April 2014
Numbers 15:37-40 – And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them ; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.
The Lord spoke to Moses for the children of Israel to place fringes in the borders of their garments (a ribband of blue). These fringes were to remind them of all the commandments of the Lord and do them, not seeking after their own heart and eyes. As they see the fringes, they would do all His commandments and be holy unto the Lord.
Though this is not commanded to us today, providing visual items on your clothes, body, or around you can be reminders of the Lord’s commands? This could be as simple as a favorite t-shirt, ring or bracelet, or a sign in your office.
Numbers 20:7-13 – And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? 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. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.
As the children of Israel entered into the desert of Zin, the people chode against Moses and Aaron for the lack of water.1 The Lord told Moses and Aaron to gather the people and speak to the rock, that it may give water unto the people. When Moses and Aaron gathered the people together however, Moses said, ‘Hear ye, you rebels, must we fetch you water out of this rock?‘ Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice. Though water came out of the rock, the Lord told Moses and Aaron that they would not bring the people of Israel into the promised land because of their disobedience and failure to keep the Lord sanctified among the people (Numbers 20:16).
Deuteronomy 1:10-17 – The Lord your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude. (The Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!) How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife? Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you. And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do. So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes. And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.
When Moses appointed men to assist him in judging among the children of Israel, he established specific requirements:
1. They should not be a respecter of persons. This will ensure everyone will be heard without any specific prejudice or undo influence (i.e. bribe).
2. They will hear small and great cases. This would allow everyone to be treated fairly. One person or will not be considered more important than another.
Reference: Joshua 9:3-27
God told Moses that they were to smite and utterly destroy the inhabitants of the lands they were to possess (Deuteronomy 7:1-2). The neighboring country of Gibeon was in fear of their lives and sought to deceive the Israelites (Joshua 9:24). To act as if they were from a far country, they came to them with old sacks upon their donkeys, old wine bottles, old shoes, old garments, and even dry and moldy bread (Joshua 9:4-6). Though the men of Israel suspected they were of the neighboring country, the men made their decision without consulting the Lord on the matter. Joshua then made a league with them to let them live, and the princes of the congregation swore unto them.
When they travelled through Gibeon to destroy the city, the Israelites were reminded of their oath, though they were deceived. Joshua honored his oath and allowed them to live. The people of Gibeon became bondmen, and hewers of wood and water for the altar of the Lord (Joshua 9:22-27).
Be mindful to seek the counsel of the Lord before entering into agreements, contracts, and business arrangement with others.
Photo courtesy of iStockphoto.com/skvoor
G.O.A.T. is an acronym for the Greatest of All Time. Many times this reference has been used to describe sports athletes or recording artists, but in whatever application, it refers to someone or something that is undisputedly…the best.
From the Old Testament to the New Testament, the greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all of our heart, mind, and soul (Joshua 22:5; Matthew 22:36-41).
May the greatest commandment of all time become our greatest focus and priority in life.
Photo courtesy of CreationSwap/JaretBenson
The Lord wants you to love.
Everyday we meet people at their worst, living contrary to our beliefs, and care very little about themselves or others. And though they may not say it or show it, each of them wants or needs love.
Love is what we owe every person, whether we agree with their behavior or not. Love transcends sex, race, position, rank, and condition. Everyone deserves to be loved.
You don’t need a spiritual gift to love. It’s the one thing we all can do.
Romans 13:8 – Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Photo courtesy of CreationSwap/mattdalrymple
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