Reasons To Fear Not!

Reading:  Deueronomy 1
My Verse:  "The LORD your God Who goes before you, He will fight for you just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes" (1:30).

LORD God, You told the Israelites in the verse before this to "Fear not!"   But You do not expect us to believe  or trust You with nothing to support that command.  I love this passage on how You  not only tell the Isrealites to not be afraid but You tell them why they should not be afraid!

You go before us in all things.  We do not need to be fretting about the future, the unknown.  If we but look back we can see how You have provided for us always.  Here You tell the Israelites You, "will fight for [them] just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes."   You tell them to remember, to recall Your past provision.

It is so easy for us to forget what You do for us.  We get so caught up in the moment.   Our immediate circumstances blind us to the possibilities, to seeing the big picture, to remembering You are an All Powerful Caring God!

I am reminded of the 23rd Psalm.

   The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
      He makes me lie down in green pastures,
   he leads me beside quiet waters,
      he refreshes my soul.
   He guides me along the right paths
      for his name's sake.
   Even though I walk
      through the darkest valley,
   I will fear no evil,
      for you are with me;
   your rod and your staff,
      they comfort me.

    You prepare a table before me
      in the presence of my enemies.
   You anoint me head with oil;
      my cup overflows.
   Surely your goodness and love will follow me
      all the days of my life,
   and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
      forever. 

Yes, You will "fight for" me! Psalm 23 says "your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

John 10:28, 29  says, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no on can snatch them out of my Father's hand."

Deuteronomy 1:31 goes on to say. "And in the wilderness, where you have seen how the LORD your God bore you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place."  

Thank you, LORD God, for this beautiful picture!  Thank You that I do have reason to trust in Your loving, compassionate care of me!  Even when things seem the darkest I need to remember I belong to a most powerful and loving God!

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

Impulsive Sin!

Reading:  Numbers 35, 36
My Verse:  "When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there" (35:10, 11).

I have always found this to be a fascinating provision of Yours, LORD God!  You make a provision for the impulsive behavior of Your people.  You know that we often  act without thinking.  We do some crazy things impulsively - even some actions that result in the death of another person.  You know this and so You provide a way to deal with such actions.  You provided cities of refuge for the Israelites and "for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills any person without intent may flee there."  It is really such a relief to see that You do allow us that - impulsive sinful acts. The consequences of impulsive acts are to be different than for those sinful actions that are premeditated or planned.

There is so much I do not understand and I feel there is so much that I am learning and continue learning as I read Your enlightening Word!  I know that You created us.  You created us in Your image!  I am often pondering what exactly does that mean?  We are so much more complex than we can ever know or understand.  This complexity is not only in our physical make-up which is awesome!  It is also in our spiritual and mental make-up.  This amazing complexity became ever more obvious to me as I raised my child.  I would be amazed at who this tiny person was, who he was becoming.  I continue to be amazed as I watch him grow into an adult.  Oh, LORD God, only You truly know us and only You understand  just how complex we are. Your entire Word reveals not only the complexity of mankind but of Your loving and compassionate care for us.

You teach  about impulsive sin.

"A man of wrath stirs up strife, and a man given to anger commits and causes much transgression.  A man's pride will bring him low, but he who is of a humble spirit will obtain honor" Proverbs 29:22,23).

"Be not rash with your mouth and let not your heart be hasty to utter a word before God" (Ecclesiastes 5:2).

You teach me that I need to guard my heart and attitude to keep from sin."Above all else, guard your heart, for everything yo do flows from it" (Proverbs 4:23).

You teach in Psalms 1 the progressiveness of sin.  It really comes down to our heart condition.  I so need to be ever allowing You to keep and guard my heart.  I need to be ever before You to allow You to mold  so that I am "constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor . . ."(II Cor. 3:18).

Thank You, LORD God, that I can trust You to keep me.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering, and steadfast spirit within me". (Psalm 51:10).

We do act impulsively and You, LORD God, make provision for that.  Yet, we need to be ever vigilant and trust You daily to keep us from sin.

"Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.  then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression" (Psalm 19:13).

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

Prone To Wander

Reading:  Numbers 33, 34
My Verse:  "But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell" (33:55).

This is a hard lesson, LORD God.  It is so easy to get side tracked here and look only at the absoluteness of your command.  You seem to show no mercy to the inhabitants of the land that the Israelites are to move into.  Yet, I know that You did this out of love.  You did this because You know the hearts of Your loved ones.  You know how we are so prone to wander from You!

You told them "Then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you and destroy all their figured stones and all their molten images and completely demolish all their [idolatrous] high places" (33:52). This verse shows that the focus of this command is to "destroy all their figured stones and all their molten images and completely demolish all their [idolatrous] high places."  It is the sin that You want driven out, all vestiges of the sinful practices of the inhabitants of the land.  Because even a small bit of it will drag down Your people.  Even a small bit of it will fester and grow.  Sin is something that cannot be bridled or kept in place.  How we need to realize that!

This command has to do with Your love for those that do follow You.  You know us so well.  You know our weakness.  You knew that the Isrealites would easily be swayed by the religions of those around them.    How we need to take this to heart today.  We are so prone to fall under the spell of sin - it can be attractive. It can appear fun and with it!  It can appear like the 'new thing.'  Oh, how easily we can wander from You, LORD God!

I am learning that timing plays a big part in Your commands.  You did not let Abraham take over the land earlier but instead the people spent many years in Egypt.  "After four generations your descendants will return here to this land, for the sins of the Amorites do not yet warrant their destruction" (Genesis 15:16). You were allowing the inhabitants of the land more time - more time to repent and turn back to You.  You do not wish that any should perish.  Only when You know there is no longer any hope for someone do You finally take their life from them. So You are a merciful God.  You are a God of love and compassion.

What a wonderful lesson this is for me today!  How I need to guard my heart against sin!  "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" (Proverbs 4:23 NIV).

How important to remove all vestiges of sin "destroy all . . . figured stones and all . . . molten images and completely demolish all . . . [idolatrous] high places" from my life. We, today are surrounded by many things that do no honor You. Help me LORD God to be discerning and sensitive to Your guidance in this.  

Thank You for this lesson.  I know I am prone to wander from You.  Help me to  trust You to keep me.

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

God Reveals Himself Throughout History

Reading:  Numbers 28 -32
My Verse:  "These you shall offer to the Lord at your appointed feasts, besides the offerings you have vowed and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, cereal offerings, drink offerings, and peace offerings.  And Moses told the Israelites all that the LORD commanded him" (Numbers 29:39, 40).

I have always had a difficult time reading these passages on the detailed descriptions of the offerings the Israelites were to bring before You, LORD God.  They seemed so burdensome.  I have  had trouble seeing the meaning of it all. But I am learning that You, LORD God do nothing that is burdensome or meaningless.  You do what is needed for us.  You know our needs more than we do ourselves and so You provide for us.  Here You are simply revealing Yourself to the Israelites in a way that they can understand.

The Israelites lived in a time when the religions around them were very ritualistic.  So You, LORD God provided them their own rituals with which they were to use to worship You.  You knew their state of mind and the need they had to do an actual physical act in their worship of You.  They needed prescribed, regular activities - rituals!  You provided them these rituals in precise detail.

It is interesting that I am reading about this very thing in McDermott's God's Rivals.  Irenaeus(145-202 AD) a very early Christian teacher taught that "all human beings have from the beginning of the world been given revelation or knowledge of God sufficient for salvation."  He, Irenaeus believed that You, LORD God provided  revelation to mankind through Jesus "in different ways at different times."  McDermott quotes Iranaeus "by a great variety of ways, [God] lead the human race to salvation . . .the Word passing through all these men . . .  drew up a code adapted to every condition of life" (AH 4.14.2).

McDermott goes on to explain this quote in this way.

"When the natural law implanted in human hearts failed to restrain people from idolatry, God turned to a written code.  Later came the prophets, whose messages were first oral and then later put into writing.  Only later did the Word become flesh, to instantiate what was previously shown in other ways.  He instructed the Jews in the desert with a detailed sacrificial system, which was later eclipsed by the perfect sacrifice of the Son of God himself"

"In other words, to a nation of slow learners, God used many different teaching methods over thousands of years to communicate the truth.  It was the same truth, but it came through different methods and modes because of different hearts and capacities to learn" (McDermott, p. 114).

I never fail to be amazed LORD God at how you bring us Your Truth -how You bring us to an  understanding of Your Truth.  And You know just when we are ready for it and how we need to receive it!  The Israelites needed these ritualistic sacrifices at this time in their lives.  Throughout history You have changed how we are to do things.  It is so wonderful that You are not static!  There is constant change - constant upgrading!  We need to be so careful that we don't become stick-in-the-mud, dogmatic followers of You.  At the same time we need to be careful that we are true to Your Word, which alone is Truth.

I pray for the church today, LORD God.  I pray that we are sensitive to this need to change with the times, with the cultural changes to meet and bring Your message to those around us that do not know You.  It is also vitally important to remember as Iranaeus said, that the gospel message itself never changes.

"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

Brave & Faithful Daughters

Reading:  Numbers 25 - 27
My Verse:  "Then drew near the daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of Manasseh the son of Joseph.  The names of his daughters were;  Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. And they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the chiefs and all the congregations, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, saying, Our father died in the wilderness.  He was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah, but died from his own sin.  And he had no sons.  Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son?  Give to us a possession among our father's brothers" (27:1-4).

This is an amazing event describing the courageous act of these brave daughters of Zelophehad.  This was not a light thing that they did. They went against all the odds.  They had to be very brave and faithful to stand up to Moses and the high priest, Eleazar!

One needs to remember the kind of society that the Israelite people lived in.  It was highly patriarchial and tradition was everything!  The tradition was that all inheritances went to the sons, if there was no son it then went on the the nearest male kin.  To ask what they did was going against tradition. 

It is also interesting that they pointed out that their father was not one of the notorious company of Korah, those who "gathered themselves against the LORD."  This speaks to how they felt about their father.  They obviously loved and respected him.  One has to think he was a good father to his daughters and so they were faithful to his memory.

They had to have great courage!  Not only were they doing something unheard of but they had to stand before Moses!  That alone had to be scarey.  And not only Moses but they also had to stand before "Eleazar the priest and before the chiefs and all the congregations, at the entrance of the tent of meeting!"  This could not have been an easy thing to do!  But LORD God You gave them the courage they needed because they were obviously faithful believers in You and Your promises.

The brave and faithful daughters of Zelophehad obviously believed that they were going into the land of promise.  They believed that You would do as You promised, bring them into the promised land and so they wanted their father's portion in that promised land.

Moses, not knowing how to deal with this went directly to You.  You told him.  "The daughters of Zelophehad are right."  Wow!  Just like that the brave and faithful daughters of Zelophehad changed how the inheritance was to be handled in the future.  In the future if there were no sons the daughters would get the inheritance.  "And it shall be for the people of Israel a statute and rule, as the LORD commanded Moses" (27:11).

You teach us a wonderful lesson here LORD God through the beautiful daughters of Zelophehad!  If we see something that needs changing then we should go for it trusting in Your help and guidance!  We should not be afraid to ask You for something we feel strongly about. And women do matter and can made a difference in society.  Many cultures of this world make women second class citizens and that is so wrong.  Thank You, LORD God for this teaching. Your Word is enlighening to all that would read and heed it!

"the rules of the LORD are true,
   and righteous altogether" (Psalm 19:9).

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

A Talking Donkey!

Reading:  Numbers 22, 23, 24
My Verse:  "And the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to you that you should strike me these three times?" ( 22:28).

This has got to be one of the funnier episodes in the Bible.  A donkey sees what this wise seer cannot see.  LORD God, You are too wonderful!  You show us how foolish we can be! Not only does the donkey see the angel that Balaam cannot see but You give the donkey the ability to converse with Balaam.  And in this conversation, the donkey reveals Balaam's foolish behavior to him.  The talking donkey makes more sense than Balaam, the wise seer!

LORD God the Bible is fascinating!  There are so many stories like this that just makes one ponder the meaning.  All of scripture was written for the edification of the saints. 

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).

"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" (Romans 15:4).

So what do I do with this story?  How is it profitable to my walk with You? 

First, it makes me laugh. That is a good thing.  You, LORD God do have a sense of humor.  This story is delightful!

Second, I am intrigued by this man, Balaam.  What kind of a man was he that You should use him in this way?  He is introduced in verse 5.  "So Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moabites at that time, sent messengers to Balaam [a foreteller of events] son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the [Euphrates] River"  Balaam had a great reputation for blessing and cursing. He was known as a seer.  His home in what is now northern Syria was some 400 miles away from Moab - a long way to travel at that time.  Yet because King Balak was desperate, he was willing to pay Balaam whatever was needed to have him come and curse the Israelites for him so he could defeat them.

It is especially curious that Balaam, a pagan seer, does speak Your Words, LORD God.  He told King Balak that he could only speak the words You give him and ended up blessing the Israelites three times!
This is very curious.  You are using a pagan to speak Your words.  I am reading a book called God's Rivals by Gerald R. McDermott.  In it he speaks of how You were known to many people outside the nation of Israel and the Church.  You even bring this to light in the Bible in various places besides this particular incident.  So what are You telling us here?  I am not sure, LORD God.  But please help me to be attentive to what You have to teach me through all people.  You are no respector of persons!  We are all Your creation!  How I need to remember that.

Thirdly,  I am brought back to the humor of this.  You use a talking donkey to reveal to the great and wise Balaam his own foolishness.  How often we need You to reveal to us a haughty and arrogant spirit.   And sometimes You use the most surprising circumstances and/or people to do this - like the talking donkey!

Thank You, LORD God for Your holy Word.  Thank You for constantly teaching me truth from it.  I am truly blessed to be able to read it at my leisure. 

"Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His" (Daniel 2:20).

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

Salvation Just By Looking?

Reading:  Numbers 18 - 21
My Verse:  "And the LORD said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent [of bronze] and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live" (21:8).

This is a fascinating event.  That You, LORD God would choose to use a bronze serpent lifted up on a pole as an instrument of healing for the Israelites.  This is very curious.  And those bitten by the serpent snakes had only to "look" at the bronze serpent to be healed from the deadly poison.

The ESV study bible speaks of how the Israelites ended up worshiping this bronze serpent. King Hezekiah had to destroy it. "He removed the high places, broke the images, cut down the Asherim, and broke in pieces, the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until then the Israelites had burned incense to it; but he called it Nebushtan [a bronze trifle] (2 Kings 18:4).  This speaks to how  prone we are to go astray.  It is so much easier to look upon an actual object.  And this object was something special as Moses himself, a man greatly revered by the people, made the serpent.  One can see how easily the people made it an object of worship. They burned incense to the bronze serpent - performing a ritualistic act does tend to make oneself feel better.  Oh, LORD God, we need to be so very careful of this sort of thing!  We need to ever truly "look" to You for our salvation and for forgiveness of our sins!  The act has to be of the heart!

The fiery serpent of bronze was to be symbolic.  It was to be a symbol of You, LORD Jesus.  It was a symbol of how we are to look up to You.  You even used this event in Your teaching while You were here on this earth.  "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up. that whoever believes in him may have eternal life" (John 3:14,15).  The Amplified Bible speaks of how this "look" was more than just a glance.  Just as we look to You for our salvation so the Israelites had to look on the serpent believing that You would heal and save them from the poison of the serpent. It goes on to say that the Hebrew meaning of look in this case is "look attentively, expectantly, with a steady and absorbing gaze." 

No, salvation does not come from just a glance.  But You, LORD God did make it easy for us.  You made it so very uncomplicated.  For You alone are our salvation.  "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him" (John 3:36).
No program of works or rituals done a certain way will do it.  Nothing that we can do on our own can save us.  "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No one comes to the Father but by Me." (John 14:6).

Putting this fiery serpent up on a pole and having the people look upon it to be saved from the poisonous bite of the snake was really a remarkable event.  It was something that required nothing but faith from the people.  The redness of the serpent represented Your blood shed for us.  That the serpent was lifted up high on a pole represented how You were to be lifted up - first on the cross and then upon the throne of God.  "he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted" (Isaiah 53:13).  That the people were required to "look" upon the serpent with faith represents how we must "look" to You with faith for our salvation.

Thank You for this beautiful story, this beautiful reminder of Your provision for us. 

"And my God shall provide all Your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19).

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

Murmuring Against God

Reading:  Numbers 16, 17
My Verse:  "But on the morrow all the congregation of the Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron . . . " (16:41).

Murmuring or complaining can have dreadful consequences.  What happened to the Israelites that murmured here is a great example of what happens when we let ourselves dwell in that state of mind.  I know that it is an easy place to go, most of us go there way too often.  It can become a state of mind.

What is so amazing is how slow we are to learn that murmuring is unpleasing to You, LORD God.  You struck down the leaders that lead the murmuring against Moses.  "As soon as he stopped speaking, the ground under the offenders split apart. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households and [Korah and] all [his] men and all their possessions.  They and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol and the earth closed upon them and they perished from among the assembly" (16:31-33). Yet, the people rose up the very next day and murmured against Moses and Aaron.  You, LORD God then struck them with a plague.  Here You were merciful and responded to the intercession of Moses and Aaron and kept back Your wrath from destroying all the assembly. "And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stayed" (16:48).

The dictionary definition:  a half-suppressed or muttered complaint: grumbling.  The second definition is very telling:  a low indistinct but often continuous sound.  Many of us let ourselves fall into this state of mind where we are constantly murmuring about something that didn't go quite the way we wanted or planned.  It is so easy because things rarely go exactly as we plan.  Even the synonyms of this word have an awful sound to them:  beef, bleat, carp, fuss, gripe, grouch, grumble, lament, wail, yammer - they just sound unpleasant when spoken.  How unpleasant this steady drone of our low and continuous muttering must sound to Your ears, LORD God.

Murmuring is spoken of often throughout the Bible.  It is always either directly or indirectly against You, LORD God.  It is considered as foolishness.  "The foolishness of man perverteth his way; and his heart fretteth against the LORD" (Proverbs 19:3).

If we truly believe that You are sovereign, the creator of all that is then why do we continually fret against You?  "Nay but, O man, who are thou that repliest against God?  Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why has thou made me thus?" (Romans 9:20).

Dear, LORD God, help me to heed Your teaching and guiding concerning this sin.

"Do all things without grumbling or questioning" (Philippians 2:14).

"Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold the Judge is standing at the door"  (James 5:9).

 "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice" (Ephesians 4:31).

Thank You, LORD God for reminding me of this sin and my need to remember to keep my mind on You!

"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere" (James 3:17).

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!