A BETTER WAY

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Now Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, "We are setting out for the place about which the Lord said, 'I will give it to you.' Come with us and we will treat you well, for the Lord has promised good things to Israel."

He answered, "No, I will not go; I am going back to my own land and my own people."

But Moses said, "Please do not leave us. You know where we should camp in the desert, and you can be our eyes. If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the Lord gives us."

So they set out from the mountain of the Lord and traveled for three days.

Numbers 10:29-33

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

When we look back at the life of Moses, the God-selected leader of the Israelites, we see a fascinating story. The scriptures show us that he was the son of a Levite and his Hebrew wife but then was set afloat in a basket on the Nile after the Pharaoh ordered all young Israelite male babies to be thrown into the river and killed so to stave off the population explosion that was happening (Exodus 1:22).

You’ll recall that the baby Moses was found in the floating basket by Pharaoh’s daughter who adopted and raised him in the Egyptian culture after he had been weaned by his Hebrew mother (Exodus 2:1-10). As he grew older, Moses appeared to be destined for great fame as a leader of Egypt but deep down in his heart, he still maintained a deep love and caring for the Hebrew people, so much so that he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew before burying him in the sand (Exodus 2:11-12). You may recall that Moses thought his act had gone undetected until he attempted to break up a fight between two Hebrews during which one of them asked Moses if he would kill them as he had killed the Egyptian. This let Moses know that the word was out and after it reached Pharaoh, he wanted Moses killed but he was able to escape and flee to Midian (Exodus 2:11-15). The overall life of Moses is said to best be understood by three forty year periods and this concluded the first third.

Once in Midian, the scriptures tell us that Moses was sitting “down by a well” when seven daughters of a Midianite priest came to draw water for their father’s flock. While trying to get the water, they were harassed by some shepherds but Moses came to their rescue, defended them, and made the way for their flock to get watered. His act of kindness didn’t go unnoticed as the daughters returned home to tell their father what had happened. Immediately, their father rebuked them for not extending hospitality to Moses out of appreciation for what he had done. He sent them back to him and Moses agreed to stay with the priest, even going as far as taking the hand of one of his daughters, Zipporah, in marriage. We learn that the name of the Midianite priest was Reuel (Exodus 2:16-21).

Why go into this review?

Because as we see in our passage from Numbers, chapter 10, Moses is speaking to a man named Hobab who we’re told is the “son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law”. This would also make him Zipporah’s brother and thus Moses’ brother-in-law.

With all this in place and in order to fully understand what is going on, we need to take a closer look at the Midianites and what they believed in. Here’s what we learn from the Easton’s Bible Dictionary, a wonderful resource that I highly recommend to add to your Bible study library:

An Arabian tribe descended from Midian. They inhabited principally the desert north of the peninsula of Arabia. The peninsula of Sinai was the pasture-ground for their flocks. They were virtually the rulers of Arabia, being the dominant tribe. Like all Arabians, they were a nomad people. They early engaged in commercial pursuits. It was to one of their caravans that Joseph was sold (Genesis 37:28,36). The next notice of them is in connection with Moses' flight from Egypt (Exodus 2:15-21). Here in Midian, Moses became the servant and afterwards the son-in-law of Reuel or Jethro, the priest. After the Exodus, the Midianites were friendly to the Israelites so long as they traversed only their outlying pasture-ground on the west of the Arabah; but when, having passed the southern end of Edom, they entered into the land of Midian proper, they joined with Balak, the king of Moab, in a conspiracy against them (Numbers 22:4-7) Balaam, who had been sent for to curse Israel, having utterly failed to do so, was dismissed by the king of Moab; nevertheless, he still tarried among the Midianites, and induced them to enter into correspondence with the Israelites, so as to bring them into association with them in the licentious orgies connected with the worship of Baal-Peor. This crafty counsel prevailed. The Israelites took part in the heathen festival, and so brought upon themselves a curse indeed. Their apostasy brought upon them a severe punishment. A plague broke out amongst them, and more than twenty-four thousand of the people perished (Numbers 25:9).

Through this, we see that the Midianites definitely did not have much in common with the lifestyle of the Israelites except that they were nomadic. We know the people of Israel had one and only one God, the Lord God Almighty, but the Midianites on the other hand were polytheistic in their religious practices, worshiping multiple gods. And although the Hebrews people were roaming during the time of our message’s scripture passage, they knew that it was only temporary for soon they would inhabit a land “full of milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8), a land that had been promised to them by the Lord.

Now, back to our scripture passage for today.

We know the Israelites had set out for Canaan from Mount Sinai, organized in their tribes as God had commanded. Hobab, Moses’ brother-in-law, who had been staying with him, expresses a desire to leave so to go “back to (his) own land and (his) own people”, all this after Moses said the following:

"We are setting out for the place about which the Lord said, 'I will give it to you.' Come with us and we will treat you well, for the Lord has promised good things to Israel."

Well, Moses could have given up on his brother-in-law and allowed him to leave at this point but he wasn’t willing to give up. We see where he further works to convince him to stay, saying:

"Please do not leave us. You know where we should camp in the desert, and you can be our eyes. If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the Lord gives us."

Through the actions of Moses, we find the Lord teaching us an important lesson about evangelizing and ministering to others. For it often takes an attitude of dogged perseverance and patience.

Through his words, Moses lets Hobab know that he was valued. He let his brother-in-law know that he could be a real blessing for the Israelite people as they traveled through what would be uncharted territory for them but not for a Midianite like him.

What was in it for Hobab?

Moses tells him this:

“If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the Lord gives us."

In other words, Hobab would experience the same blessings from God that Moses and the Israelites would and this ended up being what convinced Hobab to remain with the people of God instead of returning home as he accepted a lifestyle and people who were drastically different from where he was before. A better way was presented to him and he chose it.

Brothers and sisters, as we go forth to carry out the Great Commission calling of our savior Jesus, we need to remember that change is usually not easy for people, especially when the change is radical. By nature, people within their humanity are creatures of habit and too often, the habits are bad ones.

You see, change requires a person to get out of their present comfort zone and one is most apt to go for that change when they can have some assurance that things will be better than they were before. This is why we find Moses using the strategy he did with Hobab and we would be wise to copy it as we go forth to convince others to accept the Gospel and give their lives to Jesus. For in a world where most everyone wants to know what’s in it for them, we need to be able to show them that there is no bigger payoff for change than escaping the sure punishment of Hell and exchanging it for the guarantee of salvation and eternal life through belief in Christ, the One who provides a better way because He IS the Way (John 14:6).

So think about the people you know.

Who could be your Hobab today, the one who needs persuaded to leave their former life behind to become a new creation in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17)?

When it comes down to it, we all have at least one person and my prayer today is that we, like Moses, will remain persistent and loving as we share the only way to Heaven with others with the goal of being successful as he was in influencing his Midianite brother-in-law to see that his life would be far better when it was surrendered in service to the one and only true Lord.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

ORDERLY LIVING

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle of the Testimony. Then the Israelites set out from the Desert of Sinai and traveled from place to place until the cloud came to rest in the Desert of Paran. They set out, this first time, at the Lord's command through Moses.

The divisions of the camp of Judah went first, under their standard. Nahshon, son of Amminadab, was in command. Nethanel, son of Zuar, was over the division of the tribe of Issachar, and Eliab, son of Helon, was over the division of the tribe of Zebulun.

Then the tabernacle was taken down, and the Gershonites and Merarites, who carried it, set out.

The divisions of the camp of Reuben went next, under their standard. Elizur, son of Shedeur, was in command. Shelumiel, son of Zurishaddai, was over the division of the tribe of Simeon, and Eliasaph, son of Deuel, was over the division of the tribe of Gad.

Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy things. The tabernacle was to be set up before they arrived.

The divisions of the camp of Ephraim went next, under their standard. Elishama, son of Ammihud, was in command. Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur, was over the division of the tribe of Manasseh, and Abidan, son of Gideoni, was over the division of the tribe of Benjamin.

Finally, as the rear guard for all the units, the divisions of the camp of Dan set out, under their standard. Ahiezer, son of Ammishaddai, was in command. Pagiel, son of Ocran, was over the division of the tribe of Asher, and Ahira, son of Enan, was over the division of the tribe of Naphtali.

This was the order of march for the Israelite divisions as they set out.

So they set out from the mountain of the Lord and traveled for three days. The ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them during those three days to find them a place to rest. The cloud of the Lord was over them by day when they set out from the camp. Whenever the ark set out, Moses said, "Rise up, O Lord! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before You."

Whenever it came to rest, he said, "Return, O Lord, to the countless thousands of Israel."

Numbers 10:11-28, 33-36

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The Israelite people had been stationed near Mount Sinai for eleven months during which time they had received much instruction from God through His messenger Moses as well as put their sinful nature on full display. With this, they had gotten to see God’s glory but also His wrath but through it all, the Lord was preparing His people for what was to come.

Over the past few chapters in the Book of Numbers, we have seen that it wasn’t God’s plan for His people to stay parked in one place. Rather, we a purpose and plan for them that would require them to move from where they were and journey to the land that the Lord had promised them, the land of Canaan.

In chapters 9 and 10 of this book, we saw God providing guidance on specific signals and signs which would let the Israelites know whether they were to set out or stay. And whether it was by means of a cloud or a trumpet blast, the people had been told what they were to do and when they were supposed to do it.

At the end of Chapter 10 and into our scripture passages for today, we see where the nation of Israel finally moved out and continued their exodus. We read where the Israelites "set out, this first time, at the Lord's command through Moses" on the "twentieth day of the second month of the second year". It was on this day and time that “the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle of the Testimony" which was the visual signal that Israel was to get up and go.

Where did they go?

Well, the scriptures tell us that the Israelites "set out from the Desert of Sinai and traveled from place to place until the cloud came to rest in the Desert of Paran". But note that they didn’t set out haphazardly because they didn’t serve a haphazard God anymore than we do today. Rather, God is a God of order and all His plans are perfectly ordered, which means that when anyone follows His will and way, they will be defined by an orderly life.

Indeed, the people of Israel were to move out at a particular time and in a particular order, and as we see in our passages for today, a large portion of those verses detail the how the people of Israel were lined up in their march forward.

Judah went first, including the tribes of Issachar and Zebulun)".

Then "the tabernacle was taken down, and the Gershonites and Merarites, who carried it, set out".

They were followed by "the divisions of the camp of Reuben", which included the tribes of Simeon and Gad.

"Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy things"

After them were "the divisions of the camp of Ephraim", including the tribes of Manasseh and Benjamin.

"Finally, as the rear guard for all the units, the divisions of the camp of Dan set out" and this included the tribes of Asher and Naphtali.

And so all twelve tribes had their appointed places as they "set out from the mountain of the Lord and traveled for three days" with the "ark of the covenant of the Lord" before them so "to find’ a “place to rest". Once disorganized and disorderly upon leaving Egypt as they sojourned to Mount Sinai, now we find the Israelites fully organized and orderly, ready for God to lead them to the Promised Land.

As you step back and consider your life, can you relate to this? Can you remember how things were before the Lord entered in and took control?

I know I can.

For there was a time when I thought I had it all together, or at least the world had me believing I had it all together but the truth of the matter was that I was totally out of order, disjointed and astray from where the Lord wanted me to be. I was marching through life and traveling while using my own road map, which was really like traveling without any map at all when compared to God’s divine navigation and the course He had set for me, a course I had yet to discover and follow.

But then, everything changed when I decided to let go and let God have control of my life, the day when I truly decided to die to self so that Christ could live within me. It was then and only then that my life gained direction, focus, and meaning. Truly, I had been lost but the Lord found me and placed me on His path, the narrow path of righteousness that leads to eternal life. As the scriptures tell us, it is a narrow path (Matthew 7:13-14) but narrow paths are easy to stay on when you have the right guide and our Lord is the perfect Guide for everyone who places their trust in Him.

Friends, my prayer is that we can share in the words of the Psalmist who wrote this:

"Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand." Psalm 16:5-11

The good news in our message today is that we serve a God who is ever ready to provide direction and order to our lives. All anyone needs to do is ask Him to take the wheel of their life, allowing Him to drive them where He wants them to be to do what He wants them to do.

For one thing is certain, there is no reason to doubt whether or not you’re going the right way when you are submitting to the Lord’s will and guidance. He is the true way to find orderly living and in Him, no one will ever be lost.

It was true back in the days of the Old Testament and it’s still true today.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

A CALL TO ACTION

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The Lord said to Moses: "Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together and for having the camps set out. When both are sounded, the whole community is to assemble before you at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. If only one is sounded, the leaders—the heads of the clans of Israel—are to assemble before you. When a trumpet blast is sounded, the tribes camping on the east are to set out. At the sounding of a second blast, the camps on the south are to set out. The blast will be the signal for setting out. To gather the assembly, blow the trumpets, but not with the same signal.”

"The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to blow the trumpets. This is to be a lasting ordinance for you and the generations to come. When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God and rescued from your enemies. Also at your times of rejoicing—your appointed feasts and New Moon festivals—you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God. I am the Lord your God."

Numbers 10:1-10

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

At the end of Numbers, chapter 9, we saw how the Lord led people through the wilderness from Mount Sinai to the promised land of Canaan. You’ll remember that the divine guidance system involved a cloud that the Israelites were to follow every time it lifted from the tabernacle and began to move. This cloud could even be followed through the night as it became like fire to light up the dark sky.

As we move to the opening verses of chapter 10, we find the Lord commanding Moses to fashion “trumpets of hammered steel” which would be used to sound signals to alert the people of God to do what He wanted them to do.

There were to be two of these trumpets and we read where the Israelites would know what the Lord desired by number of trumpets sounded. The scriptures tell us that if both trumpets were sounded, then the people would assemble at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting but if there was only one trumpet blown, then just the "leaders—the heads of the clans of Israel" were to assemble.

There were also different kinds of calls, ones that would come from the trumpets but with different, easily distinguished sounds such as when the Israelites were to set out from their camps. When this particular trumpet blast was sounded, "the tribes camping on the east" were to get up and move out. Then, at "the sounding of a second blast", "the camps on the south" were to go.

Finally, we read where these trumpets were also sounded when the people of Israel were going into battle or rejoicing during "appointed feasts and New Moon festivals" which included "burnt offerings and fellowship offerings."

Today, believers are still called into action like the people of Israel were but that calling isn’t from a trumpet but from the Lord and Savior Jesus Himself as he gave His Great Commission contained in the following words from the Gospel of Matthew:

“All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

Note that these words aren’t passive in nature. Rather, Jesus commanded that His followers should go and make disciples, to baptize them, and teach them all He had commanded. There is no questioning that our Savior called every single one of His followers to take action and to do so in His name out of the authority His Father God had given Him.

Given this, how well is the church of Christ doing today? How effective are the efforts to make disciples of all nations?

Frankly, let’s say there’s a lot of work to be done.

For when we look at the world’s population today, we find that it’s in or around eight billion people.

How many are Christians?

It’s believed that there are approximately two billion of the aforementioned eight billion and in case math isn’t your strong suit, that’s only 25 percent.

I don’t think I have to tell you that there’s a lot of potential for disciple making or as Jesus put it:

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” Matthew 9:37

And so, it’s time the church gets to work, not disempowered by the fragmentation caused by a multitude of denominations, but rather united for the cause of the One we all believe in and serve, the Lord Jesus. Go back to when the church started and it was one group of Christ believers with a singular purpose to carry on His work and help others find their way to the salvation that was only possible through Him. It’s time to get back to that, for all Christians to stop focusing on denominational differences and instead living out this exhortation from the Apostle Paul as He wrote to the church in Ephesus:

"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:1-3

Christ’s Great Commission was first given to His disciples who had no denominational separation. They set out together, united to do His will in accordance with the calling they received, with one common goal: to spread the good news of Jesus to others, witnessing first in Jerusalem, then in all Judea and Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). And as they witnessed to others and planted new Christian churches, therefore increasing the number of believers, they never grew comfortable of complacent in carrying out their Gospel mission. With every moment the Lord gave them, they were committed and devoted to the cause of Christ.

Fast forward now to today and ask yourself these questions:

Where is the common cause evident within Christian churches today?

What has happened to the unity of Spirit within the Christian church of the 21st century?

I’m afraid that many churches have become too comfy within the confines of their own congregations. They perform localized efforts and then pat themselves on the back so they feel good about what they’ve done.

But what if this is just what the enemy wants from the church of Christ today? What if he is loving this, seeing how Christian churches are reluctant or even unwilling to join hands together to make disciples, to baptize, and to teach all that Jesus commanded?

Friends, if the Christian church is truly going to make a dent in the six billion people who are unsaved in the world and destined for an eternity in Hell, we’re going to need to get back to basics, back to when the New Testament church was born, back when everyone worked as one within the Gospel mission field.

And just in case you think this is a hopeless cause, it’s not. In fact, true, exponential revival in this world is as close to us as the noses on our collective faces. For if all two billion Christians in the world would unite for the cause of the Gospel, there would be a powerful groundswell of a spiritual movement, the likes of which the world has never seen as the Great Commission power of Jesus is maximized to the fullest. And the multitude of people lost and looking for the next great thing to follow after would get caught up in the Christ movement, all rescued from Hell and destined for the glory of Heaven. Further, this world would be transformed, moved more to a place where peace and love dominate over hatred and conflict.

As I close, I hear way too many Christian believers speaking out in condemnation of this world, saying something like this:

"I’m sure that the end times are just around the corner and I wouldn’t be surprised if Jesus comes back right this very moment."

There’s only one part of this that is acceptable and that’s the part of Jesus coming back at a time that no one knows. Outside of that, this kind of mindset is exactly what’s wrong with our current evangelistic attitude in the church for it’s a lot easier to just give up and wish for Jesus to return than it is to do something, like getting to work to do something to impact the vast number of unbelievers in the world and how their sinfulness impacts the world we live in.

The bottom line is that all Christians have a sure calling from Jesus, a call to action. It’s time we all do as much as we can collectively as believers to carry out the Great Commission and bring the Gospel to the unsaved of our world.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

A GUIDING PRESENCE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

On the day the tabernacle, the Tent of the Testimony, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning, the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire. That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire.

Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. At the Lord's command, the Israelites set out, and at His command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp.

When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the Lord's order and did not set out. Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the Lord's command they would encamp, and then at His command they would set out. Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out.

Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. At the Lord's command they encamped, and at the Lord's command they set out. They obeyed the Lord's order, in accordance with his command through Moses.

Numbers 9:15-23

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The people of Israel had been counted, organized in tribes for encampment around the tabernacle, and spiritually led by the Levites who were assigned for their duties by God. As we see in today’s passage and our continued study of Numbers, chapter 9, it was time for the Israelites to journey from Sinai to the Promised Land of Canaan.

Up to this point, we have seen the Lord provide His people all the guidance they needed to live the way He expected and they would now put it into practice as they journeyed. But there was only one issue. The Israelites needed directions to where God wanted them to be.

Enter God and His holy guidance system that had a special cloud at its heart, a cloud that was nothing short of holy.

As we see in our passage for today, this divine, holy cloud that covered the tabernacle (or Tent of the Testimony) looked like any other cloud during the day but when night came, it transformed to look like fire, a fire that would light up the dark sky. This ensured that God’s place of worship would never be in the dark.

Okay, so how would the Israelites know when to move?

The scriptures tell us that this happened whenever the "cloud lifted from above the Tent", a signal for God’s people to follow the cloud until it settled. At that location, the Israelites would set up camp and remain there "as long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle". They wouldn’t pick up and set out again until the cloud once again lifted and moved them to the next stopping point,

In essence, we need to see that the Lord was guiding every step of His people, expecting that they would remain obedient to His leading.

Today, we may not have a cloud that helps lead us from place to place or tells us what to do but we do have the Lord’s Holy Spirit dwelling within that serves the same purpose, to be a guiding presence for all believers. Here’s what God’s word tells us about this guiding Spirit:

"…do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit." Mark 13:11

"Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21

Here we see how the Holy Spirit can help us find the right words to say as we journey through each day the Lord has granted. I don’t know about you but I find this to be a great comfort to know the Lord is willing to place His words in our mouths to make sure we speak in ways that honor and glorify Him.

Perhaps there is no time that this is more important than when we are boldly going forth to minister in the Lord’s name. Although sometimes answering this call to evangelism can be scary, we gain courage and strength through knowing that we aren’t carrying out our Great Commission responsibilities on our own. This is because Jesus promised His followers that He would be with them until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20b) and through the Holy Spirit, He always makes good on that promise. Look at these additional words from our Savior:

"All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." John 14:25-26

Friends, when it comes right down to it, life is one big learning process and the only way we can stay ahead of the learning curve is to surrender to the Lord’ will and way through the Holy Spirit who illuminates all things, whether when we’re reading the scriptures or praying over matters we need help with. Through it all, we learn that our Lord is always there to guide, teach, and lead us, all the while reminding us of all that Christ commanded.

"God exalted Him to His own right hand as Prince and Savior that He might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him." Acts 5:31-32

The scriptures are clear that the moment anyone places their belief in Jesus, they receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Like the disciples on Pentecost, this activation allows a Christian to be able to go forth and effectively make disciples, just as Christ commanded (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus affirmed this before His ascension in the first chapter of the Book of Acts:

“So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:6-8

With this, do you feel and sense the Spirit’s leading within your life?

My prayer is that you have fully felt His guiding presence in your life, a presence that ensures you are pursuing the Lord’s desires instead of your own. For the truth of the matter is that without the Spirit, we are powerless but through Him, we can do all things because of Christ who strengthens and empowers us by His Spirit, the Spirit he sent to us (Philippians 4:13).

Indeed, the Holy Spirit is a rich gift and blessing from the Lord, one that helps us guard the Gospel which God entrusts to all who believe in His Son. Consider these words from Second Timothy, chapter 1:

"What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us." 2 Timothy 1:13-14

Brothers and sisters, Satan would like nothing more than to steal away us the Gospel message which includes God’s plan for salvation, the “good deposit” that He has implanted into our hearts and minds. This includes the “the pattern of sound teaching” grounded in “faith and love in Christ Jesus”. People go to great lengths to protect their worldly treasures but what we’re reading about in these passages is something of immeasurable wealth and worth, something we should protect with all that we are, no matter the cost.

In the scriptures for today, we saw how the Lord showed the Israelites that He was willing to guide and lead them to the place He wanted them to be. All they needed to be was obedient to Him.

Today, nothing has changed except the means by which the Lord is leading and guiding His people. And while we aren’t moving or staying put in tandem with a cloud, we are directed by something even better, the Holy Spirit who always leads us in the ways of Jesus, the One who is the Way and the Truth and the Life. both now and forever.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

A REASONABLE FATHER

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The Lord spoke to Moses in the Desert of Sinai in the first month of the second year after they came out of Egypt. He said, "Have the Israelites celebrate the Passover at the appointed time. Celebrate it at the appointed time, at twilight on the fourteenth day of this month, in accordance with all its rules and regulations."

So Moses told the Israelites to celebrate the Passover, and they did so in the Desert of Sinai at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses. But some of them could not celebrate the Passover on that day because they were ceremonially unclean on account of a dead body. So they came to Moses and Aaron that same day and said to Moses, "We have become unclean because of a dead body, but why should we be kept from presenting the Lord's offering with the other Israelites at the appointed time?" Moses answered them, "Wait until I find out what the Lord commands concerning you."

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites: 'When any of you or your descendants are unclean because of a dead body or are away on a journey, they may still celebrate the Lord's Passover. They are to celebrate it on the fourteenth day of the second month at twilight. They are to eat the lamb, together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. They must not leave any of it till morning or break any of its bones. When they celebrate the Passover, they must follow all the regulations. But if a man who is ceremonially clean and not on a journey fails to celebrate the Passover, that person must be cut off from his people because he did not present the Lord's offering at the appointed time. That man will bear the consequences of his sin.’

‘An alien living among you who wants to celebrate the Lord's Passover must do so in accordance with its rules and regulations. You must have the same regulations for the alien and the native-born.'"

Numbers 9:1-14

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Up to this point in the Old Testament scriptures, we have seen God mandating many rules and regulations for the way He expected the Israelites to live and worship. In regard to these directives, we have also seen how He has been inflexible and uncompromising when it came to His people adhering to them. He expected the utmost obedience from His people then just as He does today.

With this, we find an interesting, rare exception to the Lord’s strict compliance rule as we look at the opening fourteen verses of Numbers, chapter 9, verses that we see deal with the holy observance of the Passover. Through His response to an issue regarding uncleanliness and participation in the sacred day, we find that while God does expect obedience to His commands, He is also a God of grace and reason, a God who shows us that the essence of worship is more important than a legalistic adherence to law.

The chapter begins as if there were no problems existing. The Lord tells Moses to celebrate the Passover at the appointed time which was designated as "twilight on the fourteenth day of this month". We read where He expected the Passover to be conducted "in accordance with all its rules and regulations" and the scriptures tell us that the Israelites did as He demanded, celebrating Passover "in the Desert of Sinai at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month" and doing "everything just as the Lord commanded Moses."

But then read about a concern that bubbled to the surface right on the Passover day. We read where "some of them (the Israelites) could not celebrate the Passover on that day because they were ceremonially unclean on account of a dead body." These effected people came to Moses and Aaron saying, "We have become unclean because of a dead body, but why should we be kept from presenting the Lord's offering with the other Israelites at the appointed time?" Their request clearly shows a deep desire to be able to participate in the Passover sacrament and it’s within this passion that they ask their question to Moses. In essence, they didn’t see where being “unclean” because of a “dead body” should be a disqualifying factor.

And so knowing this was a call that the Lord needed to make, we find Moses going to Him with the question at hand and we might expect that God might say something like this:

"My commands are My commands. They are unclean and cannot partake in the Passover. I am the Lord!"

But that’s not happened as God shows that us once again that mercy and grace are key components of His character. We know He is a God who peers into the hearts of His people, able to see their inner motives and desires. He could see their strong spiritual fervor and devotion for Him and I believe this is what led Him to respond to the request as He did, saying this to Moses:

"Tell the Israelites: 'When any of you or your descendants are unclean because of a dead body or are away on a journey, they may still celebrate the Lord's Passover. They are to celebrate it on the fourteenth day of the second month at twilight. They are to eat the lamb, together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. They must not leave any of it till morning or break any of its bones. When they celebrate the Passover, they must follow all the regulations.’"

Through these words, we find God not only making accommodations for those who may have inadvertently become unclean on the Passover but also those who had been away on travel. In either instance, the Passover could be celebrated one month after the normally prescribed Passover day (in other words, a second Passover celebration could be held) but note that God makes it clear that all regulations of the prescribed Passover day must also be followed on the second one.

In the end translation, God made sure that those who wanted to participate in the special observance marking His deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt could do so. Even "an alien living among” the Israelites could take part but only if they had been first circumcised prior to the Passover feast (Exodus 12:48). With this, we see that there was room at the Passover table for non-Israelites (aliens) who had come to believe and trust in the God of Israel.

Through our verses for today, we see how the God we serve is a reasonable Father, One who sees and knows the faithful desire for Him within a believer’s heart and will honor those desires by providing the opportunity to celebrate Him in worship. Conversely, as we see in verse thirteen of this passage, the Lord will bring judgment on anyone who is able to take part in His prescribed worship observances but chooses not to, an act He saw as a sin.

“But if a man who is ceremonially clean and not on a journey fails to celebrate the Passover, that person must be cut off from his people because he did not present the Lord's offering at the appointed time. That man will bear the consequences of his sin."

Yes, we know God is a God of grace but He still is a God who expects every believer’s reverence and respect. He will not stand for willful insolence and shows that judgment is prescribed for anyone who chooses to exercise it. Indeed, He expects those who place their belief in Him to worship and there can be no greater expression of honor for Him as when His people come before Him in a spirit of praise and thanksgiving, acknowledging His absolute sovereignty and authority.

For us today, this is done through a church where a body of believers gather in corporate worship of the only One who is worthy of it. It can and should be carried out daily as part of the spiritual discipline of any Christian.

For everything we have is a gift, right? And this includes the time that we’re taking up right now, I writing this message while communing with the Holy Spirit and you later reading it once it is posted.

Further, life itself is such a rich gift. Wouldn’t you agree?

It’s true and we need to see that every breath of air we take in and breathe out is a breath of the Lord’s grace and mercy. Take away breath and a person will die, and without God’s grace and mercy, as set forth through His Son Jesus, we would cease to live in glory, both now or in the hereafter.

Friends, our reasonable Father loved us so much that He didn’t want for us to perish and so He saved us, offering up Jesus to atone for and take away our sins (John 1:29, 3:16). He has blessed us at the highest level possible with salvation, although none of us have done any work in life that has earned it. Rather, all we needed to do is believe in His Son as Savior. That’s it.

With this, our only proper response is to offer Him all our praise, honor, and glory within every breath He provides, showing our heartfelt gratitude unto the One who has given us all we could ever hope for and all we could ever need through Christ, His Son and our Savior.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com. 

PREPARATION AND SEPARATION

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the Testimony. And he spoke with Him. Numbers 7:89

The Lord said to Moses, "Speak to Aaron and say to him, 'When you set up the seven lamps, they are to light the area in front of the lampstand.'"

Aaron did so; he set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the lampstand, just as the Lord commanded Moses. This is how the lampstand was made: It was made of hammered gold—from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the Lord had shown Moses.

The Lord said to Moses: "Take the Levites from among the other Israelites and make them ceremonially clean. To purify them, do this: Sprinkle the water of cleansing on them; then have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves. Have them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil; then you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering. Bring the Levites to the front of the Tent of Meeting and assemble the whole Israelite community. You are to bring the Levites before the Lord, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them. Aaron is to present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may be ready to do the work of the Lord.”

"After the Levites lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, use the one for a sin offering to the Lord and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites. Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering to the Lord. In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine.”

"After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering, they are to come to do their work at the Tent of Meeting. They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to Me. I have taken them as My own in place of the firstborn, the first male offspring from every Israelite woman. Every firstborn male in Israel, whether man or animal, is Mine.”

“When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for myself. And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel. Of all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the Tent of Meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary."

Moses, Aaron and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses. The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord and made atonement for them to purify them. After that, the Levites came to do their work at the Tent of Meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. They did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Lord said to Moses, "This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the Tent of Meeting, but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the Tent of Meeting, but they themselves must not do the work. This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites." Numbers 8

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

You may remember back in Numbers, chapter 3, that a count was made of all Levite males a month old or more. Included in this census were the Gershonites, Merarites, and Kohathites with the total number coming to 22,000. The Lord then ordered the counting of all Israel’s firstborn, a month old or more, and that total came to 22, 273. Then, after both these counts were made, the Lord said this to Moses:

"Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites are to be Mine. I am the Lord." Numbers 3:45

In other words, God was saying that the 22,000 Levites were a substitute for 22,000 of the firstborn of Israel and you’ll recall that the Israelites had to redeem the other 273 firstborn with redemption money (five shekels each).

Fast forward now to Chapter 8 where the Levites are dedicated to the Lord’s service and we need to note that our scripture passage today further expounds on why God took the Levites in place of the firstborn of Israel:

"They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to Me. I have taken them as My own in place of the firstborn, the first male offspring from every Israelite woman. Every firstborn male in Israel, whether man or animal, is Mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for Myself. And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel. Of all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the Tent of Meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary." Vv. 16-19

Here, we find the Lord making a comparison to the Passover day in Egypt when He passed over the firstborn of Israel while killing all of Egypt’s firstborn as a penalty for Pharaoh’s stubborn refusal to release the Israelites from their captivity. And so just as the Lord set apart Israel’s firstborn then, we see He now is setting them apart again but the difference is that He now was taking the Levites in their place so to "make atonement” to prevent any “plague” from striking “the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary." The Levites were also to be a gift "to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the Tent of Meeting on behalf of the Israelites".

Before any of this could happen, we see where the Levites had to go through a conversion process before they could officially assume their duties in the tabernacle. This process involved intentional preparation to separate and sanctify the Levites for their service for God so to fulfill His purposes. The preparation phase was pretty involved and centered on purification as the Levites were to go through the following steps:

1. Be sprinkled with water for cleansing.

2. Be shaved over their whole bodies.

All hair had to be removed because follicles trapped dirt and impurities. God expected the Levites were to be completely cleansed.

3. Wash their clothes.

Not only were their bodies to be cleansed but what they wore needed to be clean as well.

4. Finally, sacrifices had to be made for atonement.

We read where two bulls, one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering were required along with a grain offering of "fine flour mixed with oil".

After their cleansing, the scriptures tell us the Levites were brought to the "front of the Tent of Meeting" where "the whole Israelite community" was assembled. Moses was required to "bring the Levites before the Lord" and the Israelites were to "lay their hands on them". You may remember from earlier study in the Old Testament that hands were placed on sacrifices so to pass the sins of the person onto the object that was being sacrificed (most often an animal). Through this ritual, the sins of the people were symbolically passed onto the Levites but only temporarily. For after Aaron presented the Levites "before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites so that they may be ready to do the work of the Lord", the Levites laid "their hands on the heads of the two bulls" of which "one (was) for a sin offering to the Lord and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites." And so, the sins of Israel were passed onto the Levites who then in turn passed the sins onto the bulls, serving to atone not only for their sins but the sins of the people.

Through this entire process, the Lord’s end goal was to "set the Levites apart from the other Israelites" so they would belong solely to Him and work at the Tent of Meeting, assisting Aaron and His sons. The preparation led to the separation from the other Israelites and thus their sanctification.

Today God still expects the hearts of people to be converted through acts of preparation and separation.

For to truly be a Christian, one who believes in the Father God who not only created us but sent His only Son to die for our sins and purchase our pardon, we must first be changed from the inside out, divorced from the world and its ways that too often pull us down into the realm of sinfulness instead of the righteous, holy life that the Lord expects us to live.

Indeed, God wants us to be believe in His Son and also be baptized just as Jesus was, personally proclaiming and experiencing His death and resurrection into new life, a new life which makes us a new creation and outs everything that was in our past gone (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Just as the Levites shaved off all their hair, shedding themselves from what was, we too are to shave off our old ways, shedding ourselves of our sinful habits while allowing the Lord to grow new and holy ones from within our hearts and souls, all the while transforming our inner spirits with His Holy Spirit.

Indeed, we need to wash away every single thing we used to wear that is not of Christ Jesus and put on new, divine, clean clothes, ones that radiate the light and love of our Savior to all who look at us. Through the shed blood of our Savior, all believers are washed white as snow (Isaiah 1:18, Revelation 7:14). 

Ultimately, we need to dedicate ourselves before the Lord as individual wave offerings, surrendering ourselves to His will and way while devoting ourselves to His service.

Friends, when we reach this point of preparation where we are truly willing to deny ourselves and come after Jesus as faithful, obedient disciples who are willing to take up His cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24), then and only then will we have made it to the point of separation, the point where we have chosen to set ourselves apart, the point where we say “goodbye” to the ways of the world and “hello” to the blessed ways of Jesus, the One who is the Way and the Truth and the Life, the only One who can bring us to God the Father so to live with Him now and forevermore.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

RETURNING BLESSINGS

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed it and consecrated it and all its furnishings. He also anointed and consecrated the altar and all its utensils. Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of families who were the tribal leaders in charge of those who were counted, made offerings. They brought as their gifts before the Lord six covered carts and twelve oxen—an ox from each leader and a cart from every two. These they presented before the tabernacle.

The Lord said to Moses, "Accept these from them, that they may be used in the work at the Tent of Meeting. Give them to the Levites as each man's work requires."

So Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites. He gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites, as their work required, and he gave four carts and eight oxen to the Merarites, as their work required. They were all under the direction of Ithamar, son of Aaron, the priest. But Moses did not give any to the Kohathites, because they were to carry on their shoulders the holy things, for which they were responsible. When the altar was anointed, the leaders brought their offerings for its dedication and presented them before the altar. For the Lord had said to Moses, "Each day one leader is to bring his offering for the dedication of the altar."

The one who brought his offering on the first day was Nahshon, son of Amminadab of the tribe of Judah. His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Nahshon, son of Amminadab.

On the second day, Nethanel, son of Zuar, the leader of Issachar, brought his offering. The offering he brought was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Nethanel, son of Zuar.

On the third day, Eliab, son of Helon, the leader of the people of Zebulun, brought his offering. His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Eliab, son of Helon.

On the fourth day, Elizur, son of Shedeur, the leader of the people of Reuben, brought his offering. His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Elizur, son of Shedeur.

On the fifth day, Shelumiel, son of Zurishaddai, the leader of the people of Simeon, brought his offering. His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Shelumiel, son of Zurishaddai.

On the sixth day, Eliasaph, son of Deuel, the leader of the people of Gad, brought his offering. His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Eliasaph, son of Deuel.

On the seventh day, Elishama, son of Ammihud, the leader of the people of Ephraim, brought his offering. His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Elishama son of Ammihud.

On the eighth day, Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur, the leader of the people of Manasseh, brought his offering. His offering was one silver plate, weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur.

On the ninth day, Abidan, son of Gideoni, the leader of the people of Benjamin, brought his offering. His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Abidan, son of Gideoni.

On the tenth day, Ahiezer, son of Ammishaddai, the leader of the people of Dan, brought his offering. His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Ahiezer, son of Ammishaddai.

On the eleventh day, Pagiel, son of Ocran, the leader of the people of Asher, brought his offering. His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Pagiel, son of Ocran.

On the twelfth day, Ahira, son of Enan, the leader of the people of Naphtali, brought his offering. His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Ahira, son of Enan.

These were the offerings of the Israelite leaders for the dedication of the altar when it was anointed: twelve silver plates, twelve silver sprinkling bowls and twelve gold dishes. Each silver plate weighed a hundred and thirty shekels, and each sprinkling bowl seventy shekels. Altogether, the silver dishes weighed two thousand four hundred shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.

The twelve gold dishes filled with incense weighed ten shekels each, according to the sanctuary shekel. Altogether, the gold dishes weighed a hundred and twenty shekels.

The total number of animals for the burnt offering came to twelve young bulls, twelve rams and twelve male lambs a year old, together with their grain offering. Twelve male goats were used for the sin offering. The total number of animals for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering came to twenty-four oxen, sixty rams, sixty male goats and sixty male lambs a year old.

These were the offerings for the dedication of the altar after it was anointed.

Numbers 7:1-88

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

At the end of Numbers, Chapter 6, we looked at the Aaronic benediction where the Lord told Aaron and his sons through Moses to bless the Israelite people.

As we turn the page to chapter 7, we see where the people of Israel return the favor by blessing the Lord with offerings in what had to be a magnificent procession across twelve days, one each for each tribal camp of Israel.

Before these offerings were presented to God by His people, the scriptures tell us that there were gifts presented to the Levites. These gifts included "six covered carts and twelve oxen—an ox from each leader and a cart from every two" which were presented "before the tabernacle". All that was donated was to be "used in the work at the Tent of Meeting" and we read where the Lord commanded Moses to "give them to the Levites as each man's work requires". And so in obedience to God’s tasking, Moses distributed the gifts as follows:

1. He gave “two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites, as their work required”.

2. He gave “four carts and eight oxen to the Merarites, as their work required”.

3. He did not give any to the Kohathites, because “they were to carry on their shoulders the holy things, for which they were responsible”. You see, the work of the Kohathites didn’t require a cart or oxen like the Gershonites and Merarites. You may remember that they had been commanded by God in chapter 4 of this book to "carry those things that are in the Tent of Meeting" (v.15b).

Once the Levites had received their gifts that were needed to transport the tabernacle items and "when the altar was anointed", the leaders of each of the twelve tribes "brought their offerings”, dedicating and presenting “them before the altar". The scriptures tell us that this was done in obedience to the Lord who had said to Moses, "Each day one leader is to bring his offering for the dedication of the altar."

And so it was.

For twelve straight days, one camp at a time brought their offerings before God. They came as they had been arranged, with the camps from the east coming first followed by the south, west, and finally the north. We should note that each day’s offerings were identical and while it could have been easier for the book’s author to simply say the other tribes each brought the same offerings over the next eleven days but that would have removed the visual appreciation for the reader over the celebrations that took place. Every day, the procession of gifts to the tabernacle was special, a show of devotion for the clan was presenting to the Lord.

And let’s not think for a moment that these camps were rich. We need to remember that they weren’t that far disposed from being delivered from their Egyptian captivity and were still nomads in the wilderness, journeying toward the land God had promised. With this, the tribes sacrificed what wealth they had in their giving and showed that their true affluence was found in their faith and obedience to God, the God who had richly blessed them, the God that they now were returning blessings to.

How should we apply this message to our own lives?

The starting point is first realizing just how much we have been blessed by our Lord. This assessment and inventory of blessings shouldn’t be limited to physical and tangible things like money, a job, a home to live in, a vehicle to drive, or food to eat. We should be careful to include spiritual gifts from our God, ones that we cannot assign an adequate value to. These include grace, mercy, forgiveness, love, and salvation, all critical to keep in the forefront of our minds if we are to fully appreciate all that the Lord has done for us.

Of course, Satan is also in the midst of this matter, ever trying to derail these efforts to realize blessedness and respond accordingly with thanksgiving and a desire to give back to God. The enemy would convince us that we don’t have enough, leading us to covet more than what the Lord has provided. He seeks to move people to where they aren’t satisfied with what they have, always thinking things would be better if they would just have more money, a better job, a bigger house, a fancier car...I could go on and on but you get the point. We typically fail to sit down and really appreciate how very blessed we are.

Going back to our passage for today in the seventh chapter of Number, I believe the people of Israel show us the beauty found in receiving blessings from God and then seeking to reciprocate those blessings. My prayer is that we follow their lead in the way we conduct ourselves before the Lord in response to all He does for us, giving back to Him as a sign of our adoration and gratitude. And frankly, we all have something to give back to Him, whether it be our time, talent, and/or treasure.  

In closing, I want to offer you these words from the Apostle Paul as he wrote to the church in Corinth:

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

Truly, our God has cheerfully given abundantly to us. Let us return blessings back to Him with gladness.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.