pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: moving


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Moving Forward

Readings: Numbers 15, Numbers 16, Numbers 17, Numbers 18

Numbers 18:29 – “You will present each gift offering to the LORD from all your gifts, from its best portions and its holiest parts.”

On the heels of choosing fear over faith and being doomed to wander the wilderness for 40 years, in chapter 15 God details the offerings to be given when they do enter the Promised Land. The wander is clearly a detour. God has a plan. So God reviews the offerings required for unintentional sins. God is clear that there is no reconciliation offering for deliberate or intentional sin. They are cut off. In the next chapter we will see what that looks like. The chapter closes with instructions to place blue fringes on all of their clothing. Blue represents holy. The fringes will remind them of the commitment to their holy God.

Chapter 16 contains challenges to Moses and to Aaron. Korah and his Levite clan want more power. Dathan and Abiram think Moses has too much power. Korah and his family are gathered. God plans to consume Korah’s entire household. Moses intercedes for the innocents. God relents. Dathan and Abiram refuse to appear before Moses. They and their families are swallowed up by the earth. Korah and his 250 followers are consumed by God’s fire. The community grumbles against these deaths and therefore against Moses and God. God sends a plague. Moses sends Aaron out into the community to stop the plague. Aaron stands between the dead and the living, halting the plague.

To reiterate God’s call on Aaron, the staffs of the 12 tribal leaders are gathered and placed with Aaron’s staff before the chest. Aaron’s staff buds, revealing God’s choice. The people lament. For now they fail to see the humility required to be in God’s presence. Today’s readings close with priestly duties and their compensation. It mostly reiterates earlier instructions but also adds a requirement of the priests. Since they belong to the Lord they will not be given a land inheritance. Instead they will receive the tenth of the crops and herds given to the Lord. In turn God will require them to give 1/10 of this to the Lord as their gift offering. It is to be “from its best portions.” May we too return to the Lord a portion from the best of our blessings.

Prayer: Lord God, in spite of the Israelites’ disobedience and rebellion and sin you keep the plan moving forward. You see and know the end results. In our lives we disobey and rebel and sin. You continue to work in our lives as well, leading and guiding, shaping and forming us into who and what you call us to be. In response, may we gratefully give our best to you in all situations. Amen.


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The Wilderness

Reading: Psalm 107: 1-3

Verse 1: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever”.

Psalm 107 is a Psalm that reminds us of God’s faithful love. It is a song of thanksgiving to the God that never abandons or leaves his people. The Israelites and individuals within the faith community have experienced this faithful love. The nation has experienced exile, slavery, and times of oppression and conflict with those living around them. Individuals like Joseph, David, Samuel, and Job have had their own wilderness experiences. Each time that the community has found themselves in the wilderness, whatever that may be, God has remained present and connected to his people. At times the connection was to a small remnant, but God was always faithful. Experiencing this over and over has led them to “give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever”.

As we experience life we also find ourselves in the wilderness from time to time. We find ourselves there in many ways. Loss and grief can lead us into the wilderness. Moving, job loss, and other forms of unwanted change can lead us to this place. Sudden bouts of physical or mental illness can take us to the place of isolation and fear. Yes, there are many ways that we can find ourselves in the wilderness. If we choose to remain connected to God, then we experience what the psalmist and the Israelites experienced. God remains present. God sustains us. God’s faithful love endures the trials with us. From these experiences we too can proclaim: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever”. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord, your love is grander than the mountains and deeper than the ocean’s depths. Your faithfulness stretches past the furthest star. I am but a tiny speck in the cosmos, but you love me as if I were the only speck. Thank you, God. Amen.