Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 1:1-18.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+1&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“Choose wise and discerning and experienced men from your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads.’  You answered me and said, ‘The thing which you have said to do is good.’  So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and appointed them heads over you, leaders of thousands and of hundreds, of fifties and of tens, and officers for your tribes.

“Then I charged your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your fellow countrymen, and judge righteously between a man and his fellow countryman, or the alien who is with him.  You shall not show partiality in judgment;  you shall hear the small and the great alike.  You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God’s.  The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’  I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do.”  Deuteronomy 1:13-18.

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The Book of Deuteronomy starts off with emphasizing the importance of justice.

“Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, that you may live and possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”  Deuteronomy 16:20.

“He has told you, O man, what is good;  And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”  Micah 6:8.

And, today’s Scripture shows some elements of justice.

“Choose wise and discerning and experienced men from your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads.’  First of all, it is important that we select judges and other political leaders who are wise and discerning and experienced.

“judge righteously”.  Much could be said about that command.  I will point out a few things.  There is a temptation for us to be susceptible to the loudest and most passionate voices.

As first example, we naturally feel sympathetic to the cries of the victim and the victim’s family.  But, that does not mean that we should to cave in to all the blood thirst vengeance of what they want.  We remember the distinction between intentional murder and negligent manslaughter and the provisions of cities of refuge in Numbers Chapter 35.

As second example, the crowd may be a inflamed lynching mob, but we must again not cave in to their cries to lynch or to otherwise punish “on the spot” without trial.

As third example, there may be powerful conservative political groups who think of themselves as the quiet dignified majority, but they still have their own political agenda and reasons for being tough on all crimes without just distinctions.  They want discretion to be taken away from judges so they can control justice for their own political desires.

“You shall not show partiality in judgment”.  The statue of the blindfolded lady of justice reminds us that we should not base our judgment on whom we see be the recipient of justice.  We should not be partial to the wealthy.  We should not be partial to the celebrity or the popular.  We should not be partial to the great.  We should not even be partial to the fellow countryman over the immigrant (alien) as today’s Scripture hints.

“You shall not fear man”.  When we fear God rather than man, we will be more inclined to “judge righteously”, to be impartial, and to pursue justice with the zeal that we should have.

“The fear of man brings a snare,
But he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.”  Proverbs 29:25.

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers Chapter 36.

“1 And the heads of the fathers’ households of the family of the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the leaders, the heads of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, 2 and they said, “The Lord commanded my lord to give the land by lot to the sons of Israel as an inheritance, and my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters.  3 But if they marry one of the sons of the other tribes of the sons of Israel, their inheritance will be withdrawn from the inheritance of our fathers and will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they belong;  thus it will be withdrawn from our allotted inheritance.  4 When the jubilee of the sons of Israel comes, then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they belong;  so their inheritance will be withdrawn from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.”

5 Then Moses commanded the sons of Israel according to the word of the Lord, saying, “The tribe of the sons of Joseph are right in their statements.  6 This is what the Lord has commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, ‘Let them marry whom they wish; only they must marry within the family of the tribe of their father.’  7 Thus no inheritance of the sons of Israel shall be transferred from tribe to tribe, for the sons of Israel shall each hold to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.  8 Every daughter who comes into possession of an inheritance of any tribe of the sons of Israel shall be wife to one of the family of the tribe of her father, so that the sons of Israel each may possess the inheritance of his fathers.  9 Thus no inheritance shall be transferred from one tribe to another tribe, for the tribes of the sons of Israel shall each hold to his own inheritance.”

10 Just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so the daughters of Zelophehad did:  11 Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad married their uncles’ sons.  12 They married those from the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained with the tribe of the family of their father.

13 These are the commandments and the ordinances which the Lord commanded to the sons of Israel through Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho.”  Numbers Chapter 36.

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Special consideration and privilege was given to the daughters of Zelophehad. 

“They stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the leaders and all the congregation, at the doorway of the tent of meeting, saying, “Our father died in the wilderness, yet he was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah;  but he died in his own sin, and he had no sons.  Why should the name of our father be withdrawn from among his family because he had no son?  Give us a possession among our father’s brothers.”  So Moses brought their case before the Lord.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “The daughters of Zelophehad are right in their statements.  You shall surely give them a hereditary possession among their father’s brothers, and you shall transfer the inheritance of their father to them.”  Numbers 27:2-7.

But, in today’s Scripture, the heads of the fathers’ households of the family of the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph were concerned about the application of the general law to this special privilege and the unfair consequences that it would give their tribe.  And, a special provision (a command that the daughters marry within the tribe) was made to avoid the unfair consequences. 

We have been given new and special grace.  But, if we remained yoked to the old and general law, we will fall from grace.  

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free;  therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you.  And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.  You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law;  you have fallen from grace.  For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.”  Galatians 5:2-5.

Like the special privilege given to the daughters of Zelophehad resulted in the need for a special provision that they needed to marry and stay within their tribe, the special grace given to us results in the need for the special provision that we need to stay in Christ.   

“We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles;  nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law;  since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.  But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin?  May it never be!  For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor.  For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God.  I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;  and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.  I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”  Galatians 2:15-21.

Simply, the old general law cannot deal with the new and special grace given to us.  We need a new and special provision.  We need to stay in Christ.

“Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins;  otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined;  but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”   Matthew 9:17

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 35:16-34.  Here is a link to this Scripture –  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+35&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“16 ‘But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer;  the murderer shall surely be put to death.  17 If he struck him down with a stone in the hand, by which he will die, and as a result he died, he is a murderer;  the murderer shall surely be put to death.  18 Or if he struck him with a wooden object in the hand, by which he might die, and as a result he died, he is a murderer;  the murderer shall surely be put to death.  …

22 ‘But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or threw something at him without lying in wait, 23 or with any deadly object of stone, and without seeing it dropped on him so that he died, while he was not his enemy nor seeking his injury, 24 then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the blood avenger according to these ordinances.  …

33 So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it.  34 You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.’”  Numbers Chapter 35:  Verses 16-18 and 22-24 and 33-34.

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Justice is established by making just distinctions between crimes.  Here we see the distinction is between intentional murder and negligent manslaughter.

Capital punishment is not only allowed here for intentional murder.  It is mandated.

But, the focus of this devotion is the following language in verse 33:  “no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it.”  In a discussion of one of the worst sins, murder, we are blessed to be led to thoughts of Christ.

Christ bore our sins and then shed His blood for expiation (defined as “the means by which atonement is made” by the Free Dictionary by Farlex http://www.thefreedictionary.com/expiation.)

“And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”  Hebrews 9:22

It would already been unfathomably gracious for God the Son, Jesus Christ, to bear all the suffering, most notably the cross, to save us, but the Thrice Holy God also had to bear our sins in order to save us.  Not any blood will do, only the blood “of him who shed it.”  Verse 33.

“so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”  Hebrews 9:28

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  2 Corinthians 5:21

Today’s Scripture comes from Numbers 35:1-15.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+35&version=NASB

I only quote the following verses.

“1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying, 2 “Command the sons of Israel that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their possession cities to live in;  and you shall give to the Levites pasture lands around the cities.  3 The cities shall be theirs to live in;  and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their herds and for all their beasts.  …

6 The cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the manslayer to flee to;  and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities.  …

9 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of refuge, that the manslayer who has killed any person unintentionally may flee there.  12 The cities shall be to you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands before the congregation for trial.  13 The cities which you are to give shall be your six cities of refuge.  14 You shall give three cities across the Jordan and three cities in the land of Canaan;  they are to be cities of refuge.  15 These six cities shall be for refuge for the sons of Israel, and for the alien and for the sojourner among them;  that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.”  Numbers Chapter 35:  Verses 1-3, 6, and 9-15.

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The cities of refuge is today’s Scripture point to God Who is “our refuge and strength”.  I list some of the Scriptures below, but I stopped at the last listed one (Psalm 71:5-8) due to limited time, which I thought summarized so well God’s faithfulness to me and so many others our entire lives.

“As for God, His way is blameless;  The word of the Lord is tested;  He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.”  2 Samuel 22:31

“Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”  Psalm 2:12

“But let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for joy;  And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may exult in You.”  Psalm 5:11

“1 O Lord my God, in You I have taken refuge;
Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me,
2 Or he will tear my soul like a lion,
Dragging me away, while there is none to deliver.”  Psalm 7:1-2.

“1 Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You.                                                                                                                                                       2 I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good besides You.”  Psalm 16:1-2.

“2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
And I am saved from my enemies.”  Psalm 18:2-3.

“1 In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge;
Let me never be ashamed;
In Your righteousness deliver me.
2 Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly;
Be to me a rock of strength,
A stronghold to save me.
3 For You are my rock and my fortress;
For Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.
4 You will pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me,
For You are my strength.
5 Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
You have ransomed me, O Lord, God of truth.”  Psalm 31:1-5.

“O taste and see that the Lord is good;  How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”  Psalm 34:8

“The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.”  Psalm 34:22

“7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
8 They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house;
And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights.
9 For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.”  Psalm 36:7-9.

“The Lord helps them and delivers them;  He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, Because they take refuge in Him.”  Psalm 37:40

“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.”  Psalm 46:1

“1 Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me,
For my soul takes refuge in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge
Until destruction passes by.
2 I will cry to God Most High,
To God who accomplishes all things for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me;
He reproaches him who tramples upon me.  Selah.
God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth.”  Psalm 57:1-3.

“But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength;  Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, For You have been my stronghold And a refuge in the day of my distress.”  Psalm 59:16

“For You have been a refuge for me, A tower of strength against the enemy.”  Psalm 61:3

“7 On God my salvation and my glory rest;
The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.
8 Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah.”  Psalm 62:7-8.

“The righteous man will be glad in the Lord and will take refuge in Him;  And all the upright in heart will glory.”  Psalm 64:10

“5 For You are my hope;
O Lord God, You are my confidence from my youth.
6 By You I have been sustained from my birth;
You are He who took me from my mother’s womb;
My praise is continually of You.

7 I have become a marvel to many,
For You are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth is filled with Your praise
And with Your glory all day long.”  Psalm 71:5-8.

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers Chapter 34.  The next devotion, God willing, will be Monday, September 8.  I will be in Michigan hiking with high school classmates.  Here is a link to today’s Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+34&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance, even the land of Canaan according to its borders.  3 Your southern sector shall extend from the wilderness of Zin along the side of Edom, and your southern border shall extend from the end of the Salt Sea eastward.  4 Then your border shall turn direction from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim and continue to Zin, and its termination shall be to the south of Kadesh-barnea;  and it shall reach Hazaraddar and continue to Azmon.  5 The border shall turn direction from Azmon to the brook of Egypt, and its termination shall be at the sea.

6 ‘As for the western border, you shall have the Great Sea, that is, its coastline; this shall be your west border.  …

16 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “These are the names of the men who shall apportion the land to you for inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun.  18 You shall take one leader of every tribe to apportion the land for inheritance.  19 These are the names of the men:  of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.  …”  Numbers Chapter 34:  Verses 1-6 and 16-19.

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God gave the Promised Land, “a land flowing with milk and honey”, Canaan, to Israel, as an “inheritance”.  In today’s Scripture, we read about how God carefully defined the borders and arranged for appointment of leaders of each tribe to apportion the land to each tribe.

“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.”  Proverbs 13:22.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”  1 Peter 1:3-5.

What is heaven like? 

“… Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”  1 Corinthians 2:9.

But, we should not give up.  “For to us God revealed them through the Spirit;  for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.”  1 Corinthians 2:10.

Scripture also gives us descriptions.

And, we are commanded:  “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.  For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” Colossians 3:1-4.

I have written an article on Heaven.  Click here – https://reformeddoctrine.com/heaven/

So, what is our response?

We have “… patience;  joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.  For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

“For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.”  And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.  For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.  In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.  This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”  Hebrews 6:13-20.

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 33:50-56.

“50 Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying, 51 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their figured stones, and destroy all their molten images and demolish all their high places;  53 and you shall take possession of the land and live in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it.  54 You shall inherit the land by lot according to your families;  to the larger you shall give more inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give less inheritance.  Wherever the lot falls to anyone, that shall be his.  You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers.  55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live.  56 And as I plan to do to them, so I will do to you.’”  Numbers 33:50-56.

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In Joshua’s farewell address, we read similar Scripture, but it gives us a better idea of the meaning of today’s Scripture and how we can generally apply both Scriptures to us today.

“5 The Lord your God, He will thrust them out from before you and drive them from before you;  and you will possess their land, just as the Lord your God promised you.  6 Be very firm, then, to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, 7 so that you will not associate with these nations, these which remain among you, or mention the name of their gods, or make anyone swear by them, or serve them, or bow down to them.  8 But you are to cling to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day.  9 For the Lord has driven out great and strong nations from before you;  and as for you, no man has stood before you to this day.  10 One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, just as He promised you.  11 So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the Lord your God.  12 For if you ever go back and cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain among you, and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, 13 know with certainty that the Lord your God will not continue to drive these nations out from before you; but they will be a snare and a trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you.”  Joshua 23:5-13.

The lesson for us today is that we need to be very careful and diligent that we cling to the LORD our God and His Word and that we do not allow unbelievers to cause us to drift away from our devotion to God and His Word to draw closer to their customs and practices. 

“1 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.

“Let your heart therefore be wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”  1 Kings 8:61.

“14 Do not enter the path of the wicked
And do not proceed in the way of evil men.
15 Avoid it, do not pass by it;
Turn away from it and pass on.
16 For they cannot sleep unless they do evil;
And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness
And drink the wine of violence.”  Proverbs 4:14-17.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”  Matthew 5:8.

“Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”  2 Thessalonians 2:22.

“I hate those who regard vain idols,
But I trust in the Lord.”  Psalm 31:6.

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 33:1-49.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+33&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“1 These are the journeys of the sons of Israel, by which they came out from the land of Egypt by their armies, under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.  2 Moses recorded their starting places according to their journeys by the command of the Lord, and these are their journeys according to their starting places.  3 They journeyed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the next day after the Passover the sons of Israel started out boldly in the sight of all the Egyptians, 4 while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn whom the Lord had struck down among them.  The Lord had also executed judgments on their gods.

5 Then the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses and camped in Succoth.  6 They journeyed from Succoth and camped in Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness.  7 They journeyed from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which faces Baal-zephon, and they camped before Migdol.  8 They journeyed from before Hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness;  and they went three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah.  9 They journeyed from Marah and came to Elim;  and in Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there.  10 They journeyed from Elim and camped by the Red Sea.  11 They journeyed from the Red Sea and camped in the wilderness of Sin.  12 They journeyed from the wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah.”  Numbers 33:1-12.

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At times, we may feel like we wander.  At times, we may feel like we are in the wilderness.  And, at times, we may actually be wandering and in the wilderness.

But, our journeys are not random.  Our journeys are not worthless.  Our journeys are not to be forgotten.  Today’s Scripture carefully shows that “Moses recorded their starting places according to their journeys by the command of the Lord.  …”.  Verse 2.

Our journeys are established by the LORD.  God cares about our journeys.  God leads us even when we feel like we are wandering.  God provides for us in the wilderness times of our lives.

“You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.  He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.  Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.  Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son.  Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.”  Deuteronomy 8:2-6.

“23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.
24 When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong,
Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.”  Psalm 37:23-24.

“The law of his God is in his heart;
His steps do not slip.”  Psalm 37:31.

“For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”  Romans 8:14.

“2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.”  Psalm 23:2-3.

“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.

“8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you with My eye upon you.
9 Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding,
Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,
Otherwise they will not come near to you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones;
And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.”  Psalm 32:8-11.

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers Chapter 32.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?dc=5&utm_expid=13466113-10.DRY5Q0U2TpaXvRe49bTgCA.5&search=Numbers+32&version=NASB&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.biblegateway.com%2Fversions%2FNew-American-Standard-Bible-NASB%2F 

I quote only the following verses. 

“1 Now the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had an exceedingly large number of livestock.  So when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that it was indeed a place suitable for livestock, 2 the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben came and spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon, 4 the land which the Lord conquered before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.”  5 They said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession;  do not take us across the Jordan.” 

6 But Moses said to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to war while you yourselves sit here?  7 Now why are you discouraging the sons of Israel from crossing over into the land which the Lord has given them?  8 This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.  9 For when they went up to the valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the sons of Israel so that they did not go into the land which the Lord had given them.  10 So the Lord’s anger burned in that day, and He swore, saying, 11 ‘None of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob;  for they did not follow Me fully, 12 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have followed the Lord fully.’  13 So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the entire generation of those who had done evil in the sight of the Lord was destroyed.  14 Now behold, you have risen up in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinful men, to add still more to the burning anger of the Lord against Israel. 15 For if you turn away from following Him, He will once more abandon them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all these people.” 

16 Then they came near to him and said, “We will build here sheepfolds for our livestock and cities for our little ones;  17 but we ourselves will be armed ready to go before the sons of Israel, until we have brought them to their place, while our little ones live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.  18 We will not return to our homes until every one of the sons of Israel has possessed his inheritance.”  Numbers 32:1-18. 

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We do know from verses 1-5 that the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad originally only expressed their intent to get the land east and north of the Jordan river and “do not take us across the Jordan.”  It seems most likely that they had no intent to first go with their “brothers” into war to help clear out the land for them west of the Jordan river before they would settle into their own land, and that it took Moses’ harsh criticism of them in verses 6-15, to get them to do the right thing.  But, they did eventually look out for the interests of others in their offer in verse 17. 

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;  do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”  Philippians 2:3-4. 

Family and friends are integrated as a body, and each member relies on each other.  We tend to think that our selfish actions only mean that we will not help others.  But, we can see from Moses’ harsh criticism that such selfish actions do not only not help others, such selfish actions discourage others and hurt others.  

Moses said:  “Now why are you discouraging the sons of Israel from crossing over into the land which the Lord has given them?”.  Verse 7.  We do not read the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad expressly discouraging their brothers, but Moses knew that such selfish actions would have the effect of discouraging their brothers.  

We tend to think of our selfish actions as only pleasing ourselves.  But, our selfish actions have negative ripple effects all around like a stone thrown in the middle of calm waters.  

And, our service to others can also do more than just helping the direct recipients of our help.  Our service can encourage the direct recipients that we care about them which will encourage them to do more to help themselves.  And, our service can encourage third parties (even though they are not receiving direct help from us) to help others.  Thus, our service to others can also have positive ripple effects all around like a stone thrown in the middle of calm waters.   

“We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints;  because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth;  just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.”  Colossians 1:3-8.

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 31:25-54.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+31&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“25 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 26 “You and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers’ households of the congregation take a count of the booty that was captured, both of man and of animal;  27 and divide the booty between the warriors who went out to battle and all the congregation.  28 Levy a tax for the Lord from the men of war who went out to battle, one in five hundred of the persons and of the cattle and of the donkeys and of the sheep; 29 take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest, as an offering to the Lord. 30 From the sons of Israel’s half, you shall take one drawn out of every fifty of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys and of the sheep, from all the animals, and give them to the Levites who keep charge of the tabernacle of the Lord.”  31 Moses and Eleazar the priest did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.  …

48 Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, approached Moses, 49 and they said to Moses, “Your servants have taken a census of men of war who are in our charge, and no man of us is missing.  50 So we have brought as an offering to the Lord what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord.”  51 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all kinds of wrought articles.  52 All the gold of the offering which they offered up to the Lord, from the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, was 16,750 shekels.  53 The men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.  54 So Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it to the tent of meeting as a memorial for the sons of Israel before the Lord.”  Numbers Chapter 32:  Verses 25-31 and 48-54.

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It is striking that after the LORD levied a tax on both the warriors and the congregation that the fierce warriors still freely gave beyond what was taxed.  The warriors were grateful that out of 12,000 warriors who fought the Midianites, “no man of us is missing.  So we have brought as an offering to the Lord what each man found, articles of gold …”

We have so much for which to be thankful.  Most importantly, we have salvation.  But, we have much “booty” that the LORD has given us in addition.  We have health.  We have family and friends.  We have employment skills to earn money.  We have spiritual gifts to bless people.  We have homes, cars, furniture, clothes, cash, stocks and bonds etc.

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory;  No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”  Psalm 84:11.

“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”  Romans 8:32.

“but just as it is written,
“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”  1 Corinthians 2:9.

So, what will we do with all this “booty”? 

“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.”  Matthew 10:8.

“He has given freely to the poor, His righteousness endures forever;  His horn will be exalted in honor.”  Psalm 112:9.

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 31:1-24.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+31&version=NASB 

I quote only the following verses. 

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Take full vengeance for the sons of Israel on the Midianites;  afterward you will be gathered to your people.”  Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the Lord’s vengeance on Midian.  A thousand from each tribe of all the tribes of Israel you shall send to the war.”  So there were furnished from the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.  Moses sent them, a thousand from each tribe, to the war, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war with them, and the holy vessels and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.  So they made war against Midian, just as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed every male.  They killed the kings of Midian along with the rest of their slain:  Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the five kings of Midian; they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword.  The sons of Israel captured the women of Midian and their little ones;  and all their cattle and all their flocks and all their goods they plundered.  Then they burned all their cities where they lived and all their camps with fire.  They took all the spoil and all the prey, both of man and of beast.  They brought the captives and the prey and the spoil to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest and to the congregation of the sons of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan opposite Jericho. 

Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the congregation went out to meet them outside the camp.  Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who had come from service in the war.  And Moses said to them, “Have you spared all the women?  Behold, these caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, so the plague was among the congregation of the Lord.  Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man intimately.”  Numbers 31:1-17. 

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Vengeance by man tends to be unjust.  Vengeance tends to be done through man’s anger rather than through God’s righteousness.  Vengeance tends to be done as a deed of the flesh rather than as a work of the Spirit. 

And so, we are commanded:  “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.”  Romans 12:19.  

But less that reservation of vengeance for God will embolden the wicked, it is also stated:  “But I will warn you whom to fear:  fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell;  yes, I tell you, fear Him!” 

“‘Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip;  For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them.'”  Deuteronomy 32:35.  

“If I sharpen My flashing sword, And My hand takes hold on justice, I will render vengeance on My adversaries, And I will repay those who hate Me.”  Deuteronomy 32:41.   

““And I will execute vengeance in anger and wrath On the nations which have not obeyed.”  Micah 5:15. 

“Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not.  Behold, your God will come with vengeance;  The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.”  Isaiah 35:4. 

“He put on righteousness like a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head;  And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.”  Isaiah 59:17. 

“1 O Lord, God of vengeance,
God of vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth,
Render recompense to the proud.
3 How long shall the wicked, O Lord,
How long shall the wicked exult?
4 They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly;
All who do wickedness vaunt themselves.
5 They crush Your people, O Lord,
And afflict Your heritage.
6 They slay the widow and the stranger
And murder the orphans.
7 They have said, “The Lord does not see,
Nor does the God of Jacob pay heed.” 

8 Pay heed, you senseless among the people;
And when will you understand, stupid ones?
9 He who planted the ear, does He not hear?
He who formed the eye, does He not see?
10 He who chastens the nations, will He not rebuke,
Even He who teaches man knowledge?
11 The Lord knows the thoughts of man,
That they are a mere breath. 

12 Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O Lord,
And whom You teach out of Your law;
13 That You may grant him relief from the days of adversity,
Until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not abandon His people,
Nor will He forsake His inheritance.
15 For judgment will again be righteous,
And all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who will stand up for me against evildoers?
Who will take his stand for me against those who do wickedness? 

17 If the Lord had not been my help,
My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.
18 If I should say, “My foot has slipped,”
Your lovingkindness, O Lord, will hold me up.
19 When my anxious thoughts multiply within me,
Your consolations delight my soul.
20 Can a throne of destruction be allied with You,
One which devises mischief by decree?
21 They band themselves together against the life of the righteous
And condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord has been my stronghold,
And my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He has brought back their wickedness upon them
And will destroy them in their evil;
The Lord our God will destroy them.”  Psalm Chapter 94. 

“46 The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock;
And exalted be the God of my salvation,
47 The God who executes vengeance for me,
And subdues peoples under me.
48 He delivers me from my enemies;
Surely You lift me above those who rise up against me;
You rescue me from the violent man.
49 Therefore I will give thanks to You among the nations, O Lord,
And I will sing praises to Your name.”  Psalm 18:46-49.