Numbers 31 – 32

Posted on Mar 7, 2016 in Reading the Bible in 2016 |

 (Monday)

The plans are underway for the Israelites to take possession of the land that God promised them so many years ago.

But first they must remove from the area the Midianites. If you remember the Midianites lured some of the Israelites into Baal worship (Numbers 25:16 -18) and God has commanded that they be destroyed. This is hard for us to even think about, as it must have been for them. But did you notice Moses’ reaction when he met with the officers and commanders at the end of the battle? Moses was angry with them because they allowed the women to live. The women were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice (this also shows us that Balaam wasn’t a good guy) and they were the reason the Israelites turned away from the Lord.

Moses though gives in a little and allows the young girls to live. This is like any sin in our life. If left unchecked, if left to rule in our life it will cause us to stray away from God. It needs to be cleansed from our life. In our Divergent Sermon Series Pastor Rick has shared that we have the power to do this through the Holy Spirit. Yes, Jesus through His Saving grace, through His sacrifice on the cross has made us righteous before God and has given us the promise of eternal life, but we still must battle the sins that try to separate us from God. Just as the Israelites were given the power to defeat their enemies, the Holy Spirit has given us power to defeat sin in our lives.

The question we must ask ourselves is who will we allow to rule in your life? What choices will we make this week that will help us defeat the enemy? What sin needs to be addressed? God will reveal them to you, you need to choose what steps you will take to follow, to be obedient.

In Chapter 32, three of the tribes wanted to stay on the east side of the Jordan, it had been captured, but it took all of the tribes to do so. Moses grants their petition to be allowed to settle in this land, but he also knows that they will need their help in conquering the rest of the land, and so they must promise to send warriors to fight. When we have been helped we must not assume that our work is done, instead we must look for ways to also, help others.

Blessings on the day!

Pastor Kathy