Tag: rebellion

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Numbers Devotionals

Guarding our hearts against sin

Guarding our hearts

Let’s be honest. There are things in Numbers that are hard to read. Especially when it comes to God’s judgment.

But according to the apostle Paul, there is a reason God recorded all these things. He wrote this in 1 Corinthians 10.

Now these things took place as examples for us, so that we will not desire evil things as they did.

Don’t become idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to party.

Let us not commit sexual immorality as some of them did, and in a single day twenty-three thousand people died. Let us not test Christ as some of them did and were destroyed by snakes.

And don’t grumble as some of them did,, and were killed by the destroyer.

These things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages, have come. (1 Corinthians 10:6-11)

The first event Paul mentions happened in Exodus 32. The rest occured in the chapters we’ve been reading in Numbers, including today’s chapter.

Why did God record all these things?

For our instruction.

What can we learn?

1. God takes sin seriously, especially willful, rebellious sin.

We saw this in chapters 15-17, and we see it again here in verse 6.

While the people are weeping over their sin and God’s judgment, a man brashly brings into his tent a Midianite woman to sleep with her, probably as part of a religious ritual.

2. The wages of sin, particularly willful, rebellious, and unrepentant sin is death.

Because of that we dare not take sin lightly in our lives. Rather we are to flee from it.

And so Paul warns us:

So, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12)

We need to constantly be on our guard against sin.

But the good news is that God is with us to help us stand against sin and be victorious over it.

As Paul says,

No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity.

But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

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Numbers Devotionals

What cannot be forgiven

Unforgivable sin

In these chapters, we see some harsh punishments that God laid on the Israelites.

For a lot of people, including Christians, that’s hard to understand, but it comes down to a truth that God laid out in chapter 15.

There is a huge difference between unintentional sins and willful, and more importantly, unrepentant rebellion.

There were sacrifices that could be made for the former.

There were no sacrifices for the latter.

Where there is unrepentant rebellion, any sacrifices would be totally meaningless. (Numbers 15:22-30)

We see this truth played out in the person who willfully and unrepentantly broke the Sabbath. (Numbers 15:32-36)

We see it also in Korah and his followers. (Numbers 16)

A rebellious heart is an ugly thing.

But when it is combined with a heart that refuses to repent, it becomes unforgivable.

All of us sin. But let us never get to the point where we willfully and unrepentantly rebel against God.

Instead, let us have the heart of David, who certainly knew willful sin, but also knew true repentance as well.

Who perceives his unintentional sins?
Cleanse me from my hidden faults.

Moreover, keep your servant from willful sins;
do not let them rule me.
Then I will be blameless
and cleansed from blatant rebellion.

May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you,
Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:12-14)

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Numbers Devotionals

Eyes of faith. Eyes of fear.

Joshua and Caleb

When Moses sent them to scout out the land of Canaan, he told them, “…Be courageous.” (Numbers 13:17, 20)

Those words really stuck out to me this morning.

One of the things Moses told the twelve scouts before they went out to spy out Canaan was to be courageous.

But only two of them, Joshua and Caleb, came back courageous.

Why? Because they had eyes of faith. They saw how big God is.

The rest of them came back with eyes filled with fear.

Why? They could only see how big the Canaanites were.

How often do we fear the future, how often do we fear where God is leading us because we forget how big he is?

And just as importantly, how good he is.

I happened to be praying through Psalm 16 today, and verses 5-8 seemed particularly appropriate.

Lord, you are my portion and my cup of blessing; you hold my future.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

I will bless the Lord who counsels me—even at night when my thoughts trouble me.

I always let the Lord guide me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. (Psalm 16:5-8)

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Psalms Devotionals

Whose counsel are we taking?

Psalms

Recently, I made the observation on Facebook that when the church’s message becomes so like the world’s that you can’t tell the difference between the two, you know the church is in trouble.

As I said that, I was particularly thinking of the moral breakdown of society, and how many churches are caving into the cultural pressure.

And so we as Christians need to think, “Who are we taking our counsel from? Where are we getting our standards of wrong and right?”

Are we getting them from this world that takes their stand against God and his Anointed, and cries out,

Let’s tear off their chains
and throw their ropes off of us. (Psalm 2:3)

Are these the people whose counsel we walk in? Are these the people we stand with when it comes to morals?

Are these the people we join together with, standing in judgment over God’s word, and scoffing at what it says concerning wrong and right?

Or are we delighting in the Lord’s counsel, in his instruction? Are his words the ones we meditate on?

The psalmist reminds us that counsel of the wicked leads to ruin. (1:6)

Those who follow it will be judged. (1:5)

But the Lord’s counsel leads to life.

And as we meditate on his words, we will become fruitful trees in a dying world. (1:3)

Whose counsel are you following?