Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 28:1-15.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%2028&version=NASB1995

I quote only the following verses.

“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be careful to present My offering, My food for My offerings by fire, of a soothing aroma to Me, at their appointed time.’  You shall say to them, ‘This is the offering by fire which you shall offer to the LORD:  two male lambs one year old without defect as a continual burnt offering every day.”  Numbers 28:1-3.

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Our sins “very highly offend God, incur a deadly guilt, (and) grieve the Holy Spirit” as stated in the following article of the Canons of Dordt in the section titled FIFTH HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Perseverance of the Saints.

Article 5.  By such enormous sins, however, they very highly offend God, incur a deadly guilt, grieve the Holy Spirit, interrupt the exercise of faith, very grievously wound their consciences, and sometimes lose the sense of God’s favor, for a time, until on their returning into the right way of serious repentance, the light of God’s fatherly countenance again shines upon them.

We need something or some One to be offered to the LORD, so to speak, as “a soothing aroma” to the LORD.

The problem is that these things, animal and drink offerings, cannot truly soothe a/k/a appease a/k/a please the LORD.    

“For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.  …  For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”  Hebrews 10:1 and 4.

We need some One very special.

“and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”  Matthew 3:17.

“5 Therefore, when He (Christ) comes into the world, He says,

“SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED,
BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME;
6 IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND SACRIFICES FOR SIN YOU HAVE TAKEN NO PLEASURE.
7 “THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME
(IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME)
TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.’” Hebrews 10:5-7.

“For by one offering He (Christ) has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”  Hebrews 10:14. 

“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.

Consider the following from the Canons of Dordt in the section titled SECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men Thereby. 

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

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

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 27:15-23.

“Then Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, “May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the LORD will not be like sheep which have no shepherd.”  So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him;  and have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and commission him in their sight.  You shall put some of your authority on him, in order that all the congregation of the sons of Israel may obey him.  Moreover, he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD.  At his command they shall go out and at his command they shall come in, both he and the sons of Israel with him, even all the congregation.”  Moses did just as the LORD commanded him;  and he took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation.  Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.”  Numbers 27:15-23.

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“So Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel.  And he said to them, “I am a hundred and twenty years old today;  I am no longer able to come and go, and the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross this Jordan.’  It is the LORD your God who will cross ahead of you;  He will destroy these nations before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua is the one who will cross ahead of you, just as the LORD has spoken.  The LORD will do to them just as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when He destroyed them.  The LORD will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandments which I have commanded you.  Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”

Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance.  The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you;  He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.  Do not fear or be dismayed.”  Deuteronomy 31:1-8.

“Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying,  “Moses My servant is dead;  now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.  Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses.  From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory.  No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life.  Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you;  I will not fail you or forsake you.  Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.  Only be strong and very courageous;  be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you;  do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.  This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it;  for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.  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 1:1-9.

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 27:1-11.

“Then the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph, came near;  and these are the names of his daughters:  Mahlah, Noah and Hoglah and Milcah and Tirzah.  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.  Further, you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter.  If he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers.  If he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers.  If his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his nearest relative in his own family, and he shall possess it;  and it shall be a statutory ordinance to the sons of Israel, just as the LORD commanded Moses.’”  Numbers 27:1-11.

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Today’s Scripture presents a law of inheritance which in a nutshell summary provides that the inheritance should be given to the nearest relative.  Certainly, there are differences, but Florida has a similar law of inheritance which in a nutshell summary provides in the case of a lack of a Last Will and Testament that the inheritance should be given to the nearest relative.  See, for example, Florida Statute 732.103.

It seemed right to 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.”  Verses 6-7.

We should also seek to enact laws that seem right to the best standards of righteousness, justice, and even lovingkindness (yes, there is a place for some mercy in laws).  

We should rejoice that “…  Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.”  Psalm 97:2. 

“He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.” Psalm 33:5.

“Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches;  but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth;  for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.”  Jeremiah 9:23-24.

“7 The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.
10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them Your servant is warned;
In keeping them there is great reward.” Psalm 19:7-11.

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers chapter 26.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%2026&version=NASB1995

I quote only the following verses.

“Then it came about after the plague, that the LORD spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying, “Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ households, whoever is able to go out to war in Israel.”  …

…

These are those who were numbered of the sons of Israel, 601,730.

…

These are those who were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.  But among these there was not a man of those who were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.  For the LORD had said of them, “They shall surely die in the wilderness.”  And not a man was left of them, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.”  Numbers 26:1-2 and 51 and 63-65.

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It is interesting to compare this census of the new generation that were allowed to enter the Promised Land with the above total of 601,730 compared to the census of the prior generation that left Egypt in the exodus with the total of “six hundred thousand men on foot, aside from children”.  See Exodus 12:33-37.

“But among these (“six hundred thousand men” that left Egypt) there was not a man of those who were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.  For the LORD had said of them, “They shall surely die in the wilderness.”  And not a man was left of them, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.” Verses 64-65.  Thus, God fulfilled His word.

We remember God’s word.  “The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me?  I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me.  Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you;  your corpses will fall in this wilderness, even all your numbered men, according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me.  Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.  Your children, however, whom you said would become a prey—I will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected.  But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness.”  Numbers 14:26-32.

“Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it.”  Numbers 14:22-23.

Today’s Scripture provides a warning for us today.  We also have seen God’s glory.  We also have seen signs of God.  Moreover, we have all of God’s word, including the whole history of Israel as a lesson for us. Do we believe and trust God?  

“Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.  Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.”  1 Corinthians 10:11-12.

But, there is hope!

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man;  and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”  1 Corinthians 10:13.  

Consider the following from the Canons of Dordt in the section titled FIFTH HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Perseverance of the Saints.

Article 3.  By reason of these remains of indwelling sin, and the temptations of sin and of the world, those who are converted could not persevere in a state of grace, if left to their own strength.  But God is faithful, who having conferred grace, mercifully confirms, and powerfully preserves them herein, even to the end.

Article 5.  By such enormous sins, however, they very highly offend God, incur a deadly guilt, grieve the Holy Spirit, interrupt the exercise of faith, very grievously wound their consciences, and sometimes lose the sense of God’s favor, for a time, until on their returning into the right way of serious repentance, the light of God’s fatherly countenance again shines upon them.

Article 6.  But God, who is rich in mercy, according to his unchangeable purpose of election, does not wholly withdraw the Holy Spirit from his own people, even in their melancholy falls;  nor suffers them to proceed so far as to lose the grace of adoption, and forfeit the state of justification, or to commit sins unto death;  nor does he permit them to be totally deserted, and to plunge themselves into everlasting destruction.

Article 7.  For in the first place, in these falls he preserves them in the incorruptible seed of regeneration from perishing, or being totally lost;  and again, by his Word and Spirit, certainly and effectually renews them to repentance, to a sincere and godly sorrow for their sins, that they may seek and obtain remission in the blood of the Mediator, may again experience the favor of a reconciled God, through faith adore his mercies, and henceforward more diligently work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.

Article 8.  Thus, it is not in consequence of their own merits, or strength, but of God’s free mercy, that they do not totally fall from faith and grace, nor continue and perish finally in their backslidings;  which, with respect to themselves, is not only possible, but would undoubtedly happen; but with respect to God, it is utterly impossible, since his counsel cannot be changed, nor his promise fail, neither can the call according to his purpose be revoked, nor the merit, intercession and preservation of Christ be rendered ineffectual, nor the sealing of the Holy Spirit be frustrated or obliterated.

Article 9.  Of this preservation of the elect to salvation, and of their perseverance in the faith, true believers for themselves may and ought to obtain assurance according to the measure of their faith, whereby they arrive at the certain persuasion, that they ever will continue true and living members of the church;  and that they experience forgiveness of sins, and will at last inherit eternal life.

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely;  and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”  1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers chapter 25.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%2025&version=NASB1995

I quote only the following verses.

“While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab.  For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.  So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the LORD was angry against Israel.  The LORD said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.”  So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you slay his men who have joined themselves to Baal of Peor.”

Then behold, one of the sons of Israel came and brought to his relatives a Midianite woman, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, while they were weeping at the doorway of the tent of meeting.  When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he arose from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand, and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and pierced both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, through the body.  So the plague on the sons of Israel was checked.  Those who died by the plague were 24,000.

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned away My wrath from the sons of Israel in that he was jealous with My jealousy among them, so that I did not destroy the sons of Israel in My jealousy.  Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give him My covenant of peace;  and it shall be for him and his descendants after him, a covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the sons of Israel.’”  Numbers 25:1-13.

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Today’s Scripture led me to think about how we are salt and light to the world around us.

“You are the salt of the earth;  but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

“You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;  nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”  Matthew 5:13-16.

Like salt, we are a preservative to those around us.  (As a quick side note, we can not act like Phinehas in today’s Scripture. We are definitely and clearly forbidden by Scripture and the laws of United States to kill others.)  But, our presence, actions, and words act like salt and somehow prevent or at least “check” (limit) corruption and punishment.  

Like light, we expose wickedness hidden in darkness.  “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;  for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.  But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.”  Ephesians 5:11-13. 

Moreover, like light, we show the path to righteousness.  

“Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105.

“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.” Proverbs 4:18.

In addition, some may recognize God’s blessing on us and be jealous, “if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them.”  Romans 11:14.

“My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”  James 5:19-20.