Seeing It Is The First Step To Understanding It

On the seventh day of the festival, sacrifice seven young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. You must also sacrifice one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering. [Numbers 29.32-34]

On the Festival of Shelters there is an interesting use of numbers. I should first point out that I have no idea what these numbers all mean...

On the first day of the festival, you must present a burnt offering as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. It will consist of thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. Each of these offerings must be accompanied by a grain offering of choice flour moistened with olive oil—six quarts for each of the thirteen bulls, four quarts for each of the two rams, and two quarts for each of the fourteen lambs. You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering. [Numbers 29.13-16]

While the first day of this Festival of Shelters sets a precedent for the quantities of rams, male lambs, and grain offerings moistened with olive oil used in the burnt offering, the quantity of young bulls decreases each subsequent day of the festival. It should be noted that the quantity of young bulls begins at thirteen.

On day seven, all the quantities remain the same except for the number of young bulls. On that seventh day, the quantity of young bulls included in the burnt offering matches the number of the day.

It should be pointed out that, in addition to the burnt offering every day, a sin offering is prescribed that also remains consistent at a single male goat.

Interestingly enough, this seven-day festival includes an eighth day.

On the eighth day of the festival, proclaim another holy day. You must do no ordinary work on that day. You must present a burnt offering as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. It will consist of one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. Each of these offerings must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. You must also sacrifice one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering. [Numbers 29.35-38]

On this anomalous eighth day of a seven-day festival, the number of young bulls inconsistently drops to only one. Likewise, the number of rams and one year old male lambs inconsistently both decrease by fifty percent (one-half their previously consistent quantity). The accompanying grain and liquid offerings remain proportionate to the sacrificial animals.

The one requirement that remains consistent all the way through this festival is the quantity of one male goat for a sin offering.

I believe there must be some mathematical formula demonstrated in the quantities of young bulls, rams, and one year old male lambs that points to Jesus (the "countdown" of young bulls sets my mind to this supposition). The number "thirteen" as the beginning of the "countdown" is intriguing. Then, to jump from "seven" to "one" is also intriguing - I can only suppose that quantity of "one" refers to the singularity of Christ as the only way to God.

Then, the one consistent offering made on all eight days is the sin offering. For all the unknowns of the other offerings, it should come as no surprise to God's people that the sin offering remains consistent because it is the one thing that man remains needful of - from Old Testament times to New Testament times. Jesus' message to repent and believe bears this out. Faith in God through Christ is a daily matter and so is repentance.

“The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” [Mark 1.15]

Even though I don't really understand all that I am seeing, I am thankful that at least I am seeing it. Seeing it is the first step to understanding it.

Father, thank You for the way You have provided Your Word to us. Thank You that You have hidden the meaning of Your Word to the world so that knowledge is not only commensurate with reading Your Word, but most importantly, that revelation is also commensurate with reading Your Word ...and builds faith. Regardless the level of knowledge and revelation, may Your genuine followers never lose sight of the obvious inescapable need for daily repentance in their journey of faith. Help us first to "see it" then occupy the rest of our lives understanding it - and living it out. So be it.

How To Understand God's Jealousy: Get Married

While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove, some of the men defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women. These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab. In this way, Israel joined in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the LORD’s anger to blaze against his people. [Numbers 25.1-3] 

The real story here is not illicit sex. 

The real story is the jealousy it provoked (and, provokes) in God because God is a jealous God:

You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. [Exodus 20.4-6]

And, if that is not convincing enough, God even calls Himself by the name "Jealous":

You must worship no other gods, for the LORD, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you. [Exodus 34.14] 

To read the Bible without an understanding of God's jealousy sets the reader up for gross misinterpretation of all that the Bible teaches. We simply must understand God's jealousy! How do we do that?

God graciously gave mankind the institution of marriage so that, aside from the procreation of offspring, we might better understand His jealousy. God's jealousy for 1st Commandment obedience from His people is not unlike the commitment portrayed in the traditional wedding vow to "forsake all others." It has nothing to do with reason but everything to do with a heart-commitment beyond reason. The beyond reason part is what distinguishes a "married" person. God wants us to be distinctly His and that very much implies that we must distinctly rely only on Him - for finances, security, health, and emotion - in fact, for everything.

To have relationships with debt, insurance, medicine and technology is one and the same as having an affair on God. It is philandering at its worst. In the very areas God wants us to be distinctly His, these idols offer themselves to us and then expect us to believe they are "from God." I have said it before and I will say it again, if I tell my wife that I got sex from another woman because I knew she wanted me to have that sex, it doesn't require a rocket scientist to figure out how that will end! Provocation of jealousy is not advisable - not with a spouse - not with God!

Bottom line: Marriage teaches us that reason has nothing to do with having "no other god." And, it is God Who says what is, and what is not acceptable in our relationship with Him. If we don't like it, we don't have to "marry Him." His distinctions are reserved for those who "marry Him" in faith in Jesus Christ. Not ironically, Jesus used unmistakably exclusive language as to what that looks like:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

Father, help us to see the reality of Your jealousy in the marriage relationship. And, as many of us have "learned it well" in human marriage, so may we likewise learn it well in our relationship with You! So be it!

The Second Inquiry Is The First Mistake

Then Balaam left and returned home, and Balak also went on his way. [Numbers 24.25] 

And so the story of Balaam ends... or, so it seems...

As with most stories, there is often more to the story than is told. And, such is the case with Balaam.

First, and I hate to say it this way, but it must be said, Balaam's first mistake was his second inquiry of God regarding Balak's request. 

In considering Balaam's second inquiry of God, it might best be understood if one considers the fact that God is a jealous God. I can think of numerous times I went to my spouse 'a second time' with a request that was previously 'nixed' and was then told "go ahead" even though that "go ahead" was jealous sarcasm signaling wrath to come as soon as I proceeded with the "permission granted."

As it is in marriage so it is with God: it is never a good idea to make a second inquiry hoping for a different answer than the first one. Nothing provokes jealousy quicker. What follows is a plethora of mind games with ourselves as we try to justify our every subsequent move based on a the jealous second response instead of the first genuine response. I've been married 45 years - I know what I am talking about (and, so does my wife)!

With my first observation established above, it should now be understood that the 'rest of the story' is not actually revealed in the context of Numbers 22-24, but in subsequent scriptures.

“Why have you let all the women live?” he demanded. “These are the very ones who followed Balaam’s advice and caused the people of Israel to rebel against the LORD at Mount Peor. They are the ones who caused the plague to strike the LORD’s people. [Numbers 31.15-16]

“But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. [Revelation 2.14] 

We just don't know for sure if Balaam's advice was given overtly in a separate, unrecorded setting or, if Balak realized from Balaam's inadvertent clues about Israel's unique relationship with God that the only way to overcome Israel then was to contaminate and dilute that distinct relationship with God which was already by this time notably "pure" in both ceremonial and sexual matters. 

I personally lean toward the latter of the possibilities discussed above. Sometimes, saying the right thing in the wrong setting discloses valuable information to an enemy seeking to destroy us. Yes, Balaam should have stood by God's first answer!

How many times have we had an initial "leading" in our spirit about a matter, questioned it a second time, and then proceeded with the second inclination only to make a huge mistake? Usually the second inquiry revolves around personal desires or preferences (our own ways) which are not, in fact, given up in order to take up our cross and follow Jesus. It's all very clear in the writing of this article, but implementation of it is another story altogether - like Balaam's.

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

Father, may I be found so attuned to You, my Jealous God, that I trust in and stand by Your first answer in every matter every time - giving up my own way, taking up my cross, and following Jesus. So be it.

It Worked Last Time!

But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!” [Numbers 20.12] 

Should it not cause us to question why God told Moses and Aaron to specifically speak to the rock, and not strike it for water to come out?

In consistency with all God had done up to that point, we should not be surprised that God "mixed things up" a bit because God honors obedience above sacrifice. Obedience makes the distinction between those who are God's and those who are not. If we simply do things the same way because "it worked the last time," then we are not really obeying but instead mindlessly repeating ourselves.

Some time following Moses' and Aaron's failure to make the distinction of obeying God, the people of Israel once again sinned against God and we have the introduction of the bronze snake on a pole. Here it must be understood that God Himself instructed Moses to make the bronze snake:

Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!” So the LORD sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people. Then the LORD told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed! [Numbers 21.4-9]

Yes, the bronze snake on a pole was God's idea. Moses and Israel obeyed God and it resulted in healing the people. But, that is not the end of the story... God's miracle was also a test. Let's look ahead to King Hezekiah:

He did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done. He removed the pagan shrines, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke up the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because the people of Israel had been offering sacrifices to it. The bronze serpent was called Nehushtan. [2 Kings 18.3-4]

The very same snake on a pole that Moses had made in obedience to God for a distinct time and place became an idol to Israel! Instead of getting fresh revelation and direction from God, the people operated in rebellious repetition instead of distinguishing obedience. They did the same thing Moses did to strike the rock: he went into "repetition mode" instead of distinguishing "obedience mode."

What Moses did in striking the rock (instead of simply speaking to it) to produce water effectively made an idol of a "stick" used to strike the rock. As much as I can tell, that particular staff (Aaron's staff of priestly authority) was never again used in the performance of miracles. Coincidence? Not likely. Why? Because God is a jealous God and He wants us to hang on His every word in distinguishing obedience (holiness) and not simply repeat ourselves in rebellious independence of Him. That's how God, Whose name is Jealous (Exodus 34.14), works.

We should now then consider Jesus.

So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. [John 5.19]

The reason Jesus performed miracles in such a variety of ways was because He was only doing what the Father God by the Holy Spirit was showing Him right then and right there. Every miracle Jesus performed was fresh from God and never a mindless "repeat" of what He'd done before. This proved Jesus' obedience. With every miracle, Jesus demonstrated the distinction of God's way and not His own. This is significant. This is holiness. Holiness distinguishes between those who are God's and those who are not, and it has everything to do with obedience.

In further consideration of Jesus then, we are faced with no uncertain, distinct terms of obedience:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

It would seem then that my repetition of what worked previously, independent of fresh direction from the Holy Spirit, is the gateway to idolatry and rebellion. Ouch.

Father, my "own way" (my un-holiness) could quite possibly be my repetition. May I be found forsaking my own way, taking up my cross and following Jesus with no expectation of doing anything in a way that "worked previously." So be it.

Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. [Psalm 25.4-5]

Who's The Boss?

One day Korah son of Izhar, a descendant of Kohath son of Levi, conspired with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, from the tribe of Reuben. They incited a rebellion against Moses, along with 250 other leaders of the community, all prominent members of the assembly. They united against Moses and Aaron and said, “You have gone too far! The whole community of Israel has been set apart by the LORD, and he is with all of us. What right do you have to act as though you are greater than the rest of the LORD’s people?” When Moses heard what they were saying, he fell face down on the ground. Then he said to Korah and his followers, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will show us who belongs to him and who is holy. The LORD will allow only those whom he selects to enter his own presence. [Numbers 16.1-5] 

For years I have read this with the idea that this passage is about "spiritual authority." Today, I am not so sure...

In context of the Bible and its progression to this point, God had been distinguishing between who was His and who was not. This was really showcased in Israel's exodus from Egypt. Over and again, God declared His intent to make a distinction between who was His and who was not.

Then, as is seen in the passage above, when Moses and Aaron responded to Korah, Dathan and Abiram, his response wasn't about "who's the boss" but about who belongs to God and who does not - which is much more serious than "who's in charge."

As was seen in Korah, Dathan and Abiram (and then some of the people who followed their rebellion), the penalty for not being "holy" was death. The penalty for not being God's was annihilation. Interestingly enough, it was a "natural disaster" (the ground opening up) and then a plague of sickenss that carried out the death sentence upon the unholy ones.

Could it have been a sheer coincidence that the ground opened up at just the moment Moses said it would? Sure. Could it have been purely a coincidence that a deadly plague broke out upon the people when it did? Sure. Could it have been a coincidence that the plague stopped at the very moment Aaron stood between the people? Sure. BUT! Should we not understand that it was a natural disaster and sickness that killed the people? Shouldn't we see that it was a natural disaster and sickness that distinguished between who was God's and who was not? Do we not see that these deadly curses are indeed the prescribed punishments for disobedience to God (confirmed later in Deuteronomy 28)?

And yet today, we give no thought whatsoever to the distinction being made by these exact same natural disaster and sickness curses when we encounter them. Instead, we mitigate them with insurance, medicine, and, ...oh yeah, religious prayer - without a moment's consideration of what Moses and Aaron did... Look at verse 4 from the passage above:

When Moses heard what they were saying, he fell face down on the ground. [Numbers 16.4]

Moses and Aaron did not stick out their chests and demand subservience from the people. They fell on their faces before God in repentance and intercession. They knew a "distinction" was about to be made between who was God's and who was not - and it was not going to be pretty.

So, what do we do with our natural disasters and sicknesses? We do the same thing the world does: call our insurance agent or go to the doctor. Instead of resorting to repentance and intercession eliciting the distinction of God's blessings, we mitigate the curses with man-made solutions.

Is it any wonder Jesus laid out such a "distinct" gauntlet?

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

The curses upon Korah, Dathan and Ibiram are the same curses today. These "natural disaster" and "sickness" curses make the same distinction today between those who are God's (who have given up their own way, taken up their cross and followed Jesus) and those who are not.

I am afraid we missed the point regarding Korah's story... It's much deeper than just "Who's the boss?".

Father, help us to see that there is indeed a "distinction" between who are Yours and who are not. Forgive us for all our religious interpretations of Your Word that deny the distinctions made by curses past and present. May those who are Yours truly be distinguished from those who are not. So be it.

Salvation - An Illusion?

And if the LORD is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. [Numbers 14.8] 

There is little that I would add today to the 2024 article "In Christ" Is So Important. 

What stands out to me today is the phrase if the LORD is pleased with us. I am reminded that there is only one thing that yields God's pleasure: faith.

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. [Hebrews 11.6]

Obviously, "faith" is clearly defined as "faith in God" (that He exists and rewards those who sincerely seek Him). The qualification of believing God exists and rewards those who sincerely seek Him sets the contrast for what does not please God: believing idols exist and that they reward those who seek them.

Just get ready... this is going to get uncomfortable.

The first three of the Ten Commandments are meaningless unless we understand that God is a jealous God. The 2nd Commandment gives clarity:

You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. [Exodus 20.4-6]

"God and..." doesn't cut it with God. He is unwilling to share His glory (the glory of being our one and only God) with anything or anyone else. Ninety-nine percent faith in God and one percent faith in idols does not please God. He is either "all pleased" or "not pleased at all." This "all or none" demand is clearly repeated by God-in-the-flesh, Jesus:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

Any time man today uses the phrase "God uses..." to defend something of man's own device, he has inadvertently identified an idol. This understanding clearly sheds light on a plethora of idols in modern society! These idols may be categorized in four broad groups: debt, insurance, medicine and technology. These four groups account for the wholesale violation of the 2nd Commandment (no idols) and, every time man defensively declares "God uses..." these man-made remedies, he tags on violation of the 3rd Commandment (misusing God's name) as well. God's Word is clear on the truth of this. It is man who is unclear - God's Word shines brightly and declares loudly on the subject, but man's eyes are blind and his ears are deaf. They have been made blind and deaf by man-made idols:

Their idols are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell. They have hands but cannot feel, and feet but cannot walk, and throats but cannot make a sound. And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them. [Psalm 115.4-8]

The idols of the nations are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. They have  mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, and mouths but cannot breathe. And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them. [Psalm 135.15-18] 

How can man so blindly and deafly presume that God is pleased with him when he adamantly holds to and defends man-made idols? Here's a hint: he can't. God is NOT pleased with man's idolatry regardless what man calls it. It's not man's "call" anyway (see Commandments 1-3 and Jesus' "follow Me" demands).

You know, we could think we were okay "in Christ" if only the Ten Commandments demanded singular, undivided faith. But the fact that Jesus demanded we must give up our own way and take up our cross to follow Him confirms that God is just as adamant about singular, undivided faith today as ever.

"Faith" that does not proactively turn away (repent) from idols is no faith at all in God's eyes. And, if there is no faith, then God is not pleased. If God is not pleased, then there is no salvation (regardless what we think or want to believe) - it is simply an illusion. Jesus said "give up your own way..." Idols are the way of man - solutions made by and for himself to meet needs God jealously said He would take care of. If we do not give up our idols, we cannot be followers of Christ. God in His Word simply (but adamantly) does not allow it.

Father, I know we can "ask for forgiveness" all day long. But as long as we defiantly refuse to "turn away from" our idols to follow Jesus, salvation is just a religious illusion. May those who truly wish to follow Jesus (myself included) genuinely forsake all (giving up their own way and taking up their cross) to follow Him. So be it.

The 1st Commandment - It Makes The Difference

But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!” But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” [Numbers 13.30-31] 

Genuine 1st Commandment faith in God alone makes the difference in how we see every situation in life. At least, it should.

If we do not see every life situation as Caleb did, we fall into 2nd Commandment violation - idolatry.

If we do not see every life situation as Caleb did, and violate the 2nd Commandment, we attempt to excuse our sin of idolatry by misusing God's name - defending our idols as "gifts from God" in open verbal violation of the 3rd Commandment.

In summary, if we do not see every life situation as Caleb did, we disregard every single one of the "Godward" Commandments (the first three).

Now, what gave Caleb the audacity to see the Promised Land situation the way he did? Had he not seen what the others saw? He indeed saw what they saw, but not how they saw it because his response actually acknowledged the obstacles and he still said “We can certainly conquer it!” 

Ready for this? The giants Caleb saw and the giants the others saw were different giants...

Caleb simply saw the giants and fortitude of Canaan through the eyes of undeserved grace based on other previous physical obstacles (like the Red Sea) that presented no deterrent to God - and, therefore His people - whatsoever. The others saw the giants through the eyes of condemnation, knowing they had just failed miserably in their ingratitude for manna and their impatience and lust for meat. No doubt, they knew God could conquer Canaan, but doubted that He would.

Consequently, if we do not see every life situation as Caleb did, we, violating the first three Commandments unchecked, inadvertently digress to violate the 4th Commandment by underestimating the complete spiritual rest - the complete spiritual reset that is the Sabbath, that is Jesus Christ.

The story of Caleb here is the story of undeserved grace foretold by Caleb's understanding of God's character that conquers not only the obstacles of life but also the obstacle of living in sin and its condemnation. Caleb saw Jesus in God's promises and acted accordingly.

Condemnation does not cause us to doubt God's power to do mighty miracles, but to doubt God's power to completely forgive. We don't so much have a problem today knowing God can do miracles on our behalf but that God will do miracles on our behalf. We overwhelmingly misunderstand the Sabbath Rest - the complete reset - that is Jesus Christ. 

God's people totally underestimate the effect of genuine "belief" that follows genuine "repentance." If we "run this up the flagpole" of the Ten Commandments, we see that failure to see Jesus in the Sabbath (violating the 4th Commandment) is the result of misusing God's name justifying our idolatry (violating the 3rd Commandment) which is the result of actually embracing idols (violating the 2nd Commandment) which is the result of not trusting and serving God alone (violating the 1st Commandment).

As seen in the Israelite scouting party failure, a lax attitude regarding the 1st Commandment set Israel up to digress into violation of the 2nd Commandment (idolatry), starting with the idolatry of self-condemnation... the first idol that stands between us and God's undeserved grace leading us to all manner of idolatry following - doubting God's miraculous power on our behalf, leading us to make remedies for ourselves, and consequently (albeit mistakenly) consoling ourselves that our man-made remedies are God's doing.

Knowing our digression described above, God strategically placed the 4th Commandment right where it needed to be to show us Jesus. The 4th Commandment takes us back to the 1st Commandment, but in the person of Jesus Christ Who, in 1st Commandment singularity of commitment, said:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

And,

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. [John 14.6] 

It is not surprising that Jesus would say this because:

...this is how [1st Commandment] God loved the world: He gave his one and only [4th Commandment] Son, so that everyone who believes in him [observes 4th Commandment God as 1st Commandment God] will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge [condemn as per 2nd or 3rd Commandment warnings] the world, but to save the world through him. “There is no judgment [2nd or 3rd Commandment condemnation] against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him [in violation of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Commandments] has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. [John 3.16-18 with explanation in []'s]

The 1st Commandment is where is all starts. The 1st Commandment makes the difference.

Jesus, Whom the 4th Commandment foreshadows, is how we fulfill the 1st Commandment.

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. [Romans 8.1-4]

It is only when we comprehend this that we can believe what the apostle Paul went on to write in Romans 8 and what Caleb believed long before Paul even wrote it.

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.  [Romans 8.31-39]

Caleb did not lament, "If only we a nuclear bomb..." Instead, Caleb's faith was firmly in the unmistakable, indisputable power of God - for forgiveness, and therefore, for victory.

Father, may every person who reads this article today "see" Jesus all through it. May we all trust Jesus alone in repentance for our idolatry. May we intentionally and methodically rid our lives of idols and every self-motivated thought so that we might fulfill Your 1st Commandment as we give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. So be it.