Devotionary

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Ep 733 – Numbers 17-18 Dec 19, 2018

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Why is it that we can fail to recognize the hand of God in our lives, but still blame Him for everything that goes wrong in our lives? It's so easy to miss His blessings and yet hold Him responsible for the seeming curses that come our way. And in Numbers 17-18, we will see God providing a somewhat strange visual lesson designed to put an end to the bickering of the Israelites. If you recall, in chapter 16, God dealt severely with a rebellion among the people of Israel that had instigated by a man named, Korah. He had stirred up trouble, accusing Moses and Aaron of setting themselves up as somehow more holy than everybody else. Korah claimed that every single Israelite was holy before God, and there was no reason for Moses, Aaron or the Levites to set themselves apart as any more special than anybody else. But Korah and his fellow conspirators had to pay for their attempted coup with their lives. And in chapter 17, God gives Moses instructions to ensure that there would no more questions concerning whom God had set apart as holy and as His special instruments.

Ep 732 – Numbers 16 Dec 18, 2018

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There's one in every group. That individual who just can't seem to be satisfied with the way thing are. He or she takes it upon themselves to stand up to the injustices they see taking place around them. And it's usually because they feel slighted in some way. But if they can make it a group problem, they'll be more effective in bringing about the changes they're looking for. And, in Numbers 16, we have just such a situation laid out for us. It involves a man named Korah, who has decided that he doesn't like the way things are going in the camp of Israel. As a Kohathite, he had been set aside by God to help care for the tabernacle and everything associated with it. His clan was responsible for moving the sacred objects from one camp to another. But he wanted more. He was dissatisfied with God's organizational structure and decided to make his grievances known. He began to spread his dissatisfaction among the people of Israel, causing an unnecessary degree of animosity toward Moses. But God was unwilling to tolerate Korah's rebellion. He knew that one bad apple could end up destroying the whole barrel.

Ep 731 – Number 14-15 Dec 17, 2018

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There are two words that no follower of God should ever say: God can't. And yet, whether we express those words audibly or not, we allow them to creep into our subconscience and contaminate our outlook on God. The next thing that happens is a subtle, but spreading sense of panic. We begin to play the what-if game, wondering just what terrible outcomes lie in store for us because our God is too weak to handle our problems. In Numbers 14-15, that's exactly the scenario we will see lived out in the lives of the people of Israel. They have already decided to listen to the majority report of the spies and refuse to enter the land of promise. They begin to let their minds get away from them, as they play out all the worst-case scenarios that could happen. It is not a pretty picture. And it is not an isolated one. The truth is, we do the same thing virtually every day of our lives. We start to doubt God, and the next thing we know, we're making a mountain out of a mole hill.

Ep 730 – Numbers 12-13 Dec 16, 2018

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Faith is a well-worn topic among most Christians. We talk about it constantly. But the problem seems to be that most of us struggle with exhibiting it in our own lives. We put a much higher stock in the facts. We take a look around us and determine that things are too difficult for God. We see our problems as insurmountable and our enemies as unconquerable. The Israelites had the same problem. As they stood on the edge of the very land God had promised to give them, they heard the reports of the 12 spies and started to get cold feet. There were giants in the land. The armies were large and formidable. The cities were well fortified and their walls insurmountable. In Numbers 12-13, we have the well-known story of the 12 men who spied out the land of promise and came back with good news and bad news. It was fruitful, but it was also filled with powerful enemies. And the people of God decided to listen to the facts and set aside their faith in God. And that decision would have long-lasting and deadly consequences for them.

Ep 729 – Numbers 10-11 Dec 15, 2018

Show notes

t is one thing to share with God what it is you think you desire. But it is another thing altogether to demand of God what you believe you can't live without. It is a sign of ingratitude and a lack of belief in God's providence and wisdom. Yet, we do it all the time. And so did the Israelites. And in Numbers 10-11, we get an up-close and personal glimpse into their demand for more from God. He had miraculously provided them with manna. But they decided what He had given them was not enough. They wanted more. They had unmet appetites that were forcing them to voice their dissatisfaction with God and His provision. And that is a dangerous game to play. Rejecting God is risky business. Demanding more from our already generous and gracious God is not a tactic that ends well. Telling God you're unhappy with His provision never ends well. And the Israelites were about to learn that lesson the hard way.

Ep 728 – Numbers 9 Dec 14, 2018

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What does God want me to do? That's a legitimate question that each of us has asked ourselves at some point in time. And in Numbers 9, we are going to see the Israelites having to react to the will of God when He let them know it was time to pack up and move out. God had let them know that He would lead them through the wilderness, all the way to the land of promise. He appeared to them in a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night. And when either one of the pillars moved from its place over the tabernacle, it was time for the Israelites to follow. They didn't get a vote. They weren't asked if it was convenient or fit into their schedule. When God said, "move," they were to jump. It was all about obedience, and trusting that God knew what was best for them. Yet, the uncertainty associated with this kind of arrangement had to have left them frustrated at times. But that's where trust was to come in. God knew best. He had a plan and was working it to perfection. All they had to do was follow.

Ep 727 – Numbers 8 Dec 13, 2018

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The idea of substitutionary atonement is not new. Jesus Christ dying on the cross in the place of sinful mankind was not a novel idea that God came up with at the last minute. All throughout the book of Numbers, we see God allowing animals to stand in as substitutes for sinful men and women, sacrificing their lives so that atonement can be offered. And in Numbers 8, God continues to stress the role of the Levites who, as a tribe, were designated by God to be His substitutes, taking the place of the firstborns of Israel, each of whom had been claimed by God because of His sparing of them on the night of the first Passover, all those years ago in Egypt. They would be a foreshadowing of a greater substitute to come: Jesus Christ, who would offer His life as an atonement for many. He died so that men might live. He paid the penalty owed for mankind's sin with His own life. The innocent died for the guilty. The sinless for the sinful.

Ep 726 – Numbers 7 Dec 12, 2018

Show notes

Sometimes, within the body of Christ, we end up with a hierarchical structure that wasn't necessarily intended by God. Yes, there are designated roles and responsibilities with God's church, but that doesn't mean that some are more important than others. It is a matter of responsibility and calling. And in Number 7, we are going to see how the people of Israel understood that they had a role to play in the everyday affairs of caring for the tabernacle. While the Levites were the ones responsible for the care and transportation of the tabernacle and its contents, the rest of the Israelites showed that they wanted to play a part as well. So, they provided the Levites with a gift of six carts and 12 oxen. This appears to be a freewill gift, unsolicited by God. But it shows that they understood that the tabernacle belonged to them as much as it did to the Levites. They benefited from it, so they wanted to give towards its care. And their gift was highly practical, making the job of the Levites much easier than it had been.

Ep 725 – Numbers 5-6 Dec 11, 2018

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We know the Bible talks a lot about sin. But why? Because sin is an aberration. It was not what God intended when He made the world. That's not to say that the entrance of sin into the world caught God by surprise. In fact, He had already made provision for it. He had determined before He had even created the world that He would send His Son to die for the sins of mankind. Sin was inevitable. Because man was given a choice as to whether He would worship God, he was free to choose a different path. And he did. The result was sin and the wages for sin is death. And in Numbers 5-6, God provides the people of Israel with some rather strange commands regarding the treatment of lepers, the diseased, and the adulterous. While God's prescriptions for dealing with these things may sound harsh to our ears, they were meant to teach His people that He takes sin and its varied consequences quite seriously. Disease is nothing more than a sad byproduct of sin. So is death. Which is why God wants us to take sin seriously.

Ep 724 – Numbers 4 Dec 10, 2018

Show notes

Have you ever thought about the fact that God gave the people of Israel the tabernacle, a fairly detailed and intricate structure, that they had to transport all over the wilderness for almost four decades. I've had to move a few times in my life, but none of my relocations come anywhere near the sheer size and level of sophistication the relocation of the tabernacle required. Not only was there a lot of pieces to pack and carry, they were all considered holy by God. In fact, there were some items that only the priests could pack, because if anyone else even looked at them, they would die. But each and every time God determined it was time to move, the Israelites were obligated to pack up the tabernacle, according to God's very detailed instructions, and set out. And because He expected His people to treat His tabernacle with reverence, He established a protocol that ensured they did so. God was serious about holiness, and He made sure that His people were too.

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