Head āem up ā move āem out.
Exodus 14: Moses spoke to the people…āStand firm and watch God do his workā¦God said to Moses: Order them to get moving.ā
Behind them is the army of Egypt, moving in to destroy them. Before them is the Red Sea, impassable. What are they to do? Moses has great faith, āStand still and seeā¦ā what God will do. That sounds good. They have pretty much stood still through the plagues and God took care of everything. Surely Moses is right and God will do it again. But God has other ideas. Even as the people of Israel had a part in the Passover by following Godās directions, now they have a part in this final victory over Egypt. The Almighty says, āDonāt stand stillā¦move forward.ā As they obey the command to move, God acts and deliverance comes. There are, indeed, times to āstand still.ā To do otherwise is to attempt to be our own deliverers ā something thatās bound to fail. At times like that we simply wait on the Lord. However, there are more often times to āget moving.ā To do so is to act in faith that God is with us and that he has given us a role to play in our own salvation.
Take Away: Donāt be guilty of standing still when God is saying, āMove out.ā
Tag: obedience
Devotional on Exodus
What an offer
Exodus 19: Everything God says, we will do.
The miracle at the Red Sea has provided a deliverance that will be remembered forever. However, what’s about to happen is intended to form these newly freed slaves into a people of God. Theyāre camped at the foot of Sinai and the Lord is stating his plan for them. If theyāll listen obediently to his words theyāll be a unique people on the face of the earth: a kingdom of priests who enjoy the blessings of the Almighty. The elders of Israel immediately respond that āeverything God says, we will do.ā I know that Iām standing at the beginning of what will be a long, failure-filled journey. They wonāt even break camp at Sinai before thereās a massive spiritual failure. Still, if I stop looking ahead and simply consider this exchange, Iām impressed by what I see. First, The Lord’s making the wonderful, amazing promise of connecting their lives to his. They donāt deserve it but in an amazing act of grace the offer is made. Second, they say āyes.ā Again, I know that many failures are coming, but in this time and place, when God offers them this unlikely partnership, they respond with just the right answer. In spite of the fact that I know things arenāt going to always work out as they should I also remember here that had they said, āNoā the story would end here and now. In saying āyesā to God they open the door to an unprecedented relationship with him. To some extent, all human beings receive this same offer from the Lord. We can respond that weāre not worthy or that itās too hard or that weāre likely to fail. Know what? He already knows all that. Still, the offer is there. When the Lord calls my name, I can respond no better than these ancient Israelites did: āEverything God says, we will do.ā
Take Away: I canāt do better than saying the ābig yesā to the Lord.
Devotional on Exodus
Covenants
Exodus 24: Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it as the people listened. They said, āEverything God said, weāll do. Yes, weāll obey.ā
Things are coming together for this nation of ex-slaves. Theyāve been delivered from the bondage of Egypt, are receiving constant guidance from the Lord who is also providing their needs. Now the rules for living have been laid out. Soon, God, Himself, will write out the basics on tablets of stone. To their credit, the people are ready. They pledge themselves to obedience. Now, you and I know that this isnāt going to work out. Godās faithfulness to them will be contrasted by their failure to keep the Covenant. Still, God isnāt setting them up to fail. In this Covenant we see all the potential for success. Their failure in breaking the Covenant is what stops the plan from being a success. Hundreds of years later God will initiate another plan. You know it: āFor God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Sonā¦.ā Once again, and in an even more complete way, everything’s in place for success. And, once again Godās part is perfect. In fact, he’s even gone so far as to provide us the grace to make the same commitment they made. Now, Heaven awaits our response to the New Covenant.
Take Away: We have every reason in the world to live victorious, godly lives.
Devotional on Numbers
They did it all
Numbers 1: The People of Israel did everything that God commanded Moses. They did it all.
The story of the Israelites seems to be either āhotā or ācold.ā They either march forward in victorious obedience or shrink back in the sin of unbelief. I think thatās rather unfair. For one thing, by its very nature the Bible is a book of spectacular success or spectacular failure. At times decades of ordinary events are skipped to jump to the next big event. The first chapter of Numbers sets up the census and the coming description of other everyday duties of various servants. The mountain top of the Ten Commands is history and the failure to enter Canaan lies ahead. For now, they are learning the ropes of living day by day as Godās people. As we read the Bible it appears that the day to day part is minor, just a way to mark time between the big stuff. In reality itās the opposite. Most sentences used to describe life end with periods. Only a few earn exclamation marks. At this point, Mosesā congregation earns high marks. āThey did it all.ā
Take Away: The real measure of our Christianity is how we handle the day-to-day, ordinary part of our lives.
Devotional on Numbers
Faith talk
Numbers 14: If God is pleased with us, he will lead us into the landā¦just don’t rebel against God!ā¦Don’t be afraid of them.”
Joshua and Caleb ā I like these guys! While everyone else is talking grasshopper talk they’re talking faith talk! They saw all the same things their fellow explorers saw ā both the good and the bad, yet while the others are convinced of sure failure, these two gents are trying to rally the troops into action. It isn’t that theyāve decided that their army is superior to those of their foes. Instead, they believe God has made certain promises to them, has brought them to this place, and now commands them to action. You see, Joshua and Caleb aren’t especially brave. In fact, theyāre fearful. Theyāre afraid, not of giants, but of rebelling against God. Let’s see: giants over here, God over there. If Iām going displease one or the other, which should it be? Itās easy: I’d rather have God on my side against the giants than have giants on my side against God!
Take Away: If Iām going to be fearful, let me be fearful of failing God.
Devotional on Numbers
Grace abounds
Numbers 14: In this wilderness they will come to their end. There they will die.
It sounds unfair, doesn’t it? God brings them out of Egypt, cares for them and leads them to the land he’s promised. Then, when theyāre afraid of the giants of Canaan he dumps them. It sounds unfair; but it isnāt. Hereās whatās happening: heās giving them their own way. They don’t want to listen to the pleading and encouraging word of Caleb and Joshua, they don’t want to follow the lead of Moses, and they don’t want to trust God. So God says, “Okay.” If they prefer to go back into the wilderness heāll let them go. The result will be tragic, their bones scattered across the desert. But if they insist, heāll let them have it their way. Even here thereās grace. Manna will continue to fall, their clothes wonāt wear out, and God will still be their God. The words quoted above arenāt a death sentence. Rather, theyāre a statement of reality. The Lord will patiently wait until these decision-makers have died off and then give the same command and make the same offer to their children. Passages like this define both free will and grace. On one hand, God wonāt force us to obey him. On the other, heāll never stop working in our lives, patiently calling us to himself and to his purposes for us.
Take Away: The Lord wonāt negate our free will, even for our own good.
Devotional on Numbers
Serious business
Numbers 16: Earth opened its mouth and in one gulp swallowed them down.
In spite of the awesome encounters with the Almighty and his daily provision for them, and in spite of the progress thatās been made in the construction of the Tent of Worship as well as the organization of the hundreds of thousands of people, serious opposition is building in the camp. Many resent Mosesā assumption of authority and doubt his ability to lead them forward. Resentment and doubt fester and some step forward to seize the moment. They rally a collation to challenge Moses. Not once, but twice the entire nation is moments away from eradication due to the wrath of the Almighty. Moses calls for a contest of sorts. Representatives of both sides will come to burn incense before the Lord. God will choose who will lead his people. The contest is a brief one. No one can doubt the Lordās answer as the earth opens to swallow up the rebels. The 250 who are offering incense to the Lord are struck dead by lightning. If that isnāt enough, the next day many throughout the camp complain, blaming Moses for all the death the previous day and the Lord responds by sending a plague that kills 14,700 people. Clearly, the Lord is intent on establishing, once and for all, Moses as the leader of the Israelites. Just as clear, is the realization that to this very day God expects his plans to be followed. Without doubt, Iām aware of the grace, mercy, patience and love the Lord has for us. I need to also be aware that none of this means the Lord will just go along with me when I challenge his purposes in the world. The result my rebellion may not be as dramatic as it was among these ancient Israelites but it will be just as serious. Challenging God is always serious business.
Take Away: Never doubt it: the Lord expects us to be obedient to his will.
Devotional on Numbers
Talking to rocks
Numbers 20: Speak to the rockā¦do we have to bring water out of this rock for youā¦slammed his staff against the rock.
Weāre familiar with most of the big events in the life of Moses. We know about the bulrushes, the burning bush, the plagues, the Red Sea crossing, and Mount Sinai. Sadly, when the story of Moses is told his failure at Meribah has to be included. This is the blot on his life and, later on, this is what disqualifies him from entering the Promised Land. On the surface it seems like a minor infraction. God says to him, “Speak to the rock” and, instead, he “hits the rock.” As I read this and see the seriousness of God’s response I immediately think that there has to be more. I think the “more” is what Moses says before he strikes the rock. Moses’ leadership has been challenged before and each time heās responded by pointing the people to the Lord. Moses’ entire case for leadership, his credentials, is that heās God’s man. In this case as his leadership is being once again challenged, he takes matters into his own hands. He doesn’t say, “Listen, rebels! Watch what the Lord is going to do for you.” Instead, he says, “Listen, rebels! Do we have to bring water out of this rock for you?” The difference is profound. Instead of God getting the credit, Moses and Aaron are taking it. Remember, this is not the mistake of a young person in their first pastoral assignment. This is an intentional shifting of emphasis by a seasoned man of God whoās had many personal encounters with the Lord. God takes this intentional failure seriously. We see here that God expects gifted leaders to remember the source of their authority, to remember that they are stewards of his, and that theyāre expected to always serve with that in mind. To do otherwise mars an otherwise exemplary ministry.
Take Away: The longer we walk with the Lord the more he expects of us.
Devotional on Numbers
What God intended in the first place
Numbers 23: How can I curse whom God has not cursed?
Balaam is hired by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the Israelites. After the talking donkey incident, Balaam has had a change of heart. After all, part of that unusual event is that he saw the angel of the Lord with sword in hand blocking his way. Now as he arrives, Balak urges him to go ahead and curse the Israelites. Balaam agrees to do his thing, but warns Balak that he can only say what the Lord allows him to say. He enters into his āprophetic tranceā and the words that come out of his mouth are a disappointment to Balak. Right off itās plain that the pitiful prophet, whoās toying with stuff he would be better off leaving alone, isnāt going to do a very good job of cursing Godās people. Instead, Balaam hears himself blessing them. This whole blessing and cursing stuff is off the mark anyway. Godās people donāt believe in spells and magic. Rather, we believe in God. In this case the Lord used Balaamās hocus pocus for his own purposes, but remember this: God already intends to bless Israel. Thatās what heās been saying all along. Even if Balakās plan had worked and Balaam managed to state a mysterious, mystic curse on Israel it would have just been a lot of hot air. Beyond that, Balaamās blessing doesnāt actually mean anything either. God didnāt hear this silly prophet state a blessing and think he had to obey. The Lord continued to do what he intended to do all along.
Take Away: The Lord is sovereign and all the hocus pocus in the world isnāt going to force him to do anything.
Devotional on Deuteronomy
The distant reach of failure
Deuteronomy 1: Don’t be terrified of them, God, your God, is leading the way; he’s fighting for you.
The “you” in this passage isnāt the members of the present congregation. Itās their parents. However, Moses is speaking to them as a nation of people, seen as one with the previous generation. This doesn’t sit well with my Western mindset. We Westerners are individualists who like to think we make our own decisions apart from others. In this case it was 40 years earlier that Moses had said these words and “they” refused to hear, refused to have faith, and refused to obey. The penalty was 40 years in the wilderness — an experience all those in the congregation hearing this sermon did share, at least to some extent. Soon it will be their turn to hear, believe, and obey. Moses is preparing them for it by reminding them of their already shared failure in their parents. Still, God is the God of Second Chances. Soon they will stand on the banks of the river. To a great extent they will have the opportunity to erase the failure of those who went before them. While Iām no expert on “generational curses” (or “generational blessings” for that matter) Iām reminded that my failure or faithfulness reaches far beyond my individual life.
Take Away: Itās unlikely anyone ever sees the full extent of their influence, be it for good or for evil.
Devotional on Deuteronomy
Donāt mess with God
Deuteronomy 4: God, your God, is not to be trifled with — he’s a consuming fire, a jealous God.
On one hand, I have the matchless grace of God: his patience, forgiveness, and good will toward me. On the other hand, thereās his justice: a hatred of sin and a love for righteousness. Iād better not ever forget God’s justice. Ultimately, God will have his way. To presume on God’s grace is to ignore his justice. Moses tells the people to be careful that they don’t mess with God. They have made certain commitments that include promising to keep the ground rules God has laid out. Whatās true for them is true for me. It isn’t that God requires perfect behavior from me — that’s beyond my reach. However, he does require me to keep faith with him. He requires me to live my life as a man of God and to be open to his correction and leadership in my life. This relationship is not only my valued treasure, but is also my greatest responsibility. It must be held in utmost reverence in my life.
Take Away: Being a follower of God is a wonderful blessing ā along with that blessing is an awesome responsibility.
Devotional on Deuteronomy
Live long and prosper
Deuteronomy 4: Obediently live by his rules and commands which I’m giving you today so that you’ll live well and your children after you.
So how does it work? Is it that God has given me these rules and regulations and will pay me back with blessings if I keep them? I don’t think so. God doesn’t lay down arbitrary rules just for the purpose of keeping me in line and he doesnāt treat me like a little child whoās rewarded with a stick of candy if Iām good. His purposes for me are filled with grace and mercy. If God says, “Don’t” I can be sure that itās for my benefit and not his. My Creator, who knows me better than I know myself says, “When I created you I hardwired some very specific things about you. If you want your life to function at its best, hereās how youāre to live.” Following these guidelines doesn’t mean life will be trouble free (after all, thereās that ugly business of the fall in the opening pages of my Bible) but it does mean that Iāll live the best, most satisfying and fulfilled life possible. Not only that, but by living according to God’s plan, Iāll be teaching my children the best way to live. The result will be that my kids will be more likely to adopt my approach to living in a relationship with God and their lives will also be better lived.
Take Away: When I live Godās way, not only is my life better, but I also influence my children to live for God, resulting in their lives also being better.
Devotional on Deuteronomy
Step into the fire
Deuteronomy 5: You were afraid, remember, of the fire and wouldn’t climb the mountain.
It was over 40 years earlier but Moses remembers it like it was yesterday. God called him up to the mountain and in that place he had a powerful encounter with the Almighty. The people of Israel, however, didn’t want that experience. They saw the billowing smoke and the fire of God and were afraid. Because of that, they preferred that Moses be their representative while they stayed safely in the valley. I wonder how many blessings I miss because it is easier to stay where I am than it is to have a raw, fire-filled encounter with the Lord. To be fair, thereās more going on in my heart that just my wanting to stay comfortably unchanged. After all, itās frightening to come face to face with God. To get that close to God is to step into the fire. Intellectually I know itās a good thing to meet God at that level. In fact, I hunger for him in my spirit. Still, I find myself hesitating to abandon myself to the fire of the Almighty. But I must. Otherwise, I condemn myself to a life thatās a shadow of what it could be.
Take Away: When the Lord invites you to step into the fire accept that invitation.
Devotional on Deuteronomy
Starting point
Deuteronomy 6: Attention, Israel! GOD, our God! GOD the one and only! Love GOD, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that’s in you, love him with all you’ve got!
Even elaborate systems of thought can be distilled down to basic concepts. The Shema of Deuteronomy 6 is not all there is to God’s intentions for us, but itās the center point for all else, the foundation upon which all else is laid. God is one. He exists. All that we can hope for and all that we can ever expect to know starts here: God is God. And, God desires our love. He wants us to love him without reservation; with absolute abandon. This isn’t all that we should know about God’s desire for us, but it starts here. Everything else: the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament and the Beatitudes of the New Testament, the story of Creation of Genesis to the promise of restoration of John’s Revelationā¦all of it starts here. God is and our relationship with this “I Am” is founded on love.
Take Away: The route to building something that lasts is to start with a solid foundation.
Devotional on Deuteronomy
He never has failed me yet
Deuteronomy 8: So it’s paramount that you keep the commandments of Godā¦walk down the roads he shows you and reverently respect him.
The road God has led them down has not always been easy. At times, they’ve been pushed to the limit. Still, in all of it God proved faithful. There has been manna from heaven, perpetual clothes and shoes, and many other direct evidences of God’s steady faithfulness. The fact of the matter is that while their wilderness journey is about to end, there are more times of testing to come. Those same giants that scared their parents off 40 years earlier still live down the road a few miles ahead. The cities are still fortified and the armies there are still superior. Moses says they need to learn from the past as they move to the future. Iām reminded today that sometimes God leads me down roads that scare me to death! Still, as the old song says, “He never has failed me yet.” With that in mind, I walk down the roads he shows me. If he says, “go” that means he’ll go with me and make a way even when I can’t imagine how it can all work out.
Take Away: The Lord never leads us where he doesnāt go with us.
Devotional on Deuteronomy
The path to the good life
Deuteronomy 10: ā¦live a good life.
These days, “health and wealth” preaching is pretty popular. “Have enough faith, pray hard enough,” even, “Give me some money” and as a result you’ll drive a nice car, live in a big house, and never be sick. Moses, though, has his own take on “health and wealth.” In this passage he carefully lists the route to the “good life.” Itās all centered on doing what God expects. What does he expect?
1. “Live in his presence in holy reverence”
2. “Follow the road he sets out for you”
3. “Loveā¦and serve” him “with everything you have in you”
4. “Obey the commandments and regulations of God”
It’s not about me taking advantage of some spiritual principle for my benefit or my tapping into some hidden potential within myself. It has nothing to do with driving off the spirit of poverty or illness. It sure isn’t about me manipulating God to get him to do nice things for me. When I align myself with God’s expectations my life is a good life. That goodness, by the way, may not be seen in temporary things like health or wealth but, instead, in my living a truly blessed life, pleasing to God. The path to the good life is summed up in four words: live, follow, love, and obey.
Take Away: Many spiritual āsecretsā are hidden in plain sight.
Devotional on Deuteronomy
Situational ethics
Deuteronomy 13: Do the right thing in the eyes of God, your God.
“Situational ethics: wrong is not always wrong and right is not always right.” “There are no absolutes.” “Whatās wrong for you may not be wrong for me.” These are the creeds of our day. Sin is out and self-realization is in. Excuse the poor English, but it ain’t so. We have a Creator who is an ethical Being. He says that no matter who you are, or where (or when) you live, that there are universal standards of right and wrong. These aren’t arbitrary rules made up by some kill joy preacher and they aren’t the result of mere superstition. That isn’t to say that every rule and regulation of the Church is pure and above question. In fact, in this passage I note that Moses doesn’t say, “There are community standards of decency that must be observed.” Rather, he says, “Do the right thing in the eyes of God.” First, that means there are some actions that are always right and some that are always wrong; no matter who, when, or where. Second, it means that God is the Judge of whether or not those standards have been met in our lives. Now, some might take comfort in reminding me that Iām not their judge. Thatās fine with me. I have plenty of my own concerns to address. However, it needs to be clearly stated that there is a Judge and each of us is accountable to him.
Take Away: I canāt please everybody, but, for the sake of my own soul, I must please God.
Devotional on Deuteronomy
Godās wisdom
Deuteronomy 17: Make sure you get yourself a king whom God, your God, chooses.
Iāve read the Bible through several times in my life so I know Iāve read this passage, but it never occurred to me that when the people of Israel demand a king during Samuelās life that provision was made for it in the giving of the Law. Apparently, wanting a human leader rather than living in a theocracy under the rule of God alone is just human nature. Here, we have the aged Moses going through the worship ground rules with his people and the topic of kings comes up. Moses doesnāt tell them they shouldnāt have a king but he does frame the issue. He says such as desire is the result of their wanting to be like the heathen nations around them. Then he sets up some ground rules for that eventuality. The king must be a part of Israel and he isnāt to spend the resources of Israel in building up a war machine. Nor is he to amass a large harem. Heās to have his own personal copy of the Books of Law that he keeps by his side all the time. The number one requirement is that God, himself, is to pick their king for them. Obviously, hundreds of years later when the people of Israel demand a king these guidelines are only loosely followed. Solomon, in particular, leads the way in building a large army and a large harem. I find it interesting that long before Saul becomes the first king of Israel the Lord, through Moses, gives directions that should have been followed. Had they been followed Israel would have been protected from a lot of the bad stuff we find in the books of the Kings and Chronicles of our Old Testaments. This passage reminds me that God knows what heās doing and that his ways are best in every eventuality.
Take Away: We always pay a price when we neglect the Lordās instructions for our lives.
Devotional on Deuteronomy
Taking care of business
Deuteronomy 29: God will take care of the hidden things but the revealed things are our business.
Moses has been outlining the terms of the “blessing and the curse” for his congregation. He warns them that what happens along that line is up to them. God has already laid out his intentions for them, and itās perfectly possible for them, by God’s grace, to live up to them all. Still, thereās much they don’t know. Once they cross the Jordan River theyāll encounter new obstacles and challenges. Itās here that we find this shining gem of both a promise and a charge. If they do their part, God can be counted on to do his. Without doing too much damage to this statement, I can pull it out of context and be warmed by its promise. If Iām not careful, Iāll spend way too much energy worrying about the “hidden things.” God says, “You pay attention to the things you know are your responsibility and Iāll take care of the rest.” That, my friend, is a very good deal!
Take Away: My accountability ends with the extent of my knowledge, but Iād better remember that that accountability is real and I am responsible before God.
Devotional on Joshua
This is no way to win a battle, still….
Joshua 6: Shout! — God has given you the city!
“Joshua fit the battle of Jericho and the walls came a-tumblin’ down.” They marched around the city each day for six days. On the seventh they marched around seven times and then with the blast of the trumpets and a shout of victory the walls fell and they charged in to win their first battle in the conquest of Canaan. Who on earth came up with such a battle plan? Well, it didn’t originate on earth at all. This is Godās plan. Actually, speaking from an earthly point of view, itās not much of a plan at all. Yet itās God’s way and that makes it the best way. Have you ever noticed that that the Lord likes doing things in unique ways? He uses shepherd boys to defeat giants, feeds people with bread that falls from heaven, and sets up a kingdom by going to a cross. His ways don’t always make sense to me but Iād better pay close attention to his direction. All my plans and expectations must yield before an Almighty God who enjoys doing things his own way. This is a source of frustration and delight to me. Iām frustrated when the Lord doesnāt act in the way I assume heās going to act. Iām sure the phone is going to ring and the person I expect to call is going to offer me that job Iāve been praying about. The phone never rings, but then someone suggests a different route. When Godās in it, and if Iām not so focused on things happening my way, my lifeās about to take a journey in a whole new, wonderful direction. āBut Lord, those are real walls around that city; let me suggest the best way to get past them.ā āThatās okay, my son, youāre going to love what Iāve got planned…listen to this….ā
Take Away: The Lord loves using unexpected methods yielding spectacular results.