148 Increased Repertoire (Num 31)

Since starting to fish I have learnt so much.
I CAN walk for longer than 20 minutes.
I CAN carry more than 20kg on my back.
I CAN talk to people I have never met and fit in ok.
I CAN tie things on the back of a trailer and they won't fall off.
My knots WILL hold.
I DO have better hand eye co-ordination than I thought.
Camping isn't so bad.
We do live in a beautiful place.
Oh, and I CAN catch fish.
Many fish.

Today I realised the most important lesson I have learned in all of this.
Through the journey of back casts going into trees, flies getting wrapped around the rodand myself, getting hooked up on snags and every dandelion head along the river bank, even that single one all by itself in a field on nothing else sticking up, I discovered an element of skill has appeared in my repertoire.
I suddenly have this ability to untangle my headphone lead when the mornings are so cold I can't feel my fingers.
It's a gift, I try not to talk about it much.
So I won't.

Numbers 31
Israel launches an attack on Midian.
12 000 soldiers PLUS Phinehas the son of Eleazar.
There is a point to him being added especially.
God is represented and at the forefront of battle.
Men being men I guess, they failed to remember old lessons in the face of a pretty girl.
Or thousands of pretty girls even.

v16 "Behold, these (the women), on Balaam's advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the LORD."

They didn't get it. They didn't learn.
I'm not sure of the time frame, but it wasn't long.
And instead of wiping out the entire nation, they kept some trophies.
Inappropriate trophies at that.

The cleansing process interests me.
All metals pass through fire.
Anything that can't be burned passed through water.
In either case emerging clean. Pure.
When you don't know what something was used for, it is best to clean it before using it. Eliminate the risk of infection.
Physical or spiritual.
God can put us through stuff that seems hard and sometimes it hurts.
What comes out on the other side though is precious, fine, usable and pleasing in God's eyes.

The questions about the numbers of animals used in sacrificing are sort of answered in this passage.
In all over 800 000 animals are taken as bounty.
800 000.
That's a lot of extra poop to avoid while walking.
My understanding would be that if the people didn't have the means to look after this quantity of livestock, they wouldn't take them.
If the sheer scale of the size of the new herd was unimaginable or impractical, then the animals would have been slaghtered or left alone.
My suspicion is that this number of animals was a drop in the ocean compared to what the Israelites had and were used to looking after.
We're talking about a nation of herdsmen.
They probably didn't even notice the difference.
Except for the piles of poop.
I guess these were a people used to looking where they walked.

147 Crickity Neck (Num 30)

I did something odd late yesterday that I have regretted today.
I turned around in the car.
Coming out of a driveway, inexplicably I decided to check for oncoming traffic.
What was I thinking?
When I got home, my neck and shoulder just felt odd.
So I did the natural thing.
I tried to twist it further than I normally would.
Because everyone knows that's what makes things better.
For some reason this time, it didn't work.
In fact, horror upon horrors, it made it worse.
Who would have thunk it?
This morning I could hardly lift my head.
My angelic wife provided a hot pack which felt like absolute heaven on earth.
Explaining her angelic nature I guess.
By this afternoon I could get out of bed and wander.
And as I sit here reliving my day I feel almost normal.
Whatever that means.

A little more on the hot pack.
It may have been slightly late last night when Donna caringly offered to get me a hot pack.
I must have missed something though because she said she would get one from the freezer and then defrost it for me.
My head couldn't compute this info and I instead burst into laughter.
I knew it should make sense.
I couldn't work it out.
Then I hurt all night.
It was still funny.

Numbers 30
We take pride in the thought that our word means something.
When we have nothing else, the hope is what we say can be relied on.
A promise is a powerful thing.
If you keep it, the rewards can be lifelong.
Break it, and it's extremely hard to make it right again.
Ever.
Even if you don't break your word again.

Do we take it seriously when we promise something to our family, our friends or ourselves?
It's easy to get caught up in the semantics of what is a promise and what isn't.
Remind you of political spin from a few years ago.
Core and non-core promises.
It shouldn't matter though what sort of spin we put on things.
If you say something, honour it.
No matter what the cost is, it can't be bigger than the cost of not honouring your word.
Know your heart in this and don't get wrapped up in the games of linguistic gymnastics.
Don't give your word or promise or whatever lightly.
They are a valuable commodity.
How others will look at you is in the balance.

146 It All Happens In the Seventh Month (Num 29)

I love a meeting that doesn't quite fit with what I'm expecting.
In particular when they are shorter.
Fewer people attend than first anticipated.
The schedule gets cut back.
I get to chat to those I haven't for a while.
Today, I had one of those type of meetings.
Brilliant.
My desk celebrated by not groaning too loudly under my unorganised mess.
I could sort stuff.
Sort of.
And, as I sorted, my security monitor let me see a client change his clothes in the courtyard.
By change, I mean really change.
Not just socks and shoes.
Everything.
Shirt.
Vest.
Pants.
Jocks.
Jocks again. (Who knows?)
Everything.
Painfully slowly.
And he kept turning around and around.
Eeeeeeeuuuuuuwwwwww :p

Maybe meetings run long for a reason.

Numbers 29
There seem to be more ceremonies in the seventh month than in any other.
A month of solemness and remembrance.
Yet with much feasting.
Sort of like how accountants commemorate the seventh month today.
On top of all the other sacrificing that would occur.
There's a few more.
And the odd feast or three.
I actually can't recall if accountants still sacrifice stuff, so maybe the analogy ends with having a busy seventh month.
Perhaps.

It's another opportunity to see how important the number 7 is.
7 is God's number.
7 is the day of rest.
7 is holy.
This seventh month is a holy month.
This was the month to concentrate more on God and what He had done.
A time to seek forgiveness.
A time to give thanks.

Again a lot of detail if given on how to go about this.
I can't imagine how good Moses's memory must have been.
My guess is, very good!
I also struggle to comprehend the vast quantity of livestock required to keep up with this all.
My guess here is also, very vast!

145 A Stressful Task (Num 28)

I was so totally stressed at lunchtime today.
I had been placed in a situation totally new and totally foreign to me.
I needed to make decisions quickly.
Important decisions.
I had limited information and a tight deadline.
My stress levels were impairing my judgment and I kept flip flopping on the decisions I had already made.
It was doing my head in.
Finally.
After lengthy deliberations and some heartache.
I emerged satisfied with the outcome.
I could breathe.
I relaxed.
I had just finalised my first AFL Dream team selection.
Golly that was a task.

Numbers 28
Each day begins and ends with a sacrifice to God.
Another way of reminding the people of Him, His promises and what He has already done.
A pleasant sacrifice.
A sweetness.
Good memories.
Good thoughts.
Hope for the day ahead.
Thanks for the day gone.
And hope for tomorrow.
And a recognition of God being on top of things.
A celebration of freedom.
For a new generation, a real reminder of things experienced by their parents.
A reminder not to forgot from the lessons already learned.
Hard lessons.
And a sight of God's grace.
His love in their redemption from slavery.
And a chance at independence and a place to call home.

144 Character to Lead (Num 27)

It's been a long hard week.
Just a brevity of output tonight.
Enjoy whichever day this finds you.
Cherish those around you, who contribute to making you who you are.
Even those that you struggle with play a part.
Which part and how that turns out, defines who you are.

It's better when I'm random and cheery.

Numbers 27
Joshua was known by God as "a man in whom is the Spirit." (v18)
This set him apart.
On the outside, he was ridiculed because of his stance for taking the land of Canaan by the other spies.
He and Caleb stood firm.
Moses saw the difference.
God saw the difference.
When it came to select a leader amongst the people, Joshua was a stand out.
Character stood out.
Joshua was strong enough to stand up for what was right.
He stayed away from the things that caused so many to fall.
He spoke out against things that were wrong.
He had respect for Moses.
He didn't grumble or complain.
He stood alongside his leader and was a leader.
So much so, that he is singled out seemingly to have the Spirit of God within him.
Chicken and egg time.
Which came first?
The character and faith or the Spirit of God?
How long was Joshua groomed by Moses? A while.
He was with Moses early on. I'm sure he's mentioned in Exodus.
Yep. Chapter 33 with the writing of the 10 commandments.
Something rubbed off.
Something lasting.
Something that Joshua would need as a leader.
Yet without Joshua's character and strength I doubt it would have lasted.

143 Running Low (Num 26)

I'm living on the edge a little this week with the ute.

While I was away fishing, we drove from Coffs Harbour to Dorrigo and beyond each day.
A round trip of a minimum of 180 kilometres.
After 3 days of this combined with an initial drive from Sydney, my companion had decided to get petrol after fishing.
Rather than before.
No drama really, except for the fact that we had a brilliant day fishing.
We fished until almost 7pm.
There was a couple of towns between us and Coffs.
But would any have open service stations after 7 on a Sunday night?
The answer was a definitive NO.
Now I have let my car run quite low on petrol before.
I have run out stopping at a bowser.
My friend's car was new.
Less than 10000 clicks on the clock.
He had never seen the needle move so close to empty.
Now we had a warning light on and 80 k's to where we knew a 24 hour stop was.
I was fine.
He wasn't.
We did hills at 70.
We coasted down the other side.
All the time he watches his fuel economy gauge and stressing.
Any way a 90 minute journey turned into a tick over 2 hours and we arrived at the petrol station.
He filled up.
Phew!
Except we still had over 10 litres in the tank.
It wasn't even close. :D

Back to my original point.
My ute is currently on empty.
Since before work yesterday!
I should be ok.
I think.
I'll find out tomorrow.
Money in the bank after lunch.
So it will be a careful drive in to work tomorrow morning.
And around the block to the petrol station.
I'll be fine.

Numbers 26
Will Numbers ever finish?
This book has just gone on and on and on and...........
Disruptions haven't helped.
Delays have been unavoidable.
But cracky Jim jolly!
And there's still 10 chapters after this!!!!!

I think if I had sons back then, I would call one Term and the other Meteor.
Then there would be clans of Termites and Meteorites.
Pick the favourite out of those two.
And then maybe Vegem.
Followed by the twins Marm and Prom.

Only those under 20 were listed to receive land once it was distributed.
The sentence from all the muttering and murmuring earlier has been set.
Joshua, Caleb, some Levites and "the kids" get to split up the promised land.
That would be shattering for me.
Survived the snakes.
Survived the wilderness to this point.
Survived the romps with the Midianite women.
Actually I wonder how many had survived to this point.
Not many?
Any?
None entered into Canaan.
But how many learned the final price to their disobedience?
And how hard would it have been to see and to hear it?
A strong case to learn from the mistakes of others.

142 To Do or Not To Do(Num 25)

Just before I start, I don't think I've had a title with so many o's in it.
Something for those of you who care about that sort of stuff.

Well it didn't quite work out as I expected.
Laggy, slow wifi with full days and late nights conspired against any blogging.
So it's back to the keyboard with a vengeance in the hope of something half decent being created.
Tough ask, I know.
But this challenge has never been easy.
I have a notorious short attention span.
A history of incomplete tasks.
Yet, somehow I keep at it.
Kudos to me.

One thing I did learn, or at least reaffirm, about my family.
The smiles are never bigger, than those that arrive with me carrying a bag of Krispy Kreme donuts.
I'm sure I was missed.
But maybe a little forgotten in the rush for sugary treasures.

Numbers 25
Distracted by the women of Moab, Israel stumble.
Badly.
To extraordinary levels.
24 000 pay the price for this show of undisciplined lust in the face of God.

Earlier, just after coming out of Egypt, God warned the people about the temptations of the people they would come across.
He told them to refrain.
To keep apart.
They didn't.
24 000 died.
One man gained favour with God with his display of distaste, of anger, of jealousy for God.
Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the one lone voice against the horde of partakers.
One voice can make a stand.
With a big enough spear.
And a righteous anger.
Without his actions, more would have been lost.
Possibly all.

I guess when you see something that is wrong.
Very wrong.
You have a choice to make.
Many saw what was happening, but only one acted against it.
There's a risk about the cost in becoming involved.
But perhaps a bigger risk in doing nothing.

141 Not Totally Not Fun (Num 24)

Rainy afternoons at work are not totally not fun.
I started to think they were bad.
Dullish perhaps.
But then, I think I changed my mind.
I can't rememeber.
This morning started fine.
Cloudy. Yet not cold.
And not as warm as yesterday.
It started raining just before lunch.
Then stopped,
It started again about an hour before finish time.
I could concentrate better.
I got a heap done.
Everyone seemed a bit more relaxed.
I think.
I may have to reassess my opinions.
But I think rain and cooler than warm, but warmer than cool temperatures, work for me.
Too warm = a bit oppressive.
Too cool = all productivity goes into keeping warm.
Maybe.
Today anyway, it felt ok.
As far as I recall anyway.

Numbers 24
Ok, so Balaam has done away with any showmanship this time and gets straight to the point with Balak.
For the third time, he blesses Israel.
Quite eloquently in fact.
And then he lays the facts out to Balak.
Maybe he's getting tired of the same request over and over and over.
Balak gets angry at the refusal to curse.
"How angry?" I hear you ask.
So angry he smites his hands together.
Oo-er.
That's angry.
Better watch out.
I wonder if that's angrier than a foot stamp.
Or a fiesty glare.
Or a rude word.

The ending is quick.
Balak goes home.
Balaam goes home.
Israel get lost going home.
Heh heh.
See what I did there?

Sometimes it takes a while for us to realise that even when God hears our requests, He may not agree with them.
He certainly won't cower to them.
He will do what He wills as He wills when He wills.
Moses could get Him to change His mind.
Balaam could not.
Moses requests echoed God's original plans and promises.
Balaam's was on the basis of a scared prince and was the opposite of God's plan.
Where do our requests to Him really fit?
And do we feel like smiting our hands when it doesn't work our way?
Probably not the best way to deal with it.

140 Looming Challenges (Num 23)

Another fishing trip looms.
As well as the adventure of fishing new waters.
Possibly even salty waters.
A new challenge calls me.
"Blog using your iPod."
Hmmmm.
It sounds feasible. It sounds possible.
It sounds hard.
I'm predicting some short entries come Wednesday.
We'll see.
Actually, I am worried my eyesight may be affected.
It's a teeny tiny screen.
Will my chunky fingers deal with the lack of a keyboard?
Of course.
The joys of WiFi and wireless internet thingys scattered countrywide.

Numbers 23
Well the delay was longer than I expected.
Sorry to those with fingernails chewed off to the elbow.
The climax is still a bit on the "anti" side of things at this point.
It's as if Balaam is playing with Balak here.
v3 "Perhaps the Lord will come to meet me"
It's a bit funny.
Make these altars.
Get this stuff ready.
And then PERHAPS!!

There is a difference here between a curse and a CURSE.
I'm sure if Balak just wanted Balaam to say bad things about the Israelites, then he may have been happy.
If it was just words to give him some confidence in his upcoming confrontations, that may have been suffice.
He recognises though, that there is real power in God.
He recognises that a curse will really come to pass if it comes from God.
He does however, get the process muddled up.
God will curse those who warrant it and then he will let them know via a prophet or whoever.
The prophet doesn't tell God what to do.
Balaam has no control except as a mouthpiece.
Balaam knows this.
Balak doesn't.
Balak's faith in the prophet is misguided and fruitless.
Hence his annoyance.
Lack of comprehension leads to frustration.
Obviously he is used to getting his way.
All the time!!
He could have built a thousand altars.
He could have sacrificed a gazillion cattle and God would not pander to his desire to see Israel cursed.
But he tries again.
And again.
To change the mind of God.
He must have some wealth and heaps of spare time.
He should find a hobby.

The comfort here is for the Israelites.
God is still with them.
Despite the anger at their moaning and muttering and complaining, they are still His people.
He still has a plan for them.
He still has love for them.
His grace continues.
As a nation, they will still receive His promise and blessing.

There's reassurance for us in that as well.
:D

139 Scary (Num 22)

Every now and then I get a supreme feeling of forgetting something.
The other day it happened.
I was pretty sure I had stuff on every night that week.
It was just going to be one of those weeks.
Not sure how it happens, but it just does.
I had nothing in my diary.
Which is not that unusual.
There was nothing on the calender in the kitchen.
Which is unusual if there is something on.
And then the clincher was when I got home.
Donna's second words after "Hi honey. How was your day?"
were
"What have we got on tonight?"
Aaaarrrrrrr!
She's the one I was hoping would know.
She always does.
Looking in the fridge, we both hoped it wasn't someone coming for tea.
Anyway we spent the night waiting for a phone call asking where we were.
Or a knock at the door.
Neither came.
Phew.

Numbers 22
Love this description.

v4 "This horde will now lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field."

The reputation of a mighty nation had preceded the Israelites.
And it was scary to some.
Very scary.
Scary enough to lead to desperate measures such as those carried out by Balak.
Balaam's position here confuses me a bit.
He's some sort of diviner or sooth-sayer, yet speaks to God.
And God comes to talk with him.
His insight has obviously been accurate in the past.
Perhaps he was a prophet that got lured by self importance and greed and went off by himself.
Balak expected to have to pay handsomely for his service.
Hmmmm.
He has also seen God work before.
He's aware of the signs and wonders.
Obviously I guess because he's not phased in having a converation with a donkey.

Shrek has changed this story for me forever though.
I keep seeing Balaam traveling along and the donkey going
"Are we there yet?"
No.
"Are we there yet?"
No
"Are we there yet?"
No
"Are we there yet?"
No
"Are we there yet?"
Doooooonnnnnnnn-kkkkkeeyyyyy!!!!!
"Can we have waffles?"
Aaaaaaaarrrgggghhhhhhh!
Although I can't see Balaam making candles out of ear wax.

At the end of the day, whatever Balaam's motives or past or occupation, he recognises that you don't mess with God (eventually).
Despite the riches on offer.
Or the prestige.
Or the pressure from a son of Zippor.
You don't defy God's will.
He did.
And if it wasn't for his donkey and its annoying clicking mouth noises, he would have died.

The tension is tangible here folks.
Is it to be a curse?
Is it to be a blessing?
Will he realise his long lost uncle is really his father who regrets never telling him the sad story of his twin sister he never knew he had?
What is he going to say?
Oh no.
It's the end of the chapter.
A slow fade as they stand on the hill gazing out at the camp of Israel.
"God has said.................................."

138 Fiery Snakes (Num 21)

I am not one who indulges in desserts.
I have a teeny tiny sweet tooth stuck right at the back of my mouth.
It stays pretty quiet.
Which is fine.
Occasionally if the mood strikes I'll eat some chocolate.
The mood rarely strikes.
Chocolate can last me weeks. If I can hide it from the family.
But I'm more a lollies type of guy.
In fact I'm more a chips type of guy.
Savoury rocks!
It took Donna a while to get used to me not having dessert.
She likes them.
Heaps.
She also cooks them.
Quite often in fact.
Superbly so.
So well that sometimes, actually most times, I don't mind going out of my way to eat them.
The point?
Nothing really.
Just a good opportunity to extol the virtues of my cute wife.
The beating I receive now will be worth it.

Numbers 21
Another bumpy start for the Israelites.
God delivers them in battle from the hands of Arad.
Despite this, the complaints continue.

v5 "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food."

Ok, so again the problem isn't "no food".
It's "we don't like what we have" food that's the problem.
That seems to be a recurring theme as well.
Complain about something, but really it's still about looking back with rose-coloured spectacley doovers.
I get the concerns for lack of water.
But how often has God provided already?
Learn something here. PLEASE! (They won't.)
Ask.
Don't whinge.
It would be like walking in the desert with a million 4 year olds.
Cor!!!!

Punishment by fiery snakes.
That would almost be worth complaining about stuff to see.
Were there little fires everywhere?
Getting bitten by a snake must hurt.
How much would it hurt if it was with fangs on fire?
See, God likes detail.
"Why those baby Israelites. Moan moan. Whine whine. I'll show them.
I'll send snakes at 'em. And and lots of 'em.
And I'm so mad I'll make them on fire as well.
And then I'll give Chinese arm burns.
Yeah that'll show 'em."
.................................
"Ok got carried away.
No arm burns.
This time!!!!"

Then we see the redemption of the Israelites.
Those bitten could look to the bronze likeness and be healed.
Mounted on a pole and set up in camp.
Those who wanted to be saved needed to look up. They needed to do something to be made whole.

Now I'm guessing there may have been some Israelites who didn't complain.
Who must have thought they did nothing wrong.
But snakes are no discerners of people.
If you were close, you got bit.
If you got bit, it didn't matter if you complained or not, you died.
Unless you looked up.
That's all.
See the bronze serpent and you lived.

Again the Israelites are refused passage through land.
Despite asking nicely.
Someone must have heard they could get grumpy a bit.

137 New Pants (Num 20)

I went out to buy some clothes today.
Nothing too special.
Stuff for fishing really.
This place I sometimes frequent had a sale on.
Beauty!
I found a shirt.
Tried it on. I never try stuff on.
But I did.
Fits ok.
Half price.
Nice.
Ooo! Look shorts.
The lady was busy so I just held them up and asked if I could go back to the change room.
Sure. No worries.
I try them on and I'm glad I did. They're my size but just don't feel right.
I go and grab a bigger size. Grrrrrrrr. More exercise needed. Mutter mutter.
And yes, I did put my trousers back on before getting the other shorts.
Try the bigger ones and they're better, but not quite.
I just don't understand.
I go one more size up. Surely not.
They fit....ish.
Right colour.
Half price.
What the hey, I'll get them.
I put them on the counter. The lady looks at me a bit funny.
"You do realise these are ladies pants."
My worst clothes shopping fear, acted out in real life.
"I'll just take the shirt then thanks."
I breathe deeply.
And then I die.
It was a nice shop. I think I'll miss it a bit.

Numbers 20
When you look back at something, you tend to see the things that were best about it.
Particularly when things aren't too great where you are presently.
But you forget about the worse bits.
The bits you hated.
The bits you wished would end.
They've finished. You've gone past them.
They are the first things you forget.
The Israelites are like that here.
No water. Want to return to Egypt.
Yet the first thing they crave is pomegranates, grapes, figs and grain.
Oh yeah and water!
Water was not the issue.

Things were hard for them.
But harder than Egypt?
In Egypt they were distant from God.
In Egypt they were slaves.
In Egypt they had no future.
Suddenly they have freedom to choose.
Oopsy, a problem.
The problem is that sometimes you make the wrong choice.
They are learning how to deal with that.
Not in the promised land.
In the desert.
Where they have to rely on God. Trust Him.
They don't. Yet.
This time Moses pays a price.

I find it interesting that both Miriam and Aaron die in the one chapter.
Don't know why.
It's just one of those intriguing little things that happen.