Today’s Bible Reading: DEUTERONOMY 1:1-3:20   Deuteronomy 1:32 Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the LORD your God,     We all go through times of disbelief where we doubt whether the Lord will be with us, battle for us and bear us along. We may even have seen Him work in the past, but are leery of His work in the present. We have seen His help before, but struggle to believe He will help now.   As the children of Israel prepare to enter the Promised Land, Moses r

Today’s Bible Reading: NUMBERS 34:1-36:13   Numbers 35:11 . . . then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there. -   We all need a refuge to run to when trouble comes. We need a place that we can feel safe and secure from our strife and struggles. Such a place was provided in antiquity. These places were known as the cities of refuge.   In the ancient culture there was a concept of Goelism. It

Today’s Bible Reading: NUMBERS 32:1-33:56   Numbers 32:23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out.   We all keep secrets. Everyone has things they don’t want anyone to find. We have things that if they were discovered would damage our reputation and destroy our credibility. We conceal them hoping they will remain hidden. It may be so among men, but not before God. The all-seeing eye of the almighty uncovers w

Today’s Bible Reading: NUMBERS 30:1-31:54 Numbers 30:2 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.  -   We all tell God we will do something but don’t. All of us have declared we will start doing something but never do. Every one of us has promised to quit doing something but never have. Our pattern with promises is to start and stop or to stop and sta

Today’s Bible Reading:  NUMBERS 27:1-29:40   Numbers 27:21 And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation ."   We all want to know God’s will. We search for God’s directives to direct us. We yearn to determine what to do and when to do it. We want to know if we should go o

Today’s Bible Reading: NUMBERS 25:1-26:65   Numbers 25:65 For the LORD had said of them, "They shall die in the wilderness." Not one of them was left, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.   Throughout scripture we get glimpses of God’s character. At times these peeks into His person are direct, like those found in the Psalms. At other times narratives give us insights into His nature. As we peel back the stories of scriptures, we can observe His attrib

Today’s Bible Reading: NUMBERS 19:1-21:35   Numbers 23:19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?   We live in a world of broken promises. Minds change. Commitments don’t last. Vows vacillate. Trust is violated. A word spoken is not always a word kept.   No wonder it is difficult to take God at His word. It is hard to believe that what He says He wil

Today’s Bible Reading: NUMBERS 19:1-21:35   Numbers 21:8 And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live. " -   We all waver on our spiritual journey. We have success one day and then struggle the next. We might see great gain one day only to grumble the next day. We are on again off again spiritually. This seems to be a pattern that has plagued our predecessors too. The Israelites would be deligh

Today’s Bible Reading:  NUMBERS 16:1-18:32   Numbers 16:9 is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do service in the tabernacle of the LORD and to stand before the congregation to minister to them, -   It is our honor to serve the Lord. He calls us to Himself. He commissions us for His service. He assigns us as He sees fit. He stations us where He needs us most. We should find jo

Today’s Bible Reading:  NUMBERS 14:1-15:41   Numbers 14:24 But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. -   Everyone is either spiritually faithful or spiritually faithless. They either follow or forsake the Lord. They either walk in His way or in waywardness. They are either similar to the world or set apart from the world. It is those who have a differe

Today’s Bible Reading:  NUMBERS 11:1-13:33   Numbers 11:4-6  Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, "Oh that we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at."     We all at times are dissatisfied. We are disillusioned with ou

Today’s Bible Reading:  NUMBERS 6:1-27, NUMBERS 10:1-36   Numbers 6:24-26 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 . -   Blessing comes for the Lord. We cannot acquire it or attain it, but simply receive it. God is the source of blessing. His saints are the subjects of His blessings. Christ, as our High Priest, is the administrator of our blessing.   Here is a

As we head into spring, my hope is that the Lord will give you fresh new insights from His Word as you read this month's posts. May you...

Today’s Bible Reading:  NUMBERS 4:1-5:31   Numbers 5:2-3 "Command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp everyone who is leprous or has a discharge and everyone who is unclean through contact with the dead. You shall put out both male and female, putting them outside the camp, that they may not defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell." -   We all need positive touch in our lives. We need the emotional and mental benefits that welcomed touch generates. We

Today’s Bible Reading:  NUMBERS 2:1-3:51   Numbers 2:17 And the tabernacle of meeting shall move with the camp of the Levites in the middle of the camps . . .   We really don’t pay much attention the arrangement of houses on a street. The layout of a city develops randomly unless the city planners have a blueprint for its growth. In this text the Lord gives specific instructions on how to build His “city” in the wilderness. He outlines a precise pattern for constructing the c

Today’s Bible Reading: LEVITICUS 27:1-3, NUMBERS 1:1-54   Numbers 1:49-50 Only the tribe of Levi you shall not number . . . but you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle.   Just before their exit from Mount Sinai, God commanded that a census be taken. They were to number all the fighting aged men available for times of aggression. At first glance there seems to be little spiritual insight from this text, but actually there is a great wealth of instruction found here.

Today’s Bible Reading:   LEVITICUS 25:24-26:46 Leviticus 26:40 But if they confess their iniquity . . . if their uncircumcised hearts are humble, and they accept their guilt then I will remember my covenant . . . .   There is no pit so deep that God can’t pull us out of it. There is no sinner so depraved He can’t be deliver. Peter denied Christ and later declared Christ to thousands (Acts 2:41). Paul was the “foremost of sinners” (1 Tim 1:15) and he became a faithful saint. H

Today’s Bible Reading: LEVITICUS 23:1-25:23   Leviticus 23:22 (19:9) And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God."   We live in a fast-paced society. We are in one that can easily overwhelm us. We pack every second with something. We don’t leave any time for anyone. We spend from paycheck to

Today’s Bible Reading: LEVITICUS 20:1-22:33   Leviticus 20:7-8 7 Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. 8 Keep my statutes and do them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you .   The Lord sanctifies. Sanctification is the process of separation of an object or person for God’s purposes. The objects used in the tabernacle and the temple were set apart to be used in holy service. God selected the objects to be used. He distinguished them from all ot

Today’s Bible Reading: LEVITICUS 17:1-19:37   Leviticus 19:2 (Lev. 11:44, 20:7; Matt. 5:48; 1 Peter 1:16). You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy     We resemble the God we worship. What characterizes Him characterizes us. His plans give us purpose. His directives guide our direction. His requirements are our resolve. We walk after the one we worship. God is holy. He alone is Holy. All that is connected with Him is characteristically holy. Things dedicated to Him