Day 84 Bible Reading

Numbers 19 and 20, Luke 5: 33-39, Luke 5: 1-11, Psalm 55: 13-26

Numbers 20: 10-12 (ESV)

“Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.””

Verses 10 to 12 from Numbers 20 are sad verses for me. Moses was grieving the death of his sister Miriam and now had to deal with the people complaining about water. He was at the end of his rope and he was angry. He did not glorify God and said “we” instead of God will bring water, and he struck the rock twice in it seems like anger. So God punished him and told him he would not be going into the Promised Land. He made this one mistake and was denied entrance. I think it’s sad because Moses had been so faithful to God the whole time from the journey out of Egypt until the almost 40 years of wandering in the desert. But God still loved Moses and we him later in Matthew in the transfiguration of Jesus. So I have hope that even though I will undoubtedly make mistakes in life, God will forgive me in the end.

Day 83 Bible Reading

Numbers 17 & 18, Luke 5: 17-32, Psalm 44: 1-12

Luke 5: 30-32 (ESV)

“And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Verses 30-32 from Luke 5 reminds me that I’m glad I joined a church, because it seems like I only thought of God when my life was messed up or I was hurting. I needed God to save me, and I needed God’s love to comfort me, and he was always there. But when my life was going okay, I never thought about God. But being in a church, I am reminded constantly of the need for God in my life whether my circumstances are good or bad. When I’m having a good day, I always thank God. I thank God every day for the little miracles I see in my life, and not just for the miracles I prayed for when I needed help. And I am reminded every day of the need for repentance for sins I commit every day in my life, and God’s mercy that was bestowed on me through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Day 82 Bible Reading

Numbers 16, Luke 38-44, Luke 5: 1-16, Psalm 43

Numbers 16: 22-24 (ESV)

“And they fell on their faces and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?” And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Say to the congregation, Get away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.””

Verses 23-24 from Numbers 16 show how much Moses and Aaron cared about their people. They had been challenged for their leadership and people were openly rebelling against them. There were 250 leaders against Moses and Aaron, and Moses said he would leave if it up God to judge if they were right. When God made his judgement to kill everyone Moses and Aaron protested and pleaded with God not to punish everyone because one man Korah had caused the rebellion. I’ve seen this kind of thing happen in the churches I’ve a part of throughout my life. It only takes one person to cause a group to fall apart. We see this warning in the New Testament in verses 17-18 from Romans 16 where Paul writes:

“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.”

It’s easy to criticize the leadership of a church because we don’t see everything that goes into making a decision, but we need to remember that God appointed these leaders and God needs to be the final authority in all areas of our life.

Day 81 Bible Reading - Numbers 14: 36-38 (ESV)

Numbers 14 and 15, Luke 4: 14-37, Psalm 42: 7-11

Numbers 14: 36-38 (ESV)

“And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing up a bad report about the land—the men who brought up a bad report of the land—died by plague before the Lord.  Of those men who went to spy out the land, only Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive.”

Verses 36-38 from Numbers 14 shows what happened to the men who didn’t have the faith in God to help them. They died by plague. And earlier in Numbers 14, God told Moses that only Caleb and Joshua would live to see the Promised Land. This is what happens when you have faith, you see and will dwell in the Promised Land. And when you don’t have faith, you die and you don’t see or find the promised land. A plague seems harsh, but when we don’t have faith doesn’t doubt enter in our life like a poison and eventually kills our faith in God. When you lose faith in God, it is like a death of sorts. We all need to pray to have the faith of Caleb and Joshua so we can see and find our own “promised land” that God promised us.