Numbers 20

⁸ ...Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water....¹¹ Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out...¹² But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”...²⁴ ... He will not enter the land I give the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah.


I was wondering what Moses and Aaron did wrong at the rock.  I hadn't really noticed anything during my read through it, they went to God with a need for water and then he provided it.  I did some research and people were pointing out that he struck the rock instead of just speaking as commanded.  They also seemed to chastise the people calling them rebels and then didn't really give God the glory for bringing the water out of the rock.


So the result, no inheritance of the land for Aaron his dead now.  If this interpretation is accurate then it shows the seriousness of how God takes our behavior especially when he has provided instruction that was not followed.  We have an entire book of God's word and instruction for us to follow and yet we as a world and me as an individual person are discarding his direction for us everyday.  Without the Grace provided by Jesus our fate would ugly.  But that does not excuse us from needing to do our best to follow his instruction for us.


Today I pray that he gives me nudges whenever I'm veering off course and that I become aware of those and correct my course so that I am a true follower of his instructions for me.  I think he already does I just need to listen.


knut

Numbers 19

⁴ Then Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting. ⁵ While he watches, the heifer is to be burned—its hide, flesh, blood and intestines.


Can you imagine what a mess that made?  When I hear about this kind of sacrifice....I usually think of it being evil.  REALLY EVIL.  But, here God is asking for very specific things, for the people to be cleansed.  God always has a good reason for the things he is asking.  I'm not seeing it clearly on this one.  It all seems a little ritualistic, especially with the handling of the dead.  But, maybe the intent here was to not spread disease.  Who knows.
Very instuctional.
My take?  Don't touch a dead person who has been killed with a sword today.
=)
tp

Numbers 18

²⁹ You must present as the Lord’s portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.’


Giving of our first fruits back to God is an important discipline, not because God needs it from us but because it is a recognition that everything we have is a gift from God.  Its become pretty easy for me most of the time to give our first fruits of money back to God.  But one of the things I sometimes think about is do I give back to God my first fruits of effort back to him.  Any other gifts or abilities he has given me, do I use them first to give glory to him or do I use them first to do what I want or think I need to do?  I think the latter is more often the case. 


This is a tough one for me, but I want to challenge myself to truly think everyday of giving my best for God, not just money.


knut

Numbers 17

¹² The Israelites said to Moses, “We will die! We are lost, we are all lost!


so everything that they have seen and been through and it looks like the budding staff got their attention this time...for now. 


How many times does God get my full attention, because he has shown himself to me through some event in my life, only to have that feeling fade away and I revert to my own ways?  Not Moses though, it says he did just as the Lord commanded him...again.




What does it take to become so connected with God that he always has my full attention and obedience?  This daily reading is one element.  As we have talked many times it needs to be so much more time in prayer and yet I don't do it.  life choices are allowing me to fill my time with stuff of this world.


knut

Numbers 16

⁴⁷ So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. ⁴⁸ He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped.




I didn't get a lot but found this be some foreshadowing of the permanent atonement Jesus did for any of us who believe--he stands between the living and the dead.




knut

Numbers 15

Tassels on Garments

³⁹ You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by chasing after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes.




Nothing deep for me today but I just note that God gave the Israelites instructions to make their garments with tassels so they would always have reminders of Him squarely in front of them.  He knows our human minds are easily distracted by the daily environment we are immersed in and that having visible reminders of him will help keep people on the right track.


Maybe I need to have a few more visible cues for me to make sure I don't forget for a moment any single day that He is with me.  Makes me thing of the WWJD bracelets, not a bad idea really.


knut

Numbers 14

¹⁸ ‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’




This chapter is full of image and lessons in placing our trust and faith in God to do what seems impossible to us.  We of course have grace through Jesus, but we shouldn't take that for granted and we can see in this chapter how our actions and lack of faith hurt and anger God.


All that said the verse that jumped out at me is because it talks of the impact of actions of a parent on their children.  This is still true today, look how hard it is for kids to break out of the cycle that was started by their parents.  Whether it be poor eating habits, managing money or far more destructive problems like drugs, alcohol, sexual misbehavior the list goes on. 


Everyone one of my actions has an impact on someone, including me and my relationship with God.  I have a few struggles right now.  Work is consuming am I modeling a way that might kids will follow letting work  be too much of a priority in life?  At work I'm struggling with being negative about a particular person who is under my skin and that of others--but rather than rising above it I am contributing to the negative conversations.  Controlling my tongue should be the easy one to fix, the other may take a more drastic action that I don't know if I'm ready to do but I did tell my boss when I took this job over a year ago I would fail at the job before I failed with my family and at times I feel like I'm not sticking to my guns with that statement.


looking forward to the weekend over here, love being on this journey with you even though it is from miles away. 


knut

Numbers 13

³¹ But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” ³² And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. ³³ We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”


AAAHHHHHH........little faith.
It's funny how they've seen all the miracles.....and yet they feel they need to make up a story due to the fact that they don't believe what God is telling em. 
I did catch the reference to the type of people that are mentioned in Genesis.  If my memory serves, they were described as giants.


tp

Numbers 12

12 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite....¹⁰ When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam’s skin was leprous^[a]—it became as white as snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease,


Everyday we make choices in life and as humans those choices include sinful ones.  In this case they became jealous of Moses relationship with God.  Moses had done nothing to create the jealously, in fact God tells us he was the most humble man on the entire earth so their feelings had nothing to do with his actions.  God had chosen him to communicate with directly and speak through Moses instead of them.  But instead of focusing on their own relationship with God and the gifts he had give each of them they chose to look towards Moses and belittle him and look for flaws in him to knock him down.


The end result of their sin was that someone else got hurt, both Moses and his wife.  I need to be aware that my sins not only hurt me and my relationship with God but also may damage someone else I love.  Being aware of this fact may help change my harmful and sinful behavior.  It should be enough to avoid sin to show my love for God, I probably shouldn't need any other motivation but in reality it seems I could use the help.


knut

Numbers 11

¹⁴ I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. ¹⁵ If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.”


When I read these chapters, I tend to read them thru God's perspective.......these lines of complaining really make me laugh.  Especially when look thru his lense.  I'd be like,......really?


This line that I copy/pasted reminds me of Jesus.  Moses was a great man, and actually spawned a religion.....that's a major deal.  But, he was still complaining that the burden was too heavy.  Jesus had even a greater burden.....and he took it with grace.


I won't even go into the fact that God is miraculously providing for his people......giving them food from heaven, and they are still complaining.


It reminds me of the "first world problem" videos.  Have you seen these?  Its where poor kids from some African country recite things that are said everyday by MY kids.  Like, "I hate when I ask for no pickles on my hamburgers, and they still put the pickles on my burger......uuuggghhhhh."


tp

Numbers 10

²⁹ Now Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place about which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us and we will treat you well, for the Lord has promised good things to Israel.”
³⁰ He answered, “No, I will not go; I am going back to my own land and my own people.”
³¹ But Moses said, “Please do not leave us. You know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes. ³² If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the Lord gives us.”
³³ So they set out...




So during my first run through this chapter I got zero.  Then this section about Moses asking Hobab to join them caught my eye.  Mainly I wondered why he would need to ask a human to help lead when he had the cloud to follow.


Well after Googling it I find that there is more written on this short portion of this passage than I can possibly read this morning.  Its fascinating how much people can draw out of the words.


link to full text I found useful --http://gracegems.org/Nicholson/invitation_of_moses_to_hobab.htm


The thoughts I found that were most relatable for me were these:

I. The People of God Are Traveling to the Heavenly Canaan

1. The place itself, Moses and the Israelites were proceeding to the conquest of the promised land. "We are journeying to the place of which the LORD said, 'I will give it to you.'"

 

II. It Is the Duty of Christians to Invite Others to Journey with Them. So Moses acted.

1. Christians have divine authority to invite others to go with them. "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life." Revelation 22:17

2. Christians are deeply affected with the consequences of walking in the broad way that leads to destruction.

3. Christians are aware of their own responsibility; for they are the lights of the world, laborers together with God. They must give an account of their stewardship.

4. Christians therefore use all means in their power to save men. They invite again and again — the members of their family, their friends, etc. "Knowing therefore the terrors of the Lord, they persuade men," by personal entreaty — by holy example. They say to the young — to the old, "Come you with us," etc.
 

III. The Reasons Assigned for a Compliance with this Request. These are two:

1. The promise of mutual good. "Come with us, and we will do you good." Christians do good, especially to the household of faith — by encouragement, sympathy, instruction, prayer, distributing to the necessities of saints.

2. The Divine regard for the Church. "The Lord has spoken," etc. Hence the numerous declarations of his love to the Church — his watchful providential care — his exceeding great and precious promises of support here, and glory hereafter.

 

IV. The Manner in Which this Invitation Must Be Accepted. Sinners must see their danger, renounce the world, choose God for their portion, and his people for their companions, etc. etc. "Come with us, and we will do you good."

Lastly, What Answer Will You Give To This Invitation?

So I started with a zero and yet God sparked me to dig into one little section and revealed that many others before me have dug deeply into the same passage and found very important instructions and examples of how were to live as Christians.  That in and of itself is a lesson again to me of how important his words are, like you said a few days back there must be a reason he is sharing these words in every portion of the bible...even the sections that seem very dry and empty on the surface to us.

knut  

Numbers 9

⁸ Moses answered them, “Wait until I find out what the Lord commands concerning you.”


²³ At the Lord’s command they encamped, and at the Lord’s command they set out. They obeyed the Lord’s order, in accordance with his command through Moses.


Another lesson in prayer and obedience.  Moses first response to their question for direction was to go to God in prayer.  That's not my first instinct, I tend to do it when I can't resolve the issue on my own.  Once they got direction they did not question the timing of the Lord whether it was a ridiculously short evening or as long as a year they did all the work to setup camp and tear it down and keep moving.


What would our lives look like if we sought and followed his instruction so closely.  Would I be in Grimes Iowa for most of the last 13years.  We did follow his direction at least once heading kicking and screaming to the QC for 2.5yrs.  He blessed us.  I already know I don't want to leave here again but would I if he asked?  Am I truly following him?  not just in geographical moves but in all decisions.


Its easy to follow when his plan matches mine, but that is not the true test. 


knut

Numbers 8

⁴ 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.


I'm not able to discern great messages from these chapters.  One take away I have here and in previous chapters is how connected Moses is to God.  He gets very specific information from his encounters with God, something I can't say has happened to me very often maybe if ever.  I ask for direction but don't often hear or more likely I'm not listening.  Its probably a lot to ask for given the limited time I truly put into having any conversation with God. 


The other take away is just how obedient Moses is to God.  God shows him something and he communicates it to Aaron or the Israelites as a whole and they do EXACTLY what God had shown him to do.


So I pray that I can spend time in prayer, become connected in a way that I hear what he has to tell me and that I am obedient to his instruction.


knut

Numbers 7

⁴ The Lord said to Moses, ⁵ “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.”


⁸⁹ 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 covenant law. In this way the Lord spoke to him.




So it was very repetitious.  What can we make of this chapter?  One thing I note is that all 12 tribes contributed the same offering, I'm sure they did not all have the same resources but in this case they all gave back to God the exact same offering.  Another note is that many tribes contributed to the cause 12 of them and that God then told Moses give them to Levites as work is required. 


In todays church we too have the many contributing and then a smaller group that is really using the resources God has made available through the offering of many to do his work.


you get anything deeper?
knut

Numbers 6

²² The Lord said to Moses, ²³ “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

²⁴ “‘“The Lord bless you
    and keep you;
²⁵ the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you;
²⁶ the Lord turn his face toward you
    and give you peace.”’

A simple blessing of powerful statements of the safety we find in God.  The grace he provides us and the place where we can take the crazy pressures we manufacture in this world and He will take them away and give us peace.

thank you for the this blessing.

knut

Numbers 5

⁵ The Lord said to Moses, ⁶ “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any man or woman who wrongs another in any way^[b] and so is unfaithful to the Lord is guilty ⁷ and must confess the sin they have committed. They must make full restitution for the wrong they have done, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the person they have wronged.




Unfaithfulness between men and women started right from the get go and more than obviously continues today.  I don't think many people who are unfaithful to their spouse think about it as being unfaithful to their Maker as well--but he clearly says it is right here.


This is one area that just runs rampant among our society today and obviously in the past too.  When I read stuff like this it makes me so thankful for my relationship with Gina.  I couldn't be more attracted to someone than I am her and can't even imagine doing something to screw up.  But I sure know a lot of other people that aren't so fortunate.  He tells us here its serious...don't do it.


knut

Numbers 4

Ok, I'm going way off the reservation this morning.
The thing that chapter 4 makes me think, is that we have lost some of the reverence in the house of the Lord.  I read all the instructions, and how carefully the temple stuff is to be treated.  And then I think of our church.  We meet in a school auditorium.  We don't have anything sacred.  We don't have anything that we handle with the care that is described in the word, from back in the day.  I miss that a little bit.  I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the modern church.  But, sometimes it feels like we have lost the "special-ness" about the place where we focus on God.


Im also intrigued by the edict that the people who are to carry various things from the temple,........they can't even look at things, or they will die.  That seems really harsh doesn't it?  Why would that be the rule?  Is there something God is trying to tell us?  Maybe he is giving these commands to the people, so they can show their obedience to him?  I don't know.


tp

Numbers 4

⁴⁹ 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.


I struggled to find a take away. I was searching on the importance of wrapping things in durable leather or covering with a certain color cloth because these were mentioned repeatedly.  But none of these ideas really lead me anywhere.


But as I read the last verse my take is that God had a job for each faction of the Levites, a very specific role to be played.  I believe he has a specific role for each of us to play as well.  The challenge is to make sure we are seeking his guidance and playing the role he has for us.  To be honest I don't know if I'm doing that or not.  I seem to be most consumed by my job right now and I can't honestly say I am using that platform to do his work.  Hopefully I shine for him but I'm not certain I do on everyday.


I just pray for continued guidance on how he wants to use me, at work, at home, at church, at play in all phases of my life.


knut

Numbers 3

⁴⁴ The Lord also said to Moses, ⁴⁵ “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.

I definitely noted the unique position of the Levites but can't say I totally picked up on the following on my own but I think this person's perspective makes sense.  If it is accurate it is yet another demonstration of how perfectly God has woven together the pieces of the bible from before Jesus through his life and his promised return.---


In chapter 3 we are given a further description of the Gospel in the picture of representation and substitution. When the Lord delivered Israel out of Egypt, He set apart the firstborn of the male children of Israel, and the firstborn of the animals.  The Lord appointed the Levites to stand in the place of the firstborn of Israel: “Now behold, I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. “Therefore the Levites shall be Mine,”  becauseall the firstborn are Mine. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They shall be Mine: I am the LORD” (Num. 3:12-13). In this, a very clear picture of representation and substitution is seen. This is, of course, pointing forward to the representative Priesthood of Jesus Christ. He is the true and eternal firstborn of God, and He is the true and eternal High Priest. He represents His people fully and perfectly.




knut

Numbers 2

¹⁷ Then the tent of meeting and the camp of the Levites will set out in the middle of the camps. They will set out in the same order as they encamp, each in their own place under their standard.


³³ The Levites, however, were not counted along with the other Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.




So out of this chapter the only thing that caught my attention was the Levites, I guess because out of all the tribes they were treated differently.  I googled ecamped because I wondered why use this word instead of camped.  It said it was meaning to setup camp, especially a military one.


So the Levites were the priests not the fighters, so I guess that is why they were not counted.  They were in the middle of the other camps, I suppose one reason is for protection of them.  But another reason or message could to us could be the value of having the word at our center in the middle of everything we do.


I may be stretching to find meaning today, but as I read v17 that is what came to my mind.


what say u
knut