Chastening His Leaders; An Old Problem (Num. 20:1-5)

1/19/2009 11:49 PM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                    Focus:  Chastening His Leaders; An old problem

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Numbers 20:1-5

            Message of the verses:  “¶  Then the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to the wilderness of Zin in the first month; and the people stayed at Kadesh. Now Miriam died there and was buried there.  2  There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron.  3  The people thus contended with Moses and spoke, saying, "If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the LORD!  4  "Why then have you brought the LORD’S assembly into this wilderness, for us and our beasts to die here?  5  "Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us in to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink.’”

            This begins the forth concern that the Lord has for His people, “Chastening His Leaders.” 

            Dr. Wiersbe believes that chapter twenty shows the end of the thirty-eight years of chastening that saw the nation of Israel walk around the wilderness and all of the first generation of Israel died.  Chapter 20 begins with the death of Miriam.

            Verse two begins with an old problem and an old solution, which is wrong, by the children of Israel.  The problem is no water, and the solution is to gripe to Moses and Aaron and wish that they were still back in Egypt, which is surely where their hearts were. 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I do not want to gripe about the problems that come into my life and trust the world to handle them.  I want to trust the Lord to allow the things that come into my life, either good or bad, and trust the Lord to handle these problems.  I want to trust the Lord to see me through the troubled times in order that I may grow in my walk with the Lord, and also to learn contentment, and also to know the Lord better because of the troubles in this life, including handling the disorder that my wife has.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1. Trust the Lord to help me know Him better.
2. Trust the Lord to teach me contentment, and for me to learn contentment.
3. Trust the Lord to guide my path each day.

1/20/2009 12:02 AM