Daily Bible Devotionals

“You are to hold a sacred assembly in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, and you are not to do any daily work. This will be a day of jubilation for you.” Numbers 29:1 (HCSB)

Isn’t it amazing that the Lord has to tell us to rest? Not only does He tell us to rest, but He actually made it a command! It is as if we would not rest unless some penalty were involved.

When I was a kid, I hated school. I did all I could to avoid my schoolwork…right up to testing time. Whenever it came time for testing, my laziness caught up with me. The test was about to expose my lack of initiative.  

School grades are indicators of progress, not intelligence. No matter how smart I may have thought I was, that was not the point. I had not seized the opportunity to improve.

When test time came around, I spent all my energy developing schemes to cheat. Sometimes, I would write notes on my arms. Perhaps I would look at someone else’s paper. Somehow, I would cheat the system because I thought I was smarter than the system.  

Did you know it takes twice as much energy to cheat as it does to study? Plus, you have to carry all that needless anxiety until you get your grade. How smart is that?

Do you know what the kids who studied a little bit every day do the night before the test? They rest. They don’t have to cram. They don’t have to cheat or worry if their schemes will go undetected. They simply recite what they have learned, and they pass the test.

Why do we have to be commanded to rest? Possibly, it’s because we’ve been lazy in our daily devotion to the Lord. Perhaps we have cheated God, and we lack what He provides to the faithful. It could be that we are busy trying to be our own providers instead of trusting God to provide an increase beyond our efforts.

Whatever the excuse, whatever our situation, we are COMMANDED to rest. Jesus said:

“Come unto me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NKJV)

The faithful should celebrate His rest, and the sinner should turn from his ways and enter into His rest.

“The Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Command the Israelites and say to them: Be sure to present to Me at its appointed time, My offering and My food as My fire offering, a pleasing aroma to Me.’” Numbers 28:1-2 (HCSB)

I grew up in a church environment where people spoke of “giving to the Lord” in two terms: Tithe and Offering. The tithe was defined as giving 10% of one’s income, which was considered the minimum required to donate. An offering was defined as anything over and above the tithe.  

If you were to add up all the tithes and offerings in the Torah, you would find yourself giving over 60% of your income. Part of the reason for this high number is that Israel was a “theocracy.” The religious leaders ran the government, social relief, courts, the army, etc.

Statistics indicate that most “churchgoers” give less than 10% of their income. As a matter of fact, about 20% of church members foot the bill for 80% of the ministry. This statistic is roughly the same as the percentage of wealthy Americans who pay the most taxes. It may be easy to disdain the rich, but they’re toting the note for the rest of us.

What I find interesting in this chapter is how “offering” begins close to the heart and then radiates outward. The prescribed offerings begin with daily devotion. From there, it grows to weekly, monthly, and annually. I don’t believe the Lord listed these offerings in this order arbitrarily.

People who devote themselves to daily personal worship are likelier to attend weekly church services. In addition, they are more likely to volunteer in the church on a monthly scheduled basis. Of course, they will celebrate the yearly holidays. And it will be more special to them because it is a continuance and culmination of how their lives are consumed with worshipping the Lord throughout the year!

On the other hand, if we don’t offer ourselves daily, we have a decreased chance of being consistent with weekly worship. Our lesser commitment means we probably won’t volunteer and commit to any scheduled service. Sadly, annual holiday attendance winds up being burdensome and often filled with guilt.

Where your investment is, there your heart will be. Every day and everything belongs to Him. So, out of gratitude for all that he has done for you, offer yourself and your possessions freely in response to His Word.

“When the community quarreled in the Wilderness of Zin, both you and your brother Aaron rebelled against My command to uphold My holiness in their sight at the waters. Those were the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin. So Moses appealed to the Lord, ‘May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the community who will go out before them and come back in before them, and who will bring them out and bring them in, so that the Lord’s community won’t be like sheep without a shepherd.” Numbers 27:14-17 (HCSB)

Among church congregations, leadership and succession are of high importance. That is, “Who will lead us?” and “Who will replace our leader when he is gone?”

Most churches are governed by boards of elders or deacons. These boards exist because of a high concern that a renegade pastor may amass too much power. Under this system of governance, the preacher works under the authority & advisement of a group. The “group” government only works to the extent that the group seeks the Lord and shares a clear vision of God’s leading.

Other congregations allow the pastor greater authority. This form of government is called the “Moses” model. The “Moses” model only works to the extent that the leader is humble, seeks the Lord’s will above his own will, and receives wise counsel from others.

The purpose of either congregational leadership model is to uphold the Lord’s holiness in the sight of the people. Any leadership model that fails to uphold God’s holiness will ultimately fail in its attempt to lead the congregation to realize all that He desires for them. A flawed component of earthly leaders is that they are human! No human (or group of humans) will ever completely uphold God’s holiness. Still, God chooses to install human leaders. Furthermore, we should submit to leaders because they are God’s provision.  

Let’s consider the kind of leader Moses petitioned the Lord for on behalf of Israel: one who had gone out and come back in. Moses came out of Egypt (exile) and then returned to Egypt to lead Israel out. Sadly, Moses was unable to lead Israel into the Promised Land. Interesting to note is that Moses had never been to Canaan. But Joshua had. Joshua and Caleb had both been there. They were the scouts who gave a faithful report. Their report also earned them the right to re-enter Canaan and lead others there.

Jesus’ name, “Yeshua” is the Hebrew equivalent of the name Joshua, meaning “God saves.” Jesus - the “greater” Joshua - came from Heaven, and by virtue of His resurrection, He has returned there. Jesus told His disciples He was going to prepare a place for us and that He would return to bring us back with Him.  

The first Joshua led God’s people, Israel, to an earthly “promised land.” And Jesus, the greater Joshua, will lead His people, both Jew and Gentile, to the “Promised Land,” the New Jerusalem. (John 14:2-3; Revelation 21:1-3)

“These are the ones registered by Moses and Elazar the priest when they registered the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across Jericho. But among them there was not one of those who had been registered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they registered the Israelites in the Wilderness of Sinai. For the Lord said to them that they would all die in the wilderness. None of them was left except Caleb, son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.”  Numbers 26:63-65 (HCSB)

“Hey Moses, turn the lights out when you leave!”

Have you ever been the last one in line? You know, it’s halftime at the football game, and you wanted to watch the marching band, so now you’re stuck for 30 minutes trying to get a hot dog, only to find out the guy in front of you bought the last hot dog. It’s a bummer to wait for something and then be denied. That was the story of almost all the Israelites who had left Egypt. All but two: Joshua and Caleb.

The generation of Israelites who had been delivered from Egypt had grumbled, complained, and turned from the Lord. They had refused to enter the Promised Land by faith, so the Lord told them they would not enter at all. The whole generation was to die in the desert within 40 years. Only Joshua and Caleb were to enter. They were the only ones who declared, “We can defeat the inhabitants of the land because God is with us!”  

In addition, Moses & Aaron disobeyed the Lord by refusing to “speak” water from a rock, choosing instead to strike it with Moses’ staff. In return for their poor leadership, God barred Moses and Aaron from leading Israel into Canaan.

As Moses got the results of the census, one thing must have been going through his mind:  I’m the last guy. End of an inning,  

Every one of the adults (from the generation who left Egypt) had passed away, just as God had declared. Soon, Moses would be gone, but according to God’s promise, Israel would enter the much-awaited “Promised Land.”

Something I love about Jesus is how He has entered Heaven before us. Not only will He lead us into Heaven, but He has also defeated the enemy! Moreover, He prepares a place for us where we will by no means be cast out.

“The Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the Israelites because he was zealous among them with My zeal, so that I did not destroy the Israelites in My zeal. Therefore, I grant him My covenant of peace. It will be a covenant of perpetual priesthood for him and his descendants because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites.’” Numbers 25:10-13 (HCSB)

I find it interesting how the enemy of Israel summoned a foreign prophet to curse Israel, but they were unsuccessful because the Lord would not allow Israel to be cursed. The end of chapter 24 has Balaam and Balak going their own ways, frustrated over God’s blessing of Israel despite their attempts.

Of course, all of this plotting was taking place outside of Israel’s awareness. Perhaps more interesting is how (unaware of Balaam & Balak) the men of Israel were doing a fine job of cursing themselves! Their enemies were wondering where Israel’s weakness was, and Israel was engaging in open sexual sin with the women of Moab. In today’s chapter, the Bible exposes that Israel’s sexual sin was itself Baal worship.

Lesson: Israel’s enemy is not from among the Nations. The enemy of God’s children is Satan. This also applies to His children in Messiah, Jesus.

“For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.” Ephesians 6:12 (HCSB)

Make no doubt: Spiritual forces affect human attitudes and actions. But where men will give up the fight, the “enemy” never relents. Balak & Balaam walk away confused and defeated, but Satan entices the men of Israel with the oldest trick in the book.

Were it not for the zealousness of Phinehas, grandson of Aaron, God’s wrath would have destroyed Israel.

Often, we compartmentalize our lives. We have individual compartments for work, family, religion, etc. When we say we give our lives completely to God, we often mean we give Him “all” of that particular compartment, which bears His label.

God is jealous to consume ALL of your life, and we should be zealous to drive sin out of our own lives. Whether our sin is hidden or openly flaunted, we should respond as Phinehas and purge that sin from our midst.

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Numbers 24. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“God is not a man who lies, or a son of man who changes His mind. Does He speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill? I have indeed received a command to bless; since He has blessed, I cannot change it.” Numbers 23: 19-20 (HCSB)

Balaam tried his best to curse Israel, to do more than God instructed, or to speak beyond what God put into his mouth.

Why would Balaam continue to angle against the Lord? Balaam was a “for-profit” prophet.

In recent history, Americans have witnessed the advent of the “celebrity defense attorney.” These lawyers generally choose high-profile clients who are clearly guilty. Utilizing courtroom theatrics and a keen understanding of the weak points of the law, they somehow win their clients’ freedom.

When these attorneys study the law, they aren’t looking for ways to serve justice. They are searching for loopholes that will circumvent justice because that’s what their clients pay them to do! Balaam would have made a great criminal defense attorney.  

Balaam’s biggest problem was, perhaps, that he never understood the connection between obedience & blessing. That is because Balaam was driven by money, pride, and who knows what else? He consistently refused to do what God told him to do. He always chose the “seen” over the “unseen.”  Faith is the evidence of things “unseen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Balaam wanted to have a relationship with God, to be able to bless and curse, to be a real prophet—but he never wanted to obey. He wanted all the benefits and none of the responsibilities.

Balaam illustrates a person who has access to the truth, who reads the Bible continually, yet never obeys it. These people have access to and knowledge of the truth, but they are never willing to put it into practice because they insist on doing what they want to do.

It is admirable that you would join me in reading a chapter of the Bible each day. REMEMBER: The benefits of the Bible come not from simply reading but from living out what you read.

“Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and she asked Balaam, ‘What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?’  Balaam answered the donkey, ‘You made me look like a fool. If I had a sword in my hand, I’d kill you now.’  But the donkey said, ‘Am I not the donkey you’ve ridden all your life until today? Have I ever treated you this way before?’  ‘No,’ he replied. Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the path with a sword drawn in His hand.”  Numbers 22:28-31a (HCSB)

What is a donkey? It is simply a beast of burden. It carries your load (and sometimes yourself) wherever and whenever you want. A donkey, although stubborn by nature, exists solely to serve men.

For Balaam, his donkey was a metaphor for his relationship with God. Balaam wanted the benefits of God’s power and wisdom without being accountable to Him.  Balaam was a bit of a braying donkey, himself in that sense!

What I find interesting in Balaam’s conversation with his donkey (and the subsequent dialogue with the Angel of the Lord) is how merciful God was towards Balaam (at that moment). The Lord is basically saying, “What have I done to you, that you would mistreat me, mistrust my leading, and attempt to assert your will upon My prophetic Word when you know it is impossible to change circumstances once I have spoken?”

I believe Balaam - a non-Jew - had a real shot at a relationship with God at that moment. In the end, he chose an affiliation over a relationship. Balaam knew “about” God, but he never really “knew” Him.  That is, Balaam never surrendered his will to God’s Lordship. In the same way, there are many who affiliate with the Church, know of Jesus, have had spiritual/worshipful moments in Christian assembly, and, perhaps, claim to follow Him.  Yet they don’t know Jesus in a saving way. They wish to reap the benefits of associating with Jesus but never surrender to His Lordship and the Spirit’s leading.

Perhaps we should ask ourselves how God has loved us (while we were yet sinners- Romans 5:8) the next time we are tempted to choose our personal gain over the Lord’s promises. Could it be that we have merely affiliated with God (as opposed to surrendering to His Lordship) and, in doing so, have denied ourselves a true (and completely obtainable) relationship with Him? How we choose to continue following Jesus, listening to the Holy Spirit, and seeking His Word, regardless of the circumstances, is perhaps our truest indicator of the genuineness of our faith – that a true spiritual transformation has occurred and is leading us onward, sanctifying us, as it were, to serve the Lord, void of our personal agendas.

“The people then came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede with the Lord so that He will take the snakes away from us.’  And Moses interceded for the people. Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a snake image and mount it to a pole. When anyone looks at it, he will recover.’  So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it to a pole. Whenever someone was bitten and he looked at the bronze snake, he recovered.”  Numbers 21:7-9 (HCSB)

I recently flew home from a five-day ministry event. I traveled across the entire nation, literally coast-to-coast, with two other musicians when we received news of weather delays in Dallas. We had already experienced two delayed connections, so it was frustrating to hear our final flight would not depart on time.

When faced with difficulty, people generally have a choice as to how they will respond. Furthermore, our personal responses can set the tone for a whole group of people.  I turned to those traveling with me and said, “Our job is to bring joy to this airport.”

Remembering our overriding mission as believers helped us determine our response to the situation. We set the emotional and spiritual tones for ourselves, and then we went about the task of ministering to those around us: flight personnel, shop workers, and fellow passengers. We even pulled out our guitars and sang a few songs for whoever would listen.

Israel did not have a very good history of controlling its responses to adverse circumstances. Whenever you are around someone negative, almost every comment is like a snake’s bite, full of venom. Did you know that a negative attitude can be a sin?  That’s what God says.

In this chapter, the Lord directed Moses to fashion Israel’s sin as He sees it. It is as if God were saying, “If you want to be venomous with your comments, your judgment will be literal venomous snakebites.” Not until you see your sin, as God sees it, will you recognize your need for healing/salvation.

Jesus said to Nicodemus, a Pharisee who came to him at night during the Passover season, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.”  John 3:14-15 (HCSB)

Picture Jesus, bloody, beaten, and crucified. That is what we allow sin to do to us. Only when we see our sin as God sees it do we appreciate His method of salvation and the great value of Jesus’ atonement.