Gleanings From The Word: March 2017

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Doing It My Way

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!” (Numbers 20:12 NLT)

Water Out of the Rock

Good men sometimes make bad choices. Slight changes in God’s directions for us can have enormous consequences. The Devil is always in the details.

Moses and his people were without water in the wilderness. The Lord told Moses and Aaron to speak to the rock, and he would provide water (v.8). Unfortunately, Moses struck the rock (v.11). It was not so much the outward action that displeased God, but what it represented. Moses spoke to the people instead of the rock (v.10). It is a leader’s responsibility to obey God and then allow him to change peoples’ hearts. Moses may have inverted that principle. Also, they may have taken too much of God’s glory for this miracle, “Must we fetch the water (v.10b). In our scriptural reference we are told their sin was unbelief. They did not believe that God could do it as he said he would. Therefore, they had to try and make it happen on their own. Making things worse was the fact that they did this in public view. One of quickest ways to lose your spiritual leadership is by not demonstrating God’s character traits of faith and humility to his people.

Pride or unbelief is the basis of most of our indiscretions. Moses and Aaron seemed to have violated both. Doing it our way instead of God’s, always gets us in trouble. Taking the admonition from that great old hymn, “Trust and Obey,” could keep us from doing it my way.

Image used with permission by Google.

Ken Barnes the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places” YWAM Publishing
Email: kenbarnes737@gmail.com
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Thursday, March 23, 2017

Just As One Speaks With A Friend

Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. (Exodus 33: 11a NLT)

Moses and his people had to get it right before he could go into the Tent of Meeting. God was pleased with their offerings and spoke to Moses face to face. Through our sacrificial lamb, Jesus Christ, we can talk to God just a man speaks with a friend.

In Numbers 7: 89 NLT God showed his pleasure with Moses and all Israel by conversing intimately with his servant. The law is very precise. Moses had to wash his garments, make sure he had not touched a dead person, and sacrifice a burnt and sin offering. The people had to bring all types of free-will offerings. In the Old Testament, the privilege of meeting with God came for a select person and only after lots of sacrifices. In the fullness of time, God sent his Son so we would not have to live under the requirements of the law (Romans 6:14 NLT). Now for all, not just a particular person, New Testament believers, though we do not always get it right, can freely approach the throne of grace. All who call upon the name of the Lord in faith can bask in his marvelous presence.

This privilege we have is free to us but costly for God. It cost our Father the life of his only Son. Just because something is free, does not mean it is not valuable. If you and I understood the expenditure of God’s grace in purchasing our freedom, maybe we would spend more time talking with him, just as one speaks with a friend.

Image used with permission by Microsoft.