Numbers 19-21

A bad couple of days with far to much running. I am just getting time now to write these blog entries. I would appreciate prayer for my aunt. She had a stroke early on Saturday Morning and has been unresponsive since she got to the Emergency room. For clarity, this woman is one of my mom’s best friends from High School. While not a blood relative she has been like an aunt to me for my entire life. Her name is Linda but we call her “Aunt Steamer” (from a school age nick name that stuck)

God’s message to me: God knows me from birth to death from the very beginning. Aaron and Moses were told to speak to the rock and it would give water. Because they struck the rock instead they were denied entry to the promised land. Miriam's rebellions came earlier and she died in the wilderness. Aaron was the high priest. God warned Him and Moses when he would die so that The holy garments of the priesthood could be taken from him before they were made unclean in his death. His son was given the garments and made High priest before Aaron died so that they people would not be without their priests. (In His role as High Priest, Eleazar would not have been able to approach his fathers corpse or attend the funeral.)

Promises: God will give us victory over our enemies.

When Edom refused them passage Israel went around because Edom is the children of Esau and they are kin.

When the king of Arad came against them and took some of the Israelites captive they promised god they would utterly destroy them if He gave them victory. He told them to go ahead and they not only overcame the king of Arad and his army but they wiped out the kingdom and destroyed it’s possessions so that nothing was left behind.

The Amorites refused them passage and rather than just threatening as Edom did they attacked. God gave Israel the victory and they not only wiped out the Amorites but also took their land and cities as their own. The comfort of buildings and supplies that come with living in a city was afforded the Israelites by conquest rather than having to build their own and all because the king of the land attacked them when they asked to pass through without even asking for water on their journey.

When the king of Bashan came against them God said “Fear Not” and He would deliver them as He delivered the Amorites. Israel wiped out the people and took possession of their lands and buildings and supplies.

Commands: Do Not Be A Complainer. God gave the Israelites one thing after another. Freedom, Health, Food, Water and so on. They continued to complain, even after that proved to be a fatal mistake. The Lord sent snakes to bite them and cause death for their complaints. As noted in John chapter 3, His cure was prophetic. He had Moses make a bronze snake and put it on a pole so that people could look up to the snake and be cured of the snake poison. In the same way we look to the cross and believe in Christ to be saved from sin.

Timeless principles: Forget the odds, forget the dangers, forget what you think you know. Trust God in all things and you cannot lose when acting within His will.

How can I apply what I’ve learned: The idea of utter destruction seems wrong to the politically correct and modern mind. The problem is, that is human thinking and not of God. War is an undesirable thing which even Israel did not enter lightly. Then as now they made peaceful overtures first and resorted to warfare only when the opponent proved they were only interested in war.

Once engaged in war the only means to peace is total victory. As proven in many of our wars this doesn’t always mean killing everyone but, it does mean ending their ability and will to fight. Peace through victory has turned enemies into allies. Peace through negotiation has always resulted in renewed fighting when the sides were able to rebuild their strength. This is a lesson of history that is all to often ignored. There is always someone who thinks you can talk your way out of war. The Historical record shows this has NEVER happened.

Pray for peace until it proves impossible. Pray for victory until you have it. Never back down from a fight against evil. Negotiation is not a viable tool in the wars on crime, terror, or genocide

more to learn for in-depth study: The children of Israel entered Egypt as Royal guests and were reduced to slavery. They left with the wealth of Egypt on their backs and went into the wilderness. Despite their complaining they were given victory after victory. In some cases God desired everything of an enemy destroyed and left behind. In most cases, when forced to fight, God gave them victory over the enemy people and possession of the wealth they left behind. After all this victory and taking all these spoils of war, Israel was rapidly becoming the riches nation on earth while still living a nomadic life of travel.

Fun Fact: Moses put a bronze snake on a pole so that people would be healed when they looked up to it. The modern symbol of medicine is a snake on a pole. Look for it on Doctor’s offices, Hospitals, Ambulances and other medical related items.

tomorrow: Numbers 22-24