12/17/2008 10:26 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: The pillar of cloud and fire
Bible Reading &
Meditation Reference: Numbers 9:15-23
Message of the verses: “15 ¶ Now on the day that the tabernacle was
erected the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony, and in the
evening it was like the appearance of fire over the tabernacle, until
morning. 16 So it was continuously; the
cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17 Whenever the cloud was lifted from over
the tent, afterward the sons of Israel
would then set out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the
sons of Israel Israel Israel Israel
I need to
first off write a few things about Numbers 8:17-26 since it was not really
covered in Dr. Wiersbe’s book, “Be Counted.”
I believe that it is fair to say that those tell exactly what God told
Moses to do in verses 5-16 along with explaining why it was the God chose the
Levites to do what they were called to do.
The Lord goes on to tell Moses in verses twenty-four through twenty-six
of Numbers eight that there is an age limit for the Levites to work at the
tabernacle: 24 "This is what
applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall enter
to perform service in the work of the tent of meeting. 25 “But at the age of fifty years they shall
retire from service in the work and not work any more. 26 “They may, however, assist their brothers
in the tent of meeting, to keep an obligation, but they themselves shall do no
work. Thus you shall deal with the Levites concerning their obligations.’” Later on David changed the starting age to
twenty years old for the Levites to work in the Temple
The next
section in “Be Counted,” covers Numbers 9:15-10:10, the reason is that 9:1-14
were covered in an earlier chapter. This
section is entitled “Following God’s Guidance.”
As I began my study this morning with prayer asking that God would
forgive my sins, and open my eyes to understand His Word, I also prayed that
the Lord would be pleased to do His will in my life because being an American
male, I sometimes try to solve my own problems and try to do things on my own
before consulting the Lord and getting my directions from Him. In the first part of the commentary on this
Dr. Wiersbe points out that being a believer today we have the Holy Spirit to
guide us along with the Word of God and also have the Lord Jesus in heaven who
providentially works on our behalf (Romans 8:28-34), and this was unlike the
children of Israel who had the Lord in the cloud to guide them along their
journey to the promised land. Now
getting back to my prayer about making sure that I listen to the Lord’s
directions Dr. Wiersbe gave a wonderful verse to show me that my prayer was
surely heard by the Lord. “I know, O
LORD, that a man’s way is not in himself, Nor is it in a man who walks to
direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23) This verse surely confirmed that my prayer
was something that I needed to pray and that the Lord heard my prayer, to that
I say Thank You Lord.
In verses
15-23 of Numbers nine, which are today’s verses the phrase the “command of the
Lord is seen seven times and that is worth noting. God did not ask for counsel as to when to
have the children of Israel
This
section is about the will of the Lord, and it was a bit different in the OT
times for God told the children of Israel what it was they were to eat, and in
this case when to move and what to do, through Moses, and Aaron, who was the
first priest.
The pillar
of fire was introduced in Exodus and it gave light to the children of Israel Israel
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I have a strong desire to walk in the Light
of God’s Word, to hear what it is that He has to say to me, to be ready to move
as I watch and pray and read God’s Word, like the Levites who had to watch the
light and the pillar in order to be ready to move when It moved. Jeremiah 10:23 was such a blessing to me
today as it tells me to not move until the Lord shows me to move, not to try
and do things on my own, on my “old nature,” but make sure that I do things
according to my “new nature.” God’s Word
makes it clear to me that my “old nature” is dead, but this is something that I
have to take by faith, to trust that what God says in His Word is true, for His
Word is Truth. “Sanctify them through
thy truth: thy word is truth.”
My Steps of Faith for
Today:
- Trust the Lord to guide my path today.
- Give myself to the Lord for worship, service, and to be transformed by the renewing of my mind through the memorizing of God’s Word.
- Count it true that my old nature is dead.
- Continue to learn contentment.
- Put on my spiritual armor, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the Gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and take up the sword of the Spirit.
Memory verses for the week: Romans
6:5-13
- For if we have been untied with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,
- knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin,
- for he who has died is freed from sin.
- Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
- knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again, death no longer is master over Him.
- For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
- Even so consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
- Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,
- and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
12/17/2008 12:23 PM
No comments:
Post a Comment