Then Moses Sent Them to Spy Out the Land of Canaan: Numbers 13:1-25

Numbers 13:1-25: "1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 'Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.' 3 So Moses sent them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the command of the LORD, all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel. 4 Now these were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur; 5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; 6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh; 7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph; 8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun; 9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; 10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; 11 from the tribe of Joseph, that is, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi; 12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; 13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael; 14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi; 15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. 16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua. 17 Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, 'Go up this way into the South, and go up to the mountains, 18 and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; 19 whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; 20 whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land.' Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes. 21 So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, near the entrance of Hamath. 22 And they went up through the South and came to Hebron; Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. 24 The place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the men of Israel cut down there. 25 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days."

Today we have the sending out of the twelve spies into the land of Canaan for forty days, to bring back some fruit from the land, as a testimony to the richness and abundance of Canaan. And also to ascertain what the Canaanites were like, whether they were strong or weak, and few or many. The sending out of the twelves spies was actually occasioned by a consent of the people of Israel to ascertain, by which way they should enter into Canaan. And after Moses laid the request before the Lord, the Lord God, told Moses to send out a representative from each of the tribes of Israel.

We are given their names, but two should stand out to us, and that is, Joshua and Caleb. Tomorrow we will get the account of the report of the spies. And these two men will play an important role. We are also told about Joshua, that Moses changed his name. His name was Hoshea (or Hosea). Hoshea means "help." But now Hoshea, will not be known as Joshua, which means, "savior, or help of the Lord." Joshua in the Greek of the Septuagint is translated as "Jesus," which also means "savior." Our Lord Jesus is our help from the Lord, He is our Saviour.

There is not much more to say about this pericope, since it is more of an introduction to the following verses, which we will get tomorrow. However, one thing that can be pointed out, is the abundance of the fruit that the spies brought back. We are told, they cut down a branch from a grape tree, and that it had to be carried between two of them on a pole. They called this land, the Valley of Eshcol, which means "cluster of grapes." This Valley is still today considers one of the finest places for the abundance and size of its grapes.

The Israelites after spending over a year in the wilderness, one would think, be happy to see the abundance of the land, and want to go and possess it immediately. Especially since this pericope does not come to shortly after the Israelites complaining about not having anything to eat except manna.

But as we will learn, this is not the case.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Yes, I Say to You, It Shall Be Required of This Generation: St. Luke 11:37-54

St. Luke 11:37-54: "37 And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. 38 When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner. 39 Then the Lord said to him, 'Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. 40 Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you. 42 But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.' 45 Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, 'Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.' 46 And He said, 'Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. 48 In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 Therefore the wisdom of God also said, "I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute," 50 that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation. 52 Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.' 53 And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, 54 lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him."

Today, our Lord Jesus does not show us very good etiquette as a guest. For having been invited into the home of a Pharisee, instead of being a kind and gracious guest, He utters words of condemnation and debasement. No, our Lord Jesus does not show very good etiquette, at least not on the surface.

But our Lord Jesus is doing what must be done, in order for the Pharisees to repent. This is really no different than our Lord God's treatment of Pharaoh in Egypt, when He sent ten plagues upon Egypt. Our Lord God in that instance, sent the plagues to turn the heart of Pharaoh, to a heart of repentance, however, Pharaoh hardened his heart, and every attempt at calling Pharaoh out of his sin into repentance, only served to harden Pharaoh's heart even more. This is why the Hebrew of the Book of Moses, commonly called Exodus, has "God caused Pharaoh's heart to be hardened." For it wasn't God who was purposely hardening Pharaoh's heart, but His actions, which were really meant for a change of heart in Pharaoh.

The same is true here of the Pharisees, scribes and lawyers of the Law. And it should probably be pointed out quickly that lawyers here, does not mean the same thing as the type of lawyers we have today. These lawyers, were individuals who were trained in the minutia of the Law of God, so that they knew all the rules, and all the loopholes, too. But, these men, are rebuked by our Lord Jesus, in very stark and condemning words. But the purpose is to lead them into repentance.

We are not told who of the Pharisees were there that day, but we do know, from the examples of Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus, that there were Pharisees who did receive and hear joyfully the Words of our Lord Jesus. It does not seem to be so with these Pharisees, for we are told by the Evangelist St. Luke that they "began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him." In other words, they hardened their heart against our Lord Jesus.

The same happens to us, when we hear the Law of God, especially when our individual sins are pointed out. For there is a part of us that doesn't want to admit our sin. Especially if the sin is a great one. We do the same thing the Pharisees do here, vehemently cross-examine our accuser. Or to say it another way, we look for the fault in them, so that we might turn the tables on them. But this is not the response that our Lord God would have us to have when we are confronted by our sins. (Herein is this text's tie-in with the season of Lent). He would rather have us readily confess that sin, and admit it, so that we might receive absolution.

He would have us turn from our sinful ways, then for us to remain in them. For when we remain in sin, we create an impenetrable barrier between God and ourselves. The sin gets into our soul, and creates a whole bunch of spiritual problems, causing us problems with our Christian life. There are many sins in our society that get glossed over, as if these were minor sins, and that our Lord God does not get angry at them, or that He is even going to punish us for them. Such as, adultery, divorce, gambling, usury, drunkenness, debauchery, living together before marriage, abortion, homosexuality, and the like. These are sins, that our society either says they are not sins, or does not consider them to be great travesties, such as murder or rape.

However, our continual participation in these sins drives a wedge between God and us, so that we cannot grow in faith and love toward God, and by extension love for our fellowman. This is why our Lord Jesus is so direct with the Pharisees, for He wants to rescue them from their sinful ways. For as long as they remain in their current behavior, they can never receive our Lord Jesus and His gift of forgiveness.

Let us therefore, shrive ourselves of our sins, and with the help of the Holy Ghost, strive to lead holy lives here in time, and thereafter in eternity.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Please Do Not Lay This Sin On Us: Numbers 12:1-15

Numbers 12:1-15: "1 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2 So they said, 'Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?' And the LORD heard it. 3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) 4 Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, 'Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!' So the three came out. 5 Then the LORD came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. 6 Then He said, 'Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. 7 Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. 8 I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?' 9 So the anger of the LORD was aroused against them, and He departed. 10 And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper. 11 So Aaron said to Moses, 'Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. 12 Please do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother's womb!' 13 So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, 'Please heal her, O God, I pray!' 14 Then the LORD said to Moses, 'If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again.' 15 So Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again."

In this pericope, we again see discontentment and jealousy. But this time it is not from the Israelite people, but from Moses' very own flesh and blood. We can see from the fact that Miriam's name is listed before Aaron's and the fact that she is the one plagued with leprosy, that she was in deed the instigator of the rebellion against Moses, the man of God. She, having convinced her brother Aaron, complain to Moses that they should be the ones in charge, since they too, have the Spirit of God, Miriam being a prophetess, and Aaron being the high priest. They also were the elder siblings of Moses. There is perhaps therefore, a hint of sibling rivalry.

This raises the whole question of why are some people chosen to serve our Lord God in the role of minister, and why others are not?

We learn from Holy Scripture that only men can serve in the office of holy ministry. We see that from the writings of the Blessed Apostle, St. Paul, in his epistle to the Church at Corinth. We see it in the selection of the Apostles (all men) by our Lord Jesus. We see in the selection of those elected as Deacons (all men) in Jerusalem. And also in the selection of Bishops in the Early Church, such as St. Titus and St. Timothy. We also see it in the Old Testament where not only was the priests, and the high priest, to be men, but from the tribe of Levi. No one else from another tribe could serve in this capacity. We can also see this in the selection of the Kings and prophets of the Old Testament who were all men.

But not even all men are chosen for the role of minister. This can be seen in the fact that only one tribe out of the twelve of Israel, were to serve as priests. This is also true, because not every man was a prophet. There were only twelve Apostles chosen by our Lord Jesus. There were only seventy (or seventy-two) men sent out by our Lord to preach His Word in certain cities. (Their names are recorded by St. Hippolytus). Only certain men were chosen as Bishops, and only certain men served as companions of the Apostles, or presbyters (sometimes referred to as elders), or deacons. Therefore, even though our Lord God chooses only men to serve as ministers, even then, not all men are to serve in this role.

There are even those, who may have certain spiritual gifts, who are gifted in their knowledge of holy Scripture, and in their ability to explain the Word of God to other people, who are not allowed to hold this office. It is also certain that those who are manifest sinners are not to serve in this role, such as homosexuals, and other people who continue to go on sinning, showing no signs of repentance, and obeying God's commands. Someone who cannot obey God, is a poor example to those to whom he has been charged to teach the command and will of God. In short, God chooses who will serve in this role. We should not usurp His authority on this, no matter how gifted the individual may seem.

In this reading, Moses has been chosen by God to lead the people. Miriam and Aaron, although gifted with the Holy Spirit of God, are not chosen into this office of leading the people. Miriam and Aaron are even given the reason for why Moses is chosen before and above them. For He communicates with Moses in a way that He does not communicate with them. With them, He communicates through dreams and visions, but with Moses, He communicates face to face, like a familiar friend.

Then our Lord God, shows us how seriously He takes the office into which He places men to lead. And how serious He is that no one should usurp the office for their own ends, and for their own desires. Even if these desires are good ones. For He causes Miriam to be leprous. When this happens, we see something very interesting. Aaron, does not petition the Lord God himself, no longer presuming to speak to the Lord in the same way that Moses does, but instead petitions Moses to plead on his behalf. Which he does.

Another interesting thing, is that our Lord God does not heal Miriam instantly, but instead makes her to suffer outside the camp by herself for seven days. This is the same requirement that is listed in the Book of Moses, commonly called Leviticus, for the treatment of lepers.

Therefore, in this pericope, we see that our Lord, not only again takes covetousness very serious, but He also shows that those He has placed into the office of holy ministry, should be held in honor, for He has placed them into this office. We are told of Moses, that He was humble. It was this humility that made him perfect for the holy office which he was given. For true men of God, when they are placed into positions of authority, reveal their humility, and serve the Lord God with their whole heart and mind. Desiring to do His will, and not their own. Those who try to usurp the office of holy ministry by ignoring God's Word, or worse, changing it to fit their own selfish and sinful desires, already show they lack the one quality that makes them fit for the holy office, and that is humility. For a truly humble person, will submit to God's will, even, and especially, when it is contrary to his own will.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

No Sign Will Be Given It Except the Sign of Jonah the Prophet: St. Luke 11:29-36

St. Luke 11:29-36: "1 And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, 'This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. 31 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 33 No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. 34 The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.'"

Again, our Lord Jesus, points us to His death and burial, and resurrection. For the sign of Jonah, who was in the belly of the whale for three days, and was spit up on the shore alive, is also the same sign that our Lord Jesus gives to us as proof of His Godhood. For only God can rise from the dead, or raise someone from the dead. Our Lord's death, proves to us that the penalty for our sin and betrayal of our Lord God has been paid for in full. His resurrection proves that our Heavenly Father accepted the sacrifice of His One and Only Son, so that we too, now may have eternal life with Him.

Those who refuse to believe in our Lord's sacrifice for sin, and in His resurrection, will not be received gladly by our Heavenly Father, for they have rejected the Lord God, and His gift of grace. Our Lord Jesus even gives us two examples, both from non-Jews, who did heed the Word of God, and received it gladly. The first one is the "Queen of the South." This is Queen Sheba, who came to Solomon to hear his wisdom, and see the wonders of his kingdom that were bestowed upon him by the Lord God. And after hearing Solomon's wisdom, and after touring all the places that were shown her, she exclaimed that his wisdom, and the wonders of his kingdom, were greater than were told to her. Now, she says this, we are told by our Lord Jesus in this pericope, not so much because she is impressed with Solomon, but because she is impressed by the God who gave Solomon such wisdom and possessions.

This is why our Lord Jesus points out that she will present a case against those who reject our Lord Jesus, and His death, burial and resurrection, as a sacrifice for the whole world. For she believed; She who was an outsider, and foreigner, saw the wonders of God, and believed them.

The same is said of the Ninevites. God has purposely sent the Prophet Jonah, who was a sign of our Lord Jesus, to proclaim to them, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" The evil of the Ninevites was so great, that our Lord God purposed to destroy them. One must keep in mind also, that this is not a city of the Jews, these are not His people, but foreigners and outsiders. But having heard the preaching of the Prophet Jonah, the king ordered everyone to put on sackcloth and ashes, he declared a fast, and for everyone to pray to the Lord God in repentance for Him to subside His anger. Here we see this text's connection with the season of Lent, in fact, the Old Testament reading appointed for Ash Wednesday in from the Prophet Jonah, chapter three.

We see in the Ninevites true devotion to God and repentance, they serve as our example during this Lenten season, of how we should proceed with our own fasting repentance; How diligently we are to pray and make supplications unto our Lord God. We also see why our Lord Jesus uses them as a testimony against the Jews of His day, who rejected Him and Messiah, and eventually rejected His death and resurrection as the means of their salvation. For the Ninevites, having heard of their sin and God's promised destruction against them, repented. Again, like Queen Sheba, these were outsiders, foreigners. They were not people of the promise. They were not the ones to whom the Word of God had been given. But they did repent, in sackcloth and ashes. Therefore, the Ninevites, like Queen Sheba, have testimony against the Jews on account of their repentance.

This pericope, therefore, holds great comfort for all of us, not born of Jewish descent. For both the examples given by our Lord of great confession of faith, and of repentance, were Gentiles. We too, being Gentiles, have this same promise. For although the Jews reject the Lord Jesus, although they reject their Savior, they live in darkness. Their lamp has burned out. And they are blind. Therefore this pericope also serves as a warning for us, to not let the lamp of faith that burns within us, so that we might see our Lord Jesus, and believe on Him, to burn out.

How do we do this? We do this by remaining steadfast in our Lord's Word. Or to say it another way, we must keep ourselves immersed in our Lord's preaching of the Word, and in His gifts grace, the Sacraments. Through our participation in these means of grace, the Word and Sacrament, our Lord's Holy Spirit fills us and creates, and sustains in us faith. So that we might along with the Queen of Sheba, and the Prophet Jonah, and the Ninevites, proclaim the good things that our Lord God has done for us through our Lord Jesus Christ.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

So the Fire of the LORD Burned Among Them: Numbers 11:1-35

Numbers 11:1-35: "1 Now when the people complained, it displeased the LORD; for the LORD heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the LORD burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp. 2 Then the people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the LORD, the fire was quenched. 3 So he called the name of the place Taberah, because the fire of the LORD had burned among them. 4 Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: 'Who will give us meat to eat? 5 We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; 6 but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!' 7 Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its color like the color of bdellium. 8 The people went about and gathered it, ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, cooked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and its taste was like the taste of pastry prepared with oil. 9 And when the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it. 10 Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent; and the anger of the LORD was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased. 11 So Moses said to the LORD, 'Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me? 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, "Carry them in your bosom, as a guardian carries a nursing child," to the land which You swore to their fathers? 13 Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all over me, saying, "Give us meat, that we may eat." 14 I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now--if I have found favor in Your sight--and do not let me see my wretchedness!' 16 So the LORD said to Moses: 'Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. 17 Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone. 18 Then you shall say to the people, "Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the hearing of the LORD, saying, 'Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.' Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you shall eat. 19 You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, 20 but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have despised the LORD who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, 'Why did we ever come up out of Egypt?'"' 21 And Moses said, 'The people whom I am among are six hundred thousand men on foot; yet You have said, "I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month.' 22 Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?' 23 And the LORD said to Moses, 'Has the LORD's arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not.' 24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD, and he gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle. 25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again. 26 But two men had remained in the camp: the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those listed, but who had not gone out to the tabernacle; yet they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, 'Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.' 28 So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, 'Moses my lord, forbid them!' 29 Then Moses said to him, 'Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!' 30 And Moses returned to the camp, both he and the elders of Israel. 31 Now a wind went out from the LORD, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp, about a day's journey on this side and about a day's journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground. 32 And the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers); and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. 33 But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was aroused against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague. 34 So he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving. 35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people moved to Hazeroth, and camped at Hazeroth."

This reading has to do with the ninth commandment, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house." The Israelites, coveting the things that they miss from their time in Egypt, complain against the Lord in their hearts. For this our Lord God's anger burned against them so much so that it was manifested in fire, which burned some of the people on the outskirts of the camp to death. What saves the Israelites, is the intercession of Moses. Moses pleads on behalf of the people, so that God's anger would cease. In this we see a picture of our Lord Jesus who intercedes for us to our Heavenly Father. Who subsides the anger of our Father against our sinful rebellion, and complaining.

But the Israelites' complaints, their covetousness for the things back in Egypt, gives us an opportunity to review the ninth commandment. The ninth commandment deals with contentment in our earthly possessions. We learn from the Blessed Dr. Martin Luther that the ninth commandment can be explained in this manner: "We should fear and love God that we may not craftily seek to get our neighbor's inheritance or house, nor obtain it by a show of right, but help and be of service to him in keeping it."*

As we mentioned in an earlier post, each commandment as something that is required and something that is forbidden. What is forbidden in the ninth commandment? "God forbids us to be dissatisfied with what He has given us, and with what He expects of us. He also forbids us to covet that, which does not belong to us according to His will, and which we cannot get without acting against it."* The Israelites were doing just that, they were dissatisfied with what they had been given. One may think this is no big deal, afterall, people are dissatisfied all the time with what they have. Desiring to acquire more things, and their hearts desires. We are even told by our society that this is a good thing. "Afterall, we are a consumer society, and we need to buy things in order for our society to flourish."

The problem with the Israelites being dissatisfied with what has been given them, and the same is true for us, is that what was given them, was given to them by the Lord God. When they complained, they were complaining against God's grace and benevolence. He had given them the manna, He provided them with water, and now they were complaining about it. We can picture this for ourselves, when we consider some of the gifts we have given to loved ones, that were either not well received, or were eventually ignored. This did not sit well with us, for we gave those gifts out of love, expecting them to be well received.

Everything that we have has been given to us by our Lord God, and He gives us exactly what we need to sustain this body and life. He does not want us to complain about what we don't have, or covet them, that is, "desiring, longing and hoping for anything that God in His Word has forbiddend us to have."* He wants us to be content with what He has given us. This, of course, is why we fast during Lent, to learn to be content with little, so that in learning to be content in little, we might learn to be generous in abundance.

For those tempted to think that this commandment is a minor thing, that there are "worse sins one could commit," one only need point out the reaction of our Lord God against the complaints of the Jews. His anger burned so hot, that those on the outskirts were consumed with fire. If not a worse reaction than when the Israelites made the golden calf (breaking the first commandment), then this is at least the same sort of reaction from our Lord God. This means that our Lord considers breaking the ninth (and tenth) commandment to be as wrong as breaking the first commandment. Therefore, we should take these commandments seriously, for our Lord God does.

But we see in Moses, a picture of our Lord Jesus, who intercedes for us to our Heavenly Father. And after Moses' pleading on behalf of the people, we see the grace of our Lord, and we see His anger subsided. For He gives them what they want, and provides for them quail, just like the night before the manna first appeared. Again, we see in this a foreshadowing of the Heavenly meal which we enjoy every Lord's Day, and every festival, that is, our Lord's Supper. In this meal, our Lord God shows us His grace, providing us our desire for forgiveness, life and salvation. And our Lord Jesus, Whose Body and Blood which we eat and drink in bread and wine, intercedes for us to the Heavenly Father, showing Him His wounds which He received on the cross, in exchange for us, and our Heavenly Father, on account of His Son, bestows on us His grace. His anger having been appeased by the pleading of His Son.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

* Taken from Martin Luther Small Catechism and An Explanation of Christian Doctrine, edited by Marrku Sarela, published by The Confessional Lutheran Church of Finland, 1999.