I wish that, in the case of Moses, he could have made his biggest mistake early on in his ministry, but unfortunately for him it came at the end, and he lost the privilege of leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. God gave Moses a specific command, and maybe because of anger and frustration or because of pride, Moses didn't do exactly as God ... [Continue Reading]
Leading people astray (Numbers 16-17)
It's a pretty tragic situation when Korah decides to rebel against Moses. The problem is that Moses was the one appointed by God, not Korah. And when God is challenged, He always has the upper-hand. There is a strong lesson to be learned here about challenging the people whom God has placed in leadership. Ultimately, if God has put a person in such a place, then one ... [Continue Reading]
Having vision for God ‘ s work (Numbers 12-14)
It's pretty tragic that, of the twelve men who were sent by Moses to inspect the Promised Land, only two returned with a favorable report. The land had been promised by God, but these spies sent to inspect the land didn't have faith that God could overcome the giants of the land. Sure, it was flowing with milk and honey as promised, but there was ... [Continue Reading]
Jealousy (Numbers 10-11)
It's a pretty interesting story when Moses finds himself unable to bear the burdens of the Israelites and God, in return, appoints elders to help lighten the load. As a young leader, Joshua finds himself in a spot of jealousy of the manifestation of the Spirit in other people, and Moses reminds him that there should be no place for jealousy. Don't we all, ... [Continue Reading]
Does God care about numbers? (Numbers 1)
In the introduction to the Book of Numbers there is recording of a census. Interestingly enough, Moses didn't randomly decide that he wanted to know how many fighting men were available; God told him to take the census. We're never really told why God wanted the census taken (surely He knew how many fighting men were available), but it leads me to ask ... [Continue Reading]
No free lunches (Leviticus 16 & 19)
It's interesting to me that God prescribes social welfare in the Old Testament. When people harvested their fields and their vineyards they were directed to leave a portion unharvested for the sake of the poor and the widows. What is challenging to me is that God didn't tell people to harvest their entire fields and show generosity to those in ... [Continue Reading]
Seeing God (Exodus 41)
Sometimes I'm jealous of the Israelites: they saw God's presence. Exodus records that God revealed Himself in a cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. How incredible! As amazing as that would be, it would, at some point, become very ordinary. I have to believe that the cloud and fire lost their luster, and even in a visible ... [Continue Reading]
More than enough (Exodus 36:1-8; 39:32-43)
Can you imagine, in the Church, having the leaders tell people that they had brought enough gifts to the Lord and that there was no need for any more? That's the situation Moses faced when the tabernacle was being produced. Moses set a need in front of the people, and there was such an abundance of response that Moses had to tell the people that they had ... [Continue Reading]
Rest (Exodus 34-35)
I was once again reminded today of the importance of rest. God went so far as to mandate that those who did not rest on the seventh day of the week, the sabbath, should be put to death! This seems to be a case of the punishment not really fitting the crime. However, it also underscores the extreme value that God places on taking rest. And for what ... [Continue Reading]
Gifted for a purpose (Exodus 31-32)
One of the things I really liked about this reading was the description of Bezalel who was filled with the "Spirit of God" and gifted with the ability to make artistic designs. My Life Group had our first gathering tonight, and we discussed the idea of giftedness in the Church and the importance of people using their gifts. It's really neat that ... [Continue Reading]
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