The story begins on a positive note. The Israelites have finally reached the borders of Canaan, and 12 spies are sent to explore the land. Their report is extraordinary. Read the spies’ report in Numbers 13:27-33. At which point are the expectations of the Israelites dashed? In spite of Caleb’s intervention, the voices of the doubters and … Continue reading –>
Read Numbers 12:1-3. What are Miriam and Aaron upset about? Ostensibly, Miriam and Aaron were unhappy about Moses’ Cushite wife. Zipporah was an outsider hailing from Midian (see Exodus 3:1). Even among Israel’s “elite,” the fallenness of our nature is revealed, and not in a very pleasant way either. (Is it ever?) The biblical text, however, clearly shows … Continue reading –>
Israel must have felt restless and unhappy when they departed Sinai on their way to Canaan. More than one year had passed since they had left Egypt (Num: 1:1). They were ready to enter the Promised Land. They had been counted and organized. They had witnessed incredible displays of divine favor and clear signs of God’s … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Num: 11:1-33, Num: 12:1-13, Num: 13:27-33, Num: 14:1-23, 1 Corinthians 10:1-11, Num: 14:39-45. Memory Text: “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Corinthians 10:11). Over the centuries, many people have reported strange, restless behavior in … Continue reading –>
Flipflops and Fights By Andrew McChesney Everything seemed strange to 6-year-old Danay when he arrived in the United States with his father, mother, and six older siblings. Cars filled the streets of their new hometown. Danay hadn’t seen many cars in the refugee camp in Thailand where his family had lived after fleeing violence in … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: “In the estimation of the rabbis it was the sum of religion to be always in a bustle of activity. They depended upon some outward performance to show their superior piety. Thus they separated their souls from God, and built themselves up in self-sufficiency. The same dangers still exist. As activity increases and … Continue reading –>
Read Genesis 4:1-12. What made Cain “a restless wanderer” (Genesis 4:12) on the earth? The biblical text does not explicitly state why God respected Abel and his offering but did not “respect” Cain and his offering ( Genesis 4.4-5). But we know why. “Cain came before God with murmuring and infidelity in his heart in regard to the … Continue reading –>
A verbal form for rest often found in the New Testament is anapauo, “rest, relax, refresh.” It is used in one of Jesus’ most famous statements on rest, Matthew 11:28: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (NKJV). It can refer to physical rest (Matthew 26:45). In the … Continue reading –>
Certainly, we all need rest, which is why it’s a theme found all through the Bible. Though God created us for activity, that activity is to be punctuated by rest. The Hebrew Old Testament, for instance, includes a number of terms denoting rest. The description of God’s resting on the newly created seventh day in … Continue reading –>
Lack of sleep and exhaustion due to physical overexertion are real problems. More troubling, however, is when we feel that we are running on “emotional empty.” And, of course, when lack of sleep is added to emotional trials, we can become painfully discouraged. Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe, must have felt like that often during the last … Continue reading –>
