Tag: Numbers

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Being Slothful

A sloth hanging from the rainforest canopy in Costa Rica.
Proverbs 13:4 (ESV)—The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.

Have you ever seen a sloth in a tree in the rainforest canopy? This adorable creature hangs by three legs while the other, ever so slowly, reaches for a leaf to munch on or a limb to climb. This mammal’s sluggish movement, in fact, ensures its survival. The slowness of the sloth helps it evade the eyes of visual predators such as jaguars and eagles, and the green tint of its fur, caused by algae, provides camouflage in the canopy. Moreover, its lack of speed allows it to test each branch before committing its full weight to it, preventing falls from high in the canopy.

Why, then, does the term “sloth” have a negative connotation today? Simply, it comes from the Middle English slouthe, meaning “indolence, sluggishness, neglect of responsibilities.” Unfair, if I do say so, to mark a creature of God’s design with such a definition; thus, I dare to uplift the sloth as the “soul of the diligent” in Proverbs 13:4.

Whereas God richly supplies the sloth with techniques to survive in the wild, he desires to grant us more: eternal life. He wants us to move with his plan, using slow, deliberate intention, when necessary, to prevent ourselves from falling from the canopy.

Indeed, slow is the way to go in some scenarios. For instance, James 1:19–20 says, “let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” In other words, the diligent soul deliberately thinks about their emotional nature and chooses slowness and receives the righteousness of God in return for their faithful following of God’s Word.

What’s more, God also acts with slowness (Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:18; Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 86:15) and is “not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward [us], not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). This means that although the path to fulfilling God’s plan may seem long, God lavishes us with steadfast love to support us and leads us to eternal life.

Without a doubt, the person with the sloth’s soul is not slow and lazy but rather slow and intentional, desiring to follow God and gain the greatest reward. This soul benefits from the rich supply of God’s steadfast love, mercy, and grace, as well as his commandments of how to live. This individual “draws near to God [and believes] that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Because of this faith, this person does the slow work of preparing for the coming of Christ by memorizing and studying Scripture, giving up idols, seeking advice from fellow Christians, and thinking before speaking, among other actions.

To sum it up, the slothful soul is slothful when necessary, to ensure their life reflects God’s Word.

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Trusting in the Fabric of His Plan

Exodus 15:20 (ESV)—Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing.

Throughout San Juan, music flows through the doors of restaurants and bars. Music pours from speakers the residents carry.

At one point, while I sat with my husband at an outdoor tea and coffee kiosk, one customer’s speaker played soft guitar strains and Latin beats flowed from another’s. And after visiting for a few days, I realized that music blending together in the streets is part of the island’s fabric of the life.

In several parts of the Bible, dancing due to victories over enemies is part of the fabric of life. Take, for example, the prophet Miriam’s song and dance in Exodus 15:20: “Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing.”

However, as charming as this scene is, her dancing didn’t come immediately. First, she had to learn to trust God with her troubles. For instance, Miriam learned the hard way that God appointed his servant Moses. Her attempt at gaining more power ended in leprosy and seven days of banishment from the Israelite camp (Numbers 12).

Better the former than the latter, right? Well, we can’t have one without the other.

Our relationship with him involves both troubles in our lives and trust in his blend of music for our lives. His love for us comes in comfort and peace during trials. It comes in the form of encouragement from family and friends. For these situations, we can still worship by bowing down in humility to the One who has designed for us a plan.

Indeed, not every situation is going to make us want to dance. But some are, and for these, God deserves our raised hands, our songs of praise, our bodies swaying to the fabric of his plan.

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Resting in the Mystery

Numbers 9:21 (ESV)—And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they set out.

I perched on the edge of my seat on the bus, on the lookout for wildlife and the top of Mount McKinley in Denali National Park. Hoards of bears, a fox, a flock of dall sheep, a herd of caribou, and a moose later, at the end of the road, the clouds still obscured Mount McKinley, its view a shroud of mystery (except for thousands of photos on the internet, of course).

For the Israelites, the cloud of God led them through the desert. When the cloud descended on the tabernacle, the Israelites made camp, and when the cloud lifted, they broke camp and traveled through the desert, an arduous journey for sure.

The people trusted in God even with the mystery of the cloud’s timing. They allowed God to lead and followed in obedience.

Today, God still sets the pace of our journey, though not in the form of a physical cloud. His protection comes in the form of a friend telling us we need to slow down, in jobs appearing when we need them most, in anxiety attacks telling our bodies enough is enough.

The next steps of God’s plan for us, whether shrouded in thick, dense fog or clear for miles and miles, come when we sit in God’s presence. In this place of rest, we can find assurance and can ask for wisdom to separate his plan from our own.

For sure, God’s plan is a mystery whose revelation unfolds in his timing. While we wait though, he provides a cloud of comfort, peace, and protection.