Numbers 20:1-29; Luke 1:1-7; Psalms 57:1-3; Proverbs 15:33

OT: “The entire Israelite community entered the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and they settled in Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there. There was no water for the community, so they assembled against Moses and Aaron. The people quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord… Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting. They fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. The Lord spoke to Moses, “Take the staff and assemble the community. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will yield its water. You will bring out water for them from the rock and provide drink for the community and their livestock.” So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence just as he had commanded him. Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels! Must we bring water out of this rock for you?” Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that abundant water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me to demonstrate my holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them.”” (‭‭Numbers‬ ‭20:1-3, 6-12‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Once again, we read a familiar story: as soon as the Israelites faced difficulty, they began complaining and wished they were back in Egypt. At this point, the nation of Israel had been wandering in the wilderness for decades. As always, Moses went before the Lord to seek His wisdom and instructions. Previously, when God provided water from a rock, He had Moses strike the rock with his staff. This time, God gave Moses different instructions. Moses, instead of striking the rock as before, was to simply speak to the rock. For some reason, Moses disobeyed God’s clear instructions. First, Moses called the people a bunch of rebels. Then instead of giving credit to God, Moses said that he and Aaron were going to bring water out of the rock. Finally, instead of speaking to the rock, Moses struck it, not just once, but two times in defiance. Perhaps if he had struck it once and noticed that water didn’t come out, and then repented, things may have been different – but he struck it a second time. Despite Moses’ disobedience, God still had mercy on the people and provided water, but Moses and Aaron would have to pay the consequences of their error. God was wanting to paint a prophetic picture by having Moses speak to the rock, and by Moses disobedience, the prophetic moment was lost. It is very important, that when God calls us to do or say something, we do it or say it precisely… without adding or subtracting from it with our own decisions or opinions. Complete trust is what God is looking for.

Psalms: “Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me, for I take refuge in you. I will seek refuge in the shadow of your wings until danger passes. I call to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. He reaches down from heaven and saves me, challenging the one who tramples me. Selah God sends his faithful love and truth.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭57:1-3‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Though David physically fled from his enemies by retreating into a cave, his true refuge was the Lord God. It was the Lord that hemmed him in on every side. It was the Lord who covered him. It was the Lord who instructed him and guided him. It was the Lord who protected him and preserved him through dangerous times. David could completely trust and did completely trust the ever faithful God.

Proverbs: “The fear of the Lord is what wisdom teaches, and humility comes before honor.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭15:33‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

The fear of the Lord (complete trust in and respect for the word, will, and ways of the God) is the way of wisdom. Those who choose to humble themselves by submitting to the Lord will be lifted up by the Lord and honored by Him.

Numbers 19:1-22; Mark 16:9-20; Psalms 56:10-13; Proverbs 15:31-32

NT: “Then he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes; if they should drink anything deadly, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.” So the Lord Jesus, after speaking to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word by the accompanying signs.” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭16:15-20‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

In Matthew’s gospel, the emphasis of the Great Commission was making disciples. Here in Mark, the emphasis is on preaching the gospel. Both are part of the commission we have been given and both are important. We cannot just preach the gospel and forsake making disciples, and we cannot make disciples without first preaching the gospel. Souls saved and disciples made is our commission. As we go, Jesus has committed to be with us, and signs will accompany those who believe. Just as God worked signs through Moses to prove that Moses’ words were true, signs will accompany the faith-filled preaching of the gospel to validate its claims. The main reason that Jesus can be with us as we go, and that signs can accompany us is that Jesus didn’t stay here on earth. He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, to intercede for us, and to send us His Holy Spirit to be in us and empower us for all He has called us to do. This is the full gospel: That Jesus died in our place, paid our debt, freed us from sin, defeated death and rose to life, makes us new creations with His resurrection life, ascended to heaven to intercede for us, and fills us with His Holy Spirit so that we may live the holy and empowered life that He lived and lead others to lead the life He lived as well. That is what we are to preach to all creation.

Psalms: “In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mere humans do to me? I am obligated by vows to you, God; I will make my thanksgiving sacrifices to you. For you rescued me from death, even my feet from stumbling, to walk before God in the light of life.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭56:10-13‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Jesus paid a debt that we could never hope to repay. Because I have accepted His gift of salvation, I am no longer in debt to sin, but I am eternally indebted to Jesus. I am no longer mine, but His. Just as David was obligated to God, I am indebted to Christ. My fear of the Lord overcomes any fear of danger or fear of man – or at least that is the way it should be. If I belong to Him, then what should I fear… and why should I listen to any voice that would try to lure me into faithlessness and disobedience? So I will praise the Lord, proclaim His gospel, and trust completely in Him.

Numbers 18:8-32; Mark 16:1-8; Psalms 56:1-9; Proverbs 15:29-30

NT: “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they could go and anoint him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they went to the tomb at sunrise. They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb for us?” Looking up, they noticed that the stone — which was very large — had been rolled away. When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side; they were alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,” he told them. “You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they put him.” (Mark‬ ‭16:1-6‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Even though Jesus had mentioned multiple times that He would rise from the dead, His followers were still surprised when it happened. Perhaps they were thinking He was speaking metaphorically, speaking of a spiritual resurrection instead of a physical one. But He did arise physically… and the two ladies that visited His tomb that day weren’t just surprised – they were terrified. That word in Greek means to be terrified and utterly astonished and alarmed. To put it simply, they were freaking out, and the angel had to settle them down. Jesus was not there because He had risen! Not only had He paid the debt of all mankind and redeemed them from the kingdom of darkness, He had also overpowered the forces of hell and the certainty of death to come back alive again with new and everlasting life. That is the Lord and King that we serve: the Lord and King who even triumphs over death itself. If that is the case, then what could we, His servants, possibly be afraid of? For in Him, not only are our sins paid for and removed, but we are filled with the same resurrection power and life as Christ. That puts a new perspective on things.

Psalms: “When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? They twist my words all day long; all their thoughts against me are evil. They stir up strife, they lurk, they watch my steps while they wait to take my life… You yourself have recorded my wanderings. Put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? Then my enemies will retreat on the day when I call. This I know: God is for me.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭56:3-6, 8-9‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

When King Saul was seeking to end David’s life, David fled to Gath, the home town of Goliath. Understandably, David was not well-received and his life was threatened in Gath as well. David, fearing his life and with no safe place to go, penned this psalm along with Psalm 34. When you place your life in the Lord’s hands and trust completely in Him – when you live your life in worship to Him – no matter the circumstances you find yourself in, even if they appear to be hopeless, you always have a refuge in the Lord. If God is for you (because you have aligned your life with His word, will, and ways), then no one can stand against you. When you are afraid, trust in God. When you are full of fear and doubt, lift up truthful words of praise about the Lord to the Lord. Then you will be reminded of Whose you are, and who you are in Him, and your mind will be at peace.

Proverbs: “The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭15:29‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

The Lord of light and life… the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords… the Creator and sustainer of all hears the prayer of the righteous. As David wrote, He knows the places we go, He sees the situations we are in, He stores up our precious tears, He hears us, and He is for us. That is the confidence of those who walk according to the words, will, and ways of the Lord. Those who go their own way are on their own, and have much to fear. But for those who are in the Lord, when things get scary, or uncertain, or downright terrifying; we can place our trust and our hope in the Lord and be at peace.

Numbers 16:41-18:7; Mark 15:33-47; Psalms 55:12-23; Proverbs 15:27-28

OT: “The Lord instructed Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and take one staff from them for each ancestral tribe, twelve staffs from all the leaders of their tribes. Write each man’s name on his staff. Write Aaron’s name on Levi’s staff, because there is to be one staff for the head of each tribe. Then place them in the tent of meeting in front of the testimony where I meet with you. The staff of the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of the Israelites’ complaints that they have been making about you.” …The next day Moses entered the tent of the testimony and saw that Aaron’s staff, representing the house of Levi, had sprouted, formed buds, blossomed, and produced almonds!” (‭‭Numbers‬ ‭17:1-5, 8‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

In order to put a final end to the rebellions against Aaron’s priesthood (and Moses’ position of authority), God had the leader of each tribe bring his staff to the tabernacle and present it to the Lord. Staffs were not freshly cut branches. They were old and hardened wood. A man would have a staff for decades, and would mark the staff when significant things happened in his life. A man’s staff was a symbol of his life – each staff was unique and closely associated with the man who held it. The next morning, Aaron’s decades-old staff had not only sprouted. It had actually produced fruit! If God can cause an old dead staff to produce fruit, the surely He can produce good things out of a life submitted to Him.

NT: “When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lemá sabachtháni?” which is translated, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “See, he’s calling for Elijah.” Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, fixed it on a stick, offered him a drink, and said, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.” Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed his last. Then the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion, who was standing opposite him, saw the way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭15:33-39‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

We know from the other gospel accounts, that the loud cry that He made as He breathed His last was, “It is finished!” As He gave up His spirit and died, the debt of all mankind was paid. Those enslaved to sin were redeemed by every last drop of His blood. The wall of iniquity between sinful mankind and the Holy God was knocked down, and the veil the prevented people from enjoying the presence of God was ripped from top to bottom. A new and living way to God was was opened to us through Christ. It was (and is) finished!

Psalms: “Now it is not an enemy who insults me — otherwise I could bear it; it is not a foe who rises up against me — otherwise I could hide from him. But it is you, a man who is my peer, my companion and good friend! We used to have close fellowship; we walked with the crowd into the house of God. Let death take them by surprise; let them go down to Sheol alive, because evil is in their homes and within them. But I call to God, and the Lord will save me. I complain and groan morning, noon, and night, and he hears my voice. Though many are against me, he will redeem me from my battle unharmed. God, the one enthroned from long ago, will hear and will humiliate them Selah because they do not change and do not fear God… Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭55:12-19, 22‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

David was betrayed, not by an enemy, nor an impersonal acquaintance, but by a close, trusted, and dear friend. You can see in his writing the pain he was in. Understandably, he was hurt and angry. In that moment, there was no mercy or grace in his heart. He wanted justice. Though David (especially as king) had every right to avenge himself and “finish the job,” he cast His heavy burden on the Lord and trusted Him to do what was needed. If we trust God and allow Him to finish things in His way, He is also able to finish the refining work that He is doing in us.

Numbers 16:1-40; Mark 15:25-32; Psalms 55:1-11; Proverbs 15:24-26

OT: “Now Korah son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took two hundred fifty prominent Israelite men who were leaders of the community and representatives in the assembly, and they rebelled against Moses. They came together against Moses and Aaron and told them, “You have gone too far! Everyone in the entire community is holy, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?” When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. Then he said to Korah and all his followers, “Tomorrow morning the Lord will reveal who belongs to him, who is set apart, and the one he will let come near him. He will let the one he chooses come near him. Korah, you and all your followers are to do this: take firepans, and tomorrow place fire in them and put incense on them before the Lord. Then the man the Lord chooses will be the one who is set apart. It is you Levites who have gone too far!” …Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come! Is it not enough that you brought us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? Do you also have to appoint yourself as ruler over us? Furthermore, you didn’t bring us to a land flowing with milk and honey or give us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? We will not come!” …The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, all Korah’s people, and all their possessions. They went down alive into Sheol with all that belonged to them. The earth closed over them, and they vanished from the assembly… Fire also came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were presenting the incense.” (‭‭Numbers‬ ‭16:1-7, 12-14, 32-33, 35‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Korah was a prominent Levite of the line of Kohath. The Kohathites had the great honor and responsibility of caring for and carrying the holy furniture of the tabernacle. Korah was not satisfied with his elevated status. He wanted more – so he staged a rebellion against Moses and Aaron to try and leverage power away from them. Korah presented his complaint as a lofty desire for social equity in the camp: God had called the entire nation of Israel, so all of Israel was holy… everyone deserved to be equally honored. What Korah was really after was for He and his family to have the same privileges as Aaron and his sons… He wanted the priesthood. He was able to  form a rebellion of 250 prominent men from among the camp, along with Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram even went so far as to blame Moses for all of the consequences of their own faithless choices. Instead of defending himself, Moses allowed God to defend him – and God did just that. Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, along with their families, were swallowed up by the earth, and the 250 rebellious men were consumed in holy fire. As terrible as the outcome of this rebellion was, it did produce a redemptive story. Numerous Psalms are attributed to the Sons of Korah. Even though God punished Korah’s rebellion, He did not hold that rebellion against Korah’s descendants – and they became faithful followers of God and penned some of the Bible’s most beautiful and worshipful psalms. The man who rebelled against God’s established authority had descendants who wrote, “As the deer pants for the water, so my soul pants for You, O God.”

Numbers 15:17-41; Mark 15:1-24; Psalms 54:5-7; Proverbs 15:22-23

NT: “As soon as it was morning, having held a meeting with the elders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin, the chief priests tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He answered him, “You say so.” And the chief priests accused him of many things. Pilate questioned him again, “Aren’t you going to answer? Look how many things they are accusing you of!” But Jesus still did not answer, and so Pilate was amazed. At the festival Pilate used to release for the people a prisoner whom they requested… Pilate answered them, “Do you want me to release the king of the Jews for you?” For he knew it was because of envy that the chief priests had handed him over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd so that he would release Barabbas to them instead. Pilate asked them again, “Then what do you want me to do with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Again they shouted, “Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Why? What has he done wrong?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them; and after having Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified… They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of the Skull ). They tried to give him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. Then they crucified him and divided his clothes, casting lots for them to decide what each would get.” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭15:1-6, 9-15, 22-24‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

In Isaiah 53, Isaiah describes the suffering servant going to His death like a lamb led to the slaughter… not kicking and screaming or defending Himself, but going willingly. Mark’s gospel was written to portray Jesus as the Servant of All, always on the move, meeting people’s needs wherever He went. Here we see Jesus moving willingly to His ultimate act of service. Even when He was offered a mild narcotic to cloudy His senses and take the edge off the pain, He refused. He willingly received the full measure of our punishment in order that we may go free. Interestingly, Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent of the charges and was not deserving of the death penalty. However, instead of standing for righteousness, he appeased the crowd. Choosing the desires of the crowd over what is right is never a good thing. It may save your hide in the moment, but ultimately, it causes innocent people to get hurt. We should never give into the fear of man over the fear of God. We should never choose convenience over righteousness and justice. Nevertheless, God, in His divine Providence, can accomplish His purposes even in the midst of man’s failings.

Numbers 14:26-15:16; Mark 14:66-72; Psalms 54:1-4; Proverbs 15:20-21

OT: “Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: “How long must I endure this evil community that keeps complaining about me? I have heard the Israelites’ complaints that they make against me. Tell them: As I live — this is the Lord’s declaration — I will do to you exactly as I heard you say. Your corpses will fall in this wilderness — all of you who were registered in the census, the entire number of you twenty years old or more — because you have complained about me. I swear that none of you will enter the land I promised to settle you in, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. I will bring your children whom you said would become plunder into the land you rejected, and they will enjoy it…” When Moses reported these words to all the Israelites, the people were overcome with grief. They got up early the next morning and went up the ridge of the hill country, saying, “Let’s go to the place the Lord promised, for we were wrong.” But Moses responded, “Why are you going against the Lord’s command? It won’t succeed. Don’t go, because the Lord is not among you and you will be defeated by your enemies. The Amalekites and Canaanites are right in front of you, and you will fall by the sword. The Lord won’t be with you, since you have turned from following him.” But they dared to go up the ridge of the hill country, even though the ark of the Lord’s covenant and Moses did not leave the camp. Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that part of the hill country came down, attacked them, and routed them as far as Hormah.” (‭‭Numbers‬ ‭14:26-31, 39-45‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

The continued lack of faith and obedience of the Israelites prevented them from entering into the promise of God. God was willing and able to fulfill His promises. The people, however, were not willing to trust His word and were subsequently unable to obey His will. The entire generation (ages 21 and older) would spend the rest of their lives wandering in the wilderness, while their children (along with Joshua and Caleb) would receive the promise. Upon hearing their sentence, the people rallied against God once again and tried to enter the land in their own strength. Two wrongs do not make right. The only way they would ever be able to take the land was with God’s help, so in their own strength, they were embarrassingly defeated. When God says, “Yes,” we must go forward in faith fully trusting Him. When God says, “No,” we must obey and not go it on our own. Whether His word is Yes or No, as long as we remain with Him, He will help us and sustain us. Otherwise, we are headed for an embarrassing defeat.

Psalms: “God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might! God, hear my prayer; listen to the words from my mouth. For strangers rise up against me, and violent men intend to kill me. They do not let God guide them. Selah God is my helper; the Lord is the sustainer of my life.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭54:1-4‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Twice, the Ziphites betrayed David to Saul, and both times, David’s life was put in danger. The Ziphites were not pagans. They were fellow Israelites of the tribe of Judah. They were David’s “people.” Strangers here refers to familiar people who had turned their back on you, and became like strangers. David did not place his trust in people… he did not place his trust in fellow tribesman. He placed His trust in The Lord God. His helper and the sustainer of his life was God. When he was betrayed, He turned to the Faithful One and cried out for help. God never betrays us and is always willing and able to help and sustain those who are faithful to Him.

Numbers 14:1-25; Mark 14:53-65; Psalms 53:6; Proverbs 15:18-19

OT: “Then the whole community broke into loud cries, and the people wept that night… Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to die by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” So they said to one another, “Let’s appoint a leader and go back to Egypt.” …Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who scouted out the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite community, “The land we passed through and explored is an extremely good land. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and give it to us. Only don’t rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land, for we will devour them. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us. Don’t be afraid of them!” While the whole community threatened to stone them, the glory of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites at the tent of meeting. The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people despise me? How long will they not trust in me despite all the signs I have performed among them? I will strike them with a plague and destroy them. Then I will make you into a greater and mightier nation than they are.” But Moses replied to the Lord, “The Egyptians will hear about it, for by your strength you brought up this people from them… So now, may my Lord’s power be magnified just as you have spoken: The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in faithful love, forgiving iniquity and rebellion. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children to the third and fourth generation. Please pardon the iniquity of this people, in keeping with the greatness of your faithful love, just as you have forgiven them from Egypt until now.” The Lord responded, “I have pardoned them as you requested. Yet as I live and as the whole earth is filled with the Lord’s glory, none of the men who have seen my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tested me these ten times and did not obey me, will ever see the land I swore to give their ancestors. None of those who have despised me will see it. But since my servant Caleb has a different spirit and has remained loyal to me, I will bring him into the land where he has gone, and his descendants will inherit it.” (‭‭Numbers‬ ‭14:1, 3-4, 6-13, 17-24‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

The majority opinion is not always right. Ten of the Twelve scouts into the land brought back a discouraging report that was completely void of faith. Joshua and Caleb brought back a true word that was framed in faith… not blind faith, but faith in the God who had been faithful to them. The faithless people opted to accept the faithless report. The majority opinion spread and fanned faithlessness into a raging inferno of rebellion against the will of God. When Joshua and Caleb tried to talk some sense into the situation, the people tried to stone them to death. How easy it is to feed the underlying doubts of faithless people with faithless words from others. If others feel the way you do, then it must be right. We see that happening now. The spoken doubts of the few feed the underlying fears and doubts of the many – and before long, you have countless scores of people believing a ridiculous lie and violently rejecting what is right and true. God offered to end the rebellion once and for all, and start over from scratch with Moses. But Moses cared more for the people than His own reputation – and he cared even more for God’s reputation. He wanted God’s name to be glorified, not ridiculed, so he interceded for the people… and God listened. Moses, Aaron, Caleb, and Joshua were men of a different spirit. They were men full of faith in the God who had proven Himself faithful. They would not allow themselves to forsake the rich promises of God by believing the faithless assertions of the crowd. Because of Joshua’s and Caleb’s bold stand for faith against the faithless majority, they alone would see the promise. The majority is not always right. In fact, they are often very, very wrong.  God, however, is always right; and following His word, will, and ways (even when it is contrary to the majority) always leads to life and blessing. Do we follow the spirit of the crowd, or do we follow the Spirit of the Lord?

Numbers 13:1-33; Mark 14:32-52; Psalms 53:1-5; Proverbs 15:15-17

OT: “The Lord spoke to Moses: “Send men to scout out the land of Canaan I am giving to the Israelites. Send one man who is a leader among them from each of their ancestral tribes.” Moses sent them from the Wilderness of Paran at the Lord’s command. All the men were leaders in Israel… When Moses sent them to scout out the land of Canaan, he told them, “Go up this way to the Negev, then go up into the hill country. See what the land is like, and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. Is the land they live in good or bad? Are the cities they live in encampments or fortifications? Is the land fertile or unproductive? Are there trees in it or not? Be courageous. Bring back some fruit from the land.” It was the season for the first ripe grapes… At the end of forty days they returned from scouting out the land… They reported to Moses, “We went into the land where you sent us. Indeed it is flowing with milk and honey, and here is some of its fruit. However, the people living in the land are strong, and the cities are large and fortified. We also saw the descendants of Anak there… Then Caleb quieted the people in the presence of Moses and said, “Let’s go up now and take possession of the land because we can certainly conquer it!” But the men who had gone up with him responded, “We can’t attack the people because they are stronger than we are!” So they gave a negative report to the Israelites about the land they had scouted: “The land we passed through to explore is one that devours its inhabitants, and all the people we saw in it are men of great size. We even saw the Nephilim there — the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim! To ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and we must have seemed the same to them.”” (‭‭Numbers‬ ‭13:1-3, 17-20, 25, 27-28, 30-33‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

God had Moses send a small representation of leaders into the promised land to scout it out and see what the land was like. More than anything, It was to confirm that the land was truly good and plentiful. It should have been a faith-building exercise. Moses wanted them to bring back some fruit from the land as motivation. His instruction to the 12 men was “Be courageous.” Unfortunately, most of the men were not courageous. Instead of confirming that all that God had said about the land was true, and encouraging the Israelites; 10 of the 12 men brought news of danger and difficulty, and discouraged the Israelites. There were giants in the land. After all the things that the leaders had witnessed… all the ways God had done the miraculous to lead them through the impossible, the 10 leaders were still looking at things based on their own abilities. They didn’t even bring God into the equation. They saw the giants and compared the giants to themselves, and considered themselves grasshoppers compared to the giants. Caleb, on the other hand, saw the giants and compared the giants to God. With God in the equation, Caleb was confident that Israel could conquer the land, for the giants were like grasshoppers compared to God. Do we have faith in ourselves, or do we have faith in God? Are we faithless or faithful?

NT: “Then they came to a place named Gethsemane, and he told his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. He said to them, “I am deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake.” He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will.” Then he came and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn’t you stay awake one hour? Stay awake and pray so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭14:32-38‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

The task ahead of Jesus was immense. Before Him was a day of complete and utter torture, physically, emotionally, and spiritually… and by the end of the day, He would be dead. Everything in His flesh was crying out, “Don’t do it.” Yet, Jesus did not place His faith in Himself. He placed His faith in His Father and would follow His Father all the way to a tortuous death. If the Father couldn’t save humanity any other way, then Jesus would place His faith in the Father and endure until the end. Jesus’ Spirit was willing to be obedient and faithful, but His flesh was weak – so He prayed – and received the strength He needed. He challenged Peter to do the same. Peter was about to be sifted by the enemy and his faith was about to be challenged beyond his flesh’s ability to endure… so Jesus told him to pray. When God calls us to do hard and challenging things… things we really don’t want to do, do we listen to our flesh, or do we persevere through faith-filled prayer?

Numbers 11:24-12:16; Mark 14:22-31; Psalms 52:8-9; Proverbs 15:12-14

OT: “Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. He brought seventy men from the elders of the people and had them stand around the tent. Then the Lord descended in the cloud and spoke to him. He took some of the Spirit who was on Moses and placed the Spirit on the seventy elders. As the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they never did it again. Two men had remained in the camp, one named Eldad and the other Medad; the Spirit rested on them — they were among those listed, but had not gone out to the tent — and they prophesied in the camp. A young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” Joshua son of Nun, assistant to Moses since his youth, responded, “Moses, my lord, stop them!” But Moses asked him, “Are you jealous on my account? If only all the Lord’s people were prophets and the Lord would place his Spirit on them!” Then Moses returned to the camp along with the elders of Israel… Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because of the Cushite woman he married (for he had married a Cushite woman). They said, “Does the Lord speak only through Moses? Does he not also speak through us?” And the Lord heard it. Moses was a very humble man, more so than anyone on the face of the earth. Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “You three come out to the tent of meeting.” So the three of them went out… He said: “Listen to what I say: If there is a prophet among you from the Lord, I make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my household. I speak with him directly, openly, and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord. So why were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” The Lord’s anger burned against them, and he left.” (‭‭Numbers‬ ‭11:24-30; ‭12:1-4, 6-9‬ ‭CSB)

Before Jesus ascended to heaven and subsequently poured out the Holy Spirit upon all who believed in Him, anointing was only graced on individuals. God would anoint specific people for a specific time and/or a specific task. Often-times that anointing would go to peoples heads and they would “lift up their hearts” and become proud. We see this happen to leaders, judges, and kings throughout the Bible. Anointing, however, is not something that belongs to the anointed. It is not something to be exclusively held on to. Anointing was (and is) a gift from God, and is not the property of the anointed. Moses was specifically and uniquely anointed by God to lead the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt, and to hear from God and communicate to Israel the words, will, and ways of God. When the burden became too great for Moses to bear alone, God disbursed some of the anointing that was on Moses to 70 elders. Instead of clinging to His position and title, Moses humbly welcomed God’s anointing on the 70. At some point in that process, Aaron and Miriam (Moses’ siblings) got jealous of Moses. They wanted in on the action. To lift themselves up, they attempted to pull Moses down by slandering his wife and hurling racial epithets at her. Again, Moses did not get drug down into self-preservation. He did not arrogantly put Aaron and Miriam down through the power that came from His position. Instead, God Himself stepped in and defended Moses. As a side note: when I was growing up, this scripture was used as proof text against allowing inter-racial marriage. Yet, as I read this text, I don’t see God siding with Aaron and Miriam. The only ones making an issue of Moses’ interracial marriage were his jealous brother and sister. God quickly put their spurious complaints down and brought and end to the “controversy.” Anointing has never been a trophy to flaunt in peoples faces. Anointing is to be received and stewarded with humility… even more so in the current age of the church. Now, in the age of our Lord, anointing isn’t something that rests on the select few. Anointing is given to everyone who is in Christ by faith. The anointing that was uniquely given to Christ before the cross has been poured out on all who are in Him. Moses’ desire for all of God’s people to be prophets anointed by the Spirit of God has come to be. A humble believer recognizes the anointing and work of the Holy Spirit on each and every submitted disciple of Christ, and is willing to mutually submit to one another in the body. There aren’t, and should not be, superstars and celebrities in the body of Christ… and we should never put someone else down in order to lift ourselves up or maintain our position.