Mon.’s Devo- Obedence

Read: Numbers 19:1-20:29; Luke 1:1-25; Psalm 56:1-13; Proverbs 11:8 It seems that every time the children of Israel sinned against authority, another requirement for sin was given. This time the offering of a red heifer was invoked. The red heifer had to be perfect with no defects and one that he’d never been yoked to a plow. Its blood had to be sprinkled on the front of the Tabernacle seven times. The rest of it was to be burned on the altar along with some hyssop, and a scarlet yarn. Any of the priests who helped in the sacrifice were to wash and be unclean until the next morning. The ashes were to be gathered and put outside the camp to be used in the purification ceremony. *** Anyone who touched a dead human body was unclean for a week. They had to purify themselves with the water of purification on the third and seventh day of their week. All of the ceremonies for the removal of sin pointed to the cross. The hyssop was offered to Jesus at the cross. The scarlet thread was the weaving of blood all through the Bible culminating with Jesus shedding his blood once and for all. *** First John tells us that we have all sinned meaning that we have touched a dead human - ourselves. When we realize that we can come to the cross and be forgiven our sins and walk in holiness. This would represent our third day. The seventh day represents the end of our lives when we stand before the Lord and he wipes away all sin. *** It had been forty years since they left Egypt and it was now time to enter the promised land, again. The people had run out of water and complained to Moses. God told Moses to gather the people and speak to the rock that had followed them through their journeys. This rock was Christ. He struck the rock twice instead of speaking to it. Jesus was struck once for our sins and that was all that was needed. Moses had struck the rock years ago so all that ws needed was his faith to speak to it. When Moses did this he was messing up God’s picture. God did not take that lightly and it cost Moses his life. He was never to step foot in the land he had given his life to reach. *** There was one piece of land they had to cross to reach Canaan. It belonged to the king of Edom. Moses sent him message requesting permission to pass through his land. He promised that they would not take any produce or harm his land in any way but the king refused to let them pass. He mobilized his army to stand guard in car they came into his land. This forced them to turn around and go the long way. The Edomites would pay for this later. *** God told Moses that it was time to transfer Aaron’s authority to his son Eleazar so they went up on a mountain for all to watch and took the robe off of Aaron and put it on Eleazar. Aaron never came down from the mountain but died on the mountain. The people mourned him thirty days. *** Luke was written expressly for the Greeks to show that Jesus was the Son of Man. He addressed it to Theophilus who was a chief magistrate of some city in Greece or Asia Minor. Theophilus means “friend of God”. *** Luke begins his account of Jesus with John the Baptists’ birth to the Jewish priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth. Zechariah had been chosen by lot to offer incense into the Holy of Holies on the day of Atonement. While he was in the presence of the Lord, an angel appeared to him and told him that Elizabeth would have a son and they were to name him John. He would be great in the eyes of the Lord and would be a Nazarine and filled with the Holy Spirit from birth. He would turn many Israelites to the Lord and would be a man filled with the spirit and power of Elijah. He would prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. *** Zechariah could only see the limitations of how this was impossible. Because of his lack of faith, He would be silent and dumb until the child was born. *** Zechariah was in the Holy of Holies for so long, the people stood outside waiting in anticipation. When he appeared he couldn’t speak. He wildly gestured so that they knew something had happened and figured he must have seen a vision. *** When his week was finished he returned home and Elizabeth became pregnant. Lord, help us not to doubt what you say. You have promised to send revival and we see it springing up everywhere. Thank you for your faithfulness. May we be faithful and obey even when it doesn’t make sense to us.