Happy Friday the 13th!

Can I tell you a secret? There's a lovely little tool on this blog that allows you to write a post at one time but schedule it to post at another time. SO . . . since I have a meeting early tomorrow, I'm writing this now at 8:30p on Thursday (while I watch "Bones") but will set it to post at Friday at 7:00a.

Remember what I blogged about yesterday? About having a daily routine to fit in our Year of the Bible readings? Well, I know my schedule will be disrupted tomorrow, so I am making time today to do my reading.

At any rate, on to the questions and answers . . .


Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Thurs, March 12: What did the men take an oath to not do “until we have killed Paul”? (Acts 23)
Acts 23:12-13 12 The next morning the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13 More than forty men were involved in this plot.

And here's the question of the day:
Fri, March 13: What did Moses give to the “Gadites, the Reubenites and the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph”? (Num 32)


And here's the reflection of the day:
Throughout Numbers, we actually get to see two generations of Israelites as they journey through the wilderness toward Canaan, the Promised Land. And some things never change.

This second generation is following the example their parents set for them: grumbling. . . dissatisfaction . . . whining. You know, human stuff.

Specifically, the Reubenites and Gadites saw that the east of the Jordan were good enough for them. Better than the Promised Land, in fact, at least in their opinion. So they saw this non-Promised Land and thought, "This is good enough for us. Let's just camp out here." So, they ask the leaders--Moses and Eleazar among others--if they can just stay put and skip the rest of the journey.

The Hebrew verb "to cross" (v5) means more than just to travel somewhere, especially when it is associated with the Jordan (NIB Commentary, Numbers). But that same Hebrew word is used throughout Joshua 3, mainly in the context of conquest. So, what the Reubenites and Gadites are REALLY asking is to be excused from the conquering that is going to happen on the way to Canaan. Perhaps it is fear that is holding them back. What Moses hears them saying is that they want to inherit the land without being a part of the holy war to earn it.

But the thing about holy war is that everyone needs to participate in it (see v10-15). Moses reminds them of the lack of faith in the first generation and how the Lord's anger burned against them. Moses is demanding the second generation fully participate in the holy war. For some tribes not to be a part of it is to endanger the inheritance of land for ALL the tribes.

They come to a compromise: the tribes of Reuben and Gad will fortify cities for their families and livestock and a fighting force will join the rest of the army. Once the war is over, they will go back to their land east of the Jordan, rather than inheriting land in Canaan. Moses turns this proposition into law, including a punishment (no one making it into Cananan) if they backtrack on their oath.

The phrase that caught my attention in this passage is in verse 11: "Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly. . . " Moses is talking about the first generation of Israelites, but he might as well be talking to us today, don't you think?

Our punishment is not usually as great as the Israelites' punishment, but our sin is no less great than theirs. I squirm when I begin to think of all the ways I have not followed God wholeheartedly in my own life. And I squirm to think of the impact my disobedience has had on the lives of so many others, just as the disobedience of some Israelites affected all the Israelites.

That's the thing about sin--it doesn't just hurt the one who does the sinning; it also hurts those around the sinner. So, maybe the next time I am contemplating sinning (because frankly, often we DO have time to consider whether to sin or not), I'll consider how the consequences of my sin will affect others and not just myself. I bet I'll choose not to sin a little more frequently if I can relate it to "love thy neighbor." I'm much more likely to think twice about hurting others than I am about hurting myself.

Like Porky Pig used to say, "That's all folks!" Have a good day!
Allison