Day 86

I find it interesting how the daughters of Zelophehad came up again in Joshua. There were only daughters in the family and spoke up to claim their inheratence in the land of Canaan.

There is much debate in the church about females in leadership roles. I honestly haven't made up my mind, but I believe this reference does support the rights of women.

I find it difficult in the English Bible to fully interpret the role of women in the church due to certain limitations of the English language. Irving Bible Church in Irving, Texas spent a lot of time looking into this and came to the conclusion to let their female associate pastor lead certain services. I have been going to this church for almost 2 years and I support the church, but I am still undecided. Jackie Roese always does a great job but it is different for me to see a female leading the service.

This is just food for thought and it is something I am still undecided about, but I will continue to attend and support Irving Bible Church.

Day 85

Caleb was one of the 12 spies that went into Canaan to determine what the land sustained and what would be needed to defeat the Canaanites. Caleb was one of the 2 spies that said with the Lord's help they could conquer the land. Caleb knew that with the Lord on their side, they could do anything. His faith was strong!

In the passage today, Caleb is blessed for his faithfulness. Joshua blesses Caleb with a place in Canaan called Kiriath-arba. In the footnotes and parenthesis this means "the city of the greatest man among the Anakim."

I can only imagine what the land of the greatest man among the Anakim must have been like! I have been finding that God is faithful and will reward those who are faithful to them as long as they have a little patience.

My wife and I just moved into our first house together! We originally moved into a decent apartment in an area that doesn't always feel safe. The apartment building was poorly constructed and it has not been a pleasant stay here. We originally went into the apartment under the conditions that we would only stay for 1 year until we could determine what areas were good areas and then find a house.

After that first year, it was clear that we were unable to move at that time and it was discouraging. But we knew God had us where He wanted us to be. So we saved for another year and after twice as long as what we originally agreed to, we have found a great house that has everything we were looking for.

God has been faithful to us and has been there every step of the way. We just had to be patient.

Day 84

How cool is this! Joshua, with the Lord's help, conquered 31 kings in all (chapter 12 verse 24) and fulfilled God's promises to inhabit the promised land of Canaan. I think this is so cool because these kings were banding together to defeat Joshua, but who can stand against anyone when the Lord is on their side!

I have to keep this in mind. When I feel potentially overwhelmed or feel like God cannot overcome, I have to remember Joshua and how the Lord was on his side and know that the Lord is on my side too!

Day 83

This blows my mind. The Lord burned with anger for one person, Achan, so much so, He allowed all of Israel be defeated by the people of Ai.

Once Achan was found out and killed, the Lord's anger ceased and He gave Ai into their hands.

This says a lot of how serious disobeying is to the Lord. Where the sins of one person can affect all of Israel.

What does that say of me today. God doesn't think anything different of my sins. They still make Him furious! However, I can be thankful that I am forgiven through Christ. Only through Him am I made clean. Thanks be to God!

Day 82

I wonder what it would be like to be exalted by the Lord. Chapter 4 verse 14 says, "On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life."

There was something physically done to Joshua by the Lord because it was done in the sight of all Israel. Something that took them back so much, they were in awe of Joseph.

The Israelites were in awe of Moses whenever he came from talking to the Lord because Moses's face would be shining. I wonder if something similar happened to Joseph?

I'm not sure, but I wish I could have seen it. It just goes to show the glory of the Lord and what happens when we are in a close relationship to Him. This is what I need to strive for.

Day 81

In today's reading, Moses passes away. I love the final description of Moses and how he died. Chapter 34 verse 7 says, "Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated."

Even though Moses was old, he was still full of life!

I also like verse 10, "And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face..."

How great of a legacy did Moses leave! I hope and pray that I can leave a legacy of being a God fearing man whose eye was undimmed, and vigor unabated.

Day 80

What a mighty God we serve! Chapter 32 verse 31 says, "For their rock is not as our Rock; our enemies are by themselves."

Those who do not put their faith and trust in the Lord and use Him as their rock are by themselves. Their "rock" will crumble, but the Rock that is the Lord will not crumble. We are not alone but have the Lord to rely. Thanks be to God!

Day 79

In this passage, Moses passes his authority over to his successor, Joshua. Moses takes Joshua in front of all Israel and charges him and says in verses 7 and 8, "...Be strong and courageous...It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."

What a great charge for Joshua and for me as well. I have no reason to fear, for the Lord has gone before me, He will be with me and never leave me. Therefore, I am able to be strong and courageous in all that I do! Thank you Lord for always being there!

Day 78

Chapter 26 talks about tithes. It talks about the Israelites and what they are to do once they enter into the promised land. Among other things, they are to take the firstfruits and offer them to the Lord.

Verses 10 and 11 say, "...And you shall set [the firstfruits] down before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God. And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house..."

The Lord has given me and my house a lot of good. I am very blessed in that we are all healthy, we have enough to get by, and we are even moving into a house this week. We have families that love us and support us in all that we do and friends as well that are always there for us when we need them.

Every day I rejoice in the good that the Lord my God has given me and my house, and I will continue to rejoice. Thank you Lord, for all you have blessed me and my house with.

These verses also say to bring your tithe to the Lord and then rejoice. I have to work on giving with a rejoicing heart.

Day 77

All too often I get caught up in my own plans and agendas. I forget about thinking of others. Chapter 22 verses 1 through 4 talk about this. They say, "You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother. And if he does not live near you and you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall stay with you until your brother seeks it. Then you shall restore it to him. And you shall do the same with his donkey or with his garment, or with any lost thing of your brother’s, which he loses and you find; you may not ignore it. You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again."

What this is saying is when you see someone who needs your help, don't ignore them. Help them! This can be a tough lesson for several people, especially me. I have found myself to have the mentality of "struggles build character" and "no one helped me when I was in that situation." There are several others, but what this passage is saying is that is wrong!

If you see your brother in need, don't ignore them!

My wife's parents demonstrate this perfectly. They are two of my role models. When they see a need, they are right there to lend a helping hand. They are a true example of what this is talking about.

I need to be more like them and do what this passage says. Don't ignore someone in need.

Day 76

I really like the first verse of chapter 20, "When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God is with you..."

Do not be afraid. Even if the battle seems impossible. For the Lord your God is with you. He can do impossible things. If the Lord is with you, who can be against you?

I need to keep this in mind always. If the Lord is with me, even in the day to day things, do not be afraid. Do not worry. Plain and simple.

Day 75

Chapter 13 has one of the most blunt and logical statements I have ever heard. Verses 1 through 4 say, "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, 'Let us go after other gods,' which you have not known, 'and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him."

If someone comes and tries to convince me to follow other gods, even if they have signs and wonders to support them, do not listen to the words of that prophet. It doesn't matter what they show or tell, it is a lie. The Lord is testing me.

Plain and simple: "You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him." Anything beyond this is untrue.

Day 74

After Moses went back up the mountain to obtain the tablets again, Moses says something to the people of Israel that I found valuable.

He says in chapter 10 verses 12 and 13, "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?"

This sums up the entire Old Testament! Enough said! This is a passage to ingrain on my heart and always remember.

Day 73

Back on day 26, I talked about the fear of the Lord. I said, "when it is said that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, they mean trusting in God, following Him and pursuing a close relationship with Him is the first step in obtaining wisdom from the only one who knows what wisdom truly is!"

Today this is explained even more. Chapter 6 verses 1 and 2 say, "Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the rules that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you...that you may fear the Lord your God..." This introduces the commandments that follow.

verses 4 through 9 say, "The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might....You shall teach [these words] diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in our house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

The fear of the Lord is to love Him with all your heart. So much so, you speak of Him often. You make it known to others that you love Him and especially to your children. This is the fear of the Lord. Thanks be to God!

Day 72

When I screw up, when something bad happens, when I drift away from Christ and come to a point when I need Him, when I am afraid, when I am scared, I run to Him and I find Him.

Chapter 4 verses 29 through 31 tell me that I will always find Him, "But from there you will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the LORD your God and obey his voice. For the LORD your God is a merciful God.He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them."

What a comfort this is! What a merciful God I serve! Even when I stray away from Him, He is always there to run back to. Thank you God for being faithful to me, even when I am not always faithful to You. And thank you for being there through all my tribulations as a comfort and a rock.

Day 71

I do not know much about Deuteronomy, however, I like the start of the book. It is a look into the events in the desert from the perspective of Moses and the people.

Chapter 2 describes "The Wilderness Years." I find this interesting because it shows that God always keeps His promises. Back in Genesis, God gave land to Esau and Lot on separate occasions. Israel has been going from city to city, conquering them all. But God specifically says, "Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any of their land..." (verse 5) (see also verse 9).

God has promised to take care of Israel and allow them to prosper, but He is not going to compromise the promise He made to both Esau and Lot.

I am so thankful I serve a God who keeps His promises.

Day 70

An interesting concept is introduced in chapter 35, verses 9 and following. It is the concept of cities of refuge. These are places to go to remain safe from those seeking revenge on you until it can be determined if revenge is due.

I think, to an extent, God calls Christians to be a city of refuge. He calls us to be people who do not judge, but show love to all. He still agrees with punishment, but do not judge or take action, until it is proven.

I admit, I quite often judge. People may be coming to me for a refuge, but I still judge. I need to work on seeing people through the eyes of Christ. I need to quit judging others and show Christ's love instead.

Day 69

Canaan, the promised land, the land flowing with milk and honey, is now in sight. The Isreaelites have been wandering in the desert for roughly 80 years. Just when they are about to cross the Jordan River and overtake Canaan, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad approach Moses and request that they inhabit the land of Gilead instead!

First off, I would think Moses would be a little confused. And second, he has a great point in chapter 32 verse 6 and 7, "Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here? Why will you discourage the heart of the people of Israel from going over into the land that the Lord has given them?"

Moses is asking what about the rest of the tribes? Are you going to abandon them? If you stay here, other tribes might want to take the easy way out and just find somewhere else to go. But God promised them this land. By inhabiting somewhere else, it is like refusing the promise of God.

So the people of Reuben and Gad reply in verses 16 and 17, "We will build sheepfolds here four our livestock, and cities for our little ones, but we will take up arms, ready to go before the poeple of Israel, until we have brought them to their place."

They still provide their support for the rest of the tribes of Israel. I love Moses's response. He says if you do not cross the Jordan River and fight with us, "...be sure your sin will find you out." (Thanks Bert and Lisa) (verse 23) Or in other words, if you do not keep your promise, God will punish you.

I wonder how often I settle for something safe and easy, rather than hanging on for the next little while when God's great promise is just about given to us like the tribes of Reuben and Gad. I heard a saying that "the most amazing blessings come when you just hang on for the last half hour." Quite often, I fail to hang on that last half hour. I will pray for strength and faith to make it that last stretch until true blessings are given.

Day 68

Chapter 30 verses 1 and 2, "Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the people of Israel, saying, 'This is what the LORD has commanded. If a man vows a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.'"

I find it more and more often that this is not upheld. If someone says they will do something, I expect them to do it. But, all to often, I am let down. I have to admit, I am guilty of this on occasion too, but I try with all that I have to uphold my words.

The Lord commands us here and in Matthew 5 verse 37 not to break our word. Matthew states, "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."

This is a good thing to work on; "do according to all that proceeds out of my mouth."

Day 67

I have a lot of respect for Moses. Again he proves he is a great leader.

Chapter 27 verses 12 through 23 describe how God tells Moses that he will not live to see the promised land. Moses doesn't argue or complain. Instead he is concerned about the people. He asks God to "...appoint a man over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be as sheep that have no shepherd." (verses 16 through 17)

Moses wanted to make sure the people were taken care of after he is gone. So the Lord chose Joshua and instructed Moses to show in front of all the people and the priest that he was transferring some of his authority to Joshua.

How awesome it must have been for Joshua to know that God chose him to be Moses's successor. Then I wonder what has the Lord chose me for? What does He have waiting for me?

Day 66

Today I am introduced to Phinehas. The Lord was angry with the Israelites for intermixing with the local people and taking their gods for themselves and therefore struck Israel with a plague. After seeing one of the Israelite men take a Midianite woman, he burned with the wrath of God and killed them both.

The wrath of Phinehas stopped the plague upon Israel. For this, Phinehas and his decendants were blessed with a covenant of perpetual priesthood.

I find it interesting that here in the Old Testament, he who kills is rewarded. Is it because he killed with the jealousy of the Lord? Can any murder be justified?

I wonder how often I miss standing up for the Lord and miss His rewards for it. I struggle with that. I do not always have the nerve to stand up to others for the Lord when it counts. I am forever thankful that He always stands up for me and I will continue to try and not miss opportunities to stand up for Him.

Day 65

This is one of my favorite stories in all the Bible. Balak, king of Moab, was afraid of the Israelites so he summoned Balaam to curse Israel. "...For [he] knew that he whom [Balaam] blesses is blessed, and he whom [Balaam] curses is cursed." (chapter 22 verse 6)

When the summons came, Balaam consulted the Lord for guidance on whether he should go or stay, curse or bless.

I find this so interesting because Balak, the king of Moab, knows that when Balaam blesses or curses, it is fulfilled. It is also interesting that Balaam is a God fearing man in Moab and his faith is how he blesses and curses. It is only through the Lord that Balaam's words are fulfilled.

I also love the story of how, on the way to see the king, Balaam's donkey sees the Lord's angel ready to kill Balaam and saves him three times. Balaam does not understand why the donkey is disobeying and beats him three times. "Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey..." (verse28) and the donkey spoke to Balaam! Ahh! Talking donkeys! Once the donkey was finished speaking, the Lord revealed the angel to Balaam and he understood.

I wonder how many times this happens in my life. For example, when I get behind someone going 10 mph under the speed limit I get frustrated. But what if going slower for a while saves me from a dangerous or deadly situation farther ahead?

Thank you Lord for the rough and frustrating times, in order to protect and take care of me!

Day 64

In the passage for today, there is the Death of Aaron (chapter 20 verses 22 through 29). I remember reading that Aaron was older than Moses, but it is still surprising to me that he passed away before Moses.

The last verse of this passage blows me away! Verse 29 says, "And when all the congregation saw that Aaron had perished, all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days." It is sad when someone passes away, but the whole congregation wept for thirty days! Not just sad, or disheartened, but WEPT for thirty days! What an impact Aaron must have had on those people.

I hope and pray that I can make an impact on others similar to Aaron so much so that the only reaction when I pass away is to weep! I wonder how I am doing now? Am I impacting others in Christ so much so that the only logical reaction is to weep?

Day 63

It seems like it never fails! Leaders are always challenged. Moses is no exception. 250 respected men rose up against Moses. This angered the Lord and "...fire from the Lord consumed the 250 men." (chapter 16 verse 35)

Even after seeing all of this take place, the people still grumbled against Moses and Aaron! The Lord was angry with the congregation and told Moses and Aaron to separate themselves from the congregation so He could "consume them in a moment." (verse 45)

Moses bowed before the Lord and pleaded for the lives of the congregation and Aaron took an offering "...to the congregation and made atonement for them, for wrath has gone out from the Lord; the plague has begun." (verse 46)

Once Aaron got out to the people and made atonement for the people, the plague stopped! However, before he could do that, 14,700 people died!

It amazes me how, after seeing the wrath of the Lord, the continued to grumble!

But then it also makes me wonder how often I do the same thing. How often do I know the full wrath of God, but still sin against Him? Thank God for His mercy and the sacrifice of His Son!

Day 62

After hearing from 10 of the spies that Israel cannot overtake the city, Israel looses faith and gives up! After seeing God in the cloud by day and fire by night, and also seeing it descend on the tent of meeting to talk with Moses.

God reveals to Moses that because of their doubts, their generation will not see the promised land. It will go to their children instead! I cannot imagine wandering for so long in the desert only to be rejected when we get to the gates!

That seemed to have frustrated the Israelites, so they decided to go against God (which never works), and fight for the city. And of course, they end up loosing!

I wonder how many times I miss opportunities for a "promised land" but it does not happen because of my lack of faith. I am really seeing through these readings what true faith can do! I will keep my eyes open to see specifically how to deepen my faith in the Lord through these readings.

Day 61

There were 2 people, Miriam and Aaron, that spoke out against Moses saying, "Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?" (chapter 12 verse 2) God heard this and was upset.

God replies in verses 6 through 9, "Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself know to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all My house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"

I think it is neat to hear from the Lord how He communicates to His prophets; through visions and dreams. I think it is even more awesome how the Lord saw Moses as faithful and spoke to him mouth to mouth.

I want a faith like that!

Day 60

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace." (chapter 6 verses 24-26)

This blessing was recited quite often at my church growing up. I always thought it was a great blessing, but I did not know it came from Numbers.

I love this blessing because it covers everything" blessings, safety, grace, peace and His favor. Beyond these, there is nothing else. What a wonderful God we serve.

Day 59

In chapter 4, there are specific instructions for when the tabernacle is moved. God gives specific instructions to specific people on who carries what and how.

I think it is neat how God requires the things of the most holy place to be covered up using goatskins and cloths of blue and purple. I remember hearing one time that the colors blue and purple were difficult to make because of how fabric was dyed. Blue and purple were used for royalty, and I think they were used for royalty here too. They covered the ark, altar, lampstand and all of the items in the most holy place.

God is all powerful and all knowing and He deserves to be treated like royalty. That is a good thing to remember when entering His presence through prayer, and worship.

Day 58

In chapter1, all of the men fit to be warriors for Israel were counted. This list did not include the Levites. Instead, the Levites had a special duty. They were called to guard the tabernacle. They were to guard the people gathered there, and the tabernacle itself. Chapter 3 verse 10 says, "...if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death."

I think this is really cool. The Levites were called specifically to guard the tabernacle, and also minister within it.

It makes me wonder what special things I am called to do. What special assignments does God have for me? I am anxious to find out.

Day 57

God requires Moses to take a census of the Israelite men in Numbers 1. I have always had this idea that the Israelites were a small nation, but after the census was completed, there was a total of 603,550 men! This only includes men twenty years old and upward and does not include the women and children. I assume with them added, it is at the very least 1,000,000 people!

I did not expect this when reading these passages, but that helps to put things into perspective. It also shows how great of a leader Moses must have been. He was the leader of 1,000,000 people.

I believe God was with Moses and was helping him lead. I hope and I pray that I can be a leader like Moses: great, because God is with me and makes me great.

Day 56

The title for the first verses of chapter 26 is "Blessings for Obedience." It starts out saying, You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar...for I am the Lord your God. You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord."

Verse 3 continues, "If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, then I will give you your rains in their season..." If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments, then you will be blessed.

Verse 14, "But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, if you spurn my statutes and if your soul abhors my rules so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, then I will do this to you:..." Then lists curses that will fall upon you.

Today marks the 8th week of my commitment to reading the Bible. A few weeks ago was the first time that I laughed for joy in the Lord. I felt the presence of the Lord and I heard Him speak to me. He told me that since I was making this commitment to Him, He was going to commit to me. A calmness came over me and I truly rested in the comfort of knowing He was there.

I think this is what God is saying in this passage too. If you show Me that you are committed to Me, then I will commit to you and bless you.

I have been blessed in the past 8 weeks and I have been living in the comfort of knowing that God is committed to me. So I believe that is what God is saying.

"If you commit to God, God will commit to you."