[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (FG), a reading update (reflection) from one chapter of the Bible a day]
ℕ𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕤
𝟙𝟙:𝟙𝟝
"So if You are going to deal
thus with me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in Your sight, and
do not let me see my wretchedness."
Moses, the great leader of Israel
had a moment when he felt incompetent to lead. There were no other people whom
he could entrust the leadership. He was so discouraged and was in despair,
longing to die.
Sin makes people weary [not only
the perpetrators but everyone]. As Paul said that his greatest sufferings were
not the personal sickness, beating, or even shipwreck experiences, but they
were his concerns for the church. True leaders suffered from the sins of the
members. That's not hard to imagine. When a part of your body suffers, your
whole body suffers.
It's said of apou Dimngampou (now
IRB) that when he got into a bus accident, he had the probability of living the
rest of his life crippled, he is said to have told, "I'd rather die than
to live without the ability to walk." A weak member of the body wearied
even the healthy members of the body.
Well, Moses, even in this situation
did not have a higher view of self, but a wretched view of self. He saw not
only the wretchedness of his people but even his own wretchedness.
ℕ𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕤
𝟙𝟚:𝟛
"(Now the man Moses was very
humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.)"
There's such thing called false
humility according to Philippians 2. Therefore, let not the world define what
humility is and is not. Get used to the biblical understanding of everything.
Now, Moses was given the title,
humble man of God, which was surpassed only by Lord Jesus Christ.
Humility is recognizing "God
is God and we aren't God. We live in God's world and must live to please Him.
He has the right to do whatever He pleases."
That would shut up all our pride,
arrogance, boasting, complaints, jealousy, and disappointment.
ℕ𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕤
𝟙𝟛:𝟛𝟘
"Then Caleb quieted the people
before Moses and said, ‘We should by all means go up and take possession of it,
for we will surely overcome it.’"
Caleb and Joshua were willing to
risk their lives to possess the God-given land. They had confidence in God that
they shall not only survive but overpower the enemies and enjoy the fruits of
the land.
Disobedient people are cowards. Also.
cowardice leads to disobedience.
God was pleased to bless Joshua and
Caleb above every one of that generation!
ℕ𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕤
𝟙𝟜:𝟚-𝟛
"All the sons of Israel
grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, ‘Would
that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this
wilderness! Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword?
Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for
us to return to Egypt?’"
Do we not find ourselves often
complaining about what we do not have than being grateful for what we have been
given?
The Israelites were given freedom;
instead of being eternally grateful, they crave temporal onions and garlic (Num.11:5).
Learn to thank God. Learn to count
God's blessings. Learn to be contented, satisfied. Learn to enjoy what you
have.
It doesn't mean we should not have
high ambition. It just means learning to enjoy life, God's gift, God's
universe, and God Himself!
ℕ𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕤
𝟙𝟝:𝟚-𝟛
"Speak to the sons of Israel
and say to them, ‘When you enter the land where you are to live, which I am
giving you, then make an offering by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering or a
sacrifice to fulfill a special vow, or as a freewill offering or in your
appointed times, to make a soothing aroma to the LORD, from the herd or from
the flock.’"
God wants an offering because
offering symbolizes many things. One of them is gratitude.
Learn to give offerings to God!
ℕ𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕤
𝟙𝟞:𝟟
"And put fire in them, and lay
incense upon them in the presence of the LORD tomorrow; and the man whom the
LORD chooses shall be the one who is holy. You have gone far enough, you sons of
Levi!"
There are times we have gone far
enough. It's good to have the practice of a quiet time to examine ourselves in
the Lord.
Psalmists often did that!
ℕ𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕤
𝟙𝟟:𝟠
"Now on the next day Moses
went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house
of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe
almonds."
It not only blossomed but yielded
fruits, yes, fully grown, ripen fruits. Unarguable confirmation!
God has the habit of doing
exceedingly than we can ever imagine as well! Trust Him!
ℕ𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕤
𝟙𝟠:𝟛𝟙-𝟛𝟚
"You may eat it anywhere, you
and your households, for it is your compensation in return for your service in
the tent of meeting. You will bear no sin by reason of it when you have offered
the best of it. But you shall not profane the sacred gifts of the sons of
Israel, or you will die."
The tithes they received from the
other tribes of Israelites they shall take for themselves after paying tithe
from them [the tithe from the tithes received]. They should do so in reverence,
gratefulness, and faithfulness.
Surely, wasting, negligence, and
mismanagement wouldn't be tolerated!
ℕ𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕤
𝟙𝟡:𝟚𝟘
"But the man who is unclean
and does not purify himself from uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from
the midst of the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD;
the water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him, he is unclean."
The teaching on the purification of
the unclean magnifies the holiness (otherness) of God. That God is totally
different from His creatures. His people must also be different from the rest
of the people!
ℕ𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕤
𝟚𝟘:𝟙𝟚
"But the LORD said to Moses
and Aaron, ‘Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight
of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the
land which I have given them.’"
There's no excuse even in wrath.
God must be treated holy at all times. Some people speak uncomely things in
anger. Well, that shows how shallow their religion is.
ℕ𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕤
𝟚𝟙:𝟝-𝟞
“The people spoke against God and Moses, ‘Why
have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no
food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.’ The LORD sent fiery
serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of
Israel died.”
God will not back down because of
complaints. Rather, He sent serpents to stop them from complaining. It's not
God to stop, it's man who should stop complaining!
ℕ𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕤
𝟚𝟚:𝟙𝟠
“Balaam replied to the servants of
Balak, ‘Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could
not do anything, either small or great, contrary to the command of the LORD my
God.’”
Balaam really had a great
philosophical tongue, but a hypocritical heart!
One can really speak sweetly godly,
and live out very differently!
Balaam is a great example and
lesson to this!
ℕ𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕤
𝟚𝟛:𝟚𝟟
"Then Balak said to Balaam, ‘Please
come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will be agreeable with God
that you curse them for me from there.’"
Haven't we ever thought of God in
this way, changing (modifying) the circumstances and the environment around us?
God is not a man, He will not back
down. He will not change, because He is perfect. He does only the best thing,
and everything He does is the best!
ℕ𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕤
𝟚𝟜:𝟙𝟘
"Then Balak's anger burned
against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, ‘I
called you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have persisted in blessing them
these three times!’"
Who can be against those whom God
is with them? Will they prevail? No!
ℕ𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕤
𝟚𝟝:𝟙𝟙-𝟙𝟚
"Phinehas the son of Eleazar,
the son of Aaron the priest, has turned away My wrath from the sons of Israel
in that he was jealous with My jealousy among them, so that I did not destroy
the sons of Israel in My jealousy. Therefore say, 'Behold, I give him My
covenant of peace;"
A Covenant of Peace given to a wrathful
guy by a wrathful God.
Godly wrath and godly peace go hand
in hand. Jesus was not just gentle but wrathful too. Look at how he cleansed
the temple.