Luke 10:25-37 NIV:

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”

But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?  1 John 3:17

It wasn’t that long ago that I was in a business management class at a small college in San Diego.  One of the assignments for the semester was a group project. The instructions were to work in a team of 5 people and create a set of instructions that would show how to build a small model boat.  We were to design the boat, provide a blueprint, and the build the model boat to show and demonstrate our product.   I sat down with my group of motivated leaders - poised and ready give all they had to this project.  However, what seemed such a simple project, in short order, turned into a complicated nightmare that kept me awake until 4am in the morning.  In the first hour of our planning time came 5 different opinions on the grandeur of how this small model boat should look.   Suddenly a small model boat turned into a world-class yacht.  A simple plan would yield a simple set of instructions, but several members were on the fast track to show off their artistic skills rather than focusing on the requirements of the assignment. I was hindered from accomplishing the assignment’s goals, and my frustration grew. My teammate’s egos were getting in the way because the sky was the limit.  They wanted to build the coolest model boat ever, but they were missing the point of the assignment.

The prophet Hosea was speaking and said:

“Judah’s leaders are like those who move boundary stones. I will pour out my wrath on them like a flood of water. Ephraim is oppressed, trampled in judgment, intent on pursuing idols. I am like a moth to Ephraim, like rot to the people of Judah. “When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his sores, then Ephraim turned to Assyria, band sent to the great king for help. But he is not able to cure you, not able to heal your sores. For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, like a great lion to Judah. I will tear them to pieces and go away; I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them. Then I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me.” Hosea 5:10-15 NIV)

We see the situation, at the time, Judah’s leaders were corrupt, Moving boundary stones was stealing land, something prohibited by the law of Mosses.  Second, Ephraim was pursing idols, clearly an abomination to holy God.  Third, Ephraim refused to turn to the Lord for help and instead asked Assyria for help. 

Mosses led the people to the promised land, Joshua led the people to conquer the land, with the Lords direction. The City of Ai was attacked by Israel  and Joshua gives us lessons we can apply today. See Joshua chapters 7 and 8 for the full text.

Over the years, we all have witnessed fast moving events when rumors overran hard, reliable news. My first experience with prolonged rumors was during the Detroit riots in 1967, when I was in high school, living two blocks from Detroit.

When Moses was given the vision from God to guide the children of Israel into the Promised Land, I doubt that he also envisioned the problems he would encounter along the way.  His greatest joy was to surely know that God had made provisions for them, yet his blessing also became his biggest headache. Israel had to learn that with blessing comes responsibility.

Daily food from heaven was showered upon the children of Israel, and still they often grumbled. When they were told to throw out the quail from that day, they did not do so and the smell was terrible. With the blessing of food came the responsibility to follow God’s baking instructions for the Sabbath Day.  It meant unquestioned obedience. (Exodus 16).