Author Archives: A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green

Numbers and Organized Religion

It wouldn’t have occurred to a Jewish person to think there was anything other than organized religion! And for the enlightened follower of Yahweh, that such a structure was oppressive wouldn’t even have moved the needle for them (I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’Continue reading “Numbers and Organized Religion”

Hearing the Message of Numbers

I watched a little bit of a show recently called Major League Fishing. It follows a professional fishing circuit of the same name and this particular show featured a tournament at Lake Fork Reservoir in Texas. In the few minutes I watched, they caught one big fish after another! No one went more than a fewContinue reading “Hearing the Message of Numbers”

Falling Forward

The story in Numbers 13-14 looms over the biblical witness like a dark storm cloud. Its presence is especially felt in the Pentateuch, where it empties its rain and washes away a generation of people. It is a mountain top moment for Israel—essentially everything before had led to the men spying out the land, andContinue reading “Falling Forward”

Dealing with the Detested

They detested the manna. That’s what Israel told God in Numbers 21:5. You remember they had been given the food in response to their grumbling (Exodus 16). After a while, they became bored with the blessing (Numbers 11), and then they reached the point of detesting it. As with all ungrateful people, they didn’t realizeContinue reading “Dealing with the Detested”

Counting on God

A name like Numbers scares a lot of people off. To them, it is suggestive of repetitive lists, irrelevant facts, and boring details. That’s too bad, because the book of Numbers, though not without its challenges, is as enriching as it is enlightening. Numbers is a critical part of the Pentateuch narrative. It picks up the storyContinue reading “Counting on God”

False Prophets

False narratives go all the way back to the Garden. They don’t come down from above, bringing liberation and life—they bubble up from culture and are all just different forms of bondage. They all do the same thing—seek to enthrone us and dethrone our Father. False narratives can affect anyone, at any time and anyContinue reading “False Prophets”

Bored with their Blessings

The first ten chapters of Numbers present a placid picture of Israel in the wilderness under the guidance of Yahweh. After going off the rails in the golden calf incident, the nation settled down and built the tabernacle (Exodus 35-40), conducted a census (Numbers 1), organized their camp around the tabernacle (chapter 2), performed dutiesContinue reading “Bored with their Blessings”

Alive but not Liberated

It’s possible to be alive without being liberated. Under the old covenant, someone who had committed manslaughter could flee to one of the six cities of refuge in Israel. There their case would be tried by an assembly to determine whether the killing had been premeditated or accidental. If the death was determined to beContinue reading “Alive but not Liberated”

Growing Off The Ground

Paul has some special things to say about the disciples at Thessalonica in his first letter to them. He spoke of their faith, hope and love (1:3), how they were a model to all believers (1:7), and how their faith in God had become known everywhere (1:9). But maybe the most amazing thing is thatContinue reading “Growing Off The Ground”