Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20120708.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Numbers: Lessons From Spiritual Casualties And Conquerors
Part XLVI: Focusing On God's Plan Above Finances
(Numbers 32:1-42 et al.)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    (1) Last Sunday after our morning worship service, a member of our Church told me of his concern about the Supreme Court's recent split decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act, that is, "ObamaCare."

    His concern is deeply felt in our country: I heard a local radio talk show host Tuesday share a news report that the anger of political conservatives reached "the stratosphere" over the court's decision!

    At the heart of the issue is a vast, two-sided ideological conflict affecting the economy, with individuals like us caught in the middle and having little say in the outcome. On the one hand, the socialist calls for redistributing the wealth from the "haves" to the "have nots" by boosting federal power at the cost of individual rights, and the capitalist urges lowering taxes and giving business incentives. Edward Pinto's "Opposing View" op-ed in the July 2, 2012 issue of the nationwide paper, USA TODAY, p. 6A reflected this huge conflict when he noted the "Federal Reserve continues . . . to lower interest rates and the administration keeps expanding refinance programs, all in an effort to promote more lending . . . Despite these efforts, the economic recovery has been the slowest since at least World War II."

    Mr. Pinto claimed such an effort will not work since "(r)efinancing stimulus is not free. Every dollar going to a borrower is income taken from a saver. Savings come from retirees, pension funds and families saving for college. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, to create prosperity by redistributing wealth [as in socialism] is like standing in a bucket trying to lift oneself up by the handle." (Ibid.)

    Pinto recommended capitalism, writing: "Start with a revenue neutral reduction in our corporate income tax rate (currently the highest among developed countries), allow the use of our own and Canada's energy resources, and repeal ObamaCare." (Ibid.)

    (2) The economy is such a huge issue, even Lanny J. Davis, former counsel to Democrat President Bill Clinton, in his op-ed (Ibid., p. 7A, "Why Dems should not gloat over health care ruling") admitted: "On Election Day . . . most voters will still be judging which candidate . . . will do better at creating jobs, renewing economic growth and prosperity, and paying down America's $15 trillion national debt."

    So, in view of this battle over the economy over which we individually have little if any say, we ask, "What does God want me to have as my edifying focus regarding finances?!"

    Need: "What focus does God want me to have regarding finances?!"

  1. When the two and a half tribes in Numbers 32 focused on their livestock wealth over God's plan, they chose land east of God's people, leading them and their descendants into tragedy:
    1. The focus on their livestock wealth over God's plan led the tribes of Reuben, Gad [and half of the tribe of Manasseh] to desire to inherit the land east of God's people, leading them into conflict with Moses:
      1. Though God planned for Israel to live west of the Jordan, Reuben, Gad [and half of Manasseh, Num. 32:39-42] asked Moses if they could have land east of the Jordan for their big herds, Num. 32:1-5.
      2. Moses was angry at this request, for it would discourage the other tribes from crossing the Jordan to fight the Canaanites (Numbers 32:6-7), and he warned that it copied the bad report of the ten spies at Kadesh Barnea that discouraged Israel from entering Canaan, which report had been met with God's judgment, Num. 32:8-15.
      3. The two [and a half] tribes assured Moses that if they could inherit the land east of the Jordan (Transjordan), after building pens for their herds and fort cities for their families, they would send their warriors with the rest of Israel to fight in Canaan, Num. 32:16-19.
      4. Moses accepted this proposal (Num. 32:20-24), so an agreement was made (Num. 32:25-33) and implemented (Num. 32:34-42).
    2. However, this arrangement later nearly led to civil war for Israel:
      1. When Israel had subdued Canaan, and the men of the two and a half tribes crossed back east over the Jordan River to be with their families, they built an altar at the riverside as a memorial of their solidarity with God and the tribes west of the river, Joshua 22:1-10.
      2. When the other tribes saw the altar, they thought it was meant for worship in violation of the Law, Joshua 22:11 with Deut. 12:2-7.
      3. Thus, Israel prepared to fight the two and a half tribes (Jos. 22:12) and sent a delegation to warn them to repent, Joshua 22:13-20.
      4. The two and a half tribes said their altar was only a witness of their unity with the other tribes and God, convincing the other tribes of they loyalty and thus preventing civil war, Joshua 22:21-34.
    3. Finally, living in the Transjordan area led these tribes into tragedy:
      1. Later, with the geographical alienation of the Transjordan tribes, the tribe of Ephraim west of Jordan distrusted them enough that war broke out between Ephraim and these tribes in the days of Jephthah, costing Ephraim the loss of 42,000 men, Judges 12:1-6.
      2. Later, the Ammonites oppressed the Transjordan tribes due to their geographical alienation from the assistance of the rest of Israel's tribes, Amos 1:13; Zon. Pict. Ency. of the Bible, vol. 2, p. 723.
      3. Last, these Transjordan tribes were among the first in Israel to face brutal Assyrian invasion and captivity, loss of their possessions for which they had chosen to live east of the Jordan, 2 Kings 15:29.
  2. SIMILARLY, earlier in history when Lot in Genesis 13 focused on his livestock wealth over God's plan, he chose land east of God's people, leading him and his family into tragedy:
    1. The focus on his livestock wealth over God's plan had led Lot to part with Abraham and head east towards the wicked city of Sodom:
      1. Genesis 13:1-7 reports the abundance of livestock by Abraham and Lot produced conflict between their herdsmen over pasture lands.
      2. Thus, Abraham let Lot choose to go one way and he another (Gen. 13:8-9), and Lot chose to live in the lush Jordan lowland around Sodom even though it was a very wicked city, Genesis 13:10-13.
    2. However, this arrangement led Lot into defeat in war and captivity by five city state kings (Genesis 14:1-12), and only Abraham's effort to defeat them freed Lot and his family from captivity, Gen. 14:13-16.
    3. Finally, living in Sodom led Lot and his family into tragedy:
      1. When God had His angels destroy Sodom due to its great sin (Gen. 19:1-13), Lot's wife looked longingly back at the city, and God turned her into a pillar of salt, Gen. 19:14-26 with Luke 17:28-32.
      2. Lot's sons-in-law stayed in Sodom and also died, Gen. 19:14, 16.
      3. With Sodom's destruction, Lot also lost his material possessions opposite his reason for choosing to live there, Gen. 19:28; 13:1-12.
      4. Lot's daughters, influenced by their immoral neighbors in Sodom, made him get drunk and committed incest with him to be with child and produce his sons Moab and Ammon , Genesis 19:30-38.
  3. Thus, in a twist of fate, Lot's seed, the Ammonites, afflicted Israel's Transjordan tribes, both parties having suffered the effects of a focus on wealth over God's plan by their ancestors, "I, C, 2" above.
Application: May we (1) trust in Christ for salvation from sin to become a child of God, John 1:11-12. (2) Then, may we KEEP our FOCUS on God's plan for us REGARDLESS of the financial issues we face, and experience blessing in place of tragedy.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

 This message was illustrated in our acquisition of the four "hitching" posts that guard the well casing in our Church's parking lot.

I had wanted to see the wood fencing there replaced as it took constant upkeep, and I felt we had to make the area look good since it affects our testimony in the community! Stone posts fit the Church's decor and need no upkeep, so the Board approved of the idea of installing stone posts to replace the fencing. I felt free about buying the stones, for they were being financed by a donor who had himself received a sizeable gift, and so as not to burden the Church , he wanted to use part of that gift for the stones as fitting unto the Lord!

One of our members, experienced in the business involved, found a company that sold granite stones, and agreed with a man there on a fair price for four posts. To protect our Church's testimony , he made a commitment to use the donor's money to buy the posts before the stones had been cut. He then mentioned in passing that our Church already had old rough-cut posts on its western property line, so the company man offered to try to find such posts or to rough cut the surfaces on what he had, noting posts now are cut smooth on two sides.

Well, the man did not find any old posts, so he roughed up the smooth sides of posts he had and lopped off their tops to make the posts rough looking. However, in doing so, he did not charge us any more money that what our member had originally offered to pay him!

When our member picked up the posts, and we were delighted with how they looked, he tried to install them. However, in digging to install the two western-most posts, he ran into large underground stones that had been part of the foundation of the house that initially stood there. Only the presence of another Church member's excavator enabled him to remove those large stones and install the posts.

Also, the day of installation was marked by light rain, enough rain to cancel another believer's work elsewhere so he could help with installing the posts, but not enough to stop the installation of the posts!

Thus, a wide variety of details came together for those stones to be purchased and installed, and all in an era of hard financial times and national ideological division over the economy. Regardless of the obstacles, as we focused on God's will, He gave us the desired success!

May we then keep our focus on doing God's will OVER finances themselves, and see Him provide for us and bless us!