Numbers 10, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 
Max Lucado Daily: An Outline of Grace - January 7, 2022

Paul entered Scripture as Saul, the self-professed Pharisee of all Pharisees. He was bloodthirsty and angry, determined to extinguish anything and everyone Christian.

His attitude began to change on the road to Damascus. That’s when Jesus appeared, knocked him off his high horse, and left him sightless for three days. Paul could see only one direction—inward. And what he saw he did not like.

So God showed him a better way. Paul got grace…or grace got Paul. Either way, he embraced the improbable offer that God would make us right with him through Jesus Christ. Paul’s logic followed a simple outline: Our debt is enough to sink us, God loves us too much to leave us, so God has found a way to save us.

Numbers 10

The Two Bugles

God spoke to Moses: “Make two bugles of hammered silver. Use them to call the congregation together and give marching orders to the camps. When you blow them, the whole community will meet you at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

4-7 “When a bugle gives a single, short blast, that’s the signal for the leaders, the heads of the clans, to assemble. When it gives a long blast, that’s the signal to march. At the first blast the tribes who were camped on the east set out. At the second blast the camps on the south set out. The long blasts are the signals to march. The bugle call that gathers the assembly is different from the signal to march.

8-10 “The sons of Aaron, the priests, are in charge of blowing the bugles; it’s their assigned duty down through the generations. When you go to war against an aggressor, blow a long blast on the bugle so that God will notice you and deliver you from your enemies. Also at times of celebration, at the appointed feasts and New Moon festivals, blow the bugles over your Whole-Burnt-Offerings and Peace-Offerings: they will keep your attention on God. I am God, your God.”
The March from Sinai to Paran

11-13 In the second year, on the twentieth day of the second month, the Cloud went up from over The Dwelling of The Testimony. At that the People of Israel set out on their travels from the Wilderness of Sinai until the Cloud finally settled in the Wilderness of Paran. They began their march at the command of God through Moses.

14-17 The flag of the camp of Judah led the way, rank after rank under the command of Nahshon son of Amminadab. Nethanel son of Zuar commanded the forces of the tribe of Issachar, and Eliab son of Helon commanded the forces of the tribe of Zebulun. As soon as The Dwelling was taken down, the Gershonites and the Merarites set out, carrying The Dwelling.

18-21 The flag of the camp of Reuben was next with Elizur son of Shedeur in command. Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai commanded the forces of the tribe of Simeon; Eliasaph son of Deuel commanded the forces of the tribe of Gad. Then the Kohathites left, carrying the holy things. By the time they arrived The Dwelling would be set up.

22-24 The flag of the tribe of Ephraim moved out next, commanded by Elishama son of Ammihud. Gamaliel son of Pedahzur commanded the forces of the tribe of Manasseh; Abidan son of Gideoni commanded the forces of the tribe of Benjamin.

25-27 Finally, under the flag of the tribe of Dan, the rear guard of all the camps marched out with Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai in command. Pagiel son of Ocran commanded the forces of the tribe of Asher; Ahira son of Enan commanded the forces of the tribe of Naphtali.

28 These were the marching units of the People of Israel. They were on their way.

29 Moses said to his brother-in-law Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We’re marching to the place about which God promised, ‘I’ll give it to you.’ Come with us; we’ll treat you well. God has promised good things for Israel.”

30 But Hobab said, “I’m not coming; I’m going back home to my own country, to my own family.”

31-32 Moses countered, “Don’t leave us. You know all the best places to camp in the wilderness. We need your eyes. If you come with us, we’ll make sure that you share in all the good things God will do for us.”

33-36 And so off they marched. From the Mountain of God they marched three days with the Chest of the Covenant of God in the lead to scout out a campsite. The Cloud of God was above them by day when they marched from the camp. With the Chest leading the way, Moses would say,

    Get up, God!
    Put down your enemies!
    Chase those who hate you to the hills!

And when the Chest was set down, he would say,

    Rest with us, God,
    Stay with the many,
    Many thousands of Israel.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Friday, January 07, 2022

Today's Scripture
1 Peter 1:3–9
(NIV)

Praise to God for a Living Hope

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!m In his great mercyn he has given us new birtho into a living hopep through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,q 4 and into an inheritancer that can never perish, spoil or fade.s This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,t 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s poweru until the coming of the salvationv that is ready to be revealedw in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice,x though now for a little whiley you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.z 7 These have come so that the proven genuinenessa of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fireb—may result in praise, glory and honorc when Jesus Christ is revealed.d 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in hime and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Insight

In the original Greek, 1 Peter 1:3–12 is a single, run-on sentence. Bible scholar Scot McKnight notes in The NIV Application Commentary:1 Peter that despite the sentence’s length, “Peter’s grammar is wonderfully elegant” and his expression of the beauty of our salvation is profound. He goes on to explain that each of the elements in Peter’s singular declaration of praise builds from the previous thought: The expression of praise (vv. 3–5) leads into a declaration of joy despite suffering (vv. 6–7). That joy is focused on an anticipation of our final salvation (vv. 8–9), which is what the prophets all spoke of and looked forward to (vv. 10–12).

Peter’s blessing of God at the opening of this letter draws a circle around all of life. From beginning to end, everything points toward our salvation and the ultimate realization of God’s kingdom.

Genuine Hope

He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
1 Peter 1:3

In the early 1960s, the US was filled with anticipation of a bright future. Youthful President John F. Kennedy had introduced the New Frontier, the Peace Corps, and the task of reaching the moon. A thriving economy caused many people to expect the future to simply “let the good times roll.” Then the war in Vietnam escalated, national unrest unfolded, Kennedy was assassinated, and the accepted norms of that previously optimistic society were dismantled. Optimism simply wasn’t enough, and in its wake, disillusionment prevailed.  

Then, in 1967, theologian Jürgen Moltmann’s A Theology of Hope pointed to a clearer vision. This path wasn’t the way of optimism but the way of hope. The two aren’t the same thing. Moltmann affirmed that optimism is based on the circumstances of the moment, but hope is rooted in God’s faithfulness—regardless of our situation.

What’s the source of this hope? Peter wrote, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). Our faithful God has conquered death through His Son, Jesus! The reality of this greatest of all victories lifts us beyond mere optimism to a strong, robust hope—every day and in every circumstance. By:  Bill Crowder

Reflect & Pray

Whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist, what situations cause concern in you? Why is hope better than either optimism or pessimism?

God, this world is distressing and confusing, and many voices want to drive me to a perspective that feels void of hope. Help me to root my heart in the promise and power of the resurrection of Jesus, who holds the future.

Read Hope: Choosing Faith Instead of Fear.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, January 07, 2022
Intimate With Jesus

Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?" —John 14:9

These words were not spoken as a rebuke, nor even with surprise; Jesus was encouraging Philip to draw closer. Yet the last person we get intimate with is Jesus. Before Pentecost the disciples knew Jesus as the One who gave them power to conquer demons and to bring about a revival (see Luke 10:18-20). It was a wonderful intimacy, but there was a much closer intimacy to come: “…I have called you friends…” (John 15:15). True friendship is rare on earth. It means identifying with someone in thought, heart, and spirit. The whole experience of life is designed to enable us to enter into this closest relationship with Jesus Christ. We receive His blessings and know His Word, but do we really know Him?

Jesus said, “It is to your advantage that I go away…” (John 16:7). He left that relationship to lead them even closer. It is a joy to Jesus when a disciple takes time to walk more intimately with Him. The bearing of fruit is always shown in Scripture to be the visible result of an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ (see John 15:1-4).

Once we get intimate with Jesus we are never lonely and we never lack for understanding or compassion. We can continually pour out our hearts to Him without being perceived as overly emotional or pitiful. The Christian who is truly intimate with Jesus will never draw attention to himself but will only show the evidence of a life where Jesus is completely in control. This is the outcome of allowing Jesus to satisfy every area of life to its depth. The picture resulting from such a life is that of the strong, calm balance that our Lord gives to those who are intimate with Him.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

We never enter into the Kingdom of God by having our head questions answered, but only by commitment. The Highest Good—Thy Great Redemption, 565 R

Bible in a Year: Genesis 18-19; Matthew 6:1-18

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, January 07, 2022
Clear Direction in a Thick Fog - #9130

I had to make a 6:30 A.M. flight. My dear wife was the lucky one who got to drive me to the airport. As I staggered to the car about 5:00 in the morning, I said, "Where's the sun?" Obviously, the sun was on a later flight that morning. But what made the drive really challenging was not the absence of sun, it was the presence of fog. I'm talking thick fog all the way to the airport. Our visibility was really limited. The traffic reporter on our news station said that it would be difficult even driving roads you knew like the back of your hand. And believe me, the road to the airport is one we knew all too well. As we traveled toward the turnpike exit that leads to the airport, the fog got really thick and disorienting. We were in the right lane with almost no sense of exactly where we were, when suddenly we saw the sign - "Turnpike." That was our turn, but we were practically right on it when we realized where we were. So, my wife turned just in time, and I even made my plane. As we got on that ramp, she said, "It's a good thing I didn't trust my instincts. It just didn't feel like we were at the point we were." She only had a second to decide whether to trust her instincts or the sign. I'm glad she trusted the sign.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Clear Direction in a Thick Fog."

Our word for today from the Word of God - Isaiah 50:10-11. "Let him who walks in the dark (or drives in the fog), who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God." See, when you can't see where you're going, trust the Lord; go the way He's been pointing you to go, proceed on what God has said to you.

But some people unfortunately respond to the fog by trying to figure out their own way to go. Well, the next verse covers that: "But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and the torches you have set ablaze." Then God says, "If you want to follow your feelings, you want to follow your instincts instead of the direction I'm pointing you in," well here's the result of doing it your way. He says, "This is what you shall receive from My hand. You will lie down in torment." Ouch!

You may be going through a time right now where the fog is thick, it's dark, it's disorienting, it's confusing. In times like these, it's tempting to suddenly grab the steering wheel of your life to try to make some things happen - to get control of things. And it's in those times that we tend to make some of the biggest mistakes of our life. We can't wait for the Lord, we can't trust what His Word has told us, and we start figuring it out our own way. Which, like our instincts on that foggy morning, will take us the wrong way and maybe cost us the destination we were aiming for.

But on that foggy morning, there was a sign, and it was pointing us in the right direction. It didn't feel right. It went against our instincts, but it was right and our feelings were wrong. Because we trusted the sign, we made it. That's what God is trying to get you to do during this dark, this uncertain time. Trust Him! Trust the direction He's already pointed you in.

He's made promises that you've got to hang onto now, even when because of the fog you can't see them working. So claim the promises He gave you when it was light. Refuse the compromises, the shortcuts that seem so tempting right now. Don't trust your roller coaster emotions which have lied to you again and again, led you into mistakes so many times before.

In the words of a great old saint, "Don't doubt in the darkness what God has told you in the light." His Word, His calling, His promise have not changed even though it's gotten dark, my friend. God's great plan is still at work, He's still right on time. Don't panic and don't take a detour from His best.

In that heavy fog, we got where we needed to go by trusting the sign, not our feelings. That's how you're going to come out of the fog at the place you need to be, by distrusting what your feelings are saying and trusting the clear direction of what your God says.