Looking Forward to the Promised Land
Beyond the
wilderness, there was the Promised Land. Life would not be easy in the
Promised Land. There were many battles to be fought.When we read of
Israel's warfare in the land of Canaan, there is both glorious victory
and sad failure. God's charge to Israel to drive out the heathen from
Canaan was never completely obeyed. The contaminating influence of
false religion was never entirely eradicated from the land of Canaan.
This incomplete obedience hastened Israel's religious apostacy and led,
in time, to Israel being taken captive by the Babylonians. As we read
on through the Old Testament, there is an increasing sense that God is
leading us people on to something more wonderful than the Promised
Land. Beyond the Promised Land, there is another promise. It is the
promise of the Saviour and His "eternal redemption".
Looking Forward to the Saviour
There
is, in Numbers, a great deal of instruction regarding the sacrifices
and feast of Israel. These sacrifices and feasts are full of prophetic
significance, pointing forward to the Lord Jesus Christ for their
fuller meaning. In the letter to the Hebrews, it is emphasized that our
Lord Jesus Christ is both the Priest, who offers the sacrifice, and the
Sacrifice which is offered.
In Hebrews, we learn that Jesus is
the Great High Priest. He presents the Sacrifice to God His Father. The
Sacrifice which He offers is the Sacrifice of Himself - "for all time a
single sacrifice for sins" (10:12). As we study Hebrews, it becomes
clear to us that we do not need to repeat the Old Testament sacrifices
- "it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away
sins" (10:4).
The testimony of the letter to the Hebrews may be
summed up in the words of 9:11-12 - "When Christ appeared as a High
Priest ... He entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the
blood of goats and calves but His own blood, thus securing an eternal
redemption".
Looking Forward to our "Eternal Redemption"
As
we read about the "eternal redemption", secured by the shedding of the
precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, we may turn, in Numbers, the
Balaam / Balak passages (chapters 22-24) for a verse of Scripture which
encourages us to believe that God will not let us down. He is faithful.
He will fulfil His promise to us: "God is not a man, that He should
lie, or a son of man that He should change His mind. Has He said, and
will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfil it?"
(23:19).
In this important respect, God is very different from
human beings. We make promises. Very often, we fail to keep them. God
never breaks His promises. In Christ, He has provided an "eternal
redemption". He has promised that all who trust Christ will enjoy this
"eternal redemption". This is a great promise upon which can
confidently take our stand. It is a promise given to us by the God who
never fails to fulfil His promises.
We are "en route" to our
"eternal redemption". As we press on towards our heavenly destination,
we require instruction on regarding the life of faith and obedience.
Numbers gives us a great deal of detailed instruction concerning
behaviour. We need not concern ourselves with all the details. We are
not called to reproduce Old Testament Israel in the Church of today. We
must, however, preserve the emphasis on holiness.
The New
Testament - no less than the Old Testament - encourages us to "Strive
... for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews
12:14). Whatever differences the may be between the Old and New
Testaments, there is complete agreement here: God's people are to be a
holy people.
Why should we spend time studying this obscure Old Testament book?
The
answer to this question may be summed up in one sentence: "these things
were written down for our instruction" (1 Corinthians 10:11).
What is the central message of Numbers for today's Church?
Once
again, a sentence from Paul gives us the answer to our question: "these
things are warnings for us, not to desire evil as they did" (1
Corinthians 10:6).
"In the wilderness" - this is the Hebrew title of Numbers.
"In the wilderness" - this is the situation in which we are called to lives as disciples of Jesus Christ.
We are 'en route' to our eternal destiny, but we are not there yet. We have not arrived. We are still 'in the wilderness'.
For us, no less than the ancient Israelites, the wilderness is a place of promise and a place of danger.
For them and for us, there is "good news" - "the promise of entering His rest" (Hebrews 4:1).
For
them and for us, there is the danger of failing "to enter that rest".
For the older generation, always looking back wistfully to Egypt, the
promise was not fulfilled because they did not believe: "the message
which they heard did not benefit them, because it did not meet with
faith in the hearers" (Hebrews 4:2). This is the danger that faces us
-the danger of missing out on God's blessing. The older generation of
Israelites did not believe (Hebrews 4:2). They were disobedient
(Hebrews 4:6). These things happened such a long time ago, yet they are
filled with contemporary relevance.
There is never a "Today" when
we do not need to hear these words: "Today, when you hear His voice, do
not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 4:7). There will never be a "Today"
when we can say, "I no longer need to hear the words, 'Today, when you
hear His voice, do not harden your hearts' (Hebrews 4:7)".
Every
day is "the day of salvation". Every day is the day in which God, in
grace, mercy and love, is patiently looking for our response of faith -
faith in Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.
Having read about
those who failed to reach the Promised Land, we must give careful
attention to the Word of God when it says to us: "Let us therefore
strive to enter that rest, that no one may fall by the same sort of
disobedience" (Hebrews 4:11).
We are aware of the many dangers
which face us. Let us pray that we will be even more aware of the
presence of the God who will bring us safely home to our eternal
destiny: "O Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end ... O give
me grace to follow my Master and my Friend".
----
This is the final part of an article which was published in Evangel.