Sat.’s Devo - The Chosen

Read: Numbers 36:1-Deuteronomy 1:46; Luke 5:29-6:11; Psalm 66:1-20; Proverbs 11:24-26 The chiefs of the tribe of Manasseh came before Moses to present their case. God had given the daughters of Zelophehad who were in their tribe, the land of their fathers. But, if they married outside of their tribe, that land would go to their husband’s tribe. So Moses told the daughters of Zelophehad that they must marry men in their own tribe so their land would stay in their tribe. They obeyed and married their cousins. *** Deuteronomy marked the end of the wilderness and the beginning of a new life. All the older generation had died off and no one but Moses, Joshua and Caleb were living that had come out of Egypt. Moses brought everyone together to give them one last speech. It was only an eleven day journey from Mt. Sinai to the promised land but it had taken the people 40 years to make it due to their lack of faith and rebellion. Now, there was a new generation and Moses had great hopes for them, so he wanted them to know their history so they wouldn’t repeat it. *** It was the first day of the eleventh month that Moses stood before them. He told them that the land before them was promised to them by God. He told them how he could not bear the burden of ruling over such a great number of people so they had chosen leaders and judges that would judge righteously and fairly. When they came to the border of the land promised them, Moses had chosen 12 men, one from each tribe to spy out the land. They bought back the fruit of the land and said it was a good land that God had given them, but the land had giants and walled cities and the people were greater and taller than them. The only men who came back encouraging them to take the land because God was with them was Caleb and Joshua. So God sent them all to the wilderness. *** When they heard what the Lord said, some of them put on their weapons and were ready to fight but it was too late. God told them he would not go with them. Some went anyway and were chased out by the Amorites and many were destroyed. They returned and wept before the Lord, but the Lord would not listen. They went back to wander in the wilderness. *** In Luke, Jesus called Matthew, a tax-collector to be his disciples. Then he went to his house to eat with him and his friends. The Pharisees judged him for eating with sinners but Jeuss told them that he did’t come to call the righteous to repentance but the sinners. The religious leaders also questioned why his disciples didn’t fast. Jesus told them that you don’t fast when you have the bridegroom with you, but when he is taken away, they would fast. (I’m sure they didn’t get that.) *** He gave them a parable. No one would use a piece of new fabric to patch an old garment because they wouldn’t match. And not one puts new win into old bottles because the new win would burst the bottles and both would be lost. New wine had to be put into new vessels. People that have had the old wine think it is better than the new. *** The problem was that Jesus was bringing new wine. He was saying that you can’t hold on to your old traditions and accept the new God is bringing. *** Lord, may we not be old bottles and old material but may we conform to the new wine. May we be new vessels that can receive the new you are bringing to the earth.