Sat.’s Devo - Separating the Called

Read: Numbers 16:41-18:32; Mark 16:1-20; Psalm 55:1-23; Proverbs 11:7 Yesterday, we read where over 250 people died because they rebelled against Moses and Aaron. The next day the people accused Moses and Aaron of killing all those people. God wanted to kill all of them but Moses told Aaron to grab the incense burner and place burning coals for the altar in it and carry it out among the people to cleanse them. The incense burner represents holy prayers so it was like saying, “Quick! Pray of the people!” The plague had already began and people were dropping like flies. Before he could stop it 14,700 people died. Then the Lord told each tribal leader to bring a staff with the name of their tribe forward and the one that budded would be the tribe God had chosen to serve him as priests. The next day Aaron’s staff had sprouted, budded and blossomed and produced ripe almonds. That was naturally impossible so God made it crystal clear who was to serve him as his priests. The people complained that they were doomed because anyone who came near the Tabernacle died. So God changed that. He made a law where only the Levites and the priests could come near the Tabernacle. God gave special instructions for Aaron and his sons - the priests. They were responsible for any violation connected to the priesthood. The Levites would be responsible for any violations regarding the sanctuary. The Levites were to assist the priests in anything that went on outside the Holy Place. Only the priests could enter the Holy Place and only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year. The Levites were a gift to the priests to help them. The sons of Aaron, the priests were paid with the holy offerings given by the people. Their families would eat them. They were also given the harvest gifts which were the best of the olive oil, new wine and grain. The firstborn of the people and their animals offered to the Lord were to be given to the priests. (Remember Samuel was Hannah’s first born son and was given to Eli). But, they had to pay a redemption price of 5 pieces of silver for their own firstborn sons. The Levites were paid by the offerings of the people but they were to give a tithe to the Lord. It was to be the best portions of all they received. It appeared that God was pushing his people further and further away from him but they were the ones who didn’t want to come near him. They didn’t want to do what it took to come near God. What God was really doing was separating the priests and Levites from the unholy and calling them out of the world like he does with us. Today’s reading looks so much like what it going on in our world right now as evil is being exposed and God is making distinctions between blacks and white, good and evil. When this is all over, the table is going to be flipped and we are going to see the Christians rise to the top to rule and be the head of all the mountains: education, religion, politics, entertainment, business, science and medicine. In Mark, Mary, Mary and Salome went to the tomb. They were surprised to find the stone rolled away and an angel sitting in the tomb. The angel told them Jesus had risen from the dead and they were to go tell the disciples to go to Galilee to meet Jesus. They did this but the disciples didn’t believe them. Jesus appeared to the two men on the way to Aemaus and they came back telling the disciples the same thing. Finally, Jesus appeared to the disciples and rebuked them for not believing the others. Jesus gave them the Great Commission to go out and preach the Gospel to all and when he had finished he was taken back up into heaven. The disciples went out and did what they had been commissioned to do. Lord, may we do what we are commissioned to do today. Thank you that you are arising and scattering your enemies.