Discipline / Guidance From God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, Obeying God

Disobedience Has Consequences, Even For Those Close To The Lord

Disobedience has consequences, even for those close to the Lord. In fact, the closer you are to Him, the higher His expectations for your obedience. He knows you know better than to disobey or make excuses for your sin.  Aaron was denied entering into the promised land with the Israelites because of his disobedience along with Moses, earlier in Numbers 20, in striking the rock with the staff instead of talking to the rock as God instructed.

Numbers 20:23-29

Death of Aaron

     23Then 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; 26and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eleazar. So Aaron will be gathered to his people, and will die there.” 27So Moses did just as the LORD had commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 28After 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. 29When all the congregation saw that Aaron had died, all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.

Let us recognize that disobeying God has consequences for us as well. They may not all be as dramatic as what Aaron experienced in Numbers 20, but there are consequences none the less. At the very least, the more often we disobey, the more we distance ourselves from the Lord and the righteous habit of obeying what He calls us to do. Pray for His grace to help you be obedient and faithful and for the Spirit to help you clearly understand what He calls you to do and not to do.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Courage / Fear, Discerning / Judging, Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Guide, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Obeying God, Peace / Rest, Persecution / Glorifying God, Prayer, Purposeful / Intentional, Study the Word

Walking In Obedience Does Not Mean Everything Is Easy

Do not think that walking in obedience to the Lord will mean that everything is easy and goes smoothly. Expect that others will come against you. Trust in the Lord during conflict to be your “north star” or “compass” to guide you through to the right and obedient path through adversity. Ask the Spirit to guide and support you. But do not think that you are wrong just because others oppose you. The Hebrews were following the Lord in the desert and still came up against opposition from Edom.

Numbers 20:14-22

      14From 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; 15that 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.’”

      18Edom, however, said to him, “You shall not pass through us, or I will come out with the sword against you.” 19Again, 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.” 20But he said, “You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out against him with a heavy force and with a strong hand. 21Thus Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through his territory; so Israel turned away from him.

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

Just to make broader the point, let us look at another example in which Jesus spoke about following Him and what to expect.

Matthew 10:34-39

   34“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35“For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; 36and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.

      37“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39“He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.

Prayerfully pursue a closer relationship with the Lord. Spend time daily in studying the Bible.  Seek to follow and obey faithfully. Do not turn away from the path of obedience when things get tough. Rely heavily on the Lord as your “north star” and “compass” to guide you through, not necessarily around, adversity. Ask the Spirit to help you glorify the Lord as you experience difficulty on the way.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, Obeying God

The More We Know The Lord, The More He Expects of Us

Sometimes God wants to do something a particular way. He has reasons for this. We should obey as precisely as we can manage. Scripture points to several examples where someone questioned the Lord and it does not always go well for them. Gideon asked for proof despite the angel standing in front of him delivering the message… twice! But the Lord knows the heart. Gideon was coming from a humble position and was going to be asked to do a great deal. There was no indication of prior relationship with the Lord.

Mary asked about how she could become pregnant as a virgin, but again she was coming from a humble position, perhaps similar to Gideon. She was asked to do much and her heart was to obey, but she had questions.

As we look to examples of those who knew the Lord more closely, we see a higher bar as it were… higher expectations. Zacharias, father of John the Baptist, was a priest. When he questioned the angel delivering the message about his becoming a father, he ended up not being allowed to speak again until after John was born.

Now let’s consider someone who was truly close to the Lord… Moses. Moses served and obeyed the Lord for many years. He had a very close relationship with Jehovah. As such, Jehovah had high expectations for obedience from Moses. When God told Moses to “speak to the rock”, He meant speak to it… not hit it or do whatever you want to. Moses disobeyed and when we disobey the Lord there are consequences.

Numbers 20:8-13

The Water of Meribah

     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.”

      9So Moses took the rod from before the LORD, just as He had commanded him; 10and 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?” 11Then 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. 12But 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.” 13Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the LORD, and He proved Himself holy among them.

Let us never grow complacent in our relationship and obedience to the Lord. The closer we grow to Him, the more closely we should trust Him and demonstrate that trust through obedience.  Always seek to draw nearer and nearer to Him and obey Him all the more.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Bitterness / Resentment, Compassionate, Complaining, Consequences of Sin, Contentment, Controlling Thoughts, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Encouragement, Faith / Trusting God, Grace / Forgiveness, Interceding for Others, Justice / Judgment, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Obeying God, Provider

Trust God In The Desert; Faith and Obedience Bring Us To The Promised Land

Have you ever gone through a tough situation, one that was really emotionally and physically draining? It may have even lasted months or years. Let us remember to cling to God in these situations, trusting that if we are faithful He can turn all things to use for good.

Romans 8:28

  28And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Let us take care not to complain and whine or worse… rebel against where God is leading us or bringing us through. Think back on the Israelites as the Lord led them out of Egypt and into the promised land. He performed many mighty miracles and yet as time passed, the people continued to stumble and make mistakes. They continued to complain and at times rebel against God. They saw only their immediate, short term struggles and kept focusing on those rather than focusing on and trusting the Lord who was leading them through the desert. They could not seem to focus and trust that the promised land was theirs at the end of the journey.

In fact, they even completely ignore their own accountability in making the journey take 40 years! God delivered them to the promised land and they disobeyed and did not take it because they were afraid of the people living there. They did not trust the Lord. Their journey got much longer. But as they complain in Numbers 20, they blame Moses and God rather than their own mistakes in disobeying the Lord.

Numbers 20:2-5

      2There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron. 3The 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.”

How callously they chastise Moses and defame the Lord’s reputation and character, implicitly in their complaints about “It is not a place of grain or figs or vines …” in contrast to God’s promised land. They take no accountability for their actions being the cause of why they are in the desert still. Should not they be saying… “O’ Lord, forgive us and have mercy on us for our disobedience and lack of faith resulted in our remaining in the desert”?

Let each of us take care in our relationship with the Lord. Sometimes our actions create the bad situation we don’t like or make it much worse. The answer is not to get mad at God and complain. Turn to God and ask Him for forgiveness and help to get through the challenge. Ask Him for joy and encouragement. As Him for mercy and grace. These things He will give to a submitted and repentant heart.  God is indeed just, but He is also compassionate and kind.

Pray that He would use the difficult circumstances for good, for His glory through you. Pray He would bring good from the hard times. Then patiently and faithfully trust that He can and He will, even if it may not look like what we want in the situation. Let us cling to the Lord, knowing He may simply be bringing us through personal growth or to a place even better than where we started… as He was bringing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the promised land. Rather than complain and blame the Lord, we should pray for the Spirit to help us be patient along the journey.

Trust God in the desert. Faith and obedience bring us to the promised land.

P.S. Want to know how God responded to the unrighteous complaints of the people? Read on further in Numbers 20. Once a righteous man interceded and asked the Lord for help, He provided them water, despite their general lack of faith and active complaining. I believe He did so to try to continue showing the people His glory to help lead them to trust and follow Him. Only in trusting Him would their journey truly get any easier as they continued in the desert.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Heaven and Hell

Death Ultimately Awaits All Of Us

There is an old joke about life and death that goes something like this, “the thing about life is that nobody gets out of it alive”. Whether you live to 100 or die much younger, death ultimately awaits all of us. But for believers we can take great comfort that when we die here on this earth, we will open our eyes in the presence of the Lord. That is not true of everyone who dies. In fact, most who die will end up in hell, separated from God in eternity by their own choice to be separated from Him in this earthly life. We should take great care not to “hide” from thinking about death, but rather to make sure we are prepared. How much time might we typically spend thinking about retirement, which lasts at best a handful of decades… how much more should we consider eternity! So, too, we do well to learn how to deal with the death of those we love or care about that may perish before we do.

Let’s take a bit of a look at the death of Miriam, Moses’ sister, in Numbers 20 and see if there is something to consider for ourselves in it regarding dealing with death. Though she was prominent in amongst her people, not much is said about her death. It is just one verse, probably easily read over without much thought as we typically read quickly through the biblical text.

Numbers 20:1

Death of Miriam

     1Then 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.

As little as is said, I find it interesting to note that the fact that she was buried there was important enough to mention. It would appear that was significant to the people and to God for it to be included. I do observe that, like with the death of Jesus, burial as a means of laying the body to rest is highlighted. This is still a consistent cultural norm amongst people today relative to other practices of cremation and such. I think this does seem consistent with reinforcing the idea that there will be a resurrection for believers, but would have to study this in more detail to pull that thread more. In the meanwhile, I do find myself more encouraged to stick with burial and not get distracted with “options” which came about through other false belief systems or following of false gods.

What I do see as relevant as well is that The people do not carry her remains about with them, despite her being a prominent figure. What is left is just her dead body, not her soul. They were moving on. The inherently recognize they do not need to carry her remains to “keep her close” or “visit her gravesite”. Her body no longer contains her soul. It just needs a place to be “put to rest” so to speak. There is no need to keep visiting the empty shell and decaying physical form of someone after they die and are buried. They are not there. If a believer, they are now with Christ. If they rejected Christ or did not fully accept Him as savior and Lord, then they are now eternally separated from Him in hell… as a result of their own choice in life to be separate from Him. Keep your eyes focused on Christ and not the physical remains.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Immutable (unchanging), Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Obeying God, Offering Sacrifices, Salvation, Seeking God, Study the Word

Do Not Think That I Came To Abolish The Law

Many say the Law is no longer relevant now that Jesus has come in the flesh and died for us and risen. They declare some elements of God’s instruction invalid and others still valid. They keep “do not steal” but discard “honor the Sabbath”. They rationalize that it is not required “to get into heaven”, so it is optional.

Our salvation is indeed by grace, through faith, and not by works. That has always been true, old or new testament. Noone has ever been good enough. Those before Christ looked ahead and sacrifices of animals were foreshadowing of Messiah. Those of us after Christ in the flesh look back on His sacrifice as the means of reconciliation to God… of forgiveness. In all cases, our repentance is required, not just lip service to the Lord. We are to submit to Him and turn toward His ways. He has provided much instruction for us and none of it is obsolete.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

16All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Keep in mind that when 2 Timothy was written, there was no new testament and thus it referred to the old testament. Further, Jesus had died and risen already. This clearly attests to the value of the old testament even to those of us following Christ after His death and resurrection.

Further, we do not obey the Lord and His instructions to “earn our way into heaven”. What a selfish way of looking at His instructions and what a terrible way to minimize that Christ’s sacrifice was enough for all. We obey the Lord’s instruction because we love Him. It is evidence of our faith.

John 14:15

     15“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

John 14:233-24

23Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24“He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.

Jesus did not make new commandments and instructions different than before and He never spoke out against the scriptures. From start to finish He was raised in the Law and went to Passover and even provided specific instructions that the Law was not going away until the end of the age, not even in a small way. Further, He told His disciples to teach everyone all that He taught them. He did not say, “now that I died and rose again, do this differently… all these things change”. Jesus confirmed it even after He rose from the dead.

Luke 2:39-40

Return to Nazareth

     39When they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. 40The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

Matthew 5:17-19

     17“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 19-20

19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Let us not discard the Law quickly. There are some parts that have been fulfilled such as Jesus sacrifice now nullifying the need for animal sacrifices which used to foreshadow His sacrifice. However, we have been taught to quickly to dismiss far too much of God’s word. Start with the premise that all is good for instruction and study and pray for the Spirit to provide you insight. Do not rely on common church teaching, but on the word of God itself.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Comforter, Compassionate, Encouragement, Faith / Trusting God, Guide, Loving / Kind, Obeying God, Thankfulness, Through Prophets

The Lord Encourages The Faithful Abundantly As They Do His work

Mary and Joseph married and Mary’s pregnancy came to near full term and then they were called to travel to Bethlehem for a census. This would seem a hard journey given Mary’s condition. When they arrive, they find no room at any inn, but instead go to a stable and Mary gives birth to Jesus there. Not exactly an easy path in life as they get started together. However, the Lord continued to provide them encouragement along the way.

The Lord provided an angel as messenger. He provided Elizabeth’s pregnancy to help and encourage Mary. He provided the shepherds at the stable where Jesus was born. Now as Jesus is presented at the temple, the Lord provides another to continue encouraging Mary and Joseph about who Jesus is as Messiah. Then He brings in Anna as yet another. The Lord encourages the faithful abundantly as they do His work.

Luke 2:21-38

Jesus Presented at the Temple

     21And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

      22And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “EVERY firstborn MALE THAT OPENS THE WOMB SHALL BE CALLED HOLY TO THE LORD”), 24and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS.”

      25And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, 28then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,

      29“Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,
According to Your word;

      30For my eyes have seen Your salvation,

      31Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

      32A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”

      33And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 34And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— 35and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

      36And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. 38At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

I am so grateful that our Lord sees fit to encourage us and reaffirm to us when we are on the right path, the path of obedience. It is not always the easiest path. Quite the contrary, sometimes the sinful and selfish path appears the easiest. “Just go along and get along”. But He calls us to be separate. Along the way there are trials and difficulties. It is such a blessing when He provides us with other believers around us or a word from the Spirit within us to encourage us and affirm to us that we are on the right path. I have experienced this many times in my life as a believer. I am greatly encouraged by how much my Father cares for me and for my family. He truly supports and guides us along the way… sometimes at just those times when the journey may seem most difficult.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Prayer, Protector / Deliverer, Provider, Suffering / Adversity

I Have Cried Out By Day And In The Night Before You

No matter what we face, even if death itself, we can come humbly before the Lord with thanksgiving and supplication. He rules over all. Let us come before Him with repentant heart and ask Him to help us. Ask Him also to help us accept His answer, whether it may be “yes”, “no”, or “not now”.

Psalm 88

A Petition to Be Saved from Death.

A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choir director; according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.

     1O LORD, the God of my salvation,
I have cried out by day and in the night before You.

      2Let my prayer come before You;
Incline Your ear to my cry!

      3For my soul has had enough troubles,
And my life has drawn near to Sheol.

      4I am reckoned among those who go down to the pit;
I have become like a man without strength,

      5Forsaken among the dead,
Like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom You remember no more,
And they are cut off from Your hand.

      6You have put me in the lowest pit,
In dark places, in the depths.

      7Your wrath has rested upon me,
And You have afflicted me with all Your waves.

Selah.

      8You have removed my acquaintances far from me;
You have made me an object of loathing to them;
I am shut up and cannot go out.

      9My eye has wasted away because of affliction;
I have called upon You every day, O LORD;
I have spread out my hands to You.

      10Will You perform wonders for the dead?
Will the departed spirits rise and praise You?

Selah.

      11Will Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave,
Your faithfulness in Abaddon?

      12Will Your wonders be made known in the darkness?
And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

      13But I, O LORD, have cried out to You for help,
And in the morning my prayer comes before You.

      14O LORD, why do You reject my soul?
Why do You hide Your face from me?

      15I was afflicted and about to die from my youth on;
I suffer Your terrors; I am overcome.

      16Your burning anger has passed over me;
Your terrors have destroyed me.

      17They have surrounded me like water all day long;
They have encompassed me altogether.

      18You have removed lover and friend far from me;
My acquaintances are in darkness.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassionate, Grace / Forgiveness, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Merciful, Repenting from Sin, Study the Word

Jehovah Provides A Way for Us To Be Cleansed From Our Sin

I will humbly admit that I do not clearly understand the full or intended meaning of Numbers 19. I recognize that my limited understanding of the Jewish people and their culture at the time the events in Numbers 19 occurred probably contributes to this lack of clarity. I do pray the Spirit opens the meaning of the scriptures to me and I take time daily to study, but the depth of the meaning and value in the Biblical text is incredible. It is worth looking hard for the treasure buried within.

I read a few commentaries on Numbers 19 for possible insight. Here are a few thoughts that seem appropriate to share. I encourage each of you to pray as well daily that the Spirit would open up your eyes to the meaning of scripture.

Sin leads to death. Thus, death can be a potent reminder of sin. When the people had to handle people or animals that had died, they were deemed ceremonially unclean. This can remind us that when they sin, it defiles them before God. Further, it is not simply that we become instantly clean again after a particular episode of sinning has ended.   It takes time and it takes some action on our part in accordance with God’s instruction. It also takes the death of another, one without flaw… a perfect one, to cleanse us of our uncleanness. In the case of Numbers 19, it is “an unblemished red heifer”.  Truly this looks forward to the death of Messiah for our sins. The only person to live a perfect, sinless life. We now look back on Messiah and His sacrifice. Rather than an animal sacrifice which foreshadows the cleansing of our sin through Him, we now seek cleansing and forgiveness directly in Jesus Christ based on His death which paid the penalty of our sin.

Jehovah provides a way for His people to be cleansed of sin and forgiven, drawn back in relationship with Him.

Our society today denies God and tries to eliminate the concept of sin. More and more, sinful behaviors and attitudes are deemed righteous. Society would rather paint being a follower of Christ who believes strongly in living according to the Bible as a “sin”. That is deemed worth attacking and hating, but not the sins we are called to reject by its teaching. We would do well to more clearly emphasize sin, and the need to be cleansed from it, in our society today.

Numbers 19

Ordinance of the Red Heifer

     1Then 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.’”

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Bitterness / Resentment, Complaining, Contentment, Discipline / Correction, Discipline / Guidance From God, Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Obeying God, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Thankfulness, Through Prophets

Accept All Things That Come From The Lord With Joy and Without Grumbling

What a tremendous moment for Zacharias and Elizabeth… the birth of John. Zacharias was unable to speak for months, tongue tied by the Lord. Now with the birth of his son, and his final step of obedience to the Lord in naming his son John, he is able to speak again. He had quite a lot to say.

Was he grumbling and complaining about “being punished” for making a mistake when the angel told him about John? Was he saying it was “unfair” what happened to him. Certainly not! Zacharias took the sign as confirmation of all the angel had said and burst forth with confidence to prophecy over his son. I get the picture in my head that he was positively joyful in celebrating this moment and in serving the Lord.

Any of us may receive some difficulty at the hands of the Lord, as Zacharias did. Are we ready to receive it as correction or guidance from a loving Father? or are we so focused on ourselves that any inconvenience or difficulty makes us angry and impatient for it to be removed?

Luke 1:57-80

John Is Born

     57Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.

      59And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father. 60But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John.” 61And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.” 62And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. 63And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished. 64And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God. 65Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea. 66All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him.

Zacharias’s Prophecy

     67And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

      68“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,

      69And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of David His servant—

      70As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old—

      71Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES,
And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US;

      72To show mercy toward our fathers,
And to remember His holy covenant,

      73The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,

      74To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,

      75In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

      76“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS;

      77To give to His people the knowledge of salvation
By the forgiveness of their sins,

      78Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,

      79TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

      80And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

When each of us receives discipline or guidance from the Lord by way of difficult circumstances, let us pray for the Spirit to help guide us in our response… that we would be filled with joy nonetheless and focus on our Lord and His desires and that He loves us enough to discipline us as His children. Let us accept all things from the Lord with joy and without grumbling.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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