Devotions: Life of Moses Numbers 26-36

The Israelites are finally on the brink of actually entering the Promised Land. They are numbered, reminded of the daily sacrifices and feasts, given some final instructions, Joshua is appointed to lead them in battle. Then, a few tribes decide to stay put, and claim the land that was just emptied instead of carrying on to the promised land. Oh sure, they send soldiers, but the reality is that they have sacrificed their inheritance for the immediate opportunity that has presented itself.

The Midianites sinned against the Lord and Israel, God's wrath meant their destruction, the land was open in front of them. It was an open door, an answer to a hope for them, land for their herds and their families. Certain land. But God had so much more planned for them! God had so much more he wanted to give them, and he had TOLD them he would give them. They went for the sure thing rather than God's promise of the future.

How often do we do this? We see something open up, and we take it as an open door even when we know, deep down, that God is asking us to step out in faith and go for the full promise. God wants obedience, and he too will take us all the way to the promised land if we let him.

Devotions: Life of Moses Numbers 22-25

God can use even those who are against him to reveal his plans and blessings. The story of Balaam is an interesting one, he is a man who was not a follower of God, didn't believe in Him and Him alone. He took money to cast a curse and then God used him to bless Israel instead. He tried to warn Balaam, even told him that, yes, indeed, you will only be able to say what I tell you to say! But Balaam went forth, and tried three separate times to do what the King told him to do, curse the people of Israel.

God however, had a different plan, he opened Balaam's mouth and through the Holy Spirit, made him bless the Israelites, his people. He restated his covenant with the patriarchs, affirmed his plans for the people and the promises he had given them, and then prophesied the destruction of Israel's enemies and eventually the coming Messiah.

God can use whomever and whatever he wants to communicate his will, his blessings, and his promises. He can turn the people whom you would least expect into his mouthpieces. We need to be in tune to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to open our mouths and speak. Maybe next time we want to curse someone (denigrate, criticize, treat with disrespect) we should pray first, wait and then say what the Holy Spirit would have us say. If blessings come out of your mouth instead, God is using you to promote his will instead of your own.

Devotions: Life of Moses Numbers 21

Finally we are seeing the Israelites becoming victorious and heading towards the promised land. In the early parts of this chapter, they win a crucial victory at Hormah - where they had been defeated 38 years prior. This place of defeat and sin where the Israelites strayed from the Lord's will has become their first victory!

There is something touchingly poetic about that. Sometimes your greatest sins, where you feel like you could never recover from, can then become your greatest victories. God teaches us, he doesn't just let us fail. Each time we turn to Him he raises us up and teaches us of His mercy, grace, and will for our lives. Maybe that sin that you have been stumbling over, or the massive sin - such as Hormah for Israel - that has brought you to your lowest low, is going to be used as a place of victory later in your life.

The Lord desires to use us, in his will, to accomplish great things. The Israelites are finally achieving victory by trusting in God, and dedicating their lives to his purpose. Have you done that? What is the Lord doing through you? Where do your victories lie? Trust in the Lord and he will provide the victories for his glory!

Devotions: Life of Moses Numbers 20 & Psalm 90

Moses sinned and was banned from ever seeing the promised land. Immediately, reading the passage, you think: okay how? His sin isn't obvious at first glance. He struck the rock when God said speak to it, he was angry with the people when God didn't instruct him to chastise, but God says he failed to honor him and trust in him.

That made me pause. A while ago I read a novel adaptation of the life of Hezekiah from 2 Kings and he had a similar problem, he was doing everything right, causing the people and his kingdom to turn back to God, but in one instance he claimed the deeds of the Lord as his own and was punished severely for it.

How often do I do this? How often do I allow things that are not my doing, things that I know God has done, to be credited to myself? I should be bringing honor to my Lord, bringing the glory to my Lord, and trusting only in Him not myself to accomplish the things in my life.

And then to read Psalm 90 - written by Moses - to see the humility and love that Moses had for God. How he trusted him to "establish the work of our hands". It is never too late to turn back and have God work through you, with you, no matter the sin. Start honoring Him in your speech, your thoughts, your actions today.

For me the very specific example of this is my car, which is having expensive problems right now, but God gave us 4 months of saving before we were able to get into our house last summer, so we have the money to take care of it. I could say "luckily" (and I've found myself saying that and corrected myself) or I could just take credit "I've been budgeting so..." but it's not the truth. The truth is that we trust God to take care of our needs and He knew the car would break down, and he knew how much money we would need and he has provided for that need. Just like water at Meribah. God is willing to provide for his children. All I have to do is remember to trust him and honor him with all the praise he deserves.

Devotions: Life of Moses Numbers 15-19

What struck me through my study this week was the repeated faults of the Israelites, and how easy it is to just throw our hands up and say "Really? Your doing what? Don't you know what will happen to you?" when in reality we are exactly the same. Day by day we make the same mistakes, hurt our God the same way, make Him frustrated and angry so that his wrath is kindled against us. Thank goodness that we have the immediate intercession of Jesus, better than Moses whom the Israelites had. Moses shows us what Jesus does for us every time we sin against the Lord.

Moses went to God, pled for the people, and even had Aaron move through them offering a sacrifice to appease and atone for the sin and rebellion of his people. How much more does Jesus intercede for us, moving between us and God's wrath.

Next time I feel a little bit of "ha!" at the Israelites as they move through the wilderness, watching them stumble, grumble and rebel, I need to look at my life, and the ways in which I am in constant rebellion against the Lord.

Thank you Lord for your unending mercy and grace, for your forgiveness no matter how many times we sin against you and disobey your commands. You are almighty God and you deserve our utmost devotion. Help us to remember that we all sin and that you alone are the way to redemption and ultimately to righteousness.

Devotions: Life of Moses Numbers 13-14

"If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord, and do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them." Numbers 14:8-9

This passage defines faith versus fear for me. How far are you willing to trust the Lord? When it seems impossible? When it seems dangerous? When you think you will not only fail but hurt or die because you fail?

The need to trust the Lord is implicit. If you do not trust the Lord you will fail. But then there is the phrase 'do not be afraid' and it occurs frequently. The things of this world, the situations, the people, the problems, are not to cause us fear. The only fear we should have is a healthy respect and fear of the Lord. He is the one we should be concerned about. If we are in his will, nothing should cause us to be afraid. Death should hold no fear for us. Pain is a passing thing. Struggles are not the end! When we belong to Him, when he dwells with us, there is nothing in this world that we should be afraid of. There is nothing in this world that should deter us from following Him.

Instead, we should be afraid of living a life without Him! We need to impress that fear on those who don't have a relationship with Him! There is a reason that hell is described as a lake of fire with weeping and gnashing of teeth. It is separation from the Lord and it is agony. Our fear should be living without the Lord.

So what does that mean? It means stepping out in faith and defeating the fear. Nothing is impossible with Him. Unfortunately our culture is such a non-confrontational culture - focused so much on compromise and comfort. But God doesn't call us to mediocrity and we need to not be afraid to step out in faith. We need to be bold in our trust in our father, call out that which we need to call out, pursue that which he calls us too and do not be afraid.

Do not be afraid. Trust in the Lord.

Devotions: Life of Moses Numbers 11-12

    Complain, grumble, whine. These two chapters show the Israelites, and then Moses and then Aaron and Miriam, complaining about circumstances. These are three different kinds of complaints. 

1. Israelites: surface level. They don't want just manna anymore. This is like us complaining that our house is too small, or why spaghetti again? These complaints ignore the blessings God has given to us.

2. Aaron and Miriam (no this is not in chronological order) they complain that God shouldn't be just using Moses, they were leaders and had spoken with God too! This is like is complaining when someone gets the promotion ahead of us, or lands the job we wanted, or gets credit for something we don't think they deserve. 

3. Moses - bringing his complaints about what he sees as his afflictions and burdens to the Lord. This is us crying it to God when we feel overburdened or like we have been given more than we can handle. 

     The lesson? We need to see the blessings of God all around us, in our food, in our jobs, in the ministry God has called us to. And we need to learn to rely on Him and Him alone for the answers to our complaints. We shouldn't complain to others about things that do not matter. And we should bring all of our burdens to God and lay them at His feet. For He is the God who provides. 

Devotions: Life of Moses Numbers 1-10

“On the day when Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle and had anointed and consecrated it with all its furnishings and had anointed and consecrated the altar with all its utensils, the chiefs of Israel, heads of their fathers’ houses who were the chiefs of the tribes, who were over those who were listed approached and brought their offerings before the Lord, six wagons and twelve oxen, a wagon for every two of the chiefs, and for each one an ox. They brought them before the tabernacle. Then the Lord said to Moses “Accept these from them, that they may be used in the service of the tent of meeting…” Numbers 7:1-5a

I may be reading this passage completely incorrectly, but as I read this, Moses wasn’t expecting these offerings. He wasn’t expecting these offerings for the tent of meeting, which means that he hadn’t commanded them. Not only did the tribes bring these of their own accord, or maybe of the prompting of the Lord, but then the Lord instructed Moses to accept their offerings and how to use them. We have seen the Israelites being generous before: “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the LORD has commanded us to do…” Exodus 36:5b. But this is the first time that the people have come up with and then executed a sacrifice of worship and service to the Lord without the prompting of Moses or any of the priests. And the Lord not only honors that sacrifice, but uses it to bless the Levites who are now set apart. They are not going to be able to take care of themselves the same way as the other tribes but they are at the mercy of the 12 tribes by partaking in the sacrifices that are given to God. This is a sacrifice of goods and God shares them with his Levites, giving them to them so that they may use them in his service, in the service of the Tabernacle.

My favorite part of the passage though is the fact that God takes what at face value is just a valuable gift, and makes use of it. He takes what we can give him, no matter what it is, and uses it for his purpose and for his glory. No gift is more elaborate than another, no gift is more useful than another. The Levites needed these goods in order to serve the Lord. A tithe in the church is just as important as a pastor. The gift of a vehicle, or the use of a building is just as important as an usher, greeter, or Sunday school teacher. God can use whatever we are willing to offer to him. It doesn’t have to be asked for, it doesn’t have to fit the need that the church thinks it has. God will use what we are willing to give. And sometimes we need to be willing to give more than we think God can use. I think sometimes we get stuck in the “one ministry, 10% tithe” world of our American churches. We think - oh, I’m a greeter - or I’m teaching the children - or I’m on the worship team - so I’m doing my part. And - I’m giving 10% of my income - so I’m doing my part. God wants us to be dedicated in our service and our giving. But he also wants us to be generous. Maybe this year you can afford to give more than 10% - then do so! Maybe this month you can afford to volunteer more than once, or in more than one area - do so! God will never let a sacrifice, of time, money, energy, etc go to waste. He will always use them to his purpose and advantage. Even if the leadership isn’t expecting them and doesn’t know what to do. 

Devotions: Life of Moses Leviticus 25-27

Everything belongs to the Lord. Everything. This passage about the sabbath year and the year of Jubilee is truly pointing towards the fact that everything in the world belongs to the one who created it. Our "ownership" is really stewardship. Otherwise there would be no reason to forgive debts, free slaves and return to the land previously given to your family. God is reminding his people, they are his, the land is his, and in order to walk in covenant relationship with him, they need to follow his commands and treat the land and their people with the respect that he commands.

We don't have a sabbath year, or a year of Jubilee. I am not a farmer and I don't own slaves or have servants. But the principle of the sabbath year and the year of Jubilee is about he way we treat our brothers and sisters, in Christ or otherwise. God is calling us to trust him for our lives and prosperity. To show kindness to the poor, to take in impoverished family, to treat our homes and our money like they are not our possessions but the Lords. Because they are the Lords. How much more will heaven be worth than these "treasures" we have here? What is really important is that we can live in the presence of God. 

I may not be able to implement a jubilee year, but I can treat my possessions as what they are - God's possessions. And I can treat my life like what it is - for I am a servant of God, bought with the blood of Jesus, redeemed from the debt of sin, and brought to live in his house, wretched and poor as I am. Thank you Lord. 

Devotions: Life of Moses Leviticus 16

It seems like such a simple concept, but if it was that simple, everyone in the world would be saved. We, humans, are sinful and deserve death. We have failed our perfect and holy God and sin results in death. The end. The only way to pay for sin is through death - in Leviticus it is through the death of animals. Blood on the Atonement cover, the Lord seeing blood before seeing the broken law when he looks down from his seat. Jesus paid the ultimate price, his blood is always before God, paying for our sins. We only have to accept Him, follow Him. But first, we must acknowledge the truth that we are all sinful. We all fall short. There are none of us that live up to the precepts of Holiness that the Lord requires. We are all worthy of death. Once that is acknowledged, how can you not fall on your face and worship God who sent his son to atone for you?

Devotions: Life of Moses Leviticus 8-10

Leviticus chapter 10 holds a very sad revelation about respecting God and His worship. Aaron's sons, fresh out of training, have disobeyed the regulations for how to approach the Lord and they have been consumed by fire. God makes an example of them, whether their attitude was wrong, or whether they hadn't paid attention during Moses's training, or if they were drunk it doesn't matter. God has decreed the way in which he will be approached and worshipped and they disregarded that commandment and were punished for it.

The idea that worship must be approached in a certain way is hard for us, we don't understand it because we don't have laws specifying how to burn incense or where to sprinkle blood, but we do have a way to approach the Lord. The question is do we enter the Lord's presence lightly? Do we enter into worship in a manner that dishonors the Lord?

Aaron recognized that his sons had sinned and he refrained from grief, refrained from speaking out in his emotion, and stayed true to his anointing, finishing out the sacrifices. His example shows that God's presence, his worship, our relationship with Him should be over all other things.

It must have been excruciating, his two sons dead at the hands of the God he is serving, having to continue in an attitude of honor, respect and worship. We should do the same, no matter what is going on in our lives, no matter who has wronged or harmed us. We should enter into worship of God with Him at the center, no distractions. Spend the time with God, and let's worship Him and honor Him in the way that He has commanded.

Devotions: Life of Moses Leviticus 1-7; 11-15; 17-24

"All things in moderation." This phrase is used frequently in our American culture. A little bit of exercise - but all things in moderation. A little bit of a healthy diet - but all things in moderation. A little bit of drinking - but all things in moderation. I can read that, listen to that, watch that, do that, say that, wear that etc - all things in moderation. We think that as long as we are well-rounded, listen to, read, or do things only in moderation that nothing will touch us.

Moderation is compromise. It is saying that as long as I don't do/say/listen to this thing more than a certain arbitrary amount then it's not hurting anything. It's not affecting me, it's not a problem.

The book of Leviticus stands firm on the holiness of God, shows us the desire of a holy God to be a part of every part of our lives. He wants to give parameters, laws, commands, for every part of your existence. Our holy God desires us to be holy as he is holy.

Moderation in our lives leads to moderate Christianity.
And moderate Christianity sounds a lot like lukewarm...

I am just going to sit there for a moment.

Let it sink in.

Re-read the passage in Revelation, yeah, I'll still be here.

Our Lord wants us to be sold out for Him. He wants to indwell us with his Spirit just as he indwelt the tabernacle. And the tabernacle required specific sacrifices and rules in order for God to stay there. He commanded them to follow these laws in order for them to be holy. Our holy God loves us enough to speak into every aspect of our lives. He wants us to live, breathe, eat, be in relationship, in His way. He wants every aspect of our lives to be holy, because that is the way he designed us to be. He desires to be with us, but a holy God cannot be with a sinful people. We shouldn't just rest on our salvation, we should be constantly striving to be closer to our Lord. And a holy Lord deserves holy people.

He wants our every action, every thought, every deed, dedicated to Him.

And he deserves no less.

So next time you think, its only one movie, one song, one book, one tv show, one word, one day, remember, nothing in moderation. God demands and deserves our 100% obedience as we strive to be holy as he is holy.

Thank goodness that he forgives our errors and has provided the Holy Spirit to give us strength and purpose, because even in this we will never achieve holiness. But Jesus' sacrifice, God's love, the Holy Spirit's encouragement deserves our genuine attempt.