(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to
each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted.)
When an opportunity presents itself, it may be important that we take advantage of it, even if we do not feel properly prepared.
When Moses begins to write the Pentateuch for God's people Israel, he starts Genesis by documenting for them God's activity, appropriately, "in the beginning." Moses describes what God did in the creation, in response to the fall of man, in the flood, in confusing the languages at Babel, and in His involvement with the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These fifty chapters contain a lot of information about God, about His might but little about His motive, some about His personality but not about His purpose. The reader sees God at work but may wonder: What is He up to?
In the second book of the Pentateuch, Exodus, Moses continues this rendition of God's activity. The author again recounts God's power, this time to deliver His people from bondage in Egypt. He then records God's precepts, His provision to guide them through life in service to Him. Still, there is little explanation for why God does what He does.
In the third book of the Pentateuch, Leviticus, Moses records the detailed priestly code that governs Israel's sojourn through the wilderness, including how the people should relate to God in the tabernacle. Here, as well, there is little explanation for God's actions.
In the fourth book of the Pentateuch, Numbers, Moses recounts Israel's sojourn through the wilderness,, including the people's abortive attempt to enter the Promised Land. It is following that incident, when the Lord's plan appears to be derailing, that God gives the first and clearest statement of His goal, His grand and sweeping purpose, not just for Israel, not even for mankind, but for all of creation.
It is...
* XXVII The Foremost Concernment1
...what matters to Him more than anything and is evident here in...
That is the situation in Num 14. When God redeemed the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, it was not a random act of kindness. He had big plans for them.
When they were still at Sinai, He said...
them.
When God wants to certify the reliability of what He is saying, He also may strengthen His statement with the addition of an oath and, since there is no higher reality, He appeals to Himself, using a modified introductory formula: "'As surely as I live,' what I am telling you is true."4 The difference with God's oaths, however, is that they usually follow some act of rebellion by His people and include an announcement of judgment. For example, just prior to the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem, God says to the residents there,
The situation in Num 14 is not quite as dire, but the people's refusal to enter the land does result in judgment. God says in...
There are other moments in Israel's history when there is a major disruption, and it might appear at least that God's plan is off track. Again, the Lord makes clear that nothing can countermand His will, because He is omnipotent. During the Babylonian crisis, the worst period in Israel's history,10 when the people's rebellion has resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and their exile from the land, when their prevailing attitude is "our hope is gone; we are cut off" (Ezek 37:11b)...
While God's assertion in Num 14:21 may not have been good news for the disobedient, it is good news for you, because...
Despite all that God had done for His people, they could not see beyond the spies' negative report. Rather than anticipating what God would yet do, they were afraid and wanted to retreat. You, too, will face situations that challenge your commitment to God. Rather than move ahead, you may want to retreat. At such times, it is important to recall the ways He supported you in the past and realize that He will not now abandon you. If you are faithful to the Lord, you need not be fearful of the future.
Why is this passage, this single verse, important? ...Num 14:21 relates the big picture of where God is moving history, that He will manifest His glory in a big way. Other passages add detail and texture to that picture, describing how His glory will affect us.13 Listen to what they say.
If God's goal in history is to manifest His glory, then it is your responsibility as part of His people to advance that goal. God manifests His glory in you with increasing intensity as you allow Him to demonstrate substantive involvement in your life, thereby enabling you to become more like Him.16
manifestation of His glory?
This passage in Num 14 may seem an obscure verse. Many Christians have probably never even read it. Yet The Foremost Concernment offers the preview of God's overarching plan, the first glimpse in scripture of His grand scheme, and it is definitely a program you should join.
Having considered The Foremost Concernment, we will look next at The Foremost Concealment, which represents the providence of God, in Esth 4:14).
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
A man goes into a fancy restaurant wearing a shirt open at the collar and is met by the maitre d who tells him he must wear a necktie to be admitted. So the man goes out to his car and looks around for a necktie. Unfortunately, he doesn't have one. All he can find is a set of jumper cables in the trunk. In desperation he ties them around his neck, manages to fashion a fairly acceptable looking knot and lets the ends dangle free. He goes back to the restaurant, where the maitre d looks him over for a few minutes then says, "Well, OK, I guess you can come in...just don't start anything."When an opportunity presents itself, it may be important that we take advantage of it, even if we do not feel properly prepared. The Israelites faced something similar when they first came to the border of Canaan, and their decision was the occasion for The Foremost Concernment.
When Moses begins to write the Pentateuch for God's people Israel, he starts Genesis by documenting for them God's activity, appropriately, "in the beginning." Moses describes what God did in the creation, in response to the fall of man, in the flood, in confusing the languages at Babel, and in His involvement with the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These fifty chapters contain a lot of information about God, about His might but little about His motive, some about His personality but not about His purpose. The reader sees God at work but may wonder: What is He up to?
In the second book of the Pentateuch, Exodus, Moses continues this rendition of God's activity. The author again recounts God's power, this time to deliver His people from bondage in Egypt. He then records God's precepts, His provision to guide them through life in service to Him. Still, there is little explanation for why God does what He does.
In the third book of the Pentateuch, Leviticus, Moses records the detailed priestly code that governs Israel's sojourn through the wilderness, including how the people should relate to God in the tabernacle. Here, as well, there is little explanation for God's actions.
In the fourth book of the Pentateuch, Numbers, Moses recounts Israel's sojourn through the wilderness,, including the people's abortive attempt to enter the Promised Land. It is following that incident, when the Lord's plan appears to be derailing, that God gives the first and clearest statement of His goal, His grand and sweeping purpose, not just for Israel, not even for mankind, but for all of creation.
It is...
* XXVII The Foremost Concernment1
...what matters to Him more than anything and is evident here in...
- The preview of God (Num 14:21)
Num 14:21 [NAS] ...as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD.Again, this is the first place in scripture where God states His grand scheme, the divine motive that lies behind all He has done thus far. It is, perhaps, significant that He has said nothing until now. As long as events were proceeding apace, with no major disruptions, God was content to let His agenda unfold naturally. When, however, there is a major disruption, and it might appear at least that His plan has gone off track, God makes clear that nothing can countermand His will, because He is omnipotent.
That is the situation in Num 14. When God redeemed the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, it was not a random act of kindness. He had big plans for them.
When they were still at Sinai, He said...
Exod 19:5 ...if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6a you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.Given the people's recent history with God:
- His powerful redemption from Egypt,
- His visible guidance through the wilderness,
- His miraculous provision of manna, His thunderous revelation at Sinai,
- His fearful judgment of idolatry
Num 14:2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! 3 Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?" 4 And they said to each other, "We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt."Given all God has done for them and before them, it is no wonder He is angry with
them.
Num 14:11 The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? 12a I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them...."Only Moses' intercession prevents their destruction.
Num 14:19 "In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now." 20 The LORD replied, "I have forgiven them, as you asked."It is after this exchange, when the people of God come to the very brink of extinction, that the Lord affirms the certainty of His program, that even Israel's rebellion cannot derail it.
Num 14:21 [NAS] ...as [surely as] I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD.In the Old Testament, when a person wants to certify the reliability of what he is saying, he may strengthen his statement with the addition of an oath,3 an appeal to the ultimate reality, and he will use a standard, introductory formula: "As surely as the LORD lives,' what I am telling you is true." For example, when Bathsheba asked King David if her son Solomon would be his successor on the throne,
1 Kgs 1:29 The king...took an oath: "As surely as the LORD lives... 30b Solomon... shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place."Bathsheba had David's solemn word, as dependable as the Lord's very existence, and it was welcome news.
When God wants to certify the reliability of what He is saying, He also may strengthen His statement with the addition of an oath and, since there is no higher reality, He appeals to Himself, using a modified introductory formula: "'As surely as I live,' what I am telling you is true."4 The difference with God's oaths, however, is that they usually follow some act of rebellion by His people and include an announcement of judgment. For example, just prior to the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem, God says to the residents there,
Ezek 5:11 ...as surely as I live...because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your vile images and detestable practices, I myself will withdraw my favor I will not look on you with pity or spare you.The people of Jerusalem have the Lord's solemn word, as dependable as His very existence, and it is not welcome news.
The situation in Num 14 is not quite as dire, but the people's refusal to enter the land does result in judgment. God says in...
Num 14:22 not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times5—23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.The difference here is that God does not use the oath to convey their punishment but to confirm His plan, as if to say that, regardless of what people, even His people, do to undermine His program, they will not—they cannot—undo it.6 No matter what else happens, one thing is certain...
Num 14:21 [NAS] ...all the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD.If the people are going to die in the wilderness, who will care? What does it matter that the earth will be filled with God's glory? ...It may not matter to those who will die for their disobedience...but that is not everyone.
Num 14:24 ...because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land....Others will survive, like Joshua, part of a faithful remnant7 who believed God and were ready to enter the land but had to wait.8 Despite the delay, however, the plan of God moves inexorably forward. Of that, His people can be certain.9
There are other moments in Israel's history when there is a major disruption, and it might appear at least that God's plan is off track. Again, the Lord makes clear that nothing can countermand His will, because He is omnipotent. During the Babylonian crisis, the worst period in Israel's history,10 when the people's rebellion has resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and their exile from the land, when their prevailing attitude is "our hope is gone; we are cut off" (Ezek 37:11b)...
- God says through Habakkuk...
Hab 2:14 ...the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.In addition...
- God says through Isaiah...
Isa 40:5a ...the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind will see it.Once again, God assures His people that His program is on track.
While God's assertion in Num 14:21 may not have been good news for the disobedient, it is good news for you, because...
1. Your future rests on the certainty of God's promise.11...on what He says here, and...
2. Your future rests on the certainty of God's program.12...part of which He reveals here.
Despite all that God had done for His people, they could not see beyond the spies' negative report. Rather than anticipating what God would yet do, they were afraid and wanted to retreat. You, too, will face situations that challenge your commitment to God. Rather than move ahead, you may want to retreat. At such times, it is important to recall the ways He supported you in the past and realize that He will not now abandon you. If you are faithful to the Lord, you need not be fearful of the future.
Why is this passage, this single verse, important? ...Num 14:21 relates the big picture of where God is moving history, that He will manifest His glory in a big way. Other passages add detail and texture to that picture, describing how His glory will affect us.13 Listen to what they say.
Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. (Rom 8:18)
Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. (2 Cor 4:17)
God called you to his eternal glory in Christ. (1 Pet 5:10a)
The elect will obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. (2 Tim 2:10b)
When Christ appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Col 3:4)
God called you...that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thess 2:14)
The physical body is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory, (1 Cor 15:43a)
The Lord Jesus will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Phil 3:2/b)14
The hope to which God has called you is to receive the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints. (Eph 1: 1 8b)
God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:19)15
Christ in you is the hope of glory. (Col 1:27b)
We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. (Rom 5:2h)
God calls you into his kingdom and glory. (I Thess 2:12b)For reasons such as these, you can look forward to the time when "all the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD," because you will partake of that glory.
When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. (1 Pet 5:4)
If God's goal in history is to manifest His glory, then it is your responsibility as part of His people to advance that goal. God manifests His glory in you with increasing intensity as you allow Him to demonstrate substantive involvement in your life, thereby enabling you to become more like Him.16
2 Cor 3:18 ...we all...beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.How is God doing that in your life? ...How are you responding to the
manifestation of His glory?
This passage in Num 14 may seem an obscure verse. Many Christians have probably never even read it. Yet The Foremost Concernment offers the preview of God's overarching plan, the first glimpse in scripture of His grand scheme, and it is definitely a program you should join.
Having considered The Foremost Concernment, we will look next at The Foremost Concealment, which represents the providence of God, in Esth 4:14).
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted)
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Jim Skaggs