relationships (Numbers 22:1-35) Heeding Roadblocks

(Numbers 22:1-35)  Then the sons of Israel journeyed, and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan opposite Jericho.

2 Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 So Moab was in great fear because of the people, for they were numerous; and Moab was in dread of the sons of Israel. 4 Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this horde will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. 5 So he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, at Pethor, which is near the River, in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying, “Behold, a people came out of Egypt; behold, they cover the surface of the land, and they are living opposite me. 6 Now, therefore, please come, curse this people for me since they are too mighty for me; perhaps I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand; and they came to Balaam and repeated Balak’s words to him. 8 He said to them, “Spend the night here, and I will bring word back to you as the Lord may speak to me.” And the leaders of Moab stayed with Balaam. 9 Then God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” 10 Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent word to me, 11 ‘Behold, there is a people who came out of Egypt and they cover the surface of the land; now come, curse them for me; perhaps I may be able to fight against them and drive them out.’” 12 God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” 13 So Balaam arose in the morning and said to Balak’s leaders, “Go back to your land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.” 14 The leaders of Moab arose and went to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”

15 Then Balak again sent leaders, more numerous and more distinguished than the former. 16 They came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor, ‘Let nothing, I beg you, hinder you from coming to me; 17 for I will indeed honor you richly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Please come then, curse this people for me.’” 18 Balaam replied to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything, either small or great, contrary to the command of the Lord my God. 19 Now please, you also stay here tonight, and I will find out what else the Lord will speak to me.” 20 God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise up and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you shall you do.”

21 So Balaam arose in the morning, and saddled his donkey and went with the leaders of Moab.

22 But God was angry because he was going, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him. 23 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, the donkey turned off from the way and went into the field; but Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back into the way. 24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path of the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pressed herself to the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall, so he struck her again. 26 The angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right hand or the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam was angry and struck the donkey with his stick. 28 And the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” 29 Then Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a mockery of me! If there had been a sword in my hand, I would have killed you by now.” 30 The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I ever been accustomed to do so to you?” And he said, “No.”

31 Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed all the way to the ground. 32 The angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out as an adversary, because your way was contrary to me. 33 But the donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, I would surely have killed you just now, and let her live.” 34 Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the way against me. Now then, if it is displeasing to you, I will turn back.” 35 But the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you shall speak only the word which I tell you.” So Balaam went along with the leaders of Balak.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

God clearly told Balaam that he should go with the men ONLY IF they told him to go.  But the men didn't, and Balaam still decided to go.  Either the temptation of getting rich got to him, or he thought he could handle the situation in his own way.  Either way - it was contrary to God's will - and so God literally stood in Balaam's path to stop him.  Once Balaam realized that the roadblock was God Himself, he wasn't angry anymore.  As well, we realized that he was in the wrong!

Just as Balaam became angry with the donkey, how often do we get angry when we come upon a roadblock?  We need to stop and think and assess the situation... is God blocking our way because that path might lead to struggles or dangers?  Or is it a test of perseverance and trust?  

Trying to rush through things, especially when there are "red flags" and/or "roadblocks" is never a good idea.  Balaam's initial reactions were more on point.  In the same way, our first reactions should always be to consult with God and what He says!  In fact, when asking God for His guidance in things, it doesn't hurt to ask Him to put up roadblocks for us if something is a bad idea.

relationships (Numbers 21:1-35) Let God Fight Our Battles

(Numbers 21:1-35)  When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, then he fought against Israel and took some of them captive. 2 So Israel made a vow to the Lord and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.” 3 The Lord heard the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites; then they utterly destroyed them and their cities. Thus the name of the place was called Hormah.

4 Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey. 5 The people spoke against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.”

6 The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 So the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us.” And Moses interceded for the people. 8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.” 9 And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.

10 Now the sons of Israel moved out and camped in Oboth. 11 They journeyed from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness which is opposite Moab, to the east. 12 From there they set out and camped in Wadi Zered. 13 From there they journeyed and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that comes out of the border of the Amorites, for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14 Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord,

     “Waheb in Suphah,
     And the wadis of the Arnon,
15 And the slope of the wadis
     That extends to the site of Ar,
     And leans to the border of Moab.”

16 From there they continued to Beer, that is the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Assemble the people, that I may give them water.”

17 Then Israel sang this song:

     “Spring up, O well! Sing to it!
18 “The well, which the leaders sank,
     Which the nobles of the people dug,
     With the scepter and with their staffs.”

And from the wilderness they continued to Mattanah, 19 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the land of Moab, at the top of Pisgah which overlooks the wasteland.

21 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying, 22 “Let me pass through your land. We will not turn off into field or vineyard; we will not drink water from wells. We will go by the king’s highway until we have passed through your border.” 23 But Sihon would not permit Israel to pass through his border. So Sihon gathered all his people and went out against Israel in the wilderness, and came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. 24 Then Israel struck him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the sons of Ammon; for the border of the sons of Ammon was Jazer. 25 Israel took all these cities and Israel lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all her villages. 26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon. 27 Therefore those who use proverbs say,

     “Come to Heshbon! Let it be built!
     So let the city of Sihon be established.
28 “For a fire went forth from Heshbon,
     A flame from the town of Sihon;
     It devoured Ar of Moab,
     The dominant heights of the Arnon.
29 “Woe to you, O Moab!
     You are ruined, O people of Chemosh!
     He has given his sons as fugitives,
     And his daughters into captivity,
     To an Amorite king, Sihon.
30 “But we have cast them down,
     Heshbon is ruined as far as Dibon,
     Then we have laid waste even to Nophah,
     Which reaches to Medeba.”

31 Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. 32 Moses sent to spy out Jazer, and they captured its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.

33 Then they turned and went up by the way of Bashan, and Og the king of Bashan went out with all his people, for battle at Edrei. 34 But the Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.” 35 So they killed him and his sons and all his people, until there was no remnant left him; and they possessed his land.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

ugh... So the consequence for the people grumbling, complaining, and not trusting in the Lord was to wander in the wilderness for 40 years.  Knowing this, and seeing that God protected them from enemies, one would think they would stop grumbling and complaining, and start trusting in the Lord!  But it did not, which only brought them more consequences.

We really can be our own worst enemy at times!  Just yesterday, as I was preparing to go out and be around people, as is my new habit that I'm trying to form, I asked God to "be my mouth... to speak FOR me."  Well, I felt a nudge and realized, why do I only do this when I'm going out?  Why would I not do this first very thing every morning so that God would be speaking peace, grace and encouragement for me - to my husband?

Now, how does this relate to facing enemies?

Notice that God didn't have Israel charge through anyone's land.  They went peacefully to ask for permission, even saying that they would not drink from their water.  God never forces Himself on anyone.  Yet many people misinterpret how God manages to get Israel into the promised land - thinking that God just had them charging forward - guns a-blazing - claiming it as a "holy war".  Not at all.  

When God is involved, the righteous wars began by the enemies attacking Israel and declaring war - unprovoked.  Obviously, being sovereign, God knows when enemies are going to attack, and uses these events to carry out His will and teach His people.  Once the Lord Jesus came in flesh, He told us to love and pray for our enemies, and to turn the other cheek.  As we trust in the Lord, He will look after us.

When we are on the Lord's side, He is the one who will fight for us.  And when we look to the Lord, since He is the Living Water, He is the one to heal us and refresh our souls.  So, not only don't we have to, we are told not to grumble and complain about anything.  Instead, ask the Lord to speak and live in and through us, and for us!  In everything!  Even while going through struggles, things will go so much better when we do this!

relationships (Numbers 20:1-29) Maintaining a Close Relationship

(Numbers 20:1-29)  Then the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to the wilderness of Zin in the first month; and the people stayed at Kadesh. Now Miriam died there and was buried there.

2 There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron. 3 The people thus contended with Moses and spoke, saying, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord! 4 Why then have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this wilderness, for us and our beasts to die here? 5 Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us in to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink.” 6 Then Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to them; 7 and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

8 “Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink.”

9 So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; 10 and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. 12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” 13 Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the Lord, and He proved Himself holy among them.

14 From Kadesh Moses then sent messengers to the king of Edom: “Thus your brother Israel has said, ‘You know all the hardship that has befallen us; 15 that our fathers went down to Egypt, and we stayed in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians treated us and our fathers badly. 16 But when we cried out to the Lord, He heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out from Egypt; now behold, we are at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory. 17 Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or through vineyard; we will not even drink water from a well. We will go along the king’s highway, not turning to the right or left, until we pass through your territory.’”

18 Edom, however, said to him, “You shall not pass through us, or I will come out with the sword against you.” 19 Again, the sons of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, and if I and my livestock do drink any of your water, then I will pay its price. Let me only pass through on my feet, nothing else.” 20 But he said, “You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out against him with a heavy force and with a strong hand. 21 Thus Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through his territory; so Israel turned away from him.

22 Now when they set out from Kadesh, the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor.

23 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying, 24 “Aaron will be gathered to his people; for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the sons of Israel, because you rebelled against My command at the waters of Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and his son Eleazar and bring them up to Mount Hor; 26 and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eleazar. So Aaron will be gathered to his people, and will die there.” 27 So Moses did just as the Lord had commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 28 After Moses had stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eleazar, Aaron died there on the mountain top. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 29 When all the congregation saw that Aaron had died, all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

If one needs water, one can ask for some or mention the issue and the need... nicely.  But it can drive a person nuts to hear incessant and vicious complaining.  While it is understandable that Moses and Aaron blew up, it isn't an excuse.  Whatever others are doing, this should not drive our behavior.  And I know, there are times when I lean on the Lord for His strength and guidance, while begging for Him to please give me His patience and His grace!!!  

Praise the Lord, we cannot lose our salvation because of His amazing grace.  We will make mistakes.  And no one is above God or His commandments.  Even Moses and Aaron, who failed to follow God's will.  God had told them to speak to the rock, but taking a closer look at verses 10-11, not only did Moses (and Aaron) choose to hit the rock TWICE, they called the people rebels, and took the glory - the credit - for producing water from the rock.  Their consequence was earthly, though,  They would not see the promised land of Israel, but they still went to heaven... a believer's eternal and perfect "promised land".

And praise the Lord, any time we make a mistake or drift away from God, we can run back to reconcile and continue our walk with Him.  Not only can we, but God wants us to keep running back to Him whenever we stray.  Notice that after Moses and Aaron sinned, and even though they knew their consequence of this sin would prevent them from seeing the earthly promised land, they continued walking with God.  And God continued to guide them and help them!

Whether we suffer earthly consequences because of our own actions or the actions of someone else, this should not deter us from staying close to the Lord.  He is faithful, and loving!  And as our heavenly Father, He will work things out for good!  As we strive to live in His will, we will see the benefits.  And if we don't see whatever kind of reward we might have in mind, we will most definitely see heaven!  And - hey - whatever this world has to offer - heaven will be so much better than we could ever imagine!

relationships (Numbers 19:1-22) Being "Clean Enough"

(Numbers 19:1-22) Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “This is the statute of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel that they bring you an unblemished red heifer in which is no defect and on which a yoke has never been placed. 3 You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and it shall be brought outside the camp and be slaughtered in his presence. 4 Next Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. 5 Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight; its hide and its flesh and its blood, with its refuse, shall be burned. 6 The priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet material and cast it into the midst of the burning heifer. 7 The priest shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward come into the camp, but the priest shall be unclean until evening. 8 The one who burns it shall also wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water, and shall be unclean until evening. 9 Now a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place, and the congregation of the sons of Israel shall keep it as water to remove impurity; it is purification from sin. 10 The one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; and it shall be a perpetual statute to the sons of Israel and to the alien who sojourns among them.

11 ‘The one who touches the corpse of any person shall be unclean for seven days. 12 That one shall purify himself from uncleanness with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and then he will be clean; but if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean. 13 Anyone who touches a corpse, the body of a man who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from Israel. Because the water for impurity was not sprinkled on him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is still on him.

14 ‘This is the law when a man dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent shall be unclean for seven days. 15 Every open vessel, which has no covering tied down on it, shall be unclean. 16 Also, anyone who in the open field touches one who has been slain with a sword or who has died naturally, or a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean for seven days. 17 Then for the unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the burnt purification from sin and flowing water shall be added to them in a vessel. 18 A clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons who were there, and on the one who touched the bone or the one slain or the one dying naturally or the grave. 19 Then the clean person shall sprinkle on the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify him from uncleanness, and he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and shall be clean by evening.

20 ‘But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself from uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord; the water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him, he is unclean. 21 So it shall be a perpetual statute for them. And he who sprinkles the water for impurity shall wash his clothes, and he who touches the water for impurity shall be unclean until evening. 22 Furthermore, anything that the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.’”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Israelites or aliens.  God is not partial.  But a perpetual, eternal statute is that one must be clean in order to be close to the Lord.  In our own efforts, this is impossible as we could never make ourselves "clean enough" because we must be 100% clean - perfect - holy.  God knew this.  He has always known that He would come in flesh to pay the price of sin.  

Jesus has shed His blood so that anyone and everyone is able to go to Him for forgiveness.  Jesus is also the living water who cleanses us and purifies us, and clothes us with His righteousness.  It is only in this way that we can have a personal relationships with God.  As Jesus says...

(John 14:6) “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me."

relationships ( Numbers 17:12-18:32) Demonstrating Our Thankfulness

(Numbers 17:12-13) Then the sons of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Behold, we perish, we are dying, we are all dying! 13 Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord, must die. Are we to perish completely?”

(Numbers 18:1-32) So the Lord said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s household with you shall bear the guilt in connection with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the guilt in connection with your priesthood. 2 But bring with you also your brothers, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be joined with you and serve you, while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. 3 And they shall thus attend to your obligation and the obligation of all the tent, but they shall not come near to the furnishings of the sanctuary and the altar, or both they and you will die. 4 They shall be joined with you and attend to the obligations of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent; but an outsider may not come near you. 5 So you shall attend to the obligations of the sanctuary and the obligations of the altar, so that there will no longer be wrath on the sons of Israel. 6 Behold, I Myself have taken your fellow Levites from among the sons of Israel; they are a gift to you, dedicated to the Lord, to perform the service for the tent of meeting. 7 But you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and inside the veil, and you are to perform service. I am giving you the priesthood as a bestowed service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”

8 Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, “Now behold, I Myself have given you charge of My offerings, even all the holy gifts of the sons of Israel I have given them to you as a portion and to your sons as a perpetual allotment. 9 This shall be yours from the most holy gifts reserved from the fire; every offering of theirs, even every grain offering and every sin offering and every guilt offering, which they shall render to Me, shall be most holy for you and for your sons. 10 As the most holy gifts you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you. 11 This also is yours, the offering of their gift, even all the wave offerings of the sons of Israel; I have given them to you and to your sons and daughters with you as a perpetual allotment. Everyone of your household who is clean may eat it. 12 All the best of the fresh oil and all the best of the fresh wine and of the grain, the first fruits of those which they give to the Lord, I give them to you. 13 The first ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to the Lord, shall be yours; everyone of your household who is clean may eat it. 14 Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours. 15 Every first issue of the womb of all flesh, whether man or animal, which they offer to the Lord, shall be yours; nevertheless the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. 16 As to their redemption price, from a month old you shall redeem them, by your valuation, five shekels in silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. 17 But the firstborn of an ox or the firstborn of a sheep or the firstborn of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar and shall offer up their fat in smoke as an offering by fire, for a soothing aroma to the Lord. 18 Their meat shall be yours; it shall be yours like the breast of a wave offering and like the right thigh. 19 All the offerings of the holy gifts, which the sons of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to you and your sons and your daughters with you, as a perpetual allotment. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the Lord to you and your descendants with you.” 20 Then the Lord said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land nor own any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the sons of Israel.

21 “To the sons of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they perform, the service of the tent of meeting. 22 The sons of Israel shall not come near the tent of meeting again, or they will bear sin and die. 23 Only the Levites shall perform the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, and among the sons of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 24 For the tithe of the sons of Israel, which they offer as an offering to the Lord, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance; therefore I have said concerning them, ‘They shall have no inheritance among the sons of Israel.’”

25 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 26 “Moreover, you shall speak to the Levites and say to them, ‘When you take from the sons of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present an offering from it to the Lord, a tithe of the tithe. 27 Your offering shall be reckoned to you as the grain from the threshing floor or the full produce from the wine vat. 28 So you shall also present an offering to the Lord from your tithes, which you receive from the sons of Israel; and from it you shall give the Lord’s offering to Aaron the priest. 29 Out of all your gifts you shall present every offering due to the Lord, from all the best of them, the sacred part from them.’ 30 You shall say to them, ‘When you have offered from it the best of it, then the rest shall be reckoned to the Levites as the product of the threshing floor, and as the product of the wine vat. 31 You may eat it anywhere, you and your households, for it is your compensation in return for your service in the tent of meeting. 32 You will bear no sin by reason of it when you have offered the best of it. But you shall not profane the sacred gifts of the sons of Israel, or you will die.’”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Pastors are responsible for teaching and guiding their congregations in God's truth that leads to salvation and living in His will.  Putting our faith in Jesus literally saves us from death!  And as children of God, we are then called to be holy.  But we need help with that.  God's help!  And then the sound teaching and guidance from spiritual leaders.  Therefore, since their calling is holy, their focus should be on the Lord, His word, and being Spirit-led... to be leaders by example, not just by what they say.  

According to these verses, pastors are also to consider their income as being holy, as it is coming from the Lord.  With that, they are to tithe, the same as anyone else.  Of course, whatever income we receive when we work, we should consider everything as coming from the Lord.  It is because of God that we have an income in the first place.  And as we give our tithes and offerings - to the Lord - this is used to pay pastors, fund outreach efforts... as well as physically maintain the church.  

It all brilliantly works together.  We are demonstrating our thankfulness to God for everything He has done for us and everything He has given to us.  Tithing is a token of our trust in Him that He will manage our finances.  Because He loves us, He will see to our needs.  And because of our faithfulness in giving, God will use this to invest in our lives as well as invest in building His kingdom, all to His glory.

relationships (Numbers 17:1-11) Producing Fruit

(Numbers 17:1-11) Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, and get from them a rod for each father’s household: twelve rods, from all their leaders according to their fathers’ households. You shall write each name on his rod, 3 and write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi; for there is one rod for the head of each of their fathers’ households. 4 You shall then deposit them in the tent of meeting in front of the testimony, where I meet with you. 5 It will come about that the rod of the man whom I choose will sprout. Thus I will lessen from upon Myself the grumblings of the sons of Israel, who are grumbling against you.” 6 Moses therefore spoke to the sons of Israel, and all their leaders gave him a rod apiece, for each leader according to their fathers’ households, twelve rods, with the rod of Aaron among their rods. 7 So Moses deposited the rods before the Lord in the tent of the testimony.

8 Now on the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. 9 Moses then brought out all the rods from the presence of the Lord to all the sons of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod. 10 But the Lord said to Moses, “Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put an end to their grumblings against Me, so that they will not die.” 11 Thus Moses did; just as the Lord had commanded him, so he did.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

God used the sprouting rod as an illustration to the people, to reveal who He had chosen to serve Him in the tent of the testimony.  It is the same way with us today! True believers of Christ will produce fruit - because of what God does in our lives - and this will be evident to others.

This is not about comparing ourselves with others, or complaining that so-and-so gets to do such-and-such...  Certainly we can be inspired by others, but our focus should be on our own spiritual growth and our own walk with God.

It is not just that we are "good people".  Anyone can be good. It is all about God working in us and through us, and it is God producing the fruit.  People should see the evidence of God in our lives.  This spiritual fruit is a miracle!  Just like Aaron's rod, which was before God, sprouted fruit over night without being planted in any soil... As believers, we are planted in God's power!  As we are nourished by and rely on God's word and His power, as we obediently live in His will and serve Him and others, He will grow us and bring about the spiritual fruit.