February 20

Today’s Reading - Numbers 11-14

(Num 11:5-6 KJV) We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic: {6} But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.

In today’s reading we come across these verses which show how ungrateful the children of Israel were. Here we read how they remembered the delicacies and the good food they had in Egypt. They were also saying that because they did not have the same diet, their soul was drying up. They were making a comparison between their spiritual walk and their physical food. They were comparing apples with oranges. When they were complaining about the food they had now in comparison to the food they had in Egypt, they were forgetting one major item. They were slaves and they were fed according to the work they had to do. Their labor was hard and exhausting and the Egyptians did not feed them this diet because they liked them, they were only fueling their slaves to do more. The Israelites also forgot another thing. The whips! As slaves, they could be whipped and killed at the slightest whim of the guards. They also forgot the long days with no days of rest given to recuperate. They were the lowest social class in the mightiest nation on earth at that time. They were forgetting how God brought down that mighty nation on their behalf and how He freed them from slavery. But before we condemn the complaining Israelites, let us see if we do the same thing. God took us out of the world system by means of salvation, yet how many times do we wish we could do what we did when we were part of that world system. Do we miss the parties? the nightclubs? the gambling? illicit behavior? fornication? Do we miss all the sinful endeavors which come with the world system? Do we ever wish that we could go back to Egypt or the old life just a few times and have some “fun.” The reason we may fall into a trap like this is because we may not have committed ourselves in our Christian walk. We are not understanding the holiness and requirements God has for His children as we walk in this world. To say we prefer the world to the Lord, is to really denigrate Him. In other words, we are saying that Satan has more to offer than God has. We must take our eyes off the temporary and place them on the eternal. Only then will the Christian realize that they have lost nothing and gained everything. As for our diets, it would be better to have a diet of Cheeseburgers in Heaven than London broil in Hell. As Christians, we can enjoy this world. Let us enjoy the nice things such as parks, beaches, mountains, vacations, sunny days, our spouses, etc. We do not have to partake in sin to have fun and relaxation. I have had some of my best times at Bible Conferences and retreats. You can too! Just make sure you don’t compromise truth for fun.

February 21

Today’s Reading - Numbers 15-17

(Num 16:49 KJV) Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.

In today’s reading we come across these ominous verses which teach us that the price of rebelling against God is always high. Many of the Israelites were not satisfied with the leadership of Moses because they had not arrived in the land flowing with milk and honey. They conveniently forgot that God was ready to take them into the promised land. Then when the spies came back only Joshua and Caleb assessed the situation properly and stated that because the Lord was with them, the Anakim would be no problem to move out. The people chose to listen to the gloom and doom of the other ten spies who feared the inhabitants of the land and spread that fear among the people. Of course, since they disbelieved that God could deliver those people into their hands, God pronounced that only Joshua and Caleb would go into the promised land. Korah’s rebellion cost the lives of almost 15,000 people. Rebellion against God in any fashion always yields the fruit of wrath. Sometimes people rebel and the consequences are not experienced immediately as it was in the wilderness. Those who rebel against God today, if they do not experience the consequences on earth, they will surely reap what they have sown at the Great White Judgment. These people were not only rebelling against God but against His chosen vessel. God has given a great promise in Scripture that can give the believers comfort. God is very cognizant of the persecution and accusations against His people here on earth and He has promised to recompense the evildoers. (2 Th 1:6-7 KJV) Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; {7} And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, Right now it seems that Satan’s people have the upper hand, and they do because it is still the day of evil, but God remembers every word of accusation and every evil deed done against His children. So Christian, if you are going through a rough time and you feel you cannot cope with it, realize that the unbelievers have no idea who they are playing with. Just as Joshua and Caleb said, “The Lord is with us.” Always keep that truth in mind and it will sustain you during the darkest days.

February 22

Today’s Reading - Number 18-20

(Num 20:11 KJV) And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

In today’s reading we come across this verse which gives us an insight into the crucifixion and return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The people were once again murmuring against Moses but this time it was for water. Moses went to seek the Lord and the Lord told him to speak to the rock and it will give the water they so desperately needed. These people really must have gotten Moses extremely angry because he disobeyed the Lord and instead of speaking to the rock, in anger he struck it twice. This disobedience compelled the Lord to prevent Moses from taking the people into the promised land. When Israel was in Horeb, God commanded Moses to strike the rock and they would have all the water they needed. Now let us look at the verse above. The first time the rock was struck at Horeb represented the Lord Jesus Christ being crucified for the sins of His people. Once He was resurrected, the Lord Jesus was never more to face death. The second time He comes will be in judgment. (Heb 9:28 KJV) So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. When Moses struck the rock the second time, it represented the Lord Jesus dying again. This could never happen since His sacrifice the first time was sufficient to pay for the sins of God’s elect. The striking of the rock seems like a small thing to keep Moses out of the promised land but in typology Moses represents the law and no one can come into the promised land (become saved) via the law. A person can become saved only by grace and this is why Joshua led them into the promised land. Joshua is the Hebrew name for Jesus. This is why God told Moses to speak to the rock and not strike it. Today we speak to the Lord Jesus Christ in prayers and supplications. It must have been a sad day for Moses when he could not finish the journey of leading them into the promised land but the law was not designed to bring us to Heaven. It was to show us we could not keep it and that we needed a savior who was capable of fulfilling the righteous demands of God’s Holy Law. This the Lord Jesus did His first visit to earth. The next time He comes, will be on the clouds of glory, to bring His elect home for all of eternity. (1 Th 4:16-17 KJV) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: {17} Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

February 23

Today’s Reading - Numbers 21-24

(Num 23:19 KJV) God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

In today’s reading we come across this verse which is both encouraging for the believer and ominous for the unbeliever. This verse is in the midst of an attempt by King Balak of the Moabites who wanted to pay the prophet Balaam to curse Israel. Balak did not realize one simple fact, that there is no power in any prophets life apart from the Lord. Balaam was a prophet for hire and went to the highest bidder. He probably thought he was going to make a good chunk of change from Balak. However, Balaam did not count on God intervening and instead of Balaam cursing Israel, God commanded him to bless Israel. Balaam had no choice but to obey to the chagrin of Balak. Balak knew what Israel did to the Amorites and he knew he could not beat them in physical battle. Instead, he attempted to gain victory by winning a spiritual battle. This is an eye-opening situation since Satan uses that tactic today. He tries to win battles against Christians through spiritual deception. Sometimes he is victorious and sometimes he is not. Balak thought that the prophet had powers and he wanted to use them against Israel. However, God commanded Balaam that he was not to curse Israel but he was to bless Israel. God commanded this and Balaam could not reverse that standing order. If God says something is going to happen, it will. Every prophecy in the Bible will come true, some have already come true and some will come true at some future date. God does not repent (change his mind) of what He has written. The Word of God will be fulfilled. No matter what promise is made to the believer or to the unbeliever, all will come to pass. If there is one thing the Christian can count on in these uncertain days, it is the verity of God remaining steadfast. If God said it, then He will bring it to pass. You can count on it. (John 17:17 KJV) Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

February 24

Today’s Reading - Numbers 25-27

(Num 27:16-17 KJV) Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, {17} Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd.

In today’s reading we come across this verse where Moses realizes that he will not take the children of Israel into the promised land, so he petitioned the Lord to appoint a successor. Moses did not want to see the congregation of the LORD be as sheep without a shepherd. For forty years God spoke to the congregation and set up laws through His prophet Moses. Now there was a change of leadership taking place. Moses was about to hand over the reins of leadership to Joshua whom the Lord had appointed. If you notice something about this section, Israel was to have human leadership under the guiding hand of the Lord for the rest of the journey. When the time of Moses was over, God did not abandon them nor tell them there are no more leaders. There was a future time when Israel would have no King but only Judges and the result is found in the following verse. (Judg 21:25 KJV) In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. This is also how God would plan His church in the future. He would set up Pastors and Elders to watch over the individual congregations which would spring up all over the world. If there was no church leadership, then the same situation would exist as it did in the days of the Judges. The reason I look at this verse and deduce this is because the people are called the “congregation of the LORD.” We look at ancient Israel and see how God always had a king on the throne beginning with the reign of Saul, even during the divided kingdom years. Some of the kings may have been evil but nevertheless there was human leadership under the Lord. This is what the office of Pastor, Elder, and Deacon are. They are human leadership positions under God. These are the under-shepherds in deference to the Chief Shepherd. As Israel continued to have Kings and leaders until their end, the church will continue to have its leaders until the last day. This way the flock of the body of Christ will always have spiritual guidance until the last day and everyone will not be doing what is right in their own eyes, which is a very dangerous situation to be in. If you are in a good church, then thank God that your soul is being cared for. God cares for His children and He shows it by keeping the local church alive. (Heb 13:7 KJV) Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

February 25

Today’s Reading - Numbers 28-30

(Num 30:2 KJV) If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.

In today’s reading we come across this verse which speaks of making a vow unto the Lord and making an oath. This verse speaks of keeping your word. It speaks to the verity of a person. A person can be trusted no further than their word. In ancient Israel if a person made a vow unto the Lord, they were to keep that vow in its entirety. Probably one of the most famous vows in the Bible was that of Jephthah who vowed unto the Lord that he would sacrifice the first thing which came out of his house if God would give him the victory over the Ammonites. When we look at that vow in Judges 11, we see that Jephthah fulfilled that vow, even it though it distressed him to sacrifice his only daughter. If a person makes a vow to hear the nobility of their voice but does not intend to keep it, they are only a liar and deceiver. It is better not to vow than to be found as a liar. I am sure we have all run across those who like to vow but do not like to fulfill those vows. It is a serious thing to make a promise to someone and then renege. When a person vows, they are placing their entire worth as a person on the line. They are to fulfill the vow as best as they can. Sometimes a situation may arise where they may be unable to fulfill the vow, but when there is an intentional evasion of fulfillment, then normally that person will be branded as a liar. Vowing is a very serious thing as is taking an oath. Whenever we go to court, we see witnesses taking oaths to tell the truth. This is done because the natural make up of man is to lie and he needs to be prodded or threatened with penalties to tell the truth. People are given the death penalty or sent to prison for many years on the testimony of witnesses. Our witness as a Christian is normally weighed by what we say. As Christians it is imperative that if we make a promise or a vow to someone, that we keep it. Lest we sin with our mouth and nullify our testimony.

February 26

Today’s Reading - Numbers 31-33

(Num 32:23 KJV) But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.

In today’s reading we come across one of the most straightforward warnings about sin in the Bible. It basically warns us that if we continue to play with a sin, that sin may so envelop us that we will identify with that sin more than being identified with the Lord. If we are caught by others engaging in that sin, when people speak about us, they will always associate that sin with us. God is warning us here that if we are engaging in a pet sin, it will eventually surface. Our responsibility as Christians is to tackle that sin and remove it from our lives before it turns the table on us and consumes us. Sin is very deceptive and we think that we can handle it. This is nothing but mere pride. The Bible tells us that we are to flee from sin. As James states: (James 4:7 KJV) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. As Christians we are to resist the desire to continue sinning. Sometimes we fall into a sin and it is at that time that we must rebuke it before it gains a foothold in our life. The flesh is easily addicted to sin and if we are true believers, we will want to expunge anything from our lives which would jeopardize our testimony. God warned Cain, and the warning holds true today: (Gen 4:7 KJV) If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. Sin is always lying in wait to stumble us. Each of us must be willing to look at our lives and see if we may be harboring a sin. I would have trouble believing someone is redeemed if they have a cigarette hanging out of their mouth or a beer in their hand, and so would the world. Our sin will always affect others. Sin may start out as a small thing but if it is left unchecked can mushroom into a major part of our life. One of the hardest things to do is to hide a perpetual sin, for even when no one is looking we are looking over our shoulders to see who is looking. We also realize that God sees us and knows what that sin is doing to our life. Sometimes we try to manipulate our life around our pet sin. This is why people go to Christian Psychologists and Psychiatrists. Unfortunately these two professions do not help because they normally confuse a person further. I listened to Minirth & Meier Clinics which was on the radio and after a while I came to the conclusion they were like Christian drug pushers. All you ever heard was prescription names thrown around like if you take Prozac or Lithium your spiritual life will rejuvenate. If a Christian wants to simplify their life, they will see what sin is prevalent in their life and attack it from a spiritual perspective. Spiritual rehabilitation is never found in a bottle only in the Bible.

February 27

Today’s Reading - Numbers 34-36

(Num 35:11 KJV) Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares.

In today’s reading we come across this verse which is part of a portion which God gave to Moses for the purpose of setting up cities of refuge. The cities of refuge were places where a person could go to and find sanctuary from an avenging relative if a family member was accidentally slain. These cities allowed the perpetrator to stay until a court of law was convened for the purpose of finding out if there was any grounds for conviction based upon the intent of the perpetrator. These cities also helped to avert a doubling of the crime. If a family member acted out of haste to kill the person who did the crime, then a malicious act of murder would have taken place and that family member would probably be taken outside the camp and stoned to death. The cities of refuge also gave opportunity for the situation to mollify itself until a level headed investigation could take place. If the person who committed the crime was found innocent of any malicious wrongdoing, then they were cleared by the rulers and were allowed to return to the city of refuge where he fled. When the high priest died, the person would be free to return to his land of possession. However, the slayer was to remain inside the borders of the city of refuge because if they went outside and the revenger of blood found them, he could slay them without penalty. When I look at this portion of Scripture it reminds me of the city of Refuge the Christian has and that is the Kingdom of God itself. If a Christian could lose their salvation, then they would be in the same situation as the slayer who left the boundaries of the city. They would be in Satan’s kingdom and if they died there would go to Hell. However, a Christian cannot lose their salvation, and being in Christ means we are in an eternal city of refuge. Every one of our sins has been judged and atoned for. Therefore, the revenger of blood has no case against us for we have been found innocent in the Courts of Heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ being the Chief Judge. (Rom 8:33 KJV) Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. This is why God was able to justify Job, for he was inside the spiritual city of Refuge known as the Kingdom of God. The body of believers is referred to as a city: (Rev 21:10 KJV) And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Thank God today for bringing you into His spiritual city of refuge. By the way, you can never leave because our High Priest lives forever. Did you really want to?

February 28

Today’s Reading - Deuteronomy 1-3

(Deu 1:2-3 KJV) (There are eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadeshbarnea.) {3} And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them;