiar people is one of several things that persuade me that freedom from all restraints might not be Biblical.

I used to attend a men’s Bible study that was … unusual. It was held each Friday afternoon at an auto shop. After the day was done, the men would barbecue steaks and chicken, pass out cigars and beers, and sit down to talk about Jesus, often after watching scenes from movies that raised various men’s ministry-type of questions.

I remember watching some of the more PG-rated scenes from COOL HAND LUKE, followed by a Bible-oriented conversation from a retired pastor who had managed to incorporate into his Bible teaching every four-letter word in the English language. It was jarring. But it left me with a question:

If I am not peculiar in some way, if my life is not different or set apart or special, why would a lost person have any interest in what I have to say?

If my religion never requires me to do something peculiar such as giving away a cow that died in a sudden accident—then how will an unbeliever notice my witness?

I love grace! It is greater than and preferable to the law—though God’s law is of immense value and the Old Testament is a storehouse of (largely) untapped treasure. Jesus says we should master both law and grace, both the Old Testament and the New, Matthew 13:52.

But I also want to live a life that is different. I want to speak without cussing and do or not do a number of other things that signal to the lost that maybe my life is different somehow. I hope to be able to articulate the reason for the hope that I have (1 Peter 3:15), but I also want to let my light shine in a way that gives God glory and attracts others to His light, Matthew 5:16.

May God make us a peculiar people!

AΩ.

[1] There is no tension between law and grace, https://dadsdailydevotionals.com/2024/08/21/is-there-tension-between-law-and-grace-titus-214/

* Some of us have taken on a posture that deeply resists anything even remotely similar to a law. No personal goals, no New Year’s Resolutions, no rules of any kind. One example is my friend the seminary graduate who told me memorizing scripture was legalistic. I disagree. Legalism is adopting rules in order to be justified by them. Paul describes what we would call legalism this way: “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace” Galatians 5:4.

No Biblical author expounds more brilliantly on grace than Paul. Yet, Paul commands believers to behave and follow all sorts of rules some of us today might describe as “legalistic.” The difference is this: Paul encourages us to live holy lives to give glory to God, not because we “seek to be justified by law.”

Christians should live holy lives. “Be holy as I am holy” 1 Peter 1:16. Make good choices. Follow the rules (yes, rules!). Here’s one of Paul’s many ‘rules’–“There must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks” Ephesians 5:4. Live right. Make good choices. Don’t shy away from ‘rules’ or goals or New Year’s Resolutions. Employ a rule for yourself now and then! It’s the fastest way to create good habits; it is the fastest way to grow. But don’t drift into the prideful self-delusion that tells you that your new good habit somehow makes you better in God’s eyes. That is, don’t fall from grace as you “seek to be justified by the law” that you invented.

Addie Presley Gives Dating Advice. Deuteronomy 7.

“And you know, I just told her, ‘don’t date a boy you would not be willing to marry.’”

We were in Portland, Texas at the home of my mother’s aunt and uncle, Addie and Norman. Their daughter Kay, probably a senior in high school at the time, was out on a date when we drove in from Houston. I was so small I had no idea what dating was, but I knew Kay was somewhere with a boy—a movie, I assumed.

The implication of Addie’s words was obvious: you never know who you might fall for. What might look today like a meaningless cup of coffee might grow into love.

Addie’s dating advice stuck with me, accidentally memorized in the sort-of magical way that only one or two sentences a year might be: don’t date someone you could not marry. Her concern was that her daughter avoid dating a boy from a different religion, because such differences, while intriguing in a boyfriend, can create serious challenges in marriage.

Moses gave similar advice, warning the Hebrews not to marry the pagans living in the Promised Land:

“Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and He will quickly destroy you” Deuteronomy 7:3-4.

Why were the Israelites told not to marry the idol-worshipping Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, etc.? Because the relationships would end in divorce? No. The risk God warned of was that these pagans would draw the Jews away from the one true God.  “They will turn your sons away from following Me.”

Does that strike you as a serious risk? If you were to marry a non-believer, aren’t the odds just as good that you would lead that person to Christ? I don’t think so. It is certainly possible, particularly if a Christian is devoted to Christ and devoted to their spouse. But I don’t think it is the norm. The more common result is that a Christian living with a non-believer slides down to their level. That is human nature.

Remember the old television show, the ODD COUPLE about two mis-matched roommates, one fastidious and neat, always picking up after people and sliding coasters under their glasses, the other a bit of a slob, spilling food in the kitchen and smoking cigars in the den? Imagine that in a marriage.

Imagine being a neat person and discovering that you married a hoarder. Will you be able to keep a clean house? How many years will you last, trying to beat back the tide of garbage and unnecessary purchases turning your house into a dump?

How long will you keep fighting the fight before you begin to relax, to give-in in small ways, no longer maintaining the standards with which you began? Is it impossible to keep going at the highest level? No. But it becomes difficult when you live with someone who seems to be working against you at every turn. The simple fact of human nature is this: as years pass, it is much more likely that the hard worker will relax into a lazy tolerance, than that the passively destructive hoarder will begin to clean up after himself. *

The Christian life is the same way. There is work involved, and a disinterested spouse will not make it easy!

Jesus compared our souls to a clean house (Luke 11:25), and it takes work to keep things clean.

There are disciplines to the Christian life: Read and memorize scripture, apply it to your life and change your behaviors, share the word with others, and more. But it is hard to exercise spiritual discipline when you are married to someone with no interest in such things, or worse, someone opposed to spiritual disciplines. Thus, heed the warnings of Moses:

Do not marry unbelievers.

Or as the Apostle Paul put it in the New Testament, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers” 2 Corinthians 6:14.

As my Aunt Addie would have added: Don’t even date someone you would not be willing to marry. Marriage is one of the two or three most critical decisions you will ever make. Don’t get it wrong by marrying outside the faith in the hope that you will influence your spouse toward Christ. It is more likely an unbelieving spouse will influence you to move away from Christ–to settle into a lukewarm complacency, a life that never makes any difference.

Finally, if you find yourself unequally yoked (married to an unbeliever), never give up hope! With God all things are possible, Matthew 19:26.

AΩ.

* Such a relaxing of housecleaning standards is fine. Most of us should learn to compromise. But the same cannot be said of the Christian life.

DISCIPLESHIP: Grow With G.R.A.M.P.S. Deuteronomy 2.

“Steven, you got a telephone call,” my dad announced one Saturday morning. He was oddly excited about it, eager to tell me the whole story. I had just crawled out of bed, a college student coming in the kitchen at 9 o’clock looking for some cereal.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“Well, he called at 7 o’clock in the morning! Let me tell you what happened.”

“I’m all ears.”

“So the phone rings. I got up from reading the paper and answered and this man says, ‘Is Steven there?’ I said, ‘Well, he’s here, but he’s asleep!’ I had no idea who it was, mind you. But he sounded about my age. And then he laughs and he says, ‘Okay. He’s asleep, huh? Well, this is David Bush, I’m a friend of Ron Stadtlander. Of course, Steven knows me, you understand—’

“And then David says he was calling to ask you for Chris Wolff’s telephone number. So I dug around and found it for him. But then before we could get off the phone, he stops me. ‘Now, Mr. Wales, I want you to tell Steven, I have a Bible verse for him, okay?’ And oh, don’t you know I was curious to hear where this was going–?”

“Well, you and me both!” I laughed. My father continued:

“I told David ‘sure, lemme have it,’ and David announces–lemme see, I’ve got it written here–‘As a door turneth upon its hinges, so doth the sloth turn upon his bed,’ Proverbs 26:14.’ Oh, I laughed and laughed—!”

David Bush was one of the funniest people I had ever met. I smiled at my dad. “Yes, I do know! –He’s a morning person, a man after your own heart!”

“At any rate, I told him to wait while I grabbed a pen. ‘Said, ‘I gotta write this down.’ Oh, David and I both had a good laugh.”

I smiled. “Well, I’m glad you made a new friend. But why did he want Chris’s number?”

“Honestly, I have no idea.”

When the children of Israel left Egypt, things must have been so exciting. The people who had been enslaved for years had been freed in the most dramatic fashion. I wonder if the so-called “Children of Israel” suddenly thought they were grown—the “Adults of Israel”? Leaving Egypt must have felt like a graduation, as if the Hebrews were finally going to begin living their real lives. Then they crossed the Red Sea—another incredible miracle—and it was on!

And then it wasn’t. The exodus was like a firecracker that misfired. The fuse was lit, burned briefly, then went out.

Moses reported the history, measuring distance from Egypt to the Promised Land not in miles but in time:

“And the space in which we came from Kadesh-Barnea until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years, until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as the Lord sware unto them” Deuteronomy 2:14-15.

What should have been a few months of adventure for the former slaves turned into four decades wandering in the wilderness.

Do you ever feel like you are wandering in the wilderness? Going around in circles? Are you a born-again believer, a follower of Christ, yet your life never seems to be going anywhere? Or worse, do you wonder whether the hand of the Lord is against all your hopes and dreams, the way He was against the generation that died in the wilderness?

It is possible to give your soul to Christ without giving Him all of you. Those of us who come to Christ as children or youth seem to struggle with this more than adult converts. But no matter the age, some of us land in a spot where we have made Jesus our Savior, but we remain our own lord. We persist in the pursuit of our own plans, our own dreams, our own interests, our own hobbies. We do not submit these details to God. Perhaps it does not even occur to us. (Does God care about my hopes? Dreams? Hobbies? YES!)

Discipleship is the way OUT of this wilderness. Becoming a disciple means engaging the practices that will help you grow in Christ. And as you grow in Christ, you will move out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land[1].

(Although, ironically, as you grow in Christ, you motivation will be less connected to some perceived ‘promised land’ where dreams come true, and more connected to the call to selfless sacrifice that discipleship entails.) God does not call us to lives of health and wealth, of prosperity and fun and fulfilment.

God sometimes blesses His children with experiences of peace, joy, hope, and happiness—and yes, for some even health and wealth, at least from time to time.

But that is not the point. The Christian life was never about my happiness. It was never about ME at all! As the martyr-pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously put it, “When Jesus Christ calls a man, He bids him ‘Come and die.’” –Which brings me to the first and most critical point of discipleship:

1.  GROVEL: GIVE-IN TO THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST AND THE AUTHORITY OF HIS WORD.

If you are seated on the throne of your own life, then your Christianity lacks not only power, but purpose.

For the carnal, fleshly, selfish, lust-and-greed-driven Christian who is “in the wilderness,” this first step is where everything will begin to change: Give in. Or better, GROVEL. To grovel is to do more than bow or kneel. And yes, it is odd behavior in a nation without a king.

But if you could see your King, the Creator of the universe, I guarantee you would grovel.

Assuming the encounter was not immediately fatal (as scripture says it would be to a mere mortal, Exodus 33:20), you would immediately find yourself on the floor, willing yourself beneath the tile. Not because you doubt God’s love or His kindness. But because simply being in His presence would fill you with terror. We don’t like to use the term ‘grovel,’ but that is exactly what we would do if we could see more of God.

As I have written elsewhere, God’s longest-running miracle is His vigilant, daily effort to hide Himself. He knows He would overwhelm us utterly. So He veils Himself at all times. But when He reveals even His shadow, or His back as He did for Moses (Exodus 33:18-23), the result is a proper fear of God, a proper sense of humility, and a posture that grovels. (Ask God to give you a glimpse of His glory as He did for Moses. But be ready: it will change everything. )

If you love God and want to know Him and experience more of Him, practice the humility of a groveling posture, not only physically, but personally, emotionally, spiritually.

Grovel. Give in to His Lordship. Kneel before the Lordship of Christ. To put it in practical terms, think about how powerful God is and how insignificant you are. Talk to Him about that. Praise Him by talking to Him about His amazing qualities and attributes: I praise You God for Your power, Your wisdom, Your holiness, and Your mercy. I praise You because You answer prayer, and You provide for my every need.

Ask Him to help you understand His power and His lordship. Then talk to Jesus about you—about all your hopes, dreams, plans, and desires. Tell Him what you want for this day, for this month, for this life—and then SURRENDER. Let it all go. And tell Him that. Write it all down if you have to. Write down all your dreams and desires. And then write a prayer to Jesus in which you give all of that over to Him. Grovel, kneel, and give in to HIS lordship. Get off the throne of your life and ask Jesus to take His rightful place as LORD.

And while you’re at it, give in also to the Authority of God’s word. Talk to God about you again—about your beliefs. About your opinions. About your politics and policy, your views on culture, movies, art, books. Talk to God about your values, your ethics, your ideas. Talk to Him about everything you believe on every topic, even the most controversial. Tell God what you believe about the death penalty, abortion, gender, school choice, gun control, relationships, marriage, parenting, education, gambling, drinking, recreational drugs, you name it. Talk to God about every topic you can think of.

And then surrender those topics to Him. Tell God out loud that you want Him to be the Lord of your opinions and beliefs. Then ask Him to help you understand what His word has to say about those opinions and beliefs. And please note—I am not suggesting answers to any of those topics. I am merely encouraging you to ask God to reveal the answers through His word.

Give in to the AUTHORITY of God’s word. He gave us the Bible, an owner’s manual to help us navigate our days on earth. But we must use it. And we must read and interpret it correctly. Are there multiple interpretations? Absolutely. But we can pray! Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to rightly interpret the word of God. And then submit. When God shows you what a passage of scripture really means, you must be willing to accept that. You must submit.

We must recognize that the Bible is the single authority on all subjects. We must submit—we must GIVE IN to the authority of God’s word.

2.  READ THE WORD.

The second key to discipleship is simple: read the Bible. Set aside a time and place where you can read scripture every day. Do you have to begin with Genesis? No. Read whatever will hold your interest. Remember this: the books were not written in the order in which they are printed. There is no rule that says you must begin with Genesis and read all 66 books in order. Many who attempt that give up completely during the third book, Leviticus. There’s no need for that!

Skip Leviticus for now—not forever—but for now. You will get to it eventually! Right now, read whatever will hold your interest! Read Genesis, Exodus, 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings, and then skip to the Gospels and the rest of the New Testament. Read things out of order. Better yet, choose my favorite method and read a chronological Bible, where editors have shuffled things around to put them in the order in which they happened. I love chronological Bibles!

The number-one rule for Bible reading is just keep reading!

Remember, this is a book with 2,000 pages. God has things to say to you on every page, but how will He speak to you if you get so discouraged by genealogies or laws or architectural plans that you quit. Skip the parts you find difficult or dull! Read the interesting parts! God will help you read the hard stuff later!

3.  APPLY THE WORD.

The third key to discipleship and Christian growth (or simply “growth”) is to find ways to apply what you read to your daily life.

Ask God to help you, and He will. A study Bible is a big help because the editors line the margins with notes. Some of these explain difficult points of doctrine, but in my experience most of the notes in study Bibles explain how various passages apply to our lives.

Let’s consider an easy verse: “As a door turneth upon its hinges, so doth the sloth turn upon his bed,” Proverbs 26:14. David Dean’s favorite verse for people who sleep past 7 is easy to apply: get up! It means get up before the day is wasted. By implication, it suggests going to bed at a decent time. And you might argue it suggests working hard and using your time wisely. But getting up in the morning is enough. Application? Get up and get busy. Don’t oversleep.

4.  MEMORIZE THE WORD.

When God uses a verse to really speak to you, memorize it! Think of it this way: if the God who formed the sun and moon and stars and planets took the time to speak to you, you should take the time to memorize what He says. Memorize a verse a week. Or memorize a verse a month. But make the effort.

Write a Bible verse down. Scribble it on the back of an envelope or on a Post-It note or an index card. Type it somewhere. Put it on your mirror or in your car. Then read it out loud. Say it over and over until you can say it without looking. Memorize it.

Do you think memorization is too hard? I bet you know hundreds of song lyrics. Actors, even those who did not enjoy school, find ways to memorize pages and pages of dialogue. How do they do it? They push themselves because it’s such an essential part of their craft. I once memorized 45 minutes of dialogue for a play and suddenly realized I had no excuse not to memorize scripture. Pastor Robert Jeffress shared the following illustration on his TV broadcast:

“But you say, ‘Pastor, I can’t memorize scripture. I can’t even remember where I put my car keys!’

“What if I told you that we are going to memorize Colossians chapter 3 this week, and next Sunday we are all going to stand and recite it … and to every one of you that memorizes the whole chapter I will give a check for $100,000.”

Long pause.

“How many of you would manage to memorize the whole chapter in a week? You see, it’s not a lack of ability but a lack of motivation. But don’t you see–? Memorizing scripture is like money … it is planting God’s treasure in your soul.”

There are useful verses that are very short: “Flee youthful lust” 2 Timothy 2:22. That’s only three words, yet it is powerful guidance for life. You can memorize three words.

And then when you face the temptation, train yourself to pull out the relevant verse and quote it over and over, being careful to do what it says. Flee lust. Or get out of bed earlier. Or “do not let the sun go down on your anger” Ephesians 4:26. There are many more. Discipline yourself to memorize verses. God will use them to push the wrong thoughts and habits out of your life and replace them with the right thoughts and habits.

5.  PRAY THE WORD.

After you have memorized verses—and often WHILE you are memorizing verses—you can begin to use them in prayer. Talk to God about the verse: Dear God, I don’t want to roll back and forth on the bed like ‘a door turning on its hinges.’ Help me to get out of bed at an appropriate time. Help me not to be slothful. Teach me to go to bed earlier. Teach me to honor you with my sleep habits.

When you pray God’s word, you can be sure He will answer your prayers. Think of it like a lawyer citing caselaw to a judge. You are reminding God of His own word, and asking Him to make it real in your life. Of course, God will say yes to that prayer!

6.  SHARE THE WORD.

Finally, share the word. How? When you are actively reading it, studying it, memorizing it, applying it, and praying it, God will give you opportunities to share it. You can bring Bible verses up in conversation, the way Mr. Dean did when he got my father on the phone. You can share verses while teaching people in a Bible study or in church. You can work with children and help them learn more about the Bible.

There are so many creative ways to share the word with others. But first, you need to begin to really, deeply learn the word. And that all begins when you grovel, i.e., when you deeply humble yourself before God, giving Him true lordship over every area of your life, and giving His word the final say, the ultimate authority over all your beliefs, opinions, and desires.

A final word. If this article seems to run a bit long, consider: this is one of the most personally important messages I might ever hope to teach. If I were asked to summarize my “life’s message” or to draft something to leave behind as a legacy, this brief article would be it. GRAMPS is an acronym for the six practices I believe to be the most essential in life[2]. And yes, should God make me a grandfather one day, ‘Gramps’ will be my choice for a grandpa name. It’s too perfect.

AΩ.

[1] Christians need to grow in Christ. The apostle Paul describes some who remain “baby Christians,” drinking only the milk of the Word, while others have moved on to solid food, I Corinthians 3:1-2.

[2] For several years I have been writing about “R.A.M.P.S.” But recently it occurred to me that those five points don’t amount to much until a would-be disciple has fully surrendered to the Lordship of Christ and the Authority of His word. As noted, ‘Grovel’ is a surprisingly harsh term, rather off-putting in an era that so deeply enshrines grace. But again—if you could see even a little bit of the Almighty, to grovel would feel like a step up. God is gracious and kind and loving, and children flocked to Jesus. But we should never forget the Holy and Eternal One before whom every knee shall bow.

Leadership is a Group Project. Deuteronomy 1.

Image from an article on Medium.com: https://kevin-gordon.medium.com/hierarchy-of-leadership-f5a82b589342

Leaders like to complain that it’s lonely at the top. We think a leader is a one-man band. A single conductor leads the entire orchestra. A single quarterback leads his team. A single pilot flies a plane. A single teacher leads a classroom. Nations are often led by a single executive, whether king, president, or tin-horn dictator.

But we knew as long ago as the days of Moses that leadership works better as a shared responsibility. Moses gave up trying to do it all himself. His father-in-law saw him struggling to judge every dispute that came up among the nation of over a million people. Jethro told Moses he would wear himself out and advised him to delegate—to enlist wise men to carry some of the burden. Years later, Moses recounted the story in an address to the nation:

“I spoke to you at that time, saying, ‘I am not able to bear the burden of you alone. The Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are this day like the stars of heaven in number. May the Lord, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand-fold more than you are and bless you, just as He has promised you! How can I alone bear the load and burden of you and your strife? Choose wise and discerning and experienced men from your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads.’ 

You answered me and said, ‘The thing which you have said to do is good.’ 

So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and appointed them heads over you, leaders of thousands and of hundreds, of fifties and of tens, and officers for your tribes. Then I charged your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your fellow countrymen, and judge righteously between a man and his fellow countryman, or the alien who is with him. You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’ I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do” Deuteronomy 1:9-18.

Leadership is not a one-man band. It is a team effort. Moses may have led the nation, but he was propped up by the support of a team of leaders: leaders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. This was a hierarchy not unlike a modern army with its generals, colonels, majors, captains, lieutenants, sergeants, corporals, and privates.

There is a need for gifted leaders who can lead hundreds or even thousands. But there is a greater need for those who will lead only ten. As Moses describes it, for every man who leads a thousand, a nation will need a hundred men who can lead ten men each[1]. The result is a leadership team.

Leadership is not meant to be the solitary experience it was for Moses. A single conductor may lead the entire orchestra—but he is supported by assistant conductors, rehearsal directors and others. A single quarterback may lead his team on the field, but he is supported by not only a head coach but a team of coaches and players who serve as team captains.

A single pilot flies a plane—but many pilots are supported by co-pilots. And where would teachers and professors be without the support of an administrative team of principals, presidents, department heads, deans, and more? Nations may be led by a single executive, but kings, presidents, and even dictators rely on a large supporting cast.

If you are a leader, never be too proud to enlist good helpers—and use them. Rely on them. Find some people who are not YES people. Leaders need people who will hold them accountable, ask hard questions, and say NO sometimes.

If you are not a leader, be willing to play a supporting role. Maybe you are not called to lead thousands. But can you lead ten? Such a servant role is an essential part of any leadership team.

Dear God, teach us how to lead and how to follow. Give us the humility to listen and gain wisdom from those around us. Remind us that leadership and roles and titles are not the point. We want to serve you. We are available. Use us to provide Biblical, Godly wisdom to whatever organization or circumstances we may find ourselves in.

AΩ.

[1] If a population needs one leader for every thousand, one for every hundred, one for every fifty, and one for every ten, then over 13% of the people will be required to participate in leadership.

Why Do Some Societies Develop into Complex, Modern Civilizations While Others Do Not? Numbers 36.

Just before the Israelites moved into the Promised Land, a group of tribal leaders came to Moses with a question. All had agreed that the daughters of Zelophehad would inherit the land that was to have been assigned to their father. But the leaders of their tribe feared that if those daughters should marry outside their tribe, then at death, the land they inherited would become the property of another tribe. Such a result would permanently reduce the land of the tribe of Manasseh. Moses took this complex problem to the Lord:

“Then at the Lord’s command Moses gave this order to the Israelites: ‘What the tribe of the descendants of Joseph is saying is right. This is what the Lord commands for Zelophehad’s daughters: They may marry anyone they please as long as they marry within their father’s tribal clan. No inheritance in Israel is to pass from one tribe to another, for every Israelite shall keep the tribal inheritance of their ancestors. Every daughter who inherits land in any Israelite tribe must marry someone in her father’s tribal clan, so that every Israelite will possess the inheritance of their ancestors. No inheritance may pass from one tribe to another, for each Israelite tribe is to keep the land it inherits.’ So Zelophehad’s daughters did as the Lord commanded Moses” Numbers 36:5-10.

When I was a child, I remember talking to my friends about the tribes and cultures around the world. We wondered why some people lived in huts, others in castles. Why do some people have cars, electricity, and antibiotics, and others run through the jungle barefoot and naked, killing each other with spears and blowguns? Are the people in the civilized cultures smarter? Or more talented? Or do they have a better religion? Or does their language give them a more adaptable way of thinking about the world? Racists and eugenicists argue it’s DNA—that some races are drawn toward imperialism, building things, and long life, and others are content to raise their children in trees, and die at 35. (I disagree: there is only one human race.)

Cynical thinkers often suggest the very notion of “civilization” is itself just makeup or whitewash, a costume we use to hide our savagery. Filmmaker Werner Herzog has said, “Civilization is like a thin layer of ice upon a deep ocean of chaos and darkness.”

Some are convinced our world of universities and hospitals, skyscrapers and voting machines, is no better than the darkest jungles of the Amazon. Some argue we are all evil monsters and our wealthy, complex society is merely a mask to hide our true selves. In fact, the popular notion of the “noble savage” takes the idea even further, arguing civilized societies are actually the evil ones*, and simple, aboriginal cultures are good and noble and deserve to be imitated.

But you will not convince me that every advance humanity has achieved is meaningless.

If society and its achievements were meaningless, then God would not have gone to such great lengths to show us how to live.

After all, the Bible is filled with advice on what to eat and not eat, how to handle wild animals, human waste, dead bodies, diseases of all kinds, and mold and mildew on the walls of your houses. God stepped into the life of Israel and taught them how to educate their children, how to run a government, how to punish crimes, how to adjudicate lawsuits, and so much more.

Civilization is what happens when people decide to stop killing each other so often and so quickly. Civilization is what happens when someone chooses patience.

Consider the film “End of the Spear.” The movie tells the story of Ecuador’s Waodani people. These people living in the Amazon jungle are locked in a cycle of revenge killings. Every time one of the members of the tribe is killed, an avenger kills a member of the rival tribe. Soon, both tribes have killed so many that they face extinction. They are committing a sort of genocide, one enemy at a time. Until they stop. And they do stop. And that is the moment when a civilization is born.

By contrast, consider the story of Enrico Fermi. Fermi was the greatest physicist in Italy in 1938, and was, in fact, one of the greatest on earth. But when Mussolini’s Italy became an ally of Nazi Germany, Fermi was in trouble. His wife was Jewish and she and their children were suddenly at risk. So when the family traveled to Stockholm to accept the Nobel Prize in Physics, Fermi never returned, instead immigrating to the United States.

Once here, Fermi led the team that was the first to achieve a sustained nuclear chain reaction, proving the potential of nuclear physics. Then Fermi joined the Manhattan Project, building the bomb that–for all its controversy as a killing machine–stopped the killing of World War Two, because it stopped the war. Fermi then went on to enjoy a career in academia.

For purposes of this discussion, consider the position of Italy. The nation has done the unexpected: produced one of the greatest physicists in the world. But Italy loses him forever because the war drives him to the United States. In fact, the war caused Europe to lose thousands of scientists, scholars, musicians, artists, and more to the United States and other safer places. War will do that. Institutionalized killing will do that. When killing and death move in, civilization and life move out.

As I said, civilization happens when people slow down the killings. Personal convictions against killing are a good place to begin. But if a society can enact laws against killing, and create institutions that will punish killers, then the amount of killing will drop dramatically.

But what does killing have to do with civilization?

Civilization takes time! It takes so much time to create roads and bridges and castles and infrastructure. It takes thousands of people, a massive labor force to raise crops, to feed a nation, and to create homes and clothing and tools and labor-saving devices, and inventions of all kinds. As long as being killed remains a constant threat, everyone is forced to focus on killing enemies and protecting allies. You are so busy sharpening your sword, there is no time to repair your plow—much less, build a hospital or school or church or any of the hallmarks of civilization.

Perhaps taking one rare positive lesson from the relatively civilized nation of Egypt (the ruling civilization of the time), Ancient Israel was more civilized than bloodthirsty. Did they fight in wars? Yes. Did they kill? Of course. But the Hebrew nation was not as bloodthirsty as many. Speaking of revenge killings, God led the nation to establish sanctuary cities were even the designated avenger could not take a life. Israel outlawed murder and revenge killings and the number of killings slowed to a crawl, allowing time for God to begin giving the people laws and lessons.

Consider the problem of women inheriting land in the passage above from Numbers 36. In another nation, land moving permanently from one tribe to another would be stopped.

By killing.

But the leaders of the tribe of Manasseh took the problem to Moses and a solution was found in advance. That’s what civilizations do.

Civilization happens when a culture anticipates conflict and resolves it in advance**.

Civilization happens when a society creates laws that replace murder with due process, with some form of objective or blind justice that treats disparate parties fairly and resolves conflicts equitably.

But for such a system to work, the majority of the citizens must respect the process and be willing to abide by the court’s decisions. Creating a respected judicial system is no easy task! It is complicated. Civilized societies are highly specialized, highly complex. But such societies also created modern medicine, better fertilizers, and have increased global wealth (and global energy output) immeasurably.

Is this business about female heirs not marrying outside the tribe complex? Yes. Do we have more laws in the United States than we can count? Yes. But we also have an average life span that is longer than nearly every society in history. Do we require children to attend school for a dozen years or more? Yes. But we also live in one of the wealthiest nations that has ever existed.

There is a direct correlation between the reduction in killing and the opportunity for a society to build itself into a great civilization.

Do passages in the Bible ever strike you as overly complicated? If so, consider: to one degree or another, civilized societies have exchanged murder and war for complexity.

The Bible contains highly complex passages on Old Testament law, and on New Testament doctrine. But the specialized modern world we enjoy owes its existence to the law and legal system created in the Old Testament, and to convictions about grace and restoration taught in the New Testament. In some sense, our wealthy, healthy, educated, and peaceful lives owe everything to the sixth commandment:

“Thou shalt not kill” Exodus 20:13.

Dear God, may we always be grateful for the blessings we enjoy. Thank you for peace. Thank you for Your word that has taught people right and wrong for centuries. Thank you for our imperfect but well-intentioned governments that have built legal systems that allow us to pursue interesting, creative lives free from the constant threat of death. Help us every day to better understand the way your word has enriched our lives—even the most complicated passages of that word! May we love it more every day.

AΩ.

* Those who believe civilization itself is evil create for themselves an inverse sort of religion, one consisting primarily of sins: the rich are evil, corporations are evil, capitalism and free trade are evil, factories are evil, plastic is evil, petroleum is evil, carbon emissions are evil, paper is evil, big-pharma is evil, the medical industry is evil, medicine is evil, cars are evil, shipping is evil, trains are evil, trucking is evil (but Amazon is okay!), pre-packaged food is evil, fast food is evil, junk food is evil, eating meat is evil, farming is evil, governments are evil, automobiles are evil, and so on. These ideas have become so deeply rooted, it can be difficult to perceive that they do not add up and are, in fact, irrational.

** Some will argue that many civilizations have thrived while also killing millions. And it is easy to list examples. What empire has not been famous for its efficient killing? Some kill outsiders. Some kill their own people. Some kill both. But yes, the reign of death among otherwise successful, even world-dominating empires is unchallenged. But my point is not that civilizations do not kill, only that most advances in human life have happened during peacetime. When people are occupied with killing or escaping killing, they have no time for creativity, for invention, discovery, or raising the standard of living. Those things happen at other times and in other places. They happen before, after, and away from the killing. Again: civilization happens when people decide to stop killing each other so often and so quickly. Civilization is what happens when someone chooses patience.

Moving into the Promised Land. Numbers 34.

Painting: the Prayer at Valley Forge, by Arnold Friberg.

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Command the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter Canaan, the land that will be allotted to you as an inheritance is to have these boundaries: … Your southern boundary will start in the east from the southern end of the Dead Sea, cross south of Scorpion Pass, continue on to Zin and go south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and over to Azmon, where it will turn, join the Wadi of Egypt and end at the Mediterranean Sea.

‘Your western boundary will be the coast of the Mediterranean Sea …

‘For your northern boundary, run a line from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath. Then the boundary will go to Zedad, continue to Ziphron and end at Hazar Enan …

‘For your eastern boundary, run a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. The boundary will go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain and continue along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee.Then the boundary will go down along the Jordan and end at the Dead Sea. This will be your land, with its boundaries on every side’” Numbers 34:1-12.

Stop and think about God’s Story. He chooses a man. Abraham. Calls him his friend, makes a unilateral covenant (meaning God is obligating Himself, though Abraham can offer Him nothing in return). Then God promises to make Abraham the father of a great nation. He gives the man a son when he is 100 years old.

Generations later Abraham’s descendants find themselves a nation of slaves, trapped in a highly “civilized,” supposedly well-educated land but a land of idol worshipping pagans. They are slaves. They have no money. No possessions. No real estate. No freedom. What do they have? They have a God they are not too sure about, and a loosely defined religion of monotheism.

In fact, the Jews were the world’s first and only monotheistic religion, a notion the rest of the world found not only crazy, but irreligious.

Gods were possessions to be collected and shown off to others, the way some of the fabulously wealthy collect cars. Having only one God meant your religion was weaker than the religion of those with many gods.

These children of Abraham, these impoverished slaves, could not even take worldly pride in their God, or carve idols of Him to show off and bow down to. They did not understand everything about Him, but they knew He was not that kind of God. He would not be reduced to an engraved (or “graven”) image.

Then God chooses another man. Moses. And God sends Moses to Pharaoh, demanding he set God’s people free. Pharaoh refuses ten times and ten times God sends devastating plagues, miracles of God’s wrath that prove God’s power and God’s truth and God’s character to not only the Egyptian idol worshippers, but to God’s own people.

These slaves were going to have to step up their game. Soon they would be free. Autonomous. They would have to make their own decisions. They would have to worship God and follow the laws He would give them. They would have to create courts and a government and leaders of all kinds. They would need farmers and craftsmen and artisans and physicians and teachers and soldiers and generals and all the trades that build a nation.

So God rescues the people from the hand of Pharaoh. And he gives them such favor in the eyes of their former captors that the Egyptians shower them with gifts so valuable that the Bible says the Jews “plundered the Egyptians” Exodus 12:36.

Then the former slaves find themselves in the wilderness, a traveling band of over a million nomads.

For forty years, God sustains them with food and water. Though it is easy to overlook, this is an unparalleled miracle of logistics.

It is phenomenal. Can you name another miracle that was ongoing—for forty years? God provided manna six days a week for forty years including a double portion on Fridays so no one would have to collect food on the sabbath. That pattern was repeated week-in, week-out for four decades. On top of that, their clothes did not wear out, Deuteronomy 29:5. Their clothes and shoes lasted forty years!

Napoleon is credited with an expression that points out the challenge of logistics:

An army marches on its stomach.

It is true. George Washington’s troops nearly lost the war because they were short on food, boots, and blankets during the harsh winter of 1777-78. The modern U.S. Army spends billions paying private contractor KBR to provide food, water, and shelter to soldiers during operations in Middle Eastern deserts.

Wartime logistics is one of the greatest challenges any army faces. Sure, you have weapons. You’re good at death. But can you keep your men alive in a baking desert or a frozen wasteland? Can you keep your army healthy during months on the road?

God did it for forty years.

And then He gave them land. The slaves, the children of slaves—they marched into the Promised Land and God gave it to them. The people living there had made themselves odious in God’s sight, worshipping idols and engaging in heinous acts of sin including sacrificing their own children. Finally, they “filled up the full measure of their sin” (Genesis 15:16) and God rid the land of them. Some were removed by hornets, Exodus 23:28. And some would be removed by war (see the book of Joshua). After all, if Israel were going to be a nation, it would need to be able to defend itself. It would need an army with experience.

But my point here is the LAND. God gave these slaves a land of their own. It was 150 miles long and 50 miles wide—some 7,500 square miles—not the largest nation at the time, but large enough. And a small but well-watered fertile land is so much more valuable than a large, dry land.

The Promised Land was a good land, a “good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey” Exodus 3:8.

God is the great GIVER. As my grandfather used to say, “they ain’t makin’ no more land.” But God made land for Israel.

Matthew Henry notes two things in his classic commentary: This may be a small land, relatively speaking. But it’s not a desert. It’s a garden:

“This was the vineyard of the Lord, the garden enclosed; but as it is with gardens and vineyards, the narrowness of the space was made up by the fruitfulness of the soil.”

Henry adds an interesting point of application. Do you ever feel poor? Does it ever seem God has given you less than others, less even than the lost?

Henry notes that God’s people often have fewer possessions or less wealth than the lost.

“See how little a share of the world God gives to his own people. Those who have their portion in heaven, have reason to be content with a small pittance of this earth. Yet a little that a righteous man has, having it from the love of God, and with his blessing, is far better and more comfortable than the riches of many wicked.”

Remember: Heaven is your real home.

God, thank you for Your amazing story! Thank you for giving Your children a land and a home. May we be more grateful every day for the way You provide for us. And when we struggle with little, help us remember the paradise to come in Heaven! We don’t need cars or mansions on earth. We have Jesus and He is preparing a place for us. Thank you!

AΩ.

Conflict Resolution. Numbers 32.

“Breakfast Table Political Argument” by Norman Rockwell, on permanent display at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum. (The husband and wife appear to be arguing over the 1948 presidential race in which Harry Truman (right) defeated Thomas Dewey in an upset. My mother reports that 1948 was the first year her widowed mother voted Republican (for Dewey), my grandmother apparently being one of the first southern Democrats to change parties.)

“Well, Steven, how did you like church this morning?” my Uncle Bob asked me over Sunday dinner. Our family was visiting from the big city and would be driving back to Houston after lunch.

“I liked how small and quiet it was.”

That came out wrong. I was in the eighth grade; most things came out wrong.

“Well, not every church can be as big as yours!” My aunt Gwynne reminded me. She sounded quite insulted. Fortunately, I picked up on her tone and immediately launched into an explanation:

“No. I loved it! What I mean is, the kids were all nice to me! It’s not like that at our church because it’s so big. There are thousands of kids. You get lost in the crowd even when you know them all. But today everyone was like ‘Oh, you must be a Wales. I can tell by the way you walk and the way you talk. What’s your name?’ It was incredible! Can you imagine anyone saying that to me in Houston? No, you gotta understand—I LOVED it!”

I went on and on trying to make sure my aunt was not sore at me.

Have you ever upset someone you thought the world of? We have all done it. Sometimes it happens unintentionally. And even then, it can be hard to smooth things over. It takes humility, patience, and conflict resolution skills.

In Numbers 32, several of Israel’s tribal leaders offended no less an august personage than Moses himself. Can you imagine? Who would want to upset Moses?

Just when the nation was about to engage in a series of battles over the Promised Land, the leaders of three tribes (technically 2.5 tribes) came to Moses and asked if they could remain east of the Jordan River, a grassy land they had decided was ideal for raising their many herds and flocks. Moses considered this an outrageous, sinful request.

“The Reubenites and Gadites [and the half-tribe of Manasseh] said, ‘let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.’

“Moses answered the Gadites and Reubenites, ‘Should your fellow Israelites go to war while you sit here? Why do you discourage the Israelites from crossing over into the land the Lord has given them? This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land. After they went up to the Valley of Eshkol and viewed the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the Lord had given them …  The Lord’s anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years … And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the Lord even more angry with Israel!‘” Numbers 32:1-14.

How do you like that? These men went to Moses with a creative proposal—one that would actually leave more land for the other nine-and-a-half tribes—and Moses got angry and accused them of being as faithless as the spies who were afraid to enter the land forty years earlier. Then he called them a brood of sinners and accused them of bringing God’s wrath on the nation.

So what could they do? They could retreat meekly and say no more about it. Or they could get angry at Moses and make it personal, perhaps shouting at him that he always turns everything into an argument or something. Or they could accuse him of not listening or charge him with arrogance and say he has lost touch and no longer belongs in leadership.

But that’s not what they did. Even though Moses leveled serious allegations, even though Moses appears to have completely misjudged them, the tribal leaders were patient and did not become upset. They were patient, they remained humble. They knew their place and respected their leader.

The men immediately forgave Moses and offered additional details, explaining that they had every intention of joining their brothers in battle. But when the war was over, they wanted to raise their flocks of sheep and herds of cattle in the land east of the Jordan:

“We will arm ourselves for battle and go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them to their place … We will not return to our homes until each of the Israelites has received his inheritance. We will not receive any inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance has come to us on the east side of the Jordan” Numbers 32:17-19.

And with those reassurances, Moses was pacified.

So what can we do when we upset people? What can we learn from these leaders who managed to raise the ire of Moses?

First, in times of conflict, do not give up and go away in silence.

Sometimes we do that, particularly when we have upset someone in a position of authority. But if the men had said nothing further, Moses would have never realized that their intentions were not bad. Moses would have continued to believe the men were guilty of cowardice and betrayal. But they defended their position. They spoke honestly and clearly. They knew better than to clam up and say nothing. Clear communication is important. If you can talk it out—free of anger—you have a better chance of being understood. There is a time for talking*.

Jesus said, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother” Matthew 18:15.

I am not suggesting Moses sinned—this was better characterized as a misunderstanding. But the men humbly explained to Moses that he had misunderstood, and by doing so, they won him over. They “gained their brother.”

Second, in times of conflict, avoid responding in anger.

So often when anyone becomes angry at us, we respond by matching their anger. Most of the time that is a mistake.

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” Proverbs 15:1.

If these men had raised their voices with Moses, the leader of the nation would probably have grown even angrier. But they kept their cool and controlled their words and their tone, which helped Moses see past his own anger and examine the merits of what they were proposing.

Finally, in times of conflict, be patient.

I imagine these tribal leaders listening to Moses in silence, and only after he stopped talking and his anger was spent did they look at one another, take a deep breath, and slowly begin to offer a mild rebuttal. I imagine them speaking both more slowly than Moses and more quietly than Moses. He was angry, and he was God’s chosen leader who had earned their deep respect. Yet he was mistaken, and these humble, quiet men patiently articulated the facts to provide the great prophet a better understanding.

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires” James 1:19-20.

These men were quick to listen to Moses. They were slow to respond (but not afraid to respond carefully and thoroughly). And they did not allow themselves to become angry.

Dear God, bless us with conflict resolution skills. Make us humble. Help us forgive. Give us patience, kindness, and the courage to talk things out when necessary. Fill us with a deep love for people, particularly for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Remind us to never allow disagreements to fester into bitterness and unforgiveness.

AΩ.

* There is a time for silence as well. Sometimes you upset someone, they respond, and silence or silent assent is probably the best response, particularly if you realize that you are in the wrong. When we are wrong, silence is good and a quiet admission/apology is often better. But there are exceptions to everything. A professional context, a business relationship, or an argument between two opposing attorneys–these situations can be tricky and must be navigated with wisdom, skill, and professional experience. Still, you can’t go wrong if you begin with Biblical guidance: humility, patience, forgiveness, grace, and carefully chosen words that demonstrate that the personal relationship is as important as the subject of the argument.

Voidable Contracts and Voidable Vows. Numbers 30.

Here’s a conversation I have every semester:

“If my sixteen-year-old son goes to the Ford dealership and convinces them to sell him a Ford Mustang on a payment plan, there may be problems. What are some of those problems?  

“First of all, as a tenth grader, Marshall doesn’t have any money. But what if he does? What if he can make payments of $600 a month? Now Ford has entered into a contract with a minor.  Is that legal? Yes.

“Ford has entered a questionable contract. But they can’t get out of it. As a minor, the contract can be voided by Marshall. But as long as he makes timely payments, Ford Motor Credit, LLC, cannot void the contract. If the contract can be voided by one party but not the other, that contract is called a VOIDABLE CONTRACT.

“A voidable contract is a formal agreement between two parties that can be rendered unenforceable by one of the parties.”

The Bible contains an interesting passage that reminds me of voidable contracts:

“When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said. When a young woman still living in her father’s household makes a vow to the Lord or obligates herself by a pledge and her father hears about her vow or pledge but says nothing to her, then all her vows and every pledge by which she obligated herself will stand. But if her father forbids her when he hears about it, none of her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand; the Lord will release her because her father has forbidden her” Numbers 30:2-5.

God takes vows seriously. “Do not make rash vows!” Ecclesiastes 5:2. Numbers 30 begins by saying that men who make vows better fulfill them. “He must not break his word, but must do everything he said,” Numbers 30:2. A vow made by a man cannot be broken.

However, there are exceptions for the vows of women. The vow of a young woman still living in her father’s house is voidable by her father, Numbers 30:5. If a married woman makes a vow, that vow is voidable by her husband, Numbers 30:8 and 30:12. But if a woman is divorced or a widow, her vows are not voidable.

This passage may seem to equate women with minors, as though the ladies lacked sophistication in some way. Given the fact that women in Biblical times were given less education and had less experience with matters of business and money, this may not be entirely false. However, this is also a matter of authority or headship.

Vows are made between an individual and God.

You cannot make a vow to do what the law already requires you to do. So vows are promises to exceed normal expectations in some way.

You might make a vow to offer a specific sacrifice at a specific time, or to read or memorize some scriptural passage, or to perform some voluntary act of service at the temple or for the local priest or the local poor.

And any activity taken on by a daughter, wife, or mother, may mean less time for her family. A father or husband may hear about a vow and conclude it will require too much of the woman’s time or too much of the family’s resources. And because the man is the head of the family, his objection means that the woman is released from her vow. (She can still perform the act, but the man’s objection frees her from the duty.)

This is the way authority and headship works. The husband and father may be no better able to make such decisions than his wife or daughter. But only one person can drive the bus—and men drive the family bus. The women are in no way less-than the men. But someone must be the leader and God chose to place family leadership on the heads of the men.

This truth is reinforced in the middle of the chapter. “Any vow or obligation taken by a widow or divorced woman will be binding on her” Numbers 30:9.

Is a widow or a divorced woman somehow more sophisticated than a married woman or a woman who has never married? No. But a widow is no longer covered by the authority of her father or her husband. There is no one left to void what might otherwise have been a voidable vow. In other words, widowed and divorced women no longer have an authority over them who can deliver them from their vow.

There is no indication husbands are wiser than their wives or daughters in this area. The worst Bible stories about rash vows are the stories of men, including Saul’s rash vow in 1 Samuel 14, David’s vow made in anger in 1 Samuel 25:22, and Joshua’s treaty with the deceptive Gibeonites in Joshua 9. The worst example is the rash vow of Judge Jephthah in Judges 11:30-40. Jephthah vowed to sacrifice whatever came out of his house first if God would help him defeat the Ammonites. Jephthah won the battle and his daughter was the first thing to walk out of his house.

The key to remember is the serious nature of making a vow to God. CHOOSE YOUR WORDS CAREFULLY.  

“Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few” Ecclesiastes 5:2.

Leviticus 5:4-7 provides that sometimes we will make rash vows and God has provided a way out of those vows.

Even better, consider this. I ran across a writer online calling himself lateral_mind who says his favorite chapter in the entire Old Testament is Numbers chapter 30. (Huh? Seriously?) That’s what he says. Because in his eyes, Numbers 30 is a picture of the gospel. He puts it this way:

“Read Numbers 30 with the idea that we Christians are the Bride of Christ. Jesus is the Betrothed Husband, and God is our Father. We, who are in Christ, are released from the rash vow of [promising in Exodus 19:7-8 and 24:7 to perfectly uphold the Law] because Jesus bore our guilt.”[1]

God takes our words seriously. If you make a vow, you keep it! But God understands human frailty too. Sometimes we mess up.

“He knows our frame. He is mindful that we are but dust” Psalm 103:14.

God knows we make rash vows, and He provided a way out for most women in Numbers 30 and a way out for the rest of us (with a little extra work) in Leviticus 5:4-7. God will forgive. Under the New Covenant, He offers a way out when we trap ourselves with our own words—go to Jesus. He offers forgiveness, grace, and restoration.

Dear God, remind us to choose our words carefully. May we balance the need for total openness in prayer against the importance of taking words seriously. Remind us to come to You in awe and reverence and to let our words be few. Thank you for authority and headship, that so many of us, for so many years are guided by the authority of a wise husband or father. Make the men among us devoted and wise stewards of the incredible responsibility of guiding our families. And in all things, we lean on Your amazing grace. Thank you for washing away our guilt, from rash words or otherwise.

AΩ.

[1]https://www.reddit.com/r/Bible/comments/1fzy1t1/does_leviticus_547_mean_that_you_can_be_released/