Sat.’s Devo - Being Kingdom Minded

Read: Deuteronomy 16:1-17:20; Luke 9:7-27; Psalm 72:1-20; Proverbs 12:8-9
God gave them instructions about the feasts many times because they were rehearsals to point to the specific times the Lord would meet with his people. I’ve gone through these before but I will remind us again. Passover was celebrated by sacrificing a lamb to commemorate their deliverance from Egypt and slavery. Jesus fulfilled this when he died on the cross to deliver us from our sins and slavery to the devil. Unleavened Bread started the week of Passover and lasted a week. They were to rid their houses of yeast which stood for sin. Our Unleavened Bread starts the day we come into the kingdom of God through Jesus. We begin our journey of sanctification where we remove the sin from our lives and are conformed into the image of God. It was fulfilled when Jesus went down to Hell during his burial and set the captives free and took the keys of death, hell and the grave. First fruits was celebrated at the end of theses feasts and it was to celebrate the first grains of wheat. It represents the harvest of souls and was fulfilled when Jesus rose from he dead as the first fruit taking many souls with him that had died.
Fifty days later is Pentecost where they would count the seed of the first fruit and then harvest the barley crop. It represented the harvest of the church and was fulfilled at the first Pentecost after Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus had promised them the Holy Spirit. He was given first at this Pentecost.
There are threes more feasts at in the fall but the only one in today’s reading is the Feast of Tabernacles. It was celebrated over the fruit harvest - the olive and the grape (the oil and the wine). It represents the day Jesus returns to set up his earthly tabernacle.
God gave them rules he knew they would need in the future. He even talked to them about kings before they had them because he knew they would have them one day. Notice that he told the kings to be sure they didn’t take horses from Egypt or have many wives or have much gold and silver. Solomon was guilty of all three of these things (1 Kings 10:28, I Kings 11:1,4).
Every king was to write out the law in their own handwriting and read it every day. They were to learn of the Lord and walk in His ways.
In Luke, the people were speculating about who Jesus was. Jesus asked his own disciples and Peter said that he was the Christ of God. Jesus told them not to tell anyone and then told them all the suffering he was going to go through. He was not only talking about the suffering he was going to go through but also theirs. His last statement was, “some of you who are standing here will not taste death before you see the kingdom of God.” I’m sure they didn’t realize that the kingdom of God was coming to earth on the day of Pentecost when the church was birthed. None of the disciples could fathom that the kingdom of God was coming to earth in them!
Lord, help us to live the kingdom of God in our hearts. We do not want to be turned away by “glory, gold and girls” or things that tickle our senses. We want to be wholly sold out for your kingdom.

Fri.’s Devo - The Living Word

Read: Deuteronomy 13:1-15:23; Luke 8:40-9:6; Psalm 71:1-24; Proverbs 12:5-7
God warned the people that just because a person could do signs and miracles and prophecy the truth doesn’t mean that they are sent by him. The proof is not in their miracles but in their worship. If they worship other gods then they are not to be followed. In Revelations, God warns us of the same thing. In the last days, people will rise up and do miraculous things but their heart will not be the Lord’s and their motives will be selfish. The devil can do supernatural things so we can not be deceived. He is an angel of light looking for a way to deceive God’s elect.
God told them to eat any animal that has a hoof divided in two and that chews the cud. The divided hoof is a picture of the Word that divides soul and spirit that keeps us balanced. Chewing the cud is a picture of meditating on the Word and bringing it back up to “chew” on more.
Creatures in the water that have fins and scales are a picture of spiritual things. Fins keep a fish swimming upright and balanced. The scales are its covering. We are covered with the blood of Jesus.
They were not to eat birds that ate dead things. We are to feed ourselves things that bring us life. The Word of God is the “living” Word of God.
We are to give a tenth of everything to the Lord. It is not that he needs anything we have but the fact that we need to give. Giving humbles you and delivers you from the fear of lack. If you are generous then money will not control you but you will control it.
In Luke, we are reminded that not all the religious leaders were against Jesus. Jarius was a ruler in the synagogue and he had a need that superseded his judgment about Jesus. His twelve year old daughter was more important than his pride. There was a woman in the crowd that had been bleeding for twelve years. She and Jarius had to break protocol to see Jesus. She was considered unclean because of her bleeding, but she was desperate. Jarius probably received rebuke from the other religious leaders but he cared more about his daughter than the opinions of his friends. Jesus healed them both because of their faith.
Then Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them power to drive out demons and cure diseases. He sent them out to do what he did. We are to follow Jesus’ lead.
Lord, help us to realize the authority you give us over the powers of darkness. Let us not be afraid to face our fears and defeat them by the blood of the Lamb.

Thurs.’s Devo - Blessings or Curses

Read: Deuteronomy 11:1-12:32; Luke 8:22-39; Psalm 70:1-5; Proverbs 12:4
God reminded the people that their children didn’t see the miracles and wonders that God did for them when he delivered them from Egypt. They also didn’t live during the days that the Lord disciplined them with plagues and earthquakes. They would have to teach their children these things over and over so they wouldn’t forget them. The live they were going to would not be hard like the life of traveling through the wilderness. The promised land would have fertile fields and rain. God tended to this land and if they obeyed him he would make sure the rain came at the right time and the earth yielded its fruit. All the land that God had mapped out for them would be theirs all they had to do was to set their foot on it. He promised to drive out their enemies. They just had to keep walking.
This is a great promise to us. When we get stuck because of fear we stop possessing our land. If we have dreams then we keep dreaming and planning until God breaks through for us. If we have family issues, we press on in prayer and keep walking with the Lord. To stop is to lose ground.
God gave them the choice of being blessed or cursed. He gives us that same choice. To be blessed is to follow his Word. To be cursed is to disobey them.
In Luke, Jesus and his disciples crossed the lake to the Gentile side. The devil knew he was coming and tried to kill him in the storm but Jesus was not afraid of the devil’s threats. He calmed the sea. When he got there, he immediately met the principality of that region that resided in a man in chains (a perfect picture of a man under Satan’s command). Jesus cast his demons out and put them into the pigs as he had begged. The pigs committed suicide by rushing down the cliff into the water where they drowned. Instead of the people being happy to see this man totally set free, they were afraid of Jesus and made him leave. People are comfortable in their lifestyle of sin. They don’t applaud righteousness and spiritual freedom.
When the man begged to go with Jesus, Jesus told him he had to stay and tell people what had happened to him. Jesus left.
What we didn’t read today is that the man did what Jesus told him to do and the people were able to see the change in this man. The next time Jesus came to this region, the people flocked to see him. We overcome by the power of our testimony and the blood of the lamb.
Lord, help us to be bold in sharing our testimony to those around us. Help us not to be afraid of Satan’s power which is under our feet.

Wed.’s Devo - Parables and Understanding

Read: Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22; Luke 8:4-21; Psalm 69:19-36; Proverbs 12:2-3
God was going to give the nation of Israel the land of nations much greater and stronger than them and He wanted them to know that it was going to be him that did it. He made it plain that it was not because of their righteousness or integrity that he was doing it for them but it was because of the wickedness of the nations in the land. God reminded them of all the times they had disobeyed and rebelled against the Lord. Their whole history was one of rebellion, but once more he was reaching out to tell them what pleased him. It was to fear him and walk in his ways, loving and serving him with all their heart and soul and obeying his commands which were for their good. He implored them to circumcise their hearts which means to soften their hearts and repent of their own ways and follow his. Over and over God told them to love the foreigner because they were once foreigners. That is like God telling us to love the sinner because we were once sinners.
In Luke, Jesus gave the people the parable of the seed and the sower. Jesus told parables all the time and anyone could have asked him what they meant. The Pharisees didn’t want to seem ignorant and many of the parables were against them so they never asked, but the disciples wanted to understand, so they asked. Jesus explained it to them. The seed is the Word of God and whether the seed took root and grew depended on the heart of the one it fell into. Jesus was the light bringing revelation to their hearts. He had come to the world to stand up and show the world the truth. He warned them to consider carefully how they listened. Revelation comes to those who are hungry and seeking truth, not justification. The more you receive, the more you will get. If we hear the Word with our hearts and apply it to our lives then we are considered as close as Jesus’ mother and brothers.
Lord, give us ears to hear and hearts to understand.

Tues.’s Devo - The Redeemed

Read: Deuteronomy 7:1-8:20; Luke 7:36-8:3; Psalm 69:1-18; Proverbs 12:1
God gave them instructions about the people in the land they were going to possess. They were not to make treaties with them or have mercy on them. They were not to intermarry with the people in the land because they would turn them away from the Lord.
The Israelites were not as numerous or strong as their enemy, but God was going to drive out the seven nations that were in the land and give them the land. He was also going to bless them and multiply them. God promised to keep them well and safe and prosperous if they kept his commandments and lived by them. It sounded so easy, but that promise is still ours. God’s way is always the only one that will lead us to the promises he has given us. God wants only good for us.
To disobey God’s laws leads to destruction. We see this every day as people and we ourselves choose to go our own way which leads to self-destruction.
In Luke, one of the Pharisees had invited Jesus to eat at his house. A prostitute came in and washed his feet with her perfume and wiped them with her hair. The Pharisee was outraged that Jesus would let her do this since she was a prostitute and if he was a prophet, he should know this about her. Of course, Jesus knew that about her. Jesus explained to Simon that he didn’t think he had any sin, so he didn’t love like she did, but she knew her sin and the depth of her debt. She was so grateful and humble where Simon felt entitled and proud.
Jesus’ ministry was supported by the women like Mary of Mandala and Joanna who ran Herod’s household. Mandala was a city know for cloth dying it was known as the “city of color”. Mary must have been a wealthy cloth-dyer as well as a notorious sinner.
Lord, thank you for your mercy and salvation. Help us to remember where we came from and all you have done for us.

Mon.’s Devo - Remember

Read: Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25; Luke 7:11-35: Psalm 68:19-35: Proverbs 11:29-31
Moses gathered the people and read to them the law that he had been given on Mt. Sinai. This was their marriage covenant with the Lord. If they would obey these laws it would go well with them and their children forever. They would live and prosper and live long in the land God was giving them. They were to impress them on their own hearts and the hearts of their children and talk about them as they went about their day. They were not to forget them when they became prosperous and blessed. They were not to forget the slavery that God brought them out of.
This is a great reminder to us. We pray and pray for God to bring us out of our tough situations and when he does, how quickly we forget. Life is so distracting but God doesn’t want us to forget the wonderful things he has done for us. It becomes part of our testimony that we can use to encourage others of what God can do for them. It is also what keeps us humble and grateful.
In Luke, Jesus walked into a funeral possession of a widow’s only son. He had compassion on the mother and raised the young son from the dead. This caused quite a stir and the miracle reached John’s ears in prison. He sent his disciples to Jesus to ask him if he was the Messiah or did they need to wait for another. They watched as Jesus healed the blind, the lame, the lepers, delivered the oppressed and preached to the poor. Then he told John, “blessed is he who shall not be offended in me.” John knew the scriptures and knew that the Messiah would do all these things, but he also knew that the Messiah would open the prison doors and set the prisoner free and he was in prison. That is why Jesus said, “blessed are those who are not offended in me.” He knew that John was fighting offense against Jesus because he didn’t set him free. It was not John’s time to be set free. He had done his commission and had to die so that Jesus could live. It was part of the plan even though John didn’t understand.
That is so true in our lives. We do not understand the trials we have to go through but they are divinely chosen for our growth and our path. We have to learn to submit to God’s plan even when we don’t understand and it doesn’t make sense.
Lord, help us to trust when we cannot see beyond our hurts. You are our loving Father who never lets us down.

Sun.’s Devo - To the Jew First, then to the Gentiles

Read: Deuteronomy 4:1-49; Luke 6:39-7:10; Psalm 68:1-18; Proverbs 11:28
Moses spoke to them his last words. In it he was trying to imprint upon their hearts their identity. God wanted them to know how he chose them, spoke to them, performed miracles for them and now had given them this land. He wanted them to know that no one had a God that was near to them and heard their prayers. No other nation had a personal father in heaven who loved them. Even though they could not see him, he was there always for them.
He warned them of being enticed into other forms of worship of other gods and the temptations they were about to encounter. God instructed them to teach their children their heritage and where they came from and who their god was. He told them to ask him about things that happened before their time when God created the earth because he wanted them to learn about him. He told them that no one on earth had laws that were as righteous and good as his and that they would keep them strong and blessed if they obeyed them. God had great things in store for them if they obeyed his laws.
In Mark, Jesus tried to enter town secretly but it didn’t take long for the people to find out he was there and start bringing their sick to him. A mother brought her daughter who was possessed by an evil spirit. She was Greek and begged Jesus to cast the demon from her daughter. Jesus told her that first he was sent to the lost sheep of Israel. He used the expression of tossing the children’s bread to their dogs. The woman was desperate and countered with, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Her reply got her what she wanted. Her daughter was released from the demon.
Jesus’ reply to the woman sounds mean and harsh but he was profecying his mission. It was first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles.
Jesus went on to heal a man with a speech impediment who was deaf and fed a multitude with seven baskets of food left. It is important to know that Jesus is in the territory of the Gentiles.
Lord, your ways are so beyond my understanding but I know that you do all things well.

Sat.’s Devo - Warfare and Truth

Read: Deuteronomy 2:1-3:29; Luke 6:12-38; Psalm 67:1-7; Proverbs 11:27
The Israelites had to pass through the land of Esau and God told them not to engage them in war because he had given that land to them. They were to pay them in silver for all the food and water they took from the land. God had helped the descendants of Esau drive out the giants from their land just as he would help the Israelites drive out the giants from their land.
God also told them not to engage the Ammonites in battle or take their land because that was the land he had given to the descendants of Lot.
But, when they came to the land of the Amorites, they were to engage them in battle and take their land. They took the land of Heshbon where Sihon was king, then the land of Bashan where Og was king. These were all giants. Og’s bed was thirteen feet long and six feet wide! Moses gave their land to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh. They liked that land so much they asked to have that for their inheritance instead of land in Canaan.
Moses’ time was almost over so he encouraged Joshua that God would do to the kings in Canaan what he did to Sihon and Og. Moses was only allowed to go up on the mountain and look at the promised land before he was taken. He was not allowed to go in and walk on it because of his disobedience.
In Luke, Jesus began his most famous sermon we call the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus’ teaching was so radical to the teaching of the Pharisees. They taught that the wealthier you were meant that God was most pleased with you. Jesus taught that you were blessed if you were poor and that the kingdom of heaven was yours. The Pharisees did everything they could to alienate the people from God and Jesus taught that God wanted to be near them no matter who they were. They taught a religion of hopelessness and rules and Jesus taught of love and acceptance and forgiveness.

Fri.’s Devo - Change is Good if it is God

Read: Numbers 36:1-Deuteronomy 1:46; Luke 5:29-6:11; Psalm 66:1-20; Proverbs 11:24-26
A few days ago we read where the daughters of Zelophehad received their father’s inheritance because they had no brothers. The people in their tribe were concerned that if they married out of their tribe their husband’s tribe would get the land when they died. This was a valid point so Moses decided they must marry within their tribe and keep the boundary lines intact.
I wonder if this has to do with our talents and gifts. My husband, Dave and I are both like-minded in our beliefs. We even have some of the same spiritual gifts, though in the natural, our gifts are very different. I know that we are both Levites spiritually. We don’t talk “tribal” in the church but I do wonder if we did if it would make a difference. Everyone who is born again fits in one of the tribes spiritually. It would be interesting to see how many people have married someone in their tribe.
God did multiply the children of Israel as the stars of heaven which made it too hard for Moses to lead by himself so God told him to appoint wise men from each tribe to judge the easier cases and he would do the hard ones.
Moses took them back through the past forty years and reminded them why they did not enter into the land. He did not want them to repeat that again.
In Luke, the Pharisees came to Jesus and wanted to know why his disciples didn’t fast. He told them that people don’t fast when they are with the bridegroom - they feast. They also questioned why he ate grain from the field (which they called work) and why he healed on the Sabbath (which they also called work). Jesus explained that there was no way to put new wine into old wineskins because the old wineskins would break. What Jesus taught and did was the new wine. The Pharisees were the old wineskins who couldn’t change their hearts to become new. All they could do was burst in anger. Jesus’ disciples were new wineskins whose hearts were hungry and ready to change. They could receive and hold the new wine.
Jesus was the Word which made him the law, but he was bringing in a new covenant which would bring life to the old. You had to have a changed heart to understand it.
Lord, help us to remember our past mistakes so we won’t be tempted to repeat them and help us to have tender hearts to embrace new things you are bringing to us.

Thurs.’s Devo -Cities of Refuge

Read: Numbers 33:40-35:34; Luke 5:13-38; Psalm 65:1-13; Proverbs 11:23
When the Israelites came to the land the Lord promised them they were to drive out the people living there and destroy all their idols and images. They were to take possession of their land and then divide it up among the tribes distributing the land proportionally to the size of the tribes. He warned them that if they didn’t drive out the inhabitants of the land and allowed them to live then they would become a pain in their neck.
The Levites were not to get any land but every tribe was to set apart cities of refuge where the Levites would live. They would be the judges of murder cases. If a person unintentionally killed someone, they would run to one of the cities of refuge and present their case before the Levites. If they believed he was innocent, the man would be allowed to live in the city and be safe until the death of the high priest, then they would be released and the avenger of death could not kill him.
We were all guilty of death because of our sin, but when our high priest, Jesus, died for us, we were set free.
In Luke, Jesus was at the beginning of his ministry. He came to reveal himself as the Messiah of the Jews so when he healed the man with leprosy, he wanted the man to show himself to the priest. He wanted to give them the chance to believe. In their law they believed that only the Messiah would be able to heal a leper. He wanted it to be a testimony to them.
A person with leprosy represents a person in sin because leprosy is a disease of the flesh. Next, Jesus healed a paralytic. He represents a person who cannot walk because he is paralyzed. Many people are paralyzed by fear, pain, death, sin…whatever stops them from becoming what God intended them to become. Before Jesus gave the man his walk back, he forgave him of his sin. Unforgiveness is one of the biggest paralyzers of life.
Lord, help us to get rid of the sin and paralyzers of our lives and live abundantly.

Wed.’s Devo. - Leaving Rameses

Read: Numbers 32:1-33:39; Luke 4:31-5:11; Psalm 64:1-10; Proverbs 11:22
The Ruebenites and the Gadites decided that they liked the land they had just conquered even though it wasn’t in the promised land. They bartered that they would help the other tribes take their land, but they wanted to leave their children and wives there. Moses was upset at first but then relented and let them stay if they fulfilled their promise. He warned them that if they didn’t they could be sure that their sin would find them out.
What a picture of not walking in the plan of God but choosing your own plan. God will allow you to do that but it would go so much better if you live out God’s destiny for your life.
Moses gives us a map of their travel through the wilderness. I love how they set out from the city of Rameses which means “the standard was evil”. They left that place the day after Passover. They left the place where the standard was evil and started toward the promised land. When we get saved we are leaving a life where evil is the standard and going toward a land where righteousness is the standard.
In Luke, Jesus left Nazareth and went to Capernaum in Galilee. He preached with authority and backed his teaching up with power. He cast out demons and healed the sick. He even helped Peter fish. When Peter saw that miracle, he left everything and followed Jesus to fish for men.
Lord, may we walk out the destiny you have planned for us.

Tues.’s Devo - Vows

Read: Numbers 30:1-31:54; Luke 4:1-30; Psalm 63:1-11; Proverbs 11:20-21
Many people make vows to the Lord without even knowing it. All it takes to make a vow is to speak out a statement. We all make rash promises and say things we don’t mean. We are held to them if we don’t break them the same way we made them - by speaking.
God told the children of Israel if they made a vow and either their husband or their father heard it and didn’t agree to it, he could release them from it. Or, he could remain silent and she or he was bound to keep it.
Before we are saved we make many foolish vows but our new husband, Jesus, releases us from most of them. It uses the example of woman because we are the bride of Christ. If a woman is divorced or a widow whatever vow she makes stands. This is talking about a person who has either rejected Jesus or has no god.
God sent the Israelites after the Midanites and killed their five kings as well as Balaam because he had turned the Israelites away from the Lord that caused the plague. They burned all their towns and took their women and much plunder.
After the barrel, they were to cleanse themselves as well as their weapons before they could come back into the camp. God didn’t want any of the blood of the enemy in the camp. The plunder was divided among the people.
In Luke, Jesus went from being commissioned by God in front of the people to the wilderness to be tempted. He had a battle to win over temptation. Satan began by questioning Jesus’ identity. He would say, “IF you are the son of God.” Satan challenges our identity first. Next, the devil tempted him in every promise God had given him. The temptation was to get it all before he went to the cross. That is always the devil’s temptation to get God’s promises before it is time.
After beating the devil at his game, Jesus began his ministry full of the Holy Spirit. He went to his home town where he read from Isaiah proclaiming his purpose. His hometown rejected him because they could not see him as anyone but what he was as a child. They were also incensed that he would choose to use the examples of Gentile people that God visited like the widow of Zarephath and the Syrian, Naaman. Jesus was speaking prophetically of the day he would lay the Jews aside and choose the Gentiles.
Lord, open our eyes to the schemes of the devil. May we not fall into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Mon.’s Devo - Rehearsals

Read: Numbers 28:16-29:40; Luke 3:23-38; Psalm 62:1-12; Proverbs 11:18-19
The feasts are explained over and over in the Bible to show the importance of them. The feasts are God’s timetable that every major event is measured by. The feasts are counted by the religious calendar which starts in Nisan with Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits. On the first day of the seventh month they were to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets. Ten days later they were to hold a sacred assembly with no work. On the fifteenth day they were to hold another sacred assembly and celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. They were to offer 13 bulls plus a list of other sacrifices. Every day after was a countdown with one less bull until the number of bulls reached the number of days which was seven. Seven is completion. All the feasts were rehearsals for God’s big plan for the earth. Trumpets represents the Rapture of the church. The days between the first and the fifteenth represent the days of tribulation ending in Tabernacles where we will return with Jesus to the earth.
In Luke, we have the genealogy of Joseph which goes all the way back to Adam who was the son of God. Adam was a type of Jesus who was the son of God. First the natural Adam, then the spiritual Adam. Joseph’s line is the kingly line of David. All the patriarchs were in his line.

Sun.’s Devo - The Last of the Old Testament Prophets

Read: Numbers 26:52-28:15; Luke 3:1-22; Psalm 61:1-8; Proverbs 11:16-17
Land in the promised land was to be divided according to the size of the tribe. It was doled out to the families in each tribe but the daughters of Zelophehad received none because they were women and women didn’t receive land. Their father had died with those who died out in the wilderness because of their unbelief. Moses went to the Lord and God endorsed the women and said they should have their inheritance. Moses rewrote their laws to say that if there were no son, then the inheritance went to the daughter. Things had changed by the time of the New Testament. Women were the most hated and disrespected people according to Judaism. They were not allowed to have property, own a business, divorce their husbands or even speak up in public. They were not to be taught the Torah or even be acknowledged in the room. The new law taught that women were inherently evil.
That was another thing that made the scribes and Pharisees hate Jesus; he honored women. Jesus taught them and acknowledged them and loved them.
Back to Numbers…it was time for Moses to place his mantle on the new leader because he was not entering the land God had promised. The new leader would be Joshua who had stood faithful and true the whole time.
In Luke, John the Baptist grew up in the wilderness and many people came to him to hear his preaching and be baptized. He was the last of the Old Testament prophets and the one who would announce the Messiah. Many people believed that John was the Messiah but he was quick to tell them that he was not , but the Messiah was coming. John was able to baptize Jesus and see God’s sign of the dove and hear the voice of God proclaim that Jesus was his son.
John the Baptist came calling the nation back to God. He pointed out the sins of society but when he pointed out the sin of Herod and his affair with his brother’s wife, Herod had him thrown into prison where he would stay till he was executed.
We are not promised a bed of roses in this life but we are promised that God will never leave us and that he will work everything for our good if we follow him.
Lord, give us the grace to live an abundant life.

Sat.’s Devo - Numbers

Read: Numbers 26:1-51; Luke 2:36-52; Psalm 60:1-12; Proverbs 11:15
Twenty-four thousand people died in the plague caused by the rebellion of the people who went after Moabite gods. God then told them to take a census of who was left. He was to number all who were of age to serve in the army. The total number was 601,730. This number means that they were at their full maturity and ready to enter the promised land.
In Luke, we read about Anna, the widow who had lost her husband after 7 years of marriage. She had never remarried and now she was eighty-four. She had spent the rest of her life praying and worshiping at the temple in Jerusalem. She recognized the spirit of God on Jesus and prophesied that he was the hope of Israel.
Mary and Joseph returned to Nazareth where they lived. Every year they traveled to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover which was Jesus’ birthday. When a Jewish boy reaches the age of 12 he is considered a man and starts working in his father’s business. Jesus’ father was God so when he went to Jerusalem that year, he stayed in the temple because that was God’s business. When his parents finally found him there, he told them, “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be about my father’s business?”
They took him home, but Mary took note of what he had said and understood it. Jesus submitted to his earthly parents and became a carpenter like Joseph.
Looking back at today’s post I see so many numbers. God speaks through numbers because every number means something about what was going on. Twenty-four thousand means that God was dividing out (2) those who refused to submit to his reign (4). Thousand means full maturity, so their sin had reached its full maturity and God had to act. Seven means complete which described Anna’s marriage. It had made her complete and she didn’t need anything else. She was 84 which means she had “put off” (8) the kingdom of the world and had put on the reign of God’s kingdom (4). Jesus was 12 which means “joined”. He was wanting to join the government of God’s system on earth - the priests. God didn’t want Jesus to join with them because they had left the Mosaic law and had rewritten their own. The Holy Spirit was Jesus’ teacher.
Lord, thank you for the balance of your Word and your Spirit that teaches us truth.

Fri.’s Devo - The Beginning of Israel’s Downfall

Read: Numbers 24:1-25:18; Luke 2:1-35; Psalm 59:1-17; Proverbs 11:14
Balak took Balaam to a third place, Peor, thinking that maybe God would allow Balaam to curse Israel there. Balaam didn’t resort to his enchantments but let God speak through him. He saw a vision of the Almighty and spoke while in a trance. He blessed Israel once again making Balak really mad. Balaam lost the honor and the riches Balak would have given him because Balaam understood the spiritual realm. He was not allowed to go beyond the commandment of God.
Balaam even gave a prophecy about what Israel would do in the latter days. He saw Jesus as the Star of Jacob and his kingship. Amalek would be crushed and God would conquer the Roman and the Greek empires.
After that, the Israelites fell into the worship of the god, Chemosh whose worship included sexual perversion and licentiousness. God took these leaders and had them killed and exposed in broad daylight. That is exactly what God does to leaders who engage in sexual sins - they get exposed for the world to see.
One of the leaders brought one of the Midianite women into the camp to have sex with. They walked right past Moses unashamedly. Aaron took a spear in his hand, entered their tent and drove a spear right through both of their bodies. This stopped the plague that God had unleashed because of their sin. What Aaron did was a picture of what we should do to get rid of the curse of sin. The sword is the Word of God and he used that against the sin. If we would apply the Word of God to the way we govern our lives, our families, and our nation, then there would not be a plague in our land.
In Luke, we read the birth of our Savior. I love the people that got to hear the news first, like the shepherds who were keeping watch over sacrificial lambs for the temple. I wonder if they had spent nights looking at the stars and conversing over the day that the Messiah would come. The next was the old prophet, Simeon who had spent his days waiting for the Messiah to appear on earth. Jesus came to the outcast and the humble and he put down the proud and the prominent.
Lord, may we fear you with awe and respect and love.

Thurs.’s Devo - Balaam vs. John the Baptist

Read: Numbers 22:21-23:30; Luke 1:57-80; Psalm 58:1-11; Proverbs 11:12-13
Balaam did everything God told him to do and yet God was not pleased with him because God knew Balaam’s heart and what he would do to harm Israel in the future. If you fast forward to Numbers 31:16 is says that Balaam led the nation of Israel into idolatry with the Baal of Peor (Numbers 25:1-3). Ironically, Peor was one of the places Balak took Balaam to curse Israel.
Balaam was mentioned in 2 Peter 2:12-19 as being mad and using his words of vanity to allure the people through the lusts of the flesh to sin. He knew the way of righteousness, yet he turned away from it. Balaam is mentioned again in Revelation 2:14 as putting a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication and uphold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans which God hates. The doctrine of the Nicolaitans is teaching the freedom to sin because we have grace. The Bible teaches the freedom to be righteous because we have God’s help to be sinless.
In Luke, John is born and he is the stark opposite of Balaam. John would also be a prophet who would live a life separated unto the Lord and a Nazarite who stayed away from all sin or anything that might make him sin. He preached repentance, not a license to sin as Balaam did. Through his birth, his father’s tongue was loosed and Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied. This is important because for 200 years, there had been no word from God and now this baby is born with signs and wonders and God is once again speaking to his people.
Lord, thank you for the day we are living in where we can hear your voice and feel your Holy Spirit with us. Help us to live in freedom to be righteous.

Wed.’s Devo - God’s Kingdom Reigns Supreme

Read: Numbers 21:1-22:20;Luke 1:26-56; Psalm 57:1-11; Proverbs 11:9-11
The people were getting so close to the promised land yet having so many setbacks which made them very impatient. First, the Canaanites attacked and captured some of them, then there was no bread or water and they were getting bored of eating manna. God was so tired of their grumbling, he sent venomous snakes which bit and killed many of them. When they repented, God made a serpent on a pole which healed all who looked on it. (The serpent on the pole was a picture of Jesus on the cross which became the curse that heals us when we look on him. This symbol has become the logo for the medical field.)
To make matters worse, the king of Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. This ended up working for their benefit because they defeated and captured all the land of the Ammorites up to the land of the Ammonites. Then they killed Og king of Bashan and his army and took possession of his land.
As they approached the land of Moab, Balak of Zippor was terrified because he had seen all they had done to the other nations. He sent money by the hands of his elders to the wizard, Balaam, to pay him to curse Israel. Balaam told them that he would ask God, but he could only say what God allowed him to say.
The spiritual kingdoms are totally subject to God, even if they are evil. Satan can only do what God allows.
In Luke, we see that the angel Gabriel came to Mary six months after Elizabeth became pregnant. This would make it the month of Passover. The angel told Mary she would become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and have a son named Jesus. He would be called the Son of the Most High and would inherit the throne of David. Mary did not understand how she could become pregnant naturally, but she knew that with God all things were possible.
Gabriel told Mary about her aunt Elizabeth and Mary went immediately to see her. At the sound of Mary’s voice, John the Baptist leapt for joy in Elizabeth’s womb. Together they shared their good news and praised the Lord.
Lord, we join with the Psalmist who sang, “I cry out to God Most High, who fulfills his purpose for me, and sends his love and his faithfulness.”

Tues.’s Devo - The Red Heifer

Read: Numbers 19:1-20:29: Luke 1:1-25; Psalm 56:1-13: Proverbs 11:8
The red heifer was the picture of Jesus on the cross. The red heifer had to be without defect or blemish and one that had never been yoked. Jesus was without sin and not under the law. The red heifer was killed outside the camp just as Jesus was killed outside of Jerusalem. All of Jesus was given, filleted and crucified on the cross. The wood, hyssop and scarlet wool (his robe) were props at his crucifixion. Everyone who applies the blood of Jesus to their lives must then be washed in the water or baptism to wash their sins away.
A dead body or someone who fails to purify himself refers to a person who is unsaved and fails to be saved. A person who dies in a tent represents a person who dies unsaved. Their tent is their old man and if they die in that state they will not be saved in eternity. An open container is a person who opens their door to every sin and does not allow God to close the door to sin in their lives. These will also not receive eternal life. They must apply the ashes, or death of Jesus to their lives and be changed with the pure water of the Word. Then on the seventh day, they will be clean. The seventh day represents the last day of their lives.
Moses led the people back to the same place they had come to when they left Egypt and needed water. On the first occasion, God told Moses to strike the rock and water would come from it. That water sustained them for 40 years. They were at the end, about to enter again and they were without water. This time God told Moses to speak to the rock. He struck it twice, instead. First Corinthians 10:4 says that Christ was the rock that followed them in the wilderness. Jesus was struck once for our sin. Now, we confess Jesus because he has already died. Everything Moses did was to be a picture of what God was going to do. When Moses messed up the picture, which cost him the promised land.
Aaron also had to die for his sin of rebellion. The only two people that got to enter the promised land of the original people that left Egypt were Joshua and Caleb.
Luke is an orderly book of the life of Jesus so it is our correct timeline. God came to the priest, Zachariah and promised him a son that would announce the coming of his son, Jesus. John was to be like Aaron was to Moses. He was filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb. Elizabeth was the aunt of Mary. Since it was the day of Atonement and the Jews mark birthdays from the day of conception, John’s birthday was the Day of Atonement. During the day of atonement, the people were to examine the state of their lives and the life of their nation and repent before the Feast of Tabernacles which represents Jesus’ second coming. After that it would be too late.
John the Baptist came preaching repentance from sin so the people would be ready for Jesus’ first appearance.
Lord, help us to prepare our hearts and lives for your second coming. Let us see that we are pictures of what God is doing on earth.

Mon.’s Devo - We Are God’s Choice

Read: Numbers 16:41-18:32; Mark 16:2-20; Psalm 55:1-23; Proverbs 11:7
Yesterday we read how the family of Korah rebelled against the family of Aaron. God opened up the earth and swallowed them. Now, a day later, we are reading that the people cried out accusing Moses of killing them. It is comical that they would blame an earthquake on a man! But then I think of all the times I blame things God is doing in my life on people who have nothing to do with it.
Since this whole thing had to do with the authority God had given the tribe of Levite, God decided to end the debate once and for all. God told all the leaders of the tribes to bring their rods with their names on them to the tabernacle. They left them there over night and God caused Aaron’s rod to sprout with buds, blossoms and almonds. God anoints who he chooses and it is not up to us to judge his choice. God sees what he can do with a man not what the man is at the beginning. We can all be thankful for that. We all start out raw and unpolished but through trials and tests we are sanded down to the vessel that God can use.
God chose the Levites as a gift to them. Our ministry that we are called to is a gift to us. The fact that we have been given salvation is a gift to us. I am so thankful!
Yesterday, in Mark we read that Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus had followed the soldiers to see where they would put Jesus. They were the only ones mentioned that did this. As soon as the the Sabbath was over, they went to the tomb to anoint his body with spices. Instead of meeting a huge stone, they met an angel who told them that Jesus had risen and gone ahead of them to Galilee.
Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, the two men on the way to the country, and to the eleven disciples. He commissioned them to go and do the things he had done on earth. Then Jesus was taken back to heaven.
No matter how insignificant we think we are, we are important to God. God chose us first because he saw what he could do in us. All we have to do is yield.
Lord, help us to realize that we are so blessed to have the gift of salvation and our ministry. Help us to yield to you.

Sun.’s Devo - Jealousy Leads to Murder

Read: Numbers 15:17-16:40; Mark 15:1-47; Psalm 54:1-7; Proverbs 11:5-6
God gave provision for the nation and the individual because we will be judged on those two fronts. God foresaw a time when the Israelites would stray so far from the truth that they would not even know they were breaking his laws. He made a way for them to come back. He also did this for the individual. We have been given a wonderful gift of a conscience but when our conscience has been so compromised and we have never been told the truth, God does not hold us responsible until we are taught the truth. Then we are held responsible.
Korah was one of the Levites from the family of Kohath. They were responsible for the most holy things in the Tabernacle like the ark itself. He was from an anointed heritage yet he rebelled against Moses along with 250 of the most prominent of Israel. They were jealous of Moses and Aaron’s positions as leader and High Priest. Moses tried to meet with them to discuss it but they wouldn’t have it so God summoned them to a showdown between Moses and Aaron and them.
They were all to bring censors burning with incense to present before the Lord. God was ready to kill the whole congregation but Moses interceded for the people and asked God just to judge the guilty. God had Moses separate the rebels from the rest of the people and opened up the earth and the earthquake swallowed them up along with their families and all their possessions. Their censors were all that were left so Moses had them hammered to the altar to remind the people not to rebel and covet the office of the Levite.
This is the picture of what Satan and his angels did when they rebelled against God and were thrown down to hell in chains.
The Old Testament can seem so harsh at times but these are all lessons to teach us. When we covet the ministry of another person or their walk with the Lord, it is not pleasing to God or healthy for us. We are all loved by God and the greatest thing we can do is to help others reach their destiny. If we put God first and honor others we will reach our destiny without striving.
The way the Sanhedrin treated Jesus and tried him secretly at night broke so many of their self-made laws because their jealousy had reached the point of murder. It is hard to read about the crucifixion without emotion. Jesus did all this for us. He chose to lay down his life. They didn’t take it from him. He willingly laid down his life to become the final sacrifice for sin.
Lord, thank you over and over for becoming sin for us and dying on the cross. May we walk in freedom and gratefulness.

Sat.’s Devo - The Master’s Peace

Read: Numbers 14:1-15:16; Mark 14:53-72; Psalm 53:1-6; Proverbs 11:4
The night that the spies came back with their evil report, all the people cried and grumbled against Moses for bringing them out of bondage. Talk about drama queens! These people are so easy to point fingers at, but so easy to mimic. As mad as I get reading about them and their unbelief, I can so relate to them in my own life. If they could have read their story in a book, I wonder if they would have reacted differently. I wonder if I would react differently if I would reread my own story of all the things God has done for me.
God has promised us that ALL THINGS work for the good for those who love him and are called into his purposes. That is a promise to every person who has called on the Lord and made Jesus their king.
God is a god of love who is slow to anger and forgives sin and rebellion but he does not leave the guilty unpunished. God forgave them, but their rebellion cost them entrance into the promised land. They would all die in the wilderness and their children would receive the promise. Their sentence was to wander in the wilderness one year for every day the spies spent in the promised land and the spies all died of a plague except Caleb and Joshua. They had a different heart.
Some of the people took matters into their own hand and went into Canaan anyway, without God’s presence and his favor. They were slaughtered.
But…God was already planning for the future. He knew that they would eventually enter and he gave them laws for offerings they would present once they got there.
In Mark, Jesus was taken to the Sanhedrin to stand trial and be sentenced by the religious institution of the day. It was the first time that Jesus openly confessed that he was the Messiah. He not only said he was the Messiah, but he predicted his second coming also.
Peter denied Jesus three times just at Jesus said he would. Everything was falling into place even though it didn’t appear to be.
That is so true of our lives. Falling into place does not look so orderly when it is happening, but the end speaks the better truth. That is why God told us not to be weary in well doing because if we do not faint, we will reap the reward.
Lord, help us to see with your eyes and put our faith in you even when things look like they are falling apart. You are the master craftsman who puts broken pieces together to form masterpieces.

Fri.’s Devo - The Trials of Leadership

Read: Numbers 11:24-13:33; Mark 14:22-52; Psalm 52:1-9; Proverbs 11:1-3
The children of Israel were not satisfied with the manna from heaven so they craved meat. Their constant complaining and entitlement was wearing on Moses so God told him to appoint 70 men to help carry the load of all the administration. The Lord came down in a cloud and put his spirit on these men and they prophesied. Two of the men that were to be of the 70 prophesied in the camp and were reported to Moses. The meanings of the names of the men were “God has loved” and “loving and affectionate”. These men were the first evangelists that took the Word out of the area of the Tabernacle out to the people. They were a prototype of what was to come.
Sure enough, the quail came and everyone gathered at least 30 bushels of quail. God was so angry that they would crave other food than his that he sent a plague that killed many of them.
Miriam and Aaron started gossiping about Moses because he had married a Cushite wife. They were really jealous of his leadership and looking for an excuse to taint his name. God rebuked them sternly and stood up for Moses and his name. Miriam was struck with leprosy. It was Moses that interceded with the Lord on her behalf and got her leprosy reduced to seven days. This is God’s word to us not to speak against his leadership even if we don’t agree with their lifestyle. It is God that put them there and it will be God that removes them.
God told Moses to send out 12 spies, one from each tribe to scout out the promised land of Canaan. It was to be a test of their faith and ten of them failed. They could only see the giants in the land which overshadowed all the good of the land. Joshua and Caleb saw the goodness of the land. They believed they could conquer the giants.
In Mark, Jesus had his last supper with his disciples. He told them the prophesy about how the shepherd would be struck down and all the sheep would be scattered. They couldn’t believe it.
After eating, they followed Jesus to the place called Gethsemane and Jesus prayed about what was about to happen. He had to wake his disciples three times to keep them awake and praying. Judas came with a battalion of Roman soldiers. With them were the chief priests, teachers of the law and the elders. The shepherd was taken and the sheep scattered.
A “watcher” was there from heaven wearing a linen garment. He left naked because they seized him by his garment. He was a picture of how the disciples were left - naked and exposed without their covering.
Lord, help us to be humble, always looking for the truth.

Thurs.’s Devo - Jesus Loved the Unloved

Read: Numbers 10:1-11:23; Mark 14:1-21; Psalm 51:1-19; Proverbs 10:31-32
God told the children of Israel to make two trumpets to call the community together and tell them to march. They were their way of communicating with everyone at once. They were to sound the trumpet before their feasts days and new moon festivals.
When the ark set out, Moses would say, “Rise up, O Lord! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you.” and whenever the ark came to rest, he would say, “Return, O Lord, to the countless thousands of Israel.” What great proclamations to make at the beginning of our day and at the end.
The people complained constantly. The KJV called them a mixt multitude. Mixt in the Hebrew means a promiscuous assemblage of people. They were tired of the same manna to eat and craved the food of Egypt. God told Moses to call seventy elders together and tell them that God had heard their grumbling and was sending meat. They would eat it for a month until it came out of their nostrils and they hate it. Their blessing would prove to be a curse because of their hard ungrateful hearts.
It is two days before Jesus’ crucifixion and he is in Bethany. Bethany means “date house”. This was to be a date that would go down in history for sure. Dates are mentioned many times in the Bible. Their branches were used on Palm Sunday to welcome Jesus to Jerusalem and proclaim Him their Passover Lamb. The date leaves were used to make the lulav which was a bouquet of branches they used in waving before the Lord at the Feast of Tabernacles. Every bit of the date can be used for things like vinegar, honey, charcoal, wine, and even rope. It is a very versatile and useful plant full of minerals.
It was in Bethany that Jesus was anointed for burial by Mary in the house of a leper. Jesus loved the people that the world considered unclean and unimportant. He gave them love and hope.
Jesus spent his last days with the people who would strengthen him for what was ahead and the people that he was depending on to carry on his work.
Lord, I pray that our lives would be like the date that everything we do and have would be useful in your kingdom on earth and in heaven.

Wed.’s Devo - The Picture of the Levites

Read: Numbers 9:1-9:23; Mark 13:14-37; Psalm 50:1-23; Proverbs 10:29-30
The priests were to set the menorah up so that the light shone in front of it. God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105). It always shines in front of us and goes before us. The menorah that Moses made looked just like the one in heaven.
The Levites were a picture of the Church in the New Testament. They replaced the first born of the people and were to be set apart to the Lord. We are first born as a natural person, but once we consecrate ourselves to the Lord, we are “born again” thus making us second borns. Jesus made a way for the first borns to become second borns when he came to earth and died for our sins. The priests stood for the ones prepared to hear the good news.
The Levites were to be actively working in the Tabernacle until the age of 50. This was a literal age that stood for a spiritual state of being. Fifty is the day of jubilee when everything returns to its rightful owner. The owner of the priests is the Lord so it is saying that a priest works all his days until he dies then he reaches 51 where his work changes. Then he is an assistant in heaven to the priests on earth. We don’t stop working when we go to heaven, but we are no longer toiling on earth. Our ministry changes to praying and assisting those on earth.
Passover is a picture of salvation so those who have not died in their sins will have a second chance once we are taken.
God led them just like he leads us today. He shines his light in the darkness and shields us during the day. His Holy Spirit is both the fire and the cloud.
In Mark, Jesus is referring to the time of tribulation when the church will be gone from the earth. It will be a dreadful time and there will be no prophetic voice on the earth to tell them what is coming, so they will not know when Jesus is coming back. God will show them signs in the sky but they will have to know how to interpret them.
Lord, thank you that your way is a refugee for the righteous. We will never be uprooted!

Tues.’s Devo - The Nazarite Vow

Read: Numbers 6:1-7:89; Mark 12:38-13:13; Psalm 49:1-20; Proverbs 10:27-28
The Nazarite vow was a voluntary setting apart of oneself to the Lord. Today, I would equate that with giving up social media for a month or going on a fast or setting apart more time out of your day to spend in prayer. Once you promise something to the Lord, he will hold you to it. If a person made a Nazarite vow and accidentally defiled that vow, he would have to start over.
The word Nazarite means an unpruned vine so the purpose of making the vow would be to develop discipline. The three requirements of a Nazarite vow were to abstain from anything that came from the grapevine, to have no razor used on his head and not to go near a dead body. The grapevine represents joy or pleasure. The hair represents rebellion and a dead body represents death and the unclean. So, the vow was to uncover all the hidden sin in a person’s life so they could face it and get rid of it. It was a time of cleansing.
God also had offerings that he required. Every tribe was required to give the same amount to the Lord when the altar was anointed. The altar represented the cross and silver was the price of redemption so everything they offered had to do with Jesus sacrifice on the cross.
In Mark, Jesus watched as the people brought their sacrifices into the temple treasury. He commented on the two copper coins of the poor widow. She had given more than all the rich people proportionally to what she owned. It all went back to the heart.
Jesus looks at our sacrifices and rewards us according to how much of our heart is in it. Everything we have is given to us by the Lord and our gifts show how much we believe that.
The disciples asked Jesus when the destruction of the temple would come. He gave them a long list of things that would happen before the end of the world. The stones of the temple represented the structures of this world. One day, they will all be destroyed.
Lord, may we learn from our Psalm today about the futility of life and the promise of eternity.

Mon.’s Devo - The Truth Will Set You Free

Read: Numbers 4:1-5:31; Mark 12:18-37; Psalm 48:1-14; Proverbsl 10:26
Within the Levites were families that had different jobs in the Tabernacle. All of the furniture was to be covered with blue cloths except the bronze altar with was covered with a purple cloth. Blue means spiritual but purple means nobel and royal. The burnt altar was a picture of Jesus on the cross.
Amazingly it took 8,580 men to tend to all the dealings of the tabernacle. They had the most important job of the people and they did their job exactly as it was to be done.
Next, God gives us the procedure of what to do if a man suspected his wife of committing adultery. He was to bring her to the priest and he would take some holy water in a clay jar and put some dust form the tabernacle floor into the water. She was to let her hair down and hold in her hands the reminder offering. The priest would hold the bitter water and have the woman agree with the curse she was about to speak over herself. If she was innocent nothing would happen and she would bear children. If she was guilty, her thigh which means her womb would shrivel up and her womb would swell as if there was a baby but she would miscarry.
This may sound like a horrible test but really it was a wonderful tool for the woman to be vindicated if she was innocent and for the husband to know the truth. I wonder what would happen if we did that today?
In Mark, the Sadducees asked a masked question but Jesus answered the real question. They were trying to trick Jesus but they were really asking about the resurrection. The Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection. Jesus told them they were badly mistaken. God was not the God of the dead, but of the living. When one of the teachers of the law heard how Jesus answered their question, he decided to ask Jesus which was the most important law. His answer was to love God first, then others as yourself. The teacher agreed with Jesus and Jesus told him he was not far from the kingdom.
This man didn’t ask with the desire to debate, he asked with sincerity and hunger. Jesus saw his heart.
Lord, help us to walk in righteousness, free of guilt.

Sun.’s Devo - Let Praise Lead You

Read: Numbers 2:1-3:51; Mark 11:27-12:17; Psalm 47:1-9; Proverbs 10:24-25
The tribes were to camp around the Tent of Meeting in the shape of a cross. God would look down from heaven and see a huge cross full of his people in their divisions. They marched in a certain order with Judah leading. Judah means “praise” so praise led them. We will not fall to depression or defeat if we let praise lead us in every situation. Our Psalm today is a great declaration of praise.
Every tribe had its own meaning, purpose and gifts. The tribes were a picture of the Body of Christ moving in their gifts. We are unified and unbeatable when we march in our places.
The last tribe would be Dan which means “judgement”. Judgement is the last thing that God does.
Within the Levite tribe, the different families had different purposes. The Levites were the ones fully given to the Lord. They were now to take the place of the first born sons. These are the ones God had chosen to represent his remnant. There were not enough Levites to represent all the first born males of the tribes so they had to buy back 273 of them.
This was a picture of the transfer of choice. One day, the Lord would reject his chosen people, the Jews, as his consecrated people to the Gentiles but many Jews would be bought back also.
In Mark we see the total rejection of Jesus by the Pharisees. They were the evil tenants that God had placed over the people to teach them about God. Instead, they had led the people astray and killed the owner of the vineyard (Jesus).
Lord, we thank you that went the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.

Sat.’s Devo - Bought With a Price

Read: Leviticus 27:14 - Numbers 1:54; Mark 11:1-25; Psalm 46:1-11; Proverbs 10:23
The children of Israel who were devoted to the Lord did not consider their houses, land, or first born children to be theirs. They were lending them to God for a price. The priest set the price and if the person wanted to redeem it for themselves they added a fifth to the price. It was valued by the amount of seed could be planted on it. In other words, the field, house, etc. stood for a soul. They could pay the price themselves or not. If they chose not to it went back to the priest and they would never be able to buy it back. This would be a person who chose not to follow Christ and take their lives into their own hands.
The person devoted to destruction has to do with a person whose seed is the seed of Satan. He may not be ransomed but must be put to death.
A tithe was required of all the herd so the shepard would hold up his rod and while the sheep were passing under it, he would count them. When he came to “ten” he had to separate this animal for the priests. He could not trade it for another.
Then, the tribes were to count their members and the head of each family was to help them with the census.
I know this sounds weird and cruel of God, but he is trying to teach us his way of selection. He has a remnant that he has chosen from the foundation of the earth to overcome and be his children. Just as he chose Abraham out of all the people on the earth, he chose us out of all the people to be born in our generation. It is very humbling. There are many scriptures about this but here is one: “Having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he made us accepted in the beloved.” Ephesians 1:4,5.
Numbers is a book about…numbers! God loves numbers and they all have meaning. He also loves names and their meanings. For example: Rueben was the first son of Jacob and his name means “see a son”. This is the first thing we do when we come to the Lord, we behold his Son and really understand who he is. His sons were Elizur and Shedeur. They mean “God of the rock” and “spreader of light”. These all describe Jesus. He is the rock of our salvation and the one who gives us light. The tribe of Reuben numbered forty and six thousand and five hundred. There is a reason the Bible breaks up the numbers because each of them is important to describe that tribe. The tribe of Reuben represents our first step into the new life of Christ. Forty means their rule is tested. A new Christian has chosen a new king so that choice will be tested. Six thousand means that that man will mature to his full stature or purpose. And, five hundred means that his service or ministry will receive a full reward.
In Mark, Jesus entered Jerusalem as the passover lamb and was praised as the Messiah. Jesus cursed the fig tree because it was not producing fruit for his arrival just as Israel as the fig tree didn’t recognize their Messiah had come.
Jesus cleansed the temple of its idolatry and pronounced what his temple was suppose to be - a house of prayer.
Thank you for choosing us to be your children. May we express your kingdom through our lives.

Fri.’s Devo - Redemption

Read: Leviticus 25:47-27:13; Mark 10:32-52; Psalm
Leviticus makes it clear that God is all about redemption. He gives laws about redeeming land, servants, family, and animals. Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
If a man was poor and needy he was able to mortgage his land and himself so that his family would be provided for until the Year of Jubilee when it would all go back to him. He could be redeemed before the Year of Jubilee by an uncle or his uncle’s son if they were willing to pay the price.
We were all poor and needy with no hope until we were redeemed by the blood of Jesus. God is our uncle since our brother is the Jew and his father is God. Our uncle’s son is Jesus. Jesus paid the price for our redemption.
God called the children of Israel: servants, but Jesus said in John 15:15, “From now on I don’t call you servants, because the servant doesn’t know what his lord is doing: but I have called you friends; for everything that I have heard of my Father I have told you.”
In Leviticus 26, God gives them all the promises and blessings of obedience. He also gave them a detailed picture of what would happen if they disobeyed. Unfortunately, they fell under the latter too many times.
In Chapter 27 God told them the amount of taxes they were to pay. The youngest had to pay the least because they had no income. The men that fell between 20 and 60 had to pay the highest taxes because they were the working class. Men paid more than women, etc. and the older people were honored with a tax break. It was God’s fair tax plan.
In Mark, Jesus kept trying to prepare his disciples for what was ahead but they couldn’t get it. They kept getting side-tracked by what they thought should happen. Jesus taught that servanthood was higher than worldly position.
They came to Jericho and a man kept shouting for Jesus’ attention. Jesus healed his blindness and he became a follower. I can’t help but remember Joshua who came to Jericho as his first city into the Promised Land. He also shouted and the walls came down. They smashed their clay jars and everyone could see their light.
Lord, help us to remember that we carry light in earthen vessels that the world needs to see. May we let our lights shine.

Thur.’s Devo - The Sabbath

Read: Leviticus 24:1-25:46; Mark 10:13-31; Psalm 44:9-26; Proverbs 10:20-21
The Israelites were to keep their light burning just as Jesus told us to let our light so shine before men, that they would see our good works and glorify God.
A boy who had an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father blasphemed the name of God. God commanded that he be stoned. This story is a picture of a person who has not made God his father. If that was to happen today it would mean that we would not allow him to blaspheme God within our fellowship but we would disciple him and let the truth kill his old man. Then we can bring the “new man” into our fellowship.
God is all about teaching responsibility for our own actions. If you mess up, then you clean up your mess or you pay for it voluntarily or involuntarily.
God was very jealous over the Sabbath. Every seven days you were to rest from work and every seven years the earth was to rest from its work. This was so that people and the earth could replenish and renew. Our bodies refuel when we rest and so does the soil. On the fiftieth year, all land debt is over. It is the year of Jubilee and all property that had to be sold during the years went back to the original owner because that was their inheritance. Land was valued according to this law.
The Sabbaths taught the people the concept of self-control and trusting in the Lord. On the sixth year, the land would yield enough for three years. I imagine the temptation would be to want to get more and more and more instead of letting the land rest after working so hard. They wouldn’t harvest again until the eighth year. A harvest would come again in the ninth year.
We are in the sixth millennium and we are busy harvesting souls. We are about to have the biggest revival of souls the world has never seen because we are so close to the seventh millennium where no one will work or harvest souls. We won’t be harvesting souls again until the ninth millennium. It will be interesting to see what that looks like!
We have some great promises: we always have the right to redeem our inheritance and we can never be sold as slaves.
Jesus met a rich man who lived the law but was tied to this world and his possessions. Jesus didn’t say it was impossible for him to be set free he just said that with Him, all things were possible. Whatever we have to give up in this life will be given to us a hundred times over in the age to come.
Lord, give us eyes to see into eternity and live for the things that the world cannot take from us.