Weds.’s Devo - Holy Boldness

Read: Numbers 36:1- Deuteronomy 1:46; Luke 5:29-6:11; Psalm 66:1-20; Provers 11:24-26 Some of the cousins of the five daughters who wanted to have their fathers’ inheritance came with a grievance about their inheritance. If the daughters married outside of their tribe then the land would transfer to the tribe of her husband. Moses decreed that they must marry someone within their tribe because the land was suppose to stay in the tribes it was assigned. That law went for anyone in that same situation. The daughters of Zelophehad did what the Lord commanded and all married cousins on their father’s side, keeping the land in the tribe of Manasseh. Moses took them through their history of their travels. At Mt. Sinai they were eleven days from the promised land, but because of their unbelief, the eleven days turned into 40 years. We learn some details that we didn’t know the first time. We find out that the people asked to scout out the land first because they just couldn’t believe what God told them. They listened to the talk of the spies and ignored the grapes they could see with their eyes. God’s angel had scouted out the best camping spots for them to camp in all the way to Canaan and yet they couldn’t trust them to have scouted out the land they were going to also and lead them all the way. They blamed God and God got angry with them. He told them that only Joshua and Caleb would cross over to occupy the land and even Mose would not be able to enter. Their children who they said would be captured would be the ones to occupy it. The ones who rebelled and then wanted to enter, tried on their own strength and were defeated by the ones they feared - the Amorites. Now, God had given them victory over the Amorites and the Moabites. It was truly a new day. In Luke, Jesus ate supper at Levi’s house who was a tax-collector. The Pharisees were so discussed with him for eating with sinners. I wonder why they didn’t invite Jesus to their house to eat. Jesus replied that he came to those who were sinners and knew they needed to repent and not to those who thought they were righteous. That hit them between the eyes. People asked Jesus why John’s disciples fasted and the Pharisees fasted but his disciples were always eating and feasting. Jesus explained that it was because they had the bridegroom with them and were enjoying the wedding party. One day he would be taken away and then they would fast. He explained the teaching on the new wine in old wineskins and the new patch on old clothes. He was demonstrating that the old ways would not be able to fit into the new covenant that he was bringing. He and his disciples were demonstrating the new. To enjoy the new covenant you had to have a new heart - a new wineskin. We get an example of this concept in the next story. Jesus and his disciples were walking through a grain field on the Sabbath and the disciples broke off heads of grain, rubbed the husks off and ate the grain. The Pharisees accused them of harvesting on the Sabbath. Jesus reminded them of David who broke the rules and ate the shewbread that was only designated to the priests. He should have died for that but instead it gave him nourishment. Then Jesus added the punch line: The Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath. The next written event also happened on the Sabbath. There was a man with a deformed right hand in the synagogue. The Pharisees knew Jesus would heal him and they were going to accuse Jesus of working on the Sabbath but Jesus beat them to it. He asked the deformed man to stand in front of the people. Then he asked the congregation if it the law permitted people to do good deeds on the Sabbath. He asked if it was a day to save life or destroy it. When no one answered he healed the man’s hand. This really ticked his enemies off. I need to point out that a deformed person was not suppose to be allowed in the synagogue according to the law of Moses and yet he had the boldness to hide it and come in. Even the people were getting so hungry for truth that they risked humiliation and death to get it. Lord, may we have the boldness that You did when you confronted your enemies. May we stand on the truth of your Word.