Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 20:14-22.

“From Kadesh Moses then sent messengers to the king of Edom:  “Thus your brother Israel has said, ‘You know all the hardship that has befallen us;  that our fathers went down to Egypt, and we stayed in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians treated us and our fathers badly.  But when we cried out to the LORD, He heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out from Egypt;  now behold, we are at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory.  Please let us pass through your land.  We will not pass through field or through vineyard;  we will not even drink water from a well.  We will go along the king’s highway, not turning to the right or left, until we pass through your territory.’”

Edom, however, said to him, “You shall not pass through us, or I will come out with the sword against you.”  Again, the sons of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, and if I and my livestock do drink any of your water, then I will pay its price.  Let me only pass through on my feet, nothing else.”  But he said, “You shall not pass through.”  And Edom came out against him with a heavy force and with a strong hand.  Thus Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through his territory;  so Israel turned away from him.

Now when they set out from Kadesh, the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor.” Numbers 20:14-22.

——————-

We may think we are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Israel was stuck between the rock of Edom, so to speak, and the hard place of Meribah where there was no water.

But, God …!

But, God did provide water at Meribah:  “and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank.”  Numbers 20:11.

But, God delivers us out of every trouble.  

Moses and Israel could remember God’s deliverance of them from Egypt what probably seemed a long time ago..

Moses and Israel could also remember Moses’ own confession of faith a few seconds ago.  “But when we cried out to the LORD, He heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out from Egypt;  now behold, we are at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory.”  Verse 16.

“Now when they set out from Kadesh, the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor.”  Verse 22.

“4 I sought the LORD, and He answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces will never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
And saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.” Psalm 34:4-7.

“17 The righteous cry, and the LORD hears
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the LORD delivers him out of them all.” Psalm 34:17-19.

“Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous!  Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9.

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 19:1-10.

“Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel that they bring you an unblemished red heifer in which is no defect and on which a yoke has never been placed.  You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and it shall be brought outside the camp and be slaughtered in his presence.  Next Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times.  Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight;  its hide and its flesh and its blood, with its refuse, shall be burned.  The priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet material and cast it into the midst of the burning heifer.  The priest shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward come into the camp, but the priest shall be unclean until evening.  The one who burns it shall also wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water, and shall be unclean until evening.  Now a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place, and the congregation of the sons of Israel shall keep it as water to remove impurity;  it is purification from sin.  The one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening;  and it shall be a perpetual statute to the sons of Israel and to the alien who sojourns among them.”   Numbers 19:1-10.

——————

The “unblemished red heifer” used for “purification from sin” points us to the blood of Christ which purifies us from sin.

Jesus said:  “for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.”  Matthew 26:28.

Consider the following from the Canons of Dordt in the section titled SECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men Thereby.  As highlighted by bold font below, the blood of Christ purges us from all sin among providing other saving gifts.

Article 8.  For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation:  that is, it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father;  that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death;  should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing;  and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in his own presence forever.

“For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.  Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins?  But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year.  For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. …

but He (Christ), having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet.  For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”  Hebrews 10:1-4 and 12-14. 

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.  …”  Ephesians 1:7-8. 

“… the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”  1 John 1:7.

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 18:21-32. Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%2018&version=NASB1995

I only quote the following verses.

“To the sons of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they perform, the service of the tent of meeting.  …

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Moreover, you shall speak to the Levites and say to them, ‘When you take from the sons of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present an offering from it to the LORD, a tithe of the tithe.  Your offering shall be reckoned to you as the grain from the threshing floor or the full produce from the wine vat.  So you shall also present an offering to the LORD from your tithes, which you receive from the sons of Israel;  and from it you shall give the LORD’S offering to Aaron the priest.  Out of all your gifts you shall present every offering due to the LORD, from all the best of them, the sacred part from them.’  You shall say to them, ‘When you have offered from it the best of it, then the rest shall be reckoned to the Levites as the product of the threshing floor, and as the product of the wine vat.  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.’”  Numbers 18:21 and 25-32.

——————–

God has given us gifts of time, talents, and treasures.  We may be so preoccupied on giving God the proper amount, a tithe a/k/a a tenth or other amount, that we do not consider whether it is for only a good cause or whether it is for the best cause.  Today’s Scripture reminds us not only to give the best from the gifts that we receive but to also give to the best cause.  

Here are some examples to consider.

We may be doing some Christian service that is good.  But, God leads us to do other Christian service that is better.  We may need to quit the good Christian service in order to have time and focus to do the best Christian service.

Today, unlike the Levites of that day, we do not have the practical problem of deciding what animals or produce is better to give as a tithe, because we deal with money.  But, there are all kinds of different Christian organizations that strongly solicit our time, our talents, and our treasures.

We need to decide the best Christian churches and other best Christian organizations to which to give our time, talents, and treasures. 

There are many churches or Christian organizations which do not preach, teach, nor otherwise support Reformed doctrine.  Are we going to give to them and thereby reduce the amount of our time, our talents, and our treasures that we give the best churches and Christian organizations that do preach, teach, and otherwise support Reformed doctrine? 

And, some of them may be worse than only good; some may be bad. “Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.” Matthew 24:11.   

“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.  No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.  Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.”  2 Corinthians 11:12-15.

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?  So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  So then, you will know them by their fruits.”  Matthew 7:15-20.   

“Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.”  2 Timothy 1:14.

But, there is hope!

“5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you with My eye upon you.” Psalm 32:8.

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 18:1-7.

“So the LORD said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s household with you shall bear the guilt in connection with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the guilt in connection with your priesthood.  But bring with you also your brothers, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be joined with you and serve you, while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony.  And they shall thus attend to your obligation and the obligation of all the tent, but they shall not come near to the furnishings of the sanctuary and the altar, or both they and you will die.  They shall be joined with you and attend to the obligations of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent;  but an outsider may not come near you.  So you shall attend to the obligations of the sanctuary and the obligations of the altar, so that there will no longer be wrath on the sons of Israel.  Behold, I Myself have taken your fellow Levites from among the sons of Israel;  they are a gift to you, dedicated to the LORD, to perform the service for the tent of meeting.  But you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and inside the veil, and you are to perform service.  I am giving you the priesthood as a bestowed service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”  Numbers 18:1-7.

—————

In the following Scripture, we see more detail concerning the command of the LORD that although the tribe of Levi shall help the priesthood of Aaron and his sons by attending to the obligations of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent, the Levities “shall not come near to the furnishings of the sanctuary and the altar, or both they and you (Aaron and his sons) will die.”  Verse 3.   

“When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they will not touch the holy objects and die.  These are the things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.

“The responsibility of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is the oil for the light and the fragrant incense and the continual grain offering and the anointing oil—the responsibility of all the tabernacle and of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings.”

Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “Do not let the tribe of the families of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites.  But do this to them that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy objects:  Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each of them to his work and to his load;  but they shall not go in to see the holy objects even for a moment, or they will die.”  Numbers 4:15-20.

But, the LORD commanded further that even if an outsider comes near the priests, Aaron and his sons, (which I interpret as during their service as priests), they “shall be put to death”.  “But you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and inside the veil, and you are to perform service.  I am giving you the priesthood as a bestowed service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”  Verse 7. See also verse 4.

Today’s Scripture leads us to meditate on how we have turned things upside down!  Rather, than primarily being concerned about God and His holiness and pleasing Him, we are primarily concerned about unbelievers and being “seeker sensitive”.    

“As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God?  Or am I striving to please men?  If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”  Galatians 1:9-10.

“With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.”  Ephesians 6:7-8.

“For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;  strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience;  joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.”  Colossians 1:9-12.

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 16:36-40.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%2016&version=NASB1995

“So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers which the men who were burned had offered, and they hammered them out as a plating for the altar, as a reminder to the sons of Israel that no layman who is not of the descendants of Aaron should come near to burn incense before the LORD;  so that he will not become like Korah and his company—just as the LORD had spoken to him through Moses.”  Numbers 16:39-40.

———————–

We remember that Korah and his company were jealous of of Moses and Aaron.

“Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took action, and they rose up before Moses, together with some of the sons of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, chosen in the assembly, men of renown.  They assembled together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You have gone far enough, for all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is in their midst;  so why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?”  Numbers 16:1-3. 

And, we remember that the LORD punished Korah and his company.

Moses said:  “But if the LORD brings about an entirely new thing and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that is theirs, and they descend alive into Sheol, then you will understand that these men have spurned the LORD.”  Numbers 16:30.

“As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open;  and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who belonged to Korah with their possessions.  So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol;  and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.  All Israel who were around them fled at their outcry, for they said, “The earth may swallow us up!”  Fire also came forth from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense.”  Numbers 16:31-35.

But, there is hope for us today that we “will not become like Korah and his company”!

“For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.  For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.  Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly:  if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;  if service, in his serving;  or he who teaches, in his teaching;  or he who exhorts, in his exhortation;  he who gives, with liberality;  he who leads, with diligence;  he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”  Romans 12:3-8.

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 16:12-35.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%2016&version=NASB1995

I quote only the following verses.

“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get back from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’”

Then Moses arose and went to Dathan and Abiram, with the elders of Israel following him, and he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart now from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing that belongs to them, or you will be swept away in all their sin.”  So they got back from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the doorway of their tents, along with their wives and their sons and their little ones.  Moses said, “By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these deeds;  for this is not my doing.  If these men die the death of all men or if they suffer the fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me.  But if the LORD brings about an entirely new thing and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that is theirs, and they descend alive into Sheol, then you will understand that these men have spurned the LORD.”

As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open;  and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who belonged to Korah with their possessions.  So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol;  and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.  All Israel who were around them fled at their outcry, for they said, “The earth may swallow us up!”  Fire also came forth from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense.”  Numbers 16:23-35.

——————

“16 When they became envious of Moses in the camp,
And of Aaron, the holy one of the Lord,
17 The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
And engulfed the company of Abiram.
18 And a fire blazed up in their company;
The flame consumed the wicked.” Psalm 106:16-18.

“He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20.

“24 Do not associate with a man given to anger;
Or go with a hot-tempered man,
25 Or you will learn his ways
And find a snare for yourself.” Proverbs 22:24-25.

But, there is hope!

“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2.

“But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”  1 Corinthians 1:30-31.