A GOD OF HIS WORD

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.

"Then we turned back and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea, as the Lord had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir.”

“Then the Lord said to me, ‘You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north. Give the people these orders: You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful. Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own. You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’

‘The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast desert. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.’”

“So we went on past our brothers the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber, and traveled along the desert road of Moab.”

“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession." (The Emites used to live there—a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites, but the Moabites called them Emites. Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land the Lord gave them as their possession.)

“And the Lord said, ‘Now get up and cross the Zered Valley.’ So we crossed the valley.”

“Thirty-eight years passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them. The Lord's hand was against them until He had completely eliminated them from the camp.”

“Now when the last of these fighting men among the people had died, the Lord said to me, ‘Today you are to pass by the region of Moab at Ar. When you come to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them to war, for I will not give you possession of any land belonging to the Ammonites. I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.’" (That too was considered a land of the Rephaites, who used to live there; but the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. They were a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. The Lord destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place. The Lord had done the same for the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day. And as for the Avvites, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorites coming out from Caphtor destroyed them and settled in their place.)

Deuteronomy 2:1-23

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

At the beginning of the Book of Deuteronomy, we find Moses engage in a historical retrospective, covering the history of the Israelite people from after their deliverance from Egypt through their pending entry into Canaan, the land God had promised them.

As we saw in chapter 1, the people of God had failed in their first attempt to enter Canaan after their rebellious unwillingness to trust Him and willing disobedience toward His commands. Obviously, this brought them out of His favor and into His judgment which began when they decided to try and right their own wrongs against His will by entering into Canaan on their own accord and fighting the Amorites. You’ll remember that God warned them not to do this but they didn’t listen (did I mention they were rebellious?) and quickly learned they couldn’t prevail against any enemy challenge without God being with them.

That was just the appetizer in regard to God’s punishment for the main course was ahead as the Lord ordered His people to enter into another exodus, this time for forty years which was essentially one year for every day that the twelve Israelite spies had scouted Canaan before returning and giving a report about what they had found (Numbers 14:34).

As for the intent of God’s judgment, we also see in Numbers, chapter 14 that it was so the disobedient generation of Israelites would not gain the opportunity to enter the Promised Land. Instead, they would die during the wilderness wandering and never get to receive the inheritance God had set aside for them. Instead, that gift would fall to the next generation.

Well, as chapter 2 begins, we find Moses recalling the time after God had sent them away from Canaan and back into the wilderness. We read where he and the Israelites left Kadesh and “set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea” just as “the Lord had directed”. It was the first step in the right direction for the only way anyone can hope to regain the favor of the Lord and begin to mend their relationship with Him is if they commit themselves to turn from their sinful ways. In the case of Israel, this meant once again obeying God’s commands and trusting His word.

In response to the renewed willingness to respect Him, the scriptures show us that God began to once again guide and advise Israel throughout their forty year journey, saying this to Moses:

“You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north. Give the people these orders: You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful. Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own.”’

We then see where the Lord gave His people similar orders as they passed through territory belonging to the Moabites and Ammonites, and in all these cases, we should note that the Lord told Israel He had given land to another nation: Esau, in the case of the hill country of Seir, and the descendents of Lot, in regard to the land owned by the Moabites and Ammonites. God had earmarked Canaan for the Israelites but it would still be a while before they would get to claim it as their own.

In regard to the wandering itself, forty years is a very long time and when we get to the fourteenth verse of Deuteronomy, chapter 2, we read where Israel had been wandering in the desert for 38 years when they crossed the Zered Valley as ordered by the Lord. The scriptures tell us that during this period, “the entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp” just as the Lord had said they would. Indeed, His “hand was against them until he had completely eliminated them” as we see how God was true to His word.

Now, we should remember that this latter truth, God being true to His word, isn’t always revealed in consequence for our Lord is always true to His word in good times and in bad. This is what I like to refer to as an absolute, something that is completely accurate with no possibility of error. You could substitute the word “certainty”, if you like. When it comes right down to it, there aren’t too many sure things we can completely trust in from the world in life but when it comes to our life in the Lord, there are a multitude of absolutes which we find in His Word, a Word that is absolutely true and inerrant.

Need an example?

Consider these words of Jesus as He speaks about His disciples and His Father’s Word:

“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of My joy within them. I have given them Your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. As you sent Me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify Myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.” John 17:13-19

As believers, we know God expects us to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16) and Jesus was the personification of everything that God was, including holiness. After all He and the Father were one (John 10:30).

Indeed, Jesus was sanctification in its most pure and perfect sense and by His own word, He sought to guide His disciples so they too might find the way to their own sanctification, understanding that although they would never be perfectly holy, they could at least strive to meet that goal by trusting and adhering to the ever truthful Word of God.

Friends, one of our greatest responsibilities as believers is to actively seek God’s truth each and every day through the scriptures. This is why writing these messages each day is such a labor of love for me for the Lord has given me the privilege to teach from His Word and then pass on His truth to anyone who wishes to seek it. This isn’t some trumped up, artificial, manufactured truth or lies masquerading as truth. Rather, it is THE truth as found in the living Word of God and it is my hope and prayer, just as was the hope of Jesus, that all believers would intentionally seek to move to a higher plane of holiness and righteousness each and every day, not merely reading what God’s word has to say but putting it into practice while doing what it says (James 1:22).

For when we do this, we should be able to relate to the words of the Psalmist who said the following about the Word of our God:

I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from Your commands. I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You. Praise be to You, O Lord; teach Me your decrees. Psalm 119:10-12

My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to Your Word. Psalm 119:28

Turn my heart toward Your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to Your Word. Psalm 119:36-37

Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105

and finally:

Your Word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 119:89-90

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.

WITHOUT GOD, WE CAN'T MAKE IT

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.

When the Lord heard what you said, He was angry and solemnly swore: "Not a man of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your forefathers, except Caleb, son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly."

“Because of you, the Lord became angry with me also and said, ‘You shall not enter it, either. But your assistant, Joshua, son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it. And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do not yet know good from bad - they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it. But as for you, turn around and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.’"

“Then you replied, ‘We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us.’ So every one of you put on his weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.”

“But the Lord said to me, ‘Tell them, “Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.”'

“So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the Lord's command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country. The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah. You came back and wept before the Lord, but He paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you. And so you stayed in Kadesh many days—all the time you spent there."

Deuteronomy 1:34-46

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

In yesterday’s message, we saw Moses reviewing the history of the Israelites, revisiting the time when they failed to trust in the God who had delivered them from their Egyptian enslavement, led them through the desert wilderness and providing for them every step of the way, and helped them arrive safely on the brink of the land of Canaan, the land He had promised to them through their ancestors, beginning with Abraham. After receiving a negative report from the scouts who had checked out the land in advance, the people rebelled against God, even going as far as wishing they were back in Egypt, feeling they were actually better off living in oppression. That’s how out of whack the Israelites were.

Well, this didn’t sit well with the Lord and as we see at the beginning of today’s passage, as Moses once again shares the words from God that were directed to His people:

“Not a man of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your forefathers, except Caleb, son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly."

We also see where His anger was pointed at Moses as well as He said:

“You shall not enter it, either. But your assistant, Joshua, son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it. And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do not yet know good from bad - they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it. But as for you, turn around and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea."

Why did Moses fall out of God’s favor?

We need to go back to chapter 20 of the Book of Numbers for the answer:

The Lord said to Moses, “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”

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.

But 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.” Vv. 7-12

Here, we find Moses and Aaron failing to carry out what God had commanded. And while it might appear that the end result was as hoped, water flowing from the rock to provide for the Israelites and their animals, the act served to only glorify the two brothers and not God Himself.

You see, God had told the two to simply speak to the rock and the water would flow, something that only an all powerful, miraculous Lord could do. This would have left the people praising and giving thanks to their God. But Moses and Aaron chose to first stake claim to credit for what was about to happen saying:

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

And then Moses rose up his arms, lifted his staff, and brought it down twice on the rock, leading to the water flowing. His actions would have drawn the attention of the Israelites to himself, stealing away the honor that God deserved. Aaron, not intervening and correcting his brother, was complicit and considered just as guilty

This is why God speaks out against Moses and Aaron saying:

“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.”

The punishment for disobedience was very harsh but deserved. Neither Moses or Aaron would get to enter the Promised Land when the Israelites finally got to that point. We read more about this in our passage for today as Moses recounts these words from the Lord:

“You (Moses) shall not enter it, either. But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it.”

Well, after learning that God was going to bring judgment on them for their rebellious attitude, the people of Israel decided to fall back on what they had always done when they got into trouble, try to wiggle their way out of the Lord’s bad graces. In this instance, they took it upon themselves to go ahead and enter Canaan to “go up and fight, as the Lord” commanded us". They put on their weapons and decided to enter “the hill country”.

There was one big problem with this plan. It wasn’t put in place or endorsed by God, the God who sent this warning through Moses:

“Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’”

But the Israelites were a stubborn people and so they once again failed to heed what God told them, choosing instead to go into Canaan and fight anyways, and as you would expect, it didn’t go well. Moses remembered it well when he said:

“So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the Lord's command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country. The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah. You came back and wept before the Lord, but He paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you. And so you stayed in Kadesh many days—all the time you spent there."

You know, the behavior of the Israelites reminds me of what a young child does when they know they are in trouble for doing something they weren’t supposed to do. In those instances, they suddenly say they are sorry after they know they are in trouble with the hope of escaping punishment. Rarely does this tact ever work for after the offense, it’s usually too late and discipline is imposed with the hope that next time, the child will make the proper choice when it comes to doing right or wrong.

In the case of the people of Israel, we see that they think God will return to their side and allow “bygones to be bygones” if they just admit their sins and then go and do what He wanted them to do in the first place. In this instance, it was to go into Canaan and claim the land as their own, fighting for it if needed.

Well, we read that this isn’t what God wanted as He warns them that if they did go into the land, He wouldn’t be there with them. Essentially, they would be fighting on their own. But, the Israelites had their minds made up and so they ‘rebelled against the Lord's command” and in “arrogance marched up into the hill country”. The outcomes weren’t surprising as the Amorites, who lived in the hills, came out against Israel and “chased (them) like a swarm of bees” beating them “down from Seir…to Hormah”. Returning to Kadesh, God’s people “wept before the Lord” but the scriptures tell us “He paid no attention” and “turned a deaf ear”.

In the end translation, the people of Israel had lost God’s favor and this included Him not fighting alongside them, especially when they were carrying out something outside of His will.

And so too is it with us.

For believe it or not, there can be times in life when God might withdraw Himself from us as well, like when we abandon Him and are completely consumed and saturated with sin. The Lord doesn’t take willing sinfulness lightly for it was that very attitude that led Him to offer up His only Son, Jesus, so to give us a chance for redemption and salvation. Indeed, it was Jesus who bore the weight of our transgressions, carrying them onto the cross of Calvary as He was crucified, bearing the punishment and judgment that should have been upon us. It was there that He experienced a separation from His Father and cried out saying this while laden with our iniquities:

"Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" -  which means, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?" Matthew 27:46

Can you imagine the heartbreak God had to feel when He couldn’t be with His Son in His greatest time of need? And what about our Savior who needed the love of His Father who couldn’t provide it because of our sins being upon His Son.

Friends, we need our God, every second of every minute of every hour of every day. For without Him, we have no hope of making it through this thing called life.

In order for this to happen, we have to expunge all sin from our lives, the sin that Jesus died to take away from the world (John 1:29), the sin that we too often are too stubborn to surrender, just like the Old Testament Israelites. When comes right down to it, we all have a fundamental choice to make.

We can partner with God or partner with Satan and sin, and whichever we choose will be our master.

If we choose to partner with the enemy and opt for wickedness, then we can expect that God will have no part in our behavior nor with us. He will never be in the midst of our transgressions and we will learn quickly that we can't make it without Him.

Conversely, if we opt to reject sinfulness, living like Jesus while striving for the righteousness that God desires, then we can expect that He will be fully with us and for us, helping us become the people He wants us to be each and every day in this worldly existence until that day when we enter into the eternal life He promises for those who believe in His Son, a life where we will be set free from sin so to live with Him in perfect holiness 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 

TRUST HIM

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.

“Then, as the Lord our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites through all that vast and dreadful desert that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea. Then I said to you, ‘You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.’”

“Then all of you came to me and said, ‘Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.’"

“The idea seemed good to me; so I selected twelve of you, one man from each tribe. They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and explored it. Taking with them some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported, ‘It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us.’"

“But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. You grumbled in your tents and said, ‘The Lord hates us; so He brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart. They say, “The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there."’”

“Then I said to you, "Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as He did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place."

“In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God, who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.”

Deuteronomy 1:19-33

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

As we move to the end of Deuteronomy, chapter 1, we find Moses continuing his historical retrospect on the Israelites and their journey which began after their Egyptian deliverance and would end once they crossed the Jordan River to inhabit the land God had promised them, the land of Canaan.

Going back in time, we find Moses telling of when Israel reached Kadesh Barnea after traveling toward the “hill country of the Amorites through all that vast and dreadful desert”. Upon their arrival, Moses told the people, “…the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Now, you would have thought that Israel, after such a long journey through the desert wilderness, would have jumped at the opportunity to finally reach the land that was touted as flowing with milk and honey, a covenant land of blessing promised first to Abraham and then passed down through the generations to this very time and place.

But we know what happened. Israel didn’t immediately enter the land but instead went to Moses with the following request:

“Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to."

So Moses, feeling the idea was sound, selected twelve Israelites to go and scout the land, “one man from each tribe”. Those scouts “left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and explored it”, taking “some of the fruit of the land” and bringing it back to the people and making the following report:

"It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us."

So that sealed the deal, right?

God had promised to give the land to His people and assured them that He would be with them as they took possession of it. And on top of that, the advance scouts had brought back a positive report but in this passage, we see where things went south. Moses recalls how the Israelites blew it through their failure to trust the Lord who had delivered them from trouble, time after time after time:

“But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. You grumbled in your tents and said, ‘The Lord hates us; so He brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart. They say, “The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there."’”

“Then I said to you, "Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as He did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place."

“In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God, who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.”

You see, the scouts didn’t stop their messaging with the good news. Rather, they followed it up with a negative report, a report that we see in full by going back to the Book of Numbers, chapter 13. There, we read this:

“But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.”

Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” Vv. 28-33

Of the twelve scouts, only Joshua and Caleb held firm in their assertion that the Israelites could find victory over anyone in Canaan, not by their own power but by the power of God who would fight with and for them. Unfortunately, the people sided with the majority opinion and as a result, ended up refusing to enter the land. That would have been bad enough but you’ll remember that the people of Israel even began to think they were actually better off during their Egyptian enslavement and entertained thoughts of going back there after shedding the leadership of Moses and seeking someone else to guide them.

In that head space, we see Moses reminding the people how he had tried to support and encourage his brothers and sisters, telling them to overcome their fear with their faith because God would be fighting for them just as He had done in the past. But unfortunately, God’s people had made up their mind, quickly dismissing how much God had done for them in the past while refusing to place their trust in Him.

I wonder how much we are like these people of Israel today? For how often do we forget all that God has done for us, how much He has given us, how far He has taken us when we face a current difficulty? How quick do we lose faith and feel like God has left us when we face a trial or tribulation, acting as if we should never go through hardship simply because we’re Christ believers? How fast do we forget His promise to not leave us or forsake us but rather walk alongside us, no matter what life brings?

The real question is:

Do we trust Him?

Friends, this message challenges, calling us to reflect on where we stand in regard to our faith in a God through which nothing is impossible, a God who created us and then has provided for our needs. Nothing short of unconditional trust will do and if we fall short of this, then we need to step back, pray, open up our Bibles, and read the Word while allowing the Holy Spirit to dominate our hearts so to recharge our trust and renewing our steadfast belief in the One through which all things are possible.

If we think life is too hard with Him present, imagine what life would be like without Him?

Let’s all choose to trust Him, no matter what, and be blessed as He continues to prove Himself faithful and true, always working things for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28)

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.

HELP NEEDED

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

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

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

“At that time I said to you, ‘You are too heavy a burden for me to carry alone. The Lord your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as many as the stars in the sky. May the Lord, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times and bless you as He has promised! But how can I bear your problems and your burdens and your disputes all by myself? Choose some wise, understanding, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you.’”

“You answered me, ‘What you propose to do is good.’"

“So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have authority over you - as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials. And I charged your judges at that time: ‘Hear the disputes between your brothers and judge fairly, whether the case is between brother Israelites or between one of them and an alien. Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of any man, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it. And at that time I told you everything you were to do.’"

Deuteronomy 1:9-18

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

As we continue to study from the first chapter of the Book of Deuteronomy, we find Moses continuing to address his fellow Israelites, revisiting their history before he passed away and the Israelites went on to enter the land of Canaan, the land God had promised to give them. In today’s passage, we see where he recalls the time when he needed to seek assistance, realizing that he was only one man and Israel’s population had grown to epic proportions, affirmed by these words:

“The Lord your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as many as the stars in the sky.”

This exponential increase in people created a real leadership problem for Moses who confessed:

“You are too heavy a burden for me to carry alone...How can I bear your problems and your burdens and your disputes all by myself?”

Indeed, if the Israelites were going to be cared for properly, including any disputes of problems that might arise, Moses realized that he was going to need some help. And so we find him proposing this solution to the people:

“Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you."

The people agreed with this plan of action and selected a group of people who were qualified. Then Moses appointed them into authority “as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials”. He then provided these newly minted leaders with the following direction:

“Hear the disputes between your brothers and judge fairly, whether the case is between brother Israelites or between one of them and an alien. Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of any man, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.”

Through this account, we learn an important life lesson from Moses. For there will be times when the task at hand is too much for us and instead of doing nothing out of pride, we need to humble ourselves and ask for help. In the case of Israel’s leader, Moses quickly realized that trying to handle leading the entirety of Israel was more than he could handle alone and so he solicited assistance and got it from the tribes he was leading in the way of leaders he could delegate some authority to.

We see this occur in the New Testament as well. Consider this passage from the Book of Acts:

In those days, when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. Acts 6:1-7

In this passage from Acts, we see the twelve apostles facing a similar predicament to what Moses faced. For we read where there were complains of inequity in the distribution of food to the widows in Jerusalem. This was important and needed addressed but the twelve apostles really needed to be focused on the Gospel mission Jesus had set upon them and so they asked for help. We see where they went to their fellow believers and tasked them to “choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom” and they carried out that request, picking Stephen, Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas. The apostles then formally commissioned the seven men by praying for them as they laid hands upon them. This action was a forerunner of ordination services that we see in today’s church when elders and/or deacons are selected and brought into service.

The implementation of additional servants to deal with the social needs of the Jerusalem believers was a big success for the scriptures tell us that the “word of God spread” as the apostles dedicated their work to the cause of the Gospel and this resulted in the “number of disciples in Jerusalem” increasing “rapidly” with a “large number of priests” becoming “obedient to the faith”.

Friends, as we consider these words from God and ponder our own lives, my hope is that we will realize that we can’t make it through this life on our own. For as much as we want to be in control of everything, the Lord will teach us that this is a foolish endeavor as He leads us to a place where we reach out to Him and other for help, just as Moses and Jesus’ apostles did.

We need to know and trust that the Lord doesn’t want us to depend on ourselves but rather Him and His strength and power, the strength and power that led the Apostle Paul to know he could do all things with (Philippians 4:13). And when we do turn to Him for help, we can echo these words from the Psalmist who felt likewise when he wrote these words:

I lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip. He who watches over you will not slumber;

Indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you. The Lord is your shade at your right hand;

The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm. He will watch over your life;

The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Psalm 121

Brothers and sisters, the bottom line here is that none of us are strong enough to walk through this thing called life without help and so it is a great comfort and peace to know that our Lord is ever with us and walking alongside us in life, every step of the way.

Let us give thanks for the blessed assurance that is ours 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.

GOD HAS A PLAN

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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.

These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the desert east of the Jordan - that is, in the Arabah - opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab. (It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road.)

In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded him concerning them. This was after he had defeated Sihon, king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, and at Edrei had defeated Og, king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth.

East of the Jordan in the territory of Moab, Moses began to expound this law, saying:

“The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore He would give to your fathers - to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - and to their descendants after them.’"

Deuteronomy 1:1-8

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

Today, we begin a study of the Book of Deuteronomy, the last of the five books in the Pentateuch, also known as the Books of the Law. You may also find this section of the Bible called the “copy of the law”, “the second law”, or “the repetition of the law”.

As we begin, we see in chapter 1 where Moses is speaking to the Israelites while they were in “the desert east of the Jordan”, a place called  “the Arabah” which was “opposite Suph” and between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab”. We know this took place in the “fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month” or 40 years after the Israelites left Egypt on their exodus toward the Promised Land.

What did Moses speak to the people about?

The scriptures tell us that it involved “all that the Lord had commanded him concerning them” and so he (Moses) began by expounding on the law saying this to God’s people:

“The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore He would give to your fathers - to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - and to their descendants after them.’"

Here, Moses goes back to recap the journey of the Israelites, rehashing their history and he begins at Horeb (also known as Mount Sinai). From there, it was time for God's people to move out so they could “go in and take possession of the land” that the Lord was giving to them, the Promised Land of Canaan that was to be their inheritance. We know this was essentially a fulfillment of the covenant promise that God had made with the Israelites’ ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and “their descendants after them”.

In this passage, we are reminded that God is in complete control of our service to Him when we place our lives in His hands and so we need not ever worry about where to go or what to do because He will always guide us to where he wants us to be in order to fulfill His purposes.

We see this truth evident in the scriptures for note that the people of Israel had traveled a long distance from Egypt to Horeb (Mount Sinai) but as they got to the mountain, God commanded them to stop and set up camp, It was not yet time for them to enter Canaan.

It was during that time that God provided Moses with guidance that He had for the people of Israel as they were about to get organized and make the final push toward the Promised Land.

In other words, God stopped the Israelites at Horeb for a reason. He dictated when they would camp and when they would move out as He had done from the very time they had departed enslavement in Egypt and began their exodus.You'll remember that He signaled movement by placing a cloud over their camp by day which would turn fiery at night. 

Of course, this isn’t the first time we have seen this happen for you may remember the story of Abraham who was ordered to leave everything behind and go where God wanted him to go. To his credit, Abraham did just what God told him to do, not questioning the command bur rather obeying and trusting in the Lord. During that journey, when Abraham had settled in Canaan, you’ll recall that God came to him and said the following:

“Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.” Genesis 13:14-16

The Lord made it clear that this is where He wanted Abraham and his offspring, which ended up being the Israelites, to live. And now, they were on the brink of crossing the Jordan River and acquiring their inheritance.

My friends, my prayer is that we realize from the scriptures how God has a plan for each and every one of us. He has known us from before we were born and already had us purposed before we emerged from the womb and took in our first breath in this world. For if we grasp this, then these verses take on their fullest meaning:

For the prophet Jeremiah said:

“I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.” Jeremiah 10:23

And then the words of the wise King Solomon:

“A man's steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way?” Proverbs 20:24

and

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

Thanks be to God that He has a plan for our lives. All we need to do is seek His will and then carry it out with absolute obedience.

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.

COVERING ALL THE BASES

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 family heads of the clan of Gilead, son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, who were from the clans of the descendants of Joseph, came and spoke before Moses and the leaders, the heads of the Israelite families. They said, "When the Lord commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance to the Israelites by lot, He ordered you to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. Now suppose they marry men from other Israelite tribes; then their inheritance will be taken from our ancestral inheritance and added to that of the tribe they marry into. And so part of the inheritance allotted to us will be taken away. When the Year of Jubilee for the Israelites comes, their inheritance will be added to that of the tribe into which they marry, and their property will be taken from the tribal inheritance of our forefathers."

Then at the Lord's command Moses gave this order to the Israelites: "What the tribe of the descendants of Joseph is saying is right. This is what the Lord commands for Zelophehad's daughters: They may marry anyone they please as long as they marry within the tribal clan of their father. No inheritance in Israel is to pass from tribe to tribe, for every Israelite shall keep the tribal land inherited from his forefathers. Every daughter who inherits land in any Israelite tribe must marry someone in her father's tribal clan, so that every Israelite will possess the inheritance of his fathers. No inheritance may pass from tribe to tribe, for each Israelite tribe is to keep the land it inherits."

So Zelophehad's daughters did as the Lord commanded Moses. Zelophehad's daughters—Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah - married their cousins on their father's side. They married within the clans of the descendants of Manasseh, son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in their father's clan and tribe.

These are the commands and regulations the Lord gave through Moses to the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.

Numbers 36

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

It’s been a journey but we have reached the end of the Book of Numbers and as we look at the final chapter, we see where God wraps up the matter of Promised Land inheritance before Israel crosses the Jordan and enters into Canaan.

As we look at this passage, we see the issue at hand was a concern voiced by the “family heads of the clan of Gilead, son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, who were from the clans of the descendants of Joseph”. The scriptures tell us that they “came and spoke before Moses and the leaders, the heads of the Israelite families”, saying:

"When the Lord commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance to the Israelites by lot, He ordered you to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. Now suppose they marry men from other Israelite tribes; then their inheritance will be taken from our ancestral inheritance and added to that of the tribe they marry into. And so part of the inheritance allotted to us will be taken away. When the Year of Jubilee for the Israelites comes, their inheritance will be added to that of the tribe into which they marry, and their property will be taken from the tribal inheritance of our forefathers."

To gain some context here if you haven’t read the previous messages from this book, you’ll recall in chapter 27, Zelophedad had “died in the desert”. And since he had no sons there would be confusion as to who his inheritance belonged to so his daughters petitioned Moses that they should rightfully get the land that would have been rightfully given to a male heir.

Moses took their request before God who provided the following guidance:

“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." 27:8-11

So the daughters of Zelophedad received his inheritance but the “family heads of the clan of Gilead son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, who were from the clans of the descendants of Joseph” brought forth a legitimate concern now that Israel was ready to enter the Promised Land. For now that the inheritance was being divided up by tribe, what would happen if one of Zelophedad’s daughters married across tribal lines? The fear was that they would then fall under a different tribe who would then stake claim to the land the daughters owned when the Year of Jubilee came.

In other words, a clan could gain more land than actually granted by simply marrying a daughter of a deceased Israelite who had no male heirs.

And so Moses took the matter to the Lord who rendered this decision:

“What the tribe of the descendants of Joseph is saying is right. This is what the Lord commands for Zelophehad's daughters: They may marry anyone they please as long as they marry within the tribal clan of their father. No inheritance in Israel is to pass from tribe to tribe, for every Israelite shall keep the tribal land inherited from his forefathers. Every daughter who inherits land in any Israelite tribe must marry someone in her father's tribal clan, so that every Israelite will possess the inheritance of his fathers. No inheritance may pass from tribe to tribe, for each Israelite tribe is to keep the land it inherits."

As we see, the solution was rather simple. Any daughter who inherited land from their deceased father would have to keep it in the clan by marrying someone within their father’s clan. Any marriage to a man in another clan was forbidden.

In this closing chapter of Numbers, we see where our God always makes sure He covers all the bases and is willing to listen to the requests of His people. Unlike the whining, complaining Israelites who failed to give thanks for what they had, instead opting to gripe about what they didn’t possess, in chapter 36 we see the “tribe from the descendants of Joseph” coming forward and exposing a real potential problem in the inheritance plan, a loophole that could possibly be exploited by a clan to gain more land and thus greater power.

Indeed, given the inclination to sin as we have seen in the past, we could imagine a scenario where one Israelite clan might intentionally scheme to have their men marry women who had gained an inheritance from their fathers, not out of love but for the purpose of getting land that would end up becoming property of that clan. And so we find God hearing the concern, recognize its validity, and quickly giving a command to seal up the potential loophole. He ensured all the bases were covered and this averted any possible future conflict or dispute over property once the Israelites inhabited Canaan.

As we read and study the scriptures, we see how God has covered all the bases in our lives as well. For through His holy Word, He tells us how we are to live this life He has blessed us with. And while we might try and find loopholes to somehow justify sinning while fulfilling our desires, we find that God has made His scriptures airtight with no wiggle room to try and get away with transgressive behavior.

For God’s word always brings us either conviction when we’re living in disobedience or affirmation that we are living in ways that are pleasing in His sight. And just as Old Testament times and other places throughout the Bible, God listens to His people today and provides perfect guidance each and every time.

Want to gain illumination on how He wants you to live?

Just ask Him.

Want to gain a better understanding about how His word is to be carried out in your life?

He’s always ready to impart knowledge and wisdom.

Want to know if the anything you are about to do, whether by thought, word or deed, are appropriate and in accordance with His will, way and word?

Go to Him first before you do something and He will lead you to do what’s right and righteous every single time.

Friends, no one is as available to us like the Lord who is always standing by to hear us and provide assistance. All we need to do is receive His counsel and respond in complete obedience.

From our passage today, we see where the Lord will always make sure the bases are covered in life and now that He has settled the inheritance issues brought before Him, the nation of Israel, His people, is now ready to finally enter the Promised Land.

We’ll begin to look at that tomorrow as we start a study of the Book of Deuteronomy. I hope you’ll come back to be a part of that. Blessings to you always.

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.

OUR SAVIOR AND "CITY OF REFUGE"

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.

On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, the Lord said to Moses, "Command the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in from the inheritance the Israelites will possess. And give them pasturelands around the towns. Then they will have towns to live in and pasturelands for their cattle, flocks and all their other livestock.”

"The pasturelands around the towns that you give the Levites will extend out fifteen hundred feet from the town wall. Outside the town, measure three thousand feet on the east side, three thousand on the south side, three thousand on the west, and three thousand on the north, with the town in the center. They will have this area as pastureland for the towns.”

"Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone may flee. In addition, give them forty-two other towns. In all, you must give the Levites forty-eight towns, together with their pasturelands. The towns you give the Levites from the land the Israelites possess are to be given in proportion to the inheritance of each tribe: Take many towns from a tribe that has many, but few from one that has few."

Then the Lord said to Moses: "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone accidentally may flee. They will be places of refuge from the avenger, so that a person accused of murder may not die before he stands trial before the assembly. These six towns you give will be your cities of refuge. Give three on this side of the Jordan and three in Canaan as cities of refuge. These six towns will be a place of refuge for Israelites, aliens, and any other people living among them, so that anyone who has killed another accidentally can flee there.’

'If a man strikes someone with an iron object so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death. Or if anyone has a stone in his hand that could kill, and he strikes someone so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death. Or if anyone has a wooden object in his hand that could kill, and he hits someone so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death. If anyone with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at him intentionally so that he dies or if in hostility he hits him with his fist so that he dies, that person shall be put to death; he is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.’

'But if without hostility someone suddenly shoves another or throws something at him unintentionally or, without seeing him, drops a stone on him that could kill him, and he dies, then since he was not his enemy and he did not intend to harm him, the assembly must judge between him and the avenger of blood according to these regulations. The assembly must protect the one accused of murder from the avenger of blood and send him back to the city of refuge to which he fled. He must stay there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.’

'But if the accused ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which he has fled and the avenger of blood finds him outside the city, the avenger of blood may kill the accused without being guilty of murder. The accused must stay in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest; only after the death of the high priest may he return to his own property.’

'These are to be legal requirements for you throughout the generations to come, wherever you live.’

'Anyone who kills a person is to be put to death as a murderer only on the testimony of witnesses. But no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.’

'Do not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer, who deserves to die. He must surely be put to death.’

'Do not accept a ransom for anyone who has fled to a city of refuge and so allow him to go back and live on his own land before the death of the high priest.’

'Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the Lord, dwell among the Israelites.'”

Numbers 35

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

As we have seen in prior instances from studying the Old Testament books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, God held a special place in His heart for the Levites, the tribe of Israel who descended from Jacob’s son, Levi, and carried out the priestly duties within the tabernacle. Here in chapter 35, we find the Lord giving special attention to His beloved tribe as He had done in the past.

For after addressing Israel's territorial borders within Canaan and how the land would be divided among, we find God dedicating time to ensure the Levites would be well taken care of, saying this to Moses:

"Command the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in from the inheritance the Israelites will possess. And give them pasturelands around the towns. Then they will have towns to live in and pasturelands for their cattle, flocks, and all their other livestock. The pasturelands around the towns that you give the Levites will extend out fifteen hundred feet from the town wall. Outside the town, measure three thousand feet on the east side, three thousand on the south side, three thousand on the west, and three thousand on the north, with the town in the center. They will have this area as pastureland for the towns”

“In all you must give the Levites forty-eight towns, together with their pasturelands. The towns you give the Levites from the land the Israelites possess are to be given in proportion to the inheritance of each tribe: Take many towns from a tribe that has many, but few from one that has few."

The Levites had spent their time during the wilderness journey, camped out around the tabernacle any time the Israelites would stop from their travel. Now that they were about to enter the Promised Land, they would enjoy the same improved living conditions as the rest of Israel with ample space for their animals. We should also note that the Lord didn’t want them to be segregated from the people of other tribes. Rather, the priests would live in the midst of the others so God's people would be able to receive spiritual leadership and service when needed.

In all, we read where the Levites would have forty-eight cities in total with a few on the east side of the Jordan where the Reubenites, Gadites, and half of the tribe of Manasseh would live. Of these forty-eight cities, the scriptures tell us that six were to be set apart and designated as "cities of refuge" where "a person who (had) killed someone accidentally (could) flee". These special cities, three on the Transjordan region where the two and a half tribes would be and three in Canaan where the rest of Israel would abide, were to be safe havens for anyone who had accidentally killed another. Once within the city of refuge, the person would be protected from ant vengeance brought by the family member of the one who was killed and this immunity was available "for Israelites, aliens and any other people living among them".

We also see God delineating between killings that were willful and accidental. Here’s what He had to say about each:

1. The intentional murdering of another.

"If a man strikes someone with an iron object so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death. Or if anyone has a stone in his hand that could kill, and he strikes someone so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death. Or if anyone has a wooden object in his hand that could kill, and he hits someone so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death. If anyone with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at him intentionally so that he dies or, if in hostility, he hits him with his fist so that he dies, that person shall be put to death; he is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him."

2. Unintentional killing of another.

"But if without hostility someone suddenly shoves another or throws something at him unintentionally or, without seeing him, drops a stone on him that could kill him, and he dies, then since he was not his enemy and he did not intend to harm him, the assembly must judge between him and the avenger of blood according to these regulations. The assembly must protect the one accused of murder from the avenger of blood and send him back to the city of refuge to which he fled. He must stay there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.”

In the instance of murder, note that it would be pretty cut and dry. The relative who would serve as the “avenger of blood” could hunt down the killer and put them to death.

But it was different when it came to an accident that took someone’s life. In those instances, the person who killed the other would remain safe and shielded from harm as long as they remained within the city of refuge. However, if they would choose to venture out from the city, they became fair game and could be killed by the "avenger of blood" who would not be considered “guilty of murder" for the execution. .

In the end translation, God reminded His people that He expected their new life within the Promised Land to be holy, just, and fair, a land that was sanctified and set apart as ultimately belonging to Him as it was rightfully His first. Here’s what the Lord added to underscore this:

"Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the Lord, dwell among the Israelites."

As we go on and study the history of the Israelite people, we see where they didn’t exactly comply with this demand from God because there would be many murderous actions and abundant bloodshed within Canaan to come, all which would serve to “defile” and “pollute the land” God had provided to His people as a blessed inheritance.

You know, I often wonder how God feels about our world today. For although it isn't the Promised Land of Canaan, it is the land that He created that is inhabited by the people He created. And just as He had expectations for Israel, so too does He have them for us. No one should think for a minute that the ten commandments issued to the Israelite people in Exodus, chapter 20, are any less relevant today than they were back when they were first given. Specifically, in the case of our study from Numbers, chapter 35, we see where God doubles down on his order not to murder, showing that it wasn’t acceptable then just as it isn’t now. We even see Jesus taking this commandment and taking it to a whole new level in His discourse within the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:21-22).

In regard to commands that are just as active today as when God first gave them, we can throw in disrespecting one's parents, stealing, committing adultery, worshipping false idols or gods, coveting what another has, or giving false testimony about someone. And yet, too often we act as if these expectations of our Lord are optional, not mandated.

Here’s a good thought provoking question:

If God were to call us before Himself for a formal review our lives, assessing how obedient we have been to Him, how well would we stand up?

Unfortunately, I don’t think that would go well, if we’re totally honest. In fact, we would be doomed by our sins if keeping all of God's commandments (aka perfect adherence to the Law) was the sole requirement to gain salvation. All would be destined to the eternal damnation and torment of Hell if that was the case.

This is why God sent His Son to save us and in doing so, watched Him be nailed to a cross and sacrificed so to pay the penalty for our sins and purchase our pardon.

In other words, Jesus became our personal city of refuge, the only place where we could go for protection from our wrongs and avoid the death penalty. He was the eternal Messiah, Savior, and High Priest who would rise from the grave and live forever so that anyone who would enter into fellowship with Him would find protection and victory over Satan, the evil one. Indeed, only through belief in Jesus, the Lamb of God who came and took away the sin of the world (John 1:29) can these words from the eighth chapter of Romans ring true in our lives:

"…there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1-2

Friends, if you are reading this and have accepted Jesus as your Savior through faith, you get to celebrate every day knowing that you are an inhabitant of His city of refuge.

On the other hand, if you are reading this and you have yet to receive Jesus as your personal Savior, I encourage you to change that right now and without delay. For Satan, your enemy who is ruling your life, whether you want to concede it or now, wants to continue to stake claim to you, leading you to the same destruction he is destined for, the destruction grounded in an eternal life in Hell.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to end that way for you. It doesn’t matter how long you have lived without Jesus. What’s important is that you choose to believe in Him now and let Him make you a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Part of that spiritual birth and the ensuing reformation is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that you will receive, the “Spirit of life” that Paul talks about in Romans, chapter 8. This Spirit will work to “set (you) free from the law of sin and death”, leading you instead on the narrow path that leads to true life (Matthew 7:14), a blessed life full of the living water of Christ that will well up to eventual eternal life when this earthly existence ends (John 4:13-14).

This is my prayer for all people...that they would come to Jesus and find refuge from sin and death in and through Him.

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.