Sun.’s Devo - The Trumpets

Read: Numbers 10:1-11:23; Mark 14:1-21; Psalm 51:1-19; Proverbs 10:31-32 God told Moses to make two silver trumpets to use to bring the congregation together and to signal the time to break camp. When both trumpets were blown, the people were to gather. When only one was blown, only the heads of the tribes were to gather. When an alarm was blown, which consisted of several short blasts, the tribes on the east were to begin their march. When it was blown again then the tribes on the south would begin their march and it would continue till they were all moving. *** To gather all the people a long blast was sounded like the one that sounded when Moses went up on Mt. Sinai. A separate alarm was blasted when they were to go to war. This one would reach heaven and God would save them from their enemies. They were also to sound these trumpets at their appointed feasts and at the first day of their months. These trumpet blasts would remind them that they belong to the Lord. *** On the 20th day of the 2nd month of the 2nd year the cloud lifted and the people set out by their stages from Mt. Sinai. It took them to the wilderness of Paran where Ishmael had ended up (Gen. 21:21). They traveled for three days. At the start of each day, Moses would declare, “Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.” Then at the end of the day, when they stopped to rest he would say, “Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.” *** The Holy Spirit is the trumpet in our spiritual ears who warns us, calls us to meet with the Lord and tells us when to go to minister. It is up to us to heed the sound. *** The people complained about how unfortunate they were and when the Lord heard it, he sent fire to burn among them and it consumed some of the outer parts of the camp. The people went to Moses who prayed to God for mercy. He called the place Taberah which means “burning.” *** The instigators among them complained there was no meat to eat. They reminded the people of the fish they ate in Egypt and all the vegetables they had there. All they ate day and night now was manna. *** Moses went to the Lord and complained that the people complained all the time and the burden of them was too much for him. *** God told Moses to find 70 elders and meet with them. They were to help Moses carry the burden of all the people’s complaints. He also told him to have the people consecrate themselves because they were eating meat the next day. In fact they would eat meat a whole month till it was coming out of their nostrils. When Moses questioned how the Lord was going to do this since they didn’t have enough animals to kill and feed this crowd, God told him to wait and see. He was true to his word. *** Is there anything too hard for the Lord? In our lives, that is the question God is asking us. Nothing comes as a surprise to the Lord. He has already come up with the solution to every problem we have and will ever have. *** In Mark it was two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The chief priest had decided they would kill Jesus in private after the feast because there were too many people during the feast. God had other plans. *** In Bethany, Jesus was anointed for his burial by a woman who would always be remembered for her act of love. *** This was the last straw for Judas Iscarot when he saw the costly perfume being wasted on Jesus. He went to the chief priests and made a deal to betray Jesus for money. *** On the first day of Unleavened Bread, Jesus sent two of his disciples to find a place for them to eat the Passover. It was a room God had prepared for them. *** At this last meal, Jesus told them that one of them would betray him. They were all sorrowful, hoping it wasn’t them. Jesus exposed him as the one who was dipping out of the same dish. Jesus pronounced a curse on him. He said it would have been better for him if he hadn’t been born. Judas had seen all the miracles and had experienced deliverances from his own hand and yet he turned his back on Jesus and gave him over to his enemies. *** Lord, today’s Psalm is our prayer. May we not judge but be humble and grateful for your merciful salvation. Thank you for giving your life as a ransom for our souls.