Numbers 1:18
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
They declared their pedigrees.
It was not enough to be a true-born
Israelite, a man must be able to show his descent. The genealogical tables
were kept with the greatest care; and there was a holy pride in being able
to vindicate the claim of having the blood of the patriarchs in the veins.
It is a blessed thing to be sure
that we have passed from death unto life, and are the children of God by
faith in Christ Jesus. True, our eternal destiny does not hinge on it.
Many will doubtless be saved at last, who have spent their lives between
hope and fear. But it is very needful for our comfort and growth in grace
to be able to declare our pedigree, and to know that we have been
translated into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son.
The Gospel of John was written that
we might believe; the Epistle that we might know. But many seek this
knowledge in the wrong way, and are exposed to endless questionings. They
try to discover the date, place, or experience in the past, when they were
incorporated into the Divine family; and because they cannot point to
these, they imagine that they are still outside. Now for every one that
has had a definite experience of the new birth, there are perhaps a score
who entered the Divine family almost as a sailor passes the line of the
Equator. Yet it is possible for you to know that you are born again,
though you may not be able to tell your birthday.
If you are trusting Jesus, if the
Spirit witnesses with your spirit that God is your Father, if you are full
of a holy fear of grieving Him, if you are becoming like Him, if you love
the brethren — you may certainly declare yourself his child.
Numbers 2:2-34
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
The Children of Israel shall pitch
every man by his own standard. (r.v.)
Our God is a God of order; and it
was needful for the order of the camp, whether at rest or on the march,
that each man should know his place, and keep to it. But though there were
different standards and positions, there was one center, the ark, and one
host of redeemed men.
Each believer has an appointed place in the great army of God. It is
indicated by the voice of God, and by the circumstances of our life; and
it should be jealously retained. Repeatedly the Apostle bade his converts
abide in the calling wherein they were called. Yours may be towards the
bleak north of difficulty, or the warm south of privilege — in the home,
the country parish, or the difficult foreign post. But, on the whole, you
should stay where you are; unless the Captain of our salvation moves you
by some unmistakable indication of his will. The apostle Paul ever lived
in such dependence on the Holy Spirit for guidance, and for the unfolding
of the Divine purpose, that from some apparently trivial circumstance he
would “gather” the movements of the pillar of cloud by day, and of fire by
night. And interval there was none between his apprehension of the Divine
purpose and his endeavor to strike his tent and follow wherever it might
lead (Acts 16:6–7).
The main point with us all is to
face the ark, to which the doors of all the tents looked, so that we may
ever catch the first symptom of the movement of the cloud. On the whole,
we do best to pitch and fight under our own standards. There is a closer
bond of brotherhood possible between those who think alike. But whilst we
are positive in what we affirm for ourselves, let us not deny that other
standards represent necessary aspects of the common faith.
C H Spurgeon Devotional -
Numbers
2:31
Numbers 3:45
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
Take the Levites instead.
Each firstborn son was God’s. On the
day of the Exodus, as the firstborn of Egypt were stricken, so the
firstborn of Israel were hallowed. God claimed the right of their service
in his Temple, to serve there as priests and attendants. But instead of
them, He accepted the whole tribe of Levi; and for the overplus of
firstborn sons above the number of Levites, He accepted redemption money,
which went to maintain Aaron and his family. Thus, each firstborn son was
represented, either by a substitute, or by a money payment.
An Appeal to Parents. — Would
it not be a blessed custom if, in all our churches, the firstborn child
was, in a special sense, regarded as God’s, and trained for some branch of
his holy service in the home and foreign field? What a blessing would rest
on our homes if this were the custom! It would lead to very definite
prayer, that the young soul might be truly converted and led to realize
the parents’ ideal.
An Appeal to firstborn Children.
— Either go yourself into the service of God, at home or abroad, or send a
substitute. Consider yourself under obligation to do some special work for
Christ and his Church. And if you cannot, earn money to support your
representative. This is laying up treasure in heaven.
An Appeal to Families. — Why
should not each Christian family become a missionary society, sending one
of its members forth in the name of the rest, who should bind themselves
solemnly to “hold the ropes;” and thus obey the Master’s parting
commission, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature”?
Numbers 4:19
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
Every one to his service and to his
burden.
Is this what the Apostle referred to
when he said that every man should bear his own burden? There are burdens
which we cannot share or depute, to bear which we need special grace, and
must continually seek the aid of the Divine Spirit.
The burden of our own existence. —
Each of us must give an account of himself to God. We were created for a
specific purpose; and our failure to fulfil it cannot be settled on
another. God will require each man’s soul of himself. “Every one of us
shall give account of himself to God” (see note
Romans 14:12). You have a charge to
keep, a soul to save, and a God to glorify.
The burden of our life-work. — What makest thou in the world? The Maker of all waits for thee to enter his
great workshop and become his apprentice and co-worker. To be an idler, or
an absentee, will land thee in inevitable disgrace. The appointed place
cannot be left vacant, and thy tools untouched, save at thy grave peril.
The burden of the souls of others. —
We are our brothers’ keepers, liable at any moment to be called upon to
give an account of how they fare; and we cannot rid ourselves of this
responsibility by annual donations or subscriptions to charitable or
missionary institutions.
The burden of daily intercession.
— Jesus bears the burdens of his people
as He intercedes for them in heaven; and there is a sense in which we are
called to bear up his hands in this holy service. We must consider the
work of daily prayer for his Church, for sufferers, and for the world, as
part of the burden of the Lord, allotted to us because we are members of
his body.
Numbers 5:3
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
Without the camp,... in the midst
whereof I dwell.
What a sublime conception! — God
dwelt with his people. The Tabernacle was his tent amongst theirs; the
cloudy pillar was his ensign. To attack them was to come into collision
with Him. All the expense and anxiety of the march rested on his
shoulders, as the care of a family of young children on a father. How
needful it was that nothing should be permitted which could grieve or
offend Him!
What the camp of Israel was in those
long-ago days, the Church is now. It is the host of the redeemed, the
representative of God, the pilgrimage of the saints. Amongst his people
God still walks, and dwells, and tabernacles. Their griefs, conflicts, and
experiences, are shared by their ever-present Almighty Friend.
The presence of God in the Church is
by the Holy Spirit. “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that
the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). He is with her
and in her as the Body of which the risen Lord is Head. When the one
Advocate went up, the other came down; when the Second Person in the Holy
Trinity ascended to his throne, the Third Person came down to perpetuate
his work in the world, through the Church. “He dwelleth with you, and
shall be in you.”
How careful should we be in the
ordering of our church-life, as well as of our individual lives, so that
there may be nothing to offend Him! “What will the Holy Spirit think of
this?” should be always our first inquiry. We must walk in the paracletism
of the Holy Ghost, if we would be edified and multiplied, as were the
churches throughout Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria (Acts 9:31).
C H Spurgeon Devotional -
Numbers 6:4
Numbers 6:12
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
The former days shall be void. (r.v.)
How solemn is the suggestion of
these words! If the separation of the Nazarite were broken in upon by his
sudden contact with death, he might start afresh; but all the days that
preceded that untoward event would go for nothing — they would not be
counted.
How many days in our life have been
made void! Days in which we have learned no new lesson of God; have had no
access into his presence; have done no kind and helpful act; have spoken
no loving, tender word. It is all-important that even our days of rest
from active engagements should be days of learning deeper lessons, of
vision, and of reception from the fulness of God.
Each day comes to us fresh from God,
like soft metal, waiting to be stamped with our inscription; or like a
piece of yielding clay, to be molded in to some shape of beauty or use.
Each morning the slate is brought for us to write on; the canvas on which
we may paint. But too often we miss our opportunity, and a blurred,
marred, confused result is all we have to show.
If you would avoid this, let God
plan each day; follow the guidance of his Spirit; do all you touch with
your might and for his glory; put away all known sin, and be separate from
evil; in everything learn to submit to his dealings, and to commit
yourself to his faithful keeping. Then each day will have something to
keep in charge, and resemble a chalice filled to its brim with holy
service. We must ever remember that “every man’s work shall be made
manifest: for the Day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by
fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is” (1
Corinthians 3:13).
C H Spurgeon Devotional -
Numbers 6:24
Numbers 7:89
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
Moses ... heard the voice speaking
unto him,... and He spake unto him.
The meaning of this verse seems to
be that when Moses went into the Holy Place to speak with God he became
conscious of the Divine voice, that opened out to him the thoughts and
purposes of God in such a way that he was caught up on the current and
borne back to God.
This is the true conception of prayer. We often go to God with our
thoughts and desires, and having uttered them we go our way. We do not
wait long enough to see the cherubim and the light of the Shechinah, or
hear the Divine voice. Thus our prayers fail of their answer. We do not
ask what is according to the will and mind of our Heavenly Father; and the
heavens seem like brass. We have not because we ask not, or because we ask
amiss. We must ask in faith, nothing wavering.
The true conception of prayer is
that it originates in the purpose of God, and passes from the Father to
the Son, who is also the Head and Representative of his people. From Jesus
it is brought into our hearts by the blessed Spirit, who unites the Head
with each member of the mystical body; and from the saints it returns to
the source from which it came.
If, then, we would pray aright, we
should wait before God until the Holy Spirit suggests what we should pray
for, and indeed begins to plead within us for the saints. Silence,
solitude, waiting before God; the return to God of his own thoughts; the
being burdened with the weighty matters that lie heavily on the heart of
Jesus — such is the noblest kind of prayer. It is those who wait upon the
Lord that renew their strength, that mount up with wings as eagles; that
run and are not weary, that walk and are not faint (Isaiah 40:31).
Numbers 8:11,
13, 15, 21
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
Aaron offered them for a wave
offering. (r.v.)
This is interesting and instructive.
The Levites were substituted for the firstborn of Israel. They were first
separated from the rest of the people, cleansed, sprinkled, shaven, and
finally presented to the Lord by the act of Aaron, who, according to the
Hebrew word, waved them before the Lord. This waving must, of course, have
been done in symbol and figure. But it was not enough that they were thus
waved, they had thereafter to go in to do their service. In other words,
they were called to realize actually that which was their position and
standing in the sight of God.
There is a precise analogy in all
this to the work which the Lord Jesus has accomplished for us all. He
said, “I consecrate Myself, that they also may be consecrated.” When He
offered Himself without spot to God, to do his Father’s will, though it
cost Him the agony of Calvary, the heavenly Aaron waved us before God to
be his. We were separated by his most precious death, that we should be
wholly for God. But what is ours in the great deed of Christ, must become
ours by our own choice and deed. We must go in to do the service for which
we have been chosen and set apart by the Holy Ghost.
This can only be through the grace
of the blessed Spirit. Ask Him to realize in you the purposes of God:
trust Him to keep you trusting: each morning say, “Holy Spirit, I rely on
Thee to keep me in the current of the Divine purpose.” Then dare to go
forth to do the day’s duties, believing that you may be always engaged in
God’s holy service; that in everything, whether you eat, or drink, or
whatsoever you do, you do all to the glory of God.
Our Daily Bread
Numbers 9:15-23 To
Work Or to Wait?
Numbers 9:19
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
When the cloud tarried.
This was the supreme test of
obedience. It was comparatively easy to strike the tents, when the fleecy
folds of the cloud were slowly gathered from off the Tabernacle, and it
floated majestically before the host. Change is always delightful; and
there was excitement and interest in the route, the scenery, the locality
of the next halting-place. But, ah, the tarrying! Sometimes the cloud
tarried for two days, or a month, or a year; then, however uninviting and
sultry the location, however trying to flesh and blood, however irksome to
the impatient disposition, however perilously exposed to danger — there
was no option but to remain encamped. The Psalmist says, “I waited
patiently for the Lord, and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry.” And
what He has done for the Old Testament saints He will do for believers
throughout all ages.
Still, God often keeps us waiting.
Face to face with threatening foes, in the midst of alarms, encircled by
perils, beneath the impending rock. May we not go? Is it not time to
strike our tent? Have we not suffered to the point of utter collapse? May
we not exchange the glare and heat for green pastures and still waters?
There is no answer. The cloud tarries, and we must remain, though sure of
manna, rock-water, shelter, and defence. God never keeps us at a post
without assuring us of his presence, and sending us daily supplies.
Wait, domestic servant, before you
give notice! Young man, do not be in a hurry to make a change! Minister
remain at your post! Until the cloud clearly moves, you must tarry
(Numbers 9:8). Wait, then, thy Lord’s good pleasure! He will be in plenty
of time!
Numbers 10:32
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
What good so ever the Lord shall do
unto us, the same will we do unto thee. (r.v.)
Hobab was a Gentile by race, but he
was invited to fellowship with Israel in all the blessings of their
covenant. Moses reckoned that Israel was called to a stewardship of the
manifold blessings of their lot. Whatever good was entrusted to them, they
were called upon to distribute and pass on. As the Lord did them good,
they would do Hobab good; making him, Gentile though he were, a
fellow-heir, a fellow-member of the body, and a fellow-partaker of the
promises of God (see note
Ephesians 3:6).
We get by giving. — If the
river-bed were to hoard up its waters, they would become stagnant and
noisome. It is only in parting with them that it receives constant
supplies from the crystal fountainhead. So, if we keep God’s good things
to ourselves, we make it impossible to receive more. You cannot put more
water into a full glass. But as we part with them we get more and better.
Distribute five loaves, and you have twelve baskets of fragments.
We learn by teaching. — To
stay in a class till you shall feel fully educated, is to miss one prime
means of education. There is no way of discovering what we do not know,
and getting grounded in what we do, like that of imparting what we have
learned to others. Would you learn, teach. Would you grow in grace, tell
of the grace which has saved you.
We keep what we give away. —
Hoard your money, and you lose it. Give it away, and it is caught in bags
that wax not old, and stored beyond the reach of moth or thief. “There is
that scattereth, and increaseth yet more; and there is that withholdeth
more than is meet, but it tendeth only to want” (Proverbs 11:24). This is
folly to the worldling, but sober fact to the child of the King.
Our Daily Bread
Numbers 11:1-9 Tired
Of Manna?
Our Daily Bread
Numbers 11:1-10 Are You A
Complainer?
C H Spurgeon Devotional -
Numbers 11:11
Numbers 11:1-17
Today in the Word
The Lord longs to be gracious to
you; he rises to show you compassion. - Isaiah 30:18a
TODAY IN THE WORD
The final event at the Ringling Brothers’ Circus was always the high-wire
act of the Flying Wallendas. The finale consisted of a four-level pyramid
formation. The Wallendas kept audiences holding their breath with this
daring feat. One evening, however, young Dede Wallenda, part of the
pyramid’s bottom row, began to wobble. He cried out, “I cannot hold on any
longer!” As he fell, the entire pyramid collapsed. Several of his brothers
were crippled for life, and one died.
As he led the people, Moses must have feared that he too might collapse.
Today’s passage, however, shows that Moses took this intense pressure to
the Lord . . . and the Lord provided a safety net.
After the golden calf incident, the Lord renewed His covenant with the
people, and the tabernacle was filled with His glory. Things seemed to be
looking up. The opening chapters of Numbers show the original generation
preparing to enter the Promised Land. After being dedicated, the people
went forth from Sinai (Num. 10). Yet no sooner were the Israelites on the
road again, that they began to grumble and complain.
First, they complained about the hardships of travelling (v. 1). In His
anger, the Lord sent forth a fire on the outskirts of their camp. The
people cried out to Moses, and he prayed to the Lord. Then, the people
complained about not having any meat to eat. In their ingratitude, they
callously recalled the “good old days” in Egypt.
We can almost hear the clamor clanging in Moses’ ears! But the Lord’s
anger, not the people’s complaining, really troubled Moses. So once again,
Moses cried out to the Lord about such obstinate people. Moses already
knew that he had the Lord’s favor (see yesterday’s study), but in his
spiritual and emotional exhaustion, it seemed better to have the Lord
simply end his life than to continue on with these people!
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Perhaps you can identify with Moses. Sooner or later, all of us experience
times of spiritual exhaustion and despair
Our Daily Bread
Numbers 11:6 Boring?
C H Spurgeon Devotional -
Numbers
11:23
Numbers
11:27-29
Dr. Woodrow Kroll
Back to the Bible
Zealous for What?
How easy it is to misplace our zeal. Around 1420 A.D., "golfe" or "the
Gouf" became so popular that King James II of Scotland feared the pastime
placed the country at risk in its ongoing war with England. He reasoned
that his men were spending too much time chasing the "golfe" ball and too
little time practicing archery. Consequently the king persuaded his
government to pass an act of parliament banning "golfe." Obviously, his
zeal was misplaced, not to mention ineffective.
Joshua also had a misplaced zeal. As the assistant to Moses, he considered
it his responsibility to make sure his master's power and influence were
not threatened. Since part of Moses' authority stemmed from the fact that
God spoke through him, the thought of others prophesying or speaking for
the Lord disturbed Joshua. In his enthusiasm to protect his master's
position, he was ready to hinder the proclamation of God's Word.
Over the centuries, God has used many instruments to proclaim His Word.
Sometimes these instruments possessed questionable motives. The apostle
Paul noted that some "preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely"
(Phil. 1:16). His conclusion? "What then? Only that in every way, whether
in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes,
and will rejoice" (v. 18).
Our zeal must primarily focus on the message, not the messenger. If the
Word of God is being faithfully proclaimed, let's rejoice. God sometimes
chooses the least likely to speak for Him. If someone is not a true
spokesman for Him, God will take care of that. We need not worry.
Be zealous for the message; God will judge the messenger.
Numbers 11:29
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
Would God that all the Lord’s people
were prophets! (r.v.)
This one saying proves the
incomparable greatness of Moses’ character. Little souls are monopolists.
They like to be good and gifted, because it gives them a kind of
superiority to others; but they dislike to see a leveling-up process at
work by which the Eldads and Medads are lifted to stand by their side.
This was the mistake of Joshua. —
When he heard that Eldad and Medad prophesied in the camp, he said, “My
lord Moses, forbid them!” But he was immature, a saint in the process of
manufacture, and smitten with jealousy, for the sake of his master and
friend.
This was the complaint of John’s
disciples, when they saw the crowds ebbing away from their great teacher.
This was the quarrel of the
Pharisees, that Jesus made religion so cheap and accessible to all, that
even the publicans and sinners received his priceless wares.
But when a man is really great and
good, he longs that all should be as he is, and better; he takes a deep
delight in the spread of vital godliness; he is glad when others are
endowed with greater gifts than himself, that they may make the Gospel
better known than he could ever do; he is content to decrease, if Christ
may only increase; he is willing that affliction should be added to his
bonds, if only Christ way be magnified; he prays that the Lord would put
his Spirit on all his people. This is very unnatural to any of us; but
God, the Holy Spirit, waits to baptize us even into this, and to make the
glory of God the object of our life. Make haste, O blessed Paraclete, and
do this for me!
C H Spurgeon Devotional -
Numbers 12:1
Our Daily Bread
Numbers 12:1 Jealousy
or zeal?
Our Daily Bread
Numbers 12:1 The
Friction of Jealousy
Numbers 12:7-8
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
My servant Moses is faithful:… with
him will I speak mouth to mouth.
The meekest of men was vindicated by
God Himself. He held his peace, but his Almighty Friend spoke up for him.
It is thus that the meek inherit the earth and rejoice themselves in the
abundance of peace. Oh, keep still, ye afflicted and tormented souls, God
will not let you be trodden underfoot, if only you commit your cause to
Him, and are faithful in all that He has committed to you.
“That good thing keep which was committed to you: He is able to keep that
which I have committed unto Him.” (see note
2 Timothy 1:12)
(Click the precious hymn
I Know Whom I Have Believed,
Fanny Crosby's less well known hymn
’Tis Summer in My Heart)
Notice to what faithfulness leads!
The vision of God is not given to great intellectual ability or mental
gift; but to those who as servants are faithful in the administration of
God’s Household, and the performance of such duties as are entrusted to
them by the Great Householder. Such are they that enjoy the face-to-face
fellowship, and the mouth-to-mouth speech.
These words about Moses are quoted
in Hebrews 3 (see note
Hebrews 3:5), as though it was pleasant to the Holy Spirit to commemorate
in all ages the faithfulness of him servants: and there is this further
thought added, that the Household is one, and that all dispensations are
included in its precincts. “Whose house are we.” It is inspiring to know
that we are in the same house with Moses, and may have the same blessing.
Are God’s dealings with you in dark speeches, in mysterious and perplexing
enigmas? Be patient and faithful in well-doing: He is but testing you, and
soon He will say, I have called you not servants, but friends; for the
servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: but all things I have heard of
the Father I have made known unto you.
Numbers 13:1-3,
17-33
Today in the Word
I am the Lord, the God of all
mankind. Is anything too hard for me? - Jeremiah 32:27
TODAY IN THE WORD
There's a reason that most television documentaries about important
historical events mix narrative from the participants with flashbacks to
the events. Reliving the moment as it happened and then hearing about its
importance from those who were there are powerful ways to get a message
across. That's what we hope to do on a smaller scale over the next ten
days or so. We want to weave Moses' narrative in Deuteronomy with
flashbacks to the events he spoke of, so we can better appreciate the
message that God's Word has for us today.
Today is our first historical flashback. Numbers 13 takes us back in time
almost forty years before what is recorded in Deuteronomy 1. This story is
one of the pivotal points in biblical history. Israel had made the 11-day,
150-mile march from Mount Sinai to the edge of the Promised Land at Kadesh
Barnea. All that remained was to enter the land and take possession.
The decision to send twelve spies into Canaan was apparently the people's
idea, one that Moses (Deut. 1:22-23) and God agreed to (Num. 13:1-2). God
gave the specific command that one man be selected from each tribe. By the
way, note the quiet inclusion of Caleb and 'Hoshea,' or Joshua, on that
list (Num. 13:6, 8).
Moses gave the spies very specific instructions on the facts and
impressions he wanted them to bring back (vv. 17-20). The men did their
job even bringing back a cluster of grapes from Canaan that was so big two
men had to carry it on a pole between them.
The report that the spies brought to Moses started out fine. They told
about a 'good land' (Deut. 1:25) that 'flow[s] with milk and honey!' (Num.
13: 27). That shouldn't have surprised anyone. After all, their generous
and loving God had prepared this land for His people.
But then came the bad news, at least according to ten of the spies: in a
nutshell, the people and the walled cities of Canaan were too big for a
band of Israelite shepherd-nomads to handle.
Caleb tried to deliver a positive minority report on behalf of himself and
Joshua, but their voices were drowned out by the other spies. The people
opted for disobedience, forfeited God's blessing, and brought a death
sentence upon themselves.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Are you 'conquered' today, or are you a conqueror? There's a world of
difference between the two. The Israelites were beaten exactly at the
point where God was ready to give them victory. When He calls us to do
something, the obstacles aren't really the issue. Is God asking you to do
something that seems impossible? If He is in it, even giants and walls
cannot keep you from being more than a conqueror in Jesus Christ (Rom.
8:37).
Numbers 13:1-14:38
Today in the Word
And do not be afraid of the people
of the land, because we will swallow them up. - Numbers 14:9
TODAY IN THE WORD
Andrew Jackson knew what it took to face military and political battles.
He recognized the power of a leader's convictions when he said, “One man
with courage makes a majority.” Today's reading would amend that quote
slightly to say, “One man with God makes a majority.” The people of Israel
should have taken the land of Canaan shortly after the spies returned in
today's reading, but the entire nation was swayed by the opinions of ten
men.
All the spies confirmed the good news, that the land was indeed flowing
with milk and honey (13:27). They even showed the impressive fruit that
the Promised Land yielded. The bad news: the ten cowardly spies sowed
seeds of fear among the people by focusing on the size and strength of the
land's inhabitants.
Joshua and Caleb were alone in their desire to enter the land, and indeed
it was Caleb who was the most outspoken (13:30; 14:24). The people ignored
these men of courage and instead cast their votes with the men of
grasshopper-sized faith. The only men they were willing to attack were
Joshua and Caleb.
In the book of Joshua, strength and courage were characteristics God
demanded of Joshua. The rest of today's reading helps us see why. Instead
of enjoying the fruit of God's promises, the Israelites' weakness and fear
brought about God's judgment, although it was tempered by His gracious
answer to Moses' plea for mercy (14:19). As a result, Joshua and Caleb
were the only spies who lived to see another day (14:37). The vote among
the spies quickly became a unanimous 2-0 in favor of obeying God.
Chapter 13 holds a footnote that is important to God's plan for Israel and
the rest of the world. Verse 16 notes that Moses actually chose the name
Joshua for this hero of faith; it means: “God brings salvation.” God used
Joshua to bring salvation to the people of Israel by delivering them into
the land He promised. That earthly salvation symbolizes the eternal
salvation that God brings to us through the One who bore the same
name—Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The Israelites had seen the glory of God and witnessed miracle after
miracle. But when they got a secondhand account about some big, bad men,
they regretted that God had brought them out of the unfriendly confines of
Egypt. If you've put your faith in Christ, you've witnessed the greatest
miracle of all through the Holy Spirit—eternal communion with our glorious
God! Don't lose sight of that when the problems of this world threaten to
discourage you.
Our Daily Bread
Numbers 13:17-33 Only
a Scarecrow
Numbers
13:30-31
Ten to Two by Tony Beckett and Woodrow Kroll
Numbers 12-14, Mark 5:21-43
Back to the Bible
A children's chorus begins with the words, "Twelve men went to spy on
Canaan, ten were bad, two were good." Can you name the two that were good?
The answer, of course is, Caleb and Joshua. But can you name any of the
others?
A speaker I knew would at times get out his wallet and offer to pay a
dollar for each of those names a person could recall. He never gave away a
single bill. As he put away his wallet with all its dollar bills intact,
he would say, "We remember the people who stand for God, but not the ones
who don't."
Joshua and Caleb stood for God. Shammua, Shaphat, Igal and the others did
not. Their collective voices drowned out the faith of the other two. It
was not just a matter of a majority vote but of rebellion. When the people
decided not to do what God wanted, it was a rebellion that resulted in 40
years of wandering plus the death of all but the younger generation.
But Joshua and Caleb were spared. They ultimately entered the Promised
Land.
The lesson is clear: stand for God-whatever the numbers.
There are probably times you do not stand boldly. Perhaps today something
will happen and you will have to make a choice either to speak up or be
silent. Stand up for Jesus.
Numbers 13:33
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
We were in our own sight as
grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
There is a good deal of talk in this
chapter about giants and fenced cities. But the way of speaking about them
was very different on the part of the ten, and on that of the two. The ten
said:
“The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the
Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites
dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.” (Numbers 13:29)
But the two said:
“Let us go up at once and possess it; for we are well able to overcome
it.” (Numbers 13:30)
They saw the same spectacles in
their survey of the land; but the result in the one case was panic, in the
other confidence and peace. What made the difference? It lay in this, that
the ten spies compared themselves with the giants, whilst the two compared
the giants with God.
"The Lord is with us, fear them not.”
(Numbers 14:9)
Faith looks away from the greatness
of her difficulty to the greatness of her God.
“If considered in itself, it is dear that this difficulty is too great for
me to combat; but it is nothing to my God. The wall is too solid and high
for me; but before God’s touch it will fall down like cardboard. These
ropes are stout; but before God they are only as tow before flame. I will
not consider the man that shall die, and the son of man that shall be made
as grass; but will look away resolutely to my Maker, who made heaven and
earth, and who can still the roaring of the sea.”
Do you want a fearless faith, be
careful not to measure the comparative forces of yourself and others; but
remember that God is working for you to will and do of his own good
pleasure. If He is for you, who can be against you? When compared with
Primrose Hill, Snowdon is high; but where is it when compared with the
Himalayas? (See related studies
Fear, How to Handle It
)
Numbers
13:33
Streams in the Desert
"There we saw the giants"
Yes, they saw the giants, but Caleb and Joshua saw God! Those who doubt
say, "We be not able to go up." Those who believe say, "Let us go up at
once and possess it, for we are well able."
Giants stand for great difficulties; and giants are stalking everywhere.
They are in our families, in our churches, in our social life, in our own
hearts; and we must overcome them or they will eat us up, as these men of
old said of the giants of Canaan.
The men of faith said, "They are bread for us; we will eat them up." In
other words, "We will be stronger by overcoming them than if there had
been no giants to overcome."
Now the fact is, unless we have the overcoming faith we shall be eaten up,
consumed by the giants in our path. Let us have the spirit of faith that
these men of faith had, and see God, and He will take care of the
difficulties. --Selected
It is when we are in the way of duty that we find giants. It was when
Israel was going forward that the, giants appeared. When they turned back
into the wilderness they found none.
There is a prevalent idea that the power of God in a human life should
lift us above all trials and conflicts. The fact is, the power of God
always brings a conflict and a struggle. One would have thought that on
his great missionary journey to Rome, Paul would have been carried by some
mighty providence above the power of storms and tempests and enemies. But,
on the contrary, it was one long, hard fight with persecuting Jews, with
wild tempests, with venomous vipers and all the powers of earth and hell,
and at last he was saved, as it seemed, by the narrowest margin, and had
to swim ashore at Malta on a piece of wreckage and barely escape a watery
grave.
Was that like a God of infinite power? Yes, just like Him. And so Paul
tells us that when he took the Lord Jesus Christ as the life of his body,
a severe conflict immediately came; indeed, a conflict that never ended, a
pressure that was persistent, but out of which he always emerged
victorious through the strength of Jesus Christ.
The language in which he describes this is most graphic. "We are troubled
on every side, yet not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair;
persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed, always bearing
about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus
might be manifested in our body."
What a ceaseless, strenuous struggle! It is impossible to express in
English the forcible language of the original. There are five pictures in
succession. In the first, the idea is crowding enemies pressing in from
every side, and yet not crushing him because the police of heaven cleared
the way just wide enough for him to get through. The literal translation
would be, "We are crowded on every side, but not crushed."
The second picture is that of one whose way seems utterly closed and yet
he has pressed through; there is light enough to show him the next step.
The Revised Version translates it, "Perplexed but not unto despair."
Rotherham still more literally renders it, "Without a way, but not without
a by-way."
The third figure is that of an enemy in hot pursuit while the divine
Defender still stands by, and he is not left alone. Again we adopt the
fine rendering of Rotherham, "Pursued but not abandoned."
The fourth figure is still more vivid and dramatic. The enemy has
overtaken him, has struck him, has knocked him down. But it is not a fatal
blow; he is able to rise again. It might be translated, "Overthrown but
not overcome."
Once more the figure advances, and now it seems to be even death itself,
"Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus." But he
does not die, for "the life also of Jesus" now comes to his aid and he
lives in the life of another until his life work is done.
The reason so many fail in this experience of divine healing is because
they expect to have it all without a struggle, and when the conflict comes
and the battle wages long, they become discouraged and surrender. God has
nothing worth having that is easy. There are no cheap goods in the
heavenly market. Our redemption cost all that God had to give, and
everything worth having is expensive. Hard places are the very school of
faith and character, and if we are to rise over mere human strength and
prove the power of life divine in these mortal bodies, it must be through
a process of conflict that may well be called the birth travail of a new
life. It is the old figure of the bush that burned, but was not consumed,
or of the Vision in the house of the Interpreter of the flame that would
not expire, notwithstanding the fact that the demon ceaselessly poured
water on it, because in the background stood an angel ever pouring oil and
keeping the flame aglow.
No, dear suffering child of God, you cannot fail if only you dare to
believe, to stand fast and refuse to be overcome. --Tract.
Our Daily Bread
Numbers 14:1-11
Thorns Or Roses?
Our Daily Bread
Numbers 14:1-4, 11-23
Rearview Mirror
Numbers 14:1-10
Today in the Word
The Lord is slow to anger. . . . Yet He does not leave the guilty
unpunished. - numbers 14:18
TODAY IN THE WORD
Whenever the subject of our society's growing violence comes up, it is
usually suggested that one way to solve the problem is to start holding
people accountable for their actions. What's amazing in these discussions
is that this seems like a radically new idea to some people something they
had never thought of before.
Well, holding people accountable for
their actions may be a novel idea in the 1990s, but it's the only program
that God has ever had. It follows that if obedience to God brings
blessing, then disobedience brings punishment. That's the inescapable
lesson of Numbers 14, summarized in today's key verse.
Yesterday we read Moses' recap of the way Israel reacted to the
fear-producing report of the ten spies. The great lawgiver had pulled no
punches, portraying the people as unwilling, rebellious, grumbling,
accusing, fearful, and completely lacking in trust. It was not a pretty
picture.
There is nothing in Numbers 14 to contradict Moses' judgment. The people
bewailed their terrible fate, grumbling against God and His
representatives Moses and Aaron. And when Caleb and Joshua tried to rally
the nation to believe God and go forward, the people held a quick
committee meeting and took a vote to stone those courageous men!
It seems that this threat was the last bitter taste of rebellion and
unbelief God would endure. Immediately, He appeared at the tabernacle in
His glory, a signal that it was time to settle some accounts.
Tomorrow and Sunday we will see how God's fierce anger was poured out on
Israel. All of the rebellious grumblers would be punished for their
astonishing lack of faith in the God who had delivered them from Egypt.
Not one guilty party would escape.
One key portion of this generation's judgment came from the people's own
lips. They fretted over the fact that their children would fall prey to
their enemies because God had brought them to the edge of Canaan only to
let them die (v. 3).
So God said in effect: 'Are you afraid I will let your children become
captives? Then I will show My power by preserving your little ones while
you perish in the desert.'
TODAY ALONG THE WAY Studies on the results of disobedience are not usually
pleasant or comforting. But they can have positive benefits if we will
hear and heed the message.
One thing that got the Israelites
into trouble was their faulty, and incredibly short, spiritual memory.
Somehow they forgot what God had done for them, so their trust in Him
faded quickly. Why not refresh your spiritual memory today by rehearsing
God's goodness to you during this year? Better yet, share these thoughts
with your family, friends, or roommates.
C H Spurgeon Devotional -
Numbers
14:2
C H Spurgeon Devotional -
Numbers
14:11
Our Daily Bread
Numbers 14:26-35 So
Near And Yet So Far
Numbers
14:11-16, 26-38
Today in the Word
Without faith it is impossible to
please God. - Hebrews 11:6
TODAY IN THE WORD
When families get together on long summer evenings, it's not unusual for
someone to start telling stories. Children like to hear about how their
parents and grandparents got into trouble when they were young. Somehow,
acts of mischief from forty or fifty years ago don't sound so bad around a
family cookout in the backyard. Such stories can even be funny if told the
right way.
Moses probably spent some long
evenings with the Israelites there on the east side of the Jordan River,
delivering the messages that form the Book of Deuteronomy. He had a story
to tell the people about their parents, but it wasn't a harmless tale of
youthful mischief. The exodus generation had provoked the anger of
Almighty God.
We're back to the historical section of this biblical documentary focusing
on obedience and blessing. Yesterday we read Moses' brief summary of God's
anger toward Israel. Today's verses take us back to the scene itself forty
years earlier.
Israel's great liberator and lawgiver had said, 'When the Lord heard what
you said, he was angry' (Deut. 1:34).
How angry was God? Angry enough to consider wiping Israel off the map and
beginning over again with Moses! Angry enough to declare that an entire
generation would fall in the desert. And angry enough to judge the ten
spies who brought back the report that caused the people to cower in fear
on the edge of Canaan.
These are the consequences of disobedience the very opposite of the
blessings that come from obedience. God said that Israel would learn what
it was like to have Him against them (Num. 14:34), an experience none of
us would want to repeat.
But we can't leave this passage without also noting that God mentioned
Caleb and Joshua by name two men who obeyed and reaped God's blessing.
You have to love what God said about Caleb. This man had 'a different
spirit' and followed God 'wholeheartedly' (v. 24). God promised Caleb his
place in the Promised Land, and Caleb's descendants also benefited from
his obedience and faith. Two men out of an entire nation was not a very
good percentage, but God never overlooks those who please Him.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
In verse 30, God said He had sworn 'with uplifted hand' to give the land
of Canaan to His people. He would simply give it to a later generation,
since the earlier one had proved unworthy.
Here's that truth we talked about
yesterday: Human disobedience and lack of faith do not alter God's eternal
plan. Think about that for a few minutes, and you'll want to praise God
for His sovereign purpose and power. He is still firmly in control of His
creation. On this Lord's day, let's thank Him for that reassuring truth
Numbers 14:13
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
The Egyptians shall hear it.
What a noble concern for the credit
of God! Here was a great opportunity for Moses. God was testing him by the
proposal, that, the entire nation of Israel being cut off as a judgment
for their repeated shortcomings and transgressions, Moses should become
the slip or stock of the Hebrew race: “I will disinherit them, and make of
thee a nation greater and mightier than they.” This was not the settled
purpose of God; but a suggestion to test his servant, who would not
entertain it for a moment. All thought of the honor to be done to himself
was submerged in his great eagerness for the Divine credit.
“The Egyptians shall hear it: the nations which have heard the fame of
Thee will speak, saying, Because the Lord was not able....”
The Egyptians are always around us,
watching and listening. They can only judge of God by our behavior and the
course of our experience: and are only too ready to catch up anything
which they may interpret to the discrediting of the Eternal. How careful
we should be in all our life and conversation so that the ungodly may
have, not lower, but loftier conceptions of our God. (See notes
Colossians 4:5;
4:6;
cf
Ephesians 4:29)
When tempted to anything which is
not perfectly noble and honorable; when inclined to murmur and complain of
God’s dealings with you (see note
Philippians 2:14); when an opportunity comes, as it did to Moses, to
make gain at the expense of others; then remember the name of God (see
Name of the LORD is a Strong Tower:
Summary), and the
urgency of need that exists, to maintain it unsullied and untarnished. We
should be restrained by a double fear: first, lest we should grieve God;
second, lest the Egyptians should have a handle against Him, and should be
prejudiced against religion.
Numbers
14:39-45; Deuteronomy 1:41-46
Today in the Word
There is a way that seems right to a
man, but in the end it leads to death. - Proverbs 14:12
TODAY IN THE WORD
As supreme commander of the Allied invasion of Europe during World War II,
Dwight D. Eisenhower was faced with a decision that held potentially
overwhelming consequences. He had to decide whether to change the date of
the D-Day invasion at the last minute or to let it proceed. Of the
decision, Eisenhower later wrote: 'I knew I did not have the required
wisdom. . . . I asked God to give me the wisdom. I yielded myself to Him.
I surrendered myself. And He gave me clear guidance. He gave me insight to
see what was right, and He gave me courage to make my decision.'
The Israelites could have benefited
from a similar attitude of humility on the part of their military
commander(s). Someone made the decision to go into battle in the hill
country of southern Canaan in defiance of the Lord and the nation paid the
price of defeat and humiliation.
Today we're considering both this historical account and Moses' later
reflection on it. This is a classic case of rebellion and disobedience,
and then the insincere repentance that marks those who want to avoid the
results of their actions.
We know Israel's bitter weeping wasn't coming from repentant hearts for
two reasons. First, the people admitted their sin only after God had
rejected them. Second, the Lord turned a deaf ear to their cries He never
turns away those who come to Him in sincerity and genuine brokenness.
The two accounts we read today give different details of the story,
although either one is enough to tell us what happened and why. Moses said
the people refused to listen and acted in 'arrogance' in trying to undo
the damage of their disobedience (Deut. 1:43).
There are two key elements in Numbers 14 that tell us that the army of
Israel was heading into a disaster. 'Neither Moses nor the ark of the
Lord's covenant moved from the camp' (v. 44). Both God's appointed leader
and the symbol of His presence and covenant promises were absent when the
troops went up to fight.
The people came back again beaten and in tears, but God once more turned a
deaf ear. Their rebellion had crossed the line, and God had pronounced
judgment. This is a lesson we can't afford to forget if we want God's
blessing.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Many people say 'I'm sorry' after they get into trouble. This kind of
after-the-fact confession is a trademark of our culture. But God honors
only one kind of confession: sincere sorrow and repentance for sin. Trying
to do 'damage control' doesn't get us anywhere with Him. Has the Holy
Spirit brought to your attention a need for confession? Seek God's
promised forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9), and you'll put yourself
in line for His blessing by your obedience.
C H Spurgeon Devotional -
Numbers
15:25
Our Daily Bread
Numbers 15:37-41 The
Color Of Blue
Our Daily Bread
Numbers 15:38 Holy Blue (Very convicting!)
Numbers 15:38
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
A cord of blue. (r.v.)
Throughout their generations the
Israelites were bidden to wear it. It is the symbol of depth, of love, of
Heaven. The azure sky, the glacier-rift, the deep lake, the far horizon,
the eye of the hopeful, buoyant, tender nature — all tell the same story
of deep and constant love, which mirrors below God’s heaven of love above.
Therefore to wear this cord of blue was to be kept in mind of the eternal
and unseen. No outward symbol is needed by us. The very best, after
awhile, becomes time and commonplace. We get so accustomed to it that it
ceases to stir our thoughts. But if we will entrust ourselves to the Holy
Spirit, He will teach us all things, and keep us always in mind. He is the
blessed Remembrancer, whose mission is to bring Christ to our thought and
keep Him there, the prominent object of our soul’s vision.
The object of this cord of blue was
to restrain the people from going about “after their own heart and their
own eyes.” We need to be kept from the same, that we may walk not after
the flesh, but after the Spirit. In our resolutions, our energies, our
acts of consecration, our Christian activities, we are all too apt to go
at the dictates of our heart and eyes. May God forgive us! It has been the
source of our perpetual failure and defeat. There is a more excellent way.
Let us ask the Holy Spirit to keep the blue cord of the Christ — memory
ever before our gaze, that we may become utterly absorbed in his beauty
and glory, in doing his will, and in executing his commands. Let us seek
to be bound to our Master, who is Love, by that same cord, that we may
never for a moment forget the demands of the unseen and eternal.
Related Resource:
Holiness Quotes
"Put a blue thread in the
tassels of the corners... that you may remember... and be holy for your
God." --Numbers
15:38,40
Related Devotional: Holy Blue:
In the forests of northern Europe and Asia
lives little animal called the
ermine, known for his snow-white fur
in winter. He instinctively protects his white coat against anything that
would soil it. Fur hunters take advantage of this unusual trait of the
ermine. They don’t set a snare to catch him, but instead they find his
home, which is usually a cleft in a rock or a hollow in an old tree. They
smear the entrance and interior with grime. Then the hunters set their
dogs loose to find and chase the ermine. The frightened animal flees
toward home but doesn’t enter because of the filth. Rather than soil his
white coat, he is trapped by the dogs and captured while preserving his
purity. For the ermine, purity is more precious than life.
The Lord wants His people to keep themselves
separated from the filth of this world at all cost. In (Nu
15:38,40) the Lord told the Jews to put a
blue thread on the borders of their clothes. When they saw the blue, they
were to remember God's holy purpose for their lives and to keep a distance
from sin. Do we remind ourselves often of our high and holy purpose for
living?
The best way to live in the world is to live above it.-
Henry G Bosch
(Our
Daily Bread, 4/21/97)
(Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Heavenly Father, help
us now
At Thy feet to humbly bow;
Take away all thought of sin,
Make us clean and pure within. --Bartels
"Oh worship the LORD in
the beauty of holiness,
Bow down before Him, His glory proclaim,
With gold of obedience & incense of
lowliness,
Kneel & adore Him, the LORD is His name.
---J. S. B. Monsell
Our Daily Bread
Numbers 16 Passing
Judgment
Numbers 16:5
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
The Lord will show who is holy; and
will cause him to come near unto Him.
It was on these words that the
Psalmist founded his exclamation,
“Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest,
and causest to approach unto Thee.” (Psalm 65:4 - see
Spurgeon's note
or see "Related Devotional by Spurgeon" immediately following)
This is what we all need. We often
endeavor to approach unto God, but meet with many disappointments. Thomas
Welsh said, on one occasion, that he had been wrestling to obtain access
from six in the morning until nine! There is something better. If you are
his, you may humbly count on God to cause you to come near; believing his
promise: “Draw nigh to God, and God will draw nigh to you.”
In your morning prayer, or at any
other time which you set apart for devotion, let this be the cry of your
soul: “My God, cause me to come near.” When for long you have been
dwelling afar off, and the distance threatens to become chronic or
permanent, let this again be your petition: “Cause me to come near.” And
throughout the rush of daily life, let your dependence be on Him who alone
can cause you to come near so that you may dwell in his courts.
But God cannot do this unless the
soul is utterly surrendered to be his; for “if we say we have fellowship
with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.” We must be
unanchored and unbeached if the tide is to bear us on its bosom. We must
be free from the touch of other hands if we are to respond to his. We must
sit loosely by the things of the earth to feel the drawing of heaven. This
is, in part, the meaning of holiness. “Who are his, and who is holy?”
Those who have experienced separation to God and sin. Give us this, O
Lord; then draw us near to Thyself, and we will run after Thee!
Related Devotional from Spurgeon:
Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee.
After cleansing comes benediction, and truly this is a very rich one. It
comprehends both election, effectual calling, access, acceptance, and
sonship. First, we are chosen of God, according to the good pleasure of
his will, and this alone is blessedness. Then, since we cannot and will
not come to God of ourselves, he works graciously in us, and attracts us
powerfully; he subdues our unwillingness, and removes our inability by the
almighty workings of his transforming grace. This also is no slight
blessedness. Furthermore, we, by his divine drawings, are made nigh by the
blood of his Son, and brought near by his spirit, into intimate
fellowship; so that we have access with boldness, and are no longer as
those who are afar off by wicked works: here also is unrivalled
blessedness. To crown all, we do not come nigh in peril of dire
destruction, as Nadab and Abihu did, but we approach as chosen and
accepted ones, to become dwellers in the divine household: this is heaped
up blessedness, vast beyond conception. But dwelling in the house we are
treated as sons, for the servant abideth not in the house for ever, but
the son abideth ever. Behold what manner of love and blessedness the
Father has bestowed upon us that we may dwell in his house, and go no more
out for ever. Happy men who dwell at home with God. May both writer and
reader be such men.
That he may dwell in thy courts. Acceptance leads to abiding: God does not
make a temporary choice, or give and take; his gifts and calling are
without repentance. He who is once admitted to God's courts shall inhabit
them for ever; he shall be
"No more a
stranger or a guest,
But like a child at home."
Permanence gives preciousness.
Terminating blessings are but half blessings. To dwell in the courts of
the Great King is to be ennobled; to dwell there for ever is to be
emparadised: yet such is the portion of every man whom God has chosen and
caused to approach unto him, though once his iniquities prevailed against
him.
Numbers 17:5
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
The man whom I shall choose, his rod
shall bud. (r.v.)
There was deep significance in this
method of indicating the man of God’s choice. Too many have taken God’s
election as referring exclusively to their enjoyment of God’s grace and
their preservation to his heavenly kingdom. Here we are taught that one of
its chief results will be, and must be — buds, blossoms, and fruit. “The
rod of Aaron budded and bloomed, blossomed and bare ripe almonds.” It
would almost seem that spring, summer, and autumn; the promise, maturity,
and fruit — were simultaneously present in that marvellous rod. So should
it be in those who have been chosen in Christ to be holy.
The bud of spring. — There is
a perennial freshness in the true saint. He may be old in years, but his
leaf is green with vernal tenderness, and there are the budding promises
of richer and better things than he has yet attained. The youths faint,
and are weary; but he renews his strength. The outward man decayeth, but
the inward renews his youth like an eagle’s.
The blossom of early summer.
— There is exquisite beauty in the blossom of orchard and garden. No
painter has ever yet learned God’s secret of mixing his colors. Such is
the beauty of the character of the believer. Men say involuntarily, “How
attractive, how beautiful!”
The fruit of autumn. — That we should bear fruit is the end of Christ in
our redemption and discipline. We can only do it in fellowship with
Himself. He must bear it through us. “From Me is thy fruit found.” “I have
chosen you, that ye should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit (see
word study on
fruit = Karpos) should
remain.”
Numbers
18:20-24; Deuteronomy 18:1-2
Today in the Word
I am your share and your inheritance
among the Israelites. - Numbers 18:20
TODAY IN THE WORD
The life of George Mueller is a picture of complete dependence upon the
Lord. Burdened by the plight of England’s numerous orphans, Mueller opened
a children’s home in Bristol in 1836. So sure was Mueller of God’s ability
to provide all the material needs of the orphanage, he resolved to bring
every need to the Lord in prayer. For the remaining 68 years of his life,
the Bristol children’s home, as well as others built later, were
completely run by faith. Some of these homes continue to operate today. In
many respects, the Levites were to have been a similar “object lesson,”
illustrating to the rest of the nation a life completely dependent upon
the Lord. A little background is helpful here.
Early on, the Levites had been set apart for the priestly office (Ex.
32:26–29). The direct descendents of Aaron were priests, while the
remaining descendents of Levi assisted them. Together the priests and
Levites were entrusted with teaching the Law, maintaining the sanctuary,
and offering sacrifices--in short, they were to foster and ensure proper
worship.
When the promised land was allotted, a portion was given to each of the
tribes of Israel (Nu. 26:52–56)--each tribe, that is, except the Levites
(Nu 18:20; Deut. 18:1). Although the Levites were not to receive land,
they were to receive the tithes (Nu 18:21, 24) and offerings (Deut. 18:1)
from the people, and special cities (Num. 35:28).
Most importantly, however, the “inheritance” of the Levites was God
Himself (Num. 18:20; Deut. 18:2). Thus the Lord used the Levites as a
picture of several important spiritual realities.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
God still uses tithes to provide for those set apart in a special way for
His service. Although we’re all in His service, some are called to
ministries in which they are dependent upon the body of Christ for their
support.
Numbers 18:20
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
I am thy Portion and thine
Inheritance. (r.v.)
We are God’s portion, and He is
ours. The Lord’s portion is his people; Israel is the lot of his
inheritance; and He says to the soul, I am thy Portion and thine
Inheritance. We, with all we have, for God; and God, with all He has, for
us. “Heirs of God.” (see note
Romans 8:17)
We are like settlers on the
fringe of their estate. — The emigrant to the Far West has a plot of
land allotted to him: but how little does he know of its contents! — There
may be coal, or iron-ore, or rivers full of fish, or a rich soil; he
settles on the outskirts, but every year he pushes his fences further back
to take in more of the land, which is all his, but it is not yet brought
into use, or under cultivation. So each year we should increase in the
knowledge of what God is, and of what He is willing to be to us. Not as
though we were already perfect; but we follow on to apprehend that for
which we were apprehended, and to be filled full with his grace and
heavenly benediction.
Our possession of God will
largely depend on his possession of us. — There are some who wonder
that God is so much more to others than to them. Is not the answer to be
found in their withholding so much of what they might yield up to his
occupation and use? If you would have all from God, you must give all to
God. Your enjoyment of God will be in precise proportion to the deepening
and widening consecration of your life.
Why should any of us be poor, or
strengthless, or fearful, when all the Godhead is stored in Jesus, and
awaits our appropriation? Go up and possess his infinite continent that
flows with milk and honey; watered by the rain of heaven; and rich in
treasure.
Numbers 19:17
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
For the unclean, they shall take
ashes. (r.v.)
It was very easy to become unclean
without realizing it. To touch a corpse, to be in the same room as the
dead, to stumble over a grave, was enough to defile the Israelite, and
excommunicate him from the Tabernacle with its holy rites. Could anything
more graphically set forth the contagiousness of sin? We cannot be in
contact with those who are dead in trespasses and sins, or breathe air
defiled by their filthy speech, or read books which contain their
thoughts, without suffering in some way by it.
This is the reason why, at the end
of the day, we often feel unable to pray, or hold fellowship with God: we
are excluded from the Most Holy Place, because of this defilement. Indeed,
there is only one way of escaping it, and that is in being covered,
hermetically sealed, by the Spirit of God. “In whom ye were sealed unto
the day of redemption” (see note
Ephesians 4:30
-
(Click
word study on
redemption - apolutrosis)
(See also Spurgeon's
sermons
Particular Redemption, see Spurgeon's
other sermons
Plenteous Redemption,
Full Redemption;
Redemption Through Blood, the Gracious Forgiveness of Sins;
Bought With a Price)
(Click
similar thought by John Piper)
For this reason also, we should
perpetually seek fresh cleansing in the precious blood of Christ. He is
represented in this heifer without spot, slain in its prime, whose ashes
were mingled in running water to testify their perpetual efficacy and
freshness. If the ashes of an heifer availed for the purifying of the
flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ cleanse our consciences!
Ask perpetually for the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, that you
may have access with confidence into the Most Holy Place. The red heifer
of Numbers answers to John 13. Let us apply the ashes and the water of
purification to each other. Jesus said: “If I then, your Lord and Master,
have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.”
Our Daily Bread
Numbers 20:1-13
Danger: Explosives
Numbers 20:1-13
Today in the Word
From everyone who has been given
much, much will be demanded. - Luke 12:48
TODAY IN THE WORD
Among the many legends that surround the life of Abraham Lincoln is
the story of how Lincoln, as a young attorney, was defending a man accused
of murder. Lincoln's defense was that the man had been provoked and that
under enough strain any person could be driven to a desperate act. The
prosecutor disdained Lincoln's suggestion, but the story holds that during
the trial Lincoln so severely goaded his opponent that in a rage, the
prosecutor grabbed the unloaded gun on exhibit and tried to shoot Lincoln.
True or not, the story illustrates a point. Part of our sinful humanity is
our proneness to react angrily when provoked. This is sinful because we
are still responsible for what we do, even when provoked. Still, most of
us know what it's like to be pushed beyond our endurance.
Moses succumbed to the same pressure the day he struck a rock at Kadesh
and provided water for the grumbling Israelites whom he had led for forty
years.
It may not be obvious from the text, but this story takes place not at the
beginning of Israel's forty-year trek in the desert, but near the end. The
'first month' was the first month of the fortieth year after the nation
had refused to enter Canaan and was commanded by God to turn back into the
desert.
This means the event we read about today and Moses' mention of it in Deut.
1:37 were not that far apart. On this occasion the nation again passed
through Kadesh, which was normally a well-watered area. But it was dry
now, and so a familiar scene began to unfold. The people complained, Moses
went before the Lord, and the Lord provided an answer.
But in the process of dealing with God's people, Moses lost his temper. He
called them rebels and furiously struck the rock twice, although God had
told him to speak to the rock. The water came out anyway because God is
gracious, but Moses lost the blessing he had anticipated for many years
entrance into Canaan.
Why the harsh sentence? Today's verse helps to explain the Lord's
response. Moses was the leader of the covenant community. He carried the
Lord's authority, so when Moses angrily asked, 'Must we [Moses and Aaron]
bring you water out of this rock?' (Num. 20:10), he dishonored God in the
sight of His people.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Moses' failure at Kadesh reminds us that our ultimate confidence must be
in God, not in people. We can praise God for every spiritual leader He
puts in our lives. But we cannot expect anyone else to carry us
spiritually, even though our tendency sometimes is to cling too tightly to
those who are around us. Are you depending on someone you admire for the
spiritual strength that only God can give you? This is worth thinking
about.
Numbers 20:8,
11
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
Speak ye to the rock; ... and Moses
smote the rock twice.
What a miracle of grace is here!
Nothing could have been more explicit than the Divine command that Moses
should, on this occasion, simply speak to the rock. We cannot fathom the
deep reason; perhaps it was because the Spiritual Rock of our salvation
could not be smitten by the soldier’s spear twice. “Christ was once
offered to bear the sins of many.” (Click
Scripture chain & chart on Christ, the Rock, the Stone = would make a
great Sunday School lesson!)
Moreover, we are taught to wait on
God each time we perform duties which appear similar, for the ways in
which they should be performed may vary widely. It is clear, whatever the
reason, that Moses was to speak, not smite.
However, he grievously disobeyed;
largely, probably, because he could not believe that mere speech would
suffice for the miracle. He thought that he must do something to aid God,
not realizing how slight a part man’s is in the Divine esteem. No flesh
may glory in his presence. God must be all in all. We must believe that a
word is enough; and that God will do the rest.
But, in spite of his irritation,
disobedience, and unbelief, the water gushed out. The sin of the servant
did not annul the love and faithfulness of God. “If we believe not, He
remaineth faithful.” It is a sweet lesson. We are worthless and
unprofitable servants; we fail to believe and obey. But God’s grace flows
over the bank, and inundates the wilderness with crystal streams. The
Psalmist says the waters did not trickle, they gushed out. (see KJV
of Psalm 78:20 -
Spurgeon's note;
Psalm 105:41 -
Spurgeon's note)
Oh, miracle of Divine faithfulness! But Moses himself had to pay the
penalty in later years. Disobedience in God’s servants cannot be condoned.
In proportion to the saintliness of their character is the rigor of their
punishment.
Our Daily Bread
Numbers 20:12,24 A
Bitter Attitude
Numbers
20:14-21
Today in the Word
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. -
Romans 12:17
TODAY IN THE WORD
It takes a lot of grace to restrain ourselves when provoked or threatened
for no reason at all. The human desire for revenge is so strong that the
ability to show restraint is one indication that God is at work in a
person's life.
The people of God showed remarkable
restraint when the king of Edom refused a request from 'brother Israel' to
pass through his land. God had warned Moses that the Edomites would be
afraid when Israel showed up (Deut. 2:4).
Perhaps the leader of Esau's descendants feared that the Israelites would
deplete their water supply. That area was not known for an abundance of
rainfall. Or maybe he figured that, given the history of Esau's animosity
toward Jacob, the Israelites' request was merely an excuse for them to
invade and conquer Edom.
For whatever reason, Israel's offer to stay on the main road through Edom
and pay for anything the people ate or drank was refused in a pretty nasty
way. Edom's defiance must have been hard to take after Moses had sent
messengers to the king with a plea for permission based on Israel's former
slavery in Egypt and decades of hardship in the desert.
But Edom's king was not moved by the Israelites' troubles. After he issued
a warning along with a show of force, Israel backed off in obedience to
God's command (Deut. 2:5).
It's true God had already warned Israel that any attack against Edom would
be unsuccessful. But that does not negate the nation's obedience in
turning away from Edom's provocation, even though Edom's denial of
permission to pass through had made Israel's journey a little harder.
Besides, it wasn't as if the Israelites were about to die in the desert
without Edom's help. The people had an infinitely greater Helper on their
side, the Lord Almighty.
By yielding in the face of Edom's armed defiance, Moses and the people
were demonstrating their reliance upon God. When God is our Provider and
Protector, we don't have to respond to every provocation or annoyance that
comes our way.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Paul says we need to forego revenge because vengeance is God's job, not
ours (Rom. 12:19). However, that doesn't mean we may step aside and say,
'OK, God, let him have it!' Paul said we are to do good toward our enemies
so that they may be brought to repentance by our acts of love (Rom.
12:20). Our calling is to overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:21). Is there
someone at work, at home, or in your church, who needs your kindness even
if such kindness is undeserved? You may not be able to pull that off by
yourself, but God can give you the grace to do it. Talk to Him about it,
and then obey!
Numbers 21:4-9
Today in the Word
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in
the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up. - John 3:14
TODAY IN THE WORD
Blood transfusions save lives. The American Association of Blood Banks
reports that about 40,000 units of blood are needed on any given day. Four
million patients receive about 23 million units of blood annually.
Who receives these transfusions?
Accident victims, people undergoing surgery, and patients receiving
treatment for leukemia, cancer, and other diseases. For these people, a
blood transfusion is often the difference between life and death!
In today’s reading, the Israelites needed a spiritual “blood transfusion.”
Their sinful and rebellious attitude had shown itself in impatience
concerning a detour, complaints about hardships, ingratitude for manna,
and a lack of faith in God’s leader, Moses. This faithlessness resulted in
a deadly plague of snakes which were killing the people.
The Israelites repented and asked Moses to intercede for them. God’s
response required them to show their repentance by a simple act of faith.
Moses made a bronze serpent, and lifted it up on a pole. To be healed,
people had to look at the serpent. If they didn’t believe God’s words,
they wouldn’t look up and would therefore die. Only through faith could
they be saved.
This episode from Exodus prefigures Christ’s sacrifice (Jn. 3:14-15).
Those who believed Moses and looked to the serpent were healed. Similarly,
those who believe God and look to Christ receive eternal life. God offered
His only Son as the sacrifice for sin (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 8:32).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Like a blood transfusion, or like the bronze serpent in today’s reading,
faith in Jesus Christ makes the difference between life and death...for
eternity.
C H Spurgeon Devotional -
Numbers 21:8;
Numbers 21:17
Numbers 21:17
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
Spring up, O well!
This was a sweet song. It must have
been a stirring scene, when Israel, in its thousands, sang forth this
command to the waters that were under the earth, to show themselves, with
the musical accompaniment of the gushing rill.
Spring up, O well, in our hearts.
— Too long has the soil been arid and bare. A great drought has smitten
it, and devoured every green thing. The flowers wither, the fruit falls.
But Jesus promised to open in believing hearts a well, the waters of which
should spring up unto eternal life. Not a stagnant pool, but a spring. Not
a failing Cherith, but a perennial Siloam. Let that promise be realized in
us here, and now; and if we have permitted rubbish to accumulate, or the
weeds to grow rank, may we have grace to put them away, that there may be
a clear course for the living water to flow through us and refresh the
lives of all with whom we come in contact.
Spring up, O well, in the Church
of God. — This is a petition with which we may enter the place of
worship where we meet God’s people. Spring up, O well, today! With this
petition, we may plead for distant mission stations, and for the entire
Church. Jesus dug the well with the staff of his cross; but we wish that
the Spirit, who is as a fountain of living water, fed from eternity and
returning to its source, may spring up within it with greater volume and
force.
Spring up, O well, in the world.
— It is weary with sorrow and sin. Too far and long have the desert sands
swept their devastations. Hasten the millennial day, when springs shall
break out in the desert and wildernesses shall blossom as the rose!
Numbers
21:21-35
Today in the Word
The king's heart is in the hand of
the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases. - Proverbs
21:1
TODAY IN THE WORD
John Huss was a Czech reformer who died more than 100 years before Martin
Luther and the Protestant Reformation. Huss pastored in Prague and spoke
out against church abuses while faithfully preaching God's Word. A council
was called to deal with the issues at hand, and Huss attended with a
letter promising his safety. But when Huss arrived he was arrested, tried,
convicted as a heretic, and burned at the stake on July 6, 1415.
In reality, though, John Huss was the victor and not the victim. His
courageous stand for truth later inspired Luther to carry out many of the
reforms for which Huss had given his life. Since God has the last word in
the affairs of nations, the final verdict on a situation isn't always
immediately obvious. When God moves His hand those who appear to be the
winners can end up the losers.
Consider the Amorite king named Sihon. He had attacked and defeated Moab,
stealing the land of these descendants of Lot. That act of aggression
tells us all we need to know about Sihon, because God had established the
borders of Moab and had warned Israel not to antagonize the people.
The Amorites had even composed a poem celebrating Sihon's victory (vv.
27-29) an arrogant ode that Moses then turned against Sihon after Israel
had defeated and destroyed his kingdom.
The defeat of Sihon and then of Og, king of Bashan, were important
milestones in the history of Israel. Tomorrow we will study Moses' review
of these battles in Deuteronomy chapters 2 and 3.
But today we make our final trip back into the Book of Numbers to read the
historical account. Israel was making its way along the east side of the
Jordan River in preparation for the invasion and conquest of Canaan. As
the nation approached Amorite country, Israel made Sihon the same peaceful
offer it had made to Edom and Moab.
But Sihon arrogantly refused passage to Israel. When he attacked God's
people without reason, he was destroyed. Og had no better sense, doing the
same thing and suffering the same fate. Sihon thought he was in control
when he defeated Moab, and he figured it would be no problem to add Israel
to his 'trophy room.' But God overruled this pagan ruler.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today's lesson teaches us that while obeying God brings blessing, the
blessing may not always be immediately apparent. Even though Israel was
being attacked for seemingly no reason, God in His sovereignty gave Israel
victory in battle.
That's why it is always too early to give up or to become discouraged in
your Christian life. God can turn what seem like blisters into blessings.
The writer of Hebrews says: 'You need to persevere so that when you have
done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised' (Heb. 10:36).
Why not commit this important verse to memory today?
Numbers 22:22
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
The
Angel of the LORD:
... for an adversary against him.
The
Angel of Jehovah
is often referred to as a very present help, and as encamping round about
those that fear God; but here, as an adversary with a drawn sword. When we
serve God his sword is for us, as for Joshua at Jericho; but when we turn
as here from his way to our crooked paths, it is drawn against us. That
which seems to be full of menace is, when we look deeper, an angel force
seeking to stay our further progress toward destruction.
Look for the Angel with his drawn
sword in every pain of body, anxiety of circumstance, or suffering of
mind. You were intent on pursuing your own way, and obtaining the rewards
of unrighteousness, when suddenly you were stayed in your course. Another
step would have brought you to the edge of the precipice; but you were
suddenly arrested by that which forbade advance. Do not curse the
hindering obstacle. Beneath it is God’s gentlest angel, endeavoring to
turn you from your evil purpose; and though his sword may be drawn against
you, yet he is but keeping you from taking that step which might result in
lifelong regret.
Too often our eyes are holden. We
fret and chafe against God’s kindest providence. Our anger is kindled at
the ass which sees the angel, and thrusts herself against the wall. Let
this day be one of humble searching of heart. Try to learn the reason why
God has frustrated your plans, and blocked your progress. Ask for the
opened eyes. Be sure that there is mercy in every broken plan. He sees the
end from the beginning. Bow your head, and acquiesce in his appointments.
Fall on your face, and bless Him whose kindliest angels sometimes assume
the roughest disguise.
C H Spurgeon Devotional -
Numbers
23:9
Numbers 23:20
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
He hath blessed, and I cannot
reverse it.
Balaam would have reversed the
blessing into a curse, had he been able. Large rewards were depending on
his doing so. But he was restrained. The current of blessing was running
too strong for him to stem: the music was too overpowering for him to
alter the air. Is not this also the despair of Satan? God hath blessed us
with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus, and he cannot reverse them.
The blessing of adoption. —
(see notes
Romans 8:15,
Romans 8:23)
When the soul believes in Jesus, it is adopted into the family of God; the
new life begins to throb within; it is constituted an heir of God, a
joint-heir with Christ (John 1:12). This position is irreversible. We may
be tempted and overthrown, we may go for a season into the far country, we
may even bring the family-name into contempt; but Satan cannot untie the
knot with which God has bound us to Himself.
The blessing of acceptance in the
Beloved. — We are in Him, chosen in Him before the foundation of the
world (see note
Ephesians 1:4),
risen and ascended and seated in Him in the heavenlies (see note
Ephesians 2:6);
and as our God views us in Jesus, He cannot behold iniquity or see
perverseness in Him, and He accepts and blesses us as his well-beloved.
This, too, is irreversible by the arts and machinations of the great
Accuser (see note
Revelation 12:10).
The blessing of the covenant.
— (see
New Covenant in the Old Testament)
(Why
the New is Better) (Abrahamic
vs Old vs New) God has taken
as to be a people for his own possession. His name is named on us, his
character is implicated in our ultimate deliverance from evil, and
glorification. If we could be cast away, He would suffer irreparable
dishonor. Therefore, though Satan do his utmost to discredit us, as he did
the patriarch Job, he cannot reverse the covenant in which God and we are
for ever and indissolubly joined.
C H Spurgeon Devotional -
Numbers
23:23
Numbers 23:23;
Proverbs 3:5-10
Today in the Word
See what God has done! - Numbers
23:23b
TODAY IN THE WORD
Most of us are not amazed to see someone walking along talking on a cell
phone. If we’re visiting someone and need to make a phone call, we
naturally assume that our host will have a phone.
Today we take phones, faxes, and
e-mails for granted. It’s hard to think of a time when these things didn’t
exist. Some people might even have forgotten the name of the individual
who launched the age of telecommunications by inventing the telegraph,
Samuel F. B. Morse. Even more people may not realize that the first
message communicated electronically was a verse from Scripture!
After a series of set-backs, both personally and professionally, Morse
stumbled upon the idea of using electromagnetism to transmit human
communication. At first many people laughed. At last he was able to secure
some money from Congress to build a telegraph line between Washington,
D.C., and Baltimore. And the first message that Morse sent, in Morse Code,
was the following: “What hath God wrought!” (Num. 23:23).
Morse chose this verse because he wanted all the glory for his new
invention to go to God. Throughout his life, Morse seemed to have been
directed by the truths contained in Proverbs 3. Centuries before Morse was
born, King Solomon urged, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean
not on your own understanding” (v. 5). If one would acknowledge the Lord
in everything, God would provide direction is life. The truth of this was
well-illustrated by the content of Samuel Morse’s first telegraph!
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The book 101 Bible Verses That Changed the World (see Sept. 9) contains
this from Morse’s journal about using Numbers 23:23 for the first
telegraphic message: “No words could have been selected more expressive of
the disposition of my own mind at that time than these: to ascribe all the
honor to whom it truly belongs.”
Numbers 24:2
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
The Spirit of God came upon him.
This is a solemn warning for us all.
Balaam said truly, but he perished miserably. He heard the words of God,
and saw the vision of the Almighty; but because he loved the wages of
unrighteousness, and taught Balak to cast the stumbling-block of
licentiousness before the children of Israel, he was slain in battle by
the people whom he had blamed. He wished to die the death of the
righteous, but was overtaken in that of the apostate. How near we may come
to the gates of salvation, and yet perish miserably without!
Distinguish between unction and
union — Hooper, the greatest of English divines, says: “We are not to
confuse the grace of union with the grace of unction.” It is possible to
be united to the Lord Jesus in regeneration, without receiving the
enduement of the Holy Spirit for service; and it is possible, like Saul,
to be anointed for high office, without being truly regenerate. Official
position may be worthily filled, and yet the heart be all awry.
Distinguish between gift and
grace. — We may be able to speak with the tongues of men and of
angels, and have the gift of prayer, and know all mysteries and all
knowledge; and yet be without love. The most gifted souls are by no means
the most gracious. Desire earnestly the greater gifts, if you will; but be
very sure that your heart is established with grace.
Distinguish between vision and
realization. — To see the fair land from afar, as Balaam did, is not
enough; we must place our foot down on its soil, and go into it to
possess. It is not enough to have an intellectual appreciation of the
blessed life and the way to enter it; not enough to extol or proclaim it.
We must make it ours by humility and faith.
Numbers
24:15-19
Today in the Word
A star will come out of Jacob; a
scepter will rise out of Israel. - Numbers 24:17
TODAY IN THE WORD
Archaeologists working in the Euphrates Valley made a remarkable discovery
in 1933. They unearthed a large ancient city called Mari. Over the next
few decades thousands of newly discovered clay tablets helped shed light
on cultures as far back as the times of the biblical patriarchs. Mari was
home to a large cult of pagan prophets and seers who sold their services.
These prophets allegedly had the power to pronounce curses on their
victims.
This fact from the ancient world
helps to explain the actions of the pagan prophet Balaam, and why God used
this evil prophet to utter one of the Old Testament’s great Messianic
prophecies. It’s a fascinating story of God’s power to overcome any
opposition to the fulfillment of His Word.
Balaam, the prophet “for hire,” was from Pethor (Num. 22:5), which was
probably near Mari. He was hired by Balak, the fearful king of Moab, to
curse Israel after Moab watched Israel defeat enemy after enemy (Num.
22:1-6). Balaam took Balak’s money and ran to a nearby hill to curse
Israel, despite God’s warning.
The prophecy in today’s reading was the fourth in a series of oracles
Balaam spoke, each prophesying blessing instead of cursing for Israel.
Balaam began by confessing that knowledge comes only from the true God, a
confession that ultimately did Balaam little good. He later fell under
God’s judgment (Num. 31:8).
But here Balaam spoke what God wanted him to say, and prophesied the
coming of someone in Israel who would hold the scepter of kingship.
This “ruler” would also execute God’s judgment on Moab and Edom. These
nations were the descendants of Esau and thus related to Israel, but they
had made themselves the enemies of God’s people.
We believe Jesus the Messiah is the only figure who can fulfill the
prophecy of Balaam. The Messiah is clearly seen in the Old Testament as a
ruler who wields His scepter with total authority. Prophets also revealed
that He came to suffer as well as to reign.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Balaam is another reminder of the fact that God can use any person, or any
circumstance, to accomplish His purposes. It’s usually easy for us
to believe this truth when we read about it in Scripture. But accepting it
is usually much harder when we confront a difficult person or an
especially frustrating situation. Who or what would be at the top of your
“trial list” today? Turn your concerns or fears about it into a prayer,
asking God for the patience to be faithful while He works out His purpose
through your trial.
Numbers 25:3
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
Israel joined himself unto
Baal-Peor.
The margin of the Revised Version
gives the alternative, yoked. The people were attracted by the charms of
the women of Moab; but what they entered for pleasure, became clasped on
them as a yoke. “Every one that committeth sin is the bondservant of sin”
(John 8:34, r.v.).
Sin is slavery. — The drunkard loathes his chains, vows not to yield
again; but sinks deeper into the mire with every ineffectual struggle. The
libertine is bound with passions, his heart is a dungeon, his conscience a
scourge. We are promised pleasure and gratification; but when once the
syrens have prevailed and got us in their power, they cast off their
disguise, and work their horrid will.
The only deliverance is through
the anointed priest. — Phinehas interposed, and he was Aaron’s
grandson, on whom the anointing oil rested. And this illustrates a
remarkable expression in Isaiah 10:27, “The yoke shall be destroyed
because of the anointing.” Is not that the anointing of the Holy Ghost? It
is only through the Holy Spirit that we can be made free with the freedom
of the Son of God. Where He is there is liberty. “Walk in the Spirit, and
ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against
the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.”
We must die to the sin that
enchained us. — There could be no half-measures. Phinehas took a
spear. Whatever the cursed thing is which has crept in to enslave, it must
be slain before the Lord. Is there same secret evil in your soul, eating
out its strength? Ask the Faithful High Priest to deal with it, that your
soul may cast off its bondage, and rise into the liberty of the sons of
God.
Numbers
26:52-56; Deuteronomy 19:14
Today in the Word
Do not move an ancient boundary
stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, for their Defender is
strong. - Proverbs 23:10–11
TODAY IN THE WORD
Most little children have a highly developed understanding of fairness,
particularly with regard to allotted portions of dessert! The concept that
each individual is entitled to an equal share of the cake rarely needs to
be explained or reviewed. Deep down, there is the awareness that life is
governed by certain inalienable rules. When these rules are properly
adhered to (meaning that everyone gets the same sized piece of cake)
dessert time goes pretty well; real (or perceived) disregard to these
rules results in discord.
Equitable distribution is also important to God, as today’s passage shows.
Numbers 26 records the second census taken prior to entering the land. The
first census was a military one taken in preparation for the land’s
conquest. Between that census and the one recorded here, however, was a
sad series of disobedient actions that eventually wiped out the original
generation that had been led out of Egypt (Num. 26:63–65).
The census recorded in today’s passage was taken in preparation of the
division of the promised land. Like the first census, this one occurred
prior to the actual occupation of the land. An entire disobedient,
unbelieving generation had to be rooted out, but God was faithful to His
promise to give the land to Abraham’s descendents.
The allotment of the promised land was based on the needs of each
tribe--larger tribes received more land, smaller ones received less land
(v. 54). The actual allotment was carried out by lot. This process may
have involved specially marked stones that were thrown, much like dice
(Num. 33:54). The use of lots was an ancient means of entrusting the final
outcome of decisions or distribution of land into God’s hands. Although
the land was divided according to tribes’ needs, its ultimate distribution
was under God’s control.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Moving boundary markers directly defied God’s wisdom in distribution.
Although we probably haven’t moved any ancient stones lately, we may have
defied God’s wisdom by coveting what God has given to others, such as
natural talents and abilities, spiritual gifts, a loving spouse, or a good
family
Numbers 26:65
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
There was not left a man of them.
Twice Moses numbered the people: on
the first occasion Aaron was his colleague, at the beginning of the forty
years; on the second occasion Eleazar, and this was at the end of the
wanderings, on the threshold of Canaan. But only two had survived, Joshua
and Caleb, because only they followed the Lord. God deals with a nation by
dealing with individuals. He misses no one.
His love misses none. — The
little sick child put her hand outside the coverlet before falling asleep,
in the hope that the Good Shepherd would notice it, and not miss her, as
He passed down the hospital ward. But there is no need to fear his missing
us, whose eyes are like a flame of fire, bringing the light with which
they see. He tasted death for every man; He seeks each missing sheep, each
lost coin. “He loved me, and gave Himself for me.”
His Spirit misses none. — If
thou hast faith as a grain of mustard seed, it will attract his notice. If
thou yieldest thyself to his Spirit, though thy lung be weak and diseased,
He will fill it. If thou desirest to be endued with the gift of Pentecost,
it will fall upon thy head, though thou art as obscure as the
shepherd-psalmist of old.
Death and judgment miss none.
— On each of these unbelieving men the Divine sentence was executed. One
or two might linger, as autumn leaves on the topmost boughs of stripped
trees; but ultimately they shared the fate of their companions. Unless
Christ come first, our turn will come. In Adam all die. We must all appear
before the judgment-seat of Christ. Each was born alone, must die alone,
and alone give an account to the King. Prepare, my soul, to meet Him!
Numbers 27:1-11;
36:1-13
Today in the Word
With righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give
decisions for the poor of the earth. - Isaiah 11:4
TODAY IN THE WORD
James B. Duke, who made a fortune in tobacco, textiles, and hydroelectric
power, was committed to philanthropic causes. When he died in 1925, his
estate, valued in the hundreds of millions, went to his only child, Doris,
who carried on the family tradition of charity by giving away over $400
million.
Apart from the staggering sums of
money, the fact that James Duke left his money to his daughter should not
be surprising--after all it’s generally assumed that an inheritance will
pass to an individual’s offspring, even if that offspring is female.
In ancient Israel, however, inheritances normally passed to sons, who
provided for their sisters until they married. Today’s passage records a
surprising new development. A certain man, Zelophehad, died with no sons,
but five daughters. Fearful that their family’s share in the promised land
would be jeopardized by the absence of male heirs, these five daughters
brought their case before Moses (Num. 27:1–3).
It’s clear that Moses took the daughters’ appeal seriously, for he brought
it before the Lord, who then “ruled” that the daughters had a right to
inherit. Additionally, a new order of succession for inheritance was
established (Num. 27:8–11). This “case law” was important, because in
ancient Israel the family name was integrally linked to its property. If
the inheritance were to pass out of the family, the family name was
threatened (v. 4).
Numbers 36 emphasizes how important it was to keep the land within the
tribe to whom it had been given. To prevent the land from passing out of
the family through marriage, a new stipulation was added to Numbers
27--inheriting daughters were to marry within their own tribe (36:6).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today’s passage shows that God protects justice, especially in cases where
individuals might be overlooked.
Our Daily Bread
Numbers 27:12-23 Change Of Leaders
Our Daily Bread
Numbers 27:15-23 Going Out & Coming
In
Numbers 27:21
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
At his word shall they go out, and
at his word they shall come in.
The emphasis is on the word his.
Moses had asked God to indicate a successor to lead out and bring in the
people. But Jehovah drew a distinction. Joshua was to receive the Divine
direction from Eleazar, the priest, who should enquire of the Lord; and at
his word, i.e., God’s word through Eleazar, the people were to go out and
come in.
Our goings-out should be
determined by the Word of God. — We never waste time when we stand
before the true Priest, who has the Urim of Divine direction, especially
when we are considering some call to duty. Very often we have gone out at
the instigation of pride, or emulation, or fussy activity; we have gone
out because others have done so, and we were eager not to be left behind.
Under these circumstances the out-goings of our mornings have not been
made to rejoice; we have encountered disappointment and defeat. When we go
forth at God’s bidding, He becomes absolutely responsible; otherwise we
pierce ourselves through with many sorrows, and bring discredit on the
cause we would fain serve.
Our comings-in must be determined
by the Word of God. — When we should come in to rest, to pray, to fill
again our souls with his Spirit, to suffer in secret, or to die, must be
left to the determination of his will. It is easier to go out than to come
in. Activity is pleasanter than passivity; the stir and rush of the world
preferable to lying still to suffer. But our times are in his hand, and as
soon as we recognize the decisions of the Urim in the appointments of
Divine Providence, the speedier shall we be at peace. It we are fully
surrendered to God, both our going-out and our coming-in shall be ordered
aright by his Spirit.
Numbers 28:2
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
My food. (r.v.)
God speaks as though He fed, through
the sacrificial flame, on the offerings of his people. There can be no
doubt that the obedience of the blessed Lord to the death of the cross was
very satisfying to the hunger of the Father’s heart (Ephesians 5:2); and
there is a sense in which our prayers and praises, the offering of
ourselves in consecration, the gifts we lay before Him, are, when laid
upon the altar of Christ, very pleasing to God. They are his food (Hebrews
13:15–16).
We often speak of ourselves as
hungering for God. Do we sufficiently realize that He hungers for our
love, our whole-hearted devotion, our fellowship with Him? May it not
sometimes act as an incentive to prayer, to reflect that we may be passing
from our chamber in the morning leaving God’s desire unsatisfied? He was
longing for the uplifting of our soul in devotion and praise which was not
forthcoming. Still, as of old, in the morning the hungry Lord comes to
seek fruit on his trees. Too often there is nothing but leaves. Too seldom
does He have the opportunity of saying: “I have eaten my honeycomb with my
honey.”
If we really loved Jesus, we should
be eager to give Him food in our prayers, and yearnings, and activities;
and we should long with intense desire for Him to be satisfied, though we
were not primarily concerned in spreading his banqueting table. It were
enough for us to know that his hunger was feeding on the love of saints,
or on the joy of new converts, though we were not the medium of the one or
the other. Oh for this unselfish love for Jesus, which looks at things
from his standpoint, altogether irrespective of ourselves!
Numbers 29:1,
7, 12, 35
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
Ye shall do no servile work.
There was a good deal of work to be
done, but it was not servile work. Throughout the seventh month, the work
centered around the Tabernacle and the service of God, rather than around
the tents and occupations of Israel as at other times. The same
distinction is clearly made by the Apostle; our faith and salvation are
not of works, lest any man should boast; but we are created in Christ
Jesus unto good works (see notes
Ephesians 2:9;
2:10).
Do not work up to the Cross, but
down from it. — We must come empty-handed to the Cross, and receive
forgiveness and eternal life; but these will immediately begin to
vindicate their presence in the fruits of righteousness. None work like
those who have been saved by the grace of God — but their work is not
servile work; not that of slaves, but of sons. Many confuse these, trying
to work for salvation, instead of receiving it first and then working.
Do not work up to union with
Christ, but from it. — We cannot unite ourselves to the true Vine by
any activity of ours; our only resort is to lay ourselves at the feet of
the great Husbandman, that He may graft us into living union with Jesus.
When once that union is consummated, through our yielded nature, the Root
begins to pour his mighty energy. Fruit-bearing is not servile work; but
easy, natural, blessed.
Do not work up to Pentecost, but
out from it. — We cannot win the gift of the blessed Paraclete. No
tears, prayers, agonies of soul, can purchase it. It must be received by a
single act of faith. But when once He is in us in his fulness, then tears,
and prayers. and strivings for the salvation of men flow out without
effort. But there is no servility, no strain no restraint, save that of
love.
Numbers 30:5,
8, 12
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
The Lord shall forgive her.
If the father or husband disallowed
the vow a woman made, it would not stand, nor would she be held
responsible for its fulfillment. God would not keep her to a promise which
was hindered from execution by causes over which she had no control. This
is a profound principle.
You may feel that a certain step is
required of you by Christ; that indeed you are bound by your allegiance to
Him to take it; nay, you have already promised Him that you will take it;
but, suddenly and most unexpectedly, you are prevented from taking it. The
express prohibition of those who have a right to determine your action, or
the verdict of the physician, or the evident call of duty in another
direction, makes it needful for you to relinquish your project. What then:
is God grieved and angry? Not so; He understands the whole of the case
perfectly, and accepts your will for the deed, and bids you go in peace.
This, however, does not affect matters in which conscience is clear in
demanding or prohibiting a certain line of conduct.
Sometimes God’s silence is consent.
You made your solemn dedication in His holy presence: there was no
answering voice, or rush of emotion, or witnessing seal; He held his peace
from day to day. But in that silence He established all your vows, all
your bonds.
If parents capriciously forbid their children carrying out solemn
resolutions and vows, the burden of blame must rest on their shoulders.
They must render their account to God, and give answer for their action.
It will go hard with those who put needless hindrances and obstacles in
their brothers pathway.
Numbers 31:23
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
Everything that may abide the fire,
ye shall make to go through the fire.
The great aim of this enactment was
to render these articles ceremonially clean. They had been in the use of
the Midianites, and required cleansing, before they could be appropriated
by Israel. But the cleansing processes were to be determined by their
texture. Fire for what would stand fire; water for what could not stand
fire.
We must be thoroughly cleansed.
— If a man will purge himself, he shall be a vessel unto honor, meet for
the Master’s use. Not cleverness, but cleanliness, is the prime condition
of service. Jesus will not put throne-water into impure and polluted
receptacles. What fellowship hath Christ with Belial?
We shall not be passed through
fire, unless we can stand it. — Our faith is too precious to God to be
exposed to risk. He will not let us be tempted beyond what we are able,
lest we be discouraged, and make shipwreck. If, then you are called at
this time to pass through an unusually searching ordeal, be sure that your
Heavenly Father knows that you can endure it. “That the trial of your
faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be
tried by fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the
appearing of Jesus Christ.”
We must go through water, if not
through fire. — The law provided also that “all that abideth not the
fire, ye shall make go through the water.” The one is negative, the other
positive; the first appertains to John the Baptist, the second to the Holy
Spirit. The latter is the best; but be thankful, if you cannot endure it,
that there is a discipline more tempered and gentle, which will yet render
you meet for the handling of the Holy Savior.
C H Spurgeon Devotional -
Numbers
32:6
Numbers 32:23
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
Be sure your sin will find you out.
Sin is like the boomerang of the
savage, it comes back on the hand that has launched it forth. The brethren
accused Joseph of being a spy, and cast him into the pit; and on the same
charge they were cast into prison. King David committed adultery and
murder; so Absalom requited him. The Jews crucified the blessed Lord; and
they were impaled around Jerusalem till room and wood for their crosses
failed.
There is a Divine order in society.
God has so constituted the world, that as man deals with his neighbour, so
he is dealt with. The consequence does not always follow immediately.
There is often a long interval between the lightning flash and the
thunder-peal. The sentence against an evil work is not executed suddenly.
But though God’s mills grind slowly, they do grind, and to powder. It is
impossible to deceive God; for it is his immutable law, “whatsoever a man
soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of
the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the
Spirit reap life everlasting” (Galatians 6:7-8).
When sin comes to find you out, like
a sleuthhound on the track of the criminal, be sure that it finds you in
Jesus. “That I maybe found in Him.” Nothing will avail to intercept the
awful execution of sin’s vengeance, except the blood and righteousness of
Jesus. Put Him between you and your sins, between you and your past,
between you and the penalty of a broken law. Be sure that only when the
blood of Jesus speaks for you through earth and heaven, there can be a
cutting off of sin’s terrible entail.
Numbers 33:9
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
They journeyed from Marah and came
unto Elim: and in Elim.... (r.v.)
In his enumeration of the halting
places of Israel, Moses mentions Marsh and Elim. In the case of the
former, he does not dwell on the murmuring of the people over the bitter
stream: but in the case of Elim, he loves to dilate on the twelve springs
of water, and the three-score and ten palm trees, under which they
pitched. Years of weary travel had not obliterated the memory of the
refreshment afforded by those seventy palms.
We should remember the blessings
of the past. — God has so made as that we soon forget pain; but memory
is willing to keep the fresco-pictures of sunny scenes unobliterated upon
the walls of her galleries. Thus we may encourage our faith and comfort
our hearts, by musing on the hand of the Lord which has been upon us for
good. You have had many hard tracks of desert sand to traverse; but never
forget those three-score and ten palm trees. Let their gracious shade and
fruit still refresh you. And remember that God will restore them, whenever
needed. If not, you can always find your palm trees and wells in Himself.
God does not remember the sins of
the past. — There is no word of their murmurings, either at Marsh or
Rephidim. It is thus that God deals with us. “I, even I, am He that
blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember
thy sins.” When God forgives, He forgets. He erases the record from his
book, and deals with us as though no sin had been committed. When we get
to heaven and study the way-book, we shall find all the deeds of love and
self-denial carefully recorded, though we have forgotten them; and all the
sins blotted out, though we remember them.
Numbers 34:13
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
This is the land which ye shall
inherit. (r.v.)
It is important that we should know
the limits and possibilities of our lives. We must beat the bounds, first
to know how far we may go; and secondly where we must stop, in our
inheritance.
How far we go. — It is our
privilege to know God and the hope of his calling, and the riches of the
glory of his indwelling in our hearts, and the power of the Resurrection
throbbing within us, lifting us to share the risen life of Jesus. Day by
day we may be kept from yielding to known sin; day by day, though keenly
conscious of temptation, we may be more than conquerors; day by day, the
Holy Spirit may work in us perfect love towards God and man, to the limit
of our light; day by day the Lord Jesus may be more perfectly formed
within us.
Where we must stop. — We may
expect to be blameless, but not faultless, till He present us to Himself
to be delivered from temptation, but not freed from its assaults: to be
kept in perfect peace, but not secured from the pressure of adversity: to
be dead to sin and self, but not daring to say that either is dead within
us: to be delivered from this present evil world, as to spirit and temper,
though still called to inhabit it as its salt and light. Take possession
of every inch of God-given territory in Jesus, but beware of going beyond
it.
It is a solemn question to all who
have been appointed leaders in God’s hosts, whether they are rightly
dividing their heritage. We must hold back nothing that is profitable: nor
must we shun to declare the whole counsel of God. Let our Preaching and
teaching include all God’s provision for his children.
Numbers 35:1-8
Today in the Word
Joshua 21:1-42
The towns you give the Levites . . .
are to be given in proportion to the inheritance of each tribe. - Numbers
35:8
TODAY IN THE WORD
A proverb about courage attributed to Aesop reads, “It is easy to be brave
from a safe distance.” The Levites were not afforded that luxury. One
might think that the priests of Israel, the Levites, would have been set
apart and isolated from the other tribes of Israel, but God didn't plan it
that way. They weren't a safe distance away from the people they were
supposed to lead spiritually, and as God's handpicked representatives,
they were to be close to the Almighty as well.
Several times throughout Joshua
we've been reminded that the Levites' inheritance was the Lord Himself;
serving Him was their reward. But they still needed a place to live. God
provided for them in a unique way, bringing provision from every other
tribe in Israel. Consulting a map will show that the Levites were spread
so evenly across the land that no one was very far from a city of priests.
This wasn't a last-minute decision. God commanded Moses that the land be
shared with the priests in this way. The book of Numbers describes the
parameters for the Levite cities, and they include generously sized
pastures around each one. God didn't overlook His priests; He was
determined to show His provision to them in a way that creatively taught
the truth of God with unforgettable permanence and profound symbolism.
God's pattern for sustaining the priests had always been for the people to
support them according to each one's possessions and income. The
distribution of Levite cities was no different. God commanded the larger
territories to yield more cities and the smaller to give up less. This
fair and wise method provided ample space for the Levites and even
distribution of priests throughout the land. It also rooted all of the
tribes in the truth that the land was given to them by God and should be
shared generously with His servants.
Six of the Levite cities also became the cities of refuge we read about
yesterday. It's interesting to note that God chose priests to be a symbol
of protection in times of trouble. “City of refuge” may sound like a
military term, but it's men of faith, not weapon-bearing warriors, who
provide asylum from vengeance.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY As salt and light in the world, we can't be satisfied
living a safe distance from the world.
God has placed you in a position to
be a spiritual leader to those around you. Stay close to Him through your
personal time with God, and make the most of your place in the world so
that the spiritually needy can come to you for help. The Lord will be with
you; don't fear those who don't believe. God is greater than the world,
and He can give you victory over your own flaws and fears.
Numbers 35:9-34
Today in the Word
Read: Joshua 20:1-9; Numbers 35:9-34
Do not pollute the land where you
are. Bloodshed pollutes the land. - Numbers 35:33
TODAY IN THE WORD
Through his character Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle tells us
that courage is more than brashly ignoring danger. He writes, “It is
stupidity rather than courage to refuse to recognize danger when it is
close upon you.” That bit of wisdom applies quite well to the crux of
today's reading in a couple of different ways.
For the nation as a whole, it would
have been foolish to deny the possibility of tragic deaths, either
accidental or malicious, especially now that the people were spread out
across a wide array of settlements. Without a plan to handle such a
situation, the Promised Land could have closely resembled the chaos of the
American Old West. God in His foresight provided Israel with a justice
system that would apply to the whole land and could help see to it that
patience and truth would prevail over irrational rage.
The quote also applies to the person who causes a death—it would be doubly
foolish to think that no punishment would come as a result of costing a
man his life. A man in that position no longer needs courage; he needs
protection.
The passage in Numbers gives us a more detailed account of the philosophy
of justice for murder, and it's much different than what we're used to
today. When evaluating the incident, at least two witnesses needed to
testify about the death (v. 30); in our society, one eyewitness can be
evidence for conviction.
If the accused was convicted of murder, a relative of the victim was
permitted to avenge the murder by taking the life of the guilty person (v.
19). Even if he was deemed innocent of malicious, intentional murder,
causing a death was still a serious offense, and the offender couldn't
leave the city of refuge until the death of the high priest without
fearing for his life (vv. 26-28).
We may wonder at this, but God wanted to stress that all life is valuable,
and there is punishment for murder and consequences even for accidents.
Yet God still demonstrates His mercy by instituting protections in the
legal system and by providing cities of refuge.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Hopefully the specifics of today's reading don't come into play in your
life any time soon, but there's an important truth in the text that
applies to all of us. God places tremendous value on human life. He would
do anything to save a life, but He can't ignore justice to do it. Jesus
died on the cross to save us, suffering the penalty that sin imposed on
all mankind. We need to value human life in the same way; tell someone the
good news today. Introduce them to the refuge of grace.
Numbers
35:9-34a
Today in the Word
With the Lord our God there is no
injustice or partiality or bribery. - 2 Chronicles 19:7b
TODAY IN THE WORD
“An earthly power doth then show likest God’s when mercy seasons justice,”
wrote William Shakespeare in his famous play The Merchant of Venice. This
idea, expressed at a pivotal moment of the play, conveys a truth about the
relationship between justice and mercy that is rarely grasped in our
day-to-day lives. We often think of God’s justice and His mercy as two
separate and distinct functions. But in reality, mercy is a property of
God’s justice; it “seasons” God’s justice.
In today’s look at the Mosaic Law,
we see how God’s desire to maintain proper relationships between men, the
land, and Himself prompts Him to establish cities of refuge. As He made
clear in His covenant with Noah (Gen. 9), God holds life sacred and
demands an accounting for all deaths. A family member was responsible to
avenge the death of his kin according to biblical law. This strict rule
was based on the importance of the land: “Blood-shed pollutes the land,
and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed,
except by the blood of the one who shed it” (v. 33).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The city of refuge didn’t restore even the accidental murderer to the
community. Neither does the time prisoners spend in jail now restore their
places in the community. Charles Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship says
that offenders do not simply need rehabilitation, they require
regeneration of a sinful heart. This ministry strives for such renewal by
serving inmates and their families in the name of Christ. You can help
them by doing anything from writing a letter to buying a Christmas toy.
Numbers 35:25,
28, 32
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
The Death of the High Priest.
One after another they passed away.
They were not able to continue by reason of death. Their offices, and
garments, and ministry, passed from each in turn, as from Aaron, whom
Moses stripped with his own hands on Nebo. But their death only brings
into greater prominence the encouraging contrast in the case of our
blessed Lord, who ever liveth, and hath, therefore, an unchangeable
priesthood.
Christ ever lives: what an
encouragement to the penitent! — All that He ever was, He is; all that
He ever did for others, He is willing to do for thee. The records of his
earthly life, with his tenderness for those who were out of the way, are
leaves and specimen pages of the diary of his life. Therefore, there need
be no hesitation in applying to Him.
Christ ever lives: what a
blessing to the saint! — “I am He that liveth.” He bent over his
fainting apostle, and said in effect, You remember what I was when you
leant on my bosom, followed Me to the shore on which I had prepared your
repast, and assured you of my never-altering affection. I am all that
still; through death I have come to a life which can never decay; because
I live, ye shall live also. Let us rest our souls on this sweet word —
from his heart there will ever stream to us rivers of incorruptible life.
Let us keep all the channels of our being open towards the fountain of
eternal life, that there may be no stint or restraint to our reception.
Christ ever lives: what a warning
to the Church! — There is no need, therefore, of the human priest to
transact matters between man and God. The Son is Priest and King in his
own house, in the power of an endless life; and human mediators are no
more necessary than flickering night-lights at noon.
Numbers 36:2
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer
The inheritance of Zelophehad unto
his daughters.
From the earliest, the
germ-principle of the emancipation of woman, and her right to stand on an
equality with man, is recognized in Scripture. These women were heiresses
in their own right, and might marry as they thought best. Christianity in
this respect, as in so many others, is the fulfillment of the Divine
thought in the older dispensation. Ruth was the prototype of Mary of
Bethany; Rahab of the Syrophenician woman; Hagar of Lydia.
The inheritance of woman in the
nature of Christ. — There are certain qualities in the Sun of Man
peculiarly adapted for the heart of woman. Tenderness for her many tears —
“Woman, why weepest thou? “Sympathy in her quest for a love that will not
fail — “Mary.” An answer to her many questions — “Woman, believe Me.”
Strength for her clinging weakness — “Forbid her not.” Hope for her
despair — “If thou couldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God.”
O woman, remember Him who is the counterpart of thy need, and offers thee
Himself. “The same is my sister.”
The inheritance of woman in the
work of Christ. — She is called to enrich men by bringing to them her
inheritance. So the daughters of Zelophehad brought their land to their
husbands, and the women bore the tidings of the risen Lord to the
disciples. Thus women, receiving much from fellowship with Christ, come to
men, steeped in materialism and sense, telling of a purer, fairer life,
and summoning them to inherit it. Well is it for the home where this
principle is recognized, and where the wife and mother is ever feeding her
soul with noble ideals, to correct the false estimates that too much
contact with men of the world are apt to induce in those she loves! |