The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land you are to inhabit, which I am giving you . . .” Numbers 15:1-2

These are interesting verses when read in the context of the previous chapter. After the report came back from the spies into the land of Canaan, the people rejected God’s promised land and moaned that they should have stayed in Egypt. So, God forbade the current generation from entering the promised land, condemning them to wander in the wasteland for forty years. Then in these verses, God reminded the people that He had promised the land and that it will one day be the home for the people of Israel.

When God makes a promise, He always fulfills His promise. My disobedience may prevent me from receiving the blessing. The promise may be fulfilled in ways I never imagined. But this fact is certain: God’s promises will be fulfilled.

What needs to change is my willingness to trust God, to believe that what God has proclaimed is as good as accomplished.

Father, increase my faith!

And the LORD said to Moses, “Is the LORD’s hand shortened? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.” Numbers 11:23

God declared He would do something and Moses offered his opinion that it might be too hard. Bad decision. When God chooses to act, no one can prevent His will from being accomplished. Nothing is too hard for God.

How many times has God made His way clear only to have me reply, “Isn’t that impossible? That seems like it will be too hard.” When I act in disobedience I miss the blessing of seeing God do the impossible.

But when I trust God, His Word proves faithful and true as He performs miracle, overcomes obstacles, and erases all doubts.

His arm is not shortened. I will trust in Him.

At the command of the LORD the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the LORD they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. Numbers 9:18

When God told the people to move they moved and when He told them to camp they camped. When I read the larger context, the Bible says that sometimes God had them stay overnight and sometimes for a couple of days, but on occasion they camped in one location for an extended number of days. The people stayed put until God told them to move.

This pattern should be easy to follow, but it can be difficult for us.

The problem does not rest in obedience to what God tells us to do (well, sometimes it is). Our challenge is in the “in between times” of moving and camping. God says to camp and we camp, but we get anxious. “How long do you want us to camp?” “We’ve been camping for a while. Shouldn’t we be moving again by now?” We think we know best. “It’s not time to rest. Let’s get busy!”

When God tells me to camp, am I willing to stay camped until He tells me to move? My life is not my own; I have been bought with a price. He has the right – and only He has the right – to tell me to move and to tell me when to camp.

I am ready to stay. I am ready to go. I am willing to wait for You to lead.

And when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim; and it spoke to him. Numbers 7:89

This is what I want – what I need – today: to be in the Lord’s presence and to hear Him speak to me. Hearing Him audibly would be remarkable, but I need Jesus to speak to my heart.

Moses going into the tent of meeting followed a time of sacrifice, being made holy, preparing to enter. Before I rush into the presence of God, let me be made holy through the blood of Jesus. My heart must be clean. I turn from my sin in trust of a holy God.

I need to be in the presence of God and hear His voice.

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, 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.” Numbers 6:22-26

This is a beautiful blessing spoken by Aaron, but it didn’t come from Aaron. God Himself gave instructions for Aaron to speak this word of hope to the people. God wanted His people to know that His watchful eye was upon them, caring for them, being gracious to them, and giving peace to them.

God cares for His people. He cares for me. He watches over me, demonstrates His abundant grace, and showers me with peace. I’m grateful for the blessing of God, not because I deserve it – certainly not – but because He loves me.

This is an amazing thought!

According to the commandment of the LORD through Moses they were listed, each one with his task of serving or carrying. Thus they were listed by him, as the LORD commanded Moses. Numbers 4:49

God instructed Moses to get men to be in charge of moving the tabernacle and all of its furnishings. This would be an important task of manual labor. The work had to be completed with respect for every item.

The moving of the tabernacle required much more than two men and a truck. A specific process was laid out for the men to use. Honoring the value of each item showed reverence for God Himself and they were cautioned never to treat the items as common but to always remember they were holy to the Lord.

We need to remember the value of the things of God. In our world of democracy, we have leveled the playing field. This is great in many respects, but at times it seems like nothing has value. In a line from one of my favorite movies, The Incredibles, “If everyone is special, then no one is special.” As a result, we treat holy things as common – and common things as holy. Everything is the same.

But God is not common. He is exalted, holy, worthy of honor and praise and glory. We come into His presence through the name of Jesus, remembering His great worth. He is exalted and valuable above all things.

The people of Israel shall camp each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers’ houses. They shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side. Numbers 2:2

More organizational structure has come to the nation as Moses takes a census and the people are becoming established in groups of clans. Each tribe is given their specific location of where to plant their flag and where the will live as a group. The center of the nation is the presence of God as signified by the tabernacle. Each family group faced the tabernacle with all the family groups combined forming a giant circle surrounding the tabernacle.

Following this example, I need to face the presence of God. Each endeavor undertaken is with the presence of God clearly in view. Everywhere I travel, I see the shadow of the cross, continually reminding me of God’s love and powerful sacrifice for my sin. My family is kept near the tent of meeting as they see our flag resolutely planted in God’s presence.

Father, keep me close by Your side. I desperately need You.

And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins, and I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. And your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its increase, and the trees of the land shall not yield their fruit. Leviticus 26:18-20

God promised to bless and favor the nation of Israel, but He followed it with a strong warning of punishment and correction. The blessing came with obedience; the discipline resulted from rebellion.

I couldn’t help but see the current plight of the nations through this lens of rebellion against a holy God. Could our nation but struggling with high unemployment, strife between the classes, flat economic growth with a poor outlook in the near future, and an ever-increasing debt as a result of our continual and steady march away from obedience to God?

While this nation has always been flawed, past generations revered God and sought to be obedient to Him with societal standards based upon His Word. What was shameful in the past is justified – even celebrated – today.

But the fault does not lie with the person who does not claim the name of Christ. Responsibility for this moral decline rests with the people of God. We profess to love Jesus, but our words, thoughts, and actions point to other loyalties.

It is time for the household of faith to repent of our rebellion and seek the holiness of God.

For it is to me that the people of Israel are servants. They are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 25:55

This section instructs the people of God on how to treat servants. But, as with much of what God tells us, the meaning goes far beyond how to compute the price for a slave when they are purchasing freedom or how much the land should cost when it is being redeemed. These commands look back to what God has done in rescuing His people from slavery in Egypt and look forward to what God will be doing in rescuing His people from slavery to sin.

I cannot get confused and bogged down trying to figure out all of the commands, but I let God’s commands show me His character, His work, His power. His Word is fulfilled through Jesus Christ. God’s power frees people from slavery and makes them His own people.

Thank you, Father, for freeing me from the power and penalty of my sin as I trust in Your Son, Who loved me and gave Himself for me.

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying . . .  Leviticus 22:1

I often run past these words, moving to the “more important” instructions which follow. But what begins the instructions is what causes them to have value and meaning.

These were not the words of Moses. As God’s chosen leader of the people of Israel, Moses was respected, even revered. But he did not have authority in and of himself. His words were not divine.

These are the words of God. He has authority and power. His word creates all of creation out of nothing. His word vanquishes sin and death. His word brings life and hope and healing and forgiveness and restoration.

Let me hear and listen and obey God’s word.