Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

At what point will we take a stand when evil influences seep into our lives and descend on us, our family, friends, our work places, where we worship, and where we live in our nation? How deep is our love for the people with whom we live and cohabit this earth? What is our first thought in the morning and our last words before going to sleep at night? How bad does it have to get for us to stop giving in with attitudes of; “oh well, that’s just way it is” and declare this isn’t the way it has to be?  When will we speak of Jesus who we follow as Lord of our lives? Do people around us know who we believe  by what we do daily by God’s leading? 

As soon as we say, “Jesus, forgive me. I want you to be Lord of my life,” we enter a daily battle with our real Enemy who seeks to lure us away from what God has given to us—freedom from our sins, through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus! The Enemy seeks to shame us and remind of our sins.  But to give in to the Enemy now after our sins are removed, as far as the east is from the west, to be remembered no more, seems like driving more nails into the Savior of our souls!

God so loved us He gave us His Son to save us.  Why turn our backs on this precious gift now?  The Enemy of God gives us nothing but grief with eventual death with very limited power.  He uses the same old tricks, since Adam and Eve, of manipulating our thoughts with deceit as the Father of lies.  The Enemy works through people and challenging circumstances to distract us from God while trying to dismantle our faith in God who created all and is in control of all. The Enemy controls nothing—unless we allow it.  But God has all the power and all the authority.  This same God who gave the world Jesus, a part of Himself, demonstrated his love AND power to resurrect Jesus from three days of death to forever Life in victory over the Enemy once and for all!  The war has been won but the Enemy will battle us to believe otherwise until Jesus comes back.  And He IS coming back…for those standing on the promises of God!

Choose this day whom you will believe and follow with all your heart, all your mind, and all your soul!  Troubles will still come but they will seem trivial when our faith in God stands firm and unwavering.  God is faithful—even when we are not as faithful.  But as for me, my hope is built and being solidified on Jesus Christ, my Savior and my Lord.  I have no regrets.  I fail and fall, as I am not perfect, but I know I am perfectly forgiven.

“I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.

Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power.” Psalm 145:2-4, NLT

By God’s leading, Moses is to take a stand with the Midianites.  The Midianites tried to turn the Israelites away from God. Because of this, the two nomadic nations became enemies despite their common heritage, for the Midianites were descendants of Abraham and his second wife.  So, God’s purpose for destroying the Midianites was to keep the people of Israel free from sin and ungodly influences. God desired moral purity in his followers. Not only were sinful influences to be completely destroyed, but the spoils of war—blessings to the people—were to be purified as well.

Numbers 31

Vengeance on the Midianites

The Lord said to Moses, ² “Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”

³ So Moses said to the people, “Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites so that they may carry out the Lord’s vengeance on them. ⁴ Send into battle a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel.” ⁵ So twelve thousand men armed for battle, a thousand from each tribe, were supplied from the clans of Israel. ⁶ Moses sent them into battle, a thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, who took with him articles from the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.

⁷ They fought against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed every man. ⁸ Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. ⁹ The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder. ¹⁰ They burned all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps. ¹¹ They took all the plunder and spoils, including the people and animals, ¹² and brought the captives, spoils and plunder to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the Israelite assembly at their camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.

¹³ Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp. ¹⁴ Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who returned from the battle.

¹⁵ “Have you allowed all the women to live?” he asked them. ¹⁶ “They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the Peor incident, so that a plague struck the Lord’s people. ¹⁷ Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, ¹⁸ but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.

¹⁹ “Anyone who has killed someone or touched someone who was killed must stay outside the camp seven days. On the third and seventh days you must purify yourselves and your captives. ²⁰ Purify every garment as well as everything made of leather, goat hair or wood.”

²¹ Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone into battle, “This is what is required by the law that the Lord gave Moses: ²² Gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, lead ²³ and anything else that can withstand fire must be put through the fire, and then it will be clean. But it must also be purified with the water of cleansing. And whatever cannot withstand fire must be put through that water. ²⁴ On the seventh day wash your clothes and you will be clean. Then you may come into the camp.”

Dividing the Spoils

²⁵ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁶ “You and Eleazar the priest and the family heads of the community are to count all the people and animals that were captured. ²⁷ Divide the spoils equally between the soldiers who took part in the battle and the rest of the community. ²⁸ From the soldiers who fought in the battle, set apart as tribute for the Lord one out of every five hundred, whether people, cattle, donkeys or sheep. ²⁹ Take this tribute from their half share and give it to Eleazar the priest as the Lord’s part. ³⁰ From the Israelites’ half, select one out of every fifty, whether people, cattle, donkeys, sheep or other animals. Give them to the Levites, who are responsible for the care of the Lord’s tabernacle.” ³¹ So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.

³² The plunder remaining from the spoils that the soldiers took was 675,000 sheep, ³³ 72,000 cattle, ³⁴ 61,000 donkeys ³⁵ and 32,000 women who had never slept with a man.

³⁶ The half share of those who fought in the battle was: 337,500 sheep, ³⁷ of which the tribute for the Lord was 675; ³⁸ 36,000 cattle, of which the tribute for the Lord was 72; ³⁹ 30,500 donkeys, of which the tribute for the Lord was 61; ⁴⁰ 16,000 people, of whom the tribute for the Lord was 32.

⁴¹ Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as the Lord’s part, as the Lord commanded Moses.

⁴² The half belonging to the Israelites, which Moses set apart from that of the fighting men— ⁴³ the community’s half—was 337,500 sheep, ⁴⁴ 36,000 cattle, ⁴⁵ 30,500 donkeys ⁴⁶ and 16,000 people. ⁴⁷ From the Israelites’ half, Moses selected one out of every fifty people and animals, as the Lord commanded him, and gave them to the Levites, who were responsible for the care of the Lord’s tabernacle.

⁴⁸ Then the officers who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—went to Moses ⁴⁹ and said to him, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one is missing. ⁵⁰ So we have brought as an offering to the Lord the gold articles each of us acquired—armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings and necklaces—to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord.”

⁵¹ Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted from them the gold—all the crafted articles. ⁵² All the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds that Moses and Eleazar presented as a gift to the Lord weighed 16,750 shekels. ⁵³ Each soldier had taken plunder for himself. ⁵⁴ Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the Lord.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How will we respond to Jesus, God’s Son? Pause to prayerfully and humbly consider our clear choice.

Who will we choose daily to love and worship with healthy fear because of our awe of God who knows our hearts?  How deep the love God has for us has been answered in the life of His Son who He sent to save us. Who do we choose?  Who will influence our lives daily?  Who teaches us?  Who do we listen to intently with respectful reverence? Who is leading us and who are we following?

“Jesus spoke to those who had turned their backs on history. He spoke to those who had blatantly ignored sign after sign, servant after servant. It wasn’t as if they had just skipped a paragraph or missed a punch line. It wasn’t as if they had misunderstood a chapter. They had missed the whole book. God had come into their city, walked down their street, knocked on their door, and they refused to let him in.

For that reason—because they had refused to believe—Jesus speaks the most sobering words in the Gospel of Matthew: “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit” (Matthew 21:43).

God is intolerant of the callused heart.

He is patient with our mistakes. He is longsuffering with our stumbles. He doesn’t get angry at our questions. He doesn’t turn away when we struggle. But when we repeatedly reject his message, when we are insensitive to his pleadings, when he changes history itself to get our attention and we still don’t listen, he honors our request.

Note it was not God who made the people unworthy. It was their refusal to listen that excluded them from grace.

God does not force his way into your life; he patiently knocks and waits to be invited in. Those who invite him in will find him working hard to make them like himself—pure and holy. Those who refuse to answer, who turn away, will seal their own eternity apart from him.” –Max Lucado, The Encouraging Word Bible

Lord,

Yes, I choose you. I love you because you first loved me.  I listen to you because you are wisdom and you are Life beyond my wildest imagination and dreams.  Come, fill my soul, purify my heart, renew my mind, transform my behaviors by your power, restore the joy of you in me and me in you.  I belong to you and I am listening, ready to obey.

In Jesus Name, Amen

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. ³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:35-36

God knows His people need a new leader.  God also knows that Moses is coming to the end of his reign as the leader of the Israelites.  God has His eye on Joshua and has been grooming him to succeed Moses. This was not a decision made quickly or out of convenience because Moses is aging; God has been working on this succession of leadership all along.  God knows his sheep will need a new shepherd to lead them into the promised land.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, “declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

It occurs to me that we must work harder to grasp the incredible omnipotence of God!  God’s thinking and His ways are higher than ours.  As we read His Word, we must seek to understand who God is and what He is doing from more than one perspective because God is multifaceted; He knows what lies ahead, and knows how we will respond in any given circumstance.  Does that change or altar God’s plan?  It hasn’t yet.  God’s plan to save us, protect us, provide for us, and love us for eternity has and will succeed in us as we choose to love Him back! His will be done in Jesus, His Son, has been done!  We might think that our failure and others’ missteps with thwart God’s plan; but I’ve got news for us; we don’t have that kind of power.  God finishes what He starts—even in us!  

Numbers 27

Zelophehad’s Daughters

27 The daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah. They came forward ² and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders and the whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said, ³ “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among Korah’s followers, who banded together against the Lord, but he died for his own sin and left no sons. ⁴ Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s relatives.”

⁵ So Moses brought their case before the Lord, ⁶ and the Lord said to him, ⁷ “What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives and give their father’s inheritance to them.

⁸ “Say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, give his inheritance to his daughter. ⁹ If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. ¹⁰ If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. ¹¹ If his father had no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may possess it. This is to have the force of law for the Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.’”

Joshua to Succeed Moses

¹² Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go up this mountain in the Abarim Range and see the land I have given the Israelites. ¹³ After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, ¹⁴ for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of Zin, both of you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy before their eyes.” (These were the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.)

¹⁵ Moses said to the Lord, ¹⁶ “May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community ¹⁷ to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

¹⁸ So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership, and lay your hand on him. ¹⁹ Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence. ²⁰ Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him. ²¹ He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the Lord. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in.”

²² Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. ²³ Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the Lord instructed through Moses.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Since the land belonged to the Lord (See Leviticus 25:23–28), the Israelites couldn’t divide it or dispose of it as they pleased. Maintaining the inheritance from generation to generation was important to each family and to the tribes to which the families belonged.

God is compassionate to all—even to the women, who in that time were not counted in the census, but God knew played very important roles in living lives of nomads on the way to the promised land.  God heard them and made provision for all women whose fathers had died and left no sons to be the head of the family who cared for every member.  It was a bold move for the daughters to appear before Moses.  I love how God responded. God noticed, understood, and made provision for them immediately. Then God made this provision Law for the Israelites!  God’s compassions they fail not!

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

Do we have the boldness to come to the throne of God and ask?  We have that available to us!  “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

Jesus told his disciples before departing to heaven; “Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”  He also taught his disciples (and all believers in Jesus to come) how to ask with a humbled heart in prayer—“May your (God’s) will be done”.  When we pray asking for help from God; we must believe that God will respond with all that will be good for us and will give Him glory so others will know Him, too. 

Right motivation is the key to the hearing from God. Our surrender to God fills us with His message of salvation. Our offering of our whole being, from struggles to victories, given to God completely—all proclaim God’s glory!

“Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).

Moses was a leader who had the right motivation.  Moses had proved himself a true leader by being more concerned for the people than for himself. Twice God had offered to destroy the Israelites and start a new nation with Moses, but Moses had refused. (See Exodus) Moses often had interceded for the people when God’s judgment was about to fall. Moses had been misunderstood, criticized, and nearly stoned, but he remained a faithful shepherd to his people.  Perhaps this is why Moses was the one honored to come down to have a conversation with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration that day.  Mm.

Though he was about to die, Moses didn’t think about himself but about the future of the nation. His great concern was that God provide a spiritual leader for the people, for they were sheep and sheep must have a shepherd.  (See also 2 Sam. 24:7; Ps. 74:1; 79:13; 95:7; 100:3), and sheep must have a shepherd (1 Kin. 22:17; Zech. 10:2; Matt. 9:36; Mark 6:34). 

Jesus is our Shepherd!  “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.  “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.”  John 10:11-15

As we continue through Numbers, we will see the glory of God displayed in Joshua who will step forward with boldness to lead the Israelites.  Joshua believes God, trusts, and obeys what God tells him to be and do.  That is a shepherd who will lead God’s sheep effectively and successfully in declaring who God is to all other nations.  Stay tuned!  We will learn much from what a Godly leader looks like as Joshua replaces Moses.

Pause to pray, reflect, then respond to God.  Take a heart motivation inventory.

Do I serve others for the praise I receive or for the pleasure of serving Christ?

When I have an opportunity to serve, do I ask God to help and lead me so I will have the right motives?

Help me, Lord, to consistently ask: Why am I doing this?

Lord,

With you, Lord, the “why” is more important that what you have given us to do.  May we be quick to respond with gladness and thanksgiving for the opportunities you provide for serving You above all. Lord, I’m yours.  And I’m listening. Guide each thought and each step I take today. May all I think, say, and do give you glory.  May I give you a rapid response of thanksgiving each time I see your glory at work around and in me!  You are God. I am not.  You are my Shepherd; I lack for nothing.

In Jesus Name, Amen

“Your faithfulness extends to every generation, as enduring as the earth you created.” Psalm 119:90

God likes to count. He tells Moses to count the number of men who are old enough to battle against the enemies of Israel. God wants all people groups to be counted and their names registered.  God counts and names each head of each family along with mention of those who will were examples of obedience and those who were not.  God also points out those who will make a difference in His Kingdom work later. So, that is the reason we read the number of names with their bylines.  Everyone counts!

Throughout God’s word, we are also taught to count. “Count the costs before building,” “count the cost” of following Jesus before committing our lives to Him, “count your blessings” and name them to God with thanksgiving!  Count who stands with you on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ for there is strength in numbers! 

What God no longer counts are sins repented to Him in Jesus Name.  Our sins, not in part but the whole, are no longer counted against us.  In fact, God forgets our sins repented altogether— “as far as the east is from the west”!  (Psalm 103:12)

We count to God!  All His created matter to Him from the top of our heads to the tips of our toes, we count to our Father as His beloved children. 

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”—Jesus, Luke 12:6-7

Numbers 26

The Second Census

After the plague the Lord said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, ² “Take a census of the whole Israelite community by families—all those twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army of Israel.” ³ So on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them and said, ⁴ “Take a census of the men twenty years old or more, as the Lord commanded Moses.”

These were the Israelites who came out of Egypt:

⁵ The descendants of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel, were: through Hanok, the Hanokite clan; through Pallu, the Palluite clan; ⁶ through Hezron, the Hezronite clan; through Karmi, the Karmite clan. ⁷ These were the clans of Reuben; those numbered were 43,730.

⁸ The son of Pallu was Eliab, ⁹ and the sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan and Abiram. The same Dathan and Abiram were the community officials who rebelled against Moses and Aaron and were among Korah’s followers when they rebelled against the Lord. ¹⁰ The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them along with Korah, whose followers died when the fire devoured the 250 men. And they served as a warning sign. ¹¹ The line of Korah, however, did not die out.

¹² The descendants of Simeon by their clans were: through Nemuel, the Nemuelite clan; through Jamin, the Jaminite clan; through Jakin, the Jakinite clan; ¹³ through Zerah, the Zerahite clan; through Shaul, the Shaulite clan. ¹⁴ These were the clans of Simeon; those numbered were 22,200.

¹⁵ The descendants of Gad by their clans were: through Zephon, the Zephonite clan; through Haggi, the Haggite clan; through Shuni, the Shunite clan; ¹⁶ through Ozni, the Oznite clan; through Eri, the Erite clan; ¹⁷ through Arodi, the Arodite clan; through Areli, the Arelite clan. ¹⁸ These were the clans of Gad; those numbered were 40,500.

¹⁹ Er and Onan were sons of Judah, but they died in Canaan.

²⁰ The descendants of Judah by their clans were: through Shelah, the Shelanite clan; through Perez, the Perezite clan; through Zerah, the Zerahite clan. ²¹ The descendants of Perez were: through Hezron, the Hezronite clan; through Hamul, the Hamulite clan. ²² These were the clans of Judah; those numbered were 76,500.

²³ The descendants of Issachar by their clans were: through Tola, the Tolaite clan; through Puah, the Puite clan; ²⁴ through Jashub, the Jashubite clan; through Shimron, the Shimronite clan. ²⁵ These were the clans of Issachar; those numbered were 64,300.

²⁶ The descendants of Zebulun by their clans were: through Sered, the Seredite clan; through Elon, the Elonite clan; through Jahleel, the Jahleelite clan. ²⁷ These were the clans of Zebulun; those numbered were 60,500.

²⁸ The descendants of Joseph by their clans through Manasseh and Ephraim were: ²⁹ The descendants of Manasseh: through Makir, the Makirite clan (Makir was the father of Gilead); through Gilead, the Gileadite clan.³⁰ These were the descendants of Gilead: through Iezer, the Iezerite clan; through Helek, the Helekite clan; ³¹ through Asriel, the Asrielite clan; through Shechem, the Shechemite clan; ³² through Shemida, the Shemidaite clan;through Hepher, the Hepherite clan. ³³ (Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons; he had only daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah.) ³⁴ These were the clans of Manasseh; those numbered were 52,700.

³⁵ These were the descendants of Ephraim by their clans: through Shuthelah, the Shuthelahite clan; through Beker, the Bekerite clan; through Tahan, the Tahanite clan. ³⁶ These were the descendants of Shuthelah: through Eran, the Eranite clan.³⁷ These were the clans of Ephraim; those numbered were 32,500. These were the descendants of Joseph by their clans.

³⁸ The descendants of Benjamin by their clans were: through Bela, the Belaite clan; through Ashbel, the Ashbelite clan; through Ahiram, the Ahiramite clan; ³⁹ through Shupham, the Shuphamite clan; through Hupham, the Huphamite clan.⁴⁰ The descendants of Bela through Ard and Naaman were: through Ard, the Ardite clan; through Naaman, the Naamite clan. ⁴¹ These were the clans of Benjamin; those numbered were 45,600.

⁴² These were the descendants of Dan by their clans: through Shuham, the Shuhamite clan. These were the clans of Dan: ⁴³ All of them were Shuhamite clans; and those numbered were 64,400.

⁴⁴ The descendants of Asher by their clans were: through Imnah, the Imnite clan; through Ishvi, the Ishvite clan; through Beriah, the Beriite clan; ⁴⁵ and through the descendants of Beriah: through Heber, the Heberite clan; through Malkiel, the Malkielite clan.⁴⁶ (Asher had a daughter named Serah.) ⁴⁷ These were the clans of Asher; those numbered were 53,400.

⁴⁸ The descendants of Naphtali by their clans were: through Jahzeel, the Jahzeelite clan; through Guni, the Gunite clan; ⁴⁹ through Jezer, the Jezerite clan; through Shillem, the Shillemite clan. ⁵⁰ These were the clans of Naphtali; those numbered were 45,400.

⁵¹ The total number of the men of Israel was 601,730.

⁵² The Lord said to Moses, ⁵³ “The land is to be allotted to them as an inheritance based on the number of names. ⁵⁴ To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one; each is to receive its inheritance according to the number of those listed. ⁵⁵ Be sure that the land is distributed by lot. What each group inherits will be according to the names for its ancestral tribe. ⁵⁶ Each inheritance is to be distributed by lot among the larger and smaller groups.”

⁵⁷ These were the Levites who were counted by their clans: through Gershon, the Gershonite clan; through Kohath, the Kohathite clan; through Merari, the Merarite clan. ⁵⁸ These also were Levite clans: the Libnite clan, the Hebronite clan, the Mahlite clan, the Mushite clan, the Korahite clan. (Kohath was the forefather of Amram; ⁵⁹ the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, who was born to the Levites in Egypt. To Amram she bore Aaron, Moses and their sister Miriam. ⁶⁰ Aaron was the father of Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. ⁶¹ But Nadab and Abihu died when they made an offering before the Lord with unauthorized fire.)

⁶² All the male Levites a month old or more numbered 23,000. They were not counted along with the other Israelites because they received no inheritance among them.

⁶³ These are the ones counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. ⁶⁴ Not one of them was among those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai. ⁶⁵ For the Lord had told those Israelites they would surely die in the wilderness, and not one of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Israel needed a new census because everyone over age twenty at the previous census had died. Census taking demonstrated that God was keeping his people united and organized.

God still counts.  “Let your salvation reflect God’s glory. “You also were includedin Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13–14).

What are we counting?  Pause to reflect and prayerfully respond to God.

• Are we counting our pennies or counting our blessings?
• Are we counting how many days until an event will bring us happiness or counting it all joy in the here and now, no matter our current condition and circumstances?  (James 1)
• Are we counting on people or relying fully on God?
• Are we counting the faults of others to make us feel better about ourselves or counting on God’s grace for our own weakness which is sufficient for each day? (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
• Are we counting on ourselves to problem solve or counting on God, in Jesus Name to deliver us from evil; God’s Holy Spirit to guide us to truth; and God’s ever-present help in times of troubles? Psalm 46; Proverbs 3:5-6; John 16:13)

What we count counts to God.

Lord,

Thank you for using a census to bring us to our senses concerning living Life to the full by your power working in and through us!  Lead me to count what counts to you all day long and into the night.

In Jesus Name, Amen

“Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Matthew 4:1-10

God has given the Israelites all they need.  God has protected them from harm with a way of life that is best for them.  God gave them a simple list of commands so all will go well with them.  Now God is leading them to possess the land flowing with milk and honey He promised them generations earlier.  All they need to do is trust God and do what He says. 

However, there are people groups already residing in the promised land that do not believe or follow God. They know only enough about God to hate Him and His interference in their lives.  They have their own established culture of demeaning behaviors that dishonor mankind—all that is opposite God’s Law. They murder their own children by sacrificing them to various gods.  They perform demeaning sexual acts that harm all who participate in the orgies of evil.  They manipulate to maintain their way of life.  Because they fear that an end is coming to their nation because of the Israelite subsequent invasion; they create a plan to seduce the men of Israel.

The men fell for the deceit and turned from God to worship the gods of evil.  These Israelite men all God had to offer to willingly be bonded and yoked with evil.  God is not pleased and knows this disease of sinning dishonorably against Him and other Israelites must be halted before the rest of the Israelite nation is infected and succumb to it.

Numbers 25

Moab Seduces Israel

While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, ² who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate the sacrificial meal and bowed down before these gods. ³ So Israel yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor. And the Lord’s anger burned against them.

⁴ The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and expose them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the Lord’s fierce anger may turn away from Israel.”

⁵ So Moses said to Israel’s judges, “Each of you must put to death those of your people who have yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor.”

⁶ Then an Israelite man brought into the camp a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁷ When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand ⁸ and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear into both of them, right through the Israelite man and into the woman’s stomach. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped; ⁹ but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.

¹⁰ The Lord said to Moses, ¹¹ “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites. Since he was as zealous for my honor among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal. ¹² Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. ¹³ He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites.”

¹⁴ The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family. ¹⁵ And the name of the Midianite woman who was put to death was Kozbi daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.

¹⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁷ “Treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them. ¹⁸ They treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the Peor incident involving their sister Kozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed when the plague came as a result of that incident.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God is a covenant-keeping God.  What He says; He will do.

God makes promises; Then He delivers on His promises.

“The LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors” (Joshua 21:43). Specifically, God gave Abraham a promise. “The LORD appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’”(Genesis 12:7). That was six hundred years earlier! Who believed it would happen?

When Abraham died, the only land he owned was Sarah’s cemetery plot. His descendants were sharecroppers at best, slaves at worst, in Egypt for four centuries. Moses led them near but never into Canaan.

God promised to bless Abraham and, through Abraham’s seed, all the nations of the earth. “I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:2–3). This was the promise partially fulfilled in Joshua. And this is the promise completely fulfilled in Jesus.

In Jesus ALL the nations are blessed. In Jesus every person has hope and the possibility of redemption. The apostle Paul wrote, “The yes to all of God’s promises is in Christ” (2Corinthians 1:20 NCV).

Yes! Our God is a promise-keeping God. Others may make a promise and forget it. But if God makes a promise, he keeps it. “He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).

Knowing God is faithful and believing in His promises matters to our ultimate response to God.  We panic in times of trouble and wonder; does God’s integrity as a promise keeper and faithful provider and redeemer really make a difference?  When a loved one is in ER and we pace the floor in the hall of not knowing, it matters.  In those times we all must choose.  Faith or fear?  Do we choose God’s purpose or a random life of experiences without God?  Do we choose God who knows and cares or a god who isn’t there?  We all must choose.  Our response will reflect our real belief.

We all choose.

It stands to reason that to trust God who knows all and is in all with all the details of our lives is the best and most fulfilling response.  The best way to begin is to dive into His Word.  Choose a few promises from the Bible and trust in them for your life, your family, your finances, and your body.

Consistently thank God for always fulfilling His promises to us and for being reliable regarding all He says in His word.  Great IS His faithfulness!  There is no turning back.

Lord,

Thank you for warning us of impending trouble. Thank you for providing all we need in Jesus to be delivered from evil who distracts us while deceiving us with attempts to dismantle our faith in God.  There is power in the Name of you, dear Jesus!  Thank you for your power, even in our doubts, to stand on your promises. Thank you for always being with us.  Thank you for loving us forever and always.

In Jesus Name, Amen