God Has Your Number! Series

The reason we humans struggle with everyday occurrences, be it a loss of a job, economic woes or failing health, is because there is a battle raging for the control of our hearts and minds. Scripture exposes what lies beyond our senses; * how we live demonstrates the existence of two powers, good and evil. We make this distinction. The entire world understands this. The Bible opens the door for us to see why negative things happen to us and why we respond to them the way we do whether by faith or self-effort. Numbers is a Book dedicated to see behind the curtain the ever-present dangers the power of evil perpetrates on the world, especially on believers. For the sake of eternal realities, ministers must not fail to speak the truth of God’s Word in ways that shows how we can be set free and be at peace within ourselves. Peace is a welcomed commodity in this world. It’s what we want but many don’t have.

If ministry has a different agenda than to expound on these occurrences, the Church will find herself drifting from the power of God who grants us stability in this world. As recent times show us, some ministries resemble a money-making business than proclaiming the gospel. As a result, frauds have entered the Christian arena and are substituting the gospel for emotional fun times. And they remind me of the story of the Pied Piper, who came to town while the parents were in church and lured the children away by his fancy dress and magical pipe. He got their attention with the colorful sight of his dress and his music that appealed to the senses. Sights and sounds have become alluring to the Church at large. The book of Numbers is an attempt to understand what is behind such changing moods and how we might see through these tricks of the enemy. I am certainly not against praising and worshiping God, but I am against anything, which tries to pass itself off as worshiping God when, in reality it leads us further from Him.

The Bible is not just a religious Book demanding and commands our attention. It’s an incredible journey through life. It’s a story of a world alienated itself from her Creator. There are principles speaking to us in ways that if we look at the heart and meaning of spiritual life, these principles are outlined for us. They run throughout the OT. The First principle is obvious; you read it in the opening pages of Genesis; God IS! Not only that He exists but a God who loves to create for the benefit of His creation.

All though the O.T. you see who and what He is. I find the exuberance of God in Genesis, “Hello. I am God, and the One who made you. I want to tell you how this all started, how you came to live on earth with everything provided for your existence. I want to tell you why you go through difficult times. In your present state, these things will continue. However, it will come to an end. I have something of eternal value to say to you. Even so, before I can give it, I must tell you the Price I have to pay to give you a life of absolute bliss beyond what your senses tell you.” 1 Cor 2:9: “But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." This is the first thing, God IS!

The Second thing following in the order of revelation is God is to be worshiped. We have the history of our existence. He made us to enjoy Him, but we can only live with the Creator if we allow Him to be the Source of our life. This is what we find throughout Scripture. God does not enjoin our worship of Him because He has an ego. He calls us to worship Him, so we might not go after false ideas about who we are and where we came from which will ultimately bring separation between us and Him. To worship Him in spirit and truth is to keep us safe. We are created in a system of law. Things in our world work in very distinct ways. If we violate these laws, we suffer. To obey them is to live in harmony with our creation. Worship is built into us. We have a need to worship. It’s the law of our humanity.

The Third principle continually rings authentic through the Old Testament is where there is the failure to worship the real and living God disobedience replaces His life in us. All kinds of evil come from this. Then judgment follows. God will not continue to allow His world to be polluted by every wrong imaginable. And we know that evil comes from a spirit source other than God. This had no place in the beginning of our world, and God will be certain to snuff the evil out on Judgment Day. Not as a vindictive act, but as an act of mercy and justice on His part so the universe will again continue in peace and harmony.