Fri.’s Devo - God Speaks

Read: Numbers 19:1-20:29; Luke 1:1-25; Psalm 56:1-13; Proverbs 11:8 The Lord commanded Moses to find a red heifer that was without defect and had never been yoked. Everything about this heifer would point to Jesus as our sacrifice for sin. Moses was to have Eleazar the priest take the heifer outside the camp and slaughter him there. Jesus was crucified outside the city of Jerusalem. Then Eleazar was to take some of its blood and sprinkle it on the front of the tent of meeting seven times. Jesus blood was the perfect sacrifice for the sin of all who believed. The heifer was to be completely burned before him. Jesus body was totally given to the Lord as the Lamb of God. The priest would take cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet yarn and throw them into the fire with the heifer. These were all the props we see at the cross. The cedar wood was the cross. They offered Jesus vinegar on hyssop and the scarlet thread was the story of redemption that runs all through God’s plan. *** The one who burns the heifer was to wash his clothes in water and bathe his body and be unclean until the evening. We who appropriate what Jesus did for us on the cross must be baptized to wash away our guilt and shame. Then we will still be unclean until we are resurrected a new creature in Christ. *** A man who was clean was to gather the ashes of the heifer and deposit the outside the camp in a clean place. Joseph of Arimathea was a devout man who came and asked for Jesus’ body and took his remains to his own grave that had not been used and laid it there. The ashes of the heifer were to be kept for the water of impurity for the people as a sin offering. What Jesus did for us on the cross forever frees people from sin. *** Whoever touches the dead body of any person was unclean for seven days. He was to be cleansed on the third day and the seventh to be completely clean. If he doesn’t do this on the third and seventh day, he will not be clean. *** We all are responsible for the death of Christ so we have all “touched a dead body” and are unclean. But, if we give our life to Christ and experience his death, burial and resurrection then we are clean on our resurrection day which will be our third day. We will then be clean on our seventh day which is the day we complete our life on earth and enter heaven. *** This same concept is true no matter where the person gives their life to the Lord. *** In the wilderness of Zin in the first month, Miriam died and was buried there in Kadesh. *** The people ran out of water and blamed Moses for bringing them out of Egypt to die in the wilderness. Moses and Aaron sought the Lord and he met with them and told Moses to go out before the people and tell the rock to bring forth water. *** Moses took his staff and struck the rock twice and water came gushing out, but the Lord was very upset at Moses because he didn’t do what he told him to do. He didn’t have faith to just speak to the rock. 
 *** We know that 1 Corinthians 10:4 says that the rock that followed them in the wilderness was Christ and he died once for our sins. Moses had already struck the rock once for the water to represent Christ being struck on the cross. Now, he was to speak to it showing us that salvation comes by confession. Moses messed up the picture God was giving us. We don’t crucify Christ again for our sins, we confess he is the Lord and believe in our hearts that he died, was buried and raised to life. Because Moses disobeyed, he was not allowed to enter into the land the Lord had promised them. They called this place Meribah. *** Moses sent a message to the king of Edom reminding him that they were relatives and had been oppressed for years and now were free. He asked that they be able to peacefully pass through their land. They would not take water or anything from their land, but the king refused to let them go through his land. He even brought an army out against them to verify his decision. *** So, Moses had to take the people around the land of the Edomites to Mount Hor. The Lord told Moses that Aaron was to die on this mountain because he rebelled at Meribah. Moses, Aaron and Eleazar went up Mount Hor while the people looked on and Moses took the high priest robe off of Aaron and put it on Eleazar. Aaron died there and Moses and Eleazar returned. The people of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days. *** We begin the book of Luke today. Luke was written in order of events and was a compilation of those who walked with Jesus and saw with their own eyes what he did. We begin the book with the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Zechariah was a priest from the line of Abijah, the one who rebelled with Korah in the wilderness. Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron. They had no children and were very old. *** The priesthood was divided into 24 groups that served one group per month. It was Zechariah’s month to serve in the Temple. He was at the table of incense when an angel appeared to him and told him that God had heard their prayer and was granting them a son. Elizabeth would have a son and his name would be John. He would be a Nazarene from birth, like Samson. He would turn many of the children of Israel back to the Lord and would have the spirit of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, and to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. *** Zechariah doubted the Lord could bring a child from Elizabeth’s aged body so the Lord told him he would not be able to speak till it happened. *** Zechariah was in the Temple so long, the people began to wonder what was going on. When he came out and he couldn’t speak, they realized he had seen a vision. He tried to act out what he saw. *** Elizabeth became pregnant just as the Lord had said and Elizabeth stayed hidden in her house. She knew the Lord had blessed her and taken away her reproach of being barren. *** This was what God was doing for Israel. He was taking away the reproach of not being fruitful as a people. God was answering the prayers of the faithful. *** Lord, I thank you that you are taking away the reproach of America and other nations who have been under evil leadership. Guide the plans of our godly leaders and expose those who are not following you. May you turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just. May we make ourselves ready for your coming.