Ezra: Israel’s Restoration Movement (II)

The Restorers (2:1-70)

Neal Pollard

You can credit (or blame) a 16th-Century French scholar, printer, and typographer named Robert Etienne for our modern division of the Bible into individual verses. He’s sometimes known by his Latin name, Robert Stephanus. Overall, he did an incredibly commendable job. Sometimes his divisions are head-scratching, like in Ezra 2. This chapter has 70 verses, as he gives each family of the returning exiles their own verse. I’m not sure there is a better way to divide it, though. So, who are these people, that whole assembly of returnees numbering 42,360 plus 7,337 servants and 200 singers? 


They were people willing to endure difficulty. The journey itself would have been over 1000 miles. They leave the comfort and prosperity of Babylon to resettle their native homeland. They will have to rebuild or at least remodel houses and whole villages, not to mention rebuild the temple and the walls around the city of Jerusalem. These were not lazy people!


They were led people (2). Ezra tells us who the leaders were by name. The first three named are among the most prominent leaders in the post-exilic period. Zerubbabel (cf. Zech. 4; Neh. 7,12) not only helps lead the exiles back to the land, he leads the temple reconstruction project (5:2). He insures that the work is done by the Jewish people, and not by their enemies (4:1-3). He is identified as governor of Judah (Hag. 1-2). Jeshua is usually found alongside Zerubbabel (4:3). He is identified in the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai and Zechariah as the High Priest. Nehemiah, for whom the Old Testament book is named, will also serve as governor of Judah, was likely a prophet, and previously served as a high official in Persian court (Neh. 1). Eleven men in all are listed as the leaders who shepherd the exiles back to the land. They appear to be highly qualified men, perseverant in their own right. 


They were purposed people (3-67). Ezra divides his list into categories. Many are generally listed as men at the heads of certain families (“sons of…,” 3-35), priests (36-39), Levites (40), singers (41), gatekeepers (42), temple servants (43-54), “Solomon’s servants” (55-57, probably descendants of those selected by Solomon to work on the temple), and several whose genealogical record was unverified (58-63). Who was more important? That is entirely the wrong question! Each group had a purpose, and God and His leaders were depending on them to fulfill it! Verse 70 lists all these groups, who dwelled in their cities and squared up to their tasks.


They were generous people (68-69). Well, not all of them, but certainly “Some of the heads of fathers’ households, when they arrived at the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, offered willingly for the house of God to restore it on its foundation” (68). They gave according to their ability (69). Through them, God continues to provide for the future of His people.
As we consider the great, ongoing work of restoration, God is seeking the same things from us: perseverance, submission, purpose, and generosity. He will do great things, even in the midst of shambles and dysfunction, when there are people possessed of qualities like these. We will see that longterm projects will have hiccups and stalls, but a huge step occurs when people are willing to step out by faith. 

A Word Of Hope To The Lonely

Neal Pollard

She sits alone in an empty house, the TV her only companion,
Her children grown, her husband gone, she feels deserted, abandoned.
A visitor who brings a cheery smile and sits, to spend some time together.
Breaks up the clouds of isolation, and brings her sunny weather.

A family is seeking for community, they step inside our door,
Their faith unshaped, their search intense, they know there must be more. 
The experience is new, they feel uncertain, how will they be received?
Warmth and connection will influence if the gospel is believed.

A teenager who lives in a virtual world, unsure and insecure,
A room full of peers can’t undo their feeling lonely and unsure.
Purpose and identity are still being shaped and formed,
Fear and insecurity can be expelled if those peers are kind and warm.

It is not good for man to be alone, God said from the beginning,
Before He made us He had a thought both wise and also winning.
“The church,” He said, “will be a place where my wisdom will be known,”
He paid for it with His dear Son, made a people of His own.

Within that church a fellowship, where lives are shared completely,
Where hearts are touched and lives are filled so fully and so sweetly.
The world’s a cold and lonely place, and life brings pain and sorrow,
We need each other yesterday, today, and still tomorrow.

Ezra: Israel’s Restoration Movement (I)

The Long Road Back (1:1-11)

Neal Pollard

The book of Ezra begins by referring to God’s Word by Jeremiah’s mouth. That fulfillment was so important to the Jewish people. The Jews clung to the hope offered by Jeremiah, who foretold, “When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. ‘I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile'” (Jer. 29:10-14). God planned to bring them back, and the fellowship and relationship would be restored. Daniel confidently rested his hope in this promise near the end of his long, fruitful career as a prophet, reading in Jeremiah’s writings the hope and promises once the 70 years was accomplished (Dan. 9:2).

Ezra’s writings chronicle the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s promise, and the start of the Restoration Movement that commenced near the end of the 6th-Century B.C. The Persian emperor, Cyrus, comes to power in 539 B.C. and, acknowledging Jehovah’s power and authority, issues a proclamation to the Jews allowing all who were willing to return Jerusalem and Judah to rebuild the temple (1:2). The door to return was now open! What did it take for the people to begin this massive rebuilding project?

Favorable Government (1-4, 7-11). Babylonian rulers were not going to allow this to happen. But Daniel (Dan. 5) chronicles the overthrow of Babylon by the Persians (also read the book of Nahum for the prophecy of this). Cyrus the Great forms the first Persian Empire, also known as the Achaemenid Empire, in 550 B.C. An extremely significant archaeological find, “The Cyrus Cylinder,” is a clay document issued by Cyrus The Great confirming the truth of the biblical account we read here in Ezra chapter one. He permits the return and the rebuilding of the temple, and he encourages Jews everywhere who are not returning to financially support this exodus and the cost of rebuilding. No doubt, the Jews could appreciate this unprecedented granting of human rights by that world empire. They had not had such freedom for decades. 

Willing Builders (5). We will read more about the pioneering pilgrims of the Post-Exilic project in chapter two, but the text here says that heads of households of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites arose. They were passionate about rebuilding, as God desired, and they were willing to leave Persia and go back home. Many of the Jews deported to Babylon and living in exile had established roots in their new nation, having children and grandchildren, homes and businesses they did not wish to leave. But others had been longing and praying for the opportunity to return.

Support From Brethren (6). The Jews who did not return sponsored and facilitated those who wanted to go back. They “encouraged” them with silver and gold, goods, cattle, and valuables in addition to their freewill offerings. That, with Cyrus’ release of the temple furnishings (8-11), equipped the returnees with the financial ability to do the work of rebuilding.  

Divine Providence. Something Cyrus acknowledges (3) reinforces that God was always in control, working through time and events to accomplish His overarching purpose. This post-exilic movement was part of His grander plan. Daniel writes about it in Daniel 2. God was working toward establishing that “kingdom which shall never be destroyed” (2:44) in the context of human history. The Persian Empire was a link in that omnipotent chain. It required the Jews to go back home and rebuild the temple and resettle in the land until ultimately the Messiah would be born. 

While these events happened in history over 2,500 years ago, there is so much application for us today. We still live in a time and place where government has given us the religious freedom to build for God. We’re not primarily interested in literal edifices and buildings. We’re charged with growing that spiritual kingdom Daniel foresaw, the church. That requires children of God who will roll up their sleeves, hungry to do the work of restoration. It requires children of God lending financial support of that work. It also requires us to be alert to God’s providence, to “work together for good” (Rom. 8:28) in accomplishing His will through our building efforts. How long will that window of freedom be open? It may become much harder to fulfill the Great Commission if and when those freedoms are ever revoked. Perhaps we should appreciate anew Jesus’ admonition, “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest” (John 4:35)! 

Stop Complaining!

Carl Pollard

 Very rarely do people seek out complainers to be their friend. It can be a challenge to spend any length of time around that person who is constantly grumbling and complaining about everything. At the same time, becoming a chronic complainer isn’t all that hard. Our society is filled with discontent people. Everyone has complaints. It seems that the more we are blessed the more we complain. Why are we so quick to complain? It’s human nature, but society still labels this as a negative trait. 

I read a story about a cowboy that was driving down a dirt road, his dog riding in back of the pickup truck, his horse in the trailer behind. He failed to negotiate a curve and had a terrible accident. Sometime later, a highway patrol officer came on the scene.

The officer saw the horse first. Seeing how badly hurt it was, he drew his revolver and put the animal out of his misery. He walked around the accident and found the dog, also hurt critically. He hated to see it in so much pain, so he ended the dog’s suffering as well.

Finally he located the cowboy –who suffered multiple fractures–off in the weeds. “Hey, are you okay?” the cop asked. 

The cowboy took one look at the smoking revolver in the trooper’s hand and quickly replied, “Never felt better!”

Sometimes it’s in our best interest to keep our complaints to ourselves. Mark twain once said, “Don’t complain and talk about all your problems–80 percent of people don’t care; the other 20 percent will think you deserve them.” Problem is, it can be difficult to refrain from complaining. We want sympathy, we desire compassion, often we don’t even realize when we complain. 

I used to think I wasn’t a chronic complainer, which is true to an extent. I made a mental note of how many times I said something negative in a day…and well here’s an article that hopefully will help you as well as me. 

Maybe you struggle with being negative; honestly I believe we all complain to a certain extent. In Philippians 2:14-16 Paul writes this letter as a call for unity in the church at Philippi. Right off the bat he starts talking about how blessed he is…to be in prison. He acknowledges his dire circumstances, but even after being wrongly imprisoned for 4 years, all he talks about is the gift he has been given to suffer for the cause of Christ. 

If anyone had the right to complain, Paul had every right in our eyes. Why does Paul say all of this? 

In chapter 2 he tells us to imitate the mind of Christ. Followed immediately by 14-16, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” 

According to Paul, it is impossible for us to focus on the will of God if all we do is grumble and complain. How can we keep our eye on the example of Christ if all we do is talk about everything that is wrong. 

I know our country is a mess, the church as a whole is divided, and people are more self-centered than ever. But, and I say this kindly, “who cares?” God has given us His Son, the gift of eternal life, and a family. I know there is a lot to complain about, but ultimately God cannot use us if thats all we do. There are a couple of key words mentioned in the text that we need to define. “Grumbling” the Greek word literally means, “utterances made in a low tone of voice.” Context defines whether these are satisfied or dissatisfied grumbles. The way Paul uses it is in a negative light. Also known as “murmuring.” “Complaining” (disputing) is a word that is best translated as arguing or disputing. 

So, Paul tells us to do all things without complaining and arguing. God expects us to be a joyful people. And we have no excuse! Let’s stop complaining.

Numbers: Preparing A People To Conquer (XXXV)

One Last Illustration On The Importance Of Inheritance (36:1-13)

Neal Pollard

We come to the end of the book of Numbers, with one last test case we read about earlier (see Numbers 27). Resolving one problem, if and how daughters could inherit, created another potential problem: what if they married men who stood to inherit themselves. God through Moses gives the solution. Such women could marry who they wished, as long as he was from the same tribe. Israel was set up by tribal territory. Thus, the daughters of Zelophehad married their uncles’ sons and both sons and daughters retained their inheritance. 

In this seeming footnote or bookkeeping matter, there are some valuable lessons to be gleaned.

(1) Be concerned about your inheritance.

(2) The inheritance could be lost.

(3) God is a God of boundaries.

(4) Inheritance is a personal matter. 

(5) If there is a question about an important matter, seek God’s wisdom. 

There is historical value to the book of Numbers, highlighting an important, if brief, slice of Israelite history when they wandered in the wilderness because of their unbelief. This was the original generation God desired to conquer Canaan, but they self-selected to decline that blessing. It cost them dearly. But their children were nurtured and prepared to do what they refused to do. In preparation, they all had to receive guidance about God’s will for how to conquer. 

There is theological value to the book of Numbers, showing us how these crucial years fit into God’s promise to Abraham to make a great nation and to bless all nations through this nation (as the Savior would eventually come through them).

There is spiritual value to the book of Numbers. We sing, “We’re marching to Zion,” “Camping toward Canaan’s land,” “Beulah land,” “To Canaan’s land I’m on my way,” and so many other songs that allegorize our heavenly home with the elements of the Israelite conquering. New Testament writers compare Israel’s inheritance of their land with the heavenly home we, as Christians, are pressing toward. How beneficial it is to refresh our memory about this generation and to draw the necessary lessons which serve as both warning and encouragement to us. 

It Ain’t Me

Gary Pollard

One of the most difficult things (at least for me) to accept about grace is this: There’s nothing we can do to deserve it, or be “worthy” of it. When I sin, it just makes me feel even more unworthy. This can quickly devolve into apathy — why even try? Every sin seems to compound, every prayer for strength seems ignored. If prayers for strength are ignored, surely prayers for forgiveness are, too! 

This mentality is not a healthy one. But how does one go from an intellectual understanding of grace’s power to accepting the reality of human imperfection? How do we prevent defeat in the aftermath of mistakes? If there’s a fix-all answer to this, I haven’t found it. 

Perhaps the answer is a lack of faith. At its core, faith is really confidence — that God exists, that he rewards people who try hard to have a relationship with him, that his grace is enough for us because his power is most effectively displayed through weakness. 

Maybe it’s disbelief. Does Jesus really forgive us when we sin? Yeah, Paul says “I don’t understand why I act the way I do. I don’t do the good I want to do, and I do the evil I hate. … But I am not really the one doing the evil. It is sin living in me that does it” (Rom 7.15, 17, 20). But later he says, “You are not ruled by your sinful selves. You are ruled by spirit, if God’s spirit really lives in you” (8.9). What does he mean by “ruled”? If I can’t seem to avoid sin, am I not ruled by it? What about Rom 6.2? “So do you think we should continue sinning so that God will give us more and more grace? Of course not! Our old sinful life ended. It’s dead. So how can we continue living in sin?” Which is it? Are we ok because we sin even when we don’t want to? Or are we in trouble because we’re not immune to sin? Maybe this would be better classed under confidence, but it’s so hard to believe that God still wants a relationship with people who claim to love him while vulnerable to sin’s influence. 

Scripture seems to clear this up, if we can only accept its significance: “We know that the law is spiritual, but I am not. I am so human. Sin rules me as if I were its slave. I don’t understand why I act the way I do. I don’t do the good I want to do, I do the evil I hate. And if I don’t want to do what I do, that means I agree that the law is good” (Rom 7.14-16). 

The question each person seems to have to answer is, “Do I really hate sin’s influence in my life?” God knows the true answer to that question. Romans 6.12 says, “Don’t let sin control your life here. You must not be ruled by the things your sinful self makes you want to do.” A few verses later, “In the past you were slaves to sin and you did not even think about doing right.” Verse 23, in the context of these chapters, says that all people are going to die physically because every human has sinned. But all who despise sin (while still vulnerable to its influence) and follow God will be “no longer under death’s power” because Jesus defeated sin’s ultimate punishment. 

We can’t avoid death, just like we can’t avoid sin. Where our heart really is makes the difference. “So I have learned this rule: When I want to do good, evil is there with me. In my mind I am happy with God’s law. But I see another law working in my body. That law makes war against the law that my mind accepts. That other law working in my body is the law of sin, and that law makes me its prisoner.” 

God knows we’re human. God knows we’re weak and constantly fighting sin’s influence. We’re not God, we’re not impervious to its control. Even Paul said, “What a miserable person I am! Who will save me from this body that brings me death?” The answer is Jesus, the one who will rescue us from our current bodies if our “minds serve God’s law, even as our bodies serve the law of sin” (7.25). 

Finally, “Now there is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. This is because the law of the spirit of life that comes from Christ Jesus has freed us from the law of sin and death. … God used a human life to destroy sin.” What does this mean? This means if we live to do what God wants us to do, he will give our bodies life on the last day (8.11). We’re never going to be free of sin’s influence in our lives, but we choose our masters. Will we pursue sin with our hearts and actions, or will we serve God with our hearts while the weakness of sin only makes us anticipate freedom (8.18ff) even more? We aren’t doing this alone — we have Jesus defending us (I Jn 2.1-2) and we have God searching our intent (Rom 8.26-27). 

“We know that everything God made has been waiting in pain like a woman ready to give birth to a child. Not just the created world, either — we’ve also been waiting with pain inside us. We have the spirit as the first part of God’s promise. So we are waiting for God to finish making us his children. I mean we are waiting for our bodies to be made free.” 

Numbers: Preparing A People To Conquer (XXXIV)

A Dwelling For Priests And Those In Need Of Protection (35:1-34)

Neal Pollard

We remind ourselves that the Levites did not have a tribal territory in which to live, like the other tribes. They were the priestly tribe, and they were to live among all the children of Israel throughout the land. Moses gives some specific instructions here for the places they would inhabit in the conquest. 

They were allotted cities and pastures (1-5,7-8). Just because their duties and expectations were different did not mean they were excluded from having homes and herds like their brethren. God also set it up so that the individual tribes would give in proportion to their size and the size of their inheritance–the bigger they were, the more they were to give. 

They were appointed cities of refuge to oversee (6, 9-34). The bulk of the chapter is devoted to describing and defining what a city of refuge is and how it functions. These cities (read Joshua 20 for the fulfillment) are said to be theirs, though the elders of the city were to judge the case of a “manslayer” who would flee there for refuge. It is not clear what direct part the Levites had to play in these cities (for more information, read Deuteronomy 19:1-13 and 1 Chronicles 6). But here are the “rules” for those cities. They were for the purpose of sheltering a person who unintentionally killed another person and sought refuge from that person’s avenger (Exo. 21:12-14). These cities would be spread throughout the land, so as to be accessible to those in every tribe. In the city of refuge, the manslayer would stand trial (12). Moses gives several specific examples to distinguish between murder (16-21) and unintentional killing (22-23). Which it was would be determined by the assessment of the people who judged between the manslayer and the avenger (24-25) based upon evidence from multiple witnesses (30).  Even if he was innocent, the manslayer had to remain in the city of refuge until his own death or the death of the high priest or the avenger could kill him without reprisal (25-28).  The whole system depended upon justice, fairness, and integrity in the people (31-34). 

The concept of fleeing for refuge was, of course, used in a spiritual sense in the matter of sin or the need of protection throughout the Old Testament. God is the shelter and hiding place for those who see their need of Him (Ps. 118:8; Prov. 30:5; Isa. 14:32; Joel 3:16; Nah. 1:7; Zeph. 3:12). “Refuge” is used once in the New Testament, in Hebrews 6:18, to speak of how “we who have taken refuge (in God) would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.” 

The Tower Of Borsippa

Dale Pollard

Once the Bir Cylinders were translated, its claims raised the eyebrow of many Biblical skeptics. The set of clay cylinders (600 b.c.) would serve as further proof that what some consider to be one of the most bizarre and barely believable accounts— actually happened. They were discovered by Sir Henry Rawlinson during the mid-19th century at the Babylonian site of Borsippa. The cylinders, covered in parallel inscriptions, were found inside the walls of a gigantic, heavily damaged tower at the site. This tower—a type of the Mesopotamian ziggurat —had been repaired extensively during the reign of the infamous King Nebuchadnezzar. Bricks were unearthed that were stamped with the name of the king but the cylinders inside those ancient walls were what stole the spotlight. Rawlinson (known as the father of Assyriology) translated the inscriptions as follows:

“I am Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon … my great lord has established me in strength, and has urged me to repair his buildings … the Tower of Babylon, I have made and finished … the Tower of Borsippa had been built by a former king. He had completed 42 [cubits?], but he did not finish its head; from the lapse of time it had become ruined … the rain and wet had penetrated into the brickwork; the casing of burnt brick had bulged out … Merodach, my great lord, inclined my heart to repair the building. I did not change its site, nor did I destroy its foundation platform; but, in a fortunate month, and upon an auspicious day, I undertook the rebuilding … I set my hand to build it up, and to finish its summit. As it had been in ancient times, so I built up its structure..”

There’s another translation of this text that’s even more direct. This one was done by Rawlinson’s contemporary Assyriologist, Julius Oppert. He would translate a few of lines with a slight, but illuminating variation: 

“… the most ancient monument of Babylon; I built and finished it … A former king built it—they reckon 42 ages [ago]—but he did not complete its head. For a long time, people had abandoned it without order expressing their words ….”

But Wait, There’s More 

The Tower of Babel Stele is an inky black colored ceremonial stone and it’s only about 20 inches tall. It was discovered over a century ago among the ruins of the city of Babylon. Since then, it has been kept as part of a private Norwegian Collection. 

The tablet, belonging to King Nebuchadnezzar, dates to around 600 b.c. and it includes an illustration of the king standing next to a diagram of a large, seven-storied tower; above it, a separate floor plan of the massive “temple” that crowned the top. The lower part of the tablet contains an inscription, describing Nebuchadnezzar’s tower-building strategy. What could be translated from the partial text is as follows:

“Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon am I: In order to complete [the towers] Etemenanki and Eurmeiminanki, I mobilized all countries everywhere … the base I filled in to make a high terrace. I built their structures with bitumen and baked brick throughout. I completed it raising its top to the heaven ….” 

The Etemenanki ziggurat (the Borsippa tower) as described by fifth-century b.c. historian Herodotus: 

“In the middle of [Babylon’s] precinct there was a tower of solid masonry … upon which was raised a second tower, and on that a third, and so on up to eight. The ascent to the top is on the outside, by a path which winds round all the towers. … On the topmost tower there is a spacious temple … There is no statue of any kind set up in the place, nor is the chamber occupied of nights by any one but a single native woman, who, as the Chaldeans, the priests of this god, affirm, is chosen for himself by the deity out of all the women of the land.”

IMG_2130.jpeg

The ‘Tower of Babel Stele’ 

Reason #31 To Love The Church…

#31-Wonderful Words of Life

Numbers: Preparing A People To Conquer (XXXII)

Setting Boundaries (34:1-29)

Neal Pollard

God through Moses lays out the boundary lines for their Promised Land. The Lord was not trying to give them a vast, expansive empire. This was not about world domination. It was about fulfilling His word to Abraham and furthering His overarching plan to bring a Savior through His seed.

The boundaries were precise and specific (southern, 3-5; western, 6; northern, 7-9; eastern, 10-12). The men who were to coordinate the allotments by tribe were hand picked by God and called by name (13-29) to receive their land by Eleazar and Joshua.

They had not lifted a finger against a single city or fought over an inch of ground but they were being led to plan and possess. God had already given it to them. Now, they simply had to work the plan.

Isn’t that just the way it is under Christ? Our reward is promised, specific and laid out for us. He’s told us who He wants to lead us, who the enemy is, and what His plan calls for. He simply tells us to take possession!

Voices From The Grave

Neal Pollard

Recently, Kathy and I were walking through the beautiful Fairview Cemetery, with its over 1,000 graves. There are well-known people buried there, like Duncan Hines, confederate general William Perry, members of the powerful Underwood family, and congressman William Natcher (for whom the Kentucky parkway is named). According to our friend and renowned church historian, Scott Harp, such restoration movement figures as James Harding, M.L. Moore, and Benjamin Franklin Rogers are also buried there, as well as those later well-known to our brotherhood like Raymond Hazelip and J. Pettey Ezell.

But, I was struck by some things I saw on the headstones of seemingly ordinary “residents” we encountered along our walk. They suggest a view that there is more to the person than what lies beneath that patch of ground. They also echo true ideas from Scripture.

“We will meet again.” Those who have gone are not gone forever. We may not see them physically on this earth again, but Scripture speaks of the occasion where we all will be gathered before the throne of judgment (Mat. 25:31-34). Fellowship with one another is implied in various activities in which we will engage and glimpses we get of those who have gone beyond the grave (Rev. 21:3; 22:3). Certainly, our songs express an anticipation that we will see each other again.

“His work lives on.” Think of how that is certainly true, even in the secular realm. Scholarships and endowments are set up in the name of and to honor those who have died. Many wealthy donors have their names on buildings in cities, universities, and businesses long after they have died (Rockefeller Plaza, J.P. Morgan; George Washington has 127 places named after him and Abraham Lincoln has 70). The Bible tells us that though Abel is dead, he still speaks through his obedient faith (Heb. 11:4). John hears the blessed assurance from heaven that those who die in the Lord may rest from their labors, “but their works follow them” (Rev. 14:13). All of us are leaving a posthumous legacy.

“Beloved father, son, and friend.” Variations of this can be found in this and other cemeteries. It is a reminder that we are making and building relationships. How will they be remembered? In what way are we impacting and influencing those who will follow after us? God makes us stewards over various areas of life, and we touch others’ lives. Paul writes, “For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself” (Rom. 14:7).

We are audibly speaking now, But even from the grave, we will continue to speak. What are we writing with our lives? They will be read when we have died!

Numbers: Preparing A People To Conquer (XXXI)

The Highlight Reel Of Forty Years (33:1-56)

Neal Pollard

Israel has come to the point that the wandering is nearly completed. Aaron has died and Moses will soon follow. So, the inspired Moses looks back at the “stages” (NAS, “journeys”) of this arduous journey. It began so “triumphantly” with their departure from Egypt (1-4). As they were exiting that land, they were heading toward the land of promise. 

In Numbers 33:5-50, we get the entire scope of the forty year journey. This is more than a long list of camp sites, identified by villages and places. It marked the site of the highlights (and lowlights) of this period which saw the demise of a faithless generation (14:27-31). The miracle at the Red Sea is only implied (8). Marah is the place, three days beyond the Red Sea, where Israel murmured for water (8-9; Ex. 15:25-27). Rephidim is mentioned (14), where Moses struck the rock for water as God commanded him (Ex. 17:1ff). Sinai is mentioned (15-16), where Moses receives the Law and the area where the Golden Calf was made (Ex. 19:1ff). Kibroth-hattaavah (16) is the place God struck down the greedy who wanted meat to eat (11:30-35). He marks the death of his brother, Aaron (38-39). Finally, he lists Abel-Shittim (49), where Balaam successfully enticed Israel into immorality with the Moabite women (25:1ff).

So much is condensed into the travelogue that we read for roughly 40 verses. Afterward, the Lord speaks with Moses at the strategic point of the Jordan where they looked across and saw Jericho. God repeats instructions about what will come for the next generation. What this generation had rejected, Moses was to challenge the next one to do. Notice how the actions stack one on the other, instructions to follow: pass over Jordan (51), drive out the inhabitants (52), destroy their places of idolatrous worship (52), take possession of the land (53), possess the land by lot (54), or suffer the consequences of disobedience (55-56). This is a pretty good outline of the book of Joshua!

I am thankful that God communicates clearly and perfectly with us today. As we mark our journey through the wilderness of this world, there will be a succession of highlights and lowlights. Yet, He holds out for us a “promised land” to inherit and gives us clear instructions about how to succeed! 

Numbers: Preparing A People To Conquer (XXX)

“He Spoke” (A Special Request) (32:1-42)

Neal Pollard

You sense Israel’s nearness to the conquest as the book of Numbers draws toward its close. Here, two tribes, Gad and Reuben (later, half the tribe of Manasseh would join them, 33-42) approach Moses, Eleazar, and the leaders of the nation with a request. The lands of Jazer and Gilead are prime pasturelands and the people of these tribes wished to conquer and occupy it for their livestock (2-5). They do not want to go with the rest of the nation westward across the Jordan River.

Moses is upset and gives multiple reasons why. He says that the request revealed dereliction of duty (6), discouragement of brethren (7-9), a duplication of their fathers’ disobedience (9-13), and the risk of the displeasure of God (13-15). However, it appears that Moses’ assessment is hasty.

The leaders of these tribes draw near and justify their request. They will build holding pens for their animals and houses for their wives and children (16-17) while they go to war with the rest of the nation (18-19). Moses says that if they keep their word, this is an acceptable plan (20-22). However, if they renege on this promise, Moses warns, “behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out” (23). Numbers 32:24-33 summarizes the plan and arrangements Moses sets between these requesting tribes and the rest of the nation. The remainder of the chapter records the building of the various cities in that territory by Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh (34-42). 

By way of application, a few things stand out. First, we should avoid presumptions in dealing with our brethren. It is understandable why Moses would be sensitive to actions tantamount to repeating the fatal past they were still enduring, but it appears this great leader jumped the gun. It is always preferable to give our brethren the benefit of the doubt, to have faith in them. That’s even true if their track record is less than perfect! Among other things, love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things…” (1 Cor. 13:7). 

Second, “you may be sure your sin will find you out” (23, NLT). It may happen in this life, but even if it does not it will certainly happen in eternity (1 Tim. 5:24). If we opt for hypocrisy in our Christian lives, we may think we are getting away with it. Scripture makes clear that this will not be the case (Rom. 14:12). 

Finally, God’s work succeeds when brethren help each other out. The plans of the tribes who want to possess the land east of the Jordan include going to war with their brethren to help them conquer their territory. Their brethren had helped to subdue and conquer those who were in the land they planned to inherit. How pleased God is when His children work together in unity. As David put it, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity” (Psa. 133:1). 

Loving Difficult People

Nick Dubree

If I asked for a show of hands if you had at least one person in your life that you found difficult to love, some of us, if not all of us would have both hands and both feet in the air. There is no doubt that all of us have people in our lives that are “difficult to love.” This is a natural part of our lives and even more so as followers of Christ because we have different standard of “loving people” than what you find in the world.

I want to dive a little deeper than what usually talk about when this topic comes up. Usually, when he hear this topic, our minds selfishly start pointing blame at others. We may have thoughts like, “Well if they would just have the same opinion as me, everything would be better”, or “man I wish they would get their life together, they’d be a lot easier to be  around.” 

However, when we observe Matthew and Mark’s account of what Jesus says to the Pharisees in Matthew 22:36-40 and Mark 12:29-31, we find that when Jesus is asked “Which is the greatest commandment?” He says “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”.

There is a greater context here, but I find it very interesting that when Jesus is asked this question, even though it’s coming from a Lawyer trying to test Him, of all the commandments, Jesus answers with these two. Obviously Jesus find these to be greatly important. First and foremost, you have to Love God. Second, you have to love your neighbor as yourself.

And if we do a little reverse psychology with the second commandment Jesus mentions here, you gotta love your neighbor. To love your neighbor right, you gotta love your neighbor as yourself. To love your neighbor as yourself, you gotta love yourself.

Webster defines the word difficult as -hard to do, make, or carry out; hard to deal with, hard to manage, overcome, or understand. Loving difficult people is……difficult, but loving yourself is a constant challenge. It’s a lifelong battle. If we were honest with ourselves, our disappointment and or disapproval of others originate with that of ourselves. The first step to loving difficult people. In fact, loving yourself is the first step to loving people in general.

Jesus gave us a reason to love ourselves, not in a selfish, prideful way, but in light of our salvation. Our salvation and hope should shine through in love for others. I believe if we study ourselves on a regular basis, cultivating that love that Jesus has shown us, it will bring forth a spirit of natural love for people, no matter how difficult they may be.

Numbers: Preparing A People To Conquer (XXIX)

Defeating The Midianites (31:1-54)

Neal Pollard

How many of the men who participated in the battle against Midian will be in Joshua’s army is unclear, but these wanderers are enlisted to conquer the people who dragged them into sin earlier (see 25:1ff). He is foreshadowing a lesson that will be important during the conquest, a lesson Israel will disobey and fail to learn to their own hurt and difficulty:  “Purge the evil influence of the world around you from among you.” Notice what is found in this chapter. 

THE SUCCESSFUL WAR (1-8). They killed every Midianite male, the five kings, and Balaam (remember him?). The Lord spoke (1) and the army, comprised of a thousand from each tribe (5), warred (7) and killed (8) the Midianites. 

THE SPOILS (9-12). They captured women, children, livestock and goods. Though they destroyed their cities (10), they brought the aforementioned back to the leadership, the congregation, and the camp. 

THE REBUKE (13-16). Moses is angry with the warriors for sparing the women who caused Israel to sin in the matter of Peor through Balaam’s counsel. While women would customarily be part of the “spoil,” these women were known agents of immorality. 

THE REMEDY (17-24). The command is specific. Kill every male child, kill every woman not a virgin, keep virgins for themselves, purify themselves (warriors), purify by fire everything that can withstand fire, wash clothes, and be clean after seven days. The High Priest passes these commands of the Lord along to them (21). 

THE TAX (25-54). The total tribute was divided between the warriors and the congregation, a portion given to Eleazer as an offering to God. It is fitting for a people who have become enriched in battle, a battle which the Lord enabled to happen. Their gift should have been prompted by gratitude. 

God is seeking to teach the Israelites (and us) some valuable lessons. 

1. Sin cannot go unpunished (the Midianites’ influence had been a spiritual detriment)

2. Instructions must be followed (Israel is rebuked for arbitrarily choosing to spare women and children)

3. Giving to God comes first, before using and spending for self

4. Those who do the work (warriors) should be rewarded accordingly

5. You reap what you sow (Midian and Balaam)

Numbers: Preparing A People To Conquer (XXVIII)

Rules About Vows (30:1-16)

Neal Pollard

Vows preceded the Law of Moses (Jacob commits to give a tenth of his possessions to God, if He delivered him, Gen. 28:20). A vow “connotes the act of verbally devoting to the service of God, i.e., vowing to perform, to make an offering, or to abstain from something” (TWOT 557). God reinforces how serious such commitments are, and later we will see some who make some costly ones (like Jephthah and Saul). Here, God prepares the conquerors-to-be by helping them master their words.

GOD MAKES THE LEADERSHIP ACCOUNTABLE (1ff). This command was spoken “to the heads of the tribes” (1). Notice how God holds a man accountable for his vow (2). It is binding, cannot be violated, and must do “according to all that proceeds out of his mouth” (2). 

GOD MAKES PROVISION FOR AN UNMARRIED OR BETROTHED WOMAN WHO MAKES A VOW (3-8). Her father could nullify her vow on the same day if he hears it (3-5). So could her husband, after the same manner (6-8). If neither did this on her behalf, she was bound to her vow. 

GOD’S PROVISION FOR WOMEN WHO ARE OR HAVE BEEN MARRIED (9-15). Widowed and divorced women who vowed were bound to such, just as men were. Wives’ vows fell into two categories, much like the unmarried or engaged woman. Her vow could be made void by her husband without penalty (10-12). But, if he said nothing on the day of her vow, the vow was in force and he shares her guilt (13-15). 

Vows were binding unless someone who had recognized authority over her nullified it. This was a matter of “forgiveness” or “guilt.” God listens to our words. They matter to Him, how ever much or little they mean to us. Jesus would teach His disciples that their word alone should be sufficient and need no oath (Mat. 5:33-37). He would also warn, ” “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Mat. 12:36-37). There’s an old children’s song that counsels, “Oh be careful little mouths what you say….” That is sage advice for big mouths, too!

Intentional Design

Carl Pollard

Everyone on earth was intentionally designed by God. This fact should help us to remember that every person we meet is an opportunity to serve someone made in the image of God. 

God created us by making a deliberate choice to design us based on what He desired. Basically, who we are is no mistake. Who we are is intentional. Who we are is by design. 

Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him;  male and female he created them.” Both men and women are equally created in the image of God. Not just male, or just female; both are created in His image. 

Nothing else on earth can be what we are. God intentionally designed us this way, and that means we matter to God! Men and women were created to be a reflection of the community God has had from the beginning. Complementary in function and design, equal in value, and created to create. 

God could have made a fresh batch of humans each time one died.  God could have made us like self reproducing amoebas. Instead, God designed humans to multiply and fill the earth. He designed us for community. There would be a lot less division if we would remember this. 

Though he designed us perfectly, our decision to reject God’s path brought brokenness into this world–affecting bodies, gender relationships, and even the ability to have healthy families. But God loved the world. He desires for all people to know him because all are equally valuable in his sight. 

So God sent his son into the world. Jesus was the perfect image of the invisible God. As we saw Jesus’ perfect love, we learned of God’s perfect love and nature. He died to create a family, a spiritual family made up of every age, race, and culture and a family formed into a church who is like his bride (A bride he died to save so that we could be united with Him for all eternity). 

May we never forget that we are the product of intentional design. A design created by Almighty God! 

Numbers: Preparing A People To Conquer (XXVII)

Holy Days (29:1-40)

Neal Pollard

The seventh month of the Jewish calendar was (and to modern Jews who still observe the days as holidays today) especially important. The first day of that month (Tishrei) is “The Day of Remembrance” (Yom Teruah)(1-6). The tenth day of that month is “The Day of Atonement”(Yom Kippur)(7-11). The fifteenth day of that month is “The Feast of Booths” (Sukkot)(12-38). The seventh month on the Jewish Calendar is actually their new year.

While Jews today still observe these holidays (inexplicably and inconsistently without animal sacrifice), we understand that the law that commanded them has been nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14; Eph. 2:15). But at the time when Moses writes this to the generation that is about to conquer, in Numbers 29, these are binding observances that required so much sacrifice, specifically laid down concerning the animals, the grain, and the drink for each day of sacrifice.  The point of all of this is summarized in verses 39-40: “You shall present these to the Lord at your appointed times, besides your votive offerings and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings and for your grain offerings and for your drink offerings and for your peace offerings. Moses spoke to the sons of Israel in accordance with all that the Lord had commanded Moses.” 

The Lord commanded Moses to command Israel. Why these tedious commands regarding sacrifice? Perhaps the best answer is the inspired one given by the writer of Hebrews (10:1-4–“For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins?But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

Sin is still terrible and despicable to God. His just requirement for atonement is still as great. The joyful truth today is that Jesus satisfied that requirement once for all (Heb. 10:10). Would you take time today to thank God for His “indescribable gift” (2 Cor. 9:15)? 

Only What Cannot Be Shaken Will Remain

Gary Pollard

Political divide in the church is not new. I’m sure, to some degree, idealogical division has existed since the church’s conception. It’s not a coincidence that Jesus chose a militant political activist and an enemy of that political activist to be among his apostles. He expected them to set aside their differences in favor of a truth that transcended anything earth-based.

We understand this intellectually, but it’s hard for most of us to see how that’s relevant when American political issues are so different from first century issues. Most of us think (rightly so in many cases) that the intrinsic differences between conservatives and progressives are moral rather than merely ideological. How could anyone claiming to be a Christian vote for a leftist politician when theirs is the party of abortion, hedonism, and (which is ironic and paradoxical) restrictions on fundamental freedoms? 

Conservative values do intersect with Judeo-Christian morals far more than progressive ones. But our values can (and have — I’ve witnessed it myself many times) cause us to ignore or blatantly violate scriptural principles. Are we ugly to people who’ve been deceived, or who tell themselves that they’re voting on an issue-by-issue basis? Do we love our enemies and pray for them? Have we determined that — even in matters not covered in scripture — we will defy governing authorities that God put in place? Do we elevate certain political or ideological figures to deity by how we perceive them? The number of conservative Christians who have conflated faith with flag is staggering. More than a couple of times, I’ve heard a Christian say something to the effect of, “God expects me to fight for my faith and my family.” Where is that even implicitly taught in scripture?

But this is not new. The overwhelming majority of Americans before (and during and after) the Civil War were reliable church-attendees.1 Brother excluded brother on the basis of ideology and ethnicity.2 I’ve preached at some old churches whose ancestral members (during the Civil War) brought their rifles to church so that they could fight their fellow countrymen after services. The odds of a believer leaving worship to slaughter a believer on the other side were quite high. 

This year has been tense, to grossly understate reality. We are divided over legitimate issues of national identity and security, individual freedoms, and behavioral regulation. Christians all over the country wait with bated breath to see if the “right” political figures are installed in the next election. To conservatives and progressives alike, this is seen as a fundamentally existential election. The future of our country depends on it! 

This may be true. We do live here, and we have legitimate concerns about our future and about the sanity of our culture. But many American Christians put the principles of their supposed faith in the back seat once before — at the cost of 620,000 lives (equivalent to roughly 7,000,000 Americans today by percentage of population3). 

Don’t read, “Gary doesn’t think these issues are important,” or, “He doesn’t understand how bad things have gotten.” I’m far more plugged in to these issues than I should be as a die-hard conservative who professes belief in Jesus. We’ve gotten to the point, though, that we can’t have both: it’s time to choose. 

Are we Christians, or are we conservative Americans? Or even progressive Americans? Don’t fall into the trap of conflating faith with flag, or faith with political issue(s)! This planet is not our home. We are not American Christians. We are Christians who happen to live in the United States! Our view of people is supposed to be colored by how Jesus would treat them — not by how friendly or hostile they are to our Constitution or Bill of Rights or natural laws! God expected his people to show patience, love, humility, and altruistic care to godless, hedonistic, depraved people who illegally put them to death (cf. Mt 5.44; I Pt 2.12-14, 3.9, 3.15, 4.7; Rom 12.14, 12.17-19). 

We could legitimately say that our political opponents are, in every sense of the word, enemies. Existential, moral, ideological enemies. Do we love them? Do we pray for them? Are we kind to them? Do we bless them? Would we turn the other cheek? Do we want, more than anything, to see them saved on the last day? We do not have a monopoly on salvation — in fact, Jesus will determine who leaves with him and who stays behind by how we treat each other (cf. Mt 25.32ff). No “Christian” who fails to live by Jesus’s principles of godly love will be saved on the last day (Hb 12.14). 

“Try to live in peace with everyone. And try to keep your lives free from sin. Anyone whose life is not holy will never see the master. … You have come to the meeting of God’s firstborn children. Their names are written in the heavens. You have come to God, the judge of all people. And you have come to the spirits of good people who have been made perfect. You have come to Jesus — the one who brought the new agreement from God to his people. You have come to the sprinkled blood that tells us about better things than the blood of Abel. Be careful and don’t refuse to listen when God speaks. Those people [the Israelites] refused to listen to him when he warned them on earth [not to touch the holy mountain]. They did not escape. Now God is speaking from the heavens. So now it will be worse for those who refuse to listen to him. When he spoke before, his voice shook the earth. But now he has promised, ‘Once again I will shake the earth, but I will also shake the sky.’ The words ‘once again’ clearly show us that everything that was created will be destroyed — that is, the things that can be shaken. And only what cannot be shaken will remain. So we should be thankful because we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And because we are thankful, we should worship God in a way that will please him. We should do this with respect and fear, because our God is like a fire that can destroy us” (Hb. 12:14,22-29).

 1 Irons, C. Religion during the Civil War. (December 07, 2020). In Encyclopedia Virginia. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/religion-during-the-civil-war

 2 Verboon, C. (August 14, 2020). Irregular secession: The political nature of religious space in the reconstruction-era south. In The Journal of the Civil War Era. https://www.journalofthecivilwarera.org/2020/08/irregular-secession-the-political-nature-of-religious-space-in-the-reconstruction-era-south/

 3 Civil war casualties. (September 15, 2023). American Battlefield Trust. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/civil-war-casualties

Numbers: Preparing A People To Conquer (XXVI)

The Sacrifices (28:1-31)

Neal Pollard

Crucial to the people’s impending conquering of Canaan was seeing to their spiritual welfare. Their priests had to make “a continual burnt offering every day” (3). The Hebrews writer references this and the events of Numbers 29 (9:6-7), with his point being that Christ appeared and “entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption” (9:12). So, while they were about to inherit the land promise made to Abraham (Gen. 12:7), they would still have to make these continual sacrifices to atone for their sins. 

Think of all the death, the blood, the time, the inconvenience, just to cover their daily, weekly, and yearly sins. We’ve never had to live that way. We don’t have such a graphic reminder under Christ, but a chapter like Numbers 28 can help us put the seriousness of sin into proper perspective. The Lord says, “You shall be careful to present My offering, My food for My offerings by fire, of a soothing aroma to Me, at their appointed time” (2). Specific offerings, a specific way, at a specific time. God is a God of details. It matters. 

1. The daily burnt offering (2 male lambs, one in the morning and the other at twilight, with the grain offering and the drink offering (1-8)

2. The sabbath day offering (2 male lambs, with grain and drink offering)(9-10)

3. The monthly burnt offering (2 bulls, 1 ram, 7 male lambs of specific age and without defect, with grain offering and drink offering, and one male goat)(11-15)

4. The annual Passover offering (14th day of 1st month followed by a feast week, no work the first day, an offering of 2 bulls, 1 ram, 7 male lambs, 1 male goat with grain offering and drink offering)(16-25)

5. The annual Feast of Weeks offering (offer first fruits of new grain plus 2 young bulls, 1 ram, 7 male lambs, and 1 male goat with grain offering and drink offerings)(26-31).

Doing the math, that’s a lot of time, expense, trouble, and inconvenience. How long before this got to be laborious, before the people lost sight of the seriousness of their sin in the chore of bringing these animals and the food and drink offerings over and over again? 

I see a couple of challenges for us: (1) Appreciating the sufficiency of Christ’s one-time sacrifice and the better covenant, (2) Keeping focus, with gratitude, on the Lord during the Lord’s Supper each week, and (3) Living daily with the knowledge that we’ve been so favored by God to be in Jesus Christ. How will this change our relationship with God each day and our sense of urgency to share this with people whose sins are not covered by the blood of the Perfect Lamb?