Read: Numbers 32:1-33:39; Luke 4:31-5:11; Psalm 64:1-10; Proverbs 11:22
The Ruebenites and the Gadites decided that they liked the land they had just conquered even though it wasn’t in the promised land. They bartered that they would help the other tribes take their land, but they wanted to leave their children and wives there. Moses was upset at first but then relented and let them stay if they fulfilled their promise. He warned them that if they didn’t they could be sure that their sin would find them out.
What a picture of not walking in the plan of God but choosing your own plan. God will allow you to do that but it would go so much better if you live out God’s destiny for your life.
Moses gives us a map of their travel through the wilderness. I love how they set out from the city of Rameses which means “the standard was evil”. They left that place the day after Passover. They left the place where the standard was evil and started toward the promised land. When we get saved we are leaving a life where evil is the standard and going toward a land where righteousness is the standard.
In Luke, Jesus left Nazareth and went to Capernaum in Galilee. He preached with authority and backed his teaching up with power. He cast out demons and healed the sick. He even helped Peter fish. When Peter saw that miracle, he left everything and followed Jesus to fish for men.
Lord, may we walk out the destiny you have planned for us.
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Tues.’s Devo - Vows
Read: Numbers 30:1-31:54; Luke 4:1-30; Psalm 63:1-11; Proverbs 11:20-21
Many people make vows to the Lord without even knowing it. All it takes to make a vow is to speak out a statement. We all make rash promises and say things we don’t mean. We are held to them if we don’t break them the same way we made them - by speaking.
God told the children of Israel if they made a vow and either their husband or their father heard it and didn’t agree to it, he could release them from it. Or, he could remain silent and she or he was bound to keep it.
Before we are saved we make many foolish vows but our new husband, Jesus, releases us from most of them. It uses the example of woman because we are the bride of Christ. If a woman is divorced or a widow whatever vow she makes stands. This is talking about a person who has either rejected Jesus or has no god.
God sent the Israelites after the Midanites and killed their five kings as well as Balaam because he had turned the Israelites away from the Lord that caused the plague. They burned all their towns and took their women and much plunder.
After the barrel, they were to cleanse themselves as well as their weapons before they could come back into the camp. God didn’t want any of the blood of the enemy in the camp. The plunder was divided among the people.
In Luke, Jesus went from being commissioned by God in front of the people to the wilderness to be tempted. He had a battle to win over temptation. Satan began by questioning Jesus’ identity. He would say, “IF you are the son of God.” Satan challenges our identity first. Next, the devil tempted him in every promise God had given him. The temptation was to get it all before he went to the cross. That is always the devil’s temptation to get God’s promises before it is time.
After beating the devil at his game, Jesus began his ministry full of the Holy Spirit. He went to his home town where he read from Isaiah proclaiming his purpose. His hometown rejected him because they could not see him as anyone but what he was as a child. They were also incensed that he would choose to use the examples of Gentile people that God visited like the widow of Zarephath and the Syrian, Naaman. Jesus was speaking prophetically of the day he would lay the Jews aside and choose the Gentiles.
Lord, open our eyes to the schemes of the devil. May we not fall into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Many people make vows to the Lord without even knowing it. All it takes to make a vow is to speak out a statement. We all make rash promises and say things we don’t mean. We are held to them if we don’t break them the same way we made them - by speaking.
God told the children of Israel if they made a vow and either their husband or their father heard it and didn’t agree to it, he could release them from it. Or, he could remain silent and she or he was bound to keep it.
Before we are saved we make many foolish vows but our new husband, Jesus, releases us from most of them. It uses the example of woman because we are the bride of Christ. If a woman is divorced or a widow whatever vow she makes stands. This is talking about a person who has either rejected Jesus or has no god.
God sent the Israelites after the Midanites and killed their five kings as well as Balaam because he had turned the Israelites away from the Lord that caused the plague. They burned all their towns and took their women and much plunder.
After the barrel, they were to cleanse themselves as well as their weapons before they could come back into the camp. God didn’t want any of the blood of the enemy in the camp. The plunder was divided among the people.
In Luke, Jesus went from being commissioned by God in front of the people to the wilderness to be tempted. He had a battle to win over temptation. Satan began by questioning Jesus’ identity. He would say, “IF you are the son of God.” Satan challenges our identity first. Next, the devil tempted him in every promise God had given him. The temptation was to get it all before he went to the cross. That is always the devil’s temptation to get God’s promises before it is time.
After beating the devil at his game, Jesus began his ministry full of the Holy Spirit. He went to his home town where he read from Isaiah proclaiming his purpose. His hometown rejected him because they could not see him as anyone but what he was as a child. They were also incensed that he would choose to use the examples of Gentile people that God visited like the widow of Zarephath and the Syrian, Naaman. Jesus was speaking prophetically of the day he would lay the Jews aside and choose the Gentiles.
Lord, open our eyes to the schemes of the devil. May we not fall into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Monday, March 19, 2018
Mon.’s Devo - Rehearsals
Read: Numbers 28:16-29:40; Luke 3:23-38; Psalm 62:1-12; Proverbs 11:18-19
The feasts are explained over and over in the Bible to show the importance of them. The feasts are God’s timetable that every major event is measured by. The feasts are counted by the religious calendar which starts in Nisan with Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits. On the first day of the seventh month they were to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets. Ten days later they were to hold a sacred assembly with no work. On the fifteenth day they were to hold another sacred assembly and celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. They were to offer 13 bulls plus a list of other sacrifices. Every day after was a countdown with one less bull until the number of bulls reached the number of days which was seven. Seven is completion. All the feasts were rehearsals for God’s big plan for the earth. Trumpets represents the Rapture of the church. The days between the first and the fifteenth represent the days of tribulation ending in Tabernacles where we will return with Jesus to the earth.
In Luke, we have the genealogy of Joseph which goes all the way back to Adam who was the son of God. Adam was a type of Jesus who was the son of God. First the natural Adam, then the spiritual Adam. Joseph’s line is the kingly line of David. All the patriarchs were in his line.
The feasts are explained over and over in the Bible to show the importance of them. The feasts are God’s timetable that every major event is measured by. The feasts are counted by the religious calendar which starts in Nisan with Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits. On the first day of the seventh month they were to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets. Ten days later they were to hold a sacred assembly with no work. On the fifteenth day they were to hold another sacred assembly and celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. They were to offer 13 bulls plus a list of other sacrifices. Every day after was a countdown with one less bull until the number of bulls reached the number of days which was seven. Seven is completion. All the feasts were rehearsals for God’s big plan for the earth. Trumpets represents the Rapture of the church. The days between the first and the fifteenth represent the days of tribulation ending in Tabernacles where we will return with Jesus to the earth.
In Luke, we have the genealogy of Joseph which goes all the way back to Adam who was the son of God. Adam was a type of Jesus who was the son of God. First the natural Adam, then the spiritual Adam. Joseph’s line is the kingly line of David. All the patriarchs were in his line.
Sunday, March 18, 2018
Sun.’s Devo - The Last of the Old Testament Prophets
Read: Numbers 26:52-28:15; Luke 3:1-22; Psalm 61:1-8; Proverbs 11:16-17
Land in the promised land was to be divided according to the size of the tribe. It was doled out to the families in each tribe but the daughters of Zelophehad received none because they were women and women didn’t receive land. Their father had died with those who died out in the wilderness because of their unbelief. Moses went to the Lord and God endorsed the women and said they should have their inheritance. Moses rewrote their laws to say that if there were no son, then the inheritance went to the daughter. Things had changed by the time of the New Testament. Women were the most hated and disrespected people according to Judaism. They were not allowed to have property, own a business, divorce their husbands or even speak up in public. They were not to be taught the Torah or even be acknowledged in the room. The new law taught that women were inherently evil.
That was another thing that made the scribes and Pharisees hate Jesus; he honored women. Jesus taught them and acknowledged them and loved them.
Back to Numbers…it was time for Moses to place his mantle on the new leader because he was not entering the land God had promised. The new leader would be Joshua who had stood faithful and true the whole time.
In Luke, John the Baptist grew up in the wilderness and many people came to him to hear his preaching and be baptized. He was the last of the Old Testament prophets and the one who would announce the Messiah. Many people believed that John was the Messiah but he was quick to tell them that he was not , but the Messiah was coming. John was able to baptize Jesus and see God’s sign of the dove and hear the voice of God proclaim that Jesus was his son.
John the Baptist came calling the nation back to God. He pointed out the sins of society but when he pointed out the sin of Herod and his affair with his brother’s wife, Herod had him thrown into prison where he would stay till he was executed.
We are not promised a bed of roses in this life but we are promised that God will never leave us and that he will work everything for our good if we follow him.
Lord, give us the grace to live an abundant life.
Land in the promised land was to be divided according to the size of the tribe. It was doled out to the families in each tribe but the daughters of Zelophehad received none because they were women and women didn’t receive land. Their father had died with those who died out in the wilderness because of their unbelief. Moses went to the Lord and God endorsed the women and said they should have their inheritance. Moses rewrote their laws to say that if there were no son, then the inheritance went to the daughter. Things had changed by the time of the New Testament. Women were the most hated and disrespected people according to Judaism. They were not allowed to have property, own a business, divorce their husbands or even speak up in public. They were not to be taught the Torah or even be acknowledged in the room. The new law taught that women were inherently evil.
That was another thing that made the scribes and Pharisees hate Jesus; he honored women. Jesus taught them and acknowledged them and loved them.
Back to Numbers…it was time for Moses to place his mantle on the new leader because he was not entering the land God had promised. The new leader would be Joshua who had stood faithful and true the whole time.
In Luke, John the Baptist grew up in the wilderness and many people came to him to hear his preaching and be baptized. He was the last of the Old Testament prophets and the one who would announce the Messiah. Many people believed that John was the Messiah but he was quick to tell them that he was not , but the Messiah was coming. John was able to baptize Jesus and see God’s sign of the dove and hear the voice of God proclaim that Jesus was his son.
John the Baptist came calling the nation back to God. He pointed out the sins of society but when he pointed out the sin of Herod and his affair with his brother’s wife, Herod had him thrown into prison where he would stay till he was executed.
We are not promised a bed of roses in this life but we are promised that God will never leave us and that he will work everything for our good if we follow him.
Lord, give us the grace to live an abundant life.
Saturday, March 17, 2018
Sat.’s Devo - Numbers
Read: Numbers 26:1-51; Luke 2:36-52; Psalm 60:1-12; Proverbs 11:15
Twenty-four thousand people died in the plague caused by the rebellion of the people who went after Moabite gods. God then told them to take a census of who was left. He was to number all who were of age to serve in the army. The total number was 601,730. This number means that they were at their full maturity and ready to enter the promised land.
In Luke, we read about Anna, the widow who had lost her husband after 7 years of marriage. She had never remarried and now she was eighty-four. She had spent the rest of her life praying and worshiping at the temple in Jerusalem. She recognized the spirit of God on Jesus and prophesied that he was the hope of Israel.
Mary and Joseph returned to Nazareth where they lived. Every year they traveled to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover which was Jesus’ birthday. When a Jewish boy reaches the age of 12 he is considered a man and starts working in his father’s business. Jesus’ father was God so when he went to Jerusalem that year, he stayed in the temple because that was God’s business. When his parents finally found him there, he told them, “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be about my father’s business?”
They took him home, but Mary took note of what he had said and understood it. Jesus submitted to his earthly parents and became a carpenter like Joseph.
Looking back at today’s post I see so many numbers. God speaks through numbers because every number means something about what was going on. Twenty-four thousand means that God was dividing out (2) those who refused to submit to his reign (4). Thousand means full maturity, so their sin had reached its full maturity and God had to act. Seven means complete which described Anna’s marriage. It had made her complete and she didn’t need anything else. She was 84 which means she had “put off” (8) the kingdom of the world and had put on the reign of God’s kingdom (4). Jesus was 12 which means “joined”. He was wanting to join the government of God’s system on earth - the priests. God didn’t want Jesus to join with them because they had left the Mosaic law and had rewritten their own. The Holy Spirit was Jesus’ teacher.
Lord, thank you for the balance of your Word and your Spirit that teaches us truth.
Twenty-four thousand people died in the plague caused by the rebellion of the people who went after Moabite gods. God then told them to take a census of who was left. He was to number all who were of age to serve in the army. The total number was 601,730. This number means that they were at their full maturity and ready to enter the promised land.
In Luke, we read about Anna, the widow who had lost her husband after 7 years of marriage. She had never remarried and now she was eighty-four. She had spent the rest of her life praying and worshiping at the temple in Jerusalem. She recognized the spirit of God on Jesus and prophesied that he was the hope of Israel.
Mary and Joseph returned to Nazareth where they lived. Every year they traveled to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover which was Jesus’ birthday. When a Jewish boy reaches the age of 12 he is considered a man and starts working in his father’s business. Jesus’ father was God so when he went to Jerusalem that year, he stayed in the temple because that was God’s business. When his parents finally found him there, he told them, “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be about my father’s business?”
They took him home, but Mary took note of what he had said and understood it. Jesus submitted to his earthly parents and became a carpenter like Joseph.
Looking back at today’s post I see so many numbers. God speaks through numbers because every number means something about what was going on. Twenty-four thousand means that God was dividing out (2) those who refused to submit to his reign (4). Thousand means full maturity, so their sin had reached its full maturity and God had to act. Seven means complete which described Anna’s marriage. It had made her complete and she didn’t need anything else. She was 84 which means she had “put off” (8) the kingdom of the world and had put on the reign of God’s kingdom (4). Jesus was 12 which means “joined”. He was wanting to join the government of God’s system on earth - the priests. God didn’t want Jesus to join with them because they had left the Mosaic law and had rewritten their own. The Holy Spirit was Jesus’ teacher.
Lord, thank you for the balance of your Word and your Spirit that teaches us truth.
Friday, March 16, 2018
Fri.’s Devo - The Beginning of Israel’s Downfall
Read: Numbers 24:1-25:18; Luke 2:1-35; Psalm 59:1-17; Proverbs 11:14
Balak took Balaam to a third place, Peor, thinking that maybe God would allow Balaam to curse Israel there. Balaam didn’t resort to his enchantments but let God speak through him. He saw a vision of the Almighty and spoke while in a trance. He blessed Israel once again making Balak really mad. Balaam lost the honor and the riches Balak would have given him because Balaam understood the spiritual realm. He was not allowed to go beyond the commandment of God.
Balaam even gave a prophecy about what Israel would do in the latter days. He saw Jesus as the Star of Jacob and his kingship. Amalek would be crushed and God would conquer the Roman and the Greek empires.
After that, the Israelites fell into the worship of the god, Chemosh whose worship included sexual perversion and licentiousness. God took these leaders and had them killed and exposed in broad daylight. That is exactly what God does to leaders who engage in sexual sins - they get exposed for the world to see.
One of the leaders brought one of the Midianite women into the camp to have sex with. They walked right past Moses unashamedly. Aaron took a spear in his hand, entered their tent and drove a spear right through both of their bodies. This stopped the plague that God had unleashed because of their sin. What Aaron did was a picture of what we should do to get rid of the curse of sin. The sword is the Word of God and he used that against the sin. If we would apply the Word of God to the way we govern our lives, our families, and our nation, then there would not be a plague in our land.
In Luke, we read the birth of our Savior. I love the people that got to hear the news first, like the shepherds who were keeping watch over sacrificial lambs for the temple. I wonder if they had spent nights looking at the stars and conversing over the day that the Messiah would come. The next was the old prophet, Simeon who had spent his days waiting for the Messiah to appear on earth. Jesus came to the outcast and the humble and he put down the proud and the prominent.
Lord, may we fear you with awe and respect and love.
Balak took Balaam to a third place, Peor, thinking that maybe God would allow Balaam to curse Israel there. Balaam didn’t resort to his enchantments but let God speak through him. He saw a vision of the Almighty and spoke while in a trance. He blessed Israel once again making Balak really mad. Balaam lost the honor and the riches Balak would have given him because Balaam understood the spiritual realm. He was not allowed to go beyond the commandment of God.
Balaam even gave a prophecy about what Israel would do in the latter days. He saw Jesus as the Star of Jacob and his kingship. Amalek would be crushed and God would conquer the Roman and the Greek empires.
After that, the Israelites fell into the worship of the god, Chemosh whose worship included sexual perversion and licentiousness. God took these leaders and had them killed and exposed in broad daylight. That is exactly what God does to leaders who engage in sexual sins - they get exposed for the world to see.
One of the leaders brought one of the Midianite women into the camp to have sex with. They walked right past Moses unashamedly. Aaron took a spear in his hand, entered their tent and drove a spear right through both of their bodies. This stopped the plague that God had unleashed because of their sin. What Aaron did was a picture of what we should do to get rid of the curse of sin. The sword is the Word of God and he used that against the sin. If we would apply the Word of God to the way we govern our lives, our families, and our nation, then there would not be a plague in our land.
In Luke, we read the birth of our Savior. I love the people that got to hear the news first, like the shepherds who were keeping watch over sacrificial lambs for the temple. I wonder if they had spent nights looking at the stars and conversing over the day that the Messiah would come. The next was the old prophet, Simeon who had spent his days waiting for the Messiah to appear on earth. Jesus came to the outcast and the humble and he put down the proud and the prominent.
Lord, may we fear you with awe and respect and love.
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Thurs.’s Devo - Balaam vs. John the Baptist
Read: Numbers 22:21-23:30; Luke 1:57-80; Psalm 58:1-11; Proverbs 11:12-13
Balaam did everything God told him to do and yet God was not pleased with him because God knew Balaam’s heart and what he would do to harm Israel in the future. If you fast forward to Numbers 31:16 is says that Balaam led the nation of Israel into idolatry with the Baal of Peor (Numbers 25:1-3). Ironically, Peor was one of the places Balak took Balaam to curse Israel.
Balaam was mentioned in 2 Peter 2:12-19 as being mad and using his words of vanity to allure the people through the lusts of the flesh to sin. He knew the way of righteousness, yet he turned away from it. Balaam is mentioned again in Revelation 2:14 as putting a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication and uphold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans which God hates. The doctrine of the Nicolaitans is teaching the freedom to sin because we have grace. The Bible teaches the freedom to be righteous because we have God’s help to be sinless.
In Luke, John is born and he is the stark opposite of Balaam. John would also be a prophet who would live a life separated unto the Lord and a Nazarite who stayed away from all sin or anything that might make him sin. He preached repentance, not a license to sin as Balaam did. Through his birth, his father’s tongue was loosed and Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied. This is important because for 200 years, there had been no word from God and now this baby is born with signs and wonders and God is once again speaking to his people.
Lord, thank you for the day we are living in where we can hear your voice and feel your Holy Spirit with us. Help us to live in freedom to be righteous.
Balaam did everything God told him to do and yet God was not pleased with him because God knew Balaam’s heart and what he would do to harm Israel in the future. If you fast forward to Numbers 31:16 is says that Balaam led the nation of Israel into idolatry with the Baal of Peor (Numbers 25:1-3). Ironically, Peor was one of the places Balak took Balaam to curse Israel.
Balaam was mentioned in 2 Peter 2:12-19 as being mad and using his words of vanity to allure the people through the lusts of the flesh to sin. He knew the way of righteousness, yet he turned away from it. Balaam is mentioned again in Revelation 2:14 as putting a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication and uphold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans which God hates. The doctrine of the Nicolaitans is teaching the freedom to sin because we have grace. The Bible teaches the freedom to be righteous because we have God’s help to be sinless.
In Luke, John is born and he is the stark opposite of Balaam. John would also be a prophet who would live a life separated unto the Lord and a Nazarite who stayed away from all sin or anything that might make him sin. He preached repentance, not a license to sin as Balaam did. Through his birth, his father’s tongue was loosed and Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied. This is important because for 200 years, there had been no word from God and now this baby is born with signs and wonders and God is once again speaking to his people.
Lord, thank you for the day we are living in where we can hear your voice and feel your Holy Spirit with us. Help us to live in freedom to be righteous.
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