Num 24:1-26:22
In Balaam’s fourth oracle (24:15-25), he prophecies about King David’s future victories over Moab and Edom. David is “the star” which “shall come out of Jacob” and “the scepter” which “shall rise out of Israel.” 1,000 years later, someone from Edom (then known as Idumea), Herod, would rule over Israel at the time of Jesus’ birth.
In chapter 25, there is a troubling passage. At first glance, it seems that the people of Israel are punished with a plague just for marrying people from Midian, the desert region south of the Promised Land. However, remember that Moses married Zipporah, a Midianite, and her father Jethro, a priest of Midian, was one of Moses’ wise counselors. The real issue seems to be idolatry: those who married or had relations with Midianites started worshipping “the Baal of Peor.” “Baal” means “lord,” but Baal was used as a name for Hadad, the Syrian storm god.
Mark 10:1-22
Jesus here sets the bar high for marriage and prohibits divorce. Elsewhere in the New Testament, Jesus (and Paul) relaxes the prohibition a little: Matthew 5:32, 19:9, Mark 10:11-12, 1 Corinthians 7:10-16. According to Jesus, one is certainly not bound to a spouse who commits adultery. This rule can very reasonably be applied to include abusive relationships and addictions: if one’s spouse is abusive or really ‘married’ to drugs or alcohol, are they not being unfaithful?
“Let the little children come to me,” says Jesus. We need to always ask ourselves, How can we be welcoming to children and families at Grace? How can we invite them in, and show them Jesus?
The rich man walked away from Jesus grieving, because he was not willing to give all his possessions to the poor and then follow Jesus. He had too much wealth – if he was poor and had very little, it would have been easy to give it away and follow Jesus. It is just as difficult for the rich today to follow Jesus.
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