THE STORY OF JESUS: Numbers 13-16
“Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated…” (42)
When you buy a car, there are options and essentials.
Brakes, seat belts, steering wheel – these are not options; without them you will die.
Many think that God is optional, part of the ‘freedom of religion’.
But God, like the sun to our solar system, is essential for survival and success in life.
God’s creation order, the laws of nature and morality, cannot be selected or rejected as options.
In these chapters, we find people treating God as optional, assuming that they can go their own way.
The results are not pretty; they seem graphic and extreme, but they make a huge point.
They serve as signs, as warnings (like watching a video from MADD, graphic but necessary).
Going into life without God is like Israel going into Canaan without God – it doesn’t end well.
We may manage and survive for a while, giving us the illusion of success, but eventually we crash.
God mandated the people to wear tassels (15:37-41) as visual reminders of their need for God.
I do not wear tassels, but I do wear a cross, symbol of gruesome death and amazing mercy.
It reminds me of the high cost of rejecting God and going my own way.
It reminds me of the high price of God’s love welcoming me and bringing me back to God.
We may not like these troubling stories of death and judgment, but they make an important point.
God is not optional… if the Lord is not with us, we will be defeated!
Jesus came to assure us that for His part, He IS with us and will help us if we let Him.
But are we with Him, are we allowing Him to be our Savior, Lord and Guide?
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, God is not optional, and neither are You. I need You to save me from myself and my wandering heart. Thank You that I may wear the cross, a powerful reminder of my sin and Your love!