Emmanuel Okoro (aka MrLift)

Fire and water "Gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead and anything else that can survive fire--must be passed through the fire; then it will be ritually purified. It must also be ritually washed in the Water-of-Cleansing. Further, whatever cannot survive fire must be put through that water." (Num.31.22- 23) How do we summarise the pains we go through in life? What price would you attach to them, if they were to be put in monetary value? Fire and water are to incompatible elements, they seem to be antitethetical. They don't mix well but they both play a major role in life, just as much as in the life the believer.  We see in our text that everything that was of value was to be put through the testing of the fire - gold, silver, iron, tin, lead and anything else that can survive fire--must be passed through the fire.  Why must it pass through fire? So that fire can burn-off any impurities but more so, that fire may reveal it's truest worth. Same way God allows us to...

Finish the job, kill your seduction  "They're the ones who, under Balaam's direction, seduced the People of Israel away from GOD in that mess at Peor, causing the plague that hit GOD's people. Finish your job: kill all the boys. Kill every woman who has slept with a man." (Num.31.16 - 17) How does one kill what one is attracted to? I think it is one reason the flesh has so much power over a lot of people. Because what they are supposed to subdue also gives them pleasure.  Make no mistake, there is pleasure in sin. But the pleasure is very short lived . Hence the Bible talks about the pleasure of sin that is for a moment (see Heb. 11.25) Israel had the rear privilege of confronting their enemy. A very potent enemy that causes them about 24,000 dead brothers and sisters. As a result, God says to them, "Finish your job, kill all the boys. Kill every woman who has slept with a man." But this is a metaphor for us to to bring our flesh where we have the major ...

Father - daughter relationship  "When a woman makes a vow to GOD and binds herself by a pledge as a young girl still living in her father's house, and her father hears of her vow or pledge but says nothing to her, then she has to make good on all her vows and pledges. But if her father holds her back when he hears of what she has done, none of her vows and pledges are valid. GOD will release her since her father held her back." (Num.30.3 -5)  The influence of a father in the life of his children, his daughter to be precise, cannot be overstated. Hence, God gives him the permission to either agree or cancel a vow or pledge that she enters into without his consent.  God says if a young girl - that is, a girl of any age, still living under her father's roof. So that, age was not what determined whether the girl is young or not. But that she still lives under her father's roof is the determining factor. That means the father is able to properly cover his daughter in e...

Keep your word "When a man makes a vow to GOD or binds himself by an oath to do something, he must not break his word; he must do exactly what he has said." (Num.30.2)  A man's word is his bond, so the saying goes. Your words are very important. When you give your word, be sure to keep it. That is what shows your level of responsibility.  We have too many word breakers today. People who say one thing but do entirely something different. God says to the children of Israel and to us, "If you bind yourself by a spoken word, you must not break that word but do exactly what you said." That is one reason we can trust God the way we do, because we know that if He gives His word, He will not break it. He is the Promise Keeper.  One way to help you keep your words to others is by practicing keeping your words to yourself. A lot of people break promises made to themselves. For example, you say to yourself, "I will stop scrolling on my phone in 30 minutes." Three...

Worship food  "Command the People of Israel. Tell them, You're in charge of presenting my food, my Fire-Gifts of pleasing fragrance, at the set times." (Num.28.2)  Sacrifice in the Old Testament is what worship is in the New Testament. God told the children of Israel that sacrifice, also known as the Fire-Gift in this verse, is considered His food, and He encouraged them to always present it continually.  In the Old Testament, it was the sacrifice of bulls and sheep, but in the New Testament, Paul the Apostle tells us that it is the fruits of our lips giving thanks unto His name.  "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name." (Heb.13.15 KJV) When we worship God, we are bringing food to God. Worship is food for God. And our lips play a prominent role. The Bible calls it "the sacrifice of praise." Meaning, it may be sacrificial - like David said, it will cost you some...

Leaders show the way  "Let GOD, the God of the spirits of everyone living, set a man over this community (Num.27.16)  God told Moses that he was going to die, but Moses was more concerned with who will lead the children of Israel so that they are not left without a leader. He says to God:  "Let GOD, the God of the spirits of everyone living, set a man over this community" (Num.27.16)  And his discussion reveals to us one of the major qualities of a leader: one who shows the way ahead. In other words, a leader must be visionary - the ability to see the future with the mind's eye.  "To lead them, to show the way ahead and bring them back home so GOD's community will not be like sheep without a shepherd." (Num.27.17)  To show the way ahead: Are you a leader? Then show the way. You must lead from the front but also know how to guide them back home.  It also reveals that the leader must be a "shepherd," meaning one is able to feed, protect, guide, ...

Keep the blessings in the family  "Then tell the People of Israel, If a man dies and leaves no son, give his inheritance to his daughter. If he has no daughter, give it to his brothers. If he has no brothers, give it to his father's brothers. If his father had no brothers, give it to the nearest relative so that the inheritance stays in the family. This is the standard procedure for the People of Israel, as commanded by GOD through Moses."(Num.27.8 - 11) The Jews are said to have a tradition where money stays within the Jewish community for up to seven times. That is, if a Jew provides goods, they will rather patriotise themselves than take the money out side.  It paints a picture of what we see in our text. It says if a father dies without a son, the inheritance should be given to his daughters; if he has no daughter, it should be given to the father's brother. If the father has no brother, it will pass to the nearest relative, so long as the inheritance stays in the...

Give them their father's inheritance  "Zelophehad's daughters are right. Give them land as an inheritance among their father's relatives. Give them their father's inheritance.(Num.27.7)  There is something about fathers. They carry a special presence that is of great value to the family in general, but to the children in particular. God says to Moses, 'Give them their father's inheritance.'  Let's talk about the Father's inheritance. The story is told of the prodigal who collected his father's inheritance and went off to squander it all (see Luke 15). But we are not like him. The point that must be made here is that the Father has an inheritance for you. You do not work for an inheritance, but you have to claim or receive it.   And in the case of Zelophehad's daughters, God says to give them land. In the case of the children of God in the New Testament, our inheritance is spelt out in the will of God, which is the word of God. Check the ...

Present your case before God  "They came to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. They stood before Moses and Eleazar the priest and before the leaders and the congregation and said, "Our father died in the wilderness. He wasn't part of Korah's rebel anti-GOD gang. He died for his own sins. And he left no sons. But why should our father's name die out from his clan just because he had no sons? So give us an inheritance among our father's relatives." (Num.27.2 - 4)   The daughters of Zelophehad came to Moses and Eleazer the High Priest, and presented their case despite the prevailing customs of the people. They said, "Why should our father's name die out from his clan just because he had no sons?" You must understand that the Israelites did not give inheritance to daughters before now, but only to sons. And these daughters, whose father had died in the wilderness, saw that their father's name was going to die out because he had no sons; th...

A notch higher than the problem  "Not one of them had been among those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest in the census of the People of Israel taken in the Wilderness of Sinai. For GOD had said of them, "They'll die, die in the wilderness--not one of them will be left except for Caleb son of Jephunneh, and Joshua son of Nun." (Num.26.64 - 65) A problem is not solved on the level at which it was created. To solve the problem, one has to think a notch higher than the level at which the problem was created.  Israel had created a problem at one level, to solve this problem God had to "kill off" that generation with all their repressive and regressive mindset and thinking. And with this new generation He would fulfill His promise to Abraham.  This is the picture I saw when I read through these verses. The children of Israel, let's call the first set the parents who had complained and murmured against God. And God has said that they will not enter the pro...

The pain of pleasure  "From here on make the Midianites your enemies. Fight them tooth and nail. They turned out to be your enemies when they seduced you in the business of Peor and that woman Cozbi, daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed at the time of the plague in the matter of Peor." (Num.25.17 -18)  It's been said that if you play today you will pay tomorrow but if you pay today, you will play tomorrow. The choice is yours. Isreal had enjoyed playing now they have to fight.  God says to the children of Israel, "From now on, make the Midianites your enemies." Why is this? Because they have proven to stand in the way of Israel and its destiny, so God says to them, "Fight them tooth and nail."  But here is where the challenge lies: "How do you fight what gives you pleasure? Human nature seeks pleasure, but if that pleasure stands between you and your God-given assignment, God says to fight it tooth and nail. Fight it with all y...

One good deed "and followed them into the tent. With one thrust he drove the spear through the two of them, the man of Israel and the woman, right through their private parts. That stopped the plague from continuing among the People of Israel. But 24,000 had already died." (Num.25.8 - 9)  We often underestimate the power of one good deed. But there is tremendous power in one good deed. If you look at it critically, all you need is to do one good deed at a time and with time it will accumulate into a critical mass.  We see how one man's good deed averted the plague of death, a sentence passed on the leaders of Israel as a result of their shortcomings. There is power in one good deed.  The Bible tells us that God called Abraham as one man, and from that one man, he multiplied and became a great nation.  "Yes, ponder Abraham, your father, and Sarah, who bore you. Think of it! One solitary man when I called him, but once I blessed him, he multiplied." (Isa.51.2)  On...

Leadership responsibility  "Moses issued orders to the judges of Israel: "Each of you must execute the men under your jurisdiction who joined in the worship of Baal Peor." (Num.25.5)  Leadership come with great responsibility indeed. After God asked Moses to kill the leaders, Moses issued orders to the judges of Israel saying "Each of you must execute the men under your jurisdiction..."  Moses pushed the execution order of these leaders to the judges of Israel. These were the judges who were leaders over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.  "And then you need to keep a sharp eye out for competent men--men who fear God, men of integrity, men who are incorruptible--and appoint them as leaders over groups organized by the thousand, by the hundred, by fifty, and by ten." (Exod.18.21)  These were competent men - who fear God, men of integrity, men who were incorruptable. God's idea of competence meant that these men would able to replicate their com...

Kill the leaders "GOD said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of Israel and kill them by hanging, leaving them publicly exposed in order to turn GOD's anger away from Israel."(Num.25.4)  Leadership is not to be taken with kid gloves because it comes with a lot responsibility, it is a call to service. But a lot people only see the perks and benefits. God sees this much about the responsibilities of leadership, such that when Israel sinned against God, God says to Moses, "Take all the leaders of Israel and kill them by hanging".  This says a lot about the responsibility that leadership places on the leaders. Israel sinned, God says kill the leaders. We see why in the next line. He says "hang them publicly" in other words, make them examples. But not so much that the people would learn rather that God's anger will be stayed from Israel.  God held leaders accountable, so must you and I. If you are in a position of leadership, and the people look up t...

The religion of ease  "While Israel was camped at Shittim (Acacia Grove), the men began to have sex with the Moabite women. It started when the women invited the men to their sex-and-religion worship. They ate together and then worshiped their gods." (Num.25.1 - 2) Balak, the king of Moab had invited Balaam to curse Israel but instead of curse, Israel was blessed. This angered Balak but there was nothing Balaam could do...at least not in the way that Balak expected him to.  We see chapter 24 of Numbers closing with Balaam blessings Israel. But in the opening verses of chapter 25 as we can see in our text, we see that Israelite sabotaging themselves.  How did this come to be?  The Revelation of Jesu to the Apostle John answered this for us.  "And yet I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you who are like Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to worship idols by eating food offered to idols and by commi...

If's and the if's not "Balaam said, "Because you've been playing games with me! If I had a sword I would have killed you by now." The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she hadn't, I would have killed you by this time, but not the donkey. I would have let her off." (Num.22.29, 33) These two verses from the book of Numbers 22 paint a very interesting picture for me. One was of the prophet Balaam saying to his donkey, if I had a sword in my hand I would have killed you. Imagine the things you would do if you were in certain positions. For Balaam, he would have killed his donkey because the donkey has hurt his feelings. But with the benefit of hindsight, we know that the donkey was actually preserving his life. In other words, the donkey would have died for doing what was good. Hmm...  On the other hand, the angel had a sword in his hand and he was not afraid to use it, neither will he hesitate but for the donkey turning aside, ...

Step out "And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he, and all his people, to the battle at Edrei. (Num.21.34 KJV) Israel was on the match to claim their mandate from God. On their way several nations stood against them but they were not deterred. They have taken out Sihon King of the Amonite who will not let them through, though they had peaceful entreated him but he refused.  "Let us cross your land. We won't trespass into your fields or drink water in your vineyards. We'll keep to the main road, the King's Road, until we're through your land." But Sihon wouldn't let Israel go through. Instead he got his army together and marched into the wilderness to fight Israel. At Jahaz he attacked Israel." (Num.21.22 -23 Now that Sihon is taken care of, they have yet another great king to take out. Og king of Bashan. Bashan was a fortified city and this must have caused Moses to fear because God ha...

Look and live "GOD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it on a flagpole: Whoever is bitten and looks at it will live." (Num.21.8)  The Bible is recorded for us in types and shadows and then substance. We see a type and a shadow then we look to see the substance. Our text records the story of how the children of Israel sinned against God and for punishment, snakes bits them and most of them died. But when they cried to God, God instructed Moses to make a snake and put it on a flagpole and whoever is bitten and looks up at the snake on the flagpole will live. It did not discriminate. It says whoever looks will be saved. It didn't matter how far gone the person, as long as he looks at it, will be saved. We see the substance to this account  of type and shadow as recorded in Hebrew 12.2.  "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the ...

The trials of the way  "And they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom, and the people became impatient (depressed, much discouraged), because [of the trials] of the way." (Num.21.4 AMP) The devil tries to stop the children of God from reaching their full potential. He did this with srael as they came out of Egypt and were going into the promise land. They were refused passage through the land of Edom but refusing to be stopped, they took a detour and went around Edom. But there were trails on the way...  You see sometimes we think because God is involved it is going to easy and smooth and that there will be no trials at all. They had to go through "the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom". We see here that God sometimes allow trials to redirect our focus. He was actually the One leading them.  "So God led them along a route through the wilderness toward the Red Sea, and the Israelites left Egypt like a ...

Life may require a detour  "He answered again: "No. You may not come through." And Edom came out and blocked the way with a crowd of people brandishing weapons. Edom refused to let them cross through his land. So Israel had to detour around him."(Num.20.20 - 21) The road to destiny fulfillment is not always a straight road. It may require a detour or two before you will get there. I am reminded of the saying, "A bend road is not an end road..."  After we've done all the planing, vision boarding, the forecasting and all, anticipating the pitfalls and coming up with the mitigant.. Yet at some point, life takes a turn we could not have anticipated. Friends who become foes along the way, partners who drop the ball and brothers who refuse to grant you passage.  Israel had come to this junction where they needed a passage through Edom - in case you have forgotten, the Edomite were the descendants of Esua, Jacob's twin brother. I suspect that not in all o...

Don't curse the darkness "He and Aaron rounded up the whole congregation in front of the rock. Moses spoke: "Listen, rebels! Do we have to bring water out of this rock for you?" With that Moses raised his arm and slammed his staff against the rock--once, twice. Water poured out. Congregation and cattle drank."(Num.20.10 - 11) It is said that it take nothing for one candle to light another one. This could be said of humans as well. It is helpful to help others instead of just criticising.  Moses had come from the presence of God where he has been instructed to speak to the rock to provide water for the children of Israel. He takes the rod as instructed from the presence of God, calls the people together and spoke fron the place of anger.  "Listen, rebels! Do we have to bring water out of this rock for you?", he asked. But God has already asked him do that. And it was this attitude that got Moses in trouble with God. That was what made him miss the promi...

Speak to that rock  "Take the staff. Assemble the community, you and your brother Aaron. Speak to that rock that's right in front of them and it will give water. You will bring water out of the rock for them; congregation and cattle will both drink." (Num.20.8)  Moses failed at the task of speaking to the rock as instructed by God. So now we do not know how to speak to our rocks because there is no noble example for  us to follow. In the place of speaking to the rock, Moses struck the rock thice.  We see in one sense where we want to see results only after great efforts has been invested and exacted. We have placed so much emphasis on self effort as against trusting God and speaking to the rock as He has instructed. Moses did not even strick the rock once - which will speak to Christ dying for us once and for all time, he did it twice. Comfortably misrepresenting the plan of redemption, hence he did not enter the promised land because this was very important to God....