Numbers 30, Psalm 74, Isaiah 22, 2 Peter 3

Date	Version	Reading Plan
@May 21, 2024	ESV (2016)	M’Cheyne Plan 2024

Numbers 30

Numbers 30:14–15 (ESV) 14 But if her husband says nothing to her from day to day, then he establishes all her vows or all her pledges that are upon her. He has established them, because he said nothing to her on the day that he heard of them. 15 But if he makes them null and void after he has heard of them, then he shall bear her iniquity.”

Moses gives the people command regarding vows. Interestingly, his instruction for vows made by women is spoken in significantly more detail than vows made by men. A woman’s father or husband determined whether it would be binding. If opposed by the father or husband, the vow would be made void and the LORD would forgive the vow (Num. 30:5; Num. 30:12). However, if the father or husband had no response, the vow would stand. While this could be construed as belittling women, it shows the responsibility of men to be heads and leaders of families. How we steward this role has a direct impact on the spiritual, mental and physical well-being of our families as well as the broader culture. May we feel the full weight of this and proceed forward in courage, in service and in full surrender to Christ our Lord.

Psalm 74

Psalm 74:10 (ESV) 10 How long, O God, is the foe to scoff? Is the enemy to revile your name forever?

The psalmist makes repeated mention of the the “foe” of God. They act in wickedness, setting His sanctuary on fire, profaning the dwelling place of His name and boasted of their greatness. But they will ultimately be brought down. God will remember their iniquity and their prosperity will be short lived. The faithful in Christ will face trial and opposition but must remain mindful of His victory through it all. “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Ps. 30:5b)

Isaiah 22

Isaiah 22:12–13 (ESV) 12 In that day the Lord GOD of hosts called for weeping and mourning, for baldness and wearing sackcloth; 13 and behold, joy and gladness, killing oxen and slaughtering sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine. “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

God called for weeping and mourning, but the people responded in joy and gladness. How corrupt is our heart to celebrate that which God calls us to mourn. This world is replete with a lack of healthy grief over that which directly opposes God’s decree and design. Oh, that we would be a people who would weep over the lostness of this world and that it would stir within us the desire to bring the light of the gospel to every soul living in darkness.

2 Peter 3

2 Peter 3:16b–18 (ESV) 16b There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

There are those who twist Scripture, but this will be to their own destruction. The faithful are to instead grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To this end, we are to diligently pursue Him, to cherish His Word as our meditation all the day and see that by His work we have been granted a righteousness not of our own but that which comes through faith in Christ.

Carson on Numbers 30

…for the right ordering of the culture, God himself sets forth who, under this covenant, is permitted to ratify or set aside a pledge; that pattern says something about headship and responsibility in the family. But the fundamental issue is one of truth-telling and fidelity.

Carson adds a crucial element to my above reflection on headship and responsibility in that it must be carried out in honesty and integrity. Without such things, proper leadership cannot be healthily or sustainably maintained.

Justin Houtz