Daily Bible Devotionals

“God is not a man who lies, or a son of man who changes His mind. Does He speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill? I have indeed received a command to bless; since He has blessed, I cannot change it.” Numbers 23: 19-20 (HCSB)

Balaam tried his best to curse Israel, to do more than God instructed, or to speak beyond what God put into his mouth.

Why would Balaam continue to angle against the Lord? Balaam was a “for-profit” prophet.

In recent history, Americans have witnessed the advent of the “celebrity defense attorney.” These lawyers generally choose high-profile clients who are clearly guilty. Utilizing courtroom theatrics and a keen understanding of the weak points of the law, they somehow win their clients’ freedom.

When these attorneys study the law, they aren’t looking for ways to serve justice. They are searching for loopholes that will circumvent justice because that’s what their clients pay them to do! Balaam would have made a great criminal defense attorney.  

Balaam’s biggest problem was, perhaps, that he never understood the connection between obedience & blessing. That is because Balaam was driven by money, pride, and who knows what else? He consistently refused to do what God told him to do. He always chose the “seen” over the “unseen.”  Faith is the evidence of things “unseen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Balaam wanted to have a relationship with God, to be able to bless and curse, to be a real prophet—but he never wanted to obey. He wanted all the benefits and none of the responsibilities.

Balaam illustrates a person who has access to the truth, who reads the Bible continually, yet never obeys it. These people have access to and knowledge of the truth, but they are never willing to put it into practice because they insist on doing what they want to do.

It is admirable that you would join me in reading a chapter of the Bible each day. REMEMBER: The benefits of the Bible come not from simply reading but from living out what you read.

“Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and she asked Balaam, ‘What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?’  Balaam answered the donkey, ‘You made me look like a fool. If I had a sword in my hand, I’d kill you now.’  But the donkey said, ‘Am I not the donkey you’ve ridden all your life until today? Have I ever treated you this way before?’  ‘No,’ he replied. Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the path with a sword drawn in His hand.”  Numbers 22:28-31a (HCSB)

What is a donkey? It is simply a beast of burden. It carries your load (and sometimes yourself) wherever and whenever you want. A donkey, although stubborn by nature, exists solely to serve men.

For Balaam, his donkey was a metaphor for his relationship with God. Balaam wanted the benefits of God’s power and wisdom without being accountable to Him.  Balaam was a bit of a braying donkey, himself in that sense!

What I find interesting in Balaam’s conversation with his donkey (and the subsequent dialogue with the Angel of the Lord) is how merciful God was towards Balaam (at that moment). The Lord is basically saying, “What have I done to you, that you would mistreat me, mistrust my leading, and attempt to assert your will upon My prophetic Word when you know it is impossible to change circumstances once I have spoken?”

I believe Balaam - a non-Jew - had a real shot at a relationship with God at that moment. In the end, he chose an affiliation over a relationship. Balaam knew “about” God, but he never really “knew” Him.  That is, Balaam never surrendered his will to God’s Lordship. In the same way, there are many who affiliate with the Church, know of Jesus, have had spiritual/worshipful moments in Christian assembly, and, perhaps, claim to follow Him.  Yet they don’t know Jesus in a saving way. They wish to reap the benefits of associating with Jesus but never surrender to His Lordship and the Spirit’s leading.

Perhaps we should ask ourselves how God has loved us (while we were yet sinners- Romans 5:8) the next time we are tempted to choose our personal gain over the Lord’s promises. Could it be that we have merely affiliated with God (as opposed to surrendering to His Lordship) and, in doing so, have denied ourselves a true (and completely obtainable) relationship with Him? How we choose to continue following Jesus, listening to the Holy Spirit, and seeking His Word, regardless of the circumstances, is perhaps our truest indicator of the genuineness of our faith – that a true spiritual transformation has occurred and is leading us onward, sanctifying us, as it were, to serve the Lord, void of our personal agendas.

“The people then came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede with the Lord so that He will take the snakes away from us.’  And Moses interceded for the people. Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a snake image and mount it to a pole. When anyone looks at it, he will recover.’  So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it to a pole. Whenever someone was bitten and he looked at the bronze snake, he recovered.”  Numbers 21:7-9 (HCSB)

I recently flew home from a five-day ministry event. I traveled across the entire nation, literally coast-to-coast, with two other musicians when we received news of weather delays in Dallas. We had already experienced two delayed connections, so it was frustrating to hear our final flight would not depart on time.

When faced with difficulty, people generally have a choice as to how they will respond. Furthermore, our personal responses can set the tone for a whole group of people.  I turned to those traveling with me and said, “Our job is to bring joy to this airport.”

Remembering our overriding mission as believers helped us determine our response to the situation. We set the emotional and spiritual tones for ourselves, and then we went about the task of ministering to those around us: flight personnel, shop workers, and fellow passengers. We even pulled out our guitars and sang a few songs for whoever would listen.

Israel did not have a very good history of controlling its responses to adverse circumstances. Whenever you are around someone negative, almost every comment is like a snake’s bite, full of venom. Did you know that a negative attitude can be a sin?  That’s what God says.

In this chapter, the Lord directed Moses to fashion Israel’s sin as He sees it. It is as if God were saying, “If you want to be venomous with your comments, your judgment will be literal venomous snakebites.” Not until you see your sin, as God sees it, will you recognize your need for healing/salvation.

Jesus said to Nicodemus, a Pharisee who came to him at night during the Passover season, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.”  John 3:14-15 (HCSB)

Picture Jesus, bloody, beaten, and crucified. That is what we allow sin to do to us. Only when we see our sin as God sees it do we appreciate His method of salvation and the great value of Jesus’ atonement.

“The entire Israelite community entered the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and they settled in Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there.”  Numbers 20:1 (HCSB)

“The Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Take the staff and assemble the community. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will yield its water.’”  Numbers20:7-8a (HCSB)

“So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence just as He has commanded him. Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly and said to them, ‘Listen you rebels! Must we bring water out of this rock for you?’  Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.”  Numbers 20:9-11 (HCSB)

“But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them.’”  Numbers 20:12 (HCSB)

“Take Aaron and his son Eleazar and bring them up Mount Hor.  Remove Aaron’s garments and put them on his son, Eleazar. Aaron will be gathered to his people and die there.’”  Numbers 20:25-26 (HCSB)

I have included so much Scripture here so you can see Numbers 20 as a complete thought. Generally, all these instances (combined with Edom’s refusal to let Israel pass through) are taught as individual lessons. The general theme of Numbers 20 is the end of the Mosaic era and the continuance of God’s leading. The central lesson is gleaned from the story of Moses’ drawing water from the rock at Meribah. Moses’ sister, Miriam, has just passed away, no doubt prompting Moses to question his own mortality and his legacy. Up to this point, whenever a miracle was performed, it was at Moses or Aaron’s hand, through their staffs.

The “staff of Moses” had become more synonymous with Moses’ power than God’s. In a greater sense, it represents how men worship the “leader” of worship over the “object” of worship (The Lord). The Lord instructed Moses to do a NEW thing: Take the staff, but don’t use it. “Speak forth” the water. The preacher may pass away, but the Word of God endures forever. (Isaiah 40:8; 1 Peter 1:24-25) It sustains the generations, regardless of the persona, charisma, or gimmicks of any leader.

Sensing his impending mortality, Moses decided his legacy and reputation among the Israelites would be something fantastic…and decidedly from Moses! He disobeyed God, literally trying to upstage Him by striking the rock twice to cause a GREAT flow of water. Moses achieved his desired result but to his own self-determined fate. He never entered Canaan. Aaron did nothing to stop Moses or explain to the people how Moses sinned. They would go down in history as Israel’s “dynamic duo,”… yet they didn’t finish well. It would be faithful Joshua whom the Lord chose to lead Israel into the Promised Land.

“For the purification of the unclean person, they are to take some of the ashes of the burnt sin offering, put them in a jar, and add fresh water to them. A person who is clean is to take hyssop, dip it in the water and sprinkle the tent and all its furnishings, and the people who were there. He is also to sprinkle the one who touched a bone, a grave, a corpse, or a person who had been killed.” Numbers 19:17-18 (HCSB)

The majority of commands in the Torah make perfect sense by today’s medical and scientific standards. For instance, the kosher dietary laws have been proven to direct people into healthier eating patterns. Concerning matters of personal hygiene, the Lord directed Israel to avoid mold spores and contagions centuries before the microscope was invented.

Forgive me for not detailing the practical nature of all 613 Torah commands. My point is simply that it took great faith for the community of Israel to follow what seemed like senseless orders from Moses. There was only God’s Word, with no practical science to support it. Only later (many generations later) did scientists begin to discover practical, observable scientific foundations for God’s instruction.  

I wish I could identify with Moses more in the Book of Numbers. Sadly, I find myself empathizing with the grumbling Israelite community. This was especially true when I was a younger disciple. So many of God’s commands seemed needlessly inefficient and laborious.   I wondered when I would ever enter that life of “freedom and abundant joy” I heard other followers of Messiah talk about.  

Shortly after choosing to follow Jesus, I found myself longing for (and taking a few) day trips back to “Egypt,” so to speak, just to remember the good old days of guiltless abandon. Those short returns to Egypt never really turned out like I wanted, and eventually, I learned to appreciate God and take Him at His Word.

I’m writing this to encourage you to trust Jesus by faith and stick with it. (Proverbs 3:5-12)

That said, let’s return to today’s (above) passage, Numbers 19:17-18. How does ash from an offering mixed with water purify a man and his household? Is it purely symbolic, or is there some medicinal property to this elixir? I have no idea. I simply know to trust the Lord’s Word over my instincts. Ultimately, my instincts have failed me, yet the Word of the Lord will always prove to be right. So, let’s hold on, pressing on until the end!

“The Lord told Aaron, ‘You will not have an inheritance in the land; there will be no portion among them for you. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites.” Numbers 18:20 (HCSB)

Zionism is essentially the belief that Jews have a birthright to the land of Israel. That is, by virtue of being born, they have inherited the right to the land of Israel. This belief is founded by God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…promises often repeated throughout the Bible.

Zionism is obviously easier to believe if you are Jewish, but what of the Middle Eastern non-Jew? Welcome to the Mid-East conflict.

It is easy to understand conflict when there are two claimants, but what if there is a THIRD party? Where do Christians fit in, as it pertains to any claim to the land of Israel? I bring up the question simply because some Christians believe the Church has replaced Israel in the eyes of God. To them, Gentile Christians have not merely been grafted into the “vine” with Israel. Instead, Christians have replaced Israel altogether. Of course, Jesus is the true Vine, and I’m just glad to be here by His grace!

In the Middle Ages, Christian profiteers crusaded to free the “holy land” of Jews and Muslims. These Crusaders believed the land of Israel should be the sole possession of Christians. That plan did not work out well.

So what is the Gentile Christian’s inheritance, and more importantly, what does it mean to be a co-inheritor with Messiah Jesus? If followers of Jesus (Jew or Gentile) were to relate to a particular Israelite tribe, it would be the tribe of Levi. The New Testament speaks of all believers being part of a holy priesthood. (1 Peter 2:9) Yet, followers of Jesus should not yearn to build an earthly kingdom but the Heavenly one.

Question:  Whenever Israel was driven from the land by a conqueror, which tribe got to keep their inheritance?

Answer:  The Levites.

Levitical inheritance was not earthly. Neither is the heritage of followers of Jesus. God gave the Levites a birthright from which they could not be driven. They were given the privilege of serving the Lord.

No matter where a follower of Jesus may wander (or be led), their obligation, inheritance, and joy should be to serve the Lord by serving others, without regard for building personal kingdoms on earth.

“Just as he (Moses) finished speaking all these words, the ground beneath them split open. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, all of Korah’s people and their possessions. They went down alive into Sheol with all that belonged to them. The earth closed over them and they vanished from the assembly.” Numbers 16:31-33 (HCSB)

There is much said about God’s love. It is true that He IS love and that He sent Messiah Jesus so sinners might be saved. (John 3:16) But in no way does God’s LOVE negate the fact that God is also JUST. He will by no means clear the guilty. (Numbers 14:18, Exodus 34:7, Nahum 1:3)

Often, we can confuse God’s “love” with His “long-suffering.” That is, when God is slow to wrath, we tend to believe He either doesn’t see our sin, doesn’t care, is powerless to act, or that His LOVE for the sinner prohibits His chastisement/rebuke of their sin. He does care, and today’s chapter clearly shows the Lord’s judgment of sin.

Remember that TWO things confound a fool: how SLOW God is to arrive, and how QUICKLY He shows up!

In sharing the gospel of the Messiah with Jewish people, you may run into those who say they don’t believe in Satan or do not believe in a literal Hell, where God sends people who refuse to believe in Him. I suggest you share Numbers 16 with them.

Chapter 16 also gives us a very clear picture of Hell. Men went down into Sheol (the grave/abode of the dead) with all that belonged to them. And they say you can’t take it with you. Notice the Scripture reads that Korah’s family (and the families of his allies) went down ALIVE into Sheol. It wasn’t that they died and were committed to Sheol. They went down alive. Hopefully, this account lends urgency to your calling to share the gospel because we can plainly see that the Bible teaches there is a literal Hell, and people can and will go there.

We often think of those believers who will be alive at the time of Jesus’s return and how they will be “taken up in the twinkling of an eye.” But today, we get an often-neglected view of the non-believer who will be on the earth at the time of Jesus’ second coming and how they will be judged and descend (alive) as quickly as the living believers are taken up.

“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:50-52 (NKJV)

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Speak to the Israelites and tell them that throughout their generations they are to make tassels for the corners of their garments, and put a blue cord on each tassel at each corner. These will serve as tassels for you to look at, so that you may remember all the Lord’s commands and obey them and not become unfaithful by following your own heart and your own eyes. This way you will remember and obey all my commands and be holy to your God.” Numbers 15:37-40 (HCSB)

Jesus said to some of the religious leaders of His day, “You make your tassels long and phylacteries large, and pray loudly on the street corner because you love to be seen and greeted loudly in the marketplace.”  Essentially, God-given displays of spiritual identity had become objects of egocentric attention for some worshipers.  

Prayer, phylacteries, and tassels are outward religious displays, supposedly reflecting an inward devotion to the Lord. Phylacteries are tiny boxes affixed by leather straps to the head and hands. Inside these boxes are scriptures, specifically, Exodus 13:1-10, 11-16, and Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:13-21.

When a phylactery is enlarged, a prayer is shouted on a street corner, or a tassel is elongated, attention is thus drawn away from personal worship and toward the worshipper. The observer is led to believe the size of the vestment is proportional to the piety of the worshipper. Grandiose displays may be impressive to humans, but God is more concerned with sincerity than sensationalism. Quality of worship wins out over quantity.

Personally, I like the idea of reminders. Most people like reminders, too, or else the “Post It” note company would be out of business! God is concerned with our remembrance. This extends beyond an annual holiday or weekly Sabbath rest. He wants us to continually remember Him, as He continually remembers us: through His Son, Who is ever before Him as our testimony and advocate.

The Hebrew word for tassel is: “Tzitzit.”  In Hebrew, each letter has a numerical value. The letters of the word tzitzit, added together, equal 600. Each tzitzit has eight cords and five knots. This gives a total of 613, the number of all the commandments in the Torah.

As we focus our worship on God, He does not simply want us to remember the Ten Commandments but all of 613. The over-arching statement is that God wants us to remember to follow Him completely. Our complete devotion is not so our worship will be for show; rather, it will be for Him.

“All the Israelites complained about Moses and Aaron, and the whole community told them, ‘If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to die by the sword? Our wives and little children will become plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?’ So they said to one another, ‘Let’s appoint a leader and go back to Egypt.’” Numbers 14:2-4 (HCSB)

It is a common misunderstanding that the United States is a democracy. It is not. The United States is a republic with a democratically elected government. The difference between a republic and a pure democracy is simple. A pure democracy is basically “mob rule.”  Whatever the majority group members decide, with no governing principles to override the group, the majority wins.

A republic may hold democratic elections but is based on foundational creeds and principles, which may override the mob. Our republic is based on a constitution that outlines and protects fundamental human rights. These “rights” were written down by our country’s founding fathers…written as they saw fit, themselves being primarily Christians whom the Ten Commandments personally governed. Throughout the generations, no matter how the public opinion sways, our country’s actions and decisions must be governed by the Constitution…and its course altered if found in contempt of it.  

For instance, in the “Wild West,” if someone were accused of a crime, a lynch mob would form to hunt that person down and hang him without trial. Then came frontier justice and circuit-riding judges who stood between the accused and the mob. A fair trial is based on evidence, weighed against the law as upheld by the Constitution.  

As long as men are willing to abide by the foundational principles supporting our Constitution, the United States should fare well…primarily because those foundational constitutional principles are the Ten Commandments!

For Israel, things were not much different. Theirs was a Theocracy (God-centered government), not a republic…but the basic standards were similar with two exceptions: 1) Only one religion was tolerated. 2) Leaders were chosen by God instead of by the people.  

God’s commandments acted as their “constitution,” so to speak. If Israel chose to follow the Lord and live within His commands, following His lead, things would go well. But when Israel decided not to trust God and His leader, Moses, their natural inclination was to “…appoint a leader and go back to Egypt.”

No matter where we live or under what form of government we may find ourselves, it is always incumbent upon us to seek and follow the Lord and His Word, first and foremost.

“Then Caleb quieted the people in the presence of Moses and said, ‘We must go up and take possession of the land because we can certainly conquer it!’ But the men who had gone up with him responded, ‘We can’t go up against the people because they are stronger than we are!’ So they gave a negative report to the Israelite community about the land they had scouted: ‘The land we passed through to explore is one that devours its inhabitants, and all the people we saw in it are men of great size.’” Numbers 13:30-32 (HCSB)

Any courtroom attorney will tell you that an eyewitness account is not always dependable. Sometimes, circumstantial and forensic evidence is better. In clinical studies, where several people are subject to experience a random event, the post-occurrence interviews can vary greatly.

When faced with a challenge, people respond from one of two positions: Scarcity or Abundance. We see both responses in today’s chapter. This is the dilemma of the return of Israel’s spies.  

Joshua and Caleb approached the “promised land” from the position of abundance. They matched their human experience with God’s promise. When they weighed the “abundance” of God’s power and presence against the “scarcity” of giants who trusted in false gods, they saw the apparent outcome of the impending war…that it would favor Israel. In short, they were men of faith.

Of course, the ten other spies saw Israel’s situation from the scarcity standpoint. They were faithless and chose to trust only the resources they could see. There was no room in their plan for God’s miraculous intervention.

If being a part of the stadium outreach events of Greg Laurie taught me anything, it was that where God guides, He provides. (And usually in that order!)  For that matter, the Harvest events’ enduring impact on the “Church-at-large” will most certainly extend beyond scores of converts, which is a number that can be counted. The hidden influence of the events is that the Harvest organization acted as a “Caleb or Joshua,” encouraging local congregations with the message, “We can take this land!” That encouragement is infectious!      

There is another overriding moral of this story. Before God said, “Take the land,” He said, “Send the spies.” Perhaps the perspective God was providing Moses was not, “Is the land worth fighting for?” but instead, “Is Israel faithful enough to fight for the land?”

When we study the Bible, and faithfully seek God, we sow the “seeds of readiness.” In this way, we will be prepared to respond faithfully whenever God says, “GO!” trusting He will provide what is lacking to accomplish what He commands today.

“Then the Lord descended in a pillar of cloud, stood at the entrance to the tent, and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them came forward, He said: ‘Listen to what I say: If there is a prophet among you from the Lord, I make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; he is the only one faithful in all My household. I speak with him directly, openly, and not in riddles; he sees the image of God. So why are you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?’” Numbers 12:5-8 (HCSB)

“Envy” is pride wounded in competition. Whenever I see someone consumed with envy, I start looking for where the competition is because somehow, they respond from that vulnerable place of realized or impending defeat.  

For Cain & Abel, the competition was over God’s favor of their offerings. For Jacob & Esau, it was over birthright and blessing. I’ve seen it between recording artists in the marketplace and between ministers and congregants. There was a serious competition going on between Moses’ siblings.

Moses’ brother, Aaron, was the oldest, and by birthright, it was his responsibility to lead the family spiritually. As High Priest, he was indeed leading Israel spiritually. Perhaps he also wanted to lead them militarily & administratively.  

Miriam was Moses’s older sister, and she followed Moses’s baby basket down the Nile, straight to Pharaoh’s daughter. Miriam negotiated for Moses’ own mother to nurse and raise him! It must have been hard for Miriam to submit to Moses without seeing him as a child who needed care.

God saw past their pseudo-righteous indignation and spoke directly concerning their envious hearts. Miriam & Aaron’s dispute wasn’t over Moses marrying an Egyptian woman. It was over his authority. God cut straight to the issue, never mentioning the Egyptian woman.

There is a profound lesson concerning prophecy and faithfulness in God’s pronouncement. There are several Biblical instances where people who aren’t particularly righteous prophesy. Even Balaam’s donkey prophesied! All that meant was that God wanted to send a message, and the righteousness of the messenger didn’t limit him.

Most profound is God’s statement about faithfulness. When we are faithful, God’s messages don’t come to us abruptly or untimely. He speaks directly and openly to the faithful. Paul says we should strive for such a relationship with God above all else! (1 Corinthians 14:1) Leadership is not necessarily about age or experience. It is a matter of faithfulness. Be faithful and keep seeking God’s “revelation” as you read His Word.

“The mixed multitude among them had a craving for other food. The Israelites cried again and said, ‘Who will feed us meat? We remember the free fish we ate in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. But now our appetite is gone; there’s nothing to look at but this manna!’” Numbers 11:4b-6 (HCSB)

“Out on the road today, I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac. A little voice inside my head said, ‘Don’t look back…you can never look back.’” - Don Henley

One year after their miraculous deliverance, the Israelites are starting to yearn for dear old Egypt. In some ways, they were not unlike the Grateful Dead fans in Don Henley’s “Boys Of Summer.” He wanted his free-spirited Hippie youth without forfeiting his yuppie Cadillac.

Israel wanted both their freedom and the benefits of Egypt. They chose to remember the positive aspects of Egypt, somehow forgetting the whole “slavery” thing.

God’s response: You can’t have your manna and Egypt too! (It was funny to me…)

To be fair to Israel, it wasn’t the whole nation who was grumbling, at least at first. It all started with what the Bible calls the “mixed multitude.” These were the foreigners who came out of Egypt along with the Israelites. They had no enduring relationship with God yet benefited from Israel’s blessed deliverance.

As we learned at the end of chapter 10, there is a shared blessing for any Gentile who partners with Israel. On Mount Sinai, God gave the same directions for both Israelites and foreigners living among them to worship Him.  If the foreigner disobeyed, he would be put out of the community or killed!

However, God’s miracles were too soon forgotten. Hunger always determines the behavior of the ungodly. Pretty soon, many in the “mixed multitude” complained about God’s rules of holiness and shucked the kosher laws for some unclean dinner! Those Israelites close to them disobeyed, as well.

In American culture, being “separate unto God” is not honored…even among many who profess to be believers. It never surprises me when followers of Jesus choose to live on the “border” of the Church and the World, then fall into moral disrepair. Their demise is foretold in numerous Bible accounts, such as today’s chapter.

Our greatest strength is found when we are closest to that section of God’s people who seek the Lord without abandon. When THAT section moves out to impact the World, it is harder for the enemy to pick them off…because they move out as a group, not as individuals.

“Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel registered all the Levites by their clans and their ancestral houses, from 30 years old to 50 years old, everyone who was qualified to do the work of serving at the tent of meeting and transporting it. Their registered men numbered 8,580. At the Lord’s command, they were registered under the direction of Moses, each one according to his work and transportation duty, and his assignment was as the Lord commanded Moses.” Numbers 4:46-49 (HCSB)

“Steve, you can be president someday.”  I remember those words from my elementary school teacher. She really believed in me and saw in me things that I didn’t even see in myself. Foundational to the “American dream” is the notion that if you work hard, you can do & be whatever or whoever you want to be.

In America, a poor electrician from Memphis can become the King of Rock and roll. “5 & 10 Cent Store” owners can build Walmart empires, and geeky pre-teens can develop Microsoft &Facebook.  

Our freedom to pursue happiness is part of what makes Americans unique and proud. I am blessed to have been born & raised in the United States. My Dad retired as a Lt. Colonel in the Air Force. I can wave the flag with the best of them.

American followers of Jesus should especially take special note of this chapter. Honoring God with your life is not about what you “could” do. It’s about what you “should” do.

If studying the Bible has taught me anything, it is that God constantly reinforces the theme of His “calling.” That is, He calls specific people to specific places to perform specific tasks for specific periods of time.  

We have each been created with a purpose. Quite frankly, I am relieved to know God doesn’t just call us “out from” the World. He also calls us “into” a specific relationship with Jesus. Furthermore, He leads us on paths designed for us to serve Him by serving others in His Kingdom.

Could I be president? Maybe. I’d appreciate your vote! The real question is: Should I be president?  

“Lord, how do You want to use me?” Now, that’s the greatest question.

“Whether it was two days, a month, or longer, the Israelites camped and did not set out as long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle. But when it was lifted, they set out. They camped at the Lord’s command, and they set out at the Lord’s command. They carried out the Lord’s requirement according to His command through Moses.” Numbers 9:22-23 (HCSB)

While traveling around the world in a Christian rock band, I stumbled into a few exciting situations and met some amazing people. One such encounter happened at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO.  

Our concert at the Academy happened to fall on the induction weekend for the new Academy plebes. Shortly after our band’s soundcheck, an upperclassman gave me the “psssst…” sign. I inclined his invitation. After we walked around the corner, he asked, “You want to see something cool?” Of course I did! He led me to the projection room of a theater where they were “hazing” the underclassmen.

Then, the hazing stopped abruptly, and they began projecting patriotic and battlefield images onto the theater’s movie screen. This group of sleep-deprived and thoroughly hazed late teens went wild! The energy and patriotic fervor were quite remarkable. The upperclassmen reminded the newbies of America’s tradition of military superiority and exactly why the “United States” is worth fighting for.

The book of Numbers describes how God regimented Israel into a disciplined nation. After the tabernacle was assembled and the Levites consecrated, the Lord’s first command was for Israel to remember. They were to observe the Passover. The Lord knew that Israel’s remembrance of their slavery, their bitter tears, and His deliverance was imperative to make their wilderness “boot camp” endurable.

An interesting phenomenon occurs in boot camp: All personal identity is diminished, and the “company” identity develops. Everyone gets the same haircut, the same uniform, and endures the same hardship. Nobody has a predictable sleep or eating schedule. It makes no sense, except that everyone goes through it together. That’s how war is. Likewise, God generally chooses to bond His people through adversity. That’s how life is.

Adversity produces better followers than miracles produce. This is simply because the individual undergoing adversity learns to listen to and obey the leader’s voice. Additionally, the individual learns to work alongside like-pursuant members of their Christian community.

Take a moment to remember life before your personal deliverance through Jesus. Now, commit yourself afresh to trust & follow Him wherever, whenever, and however He leads. Remember, the Lord has a plan, and He always chooses rightly.

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell Aaron and his sons, “This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.’” Numbers 6:22-27 (NIV)

This blessing, with which the Lord commanded Aaron to bless the people, is known as the “Aaronic” Blessing. In Jewish culture, it is also known as the Birkat Kohanim or “Priestly” Blessing.

Here’s an interesting item for all Star Trek fans. Remember Spock’s “Live long and prosper” sign? Well, if you do it with both hands and join the thumbs together, you’ll form the gesture that rabbis make while giving the Priestly Blessing. Who would have thought that in a galaxy far, far away, William Shatner and Leonard Nemoy would be Jews, copping the Priestly Blessing down to the hand sign? I’m sure many a Jewish geeky pre-teen giggled at the Semitic space reference back in the ’60s!

What I find most interesting is the idea of “putting God’s Name on the Israelites.”  In ancient Near Eastern culture, the family was everything. When people had children, the boys were celebrated over the girls. I’m not saying that’s the way it should be. It’s just that it was important to have boys because boys carried on the family name.

The Third Commandment is:  Do not take the Lord’s Name in vain.  

Almost every time I have heard the third Commandment taught from a pulpit, it has been explained as a command against cursing or swearing. While it is never a good idea to use dirty language or invoke the Lord’s name in some demeaning manner, I’m not sure that’s precisely what the Third Commandment is about.

The Third Commandment literally translates: Do not receive/use the Lord’s Name in vain.”

When we see the Priestly Blessing in light of the 3rd Commandment, we understand the importance of honoring and respecting the fact that the Lord was transferring His Name to the people. The people who accepted the blessing were literally receiving God’s Name and committing to being His inheritance. Followers of Jesus understand the concept of being adopted or co-inheritors with Messiah (Romans 8:17). It is another way to comprehend the vast richness of blessing bestowed to those to whom God gives His Name.

Let’s not receive it in vain.

“The Lord spoke to Moses: ‘In regard to the Levites: From 25 years old or more, a man enters the service in the work at the tent of meeting. But at 50 years old he is to retire from his service in the work and no longer serve. He may assist his brothers to fulfill responsibilities at the tent of meeting, but he must not do the work. This is how you are to deal with the Levites regarding their duties.’”  Numbers 8:23-26 (HCSB)

I have friends who are real estate investors. Presently, they are building retirement communities for young (young-at-heart) retirees. Part of the secular “American Dream” is to work hard, be diligent with your money, and spend your retirement years playing, more or less. I don’t see such a lifestyle even suggested in the Bible.

Two of my favorite friends working on church staff are over 8o years old. One is a WWII veteran, and the other is a former industrial engineer. If you ask them about retirement, they’ll tell you that followers of Jesus never retire from serving the Lord. Put simply, when it came time to retire from their occupations, they began working full-time on their preoccupations, namely, sharing the gospel.

Track with me momentarily: almost every church I have attended has been (or soon became) a megachurch. I’ve visited smaller congregations, but I seldom find much gospel synergy in small churches. I tend to be attracted to the excitement and opportunity present in thriving congregations. And growing churches have dynamic leaders.

That being the case, every organization must face the eventual exit of its founder or leader. Our culture loves to follow personas. We are naturally drawn to celebrities. So, whenever a charismatic persona leaves a congregation, it can lead to its collapse. Why? Because charisma kills vision. What I mean is when a church relies too much on its leader to save the day (instead of relying on the Lord), they generally spend inadequate amounts of time building up young leaders to take their place in the pulpit. Then, when the leader is gone, there is nobody in reserve. Israel needed a Joshua to follow Moses. Every Elijah needs an Elisha in the wings…and your church (or ministry) needs a successor, too.

God saw this potential for leadership implosion in Israel, and He set up guidelines to perpetuate leaders and managers throughout the generations. Leadership magnate John Maxwell says, “Success is defined by the successor.” He means that it’s not enough to build a big organization. More important is building an organization that would thrive in your absence. That means your organization must be founded on and supported by values and principles rather than the charisma of a leader.

Jesus said, “Go make disciples.” Perhaps that element of discipleship is the heart of the Levitical “mandatory retirement” policy. Every Levite got his day in the sun, and then he was commanded to spend the rest of his life preparing and enabling the next generation.

“So Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites. He gave the Gershonites two carts and four oxen corresponding to their service, and gave the Merarites four carts and eight oxen corresponding to their service, under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. But he did not give any to the Kohathites, since their responsibility was service related to the holy objects carried on their shoulders.” Numbers 7:6-9 (HCSB)

There are many different tasks involved in running a church. It’s not all preaching and Bible study, you know. Whenever a church grows, so do the jobs that accompany the ministry. One day, while working for a church in California, I arrived at work only to find one of our church maintenance guys repairing the lock on my office door. (Apparently, vandals had squirted superglue into several locks on campus.)  So, there I was, waiting for the lock to be repaired because my locksmith skills were feeble.  

That is when it hit me how specialized our ministry had become. Each church employee and volunteer has a specific task, often needing specialized tools. It doesn’t make sense to give the janitors laptop computers, although I’m sure they’d each like one. It also doesn’t make sense to give socket wrenches to the teaching staff. We provide our staffers with what they need to accomplish their specific tasks.

On the day Moses dedicated the Tabernacle, the tribal leaders donated 6 carts and 12 oxen for the service of the Tabernacle. The Levites divided the items among themselves, except for Aaron’s family, the Kohathites. Why? The Kohathites were to carry holy objects on their shoulders. Now, it seems inefficient to carry things when you have free carts & oxen. So, why would God disallow them this labor-saving gift?

Perhaps it is because the holiest things in our lives must also be the most personal. Some ministry tasks can be accomplished with time-saving gadgets, but the most important job, our efforts toward discipleship through personal interaction with God, must be done on our own. For instance, you can Google the answers to most Bible questions, but that is not a substitute for the time spent with the Lord through personal Bible study, to the extent that you simply know the answers because you know God and His Word personally. It seems our culture is more interested in knowing God’s guidance than in getting to know the Guide, Himself!  

I love hearing great preaching and reading Bible commentaries, but nobody else can pray the prayers God has laid aside for me to pray or read the Bible on my behalf. I must “shoulder” those responsibilities myself. There are simply some things, which cannot be carted along by the labor of others.

Furthermore, it is our personal dedication to the Lord that will carry the gospel. No TV program, hit song, or Hollywood blockbuster will impact the lives of those close to you more than the testimony of your personal dedication (or lack thereof) to God.

“The Lord spoke to Moses: ‘Tell the Israelites: When a man or woman commits any sin against another, that person acts unfaithfully toward the Lord and is guilty,” The person is to confess the sin he has committed. He is to pay full compensation, add a fifth of its value to it, and give it to the individual he has wronged.” Numbers 5:5-7 (HCSB)

In life, there are basically two kinds of relationships: Horizontal and vertical.  

HORIZONTAL relationships are between other people and us. It is essential to have healthy horizontal relationships because we all have to get along.

If history has a theme, it should perhaps be, “Men don’t naturally get along.” Its subtitle might be: “How selfishness destroys community.” Watch the news. Men of selfish ambitions (personal or national) are always battling, to some degree.

VERTICAL relationships are between men & God. Mankind generally recognizes the idea of God, although most do not worship the true God. There are many worldwide campaigns for sincere spiritual discovery. Sadly, most of those searches are sincerely wrong. How can I be so bold as to suggest someone’s genuine faith is in vain? Because God has prescribed how His creation should worship Him. It’s not my opinion. It’s the truth of the Bible. (Proverbs 14:11-12)

How a person’s Horizontal and Vertical relationships interface is very telling of their spiritual condition.

When asked what the “greatest commandment” is, Jesus replied by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and all your mind.” Jesus quickly followed up his reply by referencing Leviticus 19:18. He said, “The second (greatest commandment) is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Put simply:  Love God and love people. You cannot separate the two.

Numbers 5 teaches us that when we sin Horizontally, we are also sinning Vertically.  When we sin against people, it is also unfaithfulness towards the Lord. That’s why the priests could seek the Lord’s judgment on secret interpersonal sin. All sin is a sin against Him, thus within His knowledge…perhaps an insight into omniscience.  

If we don’t love our neighbor as ourselves, we do not love the Lord, our God, with all we have. Inversely, if we don’t love the Lord with all we have, we will never be able to truly love people.

“The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: ‘The Israelites are to camp under their respective banners beside the flags of their ancestral houses. They are to camp around the tent of meeting, at a distance from it:” Numbers 2:1-2 (HCSB)

As we learned in Leviticus, God is very concerned with order. The Lord wants things separate, set apart, and holy. Also, He is as interested in FORM as He is FUNCTION. The “way” Israel worshipped was as important as the fact that they were worshipping at all.  

This idea of “form” is somewhat lost on our generation. Ours is the generation that rejects formality. (perhaps, rightly so in some cases) Our parents and grandparents lived in a culture where women wore white gloves and hats, and men almost always wore suits and ties. We live in a generation where people wear T-shirts, jeans & sandals to church.

For many folks from the older generation, dressing up for church became more important than why they were attending church in the first place. The formality of religion trumped a personal relationship with God in many instances. It was dry and stiff, especially compared to the “If it feels good, do it!” mantra of the Hippie movement. Eventually, their children rebelled.

Today, I sometimes wonder if the pendulum hasn’t swung too far toward the casual. In its efforts to create a comfortable, laid-back environment, has today’s church lost too much of its reverence? Is there a level of formality that is essential? Where is that balance between reverence and relevance? Know this: The balance can only be found in the Bible.

As for Israel, God wanted to maintain the individuality of each tribal family while at the same time maintaining the unity of the nation. How was that accomplished, and what could we do to foster that balance of individuality and corporate unity in our congregations today?

Paramount, at the center of Israel’s national life, was the ark of God’s covenant. Inside the ark were the tablets containing the Ten Commandments. Above the ark, God Himself met with Moses. Promise, Precepts, and Presence constituted His relationship with His people.

Believers in Messiah Jesus may congregate as varied denominations, expressing their worship and gratitude in different ways. Yet, unity exists among ALL true believers as long as they share the same central focus: salvation through faith in Jesus alone and the authority of His Word to govern our intents and actions. Unity exists when we share the Promise of His Covenant, the Presence of His Spirit, and the Guidance of His Precepts, the Bible.

“Take a census of the entire Israelite community by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of every male one by one. You and Aaron are to register those who are 20 years old or more by their military divisions – everyone who can serve in Israel’s army. A man from each tribe is to be with you, each from his ancestral house. These are the names of the men who are to assist you...” Numbers 1:2-5a (HCSB)

One month after the erection of the Tabernacle, Moses is commanded to muster all the men of military age, i.e., those twenty years of age and upwards. It’s time for war! Can you imagine the spiritual and national inertia that had built to this moment?  

Let’s refresh: Creation, the fall of man, the flood, Abraham, the “Covenant,” Isaac, Jacob, Joseph sold into slavery, the redemption of his kinsmen, Egyptian captivity, Moses, the plagues, the Ten Commandments…plus 603 more commandments.  

This entire time, everything has pointed to God’s promise to the patriarchs that Israel WILL inherit the land. “Numbers” begins with a military census. Israel’s forceful acquisition of Canaan looks imminent; excitement is in the air!

That’s a lot of backstories leading up to this moment, but a greater story is told here in Numbers, chapter 1. It is the story of World history, from The Creation to The Revelation. “Where?” you may ask.

It’s in the NAMES. Every Hebrew name has a meaning, and when we combine the meanings of Israel’s tribal leaders (and their fathers) in their recorded order, we see not only the history of Israel but the history and hope of the World. Check it out...

Elizur: God is my rock – Shedeur: Shaddai is light – Shelumiel: At peace with God – God is my friend; Zurishaddai: My rock is Shaddai – Nashon: serpent, God inspires; Amminidab: The divine Kinsman is generous; Nethanel: God hath given; Eliab - God is our Father; Helon: God perseveres; Ephriam - God multiplies;  Elishama: God hath heard; Ammihud: The Divine Kinsman is glorious; Gamaliel: God is my reward – Pedahzur: The Rock has redeemed; Abidan: The Father has judged; Gideoni: God is a warrior; Ahiezer: The Divine Brother is a help; Ammishaddai: The People of Shaddai – The lot (or fate) of God – Given By God – God hath added – God is a friend – The Divine Brother is a friend.

Victory in Canaan was assured if the men whom God assembled would march out in faith, living up to the characters of the NAMES they had inherited. How well are YOU living up to the character of the Name YOU have inherited, having been adopted as a co-inheritor with Messiah?

“These are the commands the Lord gave Moses for the Israelites on Mount Sinai.” Leviticus 27:34 (HCSB)

Many years ago, when I read the Torah (the first 5 books of the Old Testament) for the first time, I was shocked to learn that God gave Moses more than 10 commandments. He gave 613, to be exact. These are not the commands of men but from God Himself.

The “Ten Commandments” act as overriding principles, while the remaining 603 commands act as practical situational guides, teaching Israel how to honor God by living out the Ten Commandments in day-to-day life.

In religious (Orthodox) Judaism, several literary sources are drawn from. First, there is the Torah and the Haftorah. (The Law and the Prophets) aka: the Tanakh, or “Old Testament.” These are the Divinely-inspired Scriptures.

In His sermon on the mount, Jesus said, “Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For I assure you: Until Heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. Therefore, everyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches people to do so will be called the ‘least’ in the kingdom of Heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commandments will be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.”  Matthew 5:17-19 (HCSB)

In addition to the Tanakh, there are other Jewish literary sources: Talmud, Mishna, and Kabbala. These are volumes of rabbinical teachings and interpretations of the Tanakh. Imagine all the great Christian teachers, Moody, Spurgeon, Wesley, etc. Imagine all the greats, every sermon, compiled throughout the ages. Well, that’s basically what these extra-Biblical volumes are: rabbinic commentaries.

The problem rabbinic Judaism faces is that so much of its religious practice is based on the teachings of men. Most rabbis spend the majority of their studies buried in the commentaries instead of the Torah!  

I have challenged you (and myself) to aggressively read the Bible because the Church tends to have the same problem as the Orthodox (non-Messianic) Jewish community. Christians tend to elevate teachers above the Scriptures. Paul addressed this problem, even in the early Church. (1 Corinthians 1:10-17)

We should study the Bible so that we can weigh the value of Bible teachers instead of the other way around...studying Bible teachers to weigh the value of the Bible.

“Yet in spite of this, while they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject or abhor them, so as to destroy them and break my covenant with them, since I am the Lord their God.  For their sake, I will remember the covenant with their fathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God; I am the Lord.”  Leviticus 26:44-45 (HCSB)

Recently, I was asked this question by some friends in Hawaii who receive our daily devotions: Do the Jews believe in the same God as Christians?

The question stems from a great theological debate that suggests that since “Non-believing” Jews have rejected Jesus (Yeshua), they are not accepting the “wholeness of God.” Thus, the God whom non-believing Jews accept is not the same as the God Christians believe in. By not receiving the Tri-unity of God, they definitely do not understand Him as they should, i.e., as He designates for all people to know Him.

The New Testament, speaking of Jesus, informs us that there is “no other name under Heaven by which men must be saved.” Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the Life, and no man comes to the Father except through me.” Whether Jew or Gentile, accepting Messiah Jesus is the essential component of Salvation. The first chapter of John speaks clearly of Jesus’ deity. In that sense, knowing Who Jesus is brings the essential understanding of Who God is.

But since Jesus is a member of the Trinity (God’s existence as three “Persons”), wasn’t He present when God spoke these (above) words to Moses?

The “Christian” understanding of Israel’s understanding of God takes a back seat to God’s understanding of His plan for the redemption of Israel (and the redemption of the nations, as well). This was the basis for Paul’s message to the Roman Messianic (Christian) congregation.

“I ask, then, have they (Israel) stumbled so as to fall? Absolutely not! On the contrary, by their stumbling, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous. Now if their stumbling brings riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full number bring? Now I am speaking to you, Gentiles.  In view of the fact that I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my own ministry, if I can somehow make my own people jealous and save some of them. For if their being rejected is world reconciliation, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?”  Romans 11:11-15

God’s covenant with Israel is with those who, by faith, believe. His faithfulness is the foundation for the security of our salvation. Perhaps a more important question than, “Do Jews believe in the same God as the Christians?” is the question: Does the God of all creation keep His covenants, and did He fulfill His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through Messiah Jesus? Scripture testifies that He did.

“If your brother becomes destitute and cannot sustain himself among you, you are to support him as a foreigner or temporary resident, so that he can continue to live among you. Don’t profit or take interest from him, but fear your God and let your brother live among you. You are not to lend him your silver with interest or sell him your food for profit. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.”  Leviticus 25:35-38 (HCSB)

Interdependence:  1) Unable to exist or survive without each other  2) Relying on mutual assistance, support, cooperation, or interaction among constituent elements or members.

Much of our modern culture has been built on the idea of “independence.”  In American society, people who are “dependent” are generally frowned upon as weak. Children are taught to be independent, not needing anything from anyone. Growing up, I was taught that taking a handout or charitable assistance was shameful.  

Interestingly, I was also taught that if a person was needy, they were probably lazy. There was a stigma of sin attached to poverty. We were led to believe that if we gave someone charity, we were perhaps enabling them to continue in their laziness. We were taught that people should work hard, and money was our reward for keeping for ourselves.

That’s the theory I was taught. Then, one day, I needed charity...

I’ve searched the Scriptures, and someone corrects me if I’m wrong, but I have yet to find an instance where God honors independence.  

God’s design for society is that men would completely depend on Him. He designed for His “dependants” to live interdependently among each other in the community. The purpose of community is to make our weaknesses ineffective. When someone covers your weakness, it frees you to operate in the strengths God has endowed you with.

Nobody is an island, self-sustaining and all-comprehensive unto themselves. Hard times will fall on everyone. God doesn’t just provide spiritual (internal) peace; He also offers physical and emotional comfort through the community of believers. He primarily provides for His people through the generosity of other people.

Lesson: Don’t be too ashamed to receive charity, and don’t be too self-absorbed to withhold it from others in need. As in everything, our rule should be: As the Lord leads.

“Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves by all these things. The land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants. But you are to keep My statutes and ordinances. You must not commit any of these detestable things—not the native or the foreigner who lives among you. For the men who were in the land prior to you have committed all these detestable things, and the land has become defiled.” Leviticus 18:24-27 (HCSB)

History tells us that just before the fall of every major empire, there was a “libertarian” view towards sexuality throughout the culture—one of the last allowances being open acceptance of homosexuality.

Interestingly, chapter 18 is devoted almost entirely to sex and its perversion. Then the Lord warns Israel to stay away from those things because He is expelling Canaan’s inhabitants because of those very same perversions! God says they have defiled the land, causing it to vomit them out.

Leviticus is about the calling out of a people to be separate. It was not enough to call Israel out of Egypt. God also commanded Israel to drive “Egypt” out of itself!  

This is not dissimilar to our situation as believers today. First, we are called out of the World to follow Jesus.   Next, we are called to live “holy and presentable to God.” Many followers of Jesus take a passive view of morality. I often hear from believers, “My salvation is secure, so I can live however I wish.” That is not true.  

While the true believer’s salvation is secured by God’s righteousness (not their own righteousness), the one who sins deliberately and habitually should do some healthy self-examination to determine if they are genuine believers at all. Believers are not sinless, but they should desire to sin less…and less as they progress in their relationship with Him.  

In the days of the prophets, the Lord drove Israel out of the land because they failed to heed His warnings to be separate, choosing, instead, to follow the ways of the pagans.

Likewise, Jesus shared a conversation that will take place between Himself and “pseudo-Christians” at the end of time: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in Heaven.” Matthew 7: 21 (HCSB)