Numbers 25 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 Max Lucado Daily: God Uses the Humble - January 27, 2022

Some time ago I partnered with Michael W. Smith for a ministry weekend. The retreat was held at a beautiful facility in North Carolina owned by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Michael and I met to go over the weekend schedule, but he had just met with Billy Graham, and he was so moved that he hardly discussed the retreat. The ninety-four-year-old evangelist told Michael that he hoped his name would not be mentioned at his funeral. “What?” Michael asked. “I hope only that the name of the Lord Jesus be lifted up.”

Billy Graham preached to hundreds of millions of people. He advised every U.S. president from Truman to Obama. Yet he didn’t want to be mentioned at his own funeral. Proverbs 22:4 says, “Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.”

Numbers 25

The Orgy at Shittim

While Israel was camped at Shittim (Acacia Grove), the men began to have sex with the Moabite women. It started when the women invited the men to their sex-and-religion worship. They ate together and then worshiped their gods. Israel ended up joining in the worship of the Baal of Peor. God was furious, his anger blazing out against Israel.

4 God said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of Israel and kill them by hanging, leaving them publicly exposed in order to turn God’s anger away from Israel.”

5 Moses issued orders to the judges of Israel: “Each of you must execute the men under your jurisdiction who joined in the worship of Baal Peor.”

6-9 Just then, while everyone was weeping in penitence at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, an Israelite man, flaunting his behavior in front of Moses and the whole assembly, paraded a Midianite woman into his family tent. Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw what he was doing, grabbed his spear, and followed them into the tent. With one thrust he drove the spear through the two of them, the man of Israel and the woman, right through their midsections. That stopped the plague from continuing among the People of Israel. But 24,000 had already died.

10-13 God spoke to Moses: “Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has stopped my anger against the People of Israel. Because he was as zealous for my honor as I myself am, I didn’t kill all the People of Israel in my zeal. So tell him that I am making a Covenant-of-Peace with him. He and his descendants are joined in a covenant of eternal priesthood, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the People of Israel.”

14-15 The name of the man of Israel who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the head of the Simeonite family. And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.

16-18 God spoke to Moses: “From here on make the Midianites your enemies. Fight them tooth and nail. They turned out to be your enemies when they seduced you in the business of Peor and that woman Cozbi, daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed at the time of the plague in the matter of Peor.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Thursday, January 27, 2022
Today's Scripture
Romans 12:12–21
(NIV)

Be joyful in hope,a patient in affliction,b faithful in prayer.c 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need.d Practice hospitality.e

14 Bless those who persecute you;f bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.g 16 Live in harmony with one another.h Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.c Do not be conceited.i

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil.j Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.k 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.l 19 Do not take revenge,m my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”d n says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”e o

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Insight

In Romans 12, the apostle Paul encouraged believers in Jesus to act in ways contrary to our sinful nature. In verse 14, he wrote, “Bless those who persecute you” and added “bless and do not curse.” Not even the smallest bit of desire for divine vengeance was to interfere with our prayer that God bless our enemies. John Calvin wrote on this verse: “I have said that this is more difficult than to let go of revenge when anyone is injured; for though some restrain their hands and are not led away by the passion of doing harm, they yet wish that some calamity or loss would in some way happen to their enemies . . . . But God by his word not only restrains our hands from doing evil, but also subdues the bitter feelings within.” By: Alyson Kieda

Not Holding Grudges

Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
Leviticus 19:18

During a promotional event in 2011, two seventy-three-year-old former Canadian Football League players got into a fistfight on stage. They had a “beef” (a grudge or feud) dating back to a controversial championship football game in 1963. After one man knocked the other off the stage, the crowd called out to him to “let it go!” They were telling him to “squash the beef.”

The Bible contains many examples of people “beefing.” Cain held a grudge against his brother Abel because God accepted Abel’s offering over his (Genesis 4:4–5). This grudge was so severe that it eventually led to murder as “Cain attacked his brother . . . and killed him” (v. 8). “Esau held a grudge against Jacob” because Jacob stole the birthright that was rightfully his (27:41). This grudge was so intense that it caused Jacob to run for his life in fear.

Not only does the Bible give us several examples of people who held grudges, but it also instructs us on how to “squash the beef”—how to seek forgiveness and reconciliation. God calls us to love others (Leviticus 19:18), pray for and forgive those who insult and injure us (Matthew 5:43–47), live peaceably with all people, leave revenge to God, and overcome evil with good (Romans 12:18–21). By His power, may we “squash the beef” today.

Reflect & Pray

Why is it vital for us to not hold grudges? How will you work to restore a broken or damaged relationship this week?

Jesus, thank You that I can forgive others because You’ve forgiven me.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, January 27, 2022
Look Again and Think

Do not worry about your life… —Matthew 6:25

A warning which needs to be repeated is that “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches,” and the lust for other things, will choke out the life of God in us (Matthew 13:22). We are never free from the recurring waves of this invasion. If the frontline of attack is not about clothes and food, it may be about money or the lack of money; or friends or lack of friends; or the line may be drawn over difficult circumstances. It is one steady invasion, and these things will come in like a flood, unless we allow the Spirit of God to raise up the banner against it.

“I say to you, do not worry about your life….” Our Lord says to be careful only about one thing— our relationship to Him. But our common sense shouts loudly and says, “That is absurd, I must consider how I am going to live, and I must consider what I am going to eat and drink.” Jesus says you must not. Beware of allowing yourself to think that He says this while not understanding your circumstances. Jesus Christ knows our circumstances better than we do, and He says we must not think about these things to the point where they become the primary concern of our life. Whenever there are competing concerns in your life, be sure you always put your relationship to God first.

“Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34). How much trouble has begun to threaten you today? What kind of mean little demons have been looking into your life and saying, “What are your plans for next month— or next summer?” Jesus tells us not to worry about any of these things. Look again and think. Keep your mind on the “much more” of your heavenly Father (Matthew 6:30).

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

There is no allowance whatever in the New Testament for the man who says he is saved by grace but who does not produce the graceful goods. Jesus Christ by His Redemption can make our actual life in keeping with our religious profession. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, 1465 R

Bible in a Year: Exodus 16-18; Matthew 18:1-20

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, January 27, 2022
Loving by Anticipating - #9144

When you travel a lot, you eat in restaurants a lot. And so I've seen my share of waiters and waitresses - some who do a good job, some whose service leaves something to be desired, and a few who are outstanding at what they do. You try to say a special thank you with a special tip for that kind of server, right? One example of stellar service: those servers who check regularly to see if you need more water, without being asked for it; who automatically check to see if you want ketchup or steak sauce or more bread or more anything. It just feels good when someone cares enough to anticipate what you might need.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Loving by Anticipating."

If anticipating your needs means something in a restaurant, imagine how much it means in a marriage! Actually I saw some married friends in a local restaurant, friends who have been married a long time. Based on some things he had said, I made this observation, "These sound like the best years you guys have ever had together." He smiled broadly and said, "Yes, because after 40 years, I'm learning not just to meet her needs, but to anticipate her needs!"

That's husbanding in keeping with what Jesus called the second greatest commandment of all ... what James calls the "royal law" in James 2:8, our word for today from the Word of God. He writes, "If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, 'Love your neighbor as yourself,' you're doing right." We know how we love ourselves. We're really good at that. We think ahead about our needs and we make sure we have a plan for taking care of those needs. Jesus teaches us to think that way about other people.

In the great marriage passage of Ephesians 5, God applies this kind of selflessness directly to how a man treats the woman he's married to. He says, "Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the Church" (Ephesians 5:28-29). Again, look after her needs as much as you would look after your own.

Some years ago, the Lord really spoke to me about coming home all full of my day, my concerns, my agenda, my needs. I learned to sort of, well I called it, 'close my briefcase' mentally on the way home so I could think through what was going on that day in the life of my wife, each of my kids. I did my best to try to anticipate what they might need from me when I got in the house. Not always, but more than I had. And to the extent that I did that, I found out that I was loving with anticipating love. I know the second Commandment is for wives, too. Of course we're each supposed to be anticipating the needs of the other.

Anticipate the times that they're going to need you physically to be there. Anticipate when your spouse will need help, or comfort, or intimacy, or reassurance, maybe extended debriefing time, or tenderness, when they need prayer together, or just some encouragement like praising small progress in an area where they've really been struggling. Usually, the love that really makes the other person feel loved means sacrifice on our part. But then, what did the cross teach us if it didn't teach that real love almost always involves sacrifice.

Love is really at its best when it's thinking about the other person; thinking about them enough to anticipate their need and to do all you can to meet that need. Actually, that's loving like Jesus loves.