Numbers 21:10-35  "Now the sons of Israel moved out.... "   Something changed.  Perhaps the last of the unbelieving generation  had passed away.. perhaps the conquest of the Canaanites finally made Israel realized that the Lord was really with them and was giving them the land...  but, something changed.  

Israel traveled from place to place and they fought.  They conquered and claimed land and moved into cities and villages. The Lord was with them and they were actively involved in the battles, but it was the Lord who was giving them victory. The time was drawing near.. and they would soon be ready to enter the land that the Lord had promised to Abraham. 

What an encouragement!  Even in the long struggle.. and the many rebellious actions, even while they complained and disobeyed, even when they showed unbelief and had no gratitude.. the Lord never forsook them.  He did punish those who rebelled.. but He did keep His promise to Abraham. His descendants would live in the land that was promised. 

We often struggle.. we are sometimes rebellious.. we complain and disobey.. we don't believe or trust the Lord as we should.. and we often neglect to give thanks.  Not just in words.. but with all of our hearts.. showing our gratitude for the grace.. the abundant and amazing grace of our Lord.. Who will never leave us or forsake us. 

Father in heaven, we have seen the glory of Your grace.. we have come to know the Savior, our Lord Jesus who came to love us with the Divine love from heaven. We bow at Your feet and express our love with thankful hearts.. in His Name. Amen 

 Numbers 21:1-9  Israel begins to fight against the many enemies surrounding the promised land.  Edom had refused them passage through their land, so Israel goes around.. but immediately is challenged by the Canaanites of Arad.  The Lord hears the vow of Israel to destroy these enemies and He gives them victory. 

But, just as things began to go right.. the people became "impatient".  Once again they complained about Moses and the "miserable food" and brought judgement upon themselves. "And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died,"  At last, they people recognized their sinfulness.. "We have sinned because we have spoken against the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us." 

When Moses interceded the Lord had him do something really unusual .. "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he shall live."  Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a standard. Anyone who was bitten by a fiery serpent and looked at the bronze serpent lived. 

Jesus said, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whoever believes may in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." ( John 3:14-16)

As those who were bitten by the fiery serpents found deliverance when they believed and obeyed God's command to look up.. and found physical life...  Jesus  was lifted up on a cross.. so that we can look up to Him.. believing and obeying God's command.. and find eternal life.  God's grace was displayed that day when Moses lifted up the standard.. and God's grace was and is displayed as we look up to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb who was slain.. who died on a cross.. who rose again and conquered death forever!  Grace.. instead of death.. Give praise to the Lord!  Come before Him with thanksgiving!

Father, we are so grateful for the truth that You reveal to us through every book of the Bible.. it all points us to Jesus.. Oh what a Savior!  Thank You for this amazing gift of eternal Life in Christ Jesus the Lord. Amen. 

 Numbers 20  Israel traveled back to Kadesh.. the same place they had sent out the spies from.. and had sinned when they refused to trust God and take the promised land.  Back to the place of rebellion and unfaithfulness.  "Now Miriam died there and was buried there." 

"And there was no water for the congregation; and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron." The lesson had still not been learned. The people still blamed Moses for every problem and did not trust the Lord for every need.  These lessons are still hard to learn, aren't they?.. we still want to blame others for our problems.. we still lack trust in the Lord for every need. Lord, help us!

Moses and Aaron went to the door of the tent of meeting and "fell on their faces".  Aaron seems to have learned a lot since the days of his own rebellion. He seems to have begun to know and fear the Lord. Finally! At least he has learned to turn to the Lord in the face of this difficulty. "Then the glory of the Lord appeared to them." 

Moses and Aaron were instructed by the Lord to get the rod.. the rod that had blossomed and proven that Aaron and his sons were chosen by the Lord to serve. The Lord said , ".. and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water."  But, Moses was angry at the people so he took the rod "and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly and the congregation and their beasts drank."  Problem solved... but... 

"The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them." 

Moses sent messengers to Edom to request passage through their land.. but Edom refused.. several times and sent out an army to stop them.  So Israel went a different direction to go around Edom. When they arrived at Mt. Hor,  Moses was instructed to take Aaron and Eleazar up onto the mount.  There Aaron was stripped of his priestly clothes and they were given to his son, Eleazar.  "Aaron died there on the mountain top."   When the people saw Eleazar and Moses return without Aaron they knew he had died and they mourned for him for 30 days. 

The Lord called Moses' actions.. striking the rock instead of speaking to it.. unbelief.  Was it because he did not believe that words were powerful enough to bring forth the water? Or was it because Moses wanted to express his own anger and claimed the power to bring forth water on his own?  What is it that led the Lord to pronounce such a sad verdict on Moses and Aaron? The Lord said that Moses did not treat Him "as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel. " 

The first time that Moses struck the rock and water came out was at Meribah. Exodus 17 tells us that Israel had "quarreled" with the Lord.. tested Him and He "proved Himself holy among them" (Numbers 20:13). But this time the command was different.. to speak to the rock and not strike it. The Lord had a different plan.. perhaps for a greater outcome... that would again prove Himself holy.. but Moses failed to trust Him to accomplish what He wanted to do. 

Father in heaven, how many times do we fail to trust You to accomplish the greater things and try to do things in our own way, through our own will.. through unbelief or anger.. or whatever?  Forgive us Lord! Help us Holy Spirit to believe and obey the Lord so that His holiness is made evident and all glory is given to the Name that is above all Names.  Remove all unbelief and fill us with confident faith in the power, wisdom and grace of our Lord Jesus.. to the glory of God our Father . We ask this in the name of Jesus, who is our Lord and Savior. Amen. 

 Numbers 19  The Lord gave Moses and Aaron a new ordinance.. the responsibility was given to  Eleazar to bring a "unblemished red heifer.. " outside the camp and have it slaughtered.  The first thing he had to do was to take some of the blood and sprinkle it "toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times."  Next the heifer was completely burned.. every part of it... plus cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet material.  It was burned until all that was left was ashes. These ashes were preserved outside the camp and would be mixed with water and used to purify anyone who became unclean because of contact with a dead body. 

Anyone who touched the ashes.. or touched the water that contained the ashes.. would also be made unclean for 7 days.  There were exact rules to be obeyed so that the unclean person could then be considered clean and could once again come into the camp and into the tent of meeting.  If they did not obey exactly as God required they were to be cut off from the congregation.  

Many people had already died from the congregation of Israel because of their sinful rebellion. The rest of those who had refused to enter the promised land would also did in the wilderness.  The Lord prepared them for this and provided protection for their children so that they would not be contaminated by the dead bodies. 

Hebrews 9:13-14 says this, "For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who had been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

God's purpose for the offering of the red heifer was to cleanse.. or sanctify..those who had been defiled by contact with death... death of the flesh.  Greater still.. He has given us the "blood of Christ" to sanctify us.. from spiritual death.. from a sinful conscience.. from the contact that we have had with a sin-filled world and from sin that has defiled us.  Hallelujah! What a Savior! He has delivered us from sin and from death!  He has cleansed us and made us holy and blameless by  washing us with  His own blood. 

Father in heaven,  there is so much we do not understand but we are learning to trust in You and not lean on our own understanding.  We are learning.. help us to learn.. to acknowledge You in all that we do and allow You to direct our path.. our every step. Fill us Spirit of God so that we might walk in righteousness to serve the living God.. with all our heart and soul and spirit.  We are in Christ Jesus who "loved the church and gave Himself  up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through  the Word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless, " ( Ephraim 5:25-27).. Praise the Lord. amen and amen. 

 Numbers 18  The Lord, once again,  explains to Aaron and Moses... and the Levites.. that they have been chosen to "bear the guilt" - take responsibility  for the sanctuary and the priesthood.  They had a solemn obligation to serve in the tabernacle.  Aaron's responsibility was great.. but his sons and the Levites were given to him to serve and to share in this work.  They were responsible to guard and protect the things of the Lord. To fail would bring death to those who were "outsiders" and to them also.  

But, not only was this work an obligation and responsibility.. it was a gift.  The Lord called it a "bestowed service".  They were in charge of the offerings and holy gifts that were given to the Lord.. every offering.. sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings. guilt offerings.. everything!   And out of those offerings they would feed themselves and their families.  They had no land of their own.. no inheritance except the Lord Himself.  But... they would have the "best of the fresh oil, and all the best of the fresh wine and of the grain, the first fruits of those which they give to the Lord,.." the Lord told them. " I give them to you."

The Levites would receive the "tithe" that all of Israel would bring to the Lord.  Out of that they themselves would tithe a portion and give it to Aaron. This was "compensation" for their service in the tent of meeting.

The church of today works in a similar way.. We bring our tithes and gifts to our church and present it as an offering to the Lord.  The offering is the Lord's and He gives it to those who serve in the church.  Not only for the pastors and staff, but for the upkeep of the buildings.. to protect and guard what is the Lord's sanctuary. The one thing that we don't always remember is that what we give should be the best of what we have.. not that we need to offer sacrifices like Israel did, for we have been covered by the One who shed His blood, once for all times.  But, we have been given the privilege to serve the Lord.. and we know that the Lord" loves a cheerful giver.." ( 2 Corinthians 9:7)  Indeed, the Word tells us that God will give to us more so that we can be even more generous in giving to others... and that includes the church for sure!

Father in heaven, You have blessed us with so much and we bring our gifts and offerings to the church that You have established.. for Your will and purposes.. May we give generously and with true thanksgiving in our hearts. May You receive all praise and honor and glory. It is Your "surpassing grace" given to us that enables us to be faithful and obedient in all things. Let Your will be done we pray, in Jesus' name . Amen.

 Numbers 17 The Lord gives another sign.. to prove to all the people of Israel that He chose  Aaron and his sons to be the priests and the Levites to serve Him in the tent of meeting.. And not anyone else! He had each tribe bring a rod.. the rod of that belonged to the leader of each tribe.  Each rod was inscribed with their name.  Aaron also had a rod with his name inscribed on it.  These rods were placed in the tent of meeting over night. 

"And it will come about that the rod of the man whom I choose will sprout. Thus I shall lessen from upon Myself the grumblings of the sons of Israel, who are grumbling against you."   So, this is what they did and the next morning Moses brought the rods out.. "and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds, and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds."  There could be no doubt that God chose Aaron and the Levites.  Not just a bud.. but the whole cycle of growth was evident.  Buds, blossoms, and fully ripe almonds from a rod that had long ago been cut from a tree. A miracle that was far beyond their imagination or understanding. 

This rod was placed back in the tabernacle.. it was a sign that should always remind the rest of Israel that God decided who would serve Him and they should stop grumbling! 

It is only then that the rest of the sons of Israel realized that they were wrong.. "Behold, we perish, we are dying, we are all dying!"  They could not come near the tabernacle of the Lord.. what could they do?

Way back in the days of Cain and Abel there was a similar problem.. Abel's offering was accepted and Cain's was not..  for he had chosen to do things his own way and not according to God's way.  We know what happened next.  The tribes of Israel wanted to control the Tent and tabernacle their own way.. but that was not acceptable to God.  It was not open to debate or compromise. It was determined by God and would be His way! He chose Aaron and his sons to be priests and the Levites to serve as they had been directed. 

Likewise, we are called to come before the Lord Almighty according to His Word and that Word is Jesus Christ. "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." ( Acts 4:12)  Some want to come to the Lord in their own ways.. works.. other religions.. or self-righteousness.  But, the Lord has made it clear by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that He is the only Way.. the complete Truth.. and the giver of Life. The Father chose His own Son to be the High Priest of heaven.. and there can be no debate or argument that will stand against Him. Hallelujah!

Father, hide us in the Rock of Ages.. in Jesus Christ the Son of God who came to seek and save the lost.. to make atonement for us who have no righteousness of our own..  We must have Jesus as our Savior for He is our only hope and life.  Draw us nearer to our precious Lord we pray. We cling to You Jesus. Thank You for this great salvation found in Your Name.. the Name above all names. Amen and Hallelujah! 

 Numbers 16  The people of Israel were still questioning and challenging Moses and Aaron.. and rebelling against the Lord's clear commands.. even after seeing the consequences of those who had died already in their rebellion and unbelief.. 

Korah was the son of Izhar.. a relative of Moses and Aaron.. a leader in the tribe of Levi.  Dathan and Abiram and On.. were from the tribe of Reuben. Verse 1 tells us that this little gang.. "took action".  They brought 250 of the other leaders "men of renown".. Men put into position by the Lord's own choice.. and they all came against Moses and Aaron. "You have gone far enough .. " they told Moses. We are holy.. everyone is holy.. the Lord is here.. "so why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?"

Mose fell on his face.  He was a humble man.. but he was not a weak man.  Moses told Korah and the others to come before the Lord the next day.."tomorrow morning the Lord will show who is His, and who is holy, and will bring him near to Himself; even the one whom He will choose, He will bring near to Himself." 

The next day Korah and some fellow Levites showed up.. but Dathan and Abiram wouldn't even answer the summons to come before the Lord.  So Moses told the people to get back away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.. and the Lord  did a new thing.. "the ground that was under them split open; and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who belonged to Korah, with their possessions. So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly."  On top of that the Lord sent forth fire and consumed the 250 men who had tried to present incense to the Lord. 

Instead of repenting and seeking the Lord, the congregation continued to grumble! The Lord appeared once more in the cloud that covered the tent of meeting.. and sent a plague upon the people. 14,700 more people died in this plague, which was stopped when Aaron took his censor and brought fire from the altar to make atonement for them,  

Rebellion, jealousy, arrogance..those thinking they were better.. holier.. more worthy.. were the ones who  experienced plague.. fire.. and the ground splitting open and consuming the evil doers. The Lord took action against those who came against His chosen leader.. Moses and His chosen priest. Aaron. 

The Lord draws near to Himself those who are His.. He sees those who are holy.. and He sees those who just think they are worthy..  The Lord had called the tribe of Levi into service to Himself... but they were not content and not grateful.  They wanted more.. they wanted power.. they wanted recognition. They failed to take into account the sovereignty of God. They failed to submit to the authority that they were called to obey.  They brought destruction upon themselves and all of their family and all they had. 

The Lord had Aaron take up the bronze censers that were burned up with the 250 leaders.. and he made a "plating before the altar.. "   it was to remind the laymen to not come near to burn incense as Korah did. That job was meant for the true priests.. the sons of Aaron. 

Father, let us learn from Your Word what You would say to us today.  You have called men and women to serve You.. according to Your purpose and plan for each of us. We are grateful for the place You have made for us.. and we pray that we will serve You well and humbly.  We want to be content and not allow jealousy or arrogance or selfishness to have place in our hearts.  Oh may we have pure hearts and clean hands, Lord God!  Let Your will be done, Father. We surrender all to You.. Be glorified in our lives we pray. Amen. 

 Numbers 15 The Lord had just sent Israel back into the wilderness to drift through the next 40 years until those who had failed to trust Him for the land He promised, had all died. Now, He reminds them that He will give them the land and they will need to follow His commands now, in the wilderness, and later when they enter the land. 

The Lord commands them to bring special offerings when they enter the land. It's going to happen and when it does.. they are going to worship Him.  He assures them that He is still with them all the way.

The Lord also commands that the "alien who sojourns" with them should be treated the same as every Israelite. "There is to be one law and one ordinance for you and for the alien who sojourns with you." 

Then the Lord gives directions for those who unintentionally sin or fail to observe His commandments.  He also gives directions for those who intentionally and defiantly do anything that blasphemes the Lord. One who sins unintentionally can find pardon and atonement. One who is defiantly sinning would be "cut off".  

It didn't take long for an example to be made.. "they found a man gathering wood on the sabbath day.. " This man was sentenced immediately to be stoned and the people obeyed. 

The Lord gave one more command.. He wanted them to sew blue tassels to the corners of their garments.. these were to remind them to obey the commandments and "be holy to your God".  The tassels were supposed to  help them to constantly remember the commandments.. "so as to do them and not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you played the harlot." 

"I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt to be your God, I am the Lord your God." 

So... what is it that the Lord, our Shepherd, is saying to us today?  First, I hear Him say.. set Your eyes on what is ahead.  Israel was in the wilderness.. but they would enter the promised land.. so  they could look forward to that and be prepared.  We look forward to the coming of Christ.  Peter wrote, "But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved since you look for these things, be diligent to be found in Him in peace, spotless and blameless." (II Peter 3:13-14)  

Secondly, the Lord is telling us to treat everyone the same.. we should not use one standard for some people and another standard for everyone else. We are all beholden to the same God and He shows NO partiality. 

Thirdly, the Lord had shown us that we all fail.. none of us is perfect and even if we don't intend to sin.. sometimes we just do.  But.. He is good and He is always ready to forgive!  That does not mean that if we turn away from Him and rebel or "despise His word".. that He will automatically wipe away that sin. Only true repentance can bring us into fellowship with our God. He is the Lord!

Finally, I see that the Lord wants us to walk with Him continually.  He calls us to a life of constant fellowship. He wants us to remember Him and walk in obedience to Him.  We don't have blue tassels for our garments.. but we have the Holy Spirit who dwells in us and will keep us in His will if we keep our eyes on Him. 

Father, help us to be faithful in all things.  We are weak.. but You are strong. You are faithful, even when we are not.  You are good and willing to forgive and we are so filled with gratitude for Your mercies that are made new every morning.  Fill us Spirit of God and guide our thoughts, our words, and our deeds.  Keep our eyes on Jesus.. as we look towards the finish line.. fill us with hope and peace and make us spotless and blameless in Your sight we pray. In Christ Jesus we come. amen. 

 Numbers 14:20-45  The Lord pardoned the iniquity of the people of Israel as Moses had prayed. But, the consequences of their unfaithfulness would be devastating.  All of the men who had been numbered.. the entire army with the exception of Caleb and Joshua  would die in the wilderness without ever entering the promised land.  The 10 spies who had brought the "very bad report" died immediately from a plague. 

The rest of Israel were sentenced to 40 years of wandering in the wilderness as shepherds... one year for each day that the spies had spent in the land of Canaan.  Only when the grumblers were buried in the wilderness would their children be able to finally take the land. 

Yet, even after the people mourned their loss, they turned around and disobeyed again!  Some men decided to go fight the Amalekites and Canaanites on their own.  Moses warned them that the Lord would not be with them for they were sinning against Him once again.  But.. they would not listen and went on their own.. and were struck down. 

The Lord did not leave Moses or the people without hope.. ".. as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord.." (v21)  He told them to turn back to the wilderness.. for they would wander for 40 years.. but there would be a day when they would enter the land.. "When you enter the land where you are to live, which I am giving you.. " He said. (15:2)  They would enter the land.. they would present offerings and worship Him.. there was still hope! He would not forsake them even in their wandering.

Father, sometimes we feel like we are wandering.. and our hope for Your return becomes dim..  Restore us Lord.  Give us greater faith and deeper hope. Open our eyes to see Your Hand at work, even now. Open our ears to hear Your voice calling us to wait upon You and to lift up our eyes because Jesus is coming soon. Fill us with Your Spirit and grant us strength and courage for You have promised to be with us and You always keep Your Promises.  Let all the earth be filled with the glory of the Lord, even as You spoke to Moses in the wilderness. We thank You for the good news of salvation.. still spreading out to every tongue and tribe and nation.  Rescue the perishing, Lord God.. Let the Light of the World.. Jesus Christ break through all the darkness we pray. In His wonderful Name. Amen

Numbers 14:1-19   There are consequences for rebellion and unbelief. The people of Israel lost faith in the God who was present.. in the cloud by day and the fire by night.. the same God who brought them out of Egypt with His powerful Hand.  They saw Him... but didn't know Him.  They didn't trust His promise that He would give them the land.. that He would conquer these enemies. That He would do what they couldn't do.  

Verse 5 tells us that Moses and Aaron both fell on their faces.. Verse 6 tells us that Joshua and Caleb "tore their clothes" and spoke to the people.  " If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us - a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land. "  

But the people were ready to stone them.. until the Lord showed up.. "Then the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel."

Imagine this.. when the glory of the Lord shows up.. it stops the rebels.. it stops the arguments.. He brings an end to the violence.  It must have been stunning.. this powerful appearance of the Lord in the midst of the multitude. 

The Lord seems to take Moses aside "How long will this people spurn Me?"  He is willing to "smite" them all right there and then.  But, weary and frustrated Moses intercedes instead of agreeing..   He reasons with the Lord.. his argument is that the Name of the Lord will be dishonored by the other nations if the people die in the wilderness like this. They will think that the Lord is unable to accomplish what He set out to do. "But now I pray, let the power of the Lord be great, just as Thou hast declared." Moses prays for the pardon of "the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Thy lovingkindness, just as Thou also hast forgiven this people, from Egypt until now." 

Moses reminded the Lord of His own words spoken on Mt Sinai.. ( Exodus 34:6-7) "The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation." And we are reminded once again of the character of our God.. for He never changes.  He is willing and able to forgive.. He will pardon our iniquities.. He is abundant in His lovingkindness towards us. But, He will not ignore those who continue in sin and rebellion. 

There is one thing that the Lord did change.... oh how great is His grace... In Ezekiel 18 the Lord declared that  "The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself." (v20)  

Father in heaven, You are so good. You are ready to forgive. Ready to pardon our iniquities and give us life.  You are just in all You do.  We desire, Lord, to live for You and to please You.. even though we know that we fall short. So we thank You for being patient and loving towards us.. We are grateful that You are slow to anger and that You do not remember are transgressions against us when we repent and turn away from sin.  We thank You for the atonement that You have made for us through Jesus Christ the Lord who died on the cross, shedding His blood and giving us life through His death.  Hallelujah! What a Savior! We praise Your Name and pray that You will be exalted in all the earth !  Amen. 

 Numbers 13 And then there they were.. heading towards the land of promise.. and the Lord tells Moses to send out men to "spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give to the sons of Israel.. " 

One man from each tribe (except Levi).  Their names are carefully recorded: Shammu; Shaphat; Caleb; Igal; Hoshea (Joshua); Palti; Gaddiel; Gaddi; Ammiel; Sether; Nahbi; Geuel.  12 men from prominent families... chosen for this special force.  Imagine the pride and excitement to be given this great privilege and responsibility. 

Moses gave them directions as to where they were to go and what they were supposed to observe - They were to go up into the south country ( the Negev) then move on into the hill country.  So they went on their way and traveled 40 days up into Canaan, going as far as Hebron where they saw the "giants".. the people of Anak.  They saw the people of Amalek,  the Hittites, the Jebusites and the Amorites. They saw the Canaanites.   They saw those who lived in the mountains and those by the sea. They saw the prosperity of the land and brought home the large cluster of grapes.  But.. they also brought home their fears and doubts.  

Only Caleb spoke up.  "We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we shall surely overcome it." 

But.. the other men increased their arguments.. "The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. There also we saw the Nephilim.. and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."  The root of the word Nephilim, translated as "giants" is a word that means to fall.. to have a violent death, or to fall prostrate before .. The spies were ready to fall down in fear before these giants.  It was either that or they would be violently hewn down by them.  They exaggerated the story to say that "all" the people were giants. They felt their own weakness and led the people into fear instead of faith. 

This bad report.. especially with the addition of the word " Nephilim".. these "giants" brought the people to tears, "and the people wept that night." (14:1)  Their hopes were shattered and their faith was lost. 

 They "fell" to the enemy before even taking one step into  the land that God had promised to give them!

Father, You are greater than anyone or anything in this created world.. for You are the Maker and sustainer of everything.  Like David of old.. we may face the giants in our lives with faith and not fear!  Thank You for the examples of men like Caleb and Joshua.. like David and Paul and so many others that chose faith and not fear.  Let our testimony be that with You nothing is impossible . Let us stand before those who try to scare us.. knowing that our God is stronger.. and You will complete what You have said!  We bow before You and You only!  We will not fall.. for we stand on the solid rock... Jesus Christ the Lord.  He is our hope and we cling fast to His right hand.. for He will help us to keep on standing.  Thank You and Praise to our God!  You are Mighty to save and Gracious to all who look to You. Amen. 

 Numbers 12  As if the griping and greediness were not enough.. as if the plague weren't enough of a warning that the Lord disciplines those who sin against Him... Aaron and Miriam take up their complaint about Moses.. "Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?"

"And the Lord heard it." 

Moses, we are told, was a very humble man.. and did not speak up to defend himself.  Instead.. the Lord calls Aaron, Mariam and Moses to the door of the tent of meeting.  The Lord, Himself appears in the pillar of cloud.  It is the Lord who speaks:

"Hear now My words; If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses.  He is faithful in all My household. With him I speak mouth to mouth, Even openly, and not in dark sayings, And he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses?" 

When the cloud lifted Mariam was completely covered with leprosy.  Aaron turns to Moses to beg forgiveness and to ask for healing for Mariam.   Here is Aaron, the high priest of Israel.. and he doesn't even know how to pray.. he has to turn to the same one that he just challenged regarding his position of leadership.. Moses..  It is Moses who seeks the Lord's help.. "O God, heal her, I pray!"

The Lord sentences Mariam to 7 days of isolation, outside the camp.. to "bear her shame".. a light sentence for the sinfulness she had in her heart...  sins of envy, jealousy.. pride.. arrogance..unbelief. But, He does answer Moses' prayer. 

After the 7 days of Mariam's exile.. the people moved out again. 

The Lord heard the words of Aaron and Mariam. He pays attention to all our words. As I used to tell my grandsons when they were little.. "Words matter".  We need a guard on our tongues.  and we need a guard on our hearts.  The Lord had a powerful message for Aaron and Mariam.. they didn't even qualify to be called prophets.. they had not received visions or dreams, let alone meet with the Lord face to face as Moses did.  They didn't seem to know the Lord at all.. yet challenged Moses who was "faithful" in the Lord's household! 

Both Mariam and Aaron died in the wilderness. They would never see the Promised land.  Little is said about the death of Mariam.  The people did mourn after the death of Aaron.  We are not told what their lives were like after this event.  Hopefully they humbled themselves before the Lord and sought to serve Him with all their hearts. 

May we also learn from the words of the Lord.. remembering that wherever the Lord puts us is where He can use us to do His will. Let us give thanks to Him who has a perfect plan for each of His children and let us learn to be content to trust in Him and walk humbly with our God... no matter what. 

Father in heaven, fill our hearts with Your Spirit.. the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and strength, of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.  When we are weak.. when we envy or complain.. when we fail to be content.. or when we grow weary, Lord God be our strength.  Let the power of Your love fill us and overflow from our lips.. words of grace and encouragement.. words of humility and obedience. May we know You and draw near to You, like Moses. Keep our hearts clean and pure before You we pray. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

 Numbers 11  Three days out of Sinai.. and the complaining began... It began with the "rabble".. those on the outskirts of the camp.. but quickly spread to the people of Israel. The Lord heard the complaints and became angry.  He sent fire that "burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp."

An attitude of greediness seeped into the camp, again beginning with the "rabble" and spreading throughout the camp. The people began crying and complaining to Moses.  They wanted meat. They wanted the food they had in Egypt.  They wanted more than manna.  They wanted more than what God had provided. 

Moses was "displeased" and the Lord was angry.  Moses began his own complaining.. "Why hast Thou been so hard on Thy servant?"   That touches a nerve, doesn't it?  Lord.. this is too hard.. why are You so hard on me?  Why have You given me so much responsibility?  Why have You made me carry this heavy burden ?  What is it that I am complaining about today?

The Lord listened to Moses and granted him some help.  70 elders were called to the tent of meeting.  God took the Spirit who was upon Moses, and put Him upon the 70 saying, ".. and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you shall not bear it alone."  And so He did as He said. 

He also addressed the complaints of the people. They wanted meat and He gave them meat.  Quail by the thousands landed for miles around the camp. Bushels and bushels of quail were gathered by the people. But..."While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was even chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very severe plague. " 

The Lord told Moses, "Is the Lord's power limited? Now you shall see  whether My word will come true for you or not." It is a word we need to hear too. 

The Lord dealt swiftly and justly with His people. He always does what He says He will do and we need to listen carefully to what He says.  We are given this example for His purposes.. to learn from the failures of Israel.. They listened to the "rabble".  First mistake.  We fall into this so easily.. we listen to the world.. the complaints and the greediness of this world invade our thoughts... and our lives. Secondly, the people of God turned to Moses.. to a man and not to God.. for the solutions they wanted. We need to take heed of this error.  No man can accomplish what Moses was asked to do.  But God can.. He is the One with unlimited power! 

The biggest mistake that the people of Israel made though... is that they didn't trust God or take Him at His Word. They allowed the spirit of greediness to take hold and forgot all the goodness that He had poured out on them. They completely missed the one thing that would make all the difference.. Gratitude. True faith.. true love.. true obedience are found in a life that is full of thanksgiving and praise to the Lord. 

Father in heaven,  You have poured out.. lavished Your grace upon us through Jesus Christ the Lord. You are worthy of all praise and thanksgiving.  You have blessed us with every spiritual.. and physical blessing that we need.. and You have loved us with everlasting love. How can we hold back and complain?  Oh, may we continually give thanks to the Lord.. You are good. You are ready to forgive. You are abundant in lovingkindness. There is none like You! There are no works like Yours. Thank You Father. Thank You Jesus. Thank You Holy Spirit.. Amen. 

 Numbers 10:11 -36  Now that everything was ready... all the people arranged into their particular camps.. the tabernacle and tent cared for by those who were given their assignments.. the "cloud was lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony."  They began their journey to the promised land.  Their first journey was 3 days, going from Sinai into the wilderness of Paran.

Judah, Issachar, and Zebulan were at the front of the line.  They were followed by the sons of Gershon and Merari, those carrying the tabernacle.. all the tents and poles etc.  Verse 21 tells us that they would have the tent all set up by the time the Kohathites arrived with the sacred objects. 

After Gershon and Merari with the tabernacle and tent came the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad. They were followed by the Kohathites with the holy objects for the tabernacle. 

Then came the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin.  Bring up the "rear guard" was Dan, Asher, and Naphtali. 

Over 600,000 men.. plus women, children, and animals.. traveled in this caravan.  There were also "sojourners" that followed along with Israel. Plus, we read in verses 29-31 that Moses asked his father-in-law the Midianite to come along and apparently he agreed. 

Verse 33 says "Thus they set out from the mount of the Lord three days journey with the ark of the covenant of the Lord journeying in from of them for the three days, to seek out a resting place for them." This is interesting.. and I wonder why the ark was not back with the Kohathites.   Moses let the ark lead all the people and he would sing out a battle cry as it set out, "Rise up, O Lord! And let Thine enemies be scattered, And let those who hate Thee flee before Thee."  Then when the cloud came to a rest Moses would say, "Return Thou, O Lord, To the myriad thousands of Israel." 

For three days.. they followed the directions of the Lord.. there was order, there was safety, and there was provision.. three days of purpose and joy in the promises of God.  But, on the third day.. things changed. 

Father in heaven, we see Your perfect plan at work among Your people here in Your word.  You stayed with them.. You provided all they needed. You directed their steps and protected them as they traveled.  We remember that You are God who never changes and that Your plans for each of us are perfect too.  You have a place that You have brought us to.. You have people You have brought into our lives.. and by Your wonderful grace.. You have led us through the days and nights towards Your Promised Land.. our forever Home in heaven.  We are so thankful.. Help us, Lord to keep trusting.. to stop complaining.. and to walk in faith every day as we run the race set before us.  You are with us and Jesus Christ is in us by the filling of Your Holy Spirit. Let our faith grow as we come closer and closer to You..may we find rest in Your Presence. We pray in the name of Jesus, our Savior and Lord. Amen. 

 Numbers 9  The first 14 verses of this chapter bring us to the 1st month of the second year after leaving Egypt. The Lord gave the command for Israel to celebrate Passover on the 14th day of this month..So they did all that the Lord had commanded for the Passover celebration. 

There were a few people who were unclean because of the death of someone near to them.  They wanted to celebrate the Passover too, but could not. Moses asked the Lord what they could do and He allowed them to have their own Passover celebration on the 14th day of the 2nd month. 

Verses 15-23 tell about the way the Lord directed the travels of the camp.. When the cloud by day or fire by night lingered over the tabernacle the people would remain camped.  This could be a day, a month, or a year. But, when the cloud was lifted the people would move out.. traveling until the cloud settled down once again. "At the command of the Lord they camped and at the command of the Lord they set out; they kept the Lord's charge, according to the command of the Lord through Moses." (v23) 

Numbers 10:1-10  Here, the Lord adds one more way to communicate with this vast group of people.  He had Moses make 2 trumpets of "hammered work".  These were used in various ways.  Two blasts would gather all the people towards the tabernacle or for them to set out.  One trumpet would gather the "leaders, the heads of the divisions".  The trumpets were also used to sound an alarm.. for moving out or in case of war.  Verse 9 says the the alarm in that case would cause the Lord to "remember" them and that they would be "saved from their enemies." 

The trumpets would also be used for feast days, first days, burnt offerings, peace offerings "and they shall be as a reminder of you before your God. I am the Lord your God." 

The sound of the trumpets must have been constant.. I can imagine the people stopping to listen at each sounding.. as they discerned what their response should be... are we gathering?  Are we moving out? Is there war?  Is there a feast? 

 We are also  listening for a trumpet sound, aren't we?  Matthew 14: 31 says, "and He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other." 

What a day that will be!

Father in heaven, we are listening for the sound of the trumpet for we long for the coming of the King!  You have given us ears to hear.. and we desire to walk in Your ways.. moving when You say move and staying when You say stay.  But, like the people of Israel.. we may be uncertain.  Help us Lord to trust completely in You.. knowing that no matter what..we are Yours and You will remember us and save us. Thank You for being so gracious and kind.. So loving and patient.  We give You thanks and praise for You are our God, in heaven above and on the earth below and there is no other! Amen. 

 Numbers 8:1-4  Moses received from the Lord a new bit of information about the seven lamp stands placed in the tabernacle... "When you mount the lamps, the seven lamps with give light in the front of the lamp stand."  As this was the only light inside the tabernacle it was the responsibility of the priests to keep the lamps burning at all times. They already knew this.. so maybe this was a simple correction to assure that the light was directed to the front of the room, and not to the walls or the back.  We know that the Lord Jesus is the Light of the World.. and that because of Him we are called to be "light"  also..  We are taught to walk in the Light.. to shine our light into the darkness.. but this passage makes me think.. do we shine our lights towards the front... towards what lies ahead.. towards the eternal Hope we have in Christ Jesus?  Or are we trying to shine a light on the past.. trying to expose the past.. trying in vain to uncover what must be left behind?  Just a thought... something I need to  think on a bit more.. 

The rest of this chapter (v5-26) deals with the preparation and the dedication of the Levites before they begin "to perform the service of the Lord"..  Again the Lord proclaims that the Levites are His! They are cleansed and then an atonement offering is presented.  The Levites themselves are brought before the Lord as a "wave offering".  They are a separate group .. chosen by the Lord as His own to serve in the tent of meeting. 

Something else interesting about the Levites is that they began serving at the age of 25 and retired at the age of 50.  This was hard work.. carrying the tent, the furniture, and all of the framework of the tent and the tabernacle.  It was heavy work.  It was continual work.  And most of all,.. it was sacred work.  Everything had to be done exactly as the Lord required.. the penalty for touching  or even looking at the sacred ark etc.. was death.  It was both a privilege to serve the Lord and a great responsibility too. 

Once a Levite turned 50 and retired they could still "assist their brothers".  They became teachers and helpers to those younger who were now responsible for the work.  But, they would no longer do the work they did before. 

Once again we see how completely thorough God's plans are.. He directs every detail and makes a clear path for those involved in serving Him..  This gives me encouragement.. that His plans for me are just as thorough and that He directs my path forward with His Light.  He gives me the privilege to serve Him and He also gives me responsibilities that are designed just for me.  He has given me a time in my life to do the work.. and also a time when I become the mentor and helper for those younger than me.  His ways are perfect for me.. and will continue to lead me towards His final and eternal destination that He has prepared for me.. Praise God for His many blessings!

Father in heaven, You are good and You are perfect.  Your plans are unique for each of Your servants.. we are not all called to the same duties.. but we are all called to serve You.. for You have made us Your own. We are so thankful!  Help us, Father, to do Your will and to serve You with whole hearts and willing minds. Be glorified in us, Your people, today, Lord.  We come to You in the Name of Jesus.. the Coming One.. let His name be lifted up in us today as we shine forth His Light into the dark world. Amen.