Daily Bible Devotionals

“The mixed multitude among them had a craving for other food. The Israelites cried again and said, ‘Who will feed us meat? We remember the free fish we ate in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. But now our appetite is gone; there’s nothing to look at but this manna!’” Numbers 11:4b-6 (HCSB)

“Out on the road today, I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac. A little voice inside my head said, ‘Don’t look back…you can never look back.’” - Don Henley

One year after their miraculous deliverance, the Israelites are starting to yearn for dear old Egypt. In some ways, they were not unlike the Grateful Dead fans in Don Henley’s “Boys Of Summer.” He wanted his free-spirited Hippie youth without forfeiting his yuppie Cadillac.

Israel wanted both their freedom and the benefits of Egypt. They chose to remember the positive aspects of Egypt, somehow forgetting the whole “slavery” thing.

God’s response: You can’t have your manna and Egypt too! (It was funny to me…)

To be fair to Israel, it wasn’t the whole nation who was grumbling, at least at first. It all started with what the Bible calls the “mixed multitude.” These were the foreigners who came out of Egypt along with the Israelites. They had no enduring relationship with God yet benefited from Israel’s blessed deliverance.

As we learned at the end of chapter 10, there is a shared blessing for any Gentile who partners with Israel. On Mount Sinai, God gave the same directions for both Israelites and foreigners living among them to worship Him.  If the foreigner disobeyed, he would be put out of the community or killed!

However, God’s miracles were too soon forgotten. Hunger always determines the behavior of the ungodly. Pretty soon, many in the “mixed multitude” complained about God’s rules of holiness and shucked the kosher laws for some unclean dinner! Those Israelites close to them disobeyed, as well.

In American culture, being “separate unto God” is not honored…even among many who profess to be believers. It never surprises me when followers of Jesus choose to live on the “border” of the Church and the World, then fall into moral disrepair. Their demise is foretold in numerous Bible accounts, such as today’s chapter.

Our greatest strength is found when we are closest to that section of God’s people who seek the Lord without abandon. When THAT section moves out to impact the World, it is harder for the enemy to pick them off…because they move out as a group, not as individuals.

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Numbers 10. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Whether it was two days, a month, or longer, the Israelites camped and did not set out as long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle. But when it was lifted, they set out. They camped at the Lord’s command, and they set out at the Lord’s command. They carried out the Lord’s requirement according to His command through Moses.” Numbers 9: 22-23 (HCSB)

While traveling around the world in a Christian rock band, I stumbled into a few exciting situations and met some amazing people. One such encounter happened at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO.  

Our concert at the Academy happened to fall on the induction weekend for the new Academy plebes. Shortly after our band’s soundcheck, an upperclassman gave me the “psssst…” sign. I inclined his invitation. After we walked around the corner, he asked, “You want to see something cool?” Of course I did! He led me to the projection room of a theater where they were “hazing” the underclassmen.

Then, the hazing stopped abruptly, and they began projecting patriotic and battlefield images onto the theater’s movie screen. This group of sleep-deprived and thoroughly hazed late teens went wild! The energy and patriotic fervor were quite remarkable. The upperclassmen reminded the newbies of America’s tradition of military superiority and exactly why the “United States” is worth fighting for.

The book of Numbers describes how God regimented Israel into a disciplined nation. After the tabernacle was assembled and the Levites consecrated, the Lord’s first command was for Israel to remember. They were to observe the Passover. The Lord knew that Israel’s remembrance of their slavery, their bitter tears, and His deliverance was imperative to make their wilderness “boot camp” endurable.

An interesting phenomenon occurs in boot camp: All personal identity is diminished, and the “company” identity develops. Everyone gets the same haircut, the same uniform, and endures the same hardship. Nobody has a predictable sleep or eating schedule. It makes no sense, except that everyone goes through it together. That’s how war is. Likewise, God generally chooses to bond His people through adversity. That’s how life is.

Adversity produces better followers than miracles produce. This is simply because the individual undergoing adversity learns to listen to and obey the leader’s voice. Additionally, the individual learns to work alongside like-pursuant members of their Christian community.

Take a moment to remember life before your personal deliverance through Jesus. Now, commit yourself afresh to trust & follow Him wherever, whenever, and however He leads. Remember, the Lord has a plan, and He always chooses rightly.

“The Lord spoke to Moses: ‘In regard to the Levites: From 25 years old or more, a man enters the service in the work at the tent of meeting. But at 50 years old he is to retire from his service in the work and no longer serve. He may assist his brothers to fulfill responsibilities at the tent of meeting, but he must not do the work. This is how you are to deal with the Levites regarding their duties.’”  Numbers 8: 23-26 (HCSB)

I have friends who are real estate investors. Presently, they are building retirement communities for young (young-at-heart) retirees. Part of the secular “American Dream” is to work hard, be diligent with your money, and spend your retirement years playing, more or less. I don’t see such a lifestyle even suggested in the Bible.

Two of my favorite friends working on church staff are over 8o years old. One is a WWII veteran, and the other is a former industrial engineer. If you ask them about retirement, they’ll tell you that followers of Jesus never retire from serving the Lord. Put simply, when it came time to retire from their occupations, they began working full-time on their preoccupations, namely, sharing the gospel.

Track with me momentarily: almost every church I have attended has been (or soon became) a megachurch. I’ve visited smaller congregations, but I seldom find much gospel synergy in small churches. I tend to be attracted to the excitement and opportunity present in thriving congregations. And growing churches have dynamic leaders.

That being the case, every organization must face the eventual exit of its founder or leader. Our culture loves to follow personas. We are naturally drawn to celebrities. So, whenever a charismatic persona leaves a congregation, it can lead to its collapse. Why? Because charisma kills vision. What I mean is when a church relies too much on its leader to save the day (instead of relying on the Lord), they generally spend inadequate amounts of time building up young leaders to take their place in the pulpit. Then, when the leader is gone, there is nobody in reserve. Israel needed a Joshua to follow Moses. Every Elijah needs an Elisha in the wings…and your church (or ministry) needs a successor, too.

God saw this potential for leadership implosion in Israel, and He set up guidelines to perpetuate leaders and managers throughout the generations. Leadership magnate John Maxwell says, “Success is defined by the successor.” He means that it’s not enough to build a big organization. More important is building an organization that would thrive in your absence. That means your organization must be founded on and supported by values and principles rather than the charisma of a leader.

Jesus said, “Go make disciples.” Perhaps that element of discipleship is the heart of the Levitical “mandatory retirement” policy. Every Levite got his day in the sun, and then he was commanded to spend the rest of his life preparing and enabling the next generation.

“So Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites. He gave the Gershonites two carts and four oxen corresponding to their service, and gave the Merarites four carts and eight oxen corresponding to their service, under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. But he did not give any to the Kohathites, since their responsibility was service related to the holy objects carried on their shoulders.” Numbers 7:6-9 (HCSB)

There are many different tasks involved in running a church. It’s not all preaching and Bible study, you know. Whenever a church grows, so do the jobs that accompany the ministry. One day, while working for a church in California, I arrived at work only to find one of our church maintenance guys repairing the lock on my office door. (Apparently, vandals had squirted superglue into several locks on campus.)  So, there I was, waiting for the lock to be repaired because my locksmith skills were feeble.  

That is when it hit me how specialized our ministry had become. Each church employee and volunteer has a specific task, often needing specialized tools. It doesn’t make sense to give the janitors laptop computers, although I’m sure they’d each like one. It also doesn’t make sense to give socket wrenches to the teaching staff. We provide our staffers with what they need to accomplish their specific tasks.

On the day Moses dedicated the Tabernacle, the tribal leaders donated 6 carts and 12 oxen for the service of the Tabernacle. The Levites divided the items among themselves, except for Aaron’s family, the Kohathites. Why? The Kohathites were to carry holy objects on their shoulders. Now, it seems inefficient to carry things when you have free carts & oxen. So, why would God disallow them this labor-saving gift?

Perhaps it is because the holiest things in our lives must also be the most personal. Some ministry tasks can be accomplished with time-saving gadgets, but the most important job, our efforts toward discipleship through personal interaction with God, must be done on our own. For instance, you can Google the answers to most Bible questions, but that is not a substitute for the time spent with the Lord through personal Bible study, to the extent that you simply know the answers because you know God and His Word personally. It seems our culture is more interested in knowing God’s guidance than in getting to know the Guide, Himself!  

I love hearing great preaching and reading Bible commentaries, but nobody else can pray the prayers God has laid aside for me to pray or read the Bible on my behalf. I must “shoulder” those responsibilities myself. There are simply some things, which cannot be carted along by the labor of others.

Furthermore, it is our personal dedication to the Lord that will carry the gospel. No TV program, hit song, or Hollywood blockbuster will impact the lives of those close to you more than the testimony of your personal dedication (or lack thereof) to God.

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell Aaron and his sons, “This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.’” Numbers 6:22-27 (NIV)

This blessing, with which the Lord commanded Aaron to bless the people, is known as the “Aaronic” Blessing. In Jewish culture, it is also known as the Birkat Kohanim or “Priestly” Blessing.

Here’s an interesting item for all Star Trek fans. Remember Spock’s “Live long and prosper” sign? Well, if you do it with both hands and join the thumbs together, you’ll form the gesture that rabbis make while giving the Priestly Blessing. Who would have thought that in a galaxy far, far away, William Shatner and Leonard Nemoy would be Jews, copping the Priestly Blessing down to the hand sign? I’m sure many a Jewish geeky pre-teen giggled at the Semitic space reference back in the ’60s!

What I find most interesting is the idea of “putting God’s Name on the Israelites.”  In ancient Near Eastern culture, the family was everything. When people had children, the boys were celebrated over the girls. I’m not saying that’s the way it should be. It’s just that it was important to have boys because boys carried on the family name.

The Third Commandment is:  Do not take the Lord’s Name in vain.  

Almost every time I have heard the third Commandment taught from a pulpit, it has been explained as a command against cursing or swearing. While it is never a good idea to use dirty language or invoke the Lord’s name in some demeaning manner, I’m not sure that’s precisely what the Third Commandment is about.

The Third Commandment literally translates: Do not receive/use the Lord’s Name in vain.”

When we see the Priestly Blessing in light of the 3rd Commandment, we understand the importance of honoring and respecting the fact that the Lord was transferring His Name to the people. The people who accepted the blessing were literally receiving God’s Name and committing to being His inheritance. Followers of Jesus understand the concept of being adopted or co-inheritors with Messiah (Romans 8:17). It is another way to comprehend the vast richness of blessing bestowed to those to whom God gives His Name.

Let’s not receive it in vain.

“The Lord spoke to Moses: ‘Tell the Israelites: When a man or woman commits any sin against another, that person acts unfaithfully toward the Lord and is guilty,” The person is to confess the sin he has committed. He is to pay full compensation, add a fifth of its value to it, and give it to the individual he has wronged.” Numbers 5: 5-7 (HCSB)

In life, there are basically two kinds of relationships: Horizontal and vertical.  

HORIZONTAL relationships are between other people and us. It is essential to have healthy horizontal relationships because we all have to get along.

If history has a theme, it should perhaps be, “Men don’t naturally get along.” Its subtitle might be: “How selfishness destroys community.” Watch the news. Men of selfish ambitions (personal or national) are always battling, to some degree.

VERTICAL relationships are between men & God. Mankind generally recognizes the idea of God, although most do not worship the true God. There are many worldwide campaigns for sincere spiritual discovery. Sadly, most of those searches are sincerely wrong. How can I be so bold as to suggest someone’s genuine faith is in vain? Because God has prescribed how His creation should worship Him. It’s not my opinion. It’s the truth of the Bible. (Proverbs 14:11-12)

How a person’s Horizontal and Vertical relationships interface is very telling of their spiritual condition.

When asked what the “greatest commandment” is, Jesus replied by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and all your mind.” Jesus quickly followed up his reply by referencing Leviticus 19:18. He said, “The second (greatest commandment) is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Put simply:  Love God and love people. You cannot separate the two.

Numbers 5 teaches us that when we sin Horizontally, we are also sinning Vertically.  When we sin against people, it is also unfaithfulness towards the Lord. That’s why the priests could seek the Lord’s judgment on secret interpersonal sin. All sin is a sin against Him, thus within His knowledge…perhaps an insight into omniscience.  

If we don’t love our neighbor as ourselves, we do not love the Lord, our God, with all we have. Inversely, if we don’t love the Lord with all we have, we will never be able to truly love people.

“Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel registered all the Levites by their clans and their ancestral houses, from 30 years old to 50 years old, everyone who was qualified to do the work of serving at the tent of meeting and transporting it. Their registered men numbered 8,580. At the Lord’s command, they were registered under the direction of Moses, each one according to his work and transportation duty, and his assignment was as the Lord commanded Moses.” Numbers 4:46-49 (HCSB)

“Steve, you can be president someday.”  I remember those words from my elementary school teacher. She really believed in me and saw in me things that I didn’t even see in myself. Foundational to the “American dream” is the notion that if you work hard, you can do & be whatever or whoever you want to be.

In America, a poor electrician from Memphis can become the King of Rock and roll. “5 & 10 Cent Store” owners can build Walmart empires, and geeky pre-teens can develop Microsoft &Facebook.  

Our freedom to pursue happiness is part of what makes Americans unique and proud. I am blessed to have been born & raised in the United States. My Dad retired as a Lt. Colonel in the Air Force. I can wave the flag with the best of them.

American followers of Jesus should especially take special note of this chapter. Honoring God with your life is not about what you “could” do. It’s about what you “should” do.

If studying the Bible has taught me anything, it is that God constantly reinforces the theme of His “calling.” That is, He calls specific people to specific places to perform specific tasks for specific periods of time.  

We have each been created with a purpose. Quite frankly, I am relieved to know God doesn’t just call us “out from” the World. He also calls us “into” a specific relationship with Jesus. Furthermore, He leads us on paths designed for us to serve Him by serving others in His Kingdom.

Could I be president? Maybe. I’d appreciate your vote! The real question is: Should I be president?  

“Lord, how do You want to use me?” Now, that’s the greatest question.

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Numbers 3. Click the links below to watch or listen now!