May 21

Numbers 30 I am sitting here at the donut shop. A group of 3 men are sitting at a table next to me talking about the split they had in their church about a year ago. They are speaking loudly, so it is not like I am eavesdropping. Obviously, it was a very emotional parting. When Jesus prayed in John 17:21, “That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me,” what did He mean? What is He asking for? When Jesus said in John 13:34–35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another,” what did He mean? What about the lines of authority that He has established? What is our responsibility in the midst of these relationships? When do we part company? Divorce among couples in the church in the USA is running around 50%. Is it surprising then that splits within the church are so rampant? What does God expect for us to maintain unity? This chapter in Numbers deals with unity in the family. I can hear the feminists crying, “Foul! A man should not be able to rule over a woman like that! It makes women the chattel of men!” They are missing the point. As human beings, we are created, male and female, in the image of God. We are to reflect what God is like in our union as male and female and become one flesh. God is one in essence, yet He eternally exists in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Our unity is not the same thing, but it is to reflect the same thing. Within the Trinity the Father is the head decision maker, and yet the Son and the Holy Spirit have the ability to make decisions. They choose to submit to each other. Yet we could not describe either the Son or the Holy Spirit as the chattel of the Father. What we have here in Numbers 30 is a clear-practical-case outworking of lines of authority when a couple or family or church lives in unity in a way that reflects the unity of the Trinity. What does God expect for us to maintain unity? He expects love and purity. He expects death. Jesus died for His bride. He expects a husband to die to his selfishness in relation to his wife. He expects him to love his wife perfectly. While He still expects the wife to use her brain and contribute to the relationship, when the decision making time comes, He expects her to submit even as Jesus and the Holy Spirit submit to the Father. He expects mutual submission within the body. He expects the body and family to respect the lines of authority. You see we are to reflect the glory of the Trinity! And what glory that is! Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. He died, so we can die too. He submitted to the Father, so we too can submit to each other. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john