Ginny's Gems
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Tues.’s Devo - The Feasts
Read: Numbers 28:16-29:40; Luke 3:23-38; Psalm 62:1-12; Proverbs 11:18-19
On the fourteenth of the first month on the spiritual calendar, Nissan, they would celebrate the Passover. The next day, 15th, would be unleavened bread, which would be celebrated a whole week. On the first day of the week they were to do no work. Every day during the feast they were to offer a burnt offering which would begin in the morning and continue all day. The last day of the feast was to be holy and no work done.
*** On the day of first fruits they were to bring a new meat offering to the Lord and do no work. They were to offer a meat offering and a grain offering.
*** In the seventh month on the religious calendar and the first month on the civil calendar, Tishri, they were to celebrate the feast of trumpets. Trumpets were to be blown and many offerings made. No work would be done on this day. On the tenth of this month they were not to work. It was the Day of Atonement. It was the most holy day and they were to afflict their souls in repentance. Offering of atonement were given and the feast would last seven days.
*** On the fifteenth of that month it would be the feast of Tabernacles. A countdown of offerings was made. It began with 13 bulls, 2 rams and 14 lambs. The second day the offering would be 12 bulls, 2 rams and 14 lambs. The third would be 11 bulls, 2 rams and 14 lambs. Then the countdown continued with the bulls one less than the day before, but the rams and lambs staying the same. When it got to the seventh day the count was 7 bulls, 2 rams and 14 lambs. But on the eighth day it changed to 1 bull, 1 ram and 7 lambs.
*** What does all this mean to us? Here are some thoughts. The Feast of Tabernacle has to do with God living in us and us in him. It begins with us needing more bulls to cover more sin but as the days continue, our need for more bulls diminishes as we become more like him. Seven is the number for completion so that is the number on the seventh day. Eight is the day of new beginning so when we become perfect in Christ, we become a new creature who is perfect and righteous.
*** In Luke, Jesus had just been baptized and was thirty when he entered his public ministry. His supposed father was Joseph. His lineage was given and he was of the tribe of Judah. It went all the way to Adam who was the son of God.
*** Lord, thank you that you know us by name and we have been chosen before the foundation of the earth to be your child. May we walk in righteousness and be in you as you are in us.
I have always loved to study the Bible and look for hidden meanings to know God better. I think God hides things and shares them with those who will spend the time seeking them out. He loves to reveal his mysteries with us. I pray that I will rightly divide the truth so that others might love his word like I do. I pray that God will be magnified in your life as you read my blog.
Monday, March 18, 2024
Mon.’s Devo - Out with the Old and In with the New
Read: Numbers 26:52-28:15; Luke 3:1-22; Psalm 61:1-8; Proverbs 11:16-17
The land was divided out by tribes and given out in proportion to how many people they had. Moses and Aaron had been from the tribe of Levi. The tribes were numbered from the age of twenty years old, but the Levites were numbered from the age of one month old (Numbers 3). Twenty was when you could go to war but Levites didn’t fight, they carried the ark and took care of it. At this time, the Levites were not numbered or given land. None of the original people were alive now except Joshua and Caleb.
*** The daughters of Zelophehad from the tribe of Manasseh had no brothers so they would get no land. They came before Moses to present their case and God said to give them an inheritance to carry out their father’s name. This became law for men without heirs.
*** God told Moses to go up on mount Abarim and see the land he had spent his last 40 years traveling to. He would not be able to pass into it but he could view it. Abarim means “land beyond”.
*** Moses asked the Lord who would carry on his position as leader and God chose Joshua to be their shepherd and commander. Moses was to bring him out before the people and present him as their leader before Eleazar the priest. Moses laid his hands upon Joshua and honored him as leader before the people.
*** God gave Moses instructions about the burnt offering, the grain offering, the drink offering, the daily offering and the Sabbath offerings.
*** In Luke, Tiberius Caesar reigned over the land. Pontius Pilate was the governor of Judea and Herod was the tetrarch of Galilee. Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. But the Word of the Lord came to John who was the son of Zacharias who lived in the wilderness. He preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins all around Jordan. He was the voice in the wilderness that the prophets had foretold.
*** John preached that it didn’t matter if you were born a Jew, you had to repent to be saved from the wrath to come. People came to him to be baptized and then asked what they should do. To the people he said they should give their extra to those who had none. He told the publicans to exact no more than that which was appointed to them. To the soldiers he told them to not be violent or accuse anyone falsely.
*** The people wondered if he was the Messiah but John told him that he was just baptizing with water but the one coming after him would baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire.
*** When Jesus came to be baptized of John, the heaven opened and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him and a voice came from heaven saying, “thou art my beloved Son, in you I am well pleased.”
*** In both of these readings the old charge is being replaced with the new. New wine has to be put in new vessels. The people had to prepare their hearts and minds to follow Joshua now instead of Moses and the people of the New Testament had to prepare their hearts to follow God instead of man.
*** Lord, thank you that you always lead us through people, your Word and your spirit. May our hearts be prepared to receive the new you are bringing.
I have always loved to study the Bible and look for hidden meanings to know God better. I think God hides things and shares them with those who will spend the time seeking them out. He loves to reveal his mysteries with us. I pray that I will rightly divide the truth so that others might love his word like I do. I pray that God will be magnified in your life as you read my blog.
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Sun.’s Devo - The Promise Fulfilled
Read: Numbers 26:1-51; Luke 2:36-52; Pslam 60:1-12; Proverbs 11:15
All the people who came out of Egypt and sinned against the Lord were now dead, so the Lord called Moses to recount the people. There were 601,730 registered troops in Israel. When they came out of Egypt and were in their second year there were 600,000 foot soldiers (Numbers 11:21). In their first census when they came out of Egypt the total number of men who could go to war were 603,550 (Numbers 1:45). So their numbers had ebbed and flowed and were a little less than when they came out of Egypt. If thousands hadn’t died because of disobedience there would have been so many more.
In this list of the tribes it reminds us of what happened to the rebels from Reuben, Dathan and Abiram who rebelled with Koran and were swallowed by the earth. Their children survived.
In the tribe of Manasseh, the Hepherites had no sons so their daughters were named.
When it came to Asher’s tribe, the daughter, Sarah was named first.
*** I just point these out because they are discrepancies that you usually don’t see in a genealogy back then.
*** How ironic, our reading in Luke begins with a woman from the tribe of Asher named Anna. She is a prophet whose husband died seven years after they married. She had lived as a widow after his death until she was now 84 years old. She had never left the Temple but stayed there praying and fasting. She walked up as Simeon was prophesying over Jesus. She began praising God and mentioned him to all who had been waiting for the redemption of Israel.
*** Mary and Joseph returned home and Jesus grew in wisdom and the grace of God. When he was 12, he went with his parents to Jerusalem for the Passover. After the feast, they began traveling home. Mary and Joseph assumed Jesus was with their company but found he was not and returned to Jerusalem.
*** They finally found him in the Temple sitting in the midst of the doctors asking them questions and giving them answers that astonished them. When Mary asked him why he was still there, he answered, “How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?”
*** At 12, every Jewish boy began to be employed in his father’s business. His father was God so he was doing God’s business. Mary and Joseph didn’t understand what he was saying and brought him home where he was subject to them. He grew in wisdom and matured. He also grew in God’s favor.
*** Lord, may we grow in wisdom, maturity and grace for your business. We pray for the redemption of the world.
I have always loved to study the Bible and look for hidden meanings to know God better. I think God hides things and shares them with those who will spend the time seeking them out. He loves to reveal his mysteries with us. I pray that I will rightly divide the truth so that others might love his word like I do. I pray that God will be magnified in your life as you read my blog.
Saturday, March 16, 2024
Sat.’s Devo - Our Covenant of Peace
Read: Numbers 24:1-25:18; Luke 2:1-35; Psalm 59:1-17; Proverbs 11:14
This was Balaam’s third chance to please Barak and get his great reward, but he feared God more than he feared Barak. He didn’t resort to divination this time. He just looked at the people of Israel and the Holy Spirit came upon him and he gave his message.
*** He blessed the tents of Jacob and Israel with prosperity, growth of their numbers, and power. They would conquer everyone who got in their way and everyone who blesses them will be blessed and everyone who curses them will be cursed.
*** King Balak flew into a rage and shouted at Balaam for blessing them instead of cursing them like he had hired him to do. Balaam explained to him that he had told him from the very start that he had no power over God and God’s word; he would only speak what God said he could say.
*** Before they parted ways, Balaam told Barak what Israel would do to his people in the far future. A leader would arise out of Israel who would conquer the Edomites, the Moabites, Seir and the Kenites. David did all of this in his time physically. Jesus destroyed these enemies spiritually when he came.
***Balak did find a way to weaken the Israelites through their Moabite women. They sent them down to lure the Israelites into their licentious worship of Baal.
*** The leaders of the people were told to put to death all who were under their jurisdiction who had joined in worshiping Baal of Peor. As they were meeting, a man blatantly brought a Midianite woman into his tent. Eleazar followed him into his tent and killed them both with his sword. This act stopped the plague that had started which ended up killing 24,000 people.
*** Because of Phinehas’ zeal for the Lord and his atoning act for the people, he was promised God’s covenant of peace which would be to his seed after him and the covenant of an everlasting priesthood.
*** Moses then told the people to attack the Midianites and destroy them because they tricked them into worshipping Baal.
*** In Luke, Caesar decreed that the whole world would be taxed so Mary and Joseph had to go back to Bethlehem to pay their taxes. Her baby was ready to come and did come when they got to Bethlehem. She had him in a stable and laid Jesus in the manger where they fed the sheep.
*** That night the angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds in the field who were watching their sheep. The angel told them not to fear but, they were bringing good news to the people of the earth. Today a Savior was being born who was Christ the Lord. They would find him wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Then the sky lit up with a multitude of angels all praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
*** When the angels left, the shepherds wanted to go and see this sign. They found Mary and Joseph and Jesus and he was lying in a manger, just as the angel had said. They told everyone but Mary kept these things in her heart.
*** When Jesus was eight days old they took him to the synagogue to be circumcised and dedicated to the Lord. There was a devout man named Simeon who had been told by the Lord that he would not see death until he had seen the Lord’s Christ. He was lead to go to the Temple that day and Mary brought Jesus to him to dedicate him. Simeon knew he was the Christ and prophesied over him that now his eyes had seen God’s salvation. He would be a light to the Gentiles and a glory to the Jews. Jesus would be a sign which would be spoken against. A sword would pierce through Jesus’ soul so that many hearts would be revealed.
*** Thank you that your light shone on the earth and brought us to the light of your salvation. May we be the light of the world as Jesus was the light of the world that many would come to salvation. Thank you that you have given us your covenant of peace.
I have always loved to study the Bible and look for hidden meanings to know God better. I think God hides things and shares them with those who will spend the time seeking them out. He loves to reveal his mysteries with us. I pray that I will rightly divide the truth so that others might love his word like I do. I pray that God will be magnified in your life as you read my blog.
Friday, March 15, 2024
Fri.’s Devo - God’s Message of Blessing
Read: Numbers 22:21-23:30; Luke 1:57-80; Psalm 58:1-11; Proverbs 11:12-13
Balak has hired a sorcerer named Balaam to curse Israel but God wants to make sure he fears Him enough to say exactly what he wants him to say.
*** The angel of the Lord stood before his donkey blocking his way but only the donkey could see him. The angel had a sword drawn and the donkey bolted off the road into a field. Balaam beat the donkey and made it get back on the road.
*** The angel went ahead of them and stood where the road became narrow between two walls, making the donkey squeeze by, crushing Balaam’s leg against the stone wall. Balaam beat his donkey again.
***Next, the angel of the Lord went down the road and stood in front of him and there was no room for the donkey to go around him so the donkey sat down. Balaam beat his donkey again.
*** God spoke through and for the donkey. He asked Balaam why he had beaten him these three times. Balaam answered and told his donkey that he had made Balaam look like a fool. If he had had a sword, he would have killed him.
*** The donkey asked him if he had ever acted this way before and Balaam said he had not. Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes and showed him what the donkey had seen. God told him he had came to block his way became his way was perverse. Another interpretation of that was that he was stubbornly resisting God. I wonder if he hadn’t been trying to figure out a way to curse Israel and bless them at the same time or if just going to meet Balak was perverse in God’s sight.
*** God told Balaam he could go, but only say what he said. Balak took him to the border of his land. There the king sacrificed cattle to their gods and Balaam and Balak’s officials all ate of the sacrificed meat. The next day, they went to see the outer skirts of Israel’s people. Balaam told the king to build seven altars where he sacrificed a bull and a ram on each of them to the Lord.
*** God told him to go tell Balak that Israel was a nation set apart and he could not curse what God had not cursed. Israel was prosperous and righteous.
*** The king was upset but Balaam told him he had warned him he could only say what God allowed him to say.
*** Balak was not finished. He took Balaam to another viewpoint of Israel and told him to at least curse this part. Balaam offered the same sacrifice on seven altars again to the Lord.
*** He came back saying that God was not lying when he blessed them. None of his magic had any power against Israel. Then he blessed Israel with conquest over her enemies.
*** Balak was so upset because not only did he not curse them but he blessed them and cursed himself.
*** Still, Balak would not give up. He took him to one more view point where Balaam offered the same seven altars to the Lord.
*** In Luke, Elizabeth had her baby and no one could believe she wanted to name him John since there were no ‘John’s’ in their family. But Zechariah wrote on a tablet, “His name is John” and then could speak. The people marveled at what John would grow up to be.
*** Zechariah prophesied that John would fulfill God’s covenant promise to his people. He would be the prophet of the Most High and prepare the way for the Lord. He would tell people how to find salvation through forgiveness of the sins. God’s light was going to shine from heaven and give them light to guide them to the path of peace.
*** John grew up in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel.
*** Lord, it is so wonderful to see a promise fulfilled! John was such a welcome sight. We are so pleased to see the evidence of justice beginning to be shown on the earth You are our defense and our strong tower. We run to you and are safe.
I have always loved to study the Bible and look for hidden meanings to know God better. I think God hides things and shares them with those who will spend the time seeking them out. He loves to reveal his mysteries with us. I pray that I will rightly divide the truth so that others might love his word like I do. I pray that God will be magnified in your life as you read my blog.
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Thurs.’s Devo - Obedience to God’s Word
Read: Numbers 21:1-22:20; Luke 1:26-56; Psalm 57:1-11; Proverbs 11:9-11
As the children of Israel came closer to Canaan, the king of Arad in Canaan attacked the Israelites and took some of them as prisoners. The people of Israel promised the Lord that if he would help them get their people back, they would destroy all their towns. God heard their prayer and gave them victory.
*** The children of Israel had asked the Edomites if they could pass through their land. They promised not to take anything and to pay for any food they might need. The Edomites refused to let them pass through so they had to go all the way around their territory into the wilderness. There was no water or food out in the wilderness, so the people cried out against the Lord and Moses.
*** God sent them poisonous snakes to bite them and many died. They repented and asked Moses to pray to the Lord to take the snakes away. God told Moses to make a brass snake and put it on a pole and anyone who was bit could look at the brass snake and they would be healed. That snake on the pole is the symbol of healing for the medical field today.
*** They traveled on until they came to Beer where there was a well. They sang a song about the well.
*** When they came to the boundary into the land of the Ammonites, they sent a message to them like they had the Edomites. They also refused to let them travel through their land and the King of Sihon mobilized his whole army and came out to fight them. The Israelites slaughtered them and occupied their land and captured all their towns and surrounding villages.
*** They came to the land of Bashan where Og was the king. Bashan attacked them with his army but the Lord told Moses not to be afraid of him because He would hand them over to Israel also. Israel killed King Og, his sons, and all his subjects and none of his people survived. Israel occupied his land also.
As they approached Moab, Balak, the king of Moab heard of all they had done to the Edomites and the Ammorites so he took a different strategy. Since he had seen he would not be able to defeat them militarily, he decided he would beat them spiritually so he hired Balaam, a sorcerer to put a curse on Israel.
Balak sent messengers to Balaam and offered to pay him to come and curse Israel. Balaam told the men to spend the night with him and he would ask God. God told him not to go with these men and he was not to curse Israel because they were blessed.
When the messengers returned to King Balak and told him what Balaam said, he tried again. This time he sent more men in number and importance to Balaam to appeal to his pride. Balak reminded him, he would pay him well.
*** Balaam told them that he was powerless against God but if they would stay the night he would ask God again. God told him he could go with these men but he could only say what God told him to say.
*** In Luke, Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy. Gabriel was sent to Mary who was a virgin engaged to Joseph, a descendant of King David.
*** The angel told Mary that she was highly favored and she was chosen to conceive a son name Jesus. He would be very great and be called the Son of the Most High. He would be given the throne of his ancestor David and would reign over Israel forever. His Kingdom would never end.
*** When Mary asked how this would happen, Gabriel explained that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and overshadow her. The baby would be holy and would be called the Son of God. Elizabeth, her relative, was now pregnant too, in her sixth month.
*** Mary responded that she was God’s servant and may everything he said come true.
A few days later Mary went to see Elizabeth in Judea. When Mary walked in the house and greeted Elizabeth, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb jumped for joy and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She began prophesying over Mary. She acknowledged that Mary would be the mother of her Lord. She blessed Mary because of her faith to believe all God said would happen.
*** Lord, may we have the faith to believe that if you say it, we do not even need to question it. May we have faith like Mary and not like Balaam that was tempted to make money from evil kings. May we be God’s servant and give him our lives today to be used for his service.
I have always loved to study the Bible and look for hidden meanings to know God better. I think God hides things and shares them with those who will spend the time seeking them out. He loves to reveal his mysteries with us. I pray that I will rightly divide the truth so that others might love his word like I do. I pray that God will be magnified in your life as you read my blog.
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Wed.’s Devo - God’s Faithfulness
Read: Numbers 19:1-20:29; Luke 1:1-25; Psalm 56:1-13; Proervs 11:8
God gave Moses the law of the red heifer which would stand for Jesus. It’s blood was to be sprinkled seven times before the tabernacle where the congregation stood. Then it was to be burned completely on the brazen altar along with cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet. These were all the props at Mt. Calvary. Then the priest was to wash his clothes and bathe in the laver and he would be clean. A clean man was to gather up the ashes of the heifer and take them outside the camp to a clean place where it would be kept for use in the water of separation ceremony. This man would be unclean until the evening. Joseph of Arimathea was that clean man who took the body of Christ to his own tomb.
*** If a person touched a dead body, he would be unclean for seven days. On the third day of that week, he was to purify himself and on the seventh day he would be clean. All of this was symbolic. Our lives constitute the seven days. Our day of salvation is the third day. If we are purified on the day of our salvation, then we will be pure before God the day we die.
*** The law says that if the water of separation is not put on him, he will not be clean. This could be referring to baptism which cleanses us from our sins. If this is so, it is imperative that we be baptized. God gave us laws for a reason which goes beyond our comprehension.
*** The people came to the desert of Zin once again. Miriam die there and was buried.
*** There was no water and the people blamed Moses and Aaron. They accused them of bringing them to this evil place that had was not fertile and there was no water to drink.
*** The Lord told Moses to gather the people and speak to the rock and it would bring forth water. Instead, Moses took his rod and stuck the rock twice and water came out abundantly but God rebuked Moses and Aaron for not doing what he said. He called it the water of Meribah, the same thing he called it in Exodus 17:7 the first time they had come to this exact place.
*** Aaron would die here for complaining with the people about not having water the first time (Exodus 17:7). At that time, it says that the people complained against only Moses, meaning that Aaron was on the side of the people. This second time, Moses and Aaron were mentioned together and the people complained against both of them.
*** Moses would have to die for not obeying the Lord the second time. God had told Moses to speak to the rock. That rock was Christ and he was struck once for our sins. He doesn’t have to die again for our sins. Now we speak the word of confession and salvation and we are saved.
*** It was time for Aaron to die so he was taken up on a mountain for all to see. Moses took the mantle off of Aaron and put it on his son, Eleazar. Aaron then died and the people mourned for 30 days.
*** Luke set out to write the story of Jesus by talking to eye witnesses and putting the story in chronological order. He began with the birth of John the Baptist who would announce the coming of the Messiah.
*** Zacharias was a priest married to Elisabeth who was of the line of Aaron. Both were righteous people who walked with God. She had been barren, so they had no children and now they were both elderly.
*** It was Zacharias’ lot to burn incense this month but when he went in to burn incense, an angel met with him. It told him that his prayer had been heard. His wife would have a son and they were to name it John. It would be filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb. He would be great in God’s sight and he would not drink wine or strong drink. He would turn many people to the Lord.
*** He would have the spirit of Elijah on him and turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just and prepare the people to receive the Lord.
*** Zacharias questioned the angel about their age and the angel told him that since he didn’t believe, he would not be able to talk until it came to past.
*** Zacharias was in the place of burning incense so long, the people outside began to worry. When he came out he couldn’t speak but made motions that let them know he had seen a vision.
*** When Zacharias had completed his days as priest, he came home and he and Elizabeth conceived a child. She went into seclusion for five months. She rejoiced that God had taken away her reproach of barrenness away.
*** Zacharias had prayed for years for a son. Little did he know that God had not forgotten them and was going to answer them at just the right time he needed his son on the earth. Our prayers are always heard by God. He is faithful.
*** Lord, thank you that you answer our prayers even after we are gone from this earth. We proclaim your goodness over our lives, our health, our families and our nation. We say, let the redeemed of the Lord say so. We say good things are coming. Justice is coming. Grace and prosperity is coming. Revival is coming!
I have always loved to study the Bible and look for hidden meanings to know God better. I think God hides things and shares them with those who will spend the time seeking them out. He loves to reveal his mysteries with us. I pray that I will rightly divide the truth so that others might love his word like I do. I pray that God will be magnified in your life as you read my blog.
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