Cross Over the Jordan

And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben . . . wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord hath given them? Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land (Num. 32:6-8).

Wherefore, said they . . . let this land (Jazer) be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan (32:1-5).

Down through the years, the devout worshiper looked forward to the fulfillment of the Lord’s covenant with Abraham that his descendants would inherit the promised land. When it was time for the chosen people of God to cross the Jordan River and enter the promised land, the tribes of Reuben made the shameful request: Bring us not over the Jordan. What a contrast to the prayer of Moses: O Lord God . . . I pray Thee, let me go over (Deut. 3:24-25).

The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh evidently believed they would have greater opportunity for material sucess in the beautiful fertile valley they had won from the Amorites than in the land God had chosen. They asked Moses’ permission to settle outside the promised land. Undoubtedly, they rejoiced and felt privileged when their request was granted. The powerful Reubenite tribe did not show any indication of rejecting Jehovah as their God, but their association with the heathen neighbors on the east side of Jordan eventually led them into idolatry. As a result, they were the first tribe of Israel to be taken captive (I Chr. 5:25-26).

Many Christians today are like the Reubenites. They are ignoring the Word of God and inclined to set their hearts on worldly advantages. The fulfillment of the promises of God may not be in the way we expected, but the spiritually minded are not as concerned in obtaining worldly gain as they are in being in the perfect will of God.

Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known My ways (Heb. 3:10; Ps. 95:10). Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the Living God (Heb. 3:12).

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Thought for Today:

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him (I John 2:15).

Your Sin Will Find You Out

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people. . . . And they warred against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses. . . . Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword (Num. 31:1-2,7-8).

Moses’ last official responsibility was to: Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites. The war against Midian had been commanded earlier (25:16-18). Now it was the time for the execution to be carried out. The Midianites were to be judged for their wicked sin of persuading the Israelites to participate in their idolatrous worship and immoral acts.

Not one Israelite was killed during their overwhelming victory. Among the thousands of Midianites that died in battle, we find that Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword (31:8).

Balaam failed in his efforts and his many sacrifices to keep Jehovah from blessing His people, but he succeeded in turning the Israelites away from God. Balaam taught the Midianites to invite the Israelites to participate in a religious ritual of Baal-peor that resulted in the Israelite men committing fornication with the Midianite women (25:1-3; 31:16).

Yes, it is the same Balaam who had said: Let me die the death of the righteous (23:10). But his end that resulted in his death was certainly not what he had anticipated.

He is the prophet upon whom the Spirit of God came (24:2), the one who saw the vision of the Almighty (24:4). Yes, Balaam even prophesied the coming of Christ, saying: I shall see Him, but not now: I shall behold Him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab (24:17).

What a pathetic example of a double-minded man proclaiming prophetic words, yet instigating sinful acts among the people of God that led to the downfall of thousands.

But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication (Rev. 2:14).

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Thought for Today:

But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out (Num. 32:23).

Sacrifices to God

And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you. . . . And on the fifteenth day . . . ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days (Num. 29:1,12).

The Feast of Ingathering (Ex. 34:22; Num. 29:12-40) was the last of the sacrifice festivals under the Old Covenant and marked the conclusion of the Jewish sacred year. It was also called the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths — meaning Ingathering), and marked the completion of harvest. It called the people to praise and give thanks unto God — not only for what He had given, but for who He was. There were far more sacrifices offered during this Feast than during any other Feast.

On the first day, thirteen bullocks were sacrificed. Then each day, one less bullock was sacrificed. There was a total of seventy bullocks, fourteen rams, ninety-eight lambs, and seven goats sacrificed. In addition there were daily Burnt Offerings and Meal Offerings. All these offerings were a means of offering praise and thanksgiving to God for the abundant harvest.

All of the sacrifices, offerings, and ceremonies in Numbers 28 and 29 were to lead the children of Israel to gratefully acknowledge the mercy of God. The worshiper was led to express his appreciation to the Lord for protecting them, for giving them victory over their enemies, and for supplying their every need. Furthermore, the worshiper experienced the joy of fellowship with God.

The principles involved in the sacrifices are still the same. The Lord’s bountiful supply should deepen our appreciation for His goodness and cause us to acknowledge our dependence upon Him, who gives rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness (Acts 14:17). The prolonged, detailed account of the offerings reveals how important — how vital — our praise is unto the Lord, not only for what He has given us, but for who He is. Furthermore, acceptable praise is not primarily praising Him for what He gives us, but it is by our sincerest effort to be the person He desires us to be. That we should be to the praise of his glory (Eph. 1:12).

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Thought for Today:

By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His Name (Heb. 13:15).

Entering Salvation

For ye rebelled against My Commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify Me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin. And Moses spake unto the Lord, saying, Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation (Num. 27:14-16).

In prayer, Moses had asked to enter the good land that is beyond Jordan (Deut. 3:25), but the Lord informed the great lawgiver of Israel that he could not enter the promised land.

Moses’ life was characterized by the often-repeated words: And Moses did as the Lord commanded him (Num. 27:22). Furthermore, it was said: And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face (Deut. 34:10).

Only one recorded sin kept Moses from the promised land, but Moses represented the Law that cannot allow one exception. For whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all (James 2:10).

Joshua, who was symbolic of Christ, was — by the grace of God — able to lead the undeserving Israelites into the promised land.

Trying to live up to the Law of God was not enough to take anyone — not even Moses — into the promised land. Yet, many people today believe that if they keep the Ten Commandments, God will be satisfied. But Christ said: No man cometh unto the Father, but by Me (John 14:6). For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this Rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God (Gal. 6:15-16). Although one’s external conduct may be as nearly perfect as Moses’ was, without the indwelling Savior there can be no salvation (John 1:12).

But before faith came, we were kept under the Law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith (Gal. 3:23-24).

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Thought for Today:

And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after (Heb. 3:5).

Be Alert

Ephesians 6:10

 Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 

As I went into work the middle of this week, I heard some bad news.  My friend told me that Martha, the bald eagle that I’ve been watching, was attacked in the middle of the night.  I looked at the Berry College website, and sure enough, it said that a great horned owl had attacked the female bald eagle.

I watched a video clip of the attack.  Martha was just sitting in the nest protecting her two eggs as she had been doing for the last month.  She seemed to be alert to some kind of danger around her as I could see her begin to look around and stand up to commence pacing.  A few minutes into the video, out of seemingly no where, a brown blur flies through the middle of the screen lasting about two seconds total.  A screen shot of the blur, shows that it was indeed an owl trying to get the eagle’s eggs.

This attack reminded me that while we may not always sense him, we do indeed have an enemy that is watching us and trying to catch us off guard.  Therefore, we must “be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8).

In Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus, he warns his brothers and sisters to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power”.  The word to be strong in this sentence is passive meaning that Paul wasn’t saying for them to make themselves strong, but rather that another source was doing the action of making them strong.  We can’t fight off Satan’s attacks on our own, but Jehovah can, and we must allow him to give us strength in his power.

Paul continues in Chapter 6 to explain what being strong in the Lord looks like.  “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (vs 11-12).  This putting on of armor is not something that we do just one time, as indicated by Paul speaking this to fellow believers.  Instead, this is something that we must do daily as part of our regular routine in life so that we will be able to defeat Satan when he attacks us.

Are you ready?  Are you alert?  Are you praying for one another?

-RB

 Ephesians 6:13-18 

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Beware of Those Gone Astray

Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his (Num. 23:10)!

The greatest prophetic revelation of Christ thus far in the Bible was given by the Gentile prophet Balaam. These prophecies were given when the Israelite nation moved near the borders of the Moabite kingdom. King Balak became very concerned for his own security. Knowing how the Israelites had overcome the mighty Egyptian empire, Balak attempted to hire Balaam to curse Israel. Balaam refused, saying: How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? . . . Behold, I have received Commandment to bless (23:8,20).

King Balak offered huge rewards to Balaam several times if he would curse the Israelites. Balaam desired the recognition and rewards that King Balak offered, and they induced him to make several deviations from what he knew was the will of God. But Balaam was one of the many people who know the right Scriptures and long to die the death of the righteous (23:10), but are unwilling to live the life of the righteous.

Balaam succeeded in turning the Israelites from Jehovah by suggesting that the Midianites invite Israel to participate in their religious rituals. This led the men of Israel to commit adultery and fornication (25:1-3; 31:16). Balaam knew that the curse of God would be upon Israel for their sin. Then, Balak would have his security, and Balaam would receive his reward.

There is more condemnation in the New Testament about Balaam than about Judas, who betrayed the Son of God. Yes, this was the same Balaam upon whom the Spirit of God had come (24:2); the one who had seen the vision of the Almighty (24:4); the one who had the honor of foretelling of the coming King of kings (24:17).

The whole world lieth in wickedness (I John 5:19), and our natural tendency is to be drawn away from God. Even among Christians, the main topics of conversation are centered around the things of the world. In order to test the true character of any of our interests, we need only to ask whether that thing leads us to God or away from Him.

The Bible strongly warns us to beware of those which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam (II Pet. 2:15). . . . and ran greedily after . . . reward (Jude 1:11).

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Thought for Today:

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the Law of the Lord; and in His Law doth he meditate day and night (Ps. 1:1-2).

Whom is God Sending to You?

“So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”  Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” (Matthew 17:16-17)

Jesus gave His disciples the power to cast out demons and to perform miracles of healing (Matt. 10:8). He gave them His authority to minister to people, yet they became so self-centered that they lost the power to do the work of God. When God sent a father with his epileptic son to them for healing, they failed miserably. They were so concerned with position and status (Mark 9:32–35) that they lost their focus on what God wanted to do through them.

Jesus’ response to His disciples included some of the harshest words ever to come from His mouth. He called His own disciples “unbelieving” and “perverse” and questioned how much longer He had to endure them! Why? Because they were supposed to be on mission with Him to bring salvation to others, but they had become so disoriented to Him that they were spiritually powerless, lacking the faith to bring physical and spiritual comfort to those God had sent to them.

God ought to be able to send a hurting person to any child of His and expect that they will be helped. Like the disciples, we can become so preoccupied with our own ambitions and distracted by the busyness of our lives that we become ineffective in ministering to those whom God sends to us. It is even possible to become so involved in religious activity that we are of no help to anyone. Regularly take inventory of your life to see if you are being a faithful steward of every life God sends to you.

-BMI devotion

God Ordained Leaders

Two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown . . . gathered themselves together against Moses (Num. 16:2-3). It appears that Korah was jealous over Moses’ leadership; therefore, he became spokesman for the people and attempted to overthrow Moses so he could assume the leadership position for the nation. Two hundred and fifty spiritual leaders in Israel joined him in opposing Moses. But God viewed their opposition as a rebellion against Him and caused the earth to open and bury all of the 250 leaders (16:33).

Korah and his followers may have been sincere and considered the nation’s leadership a problem to be decided by the majority, but they failed to recognize that it was the authority of God who appointed Moses as the nation’s leader.

It was not possible for Korah to have a right attitude toward God while maintaining a wrong attitude toward His anointed leader. To the observer, it may have seemed like a mere personality conflict, but how different sin is from what it often appears to be!

Many ministers who are doing the will of God today face criticism and opposition from those who do not recognize that God and His delegated leadership are inseparable (16:5).

In the Book of Jude, we read: Woe unto them! for they have . . . perished in the gainsaying of Core (Jude 1:11). This is a warning to us against the kind of influential politicking Korah did in his attempt to gain Moses’ position.

The spiritual pathway is above and beyond human reasoning. Human eyes see only men and their weakness, but those whom God can use recognize the seriousness of rebelling against the God-ordained leadership. Although the rebellious ones often have exceptional abilities, they are traveling in the way of death. When anyone resists authority, he is resisting God.

The Bible warns us that opposition against the Word of God and His authority is to be expected. Mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 16:17-18).

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Thought for Today:

Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the Word and doctrine (I Tim. 5:17).

Redeeming the Time

Ephesians 5:14

This is why it is said:

“Wake up, sleeper,

    rise from the dead,

    and Christ will shine on you.” 

I feel like I’ve been isolated from everything for over a week; kind of like I’ve been in a deep sleep and now I’m awake.  You see, I haven’t had internet for over a week at my house!  Right before we got the ice and snow, my internet stopped working and now I finally have it back.

I never realized how much we use the computer at home until we no longer could.  There have been several times in the last week that my husband and I have wanted to look things up and couldn’t…such as phone numbers, or different deals on gates, etc.  I couldn’t re-post a Craigslist ad.  I couldn’t pay my bills.  I couldn’t post DPODs.  I couldn’t check on Martha, the bald eagle I’ve been watching.  I couldn’t listen to online sermons.  It was awful!

Granted, I was able to find other ways to do the things listed above, but this made me think about the fact that I can’t get that time back.  Now that I’m connected again to the worldwide web, I can’t go back to the times this past week that I needed the internet, and do it over.

Applying this spiritually, imagine going a week without communicating with Jehovah; without talking to him; without reading His Word; without listening to him and obeying him.  That would be awful!  Think of the blessings and opportunities that would be missed and the time that couldn’t be redeemed again.  This is why Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to “pray without ceasing”.  This doesn’t mean to have our heads bowed in prayer always, but to always be in an attitude of surrender, to have an awareness of God in mind and action.

Like Paul was exhorting the church in Ephesus, let’s wake up!  Let’s get connected to the head, Christ, “from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.”  (Colossians 2:19).  It’s important that we don’t waste time, but that we are careful to use it wisely.  “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.”  (Colossians 4:5).

-RB

Ephesians 5:15-16 

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

 

Pilgrim or Wanderer

And all the children of Israel murmured (complained) against Moses and against Aaron. . . . And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt (Num. 14:2,4). It seems incredible that the nation of Israel would ask: Wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword (14:3)? How could they forget that God had miraculously delivered them from the death angel and from Egyptian slavery?

They had left Egypt, but they still longed for certain luxuries of Egypt. Because of their complaint, God withdrew His presence. Little did they realize how their tenth complaint marked the transition of the nation from pilgrims being led of God to wanderers in the desert for the next 38 years (14:33). During this time, they made no further progress toward the promised land. The Scriptures make no mention of the guidance of God during this time.

When God pronounced judgment upon their unbelief, they confessed: We have sinned (14:40), and they actually attempted to force their way into the promised land without the direction of God (14:44-45).

This loss of the guidance of God has real significance for the serious-minded Christian. Many Christians today are just as determined as the Israelites were to guide their own lives and are no longer pilgrims being led of God, but are wanderers in the world.

Walking with God demands personal sacrifices of things not necessarily evil, but which prevent the full devotion of one’s life to God.

The Apostle Paul made us aware of the possibility of being a “castaway,” meaning disapproved, rejected, no longer a useful servant. That generation of Israel, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, lost their usefulness and had become a “castaway.”But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (I Cor. 9:27).

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (II Cor. 7:1).

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Thought for Today:

And to whom sware He that they should not enter into His rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief (Heb. 3:18-19).