Numbers

"What is many men's business is nobody's business.
The greatest things are accomplished by individual men."
~ Charles H. Spurgeon

Numbers

#biblestudy

Those who were numbered of the tribe of Dan were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.
~ Numbers 1:39 (NKJV)

Dan shall be a serpent by the way,
A viper by the path,
That bites the horse's heels
So that its rider shall fall backward.
~ Genesis 49:17 (NKJV)

No passage of the Bible is boring. Today's passage is Numbers 1-2. It is a detailed account of ... numbers; the numbers and names and camp assignments of the twelve tribes of Israel. On their face, the two chapters look like read-when-you're-trying to fall asleep material.

But look! The nondescript tribe of Dan is prominent. It is the second largest of all the tribes, and is given a curious position of leadership in the encampment layout. This is especially interesting because Revelation 7:5-8 omits the tribe of Dan from the 144,000 of Israel who are sealed in end times. What caused Dan go from prominent leader to forsaken?

The tribe of Dan is otherwise noteworthy only for the precedence it set as idolatrous and rebellious in the account of Judges 17-18. One woman led her Danite son into idolatry. He led a Levite priest into idolatry, and they together influenced five other Danites. The tribe then forsook the central land allotted to them by God to instead obtain their territory in the farthermost north—by their own strength.

No man or woman is without the potential to wield influence which will endure for even thousands of years. No act of disobedience is without its consequences as we fall backward.

Oh Lord, thank You for the value You place on every human life. Thank You for seeing and loving and gifting each of us as individuals. Please let us live up to all the potential You give us. Please let us see no act of obedience or act of turning away from You as insignificant. Please let us see no person as insignificant.

Contrasting points-of-view, questions and feedback are invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Qanna / Jealous

For July, each post examines an Old Testament name of God.

Qanna / Jealous
(pronounced: "kahn-NAH")

... you shall worship no other god, for YHWH, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God ...
~ Exodus 34:14 (author)

For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
~ Deuteronomy 4:24 (NKJV)

I've made it a point to write a fresh post here each day. Today will be a rerun, (the first I recall), one which speaks to the jealousy of any husband, and the jealousy God has for us as our Husband.

.•*¨¯¨*•.,¸¸,.•´`•.,¸¸,.•*¨¯¨*•.

Jealousy

"Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem, saying,
'Thus says the LORD:
"I remember ... the love of your betrothal ...
What injustice have your fathers found in Me,
That they have gone far from Me,
Have followed idols,
And have become idolaters? ...
For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,
And hewn themselves cisterns—
Broken cisterns that can hold no water.
... You lay down, playing the harlot." ' "
~ Jeremiah 2:2,5,13,20 (NKJV)

Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"?
~ James 4:4-5 (NKJV)

The Bible uses an vivid image to portray idolatry: adultery.

Does anything else in human experience ignite wrath like finding a spouse in bed with someone else? Human jealousy needs no explanation.

The Lord views idolatry with the same jealousy. We see ourselves as far too sophisticated to bow before a piece of metal, wood or stone. We forget that seeking satisfaction from the world is the New Testament’s definition of idolatry, and is also called adultery.

The Lord offers abundant living waters. To show preference for offerings from the dry and broken cistern of this world rightly ignites the jealousy of the Spirit who dwells within us.

Beloved Bridegroom, You paid a great price to make available to us the Living Waters of Your Spirit. You satisfy as nothing else. Please give us discernment between the godless, the goodly and the godly. Please woo our hearts to seek Your face, and to woo You with our own love.

Feedback appreciated! Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Eliy / My God

For July, each post examines an Old Testament name of God.

El-iy / My God
(pronounced: "ale-EE")


A Psalm of David
When He Was in the Wilderness of Judah.
O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water...
When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.
~ Psalms 63:1,6-8 (NKJV)

We know too little of hunger. We flippantly say "I'm starving" to express that we're hungry enough to feel it. Worse, we randomly say "Oh my God" with little or no thought of the need for God.

David was a warrior often in the field, and twice a fugitive (fleeing first from King Saul, and later from David's son Absalom). He would have often known true hunger. Though David lacks even water in the Wilderness of Judah, he confesses a greater thirst for God in his soul. His very flesh longs for God, implying a depth of need which becomes a physical ache.

David does not here call upon Adonai his Master, nor upon the Lord of Hosts to deliver him from enemies, nor as Elohe-nu, "Our God" (as the Jews address the Lord in corporate prayer and when blessing Him for the food He provides). David cries out to the One he calls "My God"—the same name used by Jesus in His greatest hour of need. Whatever the needs of his starving body, David needs God more. The name is most personal.

The longing of a soul can often overtake the needs of a body. Writers say "we can't not write" because our souls have a longing to express in words things which cannot be contained. We stay up late and get up early and wake up at odd hours thinking of writerly things. We forget to eat. The need to write is felt more keenly than the need to breathe. We're understandably thought an odd bunch by those close to us who do not share our drive.

But writers aren't terribly unique. Any person has a longing of the soul which is usually the last thing thought about before sleep, the first thing thought about upon rising, and a frequent object of thought throughout the day. It will inevitably pop up in conversation. Discretionary hours and money are dedicated to that passion. To identify a person's god, simply look at the most prominent recipient of that person's talent and talk, time and treasure.

Our talent, talk, time, and treasure are not consistently God-centered unless we realize David's personal need for God within our souls.

We may have confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior. We may have heard Him declare Himself "The Lord Your God" (yesterday's post). We may have then received Him as "The Lord Our God" because He has made Himself ours.

But it is when we in turn surrender ourselves to Him that we know God as David did when he cried out, "Oh God, You are my God."

In such a defining moment we fulfill the longing in our souls that finds its satisfaction in God alone.

There comes a time in every heart a time of real decision
When we reach the point of choosing how we will live our lives
All our hopes, all our dreams will rise up from that moment
The moment we surrender and choose to follow Christ
He's been waiting all our lives to hear us say
I am yours, Lord, take my hand and lead the way
When you believe He's all you need
That will be your defining moment *

Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved. * Lyrics of "Defining Moment" by NewSong © 2000 Reunion Records