Conditional Absolute

I start today's post with an observation from Deuteronomy 2:14.

I knew that Aaron died a few verses before, in Numbers, and I thought to observe his passing as signal for a few reasons, one of them being he was the first to die of the generation that would need to pass before the children of Israel were to make it to the promised land.

I believe this was further verified in Deuteronomy 2:14, where it states the people (who I take to mean the children of Israel) took 38 years to travel from Kadesh-barnea the brook Zered, "...until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host..." So Aaron might have been the first, might have been only one of the first (although at 123 years of age, without the active blessing of God, he likely would not have lasted the remaining years.)

Another is that of Moses, in Deuteronomy 3:25, where Moses is pleading with God to let him go over to the promised land. It has always been interesting to me, because Moses had interceded so many times on behalf of the children of Israel, and had asked for very few things for himself, that after years of traveling, when Moses finally got to the promised land, and finally saw what it was they had all been believing for, that Moses still couldn't walk across the threshold. The obvious reference is the waters of Meribah (Numbers 20:8-12) and I am left with the awareness that sometimes intercession works, sometimes it doesn't, and in the end, it’s all for the glory of God!

• Is there something God has called you to do?


• Is there a prize to be given at the end?


• Does it have conditions?

God is really forgiving in any way I can fathom, and in many dimensions I can’t, but one of the enduring consistencies I always walk away from scripture is the realization that, even when he is doling out punishment, or granting requests, or calling to action, he is consistent. God is sometimes sneaky. Not in an underhanded way, but in a specific way.

We know that Jesus will come, as a thief in the night, and so this aspect of God’s character should be no new thing. The reality is that one aspect of God’s will for our lives is that His thoughts are above ours. And I think another way to look at that is to say He thinks differently than anyone you’ll ever meet. And sometimes those thoughts look sneaky. But His character has not changed.

In addition, there are few promises given by God that do not have conditions. This isn’t because He is limited, but because WE are. And so it is of import to be aware what your own obligations are when you wish to honor God, or intercede for someone.

So my call to action for you today is simple:

What promises are you claiming in His word?

What are the conditions attached to those promises?

Learning what they are will bring in you closer union with Him and will likely increase the chance that you’ll honor them.

Conditional Absolute

I start today's post with an observation from Deuteronomy 2:14.

I knew that Aaron died a few verses before, in Numbers, and I thought to observe his passing as signal for a few reasons, one of them being he was the first to die of the generation that would need to pass before the children of Israel were to make it to the promised land.

I believe this was further verified in Deuteronomy 2:14, where it states the people (who I take to mean the children of Israel) took 38 years to travel from Kadesh-barnea the brook Zered, "...until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host..." So Aaron might have been the first, might have been only one of the first (although at 123 years of age, without the active blessing of God, he likely would not have lasted the remaining years.)

Another is that of Moses, in Deuteronomy 3:25, where Moses is pleading with God to let him go over to the promised land. It has always been interesting to me, because Moses had interceded so many times on behalf of the children of Israel, and had asked for very few things for himself, that after years of traveling, when Moses finally got to the promised land, and finally saw what it was they had all been believing for, that Moses still couldn't walk across the threshold. The obvious reference is the waters of Meribah (Numbers 20:8-12) and I am left with the awareness that sometimes intercession works, sometimes it doesn't, and in the end, it’s all for the glory of God!

• Is there something God has called you to do?


• Is there a prize to be given at the end?


• Does it have conditions?

God is really forgiving in any way I can fathom, and in many dimensions I can’t, but one of the enduring consistencies I always walk away from scripture is the realization that, even when he is doling out punishment, or granting requests, or calling to action, he is consistent. God is sometimes sneaky. Not in an underhanded way, but in a specific way.

We know that Jesus will come, as a thief in the night, and so this aspect of God’s character should be no new thing. The reality is that one aspect of God’s will for our lives is that His thoughts are above ours. And I think another way to look at that is to say He thinks differently than anyone you’ll ever meet. And sometimes those thoughts look sneaky. But His character has not changed.

In addition, there are few promises given by God that do not have conditions. This isn’t because He is limited, but because WE are. And so it is of import to be aware what your own obligation are when you wish to honor God, or intercede for someone.

So my call to action for you today is simple:

What promises are you claiming in His word?

What are the conditions attached to those promises?

Learning what they are will bring in you closer union with Him and will likely increase the chance that you’ll honor them.

The Death of Aaron

From Numbers 33:38 we have a signal event - Aaron dies. It is very easy to miss. The children of Israel are wandering from hut to hut, desert to desert, mountain to mountain, and after the listing, like a kind of geographic genealogy, with the children of Israel visiting various places from their past (and I'd really like to map them out to see how the travails of the children of Israel correspond to the events of their shared history prior) and in the midst of the genealogy, Aaron dies. It isn't overly hard to understand why, as in the natural people do die ... but we are told he dies at an age of 123. But he's the first. And for however many years, the children had been walking, clothes not wearing out, manna ever populating, being led by pillar and cloud ... and Aaron dies.

It must have been a shock. As much as Moses was the people's connection with God, Aaron was the less spoken of brother, probably loved as much as Moses was respected, and to see Aaron die - it must have truly put into perspective what God meant by not letting them see the promised land. For, if Moses was a kind of living metaphor for the relationship with God, then Aaron was a metaphor for how holy the children of Israel were.
So, their icon of spiritual sobriety, who certainly wasn't perfect, and was likely far more approachable than Moses, dies, and it sets the tone for the rest of their meandering. Because, if Aaron can die, their high priest, then every single one of them can die.

Something else - they must have seen it coming. In our society, it would be rare to see someone over 120 years of age walking anywhere, let alone with his whole family. So, they would have seen the degradation of his garb, the growing shakiness of his legs, the weakening of his eyesight ... it would have given relevance, validity, and poignancy to what Moses had said ... kind of put it into perspective. And this is something we all should guard against - not trusting God at face value, but looking after some confirmation in the natural. It is extremely tempting to assume that one's perspective is accurate, but the Bible clearly states that there is safety and wisdom in the multitude of counselors, and one aspect of that is trusting God. And because the children of Israel did not trust God, and actively reported that the promised land was something they couldn't claim, it implied God was lying, something else we should always guard against!

So my challenge to you is this:
If you've heard God speak treat it like it is God speaking it!
If you're unsure, ask Him to confirm it! And then, expect that confirmation, and if winds up not being God, don't act on it!
Regardless - We're each called to intercessory prayer, and that includes on behalf of ourselves! So be a part of your own multitude of counselors, and pray on your own behalf for God's wisdom and guidance!