Yes, here’s the whole psalm, written by David after he was crowned King of all Israel.
Read today’s scripture. See how God “keeps” David’s heart righteous.
Who has God used to help YOU in your Christian walk?
1 Samuel 25.
Now Samuel died. All Israel mourned him. (The prayed-for baby, the hearer of God’s voice, the anointer of kings, a prophet, judge, and prayer-warrior for Israel…dead.)
And life goes on. David and his 600 men had been living in the wilderness of Paran. They had been passively protecting the many flocks of sheep (3K) and the shepherds of a wealthy man named Folly (Nabal), from marauders and wild animals. At the end of the winter, when the flocks were being sheared, David sent men to Folly asking for a show of appreciation.
“Peace to you! We hear you are shearing now. Your shepherds have been with us. We protected them and allowed none of your sheep to go missing. (Ask them, they’ll tell you.) And so, let us find favor in your eyes. It’s a celebration day. Please give whatever you have on hand to your servants and to your “son” David.”
But Folly showed his true selfish colors. “Who is David? Many servants have run away from their masters and are begging for bread. Shall I take MINE and give it to men who come from I don’t know where???
Wrong response, dear Nabal. David responds in anger, arming his men to take revenge.
BUT… the wise, caring, and beautiful wife of Folly hears what he’s done and hurries to remedy his grave mistake. She packs up a remarkable amount of food and supplies on donkeys and goes to meet (and perhaps calm down) David. She does so, humbly, presenting the food, and basically tells David that she KNOWS he will be king one day, and that the LORD is leading him. Does he want this foolish act of vengeance on Folly to be a black spot on his record (and conscience)?
David is wowed. And calmed down. He graciously accepts the food and blesses the lady.
Abigail returns to her husband in a fury. He’s feasting and jolly (Jolly Folly), and drunk. But, in the morning she lays it on heavy about how foolish a fool he was.
He had a stroke? Heart attack? And ten days later he is struck dead by the LORD. So much for all that wealth he was so greedy and foolish to keep for himself. (Doesn’t this remind you of Jesus’ parable of The Rich Fool in Luke 12:16-21? Perhaps Jesus had Nabal in mind…)
David was happy that the LORD had “taken care of” Nabal and kept him back from taking revenge. Then he sent for his widow, Abigail, and made her his wife. She was more than pleased and hurried to him, with her five “ladies in waiting.” WOW. What a contrast in the way she’d been living. Wealthy but despising her foolish husband then. And now, she lived meagerly, dangerously, with a man pursued by the king and the armies of Israel, but whom she believed would one day be the king of Israel, by God’s hand.
1 Samuel 26.
Abagail soon gets a taste of that dangerous living with an exile.
Word comes to King Saul that David is hiding in a certain spot near the Dead Sea. He takes 3K choice soldiers with him to find and kill David. They camp in a plain nearby.
Stealthily David spies on the camp, and sure enough, Saul is right in the middle, surrounded by soldiers. At night when all are asleep (actually a VERY deep sleep caused by the LORD), David and a volunteer creep down into the camp … carefully walk through the sleeping soldiers … and come to the king and his commander, Abner. They are deeply asleep and “sawing logs.”
“God has given your enemy into your hand this day,” said the volunteer, Abishai. “Please let me pin him to the earth. I can do it with one spear thrust.”
But David held him back. “Do not destroy him, for who can kill the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless? As the LORD lives, 1) the LORD will strike him, or 2) his day will come to die, or 3) he will go into battle and perish.”
But like before with the corner cut from the king’s robe, David takes Saul’s spear and water bottle to prove HIS OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE KILLED THE KING was not taken.
Back up on the hill, David calls to and berates Abner for not protecting the king. They are astonished. How could this have happened?
And again, Saul acknowledges David’s righteousness. “I have sinned. I have acted foolishly. I have made a great mistake. I will no more do you harm because MY life was precious in YOUR eyes today.”
David gives the spear back to Saul’s servant who comes to collect it.
“Blessed be you, my son, David,” Saul says. “You will do many things and will succeed in them.” And they both return to their places.
1 Samuel 27.
But David did not trust the words of King Saul. (And the king did keep pursuing him.)
And so, David, his men, and their families went to Gath and talked to the Philistine king, Achish. When Saul heard he was living with the enemy, he no longer pursued David. David asked Achish for a town for himself and his men, “For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?” King Achish gave him Ziklag, which would belong to the kings of Judah ever afterward. David stayed there for 16 months.
He and his men would make raids on Israel’s enemies, like the Amalekites, kill all the people, and take the animals. He told King Achish that he was raiding places in southern Judah (true, but…). Since there was no one alive to say differently, the king was satisfied.
“Ha! David has made himself a stench to his people Israel,” thought Achish. “So, he shall always be MY servant.”
Think again, O king of the Philistines at Gath!.
.
Read today’s scripture.
What do you learn NEW about God’s goodness?
Who can you share that with today?
Deuteronomy 32.
Today, there is singing (psalms).
The first is a history lesson in song that Moses wrote and taught to the assembly of Israel. He’s quite a songwriter. (see Exodus 15). I wonder how long it took them to memorize what is 43 verses in our Bibles. The melody must have been very catchy.
The song he wrote is God’s words to Israel, telling them who He is, what He’s done for them, the ways they will fail Him, and how much He actually loves them.
Moses tells them to praise God. “For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God! The Rock, His work is perfect, all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, without iniquity, just and upright is He.”
But of Israel, “They have dealt corruptly with Him; they are no longer His children because they are blemished, a crooked and twisted generation.”
But the LORD’s portion is His people, Jacob, His allotted heritage. He —
But “Jeshurun” (a name for Israel meaning “upright” but said sarcastically) grew fat and kicked and forsook the God who made him. He scoffed at the Rock of his salvation, and stirred Him to jealousy with strange gods, abominations, and sacrificing to demons.
“You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth.”
And so the LORD saw it and spurned them and hid His face from them. And God vowed —
And God said he would have done more against his people, but the enemies would misunderstand and think that THEIR hand had been triumphant and not the LORD at all.
But – and thank You, LORD – He vows, “I will vindicate my people and have compassion on my servants, when I see that their power is gone. and there is none remaining, bond or free.”
“Rejoice with Him O heavens; bow down to Him, all gods, for He avenges the blood of his children and takes vengeance on His adversaries. He repays those who hate him, and cleanses His people’s land.”
And so Moses ended the song in the hearing of the people, he and Joshua. He told them to “take all the words to heart and teach them to your children.
And THAT VERY DAY, God told Moses, “It’s time.” “Go up this mountain, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho and VIEW the land I’m giving to Israel. And die on the mountain, as your brother died on Mount Hor. You shall SEE the land before you, but you shall NOT GO THERE.”
Deuteronomy 33.
Then, before Moses went up to die, he blessed the tribes of Israel, much like Jacob/Israel had done before he died.
There is none like God, O Israel, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in His majesty. The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people save by the LORD!
Deuteronomy 34.
Then Moses climbed up Mount Nebo. And the LORD showed him all the land; Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western sea, the Negev, and the Plain, the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees.
“This is the land I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will let your see it, but your shall not go over.”
So Moses died there. He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, but no one knows the place. Moses was 120 years old. His eye was undimmed and his vigor unabated.
And Joshua was full of the spirit of wisdom, so the people obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.
“An there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, to all his servants, and to the land, and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of Israel.”
(A postscript by Joshua)
.
Psalm 91.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the LORD, My refuge and my fortress,
my God in whom I trust. (vss. 1-2)
"Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation." (vss.14-16)
Read today’s scripture.
What do you learn NEW about God’s goodness?
Who can you share that with today?
Deuteronomy 30.
This chapter brings good news.
IF Israel sins against the LORD by not loving and obeying Him, and afterwards returns to Him and obeys Him with all their heart and soul, THEN the LORD will restore their fortunes, and have compassion on them and again gather them from the people where the LORD scattered them.
The LORD will also “circumcise their hearts” so they will love him totally. He will make them prosperous and delight in them again. And He will put all the curses on their enemies.
Then Moses encouraged them. “This commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither too far off. The word is very near you. It is in your mouth and your heart, so you can do it.”
Then Moses challenged them. “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. IF you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, by loving Him, walking in His ways, and keeping his commandments and statutes and rules, THEN you shall live and multiply and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering.
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curs. CHOOSE LIFE! So you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying His voice and holding fast to Him, for HE is your life and length of days.
Deuteronomy 31.
Moses then reminded the people that he was now 120 years old and he could not enter the Land with them. But that the LORD Himself will go in with them. “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.
Then Moses brought Joshua before them and commissioned him. “Be strong and courageous, for YOU shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it.”
Then Moses gave the whole law, which he had written at God’s command, to the priests. He commanded them to read it every seven years at the Feast of Tabernacles when all Israel came to appear before the LORD. They were to read it before all Israel, men, women, children, and stranger in their towns… that all may hear and learn to fear the LORD they God and be careful to obey all the words.
Then God told Moses. “It’s time for you to die. Call Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meeting that I may commission him.”
God told Moses that after he died, the people would turn and whore after foreign gods in the land and that His anger would be kindled against them. AND SO, Moses was to write a song and teach it to the people. He was to put it in their mouths, that it would be a witness for God against them..”
So Moses wrote the song the same day and taught it to the people. (We will read it tomorrow in chapter 32.)
Then the LORD commissioned Joshua, the son of Nun. “Be strong and courageous, for you SHALL bring the people of Israel into the land I swore to give them. I will be with you.”
Then Moses gave the entire book of the Law to the Levite priests, who were to put it beside the Ark of the Covenant. It was a witness against them. (For God knew how rebellious and stubborn they were.)
Read today’s scripture.
What do you learn about God’s goodness?
Who can you share that with today?
Deuteronomy 21.
This chapter seems to point to having respect for all humanity.
A dead body is found, and no one knows anything. Nevertheless his body is atoned for by the priest and nearest neighbors. A female captive is allowed to grieve her parents and home for a month before consummating her marriage to an Israeli. The firstborn son of an unloved wife still inherits the birthright. The parents of an recalcine rebellious son have a way out by bringing him before the elders who judge him. And even a criminal hanged on a tree shall be taken down and buried the same day.
Deuteronomy 22.
Neighborliness seems prominent in this chapter, as well as sexual purity.
If you find a neighbor’s animal, return it. If you don’t know whom it belongs to, keep it safe to you find out. If you see your neighbor’s animal fallen into a ditch, help to get it out. If you find a nest of eggs with a bird on it, you must let the mother go free. You should build a parapet (short wall) around your roof (where sleeping and dining often happened) so that no one would accidently fall off it.
Don’t plant two kinds of seeds together; don’t yoke an ox and a donkey together, and don’t wear clothes made of two fabrics. All these point to purity and fairness. Also, women are not to wear men’s clothing, nor men, women’s.
A husband has the right to have his wife’s previous virginity proved. Adultery is punished by death of them both. Rape is only considered a crime punishable by death, if the girl does not scream (in the city) or if she is taken in the country where no one can hear her scream.
Deuteronomy 23.
This chapter covers who can and cannot worship with or become a citizen of Israel. Those who are castrated, born of a forbidden union, an Ammonite or Moabite, and children of an Edomite or Egyptian until after the third generation.
Uncleanness here is normal but should be taken care of, such as having bowel movements “outside the camp and covering it up” and nocturnal emissions (wash up).
There are some miscellaneous laws about accepting and helping a slave who has run away from his master (one assumes a cruel one?), allowing none of their daughters or sons to become prostitutes, never charging interest on loans to their brothers (foreigners CAN be charged), and fulfilling vows made to God.
You were allowed to pick grapes and grain from their neighbor’s fields IF YOU ATE IT THEN. But they could not carry a basket to COLLECT the produce to bring home.
All details to be sure, but Moses wanted the people to know and remember the little things too as they entered the Promised Land … without him.
Read today’s scripture.
What do you learn about NEW God’s goodness?
Who can you share that with today?
Deuteronomy 11.
Again, Moses pounds home the promises and warnings of Israel’s God, “Love the LORD your God and keep His charge, His statutes, His rules, and His commandments always … that you may be strong, and go in and take possession of the land, and that you may live long in the land.”
“That land drinks water by the rain from heaven, a land that the LORD your God cares for. His eyes are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. He will give rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later raid, that you may gather in your grain, wine, and oil. He will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you shall eat and be full.”
“So love the LORD your God, and serve Him with all your heart and soul.” “And if you are careful to do all the commandment that I command you to do, loving the LORD your God, walking in all His ways, and holding fast to him … then the LORD will drive out all those nations before you, nations greater and mightier than you. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours. NO ONE will stand against you. The fear of you and the dread of you the LORD will put on all the land.”
“But if you do not… a curse.
Deuteronomy 12.
Their main task in conquering the land is to “destroy all the places where the nations serve their gods, on mountains, hills and under every green tree. They are to tear down, dash into pieces, burn, chop into pieces, and utterly destroy any images and idols. They are to NOT, NOT, NOT worship them, in any way, place, shape or form. AND, they shall worship and sacrifice ONLY at the place where the LORD chooses to put His name and home. And ONLY in the manner He has taught them.
But… they CAN eat any clean meat now, whenever they wish, as much as they wish, of their flocks and herds and of gazelles or deer. Only the animals pledged for sacrifice, offerings, and vows they shall only eat in God’s presence.
Deuteronomy 12.
WARNING: If anyone – a dreamer of dreams or “prophet” tells you to go after other gods to serve them -DO NOT LISTEN! That person shall be put to death, and so you shall purge evil from your midst.
EVEN if your own brother, mother, or friend entices you to serve other gods, DO NOT YIELD or LISTEN to them. You shall not pity, conceal, or spare him. You shall kill him. (stone him) YOU, YOURSELF shall cast the first stone!
AND if any worthless men in another city try to draw away the inhabitants to serve other gods, you shall (first) inquire, make search, and ask diligently. If it is so, then you shall destroy the inhabitants of that city with the sword – all who are in that city, even its cattle, and burn everything else. WOW. GOD IS SERIOUS!
.
****O LORD, if only WE were as diligent in destroying the things in our lives that distract us from your Word, or prayer or in serving You in any way. Help us to deny ourselves, give them up, throw them away, ask others to help us in our addictive ways … and repent to serve and love YOU ONLY!
Read today’s scripture.
What do you learn NEW about God’s goodness?
Who can you share that with today?
Deuteronomy 8.
In yesterday’s reading, God, through Moses, left the people of Israel with a solemn warning of how He viewed the images and idols of the Canaanites. THEY should utterly detest and abhor them, as HE did.
Today, Moses tells them that those idols would be the ultimate test of their love towards God. He tested them in the wilderness, “to know what was in their hearts.” He humbled them and let them hunger “to let them know that man does not live by bread alone.”
Now, in giving them the “good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which they will eat brad without scarcity, in which they will lack nothing” God was giving them another test.
“Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments and His rules and His statutes. LEST, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied…. YOU FORGET the LORD your God who brought you up out of Egypt.”
“BEWARE lest you say in their heart ‘MY power and the might of MY hand has gotten me this wealth.’ You shall REMEMBER the LORD your God, for it is HE how gives you power to get wealth.
“And IF you FORGET the LORD their God and go after gods to serve and worship them … YOU shall perish like the nations before you.”
Deuteronomy 9.
Moses continues to encourage, scold, and warn the people of Israel. When they conquer the Promised Land, they are not to think that THEY did it, that THEIR righteousness got them the land. No, it was God — who is a consuming fire — that went before them and destroyed their enemies.
It certainly was NOT their righteousness that caused them to possess the land, but the wickedness of those peoples, and because of the promise God made to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. No, the Israelites were a STUBBORN, not righteous people who had severely provoked the LORD in the wilderness.
Moses reminds them of that horrible time when he was 40 days with God, that they build and worshiped the golden calf. He reminded them how God wanted to destroy them all, and how he — in anger — had thrown down the tablets of stone. He reminded them how he returned another 40 days before the LORD and laid prostrate on his face before God, pleading for them, for his brother, Aaron, and for God’s reputation and Name.
Deuteronomy 10.
Moses continues the story, how the LORD relented because of Moses’ intercession, gave him two replacement stone tablets with the LAW engraved on them, and how he put them in the Ark of the Covenant as a remembrance. He reminded them how God set apart the tribe of Levi because of their ZEAL for Him. They were to care for the Tabernacle and the Holy Things.
“And now, Israel, WHAT DOES THE LORD YOUR GOD REQUIRE OF YOU? To fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and will all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statues of the LORD ….. for your good.
“Remember, the LORD your God — to whom belons the heavens and all that is in the earth — has set His heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring, YOU above all peoples, as you are this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your HEART and no longer be stubborn,
“For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God.”
“YOU shall fear the LORD your God. YOU shall serve Him and hold fast to him, and by His Name you shall swear. HE is your praise. HE is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen.
.
****O Lord, may I also never forget who You are, all the great and mighty things you have done for me, though I too am stubborn, sinful and not righteous at all … except for the righteousness You have given me through Your Son, Jesus.
Read today’s scripture.
What do you learn NEW about God’s goodness?
Who can you share that with today?
Deuteronomy 3.
Here Moses gives more details in Israel’s fights with the kings east of the Jordan. We discover that King Og of Bashan was a super-giant! Wow. King Og – oh, my goodness – was about 12-13 feet tall!! No kidding. His bed was made of iron, 6-feet wide and 13-feet long. (Remember that Goliath was just 9.5 feet tall.) I can see why the earlier Israelis were spooked by these super big men in the land.
But, with our God, giants are as nothing. And as with Midian, Israel defeated this opponent with ease. Moses then tells how they easily defeated the rest, and how Manasseh, Gad and Reuben settled into their territory.
Moses also tells them how God had forbidden him to enter the Promised Land, and how he begged God to change His mind. Rather than being moved, the LORD said, “Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again. You can go up the mountain and SEE it with your eyes, but it will be Joshua who leads the people in.”
Moses three times blamed the people for this. “The LORD was angry with ME because of YOU, and would not listen.” (Exodus 1:37, 3:26, and 4:21-22)
Deuteronomy 4.
Then Moses urges, commands, and charges Israel to LISTEN to, KEEP, OBEY, NOT FORGET, TEACH, and HOLD FAST to the statutes and rules and to the LORD, as he had taught them. If they do, they will live, go into the land, and take possession of it.
Also, they will be an example for the world. “When the peoples hear all these statutes, they will say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people,” For what great nation is there that has a God so near it as the LORD our God is us us, whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today.”
Moses urges them to teach their children the statutes of the LORD, that they might teach their children. They are to watch themselves very carefully, lest they act corruptly with idolatry, for the LORD is a jealous (for them) God.
And (you can almost hear him sigh here), when you have grown old and if you act corruptly by idolatry, and the LORD scatters you among the peoples…. IF YOU WILL SEEK THE LORD YOUR GOD, YOU WILL FIND HIM IF YOU SEARCH FOR HIM WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND SOUL. And the LORD will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that He swore to them.
“For who is like the LORD our God?” Know and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on earth beneath; there is no other.”
Moses then sets apart three cities as Cities of Refuge in the areas of Manasseh, Gad, and Reuben, so a manslayer may escape to safety there.
Then he sets them up for a repeat telling of the Ten Commandments (in tomorrow’s study).
Read today’s scripture.
What do you learn about God’s goodness?
Who can you share that with today?
Numbers 26.
God called Moses to count the people again after all those years of discipline in the wilderness. He was to take a census of all the men 20 years and older who could go to war. So Moses and High Priest Eleazar got to work. How did it compare with the list at the beginning of Numbers? Here’s how.
These were the people of Israel who were listed in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. But among them, there was NOT ONE of those listed at Sinai, for the LORD had said of them, “They shall die in the wilderness.” Not one of them was left except Caleb and Joshua.
Numbers 27.
As the people were preparing to enter the Promised Land, this census would also determine the size of the plots of land they would inherit. Larger tribes, like Judah, would inherit larger parcels, whereas smaller tribes, like Simeon, would inherit smaller portions. (Simeon’s people actually ended up merging into Judah.)
Then, an unusual situation arose. Some daughters from Manasseh came to Moses with a question. “In our father’s clan there are no sons. Does that mean his line gets no inheritance in the Land? Can WE replace the sons and inherit?
Moses went to God with the question.
The LORD gave Moses a surprising and righteous answer. “The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer the inheritance of their father to them.”
Furthermore, the LORD told Moses to make that LAW for future generations where sons were unavailable.
THEN THE WORDS OF GOD THAT MOSES WAS DREADING.
“Go up into this mountain and see the land I have given to the people of Israel. When you have seen it, you also shall die as your brother Aaron….because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled, FAILING TO UPHOLD ME AS HOLY BEFORE THEIR EYES at the waters.”
Not in this passage, but later, Moses will ask God for a reprieve. NOW, however, he is concerned that someone is chosen to lead Israel after he’s gone.
The LORD agreed and told him to “take Joshua the son of Noon (that’s how it’s pronounced), a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight, that the congregation of the people of Israel may obey.” Eleazar, also in the presence of the congregation, was to use the Urim before the LORD to solidify the appointment and then lay his hands on him to commission him as leader after Moses.
.
Things are winding down for Moses. Soon, his 40-year job will be finished, and he can retire to Heaven. We still need to read through 9 chapters in Numbers and Deuteronomy, the SECOND review of the law, some new and old happenings before the death, and the final eulogy for Moses, and Joshua’s taking over. (Sigh.)
Read today’s scripture.
What do you learn about God’s goodness?
Who can you share that with today?
Numbers 14.
Yesterday’s reading ended with a showdown. Two against ten.
Two spies (Joshua & Caleb) said the land of Canaan was ripe with food, and ready for picking. The inhabitants were big, but no problem for the children of God. Let’s go in and conquer!
Ten spies agreed that the land of Canaan was ripe with food, but bemoaned the giant cities with tall walls, and the giant people that made them look (in their own eyes) like grasshoppers. NO WAY can we conquer!
And the rest of the two million people? They were swayed by the TEN, and cried with a loud voice and wailed and wept. They grumbled against Moses and Aaron. They bemoaned (get this, for God will answer this prayer), “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in the wilderness! Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sward? Let’s choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”
Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the people.
Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes and cried, “PEOPLE OF ISRAEL! The land is exceedingly good. If the LORD delights in us, He will bring us into this land and give it to us… Only DO NOT REBEL AGAINST THE LORD! Do not fear the people – they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them. THE LORD IS WITH US. Do not fear them!
As the masses were picking up stones to stone the two, the GLORY OF THE LORD appeared.
“MOSES, how long will this people despise me? How long will they not BELIEVE IN ME, in spite of all the signs I have done among them. I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of YOU a nation greater and mightier than they!”
And once again, Moses interceded for the righteousness of the LORD’s name and honor (“If you kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard of Your fame will say, It is because the Lord was not able to bring them to the land as He swore.”).
And Moses pleaded for those horrible rebellious people too. He claimed and clung to God’s promises of love and mercy and forgiveness. (Please pardon the iniquity of the people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven them from Egypt until now!”)
Oh, for such an intercessor today!
And the LORD heard Moses’ prayer. “I have pardoned according to your word. BUT…..truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD, NONE of the men who have seen my glory and my signs… and yet have put me to the test…and not obeyed my voice… shall see the land I swore to give to their fathers. NONE who despised me shall see it. And so, TURN BACK TOMORROW AND SET OUT FOR THE WILDERNESS.”
And to the people, God said, “As I live, what you have said, I will do. Your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and all those listed in the census, 20 years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, SHALL NOT ONE COME INTO THE LAND, except Caleb and Joshua. Your little ones – whom you said would fall prey – THOSE I will bring into the land.
“Your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness FORTY YEARS, and shall suffer for YOUR faithlessness UNTIL THE LAST OF YOUR DEAD BODIES LIES IN THE WILDERNESS. I the LORD have spoken.”
And immediately those ten unfaithful spies died of a plague. ZAAPP!!!
After hearing that horrible 40 year sentence of death, the people changed their minds. “Here we are! We will go up into the land that the LORD promised us!”
Moses: “No! Now you are being more rebellious. The LORD is not with you!!!”
People: “But we WILL go up into the country and fight them!”
But neither the Ark of the Covenant, nor Moses left the camp. And the Amalekites and Canaanites came down and defeated them. (And so, the first of those thousands of fit-for-battle rebels died.)
.
Numbers 15.
Even though God had pronounced the “death penalty” on the older generation of Israelites, he still had in mind to give Israel (eventually) the land of Canaan. And He still required the sacrifices and offerings to continue as the roamed the desert. Both unintentional and intentional (knowingly and deliberately done) sins are next covered.
Unintentional sins require and offering. A Person who sins intentionally “with a high hand” despising the word of the LORD, shall be put to death. The example of a man who deliberately went out to gather firewood on the Sabbath, was stoned to death.
God then gave a way for Israel to always remember His commands. They (the men) were to make tassels for the corner of their garments (shirts), each with a blue thread on it. These would be visible to themselves and to each other.
When they looked at them, they were to remember “all the commandments of the LORD, to DO them, not to follow after their own heart and their own eyes, which they were inclined to whore after. They were to remember to DO all His commandments, and be holy to their God. ‘I am the LORD your God.'”
.
Psalm 90. “A Prayer of Moses, the Man of God”
(Here Moses seems to be asking God to have mercy on sinful humans living in a sin-cursed world. It seems to have been written to the older generation of Israelites who were dying off in the wilderness.)
“Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.” ” …from everlasting to everlasting YOU are God.” “For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.”
“You return man to dust.” “You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning…in the evening it fades and withers.”
“For all our days pass away under Your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone and we fly away.”
“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
“Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.”
“Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!”
.
Morning Meditations 