Just for Ladies – by Camille Stahl
Today’s Passage –Numbers 30 – 31 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Romans 13 – 16; Proverbs 26; Psalms 131 – 135
Scripture Memorization for January – Proverbs 4
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 55:17
Read “Professional Backslappers” by Pastor Paul Chappell
A STUDY OF WOMEN IN THE BIBLE
Esther, A Woman Who Risked Her Life For Others.
“And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so. Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite; Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter. So it came to pass, when the king’s commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was brought also unto the king’s house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women. And the maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him; and he speedily gave her her things for purification, with such things as belonged to her, and seven maidens, which were meet to be given her, out of the king’s house: and he preferred her and her maids unto the best place of the house of the women. Esther had not shewed her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not shew it.” Esther 2:4-10)
Esther was a beautiful young Jewish woman, who was raised by her cousin. Being taught under the law of God, it’s hard to image the task her cousin Mordecai asked her to do. You see King Ahasuerus was displeased with his Queen and put her aside to seek out another. Mordecai told Esther to stand with many other women in the land in hopes that the King would chose her in place of Queen Vashti. Because Mordecai treated Esther as a daughter, she obeyed him.
In our mind we think, how could a young beautiful young woman of God, stand before a heathen married man, hoping to be picked to be his next wife? But God had a plan unknown to her. and He was guiding her life.
“Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all of them that looked upon her. So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.” (Esther 2:15-17)
King Ahasuerus knew nothing about Esther being a Jewish woman, because Mordecai told Esther to be silent in this matter. Later Mordecai refused to bow down to the King’s highest nobleman, Haman. Haman then plotted to rid himself of Mordecai and the Jewish people. Mordecai told Esther of this plan and instructed her to go to the King.
“And the letters were sent by posts into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.” (Esther 3:13)
She was now publicly identifying herself with her people. She realized she was powerless without God. Esther called her people to prayer and fasting. The law was that no one could approach the King unless they were asked and she had not been called for some time. But in spite of the law she said, “If I die, I die”. The young Esther was willing to risk her position, her life, and her future for her people.
The heroine, who had saved the Jews by risking her own life, is remembered and highly respected by the Jewish nation even today. She paved the way, unknown to her, for the coming of Christ.
God’s name is not mentioned in the book of Esther, but His hand on her life is apparent. And so it will be with us: When we face trials, we can also trust He is working out something positive on our behalf.
Though becoming a King’s concubine may not have seemed good, God watched over Esther. Even our most traumatic moments are also in God’s hands. When we trust Him, nothing can go terribly wrong.
Obedient Esther acted on God’s will, gave in to her cousin’s wise counsel, and was safe. Likewise, God protects us, especially when our faithfulness puts us in danger. Will you trust Him no matter what? Esther did.
Thank You
1 John 5:13
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A Strong Message
Today’s Passage – Numbers 25 – 26 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Romans 5 – 8; Proverbs 24; Psalms 121 – 125
Scripture Memorization for January – Proverbs 4
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 48:1 & 2
Read “’Ministries’ that Kill Real Ministry” by Pastor Cary Schmidt
In Numbers 25, we have a very strange story. It seems that as the people of Israel were sojourning in the land of Moab on their way to the Promised Land, some of the men began to get cozy with the women of Moab. God had a big problem with this for several reasons; but the main reason is that these women were not Jews by birth or by conversion. They were an idolatrous people, having entirely different standards of morality as well as an idolatrous system of worship. It wasn’t long before the people of God began to participate in the sacrifices to these false gods. This was a violation of God’s sternest warning to the people when they left Egypt. The Israelites were to be a separated people. God didn’t want them to fellowship with any other people because He knew that they would eventually turn the Jews away from Him.
God was furious with the people; and He wanted Moses to do something in order to purge this idolatry out of the camp of Israel. Eventually, a strange thing happens. A man took a Midianitish woman into his tent in the sight of Moses. I do not think they were going in there to have a Bible study. Anyway, this was also witnessed by one of the priests: a man named Phinehas; and he, in his zeal for the Lord, went into the tent and thrust a spear through both the man and the woman at the same time. At first glance, we might think that God would not support this kind of action; but on the contrary, He is very pleased with it; and He rewards Phinehas, and his family for doing it. Why? Because what Phinehas did served two purposes. First, it appeased the wrath of God; and secondly, it sent a strong message to the people of Israel to stay away from the inhabitants of the land. God is a jealous God.
By the way, these people were from the land of Moab. Remember yesterday’s blog about Balaam. Balak, the king of Moab wanted Balaam to curse the children of Israel. Balaam was unable to do this because God would not allow it, but it appears that the people of Moab were able to as much damage to Israel by fellowshipping with them as they could have done by fighting them. We really need to be careful who we fellowship with. My preacher used to say: “we are now, or we soon will be, who we hang around.” I believe that is a true statement more often than not.
I believe that today our churches are being inundated with sin and compromise. Most of God’s people, including many preachers, are looking the other way. We have almost given up the fight against sin. We need a Phinehas today, that will stand up and send a strong, yet loving message against it. We need some bold Christians that will stand against the incoming tide of immorality and cultural idolatry that is flooding the lives of the people of God.
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” – (Ephesians 5:11)
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” – (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)
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Which One Is The Jackass?
Today’s Passage – Numbers 22 – 24 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Romans 1 – 4; Proverbs 23; Psalms 116 – 120
Scripture Memorization for January – Proverbs 4
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 47:1
Read “’Ministries’ that Kill Real Ministry” by Pastor Cary Schmidt
“And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.” (Numbers 22:12)
“And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?” – (Numbers 22:28)
“Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.” – (2 Peter 2:15 – 16)
“Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.” – (Jude 1:11)
Chapter 22 of the Book of Numbers presents a very interesting and familiar story of a mule that was given by God the ability to speak audibly to her owner, Balaam. If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to carefully read the passage in order to get the most out of what I am about to say. Besides, what God says in His Word is far more important that what I will say in this blog, so don’t skip the reading.
Anyway, in this passage we have the prophet Balaam, who is living in the land of the Moabites. Why he lived there and not with the people of God is a mystery. The king of the Moabites is watching very closely the nation of Israel as they are sojourning very close to his border. He wants them out, so he goes to the man of God and asks him to place a curse upon Israel. He doesn’t go himself, however, he sends some of his princes to do his bidding. After hearing their request, Balaam inquires of the Lord, and the Lord tells him not to go with these men, and not to speak anything against Israel because they are a nation blessed by God. Balaam the prophet goes to the men and gives them God’s answer. The men return a short while later and press him to reconsider. Now this is where Balaam begins to err. He already asked God, and God had already said no; but the princes promise him if that he would go with him, their king would give him great honor and a lot of money. Now, he should have just repeated what God had already told him; but instead he tells them that he will go back and ask God again. He wanted God to give him what he had already been told that he wasn’t going to get. Balaam’s problem is that he really wants God to curse the Israelites, because it would meany that he would receive great riches from this Moabite king. God is not at all pleased with Balaam, but he allows him to go. He permits him to do what is in his heart. He was not permitted to curse Israel, but he was permitted to cozy up with the enemies of Israel, and receive the rewards that came with it. So, I ask you the question: which one was the real jackass?
This is not the only time in the Bible that God has permitted things that were against His will. He gave Israel a king because they kept asking for one, even though He knew that it wasn’t what was best for them. Notice another example of God granting the continual request of a complaining people when the Israelites complained to God as they wandered in the wilderness:
“They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel: But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.” (Psalm 106:13-15)
I know many people today who keep asking God for things that are clearly against His will. Why don’t we just take “no” for an answer. God knows what is best for us. Don’t keep pestering him to give you what He has already closed the door on. Too many Christians are practically breaking doors down that God has chosen to keep closed.
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Standing Between the Living and the Dead
Today’s Passage – Numbers 16 – 18 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Acts 22 – 24; Proverbs 21; Psalms 106 – 110
Scripture Memorization for January – Proverbs 4
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34
Read last year’s post from this passage – “The Earth Swallowed Them Up”
Read “The Ministry Multiplier You Forgot” by Pastor Paul Chappell
“And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.” – (Numbers 16:48)
The passages of Scripture that we have been reading the past few days tell the story of the Nation of Israel as they travelled through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. The trip should have taken them only a few weeks, but because of their lack of faith in God, they were sentenced to wander for 40 long years until those that doubted the power of God were weeded out. In fact, only two of the original group of adults that left Egypt would actually cross over into the the land Canaan. This travelling group of Israelites was not only fearful and faithless, they were also very “fed up”; and their discontentment caused them to grumble. Now grumbling is a sin which the Lord absolutely hates. In fact, I think if you were to carefully study the Bible, you would discover that God killed more of His people for grumbling and griping than He did for any other reason.
Not only did they complain because of their discontentment, they also challenged the God-given leadership of Moses and Aaron. They thought Moses “[took] too much upon [him]”, meaning that Moses was making himself a lord over God’s heritage. I dealt with this rebellion of Korah and others in last year’s post. (Click here to view last year’s post)
My thought this morning, however, is found in verse 48 of chapter 16. Notice there that it says that Moses stood between the living and the dead. It seems that no matter how bad the people got in their lack of faith, their fear, and their discontented complaining, Moses never stopped interceding to God on their behalf. There were times that God wanted to wipe them all out and start over again building a new nation from the seed of Moses; but Moses always reminded God of His covenant with Israel, and He always begged God to forgive them. He reminds me of another man, named Jesus, Who years later was rejected, beaten, and hung on a Cross, yet the one of the last phrases that came out of His mouth was “forgive them Father, for they know not what they do”. And then later there was a man, named Stephen who was preaching Christ to the Israelites who in turn stoned him to death; but here again, this man interceded on their behalf and said, “lay not this sin to their charge”. These men all stood between the living and the dead.
We get a chance to stand between the living and the dead in this generation also. We can intercede to God through prayer on behalf of a people that do not yet know Him. We can also go to them bringing the truth of the Gospel, which if received will restore their broken relationship with God. Oh that we would be more like Moses, Stephen, and especially Jesus, and stand for the Lord in middle of a generation of people who are dead, spiritually, interceding for them, and proclaiming to them the Truth that will bring them life.
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Remember The Sabbath
Today’s Passage – Numbers 14 – 15 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Acts 19 – 21; Proverbs 20; Psalms 101 – 105
Scripture Memorization for January – Proverbs 4
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 25
Read a previous post from this passage – “Fear Not”
Read “8 Ministry Lessons I’ve Learned” by Pastor Chappell
“And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.” – (Numbers 15:32-36)
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” – (Exodus 20:8-11)
“And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:” – (Mark 2:27)
In Numbers 15 there is a very interesting story about a man that was caught “gathering sticks” on the Sabbath day. The congregation was not sure what they should do to this man for his violation of the Law, so they went to Moses. Moses wasn’t sure, either, so he went to the Lord, and the Lord declared that the man should be put to death. That’s a pretty harsh punishment for working on Sunday. (I know the Sabbath was on Saturday, but you get my point.) Every time that I have read this story I have thought to myself that the punishment that was inflicted upon this man was too severe for the crime he committed. I think the key to understanding why God did what He did is found in the preceding verses:
“But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.” – (Numbers 15:30-31)
God made a distinction between sins of ignorance, and sins of presumption. The word “presumptuous” in the passage literally means to “raise high”, or to “exalt”. This means that the person guilty of presumptuous sins was exalting himself above the law, and in reality, above God Himself. This man was guilty of willful disobedience. In my home there were only three offenses that one of my children could commit which would warrant them a spanking, and one of them was willful disobedience. By the way, the other two were disrespecting an adult, and lying. Anyway, this man in Numbers 15 blatantly ignored the will of God. He lifted himself above God, and above the leadership that God put in place. God wanted to set an example with this man in order to demonstrate to the congregation that a blatant violation of His law was very serious.
There are many lessons that we can learn from this passage, but I will share only two thoughts:
1 God is pretty serious about the Sabbath, meaning that He thinks it is best for us to take one day out of seven, and dedicate it to rest and spiritual refreshment. I relaize that we are no longer under Law regarding the Sabbath, and I also realize that there are occasions where we will be unable to rest or attend church, but the principle of one day out of seven still applies. Be careful about presumptuously ignoring this principle that was designed by God for your own good.
2 God is also pretty serious about willful disobedience (sinning presumptuously). All sin is bad, but there is something more serious about boldly and proudly doing what we know to be wrong. I do not believe that God will kill us today (in most cases) for presumptuous sins, but I do believe that He will eventually chasten severely the child of His that blatantly ignores His will.
We live in the day and time where Christians have the idea that “everything goes”. This is simply not true. Though we have experienced through faith the grace and mercy of God needed because of our falling short of His commands, this does not give us liscence to ignore the will of God. God is still God, and He has the right to order the affairs of our lives. Do not be guilty of exalting yourself above His will by presumptuously ignoring and violating His commands.
Posted in Thoughts from Numbers by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Just for Ladies
Today’s Passage – Numbers 11 – 13 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Acts 16 – 18; Proverbs 19; Psalms 96 – 100
Scripture Memorization for January – Proverbs 4
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 19
Read “8 Ministry Lessons I’ve Learned” by Pastor Chappell
Corrie ten Boom
“And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities. For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (2Cointhians 12:3-10)
This week I wanted to share the extraordinary life of Miss Corrie ten Boom.
A few weeks ago, my Preacher was watching a movie call The Hiding Place. I walked over to view the movie for a minute. I was so taken back at what I saw, I couldn’t watch it any longer. My Preacher was telling me about it and said it was a true story. I really want to view the movie, but I wasn’t sure if I could emotionally handle it. I finally watched it, and it had such an impact on me, that I really wanted to share what God gave me, from this woman’s life.
For those of you who never read the book or saw the movie, I will tell you a little about her life.
The ten Boom family were dedicated Christians who owned a clock shop during World War II. Miss Corrie and her family, Father, Mother and two sisters, lived above the shop. During 1943 and 1944, there were as many as 7 people illegally living in the ten Boom home, Jews and members of the Dutch underground, and Corrie became the “ringleader”. On February 28, 1944, the family was betrayed, and the Gestapo raided their home. They were arrested and taken to prison. Corrie was seperated from all her family members, and the Gestapo never found the 6 people they were hiding at the time. While being transported to another prison, she found her sister, where they served time at a concentration camp in Germany. Life in the camp was almost unbearable. They were poorly fed, beaten, raped, and had to work long and hard. Everything was taken from them except the dress and shoes they wore. No undergarments were allowed. Even with that kind of living conditions, Corrie and her sister found the strength to share the love of Jesus to their fellow prisoners. As a result of their faithfulness to God, many women became Christians in that terrible place.
After watching the movie, I asked myself if I could be that strong in the Lord. Miss Corrie put others first before her own safty. She knew if she and her family got caught hiding the Jews, that she and they would go to prison. Can I put others first? Can I care for the welfare of others? Could I give up personal safty for others? I’m not sure if I would give up my cup of Wawa coffee for someone. Miss Corrie gave up her feedom. She managed to get a hold of a small sized Bible by giving up some of her ration of bread. It took courge to smuggle it into the concertation camp, because if she got caught with it, she would have been beaten, BADLY! That Bible was everything to her. I have many Bibles in my home. I could only pray that I would have that much love for my Bible. The Word of God became very precious to her. There may come a day in my life time, that I may not be able to carry a Bible openly or even own one. Would my Bible be my prize possession? Would the words written in the Bible be more precious to me than anything? After working all day, Miss Corrie and her sister taught the other women prisoners about Jesus and sang hymns. When I get home after a long day of doing anything, I just want my coffee and pj’s, and my days are nothing compared to what those women went through. A fact that was not in the movie but written in the book was about when Miss Corrie was at a speaking engagement years after her release from the concentration camp. After speaking, a man walked up to her and stuck out his hand to shake hers. Miss Corrie recognized him as the Nazi guard who raped her sister, who later died in the camp. She said, when she saw him, she wanted to spit in his face, but when he reached out his hand he told her that he had excepted Jesus. She thought to herself, “If God can forgive him, who am I not to forgive him” and she stuck out her hand and shook his. Wow!! Could I find forgiveness like that? Could you?
There were other truths that I learned from this couragous woman, but I think I’ll stop here. The more I look into her life, the more I see how short I fall from my relationship with my Lord.
Not only did Miss Corrie see people come to know the Lord in the camp, but also influenced many afterwards. Her name will never be mentioned in the Bible, but her unbelievable life’s story is still impacting people today. It did mine. I started to type, “Oh that I could have a testimony like that” but then I deleted it. I’m not sure if I’m willing or have the strength to go through all that.
My prayer is that we take off our blinders and see what is important in this life. Take a stand, live for others and truth, share the gospel.
I hope this was a help and or blessing to you. I highly recommend you watch the video. It can be seen for free on youtube under, “The Hiding Place”. I believe the auto-book can also be found there.
Thank You
“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (1John 5:13)
Posted in Devotions, Just for Ladies by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
The Voice of God
Today’s Passage – Numbers 7 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Acts 10 – 12; Proverbs 17; Psalms 86 – 90
Scripture Memorization for January – Proverbs 4
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Deuteronomy 32:4
Read “8 Ministry Lessons I’ve Learned” by Pastor Chappell
“And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him.” – (Numbers 7:89)
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” – (John 10:27)
Chapter 7 of Numbers is certainly a long chapter, and not exactly what I would call great devotional reading. However, as with the rest of the Bible, this is a very important passage. Here we see the heads of the tribes of Israel all presenting to the Lord their offerings at the dedication of the Tabernacle. Each tribe had to offer the same thing which includes some gold and silver; incense and flour; and an assortment of animals. We certainly can see from this passage, and from many other recent chapters that the Israelite were certainly dedicated in the area of giving; but they not only gave what was required, they also gave over and above what was asked of them.
The last verse of this long chapters tells us that after the offering was made, Moses went into the Tabernacle to speak with God, and he heard the voice of God coming out from between the cherubims on top of the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to hear the audible voice of God; to actually hear Him speak personally to my physical ears. I can, however, hear the voice of God today as much as I desire to because He speaks to me through His Word. The Bible is God’s voice. He spoke to me this morning about this dedication offering. He also gave me some wisdom from Proverbs 17. And then he motivated me and stirred me as I read about Peter and John and the other apostles and deacons from Acts 4 – 6. By the way, if you also read that passage from Acts you saw that there was a special offering given there as well. Unfortunately, two of the people giving offerings, Annanias and Saphira, decided to lie to God about their offering and as a result were put to death.
I digress. My intention is not to focus on offerings this morning, but talk about God’s voice. God speaks to me in other ways also besides the Bible. This morning as I was walking and praying God spoke to my heart about a few of the things that I was praying about. Now, we have to be careful about these “still small voices” that we hear in our heads and our hearts. We need to be sure that it is God that is talking to us. Sometimes our flesh and even the devil will put thoughts in our heads that are not of God. One way you can tell if it is actually God talking is if the thing that He tells you is in agreement with the Word of God. He never goes against His Word. It always disturbs me when people tell them that God had told them to do something that was a complete contradiction to His clear revelation from the Bible.
Have you listened for His voice today? Did you open up your Bible this morning, along with your heart and mind, and hear what God has to say to you? Have you waited on Him today in your prayer closet to hear Him speak to you about specific areas of your life? It is not that God is not still speaking today as much as it is that His children are not listening.
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The Lord Bless Thee
Today’s Passage – Numbers 5 – 6 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Acts 7 – 9; Proverbs 16; Psalms 81 – 85
Scripture Memorization for January – Proverbs 4
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 4:7 & 8
Read “Random Stuff About Blizzards“, by Pastor Cary Schmidt
The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
In chapters 5 of the Book of Numbers, God is instructing the children of Israel about what they should do if a man suspects that his wife has been unfaithful to him. The Bible talks about “the spirit of jealousy” that comes upon a man if there is something going on behind his back. I believe the same holds true for the wife. I know that today we don’t often think of jealousy as being a good thing; but interestingly, the Bible records that God is very jealous over his children. I do not think it is wrong either for their to be a healthy dose of jealousy within the marriage either. A man should love his wife to the extent that he cannot bear the thought of her being with anyone else. The same applies to the wife. Jealousy is, I believe, a God-given emotion. Now it must be controlled, just as all of our other emotions; and we cannot let it cause us to sin, but I believe it to be a good thing nonetheless.
Chapter 6 primarily deals with the rules concerning the vow of the Nazarite. When a person took this special vow of consecration in Old Testament days, he would not cut his hair or his beard, and he was not permitted to touch any alcohol, or come near anything (or anybody) that was dead. This vow was a vow of “separation unto the Lord”. The person that took this vow was declaring that his or her life was wholly dedicated to God. Usually, a person would be under this oath of separation for a period of time, not for his entire life. By the way, don’t confuse a Nazarite with a Nazarene, which is a person that comes from the city of Nazareth. Jesus was a Nazarene.
I was captivated this morning by the prayer of blessing found at the end of chapter 6. It seemed almost strange for this beautiful prayer to be place in this particular place. I mean, we have been reading a lot here lately about a bunch of commandments, sacrifices, rules, etc. Here, God tells Aaron that he wants him to pronounce this prayer of blessing over the people. I think God just wanted to remind the people that he loved them and that He was for them. I think we can learn a couple of lessons from this as well. First, we need to be reminded that God loves us and wants nothing but the best for us. We often will think about God as this angry, cold dictator that is ready to pounce upon us when we do wrong. That is not God. He loves us and He wants to give us the richest blessings, and a life full of abundance.
The second lesson that we should learn from this is that when we are trying to teach our children, we need to remember to let them know often that we love them. Yes, we need to give them all of the rules, commandments, and instructions; and yes we ought to discipline them when they do wrong; but we also need to make sure that they know that we (and especially God) are in their corner, and that we want nothing but the richest blessings for their lives. This would be a good lesson for preachers and other mentors to learn as well. In our zeal to instruct, we sometimes come across as being uncaring and unloving. You have heard the old saying: “People do not care about what you know, until they know that you really care.” Well, we ought to really care, and we ought also to express that love and care often to the people that we are trying to help.
Posted in Thoughts from Numbers by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
In the Midst of the Camp
Today’s Passage – Numbers 1 – 2 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Acts 1 – 3; Proverbs 14; Psalms 71 – 75
Scripture Memorization for January – Proverbs 4
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –1 Timothy 1:17
Read “Friendship, Dating, and Preparing for Marriage“, by Pastor Paul Chappell
“Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards.” – (Numbers 2:17)
In Numbers chapter 2, God gives us a description of what the camp of Israel looked like when they were not on the move. A careful reading of this chapter will reveal that the nation of Israel was divided into 13 different groups, which included 11 of the original 12 tribes; and also the two half-tribes of Joseph (Manasseh and Ephraim). These groups were all strategically placed around the tabernacle. Immediately surrounding the tent on all four sides was the tribe of Levi. They were placed there as closely as possible to the tabernacle because that was their place of service. They were the ministers and priests of the Lord. Beyond the Levites the remaining twelve tribes and half-tribes were positioned by threes in each direction. For instance, on the east side of the tabernacle, beyond the Levites, were the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulon. There were also three tribes on the west, south, and north. The thought that I am trying to develop here, however, is that the tabernacle was in the very center of the congregation. The tabernacle was the place where God dwelt, between the cherubims on the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies. God, and His designated place of worship, was the very center of the lives of the people of Israel.
Now let’s fast forward a few thousands years to the time of the local church. I realize that today God dwells in the hearts of His children, but the local church is God’s designated place for corporate worship, and it is the place where we are to be organized and mobilized for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” – (1 Timothy 3:15)
God should still be at the center of our lives; and the local church should be at the center of the life of our family. I have been a pastor now for over eleven years, and I have been involved in God’s work for twenty-three. I have observed that the families who place a high value on the local church, recognizing it’s importance, tend to be stronger and happier than the families that do not. Don’t misunderstand, I do not think that the church has a higher priority than the home; but I do believe that successful homes are built around a strong, Bible believing, New Testament church. The churches’ role is critical to healthy marriages and to the spiritual development of our children.
Take a moment to consider the role that the local church plays in your life; and then consider the role that you play in your local church. We need to keep our local churches strong, and I believe that there are many ways that you can help:
1 Participate in the local church – attend the services and find something that you can do that will serve others. God has uniquely equipped you in certain areas that can be used in the local church.
2 Pray for your church, and your pastors and leaders. The ministry can be very discouraging, but you can be an encouragement to the people that minister to you simply by lifting them up in prayer. It wouldn’t hurt for you to let them know on occassion that you are praying for them.
3 Support your church with your tithes and offerings. The work of God cannot go forward without the tithes of God’s people. When you don’t give you are telling God and the church that they have no place of value in your life. You can also support the church by not bashing it. Let people know where you stand. If you are for the ministry, speak out for it, and don’t let others run it down in your presence. Negativity and complaining are like cancers inside the church that will destroy it from within.
Is the local church important to you, or isn’t it? God says that it should be. Remember, He died for the church. It’s His body. He places a great value on it, and so should we.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from Numbers by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
The Choice Is Yours
Today’s Passage – Leviticus 26 – 27
“If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;” – (Leviticus 26:3)
“But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments;” – (Leviticus 26:14)
In our passage today, in Leviticus 26, the Lord places a choice before His people. In verses 3 – 13, God promises all kinds of wonderful things to His people if they would continue to love Him, and be faithful to Him. Beginning in verse 14, the Lord explains what will happen to them if they forsake Him. You will notice that the latter portion is much larger than the former. God goes to much greater lengths to clearly explain and warn the people of what would happen to them if they were to disobey.
First, let’s look at the blessings. God promised to:
1 Provide for them.
“Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.” – (Leviticus 26:4-5)
Everything they needed, and even much of what they could desire, God promised to give them.
2 Protect them from their enemies, and from natural calamities.
“And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.” – (Leviticus 26:6-8)
3 They would proliferate (multiply)
“For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you.” – (Leviticus 26:9)
4 They would be in partnership with God.
“And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old because of the new. And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.” – (Leviticus 26:10-13)
Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Almost sounds too good to be true, but it was. God held up to His end of the bargain. Unfortunately, the people of Israel didn’t choose to continue to follow the Lord. Slowly, but surely, they began to get away from the comands of God, and go their own way. Eventually the land was filled with idolatry, apostacy, and immorality; and then God was forced to do the things that are listed in verses 14 – 46. The provision and protection that God had once given them was removed, and the people suffered the consequences of their choices.
God has a lot of the same promises to Christians today. He said that He would meet our needs, and that He would never leave us nor forsake us. Yet, many of His churches and children today are forsaking Him, just as the Israelites did. Why are we so foolish? Let’s draw nigh unto God; let’s love Him and submit ourselves to His will for our lives. He has our best interests in mind. Choose God. He is the wise choice.
Posted in Thoughts from Leviticus by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.