Day 2 Numbers 10-13; Psalm 90
Day 3 Numbers 14-16; Psalm 95
Day 4 Numbers 17-20
Day 5 Numbers 21-24
Day 6 Numbers 25-28
But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
"Because you did not trust in me enough to
honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites,
you will not bring this community into the land
I give them.”
"Because you did not trust in me enough to
honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites,
you will not bring this community into the land
I give them.”
In Ch 11, the people complain of being tired of manna, basically saying, “God’s provision for us isn’t adequate.” Although God provides quail afterward, this complaint angers God and He strikes them with a plague. Do you ever find yourself saying, “God, this isn’t enough”??
ReplyDeleteIn Numbers we see that even unintentional sin is important to God, but He is patient about it and provided a way to atone for it relatively easily. His patience with people who deliberately disobey Him or his designated leaders is much shorter. It is important to remember that in addition to being a God of love, our Lord is also a God of justice.Sometimes the contemporary church emphasizes God's love almost to the exclusion of His requirement for justice and displeasure at sin. I believe this is a mistake. You will never realize how much you need a savior if you don't understand how seriously God takes sin.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the Israelites just befuddle me. After the scouts get back to camp, they first say that they can't go into the Promised Land because the giant people will kill them. Later, after God has told them that they (the older generation) will never enter the Promised Land, they insist on going.
ReplyDeleteI have, Gary. Or, I used to. I have stopped doing that because I have learned to understand the blessings I DO have! I live on more than $2 a week! LOL
ReplyDeleteI will pick a few chapters and give you my take on them. Here goes: Chapter 6 - I thought the Nazarite oath was spectacular and very difficult to abide by. But it is a very pious life, nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteChapter 11: what a group of people, those Israelites! They had the nerve to complain about manna. And God was again long-suffering and gave them quail. It shows how fickle they were AND forgetful. They made mention of Egypt like it was a paradise! How rude! Did they forget how they were slaves??
Chapter 12: I love God. He is so awesome! He gave Aaron and Miriam the "whatfor" when they complained about Moses' wife. Wow! Sounds like our church when they hint around that they do not condone mixed marriages. Anyway, God gave Miriam leprosy - the ultimate unclean disease and also quite an embarrassment.
Chapter 16: God is no nonsense. Korah, Datham, and Abiram deserved to be swallowed up by the earth. Again, they have the nerve to question Moses and God! Wow, again!
Chapter 17: Aaron's budding rod. Rods in those days were a sign of authority more than used as walking sticks. Interestingly, God made Aaron's rod miraculously bear fruit (almonds).
Chapter 20: This chapter upset me. Moses and Aaron lead a stubborn group of people out of Egypt and lead them staunchly through the wilderness and because Moses HIT the rock instead of speaking to it, they don't get to go into the promised land. Harsh punishment, but God is God. I can't question it. But I do have sympathy for them.