“Thank God for Unanswered Prayers”

Numbers 9-11

Have you ever noticed how the grass is always greener on the other side of your memory?  We have a great tendency to only remember the good things of the past while ignoring the bad, or what about those that never seem to live and enjoy their lives today.  They’re always reminiscing about the good old days, but never bother to work at creating the good new ones.  That’s where we find the children of Israel in today’s reading.  They’re up and moving to the Promised Land, but complaining the whole way.  What’s their biggest beef?  “Where’s the beef???”  They want meat.  I can just see them sitting around camp beating their forks on the camel skins chanting, “WE WANT MEAT, WE WANT MEAT!”  Well you can’t say that God doesn’t have a wry sense of humor.  He circles the whole camp with a three-foot deep ring of quail.  Their greener grass just turned into browner feathers.  I bet that’s the day they each learned Garth Brooks' song, “Thank God for Unanswered Prayers”.

We find the greenest grass, the tastiest meat and the only God TODAY.  “This is day which the Lord hath made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in IT.”  Psalms 118:24

Searching for the right gift

Numbers 6-8

This passage is grunt work.  There’s enough of Numbers to tempt us to turn back, but what can we learn?  What are these chapters really about?  Giving to God and they gave plenty!  What do we give?  What gift can we give to God who owns the universe?   Our talents? If you sculpt, sculpt!  Our praise?  If you’re breathing that’s a good reason!  And while we’re out here meddling, how about our money?  Give it to Him, 10% of all you make and then more for the poor and needy.  These chapters are all about giving to God but the best gift was mentioned first in chapter 6.  The best gift is You!  Trust me, I don’t understand the mystery of this, but the truth is truly the truth.  What does God want, what gift brings Him the greatest pleasure?  You!  Not hard to find that perfect gift for God, it's just a Hard gift to give, isn’t it? 

Christianity and the Art of Home Repair

Numbers 3-5

We all need a great mechanic.  Someone we trust to repair our cars and the same with home repair, electricity and plumbing.  It’s important to have someone we can trust to fix the things that break in our lives.

There’s one person more important than all the others.  It’s our spiritual handyman, the one we call on when faced with the “unfixable” things in life.  We all have these issues: death, wayward love ones, broken hearts, homes and souls.  God calls out special people to play this role in the world.  That’s what’s happening in these chapters.  We will all, at some point, need someone who has been trained by God to minister Him into our hearts, homes and hearths.  We have one, my brother, Pastor P.R. Benson.  I do hope you do too.  Starting here in the early writings, God really does call some people out for this special role.  Find that pastor or priest.  Make them an integral part of your family.  Trust God.  Someday, if not already, you will need them.  That’s why God appointed them.  Remember He is with us and often with us through His Appointed.  

Kum Ba Yah

Leviticus 27-Numbers 2

It’s easy to get lost in Numbers and just skip over it.  Even its name, Numbers, can strike boredom in the hearts of artists, but there is plenty of meaning, meditation and metaphor if you go into it wanting that. 

This morning we learn that all the children are “camped” around the Tabernacle.  We love camping.   Two great truths in camping are all good camps have a fire and all good campers camp around it.  Fire in the wilderness provides three basic needs: light, warmth and safety.  Are you and yours camped around God?  He provides the same thing.  Come on in from the dark and cold and lay your bag beside the Fire.  It’s the only safe place to be in the wilderness.

OMG

Leviticus 25-26

"But I (God) will remember for them the covenant."  26:45

One of the greatest gifts on the planet is the gift of a second chance.  Are you like me, been given second chances pilled on second chances?  One reason God is so good is that He's always willing to give us another chance, to not hold us against us.  That's what these two chapters are about.  God's willingness, no matter what, to offer us unconditional, redemptive love.  Once we've staked our lives on Him by faith,  nothing in heaven or earth can get Him to let us go.  That is the wonder of the relationship; it's not our good, but His love for second chances.  What a gift.  Oh my God, we love you!!!

Sean Connery, God and Jesus

Leviticus 21-24

Remember the movie “The Untouchables” about Federal agent Eliot Ness bringing Al Capone to justice?  The movie starred Kevin Costner as Ness and Sean Connery as the local Chicago cop, Jim Malone, who showed him how to get Capone.  There was a scene at the beginning of the movie where Ness and Malone are meeting in the balcony of a Catholic church and Malone is explaining to Ness what it would take to get Capone. 

Malone to Ness, “You said you wanted to know how to get Capone.  Do you really want to get him?  You see what I am saying.  What are you prepared to do?” 

Ness, “Everything within the law!” 

“If you open the ball on these people Mr. Ness you must be prepared to go all the way!” 

“I want to get Capone.  I don’t know how to get him!” 

“You wanna get Capone here’s how you get him.  He pulls a knife, you pull a gun, he sends one of yours to the hospital you send one of his to the morgue.  That’s the Chicago way!  Now do you want to do that?  Are you ready to do that?  I’m making you a deal.  Do you want the deal?” 

“The Lord hates a coward.” 

            “You know what a blood oath is Mr. Ness?”

“Yes!!” 

“Good cause you just took one!!!”

Difficult reading today in Leviticus about defects and being defective.  That however is not what made me think of the above scene.  This is:  

“God said to Moses, ‘And if a man injuries his neighbor, just as he has done, so it shall be done to him; fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth’”.       Leviticus 24:19-20

Skip ahead 2000 years.

Jesus is on a mountaintop teaching His disciples and us.

“You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.’”       Matthew 5:38-39

Lee, do you know what a blood oath is? 

Yes.

Good cause you just took one.

Sometimes I don’t like the Bible.

Krispy Kreme doughnuts and Bathroom scales

Leviticus 17-20

More rules, some are serious, some are helpful like provisions for the poor and laws for apple trees.  Another helpful one is standards for weights and balances.  That’s such a wonderful gift.  It’s great to know that a gallon is always a gallon, a foot is always a foot and a pound is always a pound.  It makes for civil and fair markets.  Didn’t you hate it when a half-gallon of ice cream went to 1.5 quarts?  Of course for my own benefit a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts should probably come with only two and my wife would love it if our bathroom scales recorded every pound as a half.   Standard weights and measurements, a great thing…I guess!!!