A PLEASING AROMA

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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

The Lord said to Moses, "Give this command to the Israelites and say to them: 'See that you present to Me at the appointed time the food for My offerings made by fire, as an aroma pleasing to Me.' Say to them: 'This is the offering made by fire that you are to present to the Lord: two lambs a year old without defect, as a regular burnt offering each day. Prepare one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight, together with a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil from pressed olives. This is the regular burnt offering instituted at Mount Sinai as a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the Lord by fire. The accompanying drink offering is to be a quarter of a hin of fermented drink with each lamb. Pour out the drink offering to the Lord at the sanctuary. Prepare the second lamb at twilight, along with the same kind of grain offering and drink offering that you prepare in the morning. This is an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.’”

'On the Sabbath day, make an offering of two lambs a year old without defect, together with its drink offering and a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil. This is the burnt offering for every Sabbath, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.’

'On the first of every month, present to the Lord a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. With each bull there is to be a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; and with each lamb, a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil. This is for a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the Lord by fire. With each bull there is to be a drink offering of half a hin of wine; with the ram, a third of a hin; and with each lamb, a quarter of a hin. This is the monthly burnt offering to be made at each new moon during the year. Besides the regular burnt offering with its drink offering, one male goat is to be presented to the Lord as a sin offering.’

'On the fourteenth day of the first month, the Lord's Passover is to be held. On the fifteenth day of this month there is to be a festival; for seven days eat bread made without yeast. On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. Present to the Lord an offering made by fire, a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. With each bull prepare a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two-tenths; and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth. Include one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you. Prepare these in addition to the regular morning burnt offering. In this way prepare the food for the offering made by fire every day for seven days as an aroma pleasing to the Lord; it is to be prepared in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering. On the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.’

'On the day of firstfruits, when you present to the Lord an offering of new grain during the Feast of Weeks, hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. Present a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. With each bull there is to be a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two-tenths; and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth. Include one male goat to make atonement for you. Prepare these together with their drink offerings, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its grain offering. Be sure the animals are without defect.’

'On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets. As an aroma pleasing to the Lord, prepare a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bull prepare a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two-tenths; and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth. Include one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you. These are in addition to the monthly and daily burnt offerings with their grain offerings and drink offerings as specified. They are offerings made to the Lord by fire—a pleasing aroma.

'On the tenth day of this seventh month hold a sacred assembly. You must deny yourselves and do no work. Present as an aroma pleasing to the Lord a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bull prepare a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two-tenths; and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth. Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the sin offering for atonement and the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.’

'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. Celebrate a festival to the Lord for seven days. Present an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the Lord, a burnt offering of thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. With each of the thirteen bulls prepare a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with each of the two rams, two-tenths; and with each of the fourteen lambs, one-tenth. Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.’

'On the second day prepare twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.’

'On the third day prepare eleven bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bulls, rams, and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.’

'On the fourth day prepare ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bulls, rams, and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.’

'On the fifth day prepare nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bulls, rams, and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.”

'On the sixth day prepare eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bulls, rams, and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.’

'On the seventh day prepare seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bulls, rams, and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.’

'On the eighth day hold an assembly and do no regular work. Present an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the Lord, a burnt offering of one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bull, the ram, and the lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.’

'In addition to what you vow and your freewill offerings, prepare these for the Lord at your appointed feasts: your burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings and fellowship offerings.'"

Moses told the Israelites all that the Lord commanded him.

Numbers 28 and 29

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

Up to this point, the matter of offerings and the proper conducting of them have been prevalent through our study of the Old Testament. However, what we haven’t seen until now is a comprehensive listing of all required offerings with very specific guidance as to when and how they were to be conducted.

So as we look at chapters 28 and 29 of the Book of Numbers, we find God providing what is essentially a one stop shopping guide for information on all His required sacrifices.

These sacrifices were an important part of Old Testament worship and were typically carried out for the following purposes:

1. To serve a particular purpose such as to worship, to seek peace or forgiveness or atonement, to give thanks, or to ask for God’s blessing.

2. To commemorate a particular special event such as Passover, the Sabbath, the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, or the Feast of the Tabernacles or Booths.

No matter the occasion, two things are certain regarding the rendering of offerings:

1. God definitely expected His people to carry them out as He prescribed.

2. The offerings were satisfying to God when they were done obediently according to His guidance. By His own words, each was a pleasing aroma to Him.

This fundamental idea still holds true today, even though the Old Covenant and its system of sacrifices ended with the death and resurrection of Jesus and the sure, permanent atonement that He brings to anyone who simply believes in Him as Savior.

So what does God require of us as believers? What does He expect us to do so that our lives become a pleasing aroma to Him?

Let’s go to the scriptures for the answers.

1. God requires all that we are.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—His good, pleasing, and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2

“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” Romans 6:12-14

We can’t possibly understand and know all the things that God has purposed us for unless we commit and submit ourselves fully to Him – body, mind, and soul – for this is what it means to be a living sacrifice.

2. God requires that we love Him and one another.

“One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked Him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

"Well said, Teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but Him. To love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”  Mark 12:28-33

The teacher of the law didn’t try to correct or argue with Jesus in regard to what He said were the two greatest commandments. Rather, He was in complete agreement with Him, seeing that loving God and others was more important than any offerings or sacrifices that were so prevalent under the old covenant. Now, Jesus had come and made it clear that the most important command was the one from the Book of Deuteronomy (6:4-5), a command that required every believer to first devote themselves completely to God. When they did, then His love would become theirs as they were in unadulterated communion with Him and this love would be what they could extend to their neighbors.

This is the love God still demands from us as believers today and it’s the only loving spirit that will be a pleasing aroma to Him.  

3. God requires that we provide for any brother or sister in need.

“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:14-17

“And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Hebrews 13:16

“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 4:9-11

When we get to the core essence of Jesus’ ministry, we find it was defined by utter self sacrificial service. He even said as much Himself:

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45

If we claim to be Christians, then our lives need to reflect the life of Christ and that means we need to be willing to lay ourselves aside for the good of others, no matter the cost. It’s this willingness to put one’s life, possessions, and desires aside so to put our focus on those in need that pleases God.

4. God requires that we pray in faith for one another.

“Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:13-16

What can be more incredible in our earthly existence than having the privilege every day to personally communicate with the Lord God Almighty, the Maker and Master of all created things?

We have immediate access to a power that is unmatched and able to do anything. All we need to do is pray for ourselves and others. When we do, let’s make sure we give thanks to God for who He is and the blessed love and caring He shows us.

5. God requires that we give Him our praise.

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess His name.” Hebrews 13:15

Think of where we were before Jesus. All people were sinners who fell short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23) and were destined for an eternity in Hell. But God so loved the world that He gave His only Son Jesus so that those who would believe in Him wouldn’t perish but gain eternal life (John 3:16). Out of His deep love, God sent us a Savior and delivered us from eternal torment to everlasting life, from damnation to salvation.

Why would we ever go through any day without offering Him the sacrifice of our praise through Jesus, the Lamb of God who took away our sin (John 1:29) and saved us.

6. God requires sacrificial giving of what He provides.

"Will a man rob God? Yet you rob Me. But you ask, 'How do we rob You?' In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing Me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of Heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” Malachi 3:8-10

As He looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the truth," He said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on." Luke 21:1-4

All that we have is provided to us by God. That’s the truth of the matter.

Here’s something else that’s true. Too many people think that what they have is of their own doing and they possess it as such.

At our church, our senior pastor is always compelling us to excel in the ministry of giving, whether that be to the church, to other Christian ministry efforts, or to those in need. For the Lord is clear in His Word in communicating His desire that His people give back what He has given them, all to His honor and glory. For when we are obedient to His commands to give, He will ensure we have just what we need to live this life in service to Him and others.

Friends, certainly, the Bible has much to say about what God expects from us, far more than will fit in today’s message. The important thing is that we realize and recognize that He wants us to give freely of our time, talent, and treasure to serve Him and others. We’ll do just that as long as we continually seek His will and way every day in prayer and communion with the Holy Spirit, then carrying out His purposes in obedience.

This is the life that sends a pleasing aroma to our God, a life that is fully dedicated and grounded in Him and His Word.

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.

THE RIGHT SPIRIT

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.

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go up this mountain in the Abarim range and see the land I have given the Israelites. After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of Zin, both of you disobeyed My command to honor Me as holy before their eyes." (These were the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.)

Moses said to the Lord, "May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd."

So the Lord said to Moses, "Take Joshua, son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him. Have him stand before Eleazar, the priest, and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence. Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him. He is to stand before Eleazar, the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the Lord. At his command, he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in."

Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar, the priest, and the whole assembly. Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the Lord instructed through Moses.

Numbers 27:12-23

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

You'll recall that Moses was a very faithful and obedient servant unto the Lord. In fact, the Lord held him in the highest esteem as He guided, mentored and nurtured him from the day He called him into service at the burning bush through the long exodus of Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land. We know God had a very close relationship with Moses as He often met with him personally. In fact, no other Israelite was closer to God than Moses was.

And so, if anyone might have earned some sort of right to get a special break from God, it would have been Moses. But although God is a God of forgiveness, mercy, and grace, He doesn’t look the other way when sin is committed. Everyone is held accountable and as we see in today’s passage, Moses was no exception.

Go back to the twentieth chapter of Numbers and you’ll remember where Moses and his brother, Aaron, were dealing with the disgruntled Israelites who were complaining about not having water. Taking the matter before God, Moses was told to take his staff, gather an assembly of the Israelites, and then speak to the rock after which water would flow from it. This was to let the people know that God had answered their petition because only He could have brought water out of a rock.

It was a simple enough command to carry out but Moses and Aaron messed it up. Here’s what they did:

So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as He commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. Numbers 20:9-11

We see here how Moses deviated from God’s plan.

First, he made this declaration:

“Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”

God didn’t tell Moses to say this and his words ended up setting the scenario where the people of Israel would credit him and Aaron as the ones who were responsible for the water gushing out of the rock, stealing that honor from their Lord.

Secondly, Moses didn’t speak to the rock as told but rather struck it “twice with his staff”.

In both of these instances, Moses failed to follow God’s instructions to the tee and as a result, the Lord rendered judgment upon both him and Aaron.

“...the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in Me enough to honor Me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” Numbers 20:12

Indeed, the price was steep for willful disobedience as both Moses and Aaron wouldn’t enjoy the privilege of entering the land that God had promised His people, the land they had spent so much time leading the Israelite people to.

It’s this penalty that we find God talking about at the beginning of today's passage when He said:

"Go up this mountain in the Abarim range and see the land I have given the Israelites. After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of Zin, both of you disobeyed My command to honor Me as holy before their eyes." (These were the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.)

As we read this, we know that Aaron has already passed away (Numbers 20:27-29) and now it was Moses’ turn to be “gathered to” his people but not until after he would get one last view of the land that Israel will inherit, a view that would come from “the mountain in the Abarim range”.

Now, Moses could have spent time debating and disputing God's decision. After all, we know that he never hesitated in the past to go before God and intercede for the sinful Israelites during when their sin had stoked God's rage against them. In those times of intercession, Moses always seemed to have a way of convincing God to show mercy and grace in the midst of judgment. Yet now, as he faced his own consequences for sinning, Moses remained silent and didn’t show concern for himself. Instead, we see where he shows concern for his people, saying:

"May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd."

God has made it clear that Moses wouldn’t be the man who would lead Israel into Canaan and so he was very concerned that the right leader would be selected to take his place, a leader who could "go out and come in before" Israel, a leader who could "lead them out and bring them in", a shepherd who could lead the Israelite flock into the Promised Land.

Well, the scriptures tell us that God honored the request, saying this to Moses:

"Take Joshua, son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him. Have him stand before Eleazar, the priest, and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence. Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him. He is to stand before Eleazar, the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the Lord. At his command, he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in."

So "Moses did as the Lord commanded" and had Joshua "stand before Eleazar, the priest, and the whole assembly" before he "laid his hands on him and commissioned him as the Lord instructed". The turnover of leadership was complete and Joshua was the new leader of Israel, ending the tenure of Moses.

Through our study of Exodus, Leviticus, and now Numbers, we have learned many lessons from Moses as we have journeyed with him through his life. As we seek to grow and lead spiritually ourselves as believers, it's important that we have the right spirit and here’s what we can learn from Moses in regard to this:

1. The right spirit of leadership includes an attitude of accountability.

Moses knew he had erred at the rock in the Desert of Zin. He had watched Israel disobediently sin many times over and had witnessed first-hand how God held them accountable. Now, he knew it was his turn but we should note that he never tried to leverage his transgression by way of his special relationship with God. He never sought some special privilege to use for his own advantage. Instead, he fully accepted God's decision and judgment.

As we lead others, we need to realize two things:

First, anyone is prone to fail and fall if they begin to act on their own accord and stray from what God commands. Satan is always trying to entrap people who are Christian spiritual leaders and we need to be cognizant of this, ever being on guard and putting on the full armor of God every day for protection (Ephesians 6:11-17).

Secondly, we need to take responsibility for our wrongs when we commit them, never trying to deflect blame or trying to lie ourselves out of our transgressions. We know nothing is concealed from our Lord who is omnipresent (present everywhere) and omniscient (all knowing). Trying to mask our iniquity is a futile, foolish endeavor and we should divert our energy to confession and repentance, seeking to restore our relationship with the Lord who accepting any correction he brings, even if that ending our worldly life.

2. The right spirit of leadership includes humility and caring.

Knowing his time was coming to a close, Moses didn't react selfishly or pridefully but rather humbly. His first place of concern was with the Israelites that God has allowed him to lead. Before he died, he wanted to be sure that the people of Israel would be cared for once he was gone.

In doing this, we find Moses mirroring the very attitude of our Savior, Jesus, who was  soon to come. For Christ, knowing He was destined to die, allowed Himself to bear our sins and be nailed to the cross of Calvary, to become the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world because He loved and cared for us more than Himself.

As we lead others spiritually, let us also embody these critical character traits of humble, self sacrificial caring toward those the Lord has entrusted to us.

3. The right spirit of leadership includes obedience.

As spiritual leaders, God expects us to turn to Him for direction and when He gives it, there is only one right option we have, to obey Him fully.

Moses asked God to ensure his people were cared for. In response to his request, God told Moses to pass on his leadership to Joshua. In other words, God told Moses to pass on his position to another and the scripture tells us that he complied fully.

In doing this, we know that Moses turned over a large population of people that he had invested a great deal of time in, a people he had traveled many miles with, a people he loved and cared for as his brothers and sisters in the Lord.

And herein is the main point of obedience. We obey because we love and respect not only God but others as well, especially when God is asking us to do something for those we are responsible for. Going back to Jesus, He was willing to accept death and did so obediently because He loved us more than He loved Himself and was willing to trade in His life for ours.

In the end translation, it was He, Jesus, not Moses who set the bar for obedience for we know He was perfect in every single aspect of His life. All we need to do as spiritual leaders today is to follow His example as we lead others.

And so there you have it. The right spirit of leadership involves accountability, humility and caring, and complete obedience to God. Leading others well only comes when we allow ourselves to be led by the Lord. Today and every day, let us submit to Him in all things, it’s then and only then that we can guarantee we are in the right spirit, His Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

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 FAIR AND CARING GOD

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.

The daughters of Zelophehad, son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh, son of Joseph. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

They approached the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the whole assembly, and said, "Our father died in the desert. He was not among Korah's followers, who banded together against the Lord, but he died for his own sin and left no sons. Why should our father's name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father's relatives."

So Moses brought their case before the Lord and the Lord said to him, "What Zelophehad's daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father's relatives and turn their father's inheritance over to them. "Say to the Israelites, 'If a man dies and leaves no son, turn his inheritance over to his daughter. If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father's brothers. If his father had no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may possess it. This is to be a legal requirement for the Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.'"

Numbers 27:1-11

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

In yesterday’s study of Numbers, chapter 26, we saw where the Lord ordered Moses and Eleazar, Aaron’s son, to perform a census of all the Israelite men who were age 20 or older. The only men who were to be excluded were the Levites because this census was really around the matter of dividing up the land that God was providing His people, the land of Canaan. We read this in the following verses of that chapter:

“The land is to be allotted to them as an inheritance based on the number of names. To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one; each is to receive its inheritance according to the number of those listed. Be sure that the land is distributed by lot. What each group inherits will be according to the names for its ancestral tribe. Each inheritance is to be distributed by lot among the larger and smaller groups.” Vv. 53-56

This review is of vital importance to understand what transpires in chapter 27 as we find the “daughters of Zelophehad” - Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah - approaching the "entrance to the Tent of Meeting" and standing "before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the whole assembly" where they made the following request:

"Our father (Zelophehad) died in the desert. He was not among Korah's followers, who banded together against the Lord, but he died for his own sin and left no sons. Why should our father's name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father's relatives."

Going back to chapter 26, we see this under the descendants of Gilead:

(Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons; he had only daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah.) v.33

With this, we see the basis of the daughter’s concern because they didn’t want to be closed out of land possession in Canaan just because their father never bore a male descendant, something that was no fault of their own.

Well, as we have seen many times before with Moses, he didn’t want to make a decision without first consulting God and so he took the daughter’s petition to the Lord and received the following reply:

“What Zelophehad's daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father's relatives and turn their father's inheritance over to them."

Additionally, God added this:

"Say to the Israelites, 'If a man dies and leaves no son, turn his inheritance over to his daughter. If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father's brothers. If his father had no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may possess it. This is to be a legal requirement for the Israelites."

We learn much about the Lord through these determinations.

First, He is a God who is willing to consider any and all situations.

In biblical times, cultures were very patriarchal. Women had their place but it was always in subordination to men.

But in today’s passage, we find the four daughters of Zelophehad boldly coming forward to stand up for what they believed was right and rather than being immediately minimized, rebuffed, and rejected, Moses took the matter to God who agreed that the women were right to make the request. This leads to point number 2.

God is fair and caring.

You see, God doesn’t allow worldly cultural norms to dictate His actions or decisions. Thankfully, it doesn’t work that way.

No, God dictates the terms to the world and its people and when He does, His determinations are always fair and caring, even when they involve discipline and correction.

In the case of Zelophehad’s daughters, His decision was certainly a wonderful blessing as their God revealed His goodness to them.

Third, He is a God who always wants the best for us.

Imagine where the daughters of Zelophehad would have ended up if God had not granted their request. Without any male members in their family line, they would have been homeless and unsupported, destitute and marginalized by society. No man would want to marry them and so they would suffer through their entire lives.

God fully knew this and wanted the best for the daughters whose father was faithful to his Lord, refusing to join in with the rebellious Israelites who had followed Korah’s lead. And so He granted their request and made sure the four daughters would be blessed like their other brothers and sisters of Israel.  

Finally, He is a God who always applies perfect wisdom to every situation.

Through the actions of the Lord, we see the words of Solomon personified as he says this in the second chapter of Proverbs:

"For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for He guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones." Vv.6-8

This is the same God we serve today for His character never changes. So let us give thanks that we have a Heavenly Father who loves and cares so much for His children, providing for us, protecting us, correcting us, and ever treating us with absolute fairness. May we ever give Him the fullest measure of our honor, glory, and praise, now and forever more.

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.

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In Christ, Mark

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

After the plague, the Lord said to Moses and Eleazar, son of Aaron, the priest, "Take a census of the whole Israelite community by families—all those twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army of Israel."

So on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them and said, "Take a census of the men twenty years old or more, as the Lord commanded Moses."

These were the Israelites who came out of Egypt:

The descendants of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel, were: through Hanoch, the Hanochite clan; through Pallu, the Palluite clan; through Hezron, the Hezronite clan; through Carmi, the Carmite clan.

These were the clans of Reuben; those numbered were 43,730.

The son of Pallu was Eliab, and the sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. The same Dathan and Abiram were the community officials who rebelled against Moses and Aaron and were among Korah's followers when they rebelled against the Lord. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them along with Korah, whose followers died when the fire devoured the 250 men. And they served as a warning sign. The line of Korah, however, did not die out.

The descendants of Simeon by their clans were:

through Nemuel, the Nemuelite clan; through Jamin, the Jaminite clan; through Jakin, the Jakinite clan; through Zerah, the Zerahite clan; through Shaul, the Shaulite clan. These were the clans of Simeon; there were 22,200 men.

The descendants of Gad by their clans were:

through Zephon, the Zephonite clan; through Haggi, the Haggite clan; through Shuni, the Shunite clan; through Ozni, the Oznite clan; through Eri, the Erite clan; through Arodi, the Arodite clan; through Areli, the Arelite clan.

These were the clans of Gad; those numbered were 40,500. Er and Onan were sons of Judah, but they died in Canaan.

The descendants of Judah by their clans were:

through Shelah, the Shelanite clan; through Perez, the Perezite clan; through Zerah, the Zerahite clan.

The descendants of Perez were:

through Hezron, the Hezronite clan; through Hamul, the Hamulite clan. These were the clans of Judah; those numbered were 76,500.

The descendants of Issachar by their clans were:

through Tola, the Tolaite clan; through Puah, the Puite clan; through Jashub, the Jashubite clan; through Shimron, the Shimronite clan. These were the clans of Issachar; those numbered were 64,300.

The descendants of Zebulun by their clans were:

through Sered, the Seredite clan; through Elon, the Elonite clan; through Jahleel, the Jahleelite clan. These were the clans of Zebulun; those numbered were 60,500.

The descendants of Joseph by their clans through Manasseh and Ephraim were:

The descendants of Manasseh: through Makir, the Makirite clan (Makir was the father of Gilead through Gilead, the Gileadite clan.

These were the descendants of Gilead:

through Lezer, the Lezerite clan; through Helek, the Helekite clan; through Asriel, the Asrielite clan; through Shechem, the Shechemite clan; through Shemida, the Shemidaite clan; through Hepher, the Hepherite clan. (Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons; he had only daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.)

These were the clans of Manasseh; those numbered were 52,700.

These were the descendants of Ephraim by their clans:

through Shuthelah, the Shuthelahite clan; through Beker, the Bekerite clan; through Tahan, the Tahanite clan.

These were the descendants of Shuthelah:

through Eran, the Eranite clan.

These were the clans of Ephraim; those numbered were 32,500.

These were the descendants of Joseph by their clans.

The descendants of Benjamin by their clans were:

through Bela, the Belaite clan; through Ashbel, the Ashbelite clan; through Ahiram, the Ahiramite clan; through Shupham, the Shuphamite clan; through Hupham, the Huphamite clan.

The descendants of Bela through Ard and Naaman were:

through Ard, the Ardite clan; through Naaman, the Naamite clan.

These were the clans of Benjamin; those numbered were 45,600.

These were the descendants of Dan by their clans:

through Shuham, the Shuhamite clan.

These were the clans of Dan:

All of them were Shuhamite clans; and those numbered were 64,400.

The descendants of Asher by their clans were:

through Imnah, the Imnite clan; through Ishvi, the Ishvite clan; through Beriah, the Beriite clan;

and through the descendants of Beriah: through Heber, the Heberite clan; through Malkiel, the Malkielite clan. (Asher had a daughter named Serah.)

These were the clans of Asher; those numbered were 53,400.

The descendants of Naphtali by their clans were:

through Jahzeel, the Jahzeelite clan; through Guni, the Gunite clan; through Jezer, the Jezerite clan; through Shillem, the Shillemite clan.

These were the clans of Naphtali; those numbered were 45,400.

The total number of the men of Israel was 601,730.

The Lord said to Moses, "The land is to be allotted to them as an inheritance based on the number of names. To a larger group, give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group, a smaller one; each is to receive its inheritance according to the number of those listed. Be sure that the land is distributed by lot. What each group inherits will be according to the names for its ancestral tribe. Each inheritance is to be distributed by lot among the larger and smaller groups."

These were the Levites who were counted by their clans:

through Gershon, the Gershonite clan; through Kohath, the Kohathite clan; through Merari, the Merarite clan.

These also were Levite clans:

the Libnite clan, the Hebronite clan, the Mahlite clan, the Mushite clan, the Korahite clan. (Kohath was the forefather of Amram; the name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, who was born to the Levites in Egypt. To Amram, she bore Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam. Aaron was the father of Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died when they made an offering before the Lord with unauthorized fire.)

All the male Levites a month old or more numbered 23,000. They were not counted along with the other Israelites because they received no inheritance among them.

These are the ones counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. Not one of them was among those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai. For the Lord had told those Israelites they would surely die in the desert, and not one of them was left except Caleb, son of Jephunneh, and Joshua, son of Nun.

Numbers 26

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

As we look at this passage for today, we’re reminded about why this book is titled Numbers. For now that Israel is near the end of their 40 years of God-imposed desert wandering, we find the Lord ordering a second census taken, a deliberate counting of His people by tribe just as He had ordered in chapters 1 and 2 of this book as the Israelites departed the area outside of Canaan, having been denied access by the Lord.

The scriptures tell us that this census occurred "after the plague" that happened in chapter 25 after some of the Israelite men engaged in sexual sin with Moabite women, even going as far as bowing down and worshiping their false gods. We see where the Lord gives instruction to "Moses and Eleazar, son of Aaron, the priest" to conduct the census and of interest, you will remember that it was Aaron that had performed the count before. But now, he had passed away and so his son took over the duties with his uncle Moses, ensuring that all "men twenty years old or more" were counted.

And so it was “on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho" as Moses and Eleazar ordered the count be carried out and it dominates a whopping forty-six verses of this chapter. When it was all said and done with, the final total came up to 601,730 men, 1,820 less than the total after Israel had left Egypt.

So why was there a reduction?

We find out at the very end of this chapter.

These are the ones counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. Not one of them was among those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai. For the Lord had told those Israelites they would surely die in the desert, and not one of them was left except Caleb, son of Jephunneh, and Joshua, son of Nun. Vv. 63-65

Here we’re reminded that God always keeps His word. For you’ll recall that Israel was punished for their lack of faith and disobedience as they tried to enter Canaan the first time. The Lord turned them away from the land He had promised to give them, making them wander in the desert wilderness for forty long years, one year for every day that the advance scouts had spent in Canaan surveying the land before returning with their report. Ten of the twelve spies discouraged the people from moving forward with occupying the land with only Caleb and Joshua dissenting. They tried to get the people to see that God was with them and so they could gain victory over any adversary, no matter how imposing they might be. The Israelites chose to listen to the ten, even going as far as wanting a new leader and thinking they would be better off back in the enslavement of Egypt.

And so God placed judgment on His people with the intent that the desert wandering would ensure that not a single member of the disobedient generation would get to enter the Promised Land, a goal achieved as we read in verses 65 that “not one of them was left except Caleb, son of Jephunneh, and Joshua, son of Nun”.

Going back to the first census, we know it was taken primarily for the Israelites to get organized. They had left Egypt in mass and it wasn’t until they were counted and divided up into their respective camps that they could begin their journey toward the Promised Land. Fast forward to now, as Israel was going to come to Canaan for a second time, and we see that this census was taken for an entirely different purpose, to establish rights to the land that was soon to be inherited.

Going back to our passage for today, we read where the Lord said this to Moses:

“The land is to be allotted to them as an inheritance based on the number of names. To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group, a smaller one; each is to receive its inheritance according to the number of those listed. Be sure that the land is distributed by lot. What each group inherits will be according to the names for its ancestral tribe. Each inheritance is to be distributed by lot among the larger and smaller groups."

There was definitely a possibility that the Israelites might quarrel internally over land allotment once they took possession of Canaan so we see the Lord getting out in front of that by setting guidelines for land distribution. Of special note here is that the Lord stayed consistent with His policy on the Levites, a tribe that He called His own because of the special privileges and responsibilities they held to manage the tabernacle and all worship within (see Numbers, chapter 3). All "male Levites a month old or more" were counted and "numbered 23,000" but the scriptures tell us that they "were not counted along with the other Israelites because they received no inheritance among them". This stayed consistent with God’s earlier guidance when He said the Levites would not gain an inheritance but only tend to everything in the tabernacle.

So what do we take away from this passage, a passage so concentrated on numbers?

First, every single person counts to God. Everyone matters to Him. It was true back in the days of ancient Israel and it still hold true today.

How much does the Lord value you?

Look at these words from Jesus as He taught publicly for the first time, delivering what we know as the “Sermon on the Mount”:

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they?" Matthew 6:25-26

Indeed, to the Lord we are.

Our second takeaway is that God is always in control. All we need to do is allow Him to dictate how we conduct our life matters.

Moses and Eleazar weren’t allowed to come up with their own plan to distribute land. Rather, the land was God’s land, the land flowing with milk and honey, the land He was giving to the people of Israel as an inheritance. And just as a will details who will get what and how much, so too does God set the criteria as to how His inheritance will be divided. Knowing this, we can say as David did:

"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." Psalm 16:5-6

Finally, God is true to His promises. Although He punished a disobedient Israel, He still made the way for the next generation to enter and inhabit the land He had promised them.

In his second letter, Peter reminds us that we’re blessed today in knowing that our Lord is true to His Word:

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these, He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature." 2 Peter 1:3-4

My brothers and sisters, what an awesome blessing it is to have such a wonderful Heavenly Father who cares for us, guides us, and stays true to His promises as He blesses us and corrects us towards being the people He desires us to be as we walk through this life He has given. Let us rejoice in knowing that we count to Him, the One who deserves the fullest measure of our praise, honor, and glory.

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.

AVOIDING TEMPTATION

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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

While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods. So Israel joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor.

And the Lord's anger burned against them. The Lord said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of these people, kill them, and expose them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the Lord's fierce anger may turn away from Israel."

So Moses said to Israel's judges, "Each of you must put to death those of your men who have joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor."

Then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear through both of them—through the Israelite and into the woman's body. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped; but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.

The Lord said to Moses, "Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for My honor among them, so that in My zeal I did not put an end to them. Therefore tell him I am making My covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites."

The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri, son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family. And the name of the Midianite woman who was put to death was Cozbi, daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.

The Lord said to Moses, "Treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them, because they treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the affair of Peor and their sister Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed when the plague came as a result of Peor."

Numbers 25

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

As Israel camped outside of Moab, we have studied how the nation’s king, Balak, had been trying to curse Israel through renowned diviner Balaam who he summoned to his country. Each time an attempt was made, we saw how Balaam ended up blessing Israel instead of cursing them, all because of His association with God who was unlike any god Balaam had ever encountered before. Through His messages, the scriptures showed us how God stood up for His people and portrayed them as a strong and formidable force, able to find victory over any opponent because they had Him on their side. They would continue to prosper and succeed as long as they remained obedient to Him.

And so as we finished the twenty-fourth chapter of the Book of Numbers, the Israelites were in God’s good graces and favor but as we turn the page to chapter 25, we see them falling back to their prior sinfulness, disregarding their Lord and His commands. Look again at those verses here:

While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods. So Israel joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor.

And the Lord's anger burned against them. The Lord said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of these people, kill them, and expose them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the Lord's fierce anger may turn away from Israel."

So Moses said to Israel's judges, "Each of you must put to death those of your men who have joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor."

Then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear through both of them—through the Israelite and into the woman's body. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped; but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.

The Lord said to Moses, "Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for My honor among them, so that in My zeal I did not put an end to them. Therefore tell him I am making My covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites."

The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri, son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family. And the name of the Midianite woman who was put to death was Cozbi, daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.

The Lord said to Moses, "Treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them, because they treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the affair of Peor and their sister Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed when the plague came as a result of Peor." Numbers 25

As this chapter opens, we find the people of Israel “staying in Shittim" and while there, we read where some of the men “began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women” who in turn “invited them to the sacrifices to their gods". The Israelite men accepted this invitation, eating and bowing down before the false gods while “worshiping the Baal of Peor". These men knew that openly disobeying God’s commandments could result in His disfavor and punishment, and yet they couldn’t resist the pull of their own sinful desires. These desires beckoned them to indulge in sexual immorality as well as idolatry and as you might imagine, this didn’t sit well with God.

For we read where the "Lord's anger burned against” the Israelite men as he said this to Moses:

"Take all the leaders of these people, kill them, and expose them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the Lord's fierce anger may turn away from Israel."

And so Moses, ever obedient to the Lord’s commands gave the following orders to Israel's judges:

"Each of you must put to death those of your men who have joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor."

We also see where God sent a plague among the Israelites that killed 24,000 before it was stopped, a very heavy price paid for intentional disobedience with far greater death this time than when Korah and his allies rebelled against God in Numbers, chapter 16.

So what caused the plague to stop?

The scriptures tell us it was through the actions of "Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron" who saw an Israelite man flaunting a Moabite woman in front of "Moses and the whole assembly of Israel". Disgusted with the blatant public display of immorality that was taking place, Phinehas "took a spear in his hand" and drove it "through both” the Israelite man and Moabite woman. Because of His quick action, many of the Israelite people were saved.

God then commended the behavior of Phinehas in these words to Moses:

"Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them, so that in my zeal I did not put an end to them. Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites."

In this passage, we once again see where God favors and blesses those who remain loyal to His will, word, and way. Conversely, He sends judgment on those who willingly and willfully choose to disobey Him by pursuing their own sinful desires. The people of Israel were fully aware of this truth and yet still chose to test God, leaving one wondering if they would ever get it.

Friends, I think we can all relate well to the Israelites for if we’re truly honest with ourselves, we will see how we too know what God expects of us and yet too often decide to do what we want to do. We choose disobedience over obedience despite knowing the possible consequences. We underestimate just how powerful the pull of sin is and how it can easily draw us in if we let our guard down.

So what can we do to avoid this?

Consider these recommendations supported by God’s word:

1. Watch and pray.

Jesus said, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." Matthew 26:41

2. Turn to God for your way out.

"So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Corinthians 10:12-13

3. Enter into God’s rest.

"There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience." Hebrews 4:9-11

4. Stay strong in God’s word.

We need to follow Jesus’ lead as He used God’s word to combat Satan’s temptations in Matthew, Chapter 4:

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If You are the Son of God,” He said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

‘He will command His angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give You,” he said, “if You will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, “Away from Me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”

Then the devil left Him, and angels came and attended Him. Matthew 4:1-11

In doing this, He showed us how to use the weapon Paul talks about in the Book of Ephesians within the context of the full armor of God believers need to put on as they step onto the spiritual battlefield each day.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:10-17

5. Build your life on the Lord’s solid foundation.

Jesus had this to say in Matthew’s Gospel:

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the Rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." Matthew 7:24-27

Brothers and sisters, we need to understand that Satan wants nothing more that to have us fall into sin and disobey our Lord. Conversely, the Lord wishes for nothing more that for us to be fully loyal and faithful to Him, obedient and strong in His Spirit as we live every day in accordance with His will.

In the end translation, the way to avoid falling into temptation is through being totally engaged in the Lord each and every day. For it’s there that Satan can’t abide or gain any victory over us. To that end, let us lift up to God the prayer Jesus taught, ever asking this:

"... lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:13

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.