Forgiveness Is Not an Eraser

Numbers 14:17-20  -  And now, therefore, let the power of the Lord be great in the way that you promised when you spoke, saying,  "The Lord is slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children to the third and the fourth generation.”  Forgive the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have pardoned this people, from Egypt even until now. Then the Lord said, "I do forgive, just as you have asked…

 

Moses…what an amazing man…to pray in the face of such rebellion and hatred….to call for the protection and forgiveness of the very people who wanted to stone him. It is no wonder God chose him for a leader. God had just offered to let him off the hook…kill the whole nation that had failed to see God’s great plan for their lives…and start over with him. But Moses’ heart…full of love and compassion for his people…plead for their lives instead….and reminded God of his promise to forgive.

 

God did forgive…and spared their lives…for a season…but the lesson he taught them because of their rebellion would last another 40 years….and bring into being a whole new generation of Israelites…only Caleb and Joshua would live through the 40 year trek through the wilderness.  They would somehow be blessed through the next 40 years…while the people who complained would all die of old age in the harsh conditions of the wilderness.

 

God’s forgiveness does not erase our past.  It cleanses us from guilt…but we sometime deal with the consequences of what we did long after we accept God’s love and change our hearts. It is how we deal with those consequences that prove to God that we truly love him more than ourselves. It is how we gracefully accept the consequences of our sins…that prove to God we really have changed our hearts.

 

Like Caleb and Joshua…we become brave and courageous in the face of obstacles.  Like Moses…we become even more humble…and pray for everyone…despite the way we are treated by them. Like Caleb and Joshua…we accept the next 40 years of wandering…and anticipate the promised land instead of grumbling that we did not deserve the same punishment as the rest. Like Moses…we continue in the task God gave us to do…and continue to pray for guidance and wisdom to lead the people with God’s presence right by his side.

 

Father… I am amazed by the love and forgiveness you show to me.  Help me to accept the consequences of my sins…as lessons in how to love you through all that happens in my life.  Help me to be strong and courageous like Caleb and Joshua….and face every hardship that comes my way with your strength…and your courage.  Help me to really understand how to talk to you like Moses…and intercede for others…and love them despite what they might have done to me or others. Help me see the possibilities of love…instead of the consequences of my past…so you can use me to complete the job you have given me to do. Amen.

God Is My Giant

Numbers 13: 27-31  -   And they told him, "We came to the land to which you sent us; it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.  Yet the people who live in the land are strong, and the towns are fortified and very large; and besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.  The Amalekites live in the land of the Negeb; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live by the sea, and along the Jordan."  But Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it."  Then the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against this people, for they are stronger than we."

 

They were right there….on the outskirts of the land God had promised them…so close to his promise…yet so far away. God had told Moses to pick 12 leaders to ‘spy’ out the land…and so Moses sent them…with instructions to scout out the people….the fruits…and the type of towns they had built for themselves…so God could show them how great a land it was…and the best way to overtake the people who already lived there.

 

They were gone for 40 days…and came back excited about the land…but fearful of the people.  Most of the spies saw the physical strength of the people as a barrier….but Caleb saw the strength of the God they served. He stood in the midst of all those fearful spies and spoke brave words to go up at once and take it…just as God had promised it to them. 

 

Sometimes we let the horrible circumstances of the world beat us down…we are like those spies that saw the giants in their pathway as an obstacle that they couldn’t beat. But Caleb remembered the great things God had done for the Israelites already and saw the giants of the promised land as grasshoppers to a God who had already done great things to bring them to this good land.  Oh how God must have smiled as he gave his brave speech…and he must have strengthened Moses’ spirit too…as he stood an ‘quieted’ the people…who were on the verge of another attack against Moses for bringing them out to die in this place occupied by giants.

 

Once again I am guilty…I see myself as a grasshopper most days…and don’t realize the power I could draw on from God if I were more like Caleb.  I am one of the other spies…who says it can’t be done…who retreats and lets her fear keep me from realizing his great blessings for me. I wonder just how many blessings I have missed because I let Satan trick me into seeing those giants as more powerful than my God.

 

Father…I thank you for the reminder that I need to see you as the most powerful thing in my life. Help me to stop limiting you with my human ideas of what I should be able to do.  Help me be more like Caleb…and feel your power so strongly in my life that I can face any giant you allow in my pathway. Help me remember what you have done to bring me this far…so I can use it to get where you need me to go. Amen.

Misplaced Focus

Numbers 12: 6-10  -  And he said, "Hear my words: When there are prophets among you, I the Lord make myself known to them in visions; I speak to them in dreams.  Not so with my servant Moses; he is entrusted with all my house. With him I speak face to face—clearly, not in riddles; and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"  And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed.  When the cloud went away from over the tent, Miriam had become leprous, as white as snow. And Aaron turned towards Miriam and saw that she was leprous.

 

Moses had no sooner gotten God to calm the complaining about what the people were given to eat…than his own sister and brother came complaining about the wife he took. But their issue was more than just his choice in mates…it seemed they challenged God’s ability to choose a leader…they felt that God should have given them more of a say in the leadership of the people. So God called them all three to him at the tent of meeting...and spoke clear and plain to all three….but of Miriam...he made an example.

 

God let them know immediately who was in charge…that he did choose prophets from time to time...to speak his words. He even gave them dreams and visions for the future. But God himself had chosen Moses to be a different kind of leader.  He had called him from a burning bush to lead his people out of Egypt to a land of promise. He spoke to him face to face…and not in riddles… because of his humility…because Moses was willing to be used.

 

Miriam somehow lost that zeal she possessed as a young girl to seek out a solution for problems from God. She forgot how God had laid his very hand on her brother when he was born…gave her mother the idea to weave a basket. She forgot that God put in her spirit to hide and watch the basket from the reeds…so she would see the princess find her brother. She forgot that God uses all people to weave his intricate plans that saved not only a small baby boy from death…but saved a whole nation of people from slavery.

 

Miriam fell into the trap that Satan sets for all of us from time to time.  Call it jealousy… pride… hypocrisy… fear…insecurity… it all distracts us from what God really wants us to do…who God wants us to listen to.  It takes our focus off of God…and onto our own ambitions.  Miriam…who took her focus off God… began to wonder why she had not been given more of a leadership role….and searching for reasons to complain and find fault with others….even rally support from a brother in high places to make her story more credible.

 

I wonder what Miriam thought about those 7 days she spent outside of camp. She had plenty of time to reflect on what got her into trouble.  And when you think about it….Miriam really got off easy that day. Aaron’s plea for mercy…and Moses’ cry to God to heal her convinced God to lessen her punishment….but I am sure those seven days felt like an eternity to her. Surely she called out to God and asked his forgiveness.  Maybe God reminded her how he had placed his hand on her brother from the start…and her intervention in saving his life as a baby was more important than any task he had given her to do since. 

 

Father…this morning I am reminded that you are in charge…and you have given each of us a task to do.  Whether that task be seemingly great…or seemingly insignificant is really not for us to decide. Help me to accept all the tasks you give me to do…and be content….humble like Moses. Help me to stay focused on you so I do not get tricked by Satan and allow my mind to think more highly than I should of anything I have done. Amen.

Cry Out Only to God

Numbers 11:1-3 -   Now when the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, the Lord heard it and his anger was kindled. Then the fire of the Lord burned against them, and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.  But the people cried out to Moses; and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire abated.  So that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned against them.

 

Daily life for the Israelites was not an easy thing. We are not told exactly what the complaining was about but packing constantly…walking such long distances each day…and eating only manna every day had to have beat down their spirits.  No wonder grumbling arose in the camp…the spirit of discontent gripped them so fully it made God angry….so angry he destroyed part of the camp…till Moses saw fit to pray for them.

 

The people made the mistake of complaining to each other…they whined amongst themselves…to mere people who couldn’t do anything about the problems. They whined to each other…they lashed out at Moses….they lashed out at each other…the grumblings getting worse each day they traveled.

 

Thank God for Moses and his quick intervention….for he prayed to God for an answer. Moses knew to pray to the only one who could fix any problem we have….Moses knew to lift up the problem to God. And God heard his prayer…and stopped the fire.

 

What a great lesson for all of us that get a little dissatisfied with life’s crazy circumstances sometimes. I know I sure am guilty…especially at work…it seems that every time I turn around some new rule…paperwork… the addition of a teacher web site…low scores from the year before…and I find myself gathered together with my colleagues complaining and wishing for retirement once again. Not once have I suggested that we gather to pray about the issues….guess I have my orders this morning…no more complaining…except to God in a prayer…for him to give me guidance.

 

Father…thank you once again for smacking me in the face with a sin I need to deal with.  This one will be hard…for you know how much I love to talk.  Give me the strength to stop complaining and give my worries to you.  Help me to find the strength to do all that is asked of me…and call out only to you when it gets hard. Teach me to pray like Moses…so you will answer me quickly.  Amen

God Goes Before Us

Numbers 10:33-36   -   So they set out from the mountain of the LORD and traveled for three days. The ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them during those three days to find them a place to rest. The cloud of the LORD was over them by day when they set out from the camp. Whenever the ark set out, Moses said, "Rise up, O LORD! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you."  Whenever it came to rest, he said, "Return, O LORD, to the countless thousands of Israel."

 

With silver trumpets sounding strong…the journey of God’s people begins towards the Promised Land.  What a caravan of people…and animals…and Priests carrying the ark. Moses called them ‘countless thousands’…but it was probably close to two million people. They traveled with all their herds…and all the belongings they had brought with them from Egypt…they traveled the first of many days toward the land God had promised Abraham.

 

It must have been a great moment for Moses…for his voice couldn’t help but shout out as they started on their way…for God to rise up and go before the camp…and protect them. He called for the enemies of God to scatter….and for anyone they met to flee from their camp. And as the ark came to rest at night…Moses called for God to return to his mercy seat…and light the camp with his presence while they slept.

 

It would do us all good to follow Moses example….to wake each morning and call out to God to go before us and protect us…to guide and deliver us.  Then before we rest our heads at night...we should speak to God once more…and ask him to return to us…and give us rest. And Moses was not the only one to suggest that calling on God before we set out on a task…was a good thing to do. Daniel prayed three times a day….Mark 1:35 tells us even Jesus rose very early many days to speak with his father …and Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Never stop praying.”

 

I don’t have to shout like Moses…there is just me in the house these days….and maybe a few spiders I missed while cleaning.  So in my quiet way …I call out to him to guide my mind and fingers as I type each morning…and then lead me as I go to work.  A few times a day my mind will think of someone who needs an extra prayer…and I will silently lift my face and ask God to bless and keep them. Then at night …before I close my eyes…I ask him to teach me something new from his word… and whisper my few needs before him as I drift off to sleep. Maybe these verses are telling me that is just a good start…that I should get a little more serious about my prayers.

 

Father…you are so good.  You have blessed me beyond what I deserve…and I come to you this morning with a thankful heart.  Thank you that you love me…even though I don’t deserve one bit of it.  Thank you for your mercy and grace that makes a way for me…a sinner full of mistakes and flaws…to be saved by your blood.  Teach me how to pray…morning… noon…evening…even continually….and seek you wherever I go.  Teach me to call out to you like Moses… guide and deliver me in all that I do…because I am traveling the path you set out for me to go. Amen.

The Spirit...My Pillar of Cloud

Numbers 9:15-19 -  On the day the tabernacle, the Tent of the Testimony, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire.  That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire.  Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped.  At the LORD's command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp.  When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the LORD's order and did not set out.

 

It must have been an amazing thing to look upon…this pillar of a cloud that contained God’s very presence. How comforted they must have been by God’s presence in the middle of the camp. They could look up at any time during the day and see the pillar of a cloud resting on the tabernacle…and as they settled in to rest and sleep for the next day’s work…they could but look toward the tabernacle and see the glow from the pillar…transformed at night to look like a glowing fire.

 

They camped and moved at the command of the Lord….asking no questions…they just knew they had to follow the cloud…to obey the God who had brought them out of captivity in Egypt. It didn’t matter…one night….two days…a week…a year…they settled when the cloud stopped…and moved when the cloud moved. They packed and moved when the cloud moved…unpacked and camped when the cloud stopped.

 

I couldn’t help but think that life would be easier if I had my own pillar of cloud to follow. God knows how much I struggle with knowing whether or not I am just where he needs me to be. I am beginning to believe that my struggle with where to be…is just Satan…the author of confusion…who convinces me to chase rabbits…just to get me off track what God wants me to do. I guess what it really boils down to is that I just have not learned to use what he did give me….when he rose to his father in Heaven and gave us the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our movements here on Earth.

 

God manifested himself to Jesus as a dove when he was baptized into his ministry. The Spirit walked with him and helped him to have the courage to complete the hard task of dying on that cross for our sins.  Jesus prayed and spoke with his father often…and he called on the many scriptures he had studied and placed permanently in his heart as a child.  And as Jesus spoke with the disciples after his resurrection...his words to all of us were recorded John 14:26 … “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

 

Father…I thank you once again for reminding me that you are always with me…that you have sent your spirit to live within my heart and guide me in my daily tasks. Help me to learn to use it more completely…to learn to listen to the soft voice of God as he speaks through his comforter. Help me to pray for your guidance and place more of your word inside my heart permanently…so I can more quickly decide what you have planned for me to do. Teach me father…all things…especially how to recognize Satan the next time he waves a rabbit in my face that looks like something you want me to do. Help me to be that turtle…and wait on you to move that cloud…so I will follow you…and be exactly where you want me to be. Amen.

God's Light Shining Bright

Numbers 8: 1-4 - The LORD said to Moses,  "Speak to Aaron and say to him, When you set up the seven lamps, they are to light the area in front of the lampstand. Aaron did so; he set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the lampstand, just as the LORD commanded Moses.  This is how the lampstand was made: It was made of hammered gold--from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the LORD had shown Moses.

 

This was a very important direction from God….for without this candlestick….the tabernacle would have remained in darkness. The light was symbolic of the presence of God...that now lived in the Holy of Holies above the ark.  The light was to shine forward on the work of the priests…it was to illuminate the inside of the tabernacle…so they could perform the work they had been assigned for the Lord.

 

We don’t light a 7 stemmed candlestick anymore ...because Jesus lives inside each and every one who has asked him to be their savior and king. But we do need to make sure the light Jesus put inside us the day we ask him into our lives is lit…and burning bright…and shedding its light forward to all the people we see and interact with every day. Jesus himself told us in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” His light is the light we should walk by every moment of our lives.

 

I remember the sweet words of the Psalmist David in Psalms 119:105…where he wrote… “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Daily Bible study will illuminate our path…and guide us…and teach us how to keep our lights shining brightly in the direction God wants us to shed his radiance to the world. We must hide his words in our hearts…so that we can recall them when Satan comes to tempt us.  We must study his word to know what direction to shine the light he gave us for others.

 

John said in Revelation 1:20…that the church was the very candlestick of God….and if we are the church…then we had better get our wicks trimmed…our oil supplies ready…and ask God to help us shine our lights in the direction he needs it the most. Just like the sun…which by the way is putting on one beautiful show this morning….rises to shed its light to the world…we should rise each morning and make sure we have lit the candlestick of our hearts.  We should rise each morning to speak with the father…and ask him to trim our candles…so we can be used every day to shine his light.

 

Father…I thank you for lighting the candle inside my heart the day I asked you to be my savior. Help me to trim my wick every morning and evening as I study your Holy Bible…and process its wise words to my life. Be the lamp in my life that lights my path…and shows me all the tricks Satan has placed in my way.  Help me to keep the light you gave me shining brightly so all can see its glow and know that you are in control of my world. Amen.

Our heart...God's House

Numbers 7: 1-5   and 89 - When Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed it and consecrated it and all its furnishings. He also anointed and consecrated the altar and all its utensils.  Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of families who were the tribal leaders in charge of those who were counted, made offerings.  They brought as their gifts before the LORD six covered carts and twelve oxen--an ox from each leader and a cart from every two. These they presented before the tabernacle.  The LORD said to Moses,  "Accept these from them, that they may be used in the work at the Tent of Meeting. Give them to the Levites as each man's work requires."  ………………..

When Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the Testimony. And he spoke with him.

 

The tabernacle was finished…so Moses anointed and consecrated everything in it to the use of God.  The leaders of the tribes came and brought gifts…..so much that it took six covered carts to carry it all.  Then Moses entered the tent and went behind the veil….and heard God’s voice from above the ark….and they spoke.

 

Even though it was not the first time Moses had heard God’s voice…or spoken to him….It must have been a very spiritual moment for Moses.  He had to have thought about the day he heard God’s voice from a mere bush…burning but not consumed...the day he met God personally for the first time. He had to have been reminded of the time he spent with God on that mountain…the place where God had shown him his very glory. It had to have been one of those moments when you don’t know whether to kneel in awe...or stand in praise…fall completely broken before him…or shout out hallelujah because your heart wells up with great pride and joy!

 

Maybe Moses trembled in fear… or swelled with pride…but whatever emotion Moses felt that day…it had to have included a feeling of permanence….to know that he could come to God any time he needed to….to know that he did not have to wait for him…that he knew for sure where God lived every day.  It must have been a source of great comfort to Moses to know that this tabernacle and the ark of God would go with them everywhere god asked them to go.

 

The conversation was so private it is not written down…maybe God told him how proud he was of the job he had done so far…maybe Moses thanked him and asked for continued strength and wisdom….Maybe after they laughed out loud at all the crazy things that Moses had been through so far …they chatted about the weather and just sat in silence for a while and enjoyed each other’s presence.

 

It gives me great comfort to know that God ripped that veil the day his son died…and that I can now carry him around inside my own heart. It gives my heart a permanence all its own as I know wherever I go God is with me…for I am on the road once more…as I visited with family this week…and find myself in that familiar office at Krystal…typing on my new lap top…connected to the internet by the free wireless hotspot here. A Bible is at my fingertips and all the commentaries I can google ….help me to research and understand his great word. Who could help but be thankful that they can remember the day I they had their first personal encounter with Christ…and all the encounters since …and know that God will show us how to find him everywhere we go.

 

Father…I thank you that you are so near.  My human words of praise and love and reverence will never be able to express enough gratitude for all you have done and brought me through.  Forgive me for not constantly singing your praise …but letting myself get sidetracked instead in this busy world full of life struggles and hurts.  Go with me this day and help me to stop often and reflect deep in my heart on the love you give me and sustain me throughout every day. Help me to reflect the love you give me to others. Amen.

True Blessing

Numbers 6:22-27 -  The LORD said to Moses,  "Tell Aaron and his sons, This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: The LORD bless you and keep you;  the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;  the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace. So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them."

 

The priests had been given the difficult job of offering the sacrifices that people brought to God.  So God wanted the priests to know how to send them away after the offerings had been sacrificed and it was time to go home.  God told Moses to tell Aaron and his sons to use this beautiful combination of words…so that God would place his name on everyone that left the tabernacle…so that all would leave with a fivefold blessing from God.

 

The blessing contains five requests of God…five different things we need him to give us if we are to have full lives on this Earth.  The first thing we ask in the blessing is to be kept in his protection…to have God’s very arms wrapped around us as we travel to and from our work…our play….our worship.  Then we are asking God to fill our lives with joy…the kind that that radiates from our hearts...and becomes contagious to those around.  The third thing we are asking God to bless us with is a gracious spirit…one that would have us humbly give to others and guard against selfish pride.  The fourth blessing is for God to show us favor…to bless us with all that we need and more to do his work.  And as if that were not a huge amount for God to give us already…he throws in his directions for us to pray for peace….peace  in our own lives that tells us that no matter what happens it will be okay…that God is in control…and had great plans for us.

 

I remember singing these words as a child in the church I grew up in.  The sweet words…combined with the soft music were sung almost every Sunday.  They had a calming effect…and put in the air around me an attitude of comforting. It was a wonderful way to end a service….and it uplifted me as I left the building where I had offered praise and worship to God…and went back to the daily grind of school and chores and life in my wonderful home. I never really listened to the words…you know…broke them down and understood what I was asking when I sang them.

 

What a better blessing to wish for everyone this Thanksgiving Day. …as I prepare to visit with my precious family…share great food…and catch up on the latest happenings in their lives. Come to think of it….since we are all our own priests now…God wants us to give this blessing to everyone that comes into our lives…and has to be separated for some reason. And lets go out on a limb here and say that God wants us to pray this blessing even over those we don’t know….especially the ones we have been made aware of…that need him more than most this day.  I can’t help but feel compassion and empathy for those who are missing loved ones….or have no home to go to. They need these five things from God to heal…to start over…to find their new calling for this season of pain God asked them to walk through.

 

Father...I thank you for you this blessing you gave Moses.  I pray this day that you shower the world with the all the love and care this blessing contained for the people of Israel.  Help me to memorize it…and speak it over my family…my friends…my church.  Let me pray it for the leaders of my town…my state…my nation…the whole world.  Bless and protect us father as we travel to and from our places of Thanksgiving. Help us t radiate your love as we go…..and share the great blessings you have given us in graciousness with others.  Show us favor oh father…and build our lives strong with the things we need to do the work you placed us here to do. And father…I pray for peace…peace to the trouble soul who is lonely and hurting this day….peace to the soldier who fights for my freedom…peace for a world that has left you in the background…and needs a great revival to rekindle the love they once had for you and your ways. Amen.

 

http://youtu.be/w4C9zVg5X_A

The Spirit of Jealousy

Numbers 5:11-16-  Then the LORD said to Moses,  "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'If a man's wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him by sleeping with another man, and this is hidden from her husband and her impurity is undetected (since there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act), and if feelings of jealousy come over her husband and he suspects his wife and she is impure--or if he is jealous and suspects her even though she is not impure--then he is to take his wife to the priest. He must also take an offering of a tenth of an ephah of barley flour on her behalf. He must not pour oil on it or put incense on it, because it is a grain offering for jealousy, a reminder offering to draw attention to guilt. The priest shall bring her and have her stand before the LORD.

 

The ten commandments that God had given Moses included a specific law against adultery. And now  God felt the need to add to his explanations and guidelines a specific thing to do if adultery was suspected …but no evidence was found to substantiate the claim of a ‘jealous’ husband. A ritual …that required the woman to be brought before the Lord…and drink ‘bitter water’…was explained to Moses…so he could speak to the people…and remind them that only God has the right to punish sin…especially sin that is just suspected.

 

Jealously…a dangerous emotion….that eats away the trust between two people.  It destroys the heart…it eats away confidence and encourages other sins…like lying.  It eventually separates the two who once claimed love for one another… and in the days of Moses brought death by stoning to anyone who admitted such behaviors. It is one thing to know for sure…but quite another to just ‘think it true’ with no proof....the stoning of an innocent person…man or woman would be considered murder…so God gave them a sure way to deal with an ‘suspicion’  so it would not end in hostile actions for an innocent woman.

 

Believe it or not…this rule protected the woman…as much as it brought about a healthy fear of ever committing such a serious sin against God and her spouse.  Many of the commentaries I researched said that the mistreatment of suspected women was horrible in those days. This rule forced a jealous husband to let God decide her guilt or innocence. It kept one from dragging their wife out to be stoned without it being ordained by God.

 

This scripture…though it was written for a day long ago still reminds us to take our suspicions to God before they are allowed to fester….destroy trust….destroy a healthy heart and open the door to other sin. I am reminded this morning of my own first marriage...and how badly I fell into this trap of jealously when I suspected my first husband had been unfaithful.  I can see and hear the mean spirited accusations I spat out around the breakfast table where I work….how I allowed my suspicious to fester and create an anger that gripped my heart and engulfed me in depression and despair. I never once asked God to help me…never once just came out and ask him to show me what was true and how he wanted me to deal with it…I just whirled around the doubts in my heart till Satan had me complete in his grip of anger and hate….allowing my heart to give up…just walking out on a promise I had made 30 years before.

 

God has been working on me…trying to help me learn to forgive and forget the past. He is repairing the damage I allowed Satan to do to my heart…helping me to always bring my doubts and suspicions to him before I let them fester….or turn into anger. James 3:14-16 says “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”

 

Father…I thank you for this reminder that I must constantly guard my heart against the anger and selfishness of jealously. I remember so vividly the night that you showed me how to forgive…and how your sweet peace washed over my anger and bitterness and began to heal my broken heart.  Help me to remain in your love…and draw strength from your truth…and never let Satan trick me into anger and jealously again.  Protect my heart….set up your presence in my soul and create a passion in me to always listen to you…to hear your voice...and act only on your directions. Amen

Therefore Go...Therefore Work

Numbers 4:46-49 -  So Moses, Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by their clans and families.  All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to do the work of serving and carrying the Tent of Meeting numbered 8,580.  At the LORD's command through Moses, each was assigned his work and told what to carry. Thus they were counted, as the LORD commanded Moses.

 

Between three the three clans of Levites…there were 8,580 priests of age to serve God in some capacity. Each clan had a specific job to carry out….from the simple care and everyday maintenance of the tabernacle…to breaking down and packing its pieces… or carrying the ark to its new location as God showed them where to travel.  At 30 years of age...they were deemed ready for service...they were counted...and given a job to do for the Lord…and were expected to fulfill this job of service until the age of 50.

 

I bet it took every single one to move that enormous tent. The physical labor required great indeed…as they packed each utensil carefully by the instructions of the Lord….taking care not to touch any of the holy things directly…lest they die for their disobedience. What a sense of reverence must have taken over these men as they watched …or maybe cast their eyes to the sky…while Aaron and his sons walked backward to lay the veil on the ark…and prepare the table of presences for the carrying poles. What physical strength it must have taken to carry these heavy gold objects great distances to the next camp.

 

Today is no different…we have all been given a job to do…we have all been assigned a task to spread his holy word throughout the world. And it will take every one of us to complete just a great task. Some of us are called to care for his church…to clean it and repair it for worship.  Some of us have been called to be witnesses and bring the lost to hear his word.  Some of us have been called to teach…or preach…or lead the church into worship with song. It will take every one that believes in God to complete the task given to us as Jesus ascended into Heaven that last day he spent on the Earth with us.

 

John the Baptist began his ministry at 30…just like these priests.  He ushered in our Messiah…Jesus Christ…who began his ministry at 30 as well. But as he left to be reunited with his father...he left the great words of commission that gave us all our orders to begin our own ministries as soon as we believe in him.   He said in Matthew 28:19-20, “ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

There are no age limits anymore on who can be a worker for God.  The youngest Christian and the oldest are all equipped with his holy spirit to complete the task God gave us all to do. My 54 years of life gives me no more right to God’s love than the newest child who has just been born….and once we believe in him….he expects us to work for him until he blesses us with that trip home to Heaven. He expects us all to find the task we were placed here to do…and pray for his strength to complete it…so that his love can be known to all before he returns to claim his children.

 

Father…even though I wonder this morning what my specific job for you really is…I will continue to love and search for what you have placed me here on this Earth to do. Maybe in the search to know your perfect will…I have even completed some other smaller tasks by accident. Help me father to stay focused on you…and continue to study your word and let it soak deep into my soul…so it can help me to battle the everyday darts of sin that Satan throws at me to get me off task. Walk with me today…and help me to find you in everything that I do.  Help me to see Satan lurking up ahead of me…and reveal your path that moves around Satan’s plan to sidetrack the job you need me to do. Amen.

Redemption's High Price

Numbers 3: 44-51 -  The LORD also said to Moses,  "Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites are to be mine. I am the LORD.  To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who exceed the number of the Levites,  collect five shekels for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs.  Give the money for the redemption of the additional Israelites to Aaron and his sons."  So Moses collected the redemption money from those who exceeded the number redeemed by the Levites.  From the firstborn of the Israelites he collected silver weighing 1,365 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.  Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, as he was commanded by the word of the LORD.

 

After  Moses led the people from Egypt…God required that they give all their first born males to be dedicated to his service…this act of obedience from Exodus 13:2…showed their great thankfulness for what he did…a way of paying God back…redeeming their freedom from slavery. God required this very costly thing in order to remind them of the great cost of the redemption he had provided for each of them. It was in addition to all the sacrifices they were required to give….and the giving of these firstborn males was very costly to each family.

 

But as usual…God had a bigger plan in mind…and now he is going to widen their views of what redemption means. The Lord told Moses that the Levites could redeem…or take the place of the first born males of the whole Israelite nation.  Male for male…except for the 273 extra.  And to prove his point even more… God even made a way for each of them to be redeemed. Each family had to pay 5 shekels of silver…to redeem these extra firstborn males…so these families would never have to dedicate any of their children again…for now all the males of the Levite tribe had redeemed them…or paid the price for their freedom. They would continue to do God’s work in the tabernacle…to offer the sacrifices that would allow them to stay in relationship with Jehovah.

 

God continues to widen my view of just what my redemption cost God….and the son he sent to die for my sins.  I just can’t seem to wrap my head around why God loved me so much that he gave his only son to redeem me for my sins. …and how Jesus loved me so much that he gave himself a willing sacrifice to redeem all mankind. Thank God I don’t really have to understand it…I just have to reach out and accept his payment for me. …and as I do…his love invades my heart and begins to transform it into a vessel of his love.  His loves invades me and allows me to deepen my relationship with him…not because I deserve it…but because I accept him into my heart…and allow him to transform me from the inside out.

 

Father…you are more than good to me…to redeem me…to love me in spite of the many sins I commit each day. I thank you for the love you showed these Israelites…that allowed them to be redeemed by their brothers in the Levite tribe.  I thank you for sending your son to change this way of worship …and allowing your son to pay the high cost of our final redemption by shedding his blood on the cross. Help me to always keep in mind that my redemption was costly…and remember to always give you praise for this wonderful gift I could never repay. Amen.

A Place to Live

Numbers 2:1-3…and 33-34 -  The LORD said to Moses and Aaron:  "The Israelites are to camp around the Tent of Meeting some distance from it, each man under his standard with the banners of his family."  On the east, toward the sunrise, the divisions of the camp of Judah are to encamp under their standard. The leader of the people of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab. ………………….The Levites, however, were not counted along with the other Israelites, as the LORD commanded Moses.  So the Israelites did everything the LORD commanded Moses; that is the way they encamped under their standards, and that is the way they set out, each with his clan and family.

 

God laid out a certain place for each tribe to camp around the sacred tabernacle. The tabernacle would be surrounded by the tribe of Levite…so that they could protect and care for it….be nearby the work God had given them to do. They were also placed next to the tabernacle as a hedge of protection for the people….to protect them from the wrath of God. Then God told Moses the exact spot he wanted the families he had just organized to live….under the tribal standard they had made. They would live in this configuration…and travel in this order….for as long as they remained in God’s care.

 

It would have been a huge camp….needing a plot of land more than 12 miles square to follow this configuration….about 7,680 acres. Since the Israelites had grown to such a large nation…this grouping made it easier for Moses to lead such an enormous group of people.  It would also help them set up divisions of land once they got to the promised land.  Organized this way….they could be more effective in their daily lives and follow the rules God gave them at the base of Mount Sinai. Organized this way…they kept God at the center of their camp….the Levites and the tabernacle in the middle when they traveled.

 

God has prepared all of us a place to live on this earth too. He wants us to be organized and connected to families and churches so that we can be his hands and feet here. He still wants to be at the center of our lives….and be in the middle of all that we do. He wants us to be ordered and organized…like the very world he created for us to live in. So ….I can’t help but wonder...just what God thinks when he looks down on our world today.  Does he see the order he asked for from these Israelites …or does he see the disorder Satan has created by tricking us with our selfishness and greed. Does God see us taking care of each other in love…circling round his presence….or fending for ourselves as we walk through the daily chores of life…living where we think we can look out for ourselves with the most possible gain. 

 

I have to admit…when he looks down on me… he sees a mixture of the two…for I know for sure that some  days I am right smack dab where he wants me…serving him and enjoying his sweet peace when I get it right.  But other days…probably most….I wake up to so many tricks of Satan that I fail miserably….and I walk around in Satan’s fog of confusion instead of God’s plan for my day. Oh how I need God to help me organize myself around his believers and gain strength from them each day.

 

Father….I am so sorry that I allow life and Satan’s tricks to keep me from my appointments with you. Help me Lord to reorganize my life around your tabernacle in my heart…and listen more carefully for the plans you set apart just for me. Help me to recognize Satan’s tricks and turn to you for guidance and help...to use your holy word to send Satan far away from me…so I can stay centered on the task you gave me to do…and share your truth with all that need to hear it.  Amen.

Organized for Battle

Numbers 1:1-4 -  One day in midspring, during the second year after Israel's departure from Egypt, the LORD spoke to Moses in the Tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai. He said,  "Take a census of the whole community of Israel by their clans and families. List the names of all the men  twenty years old or older who are able to go to war. You and Aaron are to direct the project,  assisted by one family leader from each tribe."

 

Camped at the base of Mount Sinai…for just over a year…God is about to move them a bit closer to his promise….God is about to lead them to the land flowing with milk and honey that he promised would be their home.  He tells Moses that he needs to count the people…especially the men that were 20 and older.  The land he was taking them to…was already occupied…by some pretty mean and enormous people.

 

God chose one leader from each tribe to count his family…and the first family trees were written down on paper. The smallest tribe of 32,000….and the largest tribe of 74,600…were each recorded and counted…and the total was 603,550…and that was just the men! When you added the tribe of Levite…and the women and children….the total of all the people was around 2 million! Not hard to believe when you remember the way God blessed them in their captivity in Egypt for over 400 years. He was able to take a mere 70 people…remember Joseph was joined by the 69 Jacob brought in Exodus 1:5….and turn them into a nation…about the size of the city of Chicago Illinois….or Houston Texas…if the figures from the 2010 census were correct.

 

The count allowed God to organize his people into family tribes that would now live in camps according to their families.  They were to create a family banner…or flag…and hang it in the center of the section that marked their part of the camp. It must have also strengthened their spirit to know that they had become such an enormous nation…with 603,550 men to form a formidable military.   The count also was a signal to the people that God was about to move them to a land of great wealth…and they would need to battle a strong people to survive.  They had reservations in the greatest land available at the time…God was going to walk with them and throw out nation after nation…just to establish them as his people…in the best land he had to offer on Earth.

 

This count…this way God signaled to them that a battle was ensuing…it shows the importance of events gone by. It shows how our struggles and trials train us to be a part of a bigger picture. We may feel we have been camped out at the base of a mountain…just listening to rules…struggling every day to understand why we may have suffered so much in the short time he has granted us life here on Earth. But God has a plan…and he is counting us….organizing us into not just generational families…but church families and nations that can stand up for what he has given us to do. Someday…very soon I fear…he will come again to take us to that land spoken of in Revelation…a place of no more struggle…no tears and no pain…a reward of enormous proportion that none of us deserve.

 

Father…I thank you for the great family you have given me…the wonderful seed I came from…the  seed you blessed me with…and the family that adopted me into their midst as a church. Help me to be a strong member of all those families….and look for ways to share the truth of your love to others that may not belong to a Christian family…who may not have a place reserved for them in Heaven one day.  Show me how to look forward to your glory…instead of look back on my past struggles….help me organize for the future…and not think about how my past slowed me down from your great promises. Amen.

Redeemed

Leviticus 27:1-8 -  The LORD said to Moses,  "Give the following instructions to the Israelites: If you make a special vow to dedicate someone to the LORD by paying the value of that person, here is the scale of values to be used. A man between the ages of twenty and sixty is valued at fifty pieces of silver;  a woman of that age is valued at thirty pieces of silver.  A boy between five and twenty is valued at twenty pieces of silver; a girl of that age is valued at ten pieces of silver.  A boy between the ages of one month and five years is valued at five pieces of silver; a girl of that age is valued at three pieces of silver.  A man older than sixty is valued at fifteen pieces of silver; a woman older than sixty is valued at ten pieces of silver.  If you desire to make such a vow but cannot afford to pay the prescribed amount, go to the priest and he will evaluate your ability to pay. You will then pay the amount decided by the priest.

 

The Lord gave Moses one last instruction for the people…before he brought this book of rules to an end. He gave them a simple list….that told the value of each person that wanted to dedicate himself to the Lord. The pieces of silver translate from 50 pieces of silver….all the way down to 3 pieces of silver for a small female child. God even offered the possibility of dedicating yourself or a child to anyone when he made the provision that the priest could set individual prices for anyone who was too poor to provide the set price listed.

 

I will be honest with you here…I struggled with translating these silver values to a currency that I understand.  My Living Bible commentary said that the 50 pieces was worth 25 US dollars…but when I researched it on the google…it said that the 30 pieces Judas sold Jesus for was probably around 16, 000 US dollars.   If that is true then fifty pieces of silver was a great price to pay for dedicating yourself to the Lord.

 

But maybe we shouldn’t focus so much on an exact amount in the translation…but use the indication of these prices to understand that we are very valuable to God. And since God mentions the concept of tithing later on in the chapter…verse 30, “A tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, belongs to the LORD and must be set apart to him as holy”…these set prices may just be a way to introduce us to the concept of giving this tenth of all we receive back to the Lord.

 

One other thing my heart noticed was the message embedded in verse 29, “A person specially set apart by the LORD for destruction cannot be redeemed. Such a person must be put to death.”  At first I thought how harsh…then I realized that is just what had to happen. God dedicated his son to save the world…to redeem it from its sins…and so he willingly…cheerfully gave his life…according to this scripture in Leviticus…to redeem all mankind.  Jesus was dedicated as our perfect sacrifice by his father above.  God followed his own rule…even if it meant sacrificing his own son. Amazing…and humbling…and oh so precious to my soul…to know that God loved me so much that he gave his only son…that whoever believes in him will have everlasting life through this promise…that God redeemed us all with his own son’s blood. The least I can do is cheerfully and willingly pay my tenth…and dedicate what life I will be granted in days to come to his service.

 

Thank you father…thank you a million times a million…that you chose to pay the redeeming price for me. I look forward to the day when this unbelievable sacrifice you made for me will finally be understood by my human heart. Help me father to learn to sit at your feet…to hold your hand and walk side by side…to listen for your voice…so that I may be your hands and feet here on Earth…and do the work you planned for me here. Strengthen me…and give me courage…and help me to drink in all the wisdom I need from your word. Amen.