ORDERLY LIVING

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In Christ, Mark

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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.