Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 22:1-14.

“1 Then the sons of Israel journeyed, and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan opposite Jericho.

2 Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.  3 So Moab was in great fear because of the people, for they were numerous;  and Moab was in dread of the sons of Israel.  4 Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this horde will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.”  And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.  5 So he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, at Pethor, which is near the River, in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying, “Behold, a people came out of Egypt;  behold, they cover the surface of the land, and they are living opposite me.  6 Now, therefore, please come, curse this people for me since they are too mighty for me; perhaps I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land.  For I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand; and they came to Balaam and repeated Balak’s words to him.  8 He said to them, “Spend the night here, and I will bring word back to you as the Lord may speak to me.”  And the leaders of Moab stayed with Balaam.  9 Then God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?”  10 Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent word to me, 11 ‘Behold, there is a people who came out of Egypt and they cover the surface of the land;  now come, curse them for me;  perhaps I may be able to fight against them and drive them out.’”  12 God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them;  you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.”  13 So Balaam arose in the morning and said to Balak’s leaders, “Go back to your land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.”  14 The leaders of Moab arose and went to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”  Numbers 22:1-14.

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“10 The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations;
He frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The plans of His heart from generation to generation.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.”  Psalm 33:10-12.

The LORD nullified the counsel of Moab who tried to get Balaam to curse Israel.

But, the LORD also nullified the counsel of Israel who lived by works (not by faith) and who also rejected His Son Jesus Christ.

“Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that will be saved;  for the Lord will execute His word on the earth, thoroughly and quickly.”  And just as Isaiah foretold,

“Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left to us a posterity,
We would have become like Sodom, and would have resembled Gomorrah.”

What shall we say then?  That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith;  but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law.  Why?  Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works.  They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written,

“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,
And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”  Romans 9:27-33.

“But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel;  nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but:  “through Isaac your descendants will be named.”  That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.  For this is the word of promise:  “At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.”  And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac;  for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.”  Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

What shall we say then?  There is no injustice with God, is there?  May it never be!  For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”  So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.  For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.”  So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”  Romans 9:6-18.

“The counsel of the LORD stands forever.”  The LORD chooses whom He will bless.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;  for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God;  you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”  1 Peter 2:9.

And, the LORD chooses to bless those in His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

“For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”  Colossians 1:19-20.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.  In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”  Ephesians 1:3-6.

“… in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”  Galatians 3:16.

“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.  In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.  In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.”  Ephesians 1:7-12.

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 21:10-35.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+21&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“21 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying, 22 “Let me pass through your land.  We will not turn off into field or vineyard;  we will not drink water from wells.  We will go by the king’s highway until we have passed through your border.”  23 But Sihon would not permit Israel to pass through his border.  So Sihon gathered all his people and went out against Israel in the wilderness, and came to Jahaz and fought against Israel.  24 Then Israel struck him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the sons of Ammon;  for the border of the sons of Ammon was Jazer.  25 Israel took all these cities and Israel lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all her villages.  26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon.”  …

“31 Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites.  32 Moses sent to spy out Jazer, and they captured its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.

33 Then they turned and went up by the way of Bashan, and Og the king of Bashan went out with all his people, for battle at Edrei.  34 But the Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people and his land;  and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.”  35 So they killed him and his sons and all his people, until there was no remnant left him;  and they possessed his land.”  Numbers Chapter 21:  Verses 21-26 and 31-35.

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The LORD gave two victories to Israel in today’s Scripture.

Israel’s path was blocked by Sihon, king of the Amorites, who “gathered all his people and went out against Israel in the wilderness, and came to Jahaz and fought against Israel”.  Verses 21-23.  Israel struck Sihon with the edge of the sword and defeated and dispossessed the Amorites.

Then, Israel “turned and went up by the way of Bashan, and Og the king of Bashan went out with all his people, for battle at Edrei”.  Verse 33.  “But the Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people and his land;  and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.”  So they killed him and his sons and all his people, until there was no remnant left him;  and they possessed his land.”  Verses 34-35.

“7 God has spoken in His holiness:
“I will exult, I will portion out Shechem
And measure out the valley of Succoth.
8 “Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim also is the helmet of My head;
Judah is My scepter.
9 “Moab is My washbowl;
Over Edom I shall throw My shoe;
Over Philistia I will shout aloud.”

10 Who will bring me into the besieged city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
11 Have not You Yourself, O God, rejected us?
And will You not go forth with our armies, O God?
12 Oh give us help against the adversary,
For deliverance by man is in vain.
13 Through God we will do valiantly,
And it is He who shall tread down our adversaries.”  Psalm 108:7-13.

“¹⁰ He smote many nations
And slew mighty kings,
¹¹ Sihon, king of the Amorites,
And Og, king of Bashan,
And all the kingdoms of Canaan;
¹² And He gave their land as a heritage,
A heritage to Israel His people.
¹³ Your name, O Lord, is everlasting,
Your remembrance, O Lord, throughout all generations.”  Psalm 135:10-13.

“14 Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away His judgments against you,
He has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
You will fear disaster no more.
16 In that day it will be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not be afraid, O Zion;
Do not let your hands fall limp.
17 “The Lord your God is in your midst,
A victorious warrior.
He will exult over you with joy,
He will be quiet in His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”  Zephaniah 3:14-17.

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;  but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  1 Corinthians 15:56-57.

“When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us;  and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.  When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.”  Colossians 2:13-15.

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 21:1-9.

“1 When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, then he fought against Israel and took some of them captive.  2 So Israel made a vow to the Lord and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.”  3 The Lord heard the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites;  then they utterly destroyed them and their cities.  Thus the name of the place was called Hormah.

4 Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom;  and the people became impatient because of the journey.  5 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.”

6 The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.  7 So the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you;  intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us.”  And Moses interceded for the people.  8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard;  and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.”  9 And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard;  and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.”  Numbers 21:1-9.

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It is a scary world.  Literal serpents were down there among the people of Israel.  Figurative serpents are down there among us today.  Our eyes fearfully and anxiously look down all around us.

But, there is a Savior up here, revealed in Scripture.  Lift up your eyes, look and believe.

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;  so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.”  John 3:14-15.

‘Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’  Isaiah 41:10.

“Lift up your eyes to the sky, Then look to the earth beneath;  For the sky will vanish like smoke, And the earth will wear out like a garment And its inhabitants will die in like manner;  But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not wane.”  Isaiah 51:6.

“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.”  Psalm 121:1-2.

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 20:14-29.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+20&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying, “Aaron will be gathered to his people; for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the sons of Israel, because you rebelled against My command at the waters of Meribah.  Take Aaron and his son Eleazar and bring them up to Mount Hor;  and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eleazar.  So Aaron will be gathered to his people, and will die there.”  So Moses did just as the Lord had commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.  After Moses had stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eleazar, Aaron died there on the mountain top.  Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.  When all the congregation saw that Aaron had died, all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.”  Numbers 20:23-29.

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Today’s Scripture and the name of this Book of the Bible (Numbers) remind us that our days are numbered and that God has set different kinds of limits (time and space etc.) as to what we can do.

“1 Man, who is born of woman,
Is short-lived and full of turmoil.
2 “Like a flower he comes forth and withers.
He also flees like a shadow and does not remain.
3 “You also open Your eyes on him
And bring him into judgment with Yourself.
4 “Who can make the clean out of the unclean?
No one!
5 “Since his days are determined,
The number of his months is with You;
And his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.”  Job 14:1-5.

“12 So teach us to number our days,
That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.

13 Do return, O Lord;  how long will it be?
And be sorry for Your servants.
14 O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness,
That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us,
And the years we have seen evil.
16 Let Your work appear to Your servants
And Your majesty to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us;
And confirm for us the work of our hands;
Yes, confirm the work of our hands.”  Psalm 90:12-17.

Yes, there is hope!

As the foregoing Psalm 90:17 confesses, the Lord is “our God”, and thus, we can hope, pray, and expect His favor.

Question 26.  What believest thou when thou sayest, “I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth”?

Answer.  That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (who of nothing made heaven and earth, with all that is in them;  who likewise upholds and governs the same by his eternal counsel and providence) is for the sake of Christ his Son, my God and my Father;  on whom I rely so entirely, that I have no doubt, but he will provide me with all things necessary for soul and body: and further, that he will make whatever evils he sends upon me, in this valley of tears turn out to my advantage; for he is able to do it, being Almighty God, and willing, being a faithful Father.  Heidelberg Catechism.

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 20:1-13.

“1 Then the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to the wilderness of Zin in the first month;  and the people stayed at Kadesh. Now Miriam died there and was buried there.

2 There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron.  3 The people thus contended with Moses and spoke, saying, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord!  4 Why then have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this wilderness, for us and our beasts to die here?  5 Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us in to this wretched place?  It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink.”  6 Then Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces.  Then the glory of the Lord appeared to them;  7 and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

8 “Take the rod;  and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water.  You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink.”

9 So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him;  10 and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock.  And he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels;  shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?”  11 Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod;  and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank.  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.”  13 Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the Lord, and He proved Himself holy among them.”  Numbers 20:1-13.

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Moses was commanded to speak to the rock before their eyes, but he struck the rock twice with his rod.  Moses seemed focused on the people and on speaking to the people, more than he seemed focused on the LORD and on listening carefully to the LORD and obeying the LORD exactly.

When Moses struck the rock twice with his rod, water did come forth abundantly and the people and the congregation and their beasts did drink.

“All is well, that ends well.”  Right?!

No!!!

“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.”  Verse 12.

Today’s Scripture teaches us that we should be focused more on God than on people.  We should be more focused on listening to God than speaking to people.  We should be more focused on obeying God than responding to people.

Today’s Scripture teaches us that we should believe in God and treat God as holy in the sight of all people.

Reformed Doctrine helps us do these things.

Reformed Doctrine focuses more on God and God’s work than on man, man’s works, and man’s alleged free will.

Reformed Doctrine focuses more on “listening” to what God states in Scripture is His work of salvation (the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”) than on what man wants to be the cause of his salvation (man’s works or man’s alleged free will).

Reformed Doctrine focuses more on obeying God by speaking the truth of God’s work of salvation more than on worrying what man may think of it and responding in a “seeker-sensitive way” to man’s natural aversion to God’s sovereignty and predestination.

Reformed Doctrine believes that God can totally and perfectly accomplish salvation by God’s grace alone.

Reformed Doctrine treats God as holy in the sight of all people:  “… who are you, O man, who answers back to God?  The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?  Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?”  Romans 9:20-21.  Reformed Doctrine gives all the credit and glory to God for salvation, and it is not ashamed to defend God’s sovereignty.

In summary, so to speak in the language of today’s Scripture, Reformed Doctrine teaches that we don’t need to strike (use force or be dependent on our own powers of persuasion), we can speak (in dependence on God):  “… sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence”.  1 Peter 3:15.

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers Chapter 19.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+19&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “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.  3 You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and it shall be brought outside the camp and be slaughtered in his presence.  4 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.  5 Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight;  its hide and its flesh and its blood, with its refuse, shall be burned.  6 The priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet material and cast it into the midst of the burning heifer.  7 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.  8 The one who burns it shall also wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water, and shall be unclean until evening.  9 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.  …

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.”  Numbers Chapter 19:  Verses 1-9 and 20.

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In today’s Scripture, “water to remove impurity;  it is purification from sin” (verse 9) points to the water provided by Christ.

“… Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing;  but that she would be holy and blameless.”  Ephesians 5:25-27.

“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”  Hebrews 10:19-22.

“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;  in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.  Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.”  1 Peter 3:18-22.

“This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ;  not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood.  It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.  For there are three that testify:  the Spirit and the water and the blood;  and the three are in agreement.”  1 John 5:6-8.

Here is how the Heidelberg Catechism shows the Spirit and the water and the blood are in agreement.

Question 69.  How art thou admonished and assured by holy baptism, that the one sacrifice of Christ upon the cross is of real advantage to thee?

Answer.  Thus:  That Christ appointed this external washing with water, adding thereto this promise, that I am as certainly washed by his blood and Spirit from all the pollution of my soul, that is, form all my sins, as I am washed externally with water, by which the filthiness of the body is commonly washed away.

Question 70.  What is it to be washed with the blood and Spirit of Christ?

Answer.  It is to receive of God the remission of sins, freely, for the sake of Christ’s blood, which he shed for us by his sacrifice upon the cross;  and also to be renewed by the Holy Ghost, and sanctified to be members of Christ, that so we may more and more die unto sin, and lead holy and unblamable lives.

Question 71.  Where has Christ promised us, that he will as certainly wash us by his blood and Spirit, as we are washed with the water of baptism?

Answer.  In the institution of baptism, which is thus expressed: “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,” “he that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved;  but he that believeth not, shall be damned.”   This promise is also repeated, where the scripture calls baptism the washing of regeneration, and the washing away of sins.

Today’s devotions comes from Numbers Chapter 18.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+18&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“1 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.  2 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.  3 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.  4 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.  5 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. 6 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. 7 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.”  …

“12 All the best of the fresh oil and all the best of the fresh wine and of the grain, the first fruits of those which they give to the Lord, I give them to you. 13 The first ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to the Lord, shall be yours;  everyone of your household who is clean may eat it.”  …

“21 “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.”  …

“25 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 26 “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.  …”  Numbers Chapter 18:  Verses 1-7 and 12-13 and 21 and 25-26.

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The LORD specified similar but separate duties of Aaron and his sons (priesthood including everything concerning the altar and inside the veil) and the duties of the sons of Levi (to perform the service for the tent of meeting).  We remember the rebellion of Korah and certain other sons of Levi in Numbers Chapter 16 who grumbled against Moses, Aaron, and the LORD thinking that they were as holy and as fit for the same service as Moses and Aaron.

These Scriptures were written for our instruction too so that we will not become jealous and envious, and so that we do not try to assume that we have the right and the gifts (ability) to do the duties of others.

But, today’s Scripture provides much more that just separating and assigning duties.

Today’s Scripture provides the encouragement that the LORD rewards service performed for the LORD.   “All the best of the fresh oil and all the best of the fresh wine and of the grain, the first fruits of those which they give to the Lord, I give them to you (Aaron and his sons).”  Verse 12.  “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.”  Verse 21.

We see similar encouragement that the LORD rewards through Scripture.

“May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.”  Ruth 2:12.

“3 Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.”  Psalm 127:3-4.

“Adversity pursues sinners, But the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity.”  Proverbs 13:21.

“Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting:  to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him;  for this is his reward.  Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.  For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart.”  Ecclesiastes 5:18-20.

“But I said, “I have toiled in vain,
I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity;
Yet surely the justice due to Me is with the Lord,
And My reward with My God.”  Isaiah 49:4.

“Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth, Say to the daughter of Zion, “Lo, your salvation comes;  Behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.”  Isaiah 62:11.

“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great;  for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  Matthew 5:12.

“He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward;  and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.  And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”  Matthew 10:41-42.

“Peter said, “Behold, we have left our own homes and followed You.”  And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.”  Luke 18:28-30.

“Now he who plants and he who waters are one;  but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.”  1 Corinthians 3:8.

“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance.  It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”  Colossians 3:23-24.

“For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.”  Hebrews 6:10.

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”  Hebrews 11:6.

“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”  Revelation 22:12.

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 17:12-13.

“Then the sons of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Behold, we perish, we are dying, we are all dying!  Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord, must die.  Are we to perish completely?”  Numbers 17:12-13.

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Confronted with the overwhelming power and glory of the LORD present in the miracle of Aaron’s rod, the sons of Israel shrunk back as they realized in comparison their own weakness and sinfulness.

A similar reaction was experienced by Isaiah.

“In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.  Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  And one called out to another and said,

“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts,
The whole earth is full of His glory.”

And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.  Then I said,

“Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”  Isaiah 6:1-5.

And, there is this warning for us all.

“For yet in a very little while,
He who is coming will come, and will not delay.
But My righteous one shall live by faith;
And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”  Hebrews 10:37-38.

But, there is hope!

There was hope for Isaiah.  “Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs.  He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips;  and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”  Isaiah 6:6-7.

And, there is hope for us.  “Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.  Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”  Hebrews 10:18-22.

“Such confidence we have through Christ toward God.  Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”  2  Corinthians 3:4-6.

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.  But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”  2 Corinthians 3:17-18.

In conclusion, “… we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”  Hebrews 10:39.

Today’s devotion comes Numbers 17:1-11.

“1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, and get from them a rod for each father’s household: twelve rods, from all their leaders according to their fathers’ households.  You shall write each name on his rod, 3 and write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi;  for there is one rod for the head of each of their fathers’ households.  4 You shall then deposit them in the tent of meeting in front of the testimony, where I meet with you.  5 It will come about that the rod of the man whom I choose will sprout.  Thus I will lessen from upon Myself the grumblings of the sons of Israel, who are grumbling against you.”  6 Moses therefore spoke to the sons of Israel, and all their leaders gave him a rod apiece, for each leader according to their fathers’ households, twelve rods, with the rod of Aaron among their rods.  7 So Moses deposited the rods before the Lord in the tent of the testimony.

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.  9 Moses then brought out all the rods from the presence of the Lord to all the sons of Israel;  and they looked, and each man took his rod.  10 But the Lord said to Moses, “Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put an end to their grumblings against Me, so that they will not die.” 11 Thus Moses did;  just as the Lord had commanded him, so he did.”  Numbers 17:1-11.

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The LORD made the miraculous provision of causing Aaron’s rod (which was a dead piece of wood) to come alive and sprout and produce buds, blossoms, and ripe almonds to show His choice of Aaron and to lessen the grumblings against Aaron and Himself.  Verses 5 and 8.

But, this miraculous provision also gives us hope that the LORD will confirm His choice of us too (who were dead in sin – “Total Depravity”) by making us alive and producing fruit in us too.

“You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. ”  John 15:16.

“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”  John 15:8.

“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 7:16-20.

“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”  John 15:5.

“Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.”  Romans 7:4.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”  Galatians 5:22-23.

“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 16:41-50.

“41 But on the next day all the congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You are the ones who have caused the death of the Lord’s people.”  42 It came about, however, when the congregation had assembled against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tent of meeting, and behold, the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared.  43 Then Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting, 44 and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly.”  Then they fell on their faces.  46 Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and put in it fire from the altar, and lay incense on it;  then bring it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone forth from the Lord, the plague has begun!”  47 Then Aaron took it as Moses had spoken, and ran into the midst of the assembly, for behold, the plague had begun among the people.  So he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 He took his stand between the dead and the living, so that the plague was checked.  49 But those who died by the plague were 14,700, besides those who died on account of Korah.  50 Then Aaron returned to Moses at the doorway of the tent of meeting, for the plague had been checked.”  Numbers 16:41-50.

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Aaron interceded.  God seemed inclined to consume the people instantly (verse 45), so Aaron interceded taking his stand between the dead and the living and making atonement for the people (verses 47 and 48).

Aaron’s intercession points to the work of the Trinity Who intercedes for us.

God the Father willed and planned and brought salvation.

“And He saw that there was no man,
And was astonished that there was no one to intercede;
Then His own arm brought salvation to Him,
And His righteousness upheld Him.”  Isaiah 59:16.

“9 “Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;
11 Calling a bird of prey from the east,
The man of My purpose from a far country.
Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.
I have planned it, surely I will do it.

12 “Listen to Me, you stubborn-minded,
Who are far from righteousness.
13 “I bring near My righteousness, it is not far off;
And My salvation will not delay.
And I will grant salvation in Zion,
And My glory for Israel.”  Isaiah 46:9-13.

God the Son provided the atonement through His death and continues to intercede for us.

“… Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”  Romans 8:34.

“… And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;  and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”  1 John 2:1-2.

God the Spirit helps us with our weaknesses, groaning for us and guiding us and connecting us to God the Father and His will and all truth.

“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness;  for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;  and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”  Romans 8:26-27.

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth;  for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak;  and He will disclose to you what is to come.”  John 16:13.