Numbers 20 - 9.8.26
SCRIPTURE: Numbers 20: 1-13
1 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.
2 Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! 4 Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here? 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!”
6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7 The Lord said to Moses, 8 “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”
9 So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”
13 These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them.
OBERSERVATION
Here in this passage, we see frustrations from the day-to-day struggles start to boil. Israelites did not have water to drink in the desert. They were complaining to Moses, complaining about God’s plan for them, and reminiscing over the abundance they had in Egypt while being in bondage. I believe Moses was very frustrated at this point. He was leading a multitude of people through a desert with low water supply and his sister recently passed away. At this breaking point, Moses acted a bit out of character. Instead of Moses specifically doing as God instructed, he called the Israelites rebels and struck the rock twice. He did not honor God as holy at this point and even asked the question, “must WE bring water out of this rock?” instead of solely pointing to God that provided the water. Unfortunately, Moses was not allowed to bring the Israelites into the Promise Land due to his disobedience. I happened to see a video about this very topic a couple of weeks ago, but by God’s grace, Moses was able to witness something even better. Moses was able to be in the Promise Land to witness God face-to-face like he longed for in the wilderness by seeing Jesus Christ transfigured along with Elijah (Matt 17:1-13). Although Moses let his frustrations get the better of him, God being holy, just and merciful allowed Moses to witness His glory.
APPLICATION
As we deal with life, people, jobs, and responsibilities, we will get frustrated especially when we see sin, injustice, and blasphemy against God. Moses did not sin by becoming angry with the Israelites’ complaints; he sinned by disobedience and irreverence towards God’s command in a moment of weakness. Ephesians 4:26 says “In your anger, do not sin.” We as human beings have emotions, but our emotions should not draw us to sinning because God chastened those who He loves (Heb 12:6) such as He did with Moses.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, I thank You for being merciful even during our times of weakness and frustration. I pray that we can listen to You, Holy Spirit, during every interaction that we may be Christlike. Please give us the words to speak when it is necessary and guide us with our actions to truly represent You. Lord Jesus, I thank You for the example of Your holiness in this passage and also the mercy given centuries later when Moses was able to see You face to face when You walked the earth. Please give us strength to remember Your Words given to us to be the salt and light of the earth to set an example to others.
- Darrence Hamilton
Romans 13 - 9.7.26
Scripture
Romans 13:12-14 NIV
“The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”
Observation
In Romans 13:12-14, the Apostle Paul urges believers to:
wake up spiritually,
abandon sinful habits, and
live in a holy manner
Why is the Apostle Paul encouraging us to clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and not with darkness? Because Christ's return is drawing near!
(References: Google, Journeywithhope.com and Biblestudytools.com)
Application
Live our lives clothed with the light of Jesus Christ, knowing and believing that Christ is coming back for us soon!
I’m going to be honest and admit one of my guilty pleasures. Some of my favorite types of fiction books to read are psychological thrillers. I’ve always loved mystery books since I was a little girl, but psychological thrillers have more depth and always have some type of twist and turn that I never expected. They are fast paced reads and very entertaining to me! However, sometimes these books can get really dark and trigger past events in my life that I would rather forget. It causes me to live in the dark instead of the light, which means I have to put up boundaries around how often I consume these books.
I also have to ask myself what I want to feed my spirit with. Do I want it to be filled with the darkness of the world or the light of Jesus Christ?
I think this is the same way with sin. The Bible says that with every temptation, the Lord offers a way out. Are we looking for these outs or are we continuing to feed our sinful man with what it wants and desires?
Reading dark psychological thrillers is a gray area of sin because some people do not get affected at all by them (just like with moderately drinking alcohol), but if I’m personally feeling convicted about these gray areas because it causes me to go down a dark spiral, I need to listen to the Holy Spirit and put up boundaries.
“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” -James 4:17 NIV
Prayer
Dear Lord,
I’m reminded of the verse that says that “All things are permissible, but not all things are helpful.” (1 Corinthians 10:23)
Please forgive me when I start to gravitate more towards the darkness than Your light. I want to desire You more above anything or anyone else. I truly am prone to wander and need Your help to clothe myself with You everyday. Thank You for being so patient with me and always convicting my heart whenever I start to stray from Your light Jesus. Amen.
-Michelle Gaddi
Romans 10 - 9.4.26
Scripture: Romans 10:9-15
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
Observation:
What we speak with our mouths has great power. As Christ-followers we are to share our beliefs.
I love Paul’s reminder that when we do, we will never be put to shame. I believe this refers to God’s view of us and our mindset. People may not accept what we say and ridicule us. The word shame is a feeling. It can be because we feel bad about a mistake. Obeying God’s Word to preach the Gospel and what He has done for us is never a mistake Therefore there is no shame in it.
I love how Paul shares that God views all people the same. He will “richly” bless ALL who call upon Him. He repeats “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Then, points out that the in order for people to believe and call on God someone has to preach to them. Next, Paul points out people need to be sent out to preach. He them quotes Isaiah 52:7, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” BTW the good news is the Gospel message.
Paul is frequently quoting Scripture throughout this message to the Romans. Such an important thing to remember as we go about to teach others.
Application:
I need to remember how important it is to be bold to share God’s Word and my personal testimony. It is important to remember our calling and that Jesus commissioned his followers to go into all the world and make disciples. Matthew 28:19. That includes you and me.
God will answer all that call on him and save them and he has no favorites. Jesus died for all. I can not pre-judge.
I need to trust the Holy Spirit’s leading. There is never a reason to be ashamed of the incredible message we have to share. God wants my obedience.
Prayer:
Father God, Thank you for your amazing plan. I love how what was true in Moses’s time, was still relevant in Paul’s time and still is today. Thank you for your Word and how effective it is to reach others. Please help me stay rooted in your truth and not be discouraged if it appears what is spoken falls on deaf ears or I get ridiculed. May I always be about sharing and being a light to point others to you. Amen
- Cindy Howard