Luke 7 -- Seeing Jesus In What He Did

There is so much good stuff here, and I hate it that I’m pressed for time today!

“Jesus helped them all, because compassion does not measure:  it ministers … Justice seeks out only the merits of the case, but pity only regards the need.”

“Jesus was most impressed with the centurion’s faith,” and Jesus healed at a distance because the centurion believed He could.

When the rejoicing crowd with Jesus met the grieving crowd with the widow, Jesus was headed to the city while she was headed to the graveyard.  “Spiritually speaking, each of us is in one of these two crowds.  If you have trusted Christ, you are going to the city.  If you are dead in sin, you are already in the cemetery and under the condemnation of God.”

John the Baptist was confused because “John had announced judgment, but Jesus was doing deeds of love and mercy.  John had promised that the kingdom was at hand, but there was no evidence of it so far.  He had presented Jesus as the Lamb of God, so John must have understood something about Jesus’ sacrifice, yet how did this sacrifice relate to the promised kingdom for Israel?  He was perplexed about God’s plan and his place in it.”

Father, thank You for reminding me of Your compassion and Your love even for those who do not love You.  Grow my heart to do the same!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 6:27-45 -- Obedience And Ministry

“Jesus assumed that anybody who lived for eternal values would get into trouble with the world’s crowd … Sinners show their hatred by avoiding us or rejecting us, insulting us, physically abusing us, and suing us.  This is something we must expect … We must love the, do them good, and pray for them.  Hatred only breeds more hatred, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires.”

“We must treat others as we would want to be treated … and we must imitate our Father in heaven and be merciful.  The important thing is not that we are vindicated before our enemies but that we become more like God in our character.”

Verses 39-45 teach us much about ministry, my commentary said.  “If we see ourselves as excellent guides, but do not realize our blindness, we will only lead people into the ditch… We cannot lead others where we have not been ourselves … The more we strive to be like Him, the more we realize how short we fall.  This is a warning against pride, for nothing blinds a person like pride.”

“We have to be honest with ourselves and not become hypocrites.  It’s easy to try to help a brother with his faults, just so we can cover up our own sins!”

“Fruit is always true to character … a good person produces good fruit, not evil.  Believers do sin, but the witness of their words and works is consistently good to the glory of God.”

“What comes out of the lips depends on what is inside the heart … We must be honest with ourselves and admit the blind spots in our lives, the obstacles that blur our vision, and the areas within that must be corrected.  Then we can be used of the Lord to minister to others and not lead them astray … We may have our faults and failures, but the steady witness of our lives will point to Christ and honor Him.”

Father, thank You for these ministry reminders.  Keep me keenly aware that You hold those who teach to a higher standard.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 6:1-26 It's All About Perspective

I’ll bet that the Pharisees would have been the best hall monitors any school could ever have.  What a bunch of pinheads!  They thrived on making others miserable about the silliest things, not realizing how they were probably driving people away from God!

The Sabbath was God’s gift to man, but they’d turned it into a burden no man could keep with their silly rules!  Jesus was about to show them how far off base they were!

In the field, they jumped on the disciples for taking some wheat and eating it.  “The law in Deut. 23:24-25 actually said not to fill a container or use a harvesting implement;”  they extended that to simply human eating!  My commentary said that the Pharisees did not miss Jesus’ meaning when He called Himself Lord of the Sabbath.  “He was claiming to be Jehovah God, because it was the Lord who established the Sabbath.  If Jesus Christ is indeed Lord of the Sabbath, then He is free to do on it and with it whatever He pleases.”

Their thoughts while in church couldn’t have been more inappropriate.  They weren’t focused on worshipping God, but on collecting evidence to allow them to kill Jesus!

Jesus spent an entire night in prayer afterwards, getting ready to name His apostles.  You’d think that, being God and knowing everyone’s thoughts, He wouldn’t need even 5 minutes to pray.  So what does that tell me about my prayer life?

As He went over some of the beatitudes, my commentary said, “Jesus was preaching to His disciples as well as to the multitudes, for even the Twelve had to unlearn many things before they could effectively serve Him … The Lord explained in this sermon that the truly blessed life comes not from getting, or from doing, but from being.  The emphasis is on Godlike character … Imagine how surprised they were when they heard Jesus describe happiness in terms just the opposite of what they expected!  They discovered that what they needed most was not a change of circumstances, but a change in their relationship to God and in their outlook on life.”

Father, help me to strengthen my relationship and dependence upon You.  Let me not settle for less than Your best.  Help me to see Your perspective on my circumstances and know that through them You are building my character to be more like Yours.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 5 -- Four Guys & Four Changes

My commentary discussed four individuals mentioned in this chapter and the changes they experienced because they trusted Christ.

Peter – from failure to success:  “Peter was a captive audience as he sat in the ship listening to the Word of God (Jesus asked to borrow his boat as a platform).”  Jesus first asked him to push off a little.  Then He told him (after the sermon) to launch out into the deep.  “If Peter had not obeyed the first seemingly insignificant command, he would never have participated in a miracle.”  They fished at night in the shallow waters, but Jesus told him to fish by day in the deep.  “What Jesus asked Peter to do was contrary to all of his training and experience, but Peter obeyed.”  They caught enough fish to overload two boats!

The Leper – from sickness to health:  “This man not only needed to be changed, but he wanted to be changed … he was so determined that he broke the law and approached Jesus personally… Jesus was the Friend of the outcast … Jesus even touched the man, which meant that He became unclean Himself.  This is a beautiful picture of what Jesus has done for lost sinners:  He became sin for us that we might be made clean.”

The paralyzed man – from guilt to forgiveness:  “If leprosy illustrates the corruption and defilement of sin, then palsy is a picture of the paralysis that sin produces in a life … Jesus astounded the religious leaders by claiming to have authority both to heal the body and to forgive sins … the scribes and Pharisees could not deny the miracle of healing, but they considered His claim to forgive sins nothing less than blasphemy, for only God can forgive sins.”

Matthew (Levi) – from the old to the new:  Like Simon Peter, Matthew instantly left everything, obeying Jesus’ call, and followed Him.  The Jewish religion was old and did nothing for an individual but point out his sinfulness.  Jesus was showing that what He was doing – “producing new life of the Spirit, could not be forced into the old wineskins of Judaism.”

Father, thank You for helping us to see the new things You are busy doing in the lives of so many.  Help us not to get in Your way, but instead to be about all that You are doing!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 4 -- What The Temptations Revealed

Satan’s theme in life seems to be to selfishly destroy anything that God holds up as good.  “He wanted Jesus to disobey the Father’s will by using His divine power for His own purposes … Why was Jesus tempted? … It was proof that the Father’s approval was deserved… Also, in His temptation, Jesus exposed the tactics of the enemy and revealed to us how we can overcome when we are tempted.”

Prayer, the Father’s love, the power of the Spirit, and the Word of God are all resources available to us when we are tempted.

“Satan was asking Jesus to separate the physical from the spiritual … Whenever we label different spheres of our lives physical, material, financial, or spiritual, we are bound to leave God out of areas where He rightfully belongs.  Christ must be first in everything,” my commentary said.

“There are no shortcuts in the Christian life, and there is no easy way to spiritual victory and maturity.  If the Perfect Son of God had to hang on a tree before He could sit on the throne, then His disciples should not expect an easier way of life.”

Father, guide and direct me even more at this time.  I’m feeling overwhelmed.  Sustain me and give me strength.  Remind me to trust in You.  More than anything I need to see progress.  Help me to see what will result and to know that the effort will be worth it.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 3 -- John's Pictures For Us

My commentary notes that “no prophetic voice had been heard in Israel for 400 years.”  With the Romans occupying the territory, I imagine that the people of God wondered if they had taken sin too far and caused God to completely desert them! 

John resembled Elijah in his manner and dress, and God used him to call people to turn from sin and to point them toward the Messiah. 

My commentary says John’s baptism of fire alluded to in verses 9 and 17 does not refer to the tongues of fire at Pentecost, but judgment and not blessing for those who do not accept Jesus as Savior.  “John reminded them that God gets to the root of things and is not impressed with religious profession that does not produce fruit.”  “He also clearly stated that Jesus was the Lord and the Son of God.”

As to why Jesus was baptized, since he had no sin, it said that immersion, as a picture of death, burial, and resurrection, pictured His work of redemption.  “It was through His baptism of suffering on the cross that God fulfilled all righteousness.”

Father, thank You that my Savior had no sin and never needed baptism, but that he endured a baptism of suffering for me so that I could be called righteous by You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 2 -- His Birth and His Early Life

“Augustus Caesar was ruling, but God was in charge,” my commentary said about the census that brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem for Jesus’ birth, exactly according to the prophecies.

“God’s glory had dwelt in the tabernacle and in the temple, but had departed because of the nation’s sin.  Now, God’s glory was returning to earth in the person of His Son.”

After Jesus was born, His family made sure to fulfill the requirements of the law, which included circumcision.  “His circumcision was His first suffering for us,” I read in my commentary.

Simeon and Anna were part of the faithful Jewish remnant who were waiting for God to bring the Messiah.  Both were controlled by the Holy Spirit and were led to praise God publicly that He had provided salvation. 

At age 12, Jesus went with His parents to Jerusalem for the Passover and stunned the religious leaders by asking questions and giving them answers in the Temple for 3 days while His parents each assumed He was travelling home with the other in a large caravan.  He increased in knowledge as he grew physically, and began to understand the role God had set out for Him. 

Finally, Jesus would emerge from Nazareth with God able to say of His teenage Son, “You are My beloved Son, and I am pleased with You!”  Oh that every parent might be able to say that of their children!

Father, thank You for giving us a Savior who, like us, was tempted in every way, but who, unlike us, never sinned.  Help me to emulate Him.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 1 -- Packed With God's Presence

Man, there’s a ton of stuff in this one chapter!  Zacharias gets the chance of a lifetime to offer sacrifices in the Holy Place, then doubts that God could produce a baby for him and his wife in their old age.  But God showed him!

Mary, though, “knew what would happen, but she did not know how it would happen.  Her question was not an evidence of unbelief; rather, it was an expression of faith.  She believed the promise, but she did not understand the performance.”

“Gabriel was careful to point out that the Baby would be a holy thing and would not share the sinful human nature of man.  Jesus knew no sin; He did not sin, and He had not sin.”

In Mary’s praising of God, she mentioned the opening of a prison door and the winning of a battle … “When you trust Jesus Christ as Savior, you are delivered from Satan’s power, moved into God’s kingdom, redeemed, and forgiven … He sets us free, not to do our own will, because that would be bondage, but to do His will and enjoy His freedom.”

Father, thank You for loving us despite our unloveliness, despite our sin and rebellion, and for sending Your perfect Son to die for our sin.  Keep us away from Satan and free from his influence.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Jonah 4 -- And The Prodigal Son and His Brother

Wow!  I loved the way  my commentary wrapped up this book!  It noted how, had the book ended with chapter 3, Jonah would have been considered the best prophet ever.  But God wanted us to see Jonah’s heart.  “It isn’t enough for God’s servants simply to do their Maker’s will; they must do the will of God from the heart.”

Jonah knew what kind of God He served.  He knew that if the people repented, God would have mercy on them.  He’d likely be branded a traitor by his friends in Jerusalem for intervening and saving Israel’s enemies.  “Jonah had good theology, but it stayed in his head and never got to his heart.”

Something I’d never thought about before:  My commentary compares Jonah to the Prodigal Son in chapter 1 and now in chapter 4, it compares him to the Prodigal Son’s elder brother – “critical, selfish, sullen, angry, and unhappy with what was going on!”

Instead of going into the repentant city to enjoy what God was doing and teaching them more about Him, like the Prodigal Son’s brother, he remained outside the feast!

“God graciously caused a vine to grow and shade Jonah from the hot sun, which made Jonah very happy, but the next morning, when God prepared a worm to kill the vine, Jonah was unhappy … God was reminding Jonah of what it was like to be lost:  helpless, hopeless, miserable.  Jonah was experiencing a taste of hell as he sat and watched the city … The Ninevites, the vine, the worm, and the wind have all obeyed God, but Jonah still refuses to obey, and he has the most to gain.”  He was a double-minded man, it said.

“Jonah still had a problem with the will of God … Jonah did the will of God, but not from his heart … Jonah brought a whole city to faith in the Lord and yet he didn’t love the people he was preaching to!”

Father, help me to love those You place in my path enough to help lead them to You.  Remove any unrighteous anger You find in me that feeds my ego and poisons my heart with selfishness.  I want a heart like Yours!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Jonah 3 -- The First Two of Four Marvels

My commentary speaks of four marvels in this chapter and the next.  The first is the marvel of the undeserved commission:  “Throughout Jonah’s time of rebellion, God was displeased with His servant, but He never once deserted him … His promise is, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’”  God met Jonah, spoke to him, and commissioned him.  Yes, God restored Jonah after his rebellion, but we must be careful never to use those restorations as an excuse for sin, my commentary said. 

“The person who says, ‘I can go ahead and sin, because I know the Lord will forgive me’ has no understanding of the awfulness of sin or the holiness of God’ …. God in His grace forgives our sins, but God in His governance determines that we shall reap what we sow, and the harvest can be very costly.”

A second marvel was the unparalleled awakening.  “From a human perspective, this entire enterprise appears ridiculous.  How could one man, claiming to be God’s prophet, confront thousands of people with this strange message, especially a message of judgment?”  And the message was only, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.”  “Surely he spent time telling the people about the true and loving God, for we’re told, ‘The people of Nineveh believed God.  They would have to know something about this God of Israel in order to exercise sincere faith.”

The people there were so moved that the king even put on sackcloth and ashes and issued an edict calling for a fast that would even include their animals.  “At some point, God spoke to Jonah and told him that He had accepted the people’s repentance and would not destroy the city.”  God was responding to the reaction of the people based on what they’d done.  It had been His plan all along.  It only appears that He was changing His mind, my commentary said.

Father, I will always that You for reaching out to me when I was unlovely and deadest against You.  You did not give up on me in my stubbornness, but kept seeking after me until You got me.  Thank You for Your incredible love and grace! 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Jonah 2 -- Where God Brought Jonah

“From an experience of rebellion and discipline, Jonah turns to an experience of repentance and dedication, and God graciously gives him a new beginning … As with the Prodigal Son, whom Jonah in his rebellion greatly resembles, it was the goodness of God that brought him to repentance,” my commentary said.

He prayed for God’s help, he accepted God’s discipline, he trusted God’s promises, and he yielded to God’s will.

“His prayer was born out of affliction, not affection.  He cried out to God because he was in danger, not because he delighted in the Lord … He wants God’s will simply because it’s the only way out … Jonah saw the will of God as something to turn to in an emergency, not something to live by every day of one’s life … He felt he was perishing.  It’s good for God’s people, and especially preachers, to remember what it’s like to be lost and without hope.  How easy it is for us to grow hardened toward sinners and lose our compassion for the lost … God was reminding him of what the people of Nineveh were going through in their sinful condition:  They were helpless and hopeless.”

“Jonah admits that there were idols in his life that robbed him of the blessings of God … One such idol was Jonah’s intense patriotism … Jonah was also protecting his own reputation as a prophet … When Jonah ceased to be an obedient prophet, he cheapened himself, so he’s the one to blame.”

Father God, I fought You and Your will for my for so long!  I’m glad You finally showed me the depths I was sinking to and lifted me back into Your arms.  Do the same for others You love!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Jonah 1 -- God's Love & God's Will

“The book of Jonah is about the will of God and how we respond to it.  It’s also about the love of God and how we share it with others,” my commentary said.

“To Jesus, the will of God was food that satisfied Him; to Jonah, the will of God was medicine that choked him … God commanded the prophet to go to Israel’s enemy, Assyria, and give the city of Nineveh opportunity to repent, and Jonah would much rather see the city destroyed … Jonah’s narrow patriotism took precedence over his theology.  Jonah forgot that the will of God is the expression of the love of God, and that God called him to Nineveh because He loved both Jonah and the Ninevites.”

“When the Word of the Lord came to him, Jonah though he could take-it-or-leave-it.  However, when God’s Word commands us, we must listen and obey.  Disobedience is not an option.”

Jonah lost the voice of God (God was no longer speaking to him through His Word), his spiritual energy (sleeping through the storm), and his power in prayer (he slept through the prayer meeting the sailors were having).  And he lost his testimony, my commentary said.

“Charles Spurgeon said that God never allows His children to sin successfully, and Jonah is proof of the truth of that statement … For us to rebel against God’s will, as Jonah did, is to invite the chastening hand of God … We glorify God by enjoying His will and doing it from our hearts, and that’s where Jonah failed.”

Father, thank You for the reminder that Your will is an expression of Your love for me, and that You lead me to it to lead me through it to see Your love.  Help me not to rebel against Your will and therefore Your love.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Numbers 34-36 What Didn't Happen

I loved some things my commentary pointed out:

“The Lord wanted the people to know that the 38-year delay didn’t alter His plans or annul His promises.”

“Israel’s invasion of Canaan was to be a total conquest … What was the reason for the extermination of these nations?  For one thing, this was God’s judgment because of their wickedness … God had been longsuffering with them for centuries, but now it was time for judgment to fall.  A second reason was that the way might be cleared for the tribes of Israel to claim their inheritance… A Third reason … was to remove temptation from the people of Israel who were prone to worship idols … Unfortunately, Israel didn’t obey God’s orders and ended up being snared by the practices of the heathen peoples left in the land.”

Father, help me to listen to Your voice and drive out of my life anything that You say might be an idol that will keep me from receiving my full spiritual inheritance from You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Numbers 22 & 23 -- Not Just A Travel Listing

I really loved these chapters that start to wrap-up Numbers!  Seeing the tribes of Gad and Reuben and half of Manasseh willing to settle for living outside the Promised Land because the plains of Moab looked so good for their flocks and herds yet willing to fight for the Promised Land for the other tribes makes us doubt their wisdom.  And while they secured their families in that land so they could go fight for everyone else, the rest of the tribes simply had to mark time, waiting for the promise of God to be fulfilled.  It’s amazing that they did wait!

At first, chapter 33 seemed to be just a long list of points on a map that are difficult, if not impossible, to find today.  But I loved what my commentary pointed out:  “Their 38 years of wandering fall between verses 36 & 37 and are graciously passed over in silence.  But this chapter is more than a list of places; it’s a testimony to the sovereignty of God in dealing with His people … God doesn’t just write history:  He plans history and sees that His plan is executed … When Israel didn’t permit God to rule, then He overruled.  Israel lost the blessing but God achieved His purposes … The sovereignty of God doesn’t destroy human individuality or responsibility.  God is so great that He can will us the freedom to choose but still accomplish His purposes.”

Father, please help my boys and me not to settle for less than Your will and Your best for us and our lives.  Guide them to learn to trust You and to seek what You want for them!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Numbers 30-31 -- Midian Pays The Price

I wonder what Moses felt when God said, “Pay back the Midianites for what they did to the Israelites; after that, you will die.”

The Midianites, at the suggestion of Balaam, had used their women to seduce the Israelite men to sin.  The 12,000 soldiers who were sent into battle successfully killed every Midianite man without losing a single soldier!  But it was the women who’d seduced them, and now they had taken them as spoils of war!

Moses directed them to kill all of the Midianite boys, since they would soon become men and be tempted to fight Israel again.  Any Midianite women or girls who’d had sex with men would also be killed (for they were likely the ones who’d caused Israel to sin), but virgins would be spared to be used as slaves.

The spoils of war were divided equally between the soldiers who’d fought and the people.  Both groups were taxed by the Lord as well.  The commanders, having noted that every soldier return from battle alive, ordered 420 pounds of gold the soldiers had collected as spoils of war be given to the Lord as a gift of thankfulness. 

My commentary had this to say about holy war today:

“The church has no mandate from God to engage in holy wars, because our enemies aren’t flesh and blood, and our weapons are spiritual.  The sword of the Spirit is the only sword we use to advance the cause of Christ.”  I wonder what our world would be like today if the church had understood and followed this advice and never set out on the Crusades against the Muslims!

Father, thank You for Your provision and protection over my family.  Help us to always acknowledge Your help.  Let us never keep for ourselves things that are weapons of the enemy which could entice us to sin.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Numbers 29 -- Sacrifices of our TIME

Sometimes we flinch at the idea of having to attend several days of Bible study at church.  Back in the old days, I remember going to church every night for a week or two for revivals.  I can’t imagine how we ever found a time that our schedules would permit it then, much less today.  This chapter lists several Jewish holy days that began their civil new year.

The first day of the seventh month was the Feast of Trumpets.  Nine days later, they had the Day of Atonement, which required fasting.  Five days after that, the Feast of Shelters began, and it lasted 8 days.  The first and last days were Sabbaths when no work was done, and over 200 sacrifices were offered by the priests that week.

Today, just giving of our time seems such a sacrifice, and we need to remember that sacrifices were supposed to cost us something.  I think so often today we’re tempted to throw money at something so long as our time isn’t required.  But I think back to mission trips I’ve taken, and I wouldn’t trade for that time I gave up.  Those trips don’t seem like sacrifices.  That’s because I communed with God.

Father, help us to realize in our busy culture that spending time with You is not a sacrifice, but a privilege, and refresh us when we do so!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Numbers 28 -- The Tremendous Cost That Was NOTHING Compared To ...

What always stuns me when I read this is the sheer number of animals it took just to fulfill the minimum offerings to the Lord that the nation of Israel as a whole had to present!  What a terrible reminder of the cost of our sin! 

My commentary said that, not counting personal offerings and the lambs slain at each home during Passover, “each year the priests offered 113 bulls, 32 rams, and 1,086 lambs,” not counting gallons of flower, olive oil, and wine!  Yes, it was expensive.  Yes, God is more than deserving, and yes, it is all His anyway!

My commentary also notes “how thankful we should be that the ancient sacrificial system has be fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and that we have the privilege of coming into the presence of God at any time through the new and living way.  As priests of God, we can bring to Him our spiritual sacrifices, our bodies, people won to Christ, money and material gifts, worship and praise, good works, a broken heart, and believing prayer.”  It also challenges us to “imitate David and not give to the Lord that which costs us NOTHING.”

Father, You are so worthy of our offerings, and that’s why we give You our lives.  Help me never to complain about the cost of any offering, whether in money or time, because what You gave us when Your Son died on that cross was the costliest sacrifice ever.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Numbers 27 -- Readying To Pass The Baton

Moses had led the people for 40 years and was now 120 years old.  God had sustained him, keeping him physically strong and mentally alert despite his age.  It was time for the Israelites to enter the Promised Land and time for leadership to be transferred, since Moses wouldn’t be allowed to enter the Promised Land because of his pride and anger at Meribah.  Despite this unfortunate failure, God and Moses communed as friend with friend.  Therefore, when God told Moses he could climb the mountain to see the land and then he would die, Moses wasn’t even concerned that his death was imminent.  He instead worried about leadership for his nation.

God had already been at work on that task over the years, bringing Joshua alongside Moses at Sinai as he climbed that mountain to receive the Law.  Joshua had lived life beside Moses and learned by watching how Moses led by depending on God.  Most importantly, God said of Joshua, “My Spirit is in him.”  Joshua was concerned for the glory of God rather than his own glory, as well as for the welfare of the people.  By the time of Moses’ death, Joshua had been well-trained to take over the leadership of Israel.

My commentary brought it to the present:  “One of the responsibilities of Christian leaders today is to see that the next generation is equipped to carry on the work.  Each local church is just one generation short of extinction, and unless we teach and train new leaders, we jeopardize the future of our homes, churches, and nation.”

Father God, help me to be wise in training younger people with the knowledge You’ve given me so that they can pick up where I will someday leave off.  Help me to prepare my sons to be leaders and ready their hearts for what You have in mind for them.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Numbers 26 -- Another Census For A Reason

As the Israelites had begun their trek in the Desert of Sinai, Moses had been told to take a census of men age 20 and up, and they totaled 603,550.  Now, on the plains of Moab just across the Jordan River from the Promised Land, they totaled 601,730.  It’s as though God had replaced almost every man who’d left Egypt with a new man born on the trip.

Looking at tribes and groups, my commentary said that Gad, Simeon, and Reuben, who camped together south of the tabernacle, dropped from 59,300 to just 22,00 in total!  Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, who camped together east of the tabernacle, all showed significant gains.

Moses knew he couldn’t enter the Promised Land, but rather than coasting in his retirement or becoming reclusive and bitter, “Moses invested the closing weeks of his life in preparing the new generation to enter Canaan and claim the land God promised to give them.”  That’s the way to go out!

The second census was needed to gather information about the size of the family groups, for God had directed that each tribe’s land area would reflect its population.  “Some of the tribes gladly accepted their inheritance and went to work making it home, some complained about the land they were given, and some went out and conquered more territory,” my commentary said, and it quoted Matthew 9:29 – “According to your faith be it unto you.”

The Levites were given no land of their own, but were dispersed among 48 cities scattered throughout the country.  This occurred for at least three reasons, my commentary said.  First, on his death bed, Jacob had prophesied it, because Levi had been violent.  Second, “it gave them a better opportunity to teach the law to more people and influence them to be faithful to the Lord.”  Thirdly, God was their inheritance and they shared in the sacrifices and tithes that the people brought to the Lord.  They were to receive what they needed from God’s hand through His people.”

Father, Your hand and Your goodness and mercy were all over this process of getting Your people ready for their future.  I pray that Your hand will guide me as I prepare for the future as well.  I need Your wisdom and discernment.  Please show me every step to take.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Numbers 25 -- Balaam Couldn't Curse Them, But He Knew How To Defile Them

“Balaam wasn’t able to curse Israel, but he knew how to defile them and seduce them into sin so great that Jehovah would judge them.  Balaam suggested to Balak that the Moabites and Midianites convene a religious feast to honor Baal, and that they invite the Jews to attend.  The feast would involve idolatry and abominable immorality and would be a flagrant violation of Israel’s covenant with the Lord … What Balaam couldn’t do by appealing to the demons, he accomplished by appealing to the flesh and inviting the Jews to enjoy themselves at Baal Peor,” my commentary said.

God sent a plague that began to kill people, and Moses had to act quickly at God’s command to kill the offending leaders. “One special act of judgment helped to bring the plague to an end and save the rest of the nation.”  Aaron’s grandson Phinehas saw a leader from Simeon taking a Midianite woman into his tent right in view of the tabernacle!  He entered the tent and killed them both and the plague stopped.  But 24,000 Israelites had died by that time.

My commentary also said the man killed had committed “a brazen high-handed sin for which there was no forgiveness.”

I also liked these quotes from my commentary: 

“If God isn’t allowed to rule in a person’s life, He overrules and accomplishes His purposes just the same, but the disobedient servant is the loser.”

“When we deliberately rebel against the revealed will of God and try to change it, we are ‘walking in the way of Balaam.’”

“The doctrine of Balaam is the lie that it’s permissible for saved people to live like unsaved people, that God’s grace gives us the right to disobey God’s law.”

“Any teaching that makes it easy and permissible to sin is false doctrine, because the Word of God was given to us to enable us to live holy lives.”

“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”

Father, help me to understand the seriousness of brazen, high-handed sin, and continue to remind me never to use Your grace as an excuse to sin.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford