Year 7, Day 124: Numbers 9

Theological Commentary: Click Here

It may sound strange, but Numbers 9 is one of my favorite chapters in the Old Testament.  Yes, I do have a number of favorite chapters.  However, this one is special from my perspective.

What I love about this chapter is that it shows the dialogue between mankind and God.  Moses is told to celebrate the Passover with the people.  Moses begins the process.  As Moses does this, however, life intervenes.  He discovers that there are some people who cannot celebrate the Passover because they are ritually unclean.  Moses has the best of intentions to keep God’s Law with the people, but circumstance rears its ugly head.

This is reality.  I’ve often heard it said that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.  While that is true, and I understand the moral behind the saying, I think that this chapter says that sometimes we can do our best to succeed, have life intervene to foil our plans, and still be okay with God.

Let’s follow the story.  Moses returns to God and informs God that there is an issue.  God makes a provision.  God makes a way so that the people who miss out because life intervened will have a second chance in the month to come.  This is an awesome point.  God doesn’t get on His proverbial high horse and tell Moses that it’s just too bad and those people will have to suffer.  No.  God tells Moses that if those people had every intention to follow God but life intervened, then it is perfectly okay.

I really like this perspective.  I think this is why I love this chapter.  God understands that life happens.  God knows that sometimes all we can offer up is our good intentions.  God still loves us.  God even realizes that when this happens, there isn’t even really a need for apology and forgiveness.  Sometimes the road to God is actually paved with good intentions.

Having said this, though, you will notice that this only applies to people who are genuinely trying and life is intervening.  The truly disobedient people will bear their guilt.  The people who do not desire to do right will absolutely be held accountable by God.  This chapter isn’t permission to live as we want to live.  This chapter is about making allowance for people who desire to do right but the world conspires against them and makes it impossible.

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