Category: “Listening to God” Devotional

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Numbers+026

 

Numbers Chapter 26   (ESV)

51 This was the list of the people of Israel, 601,730.

52 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 53 “Among these the land shall be divided for inheritance according to the number of names. 54 To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance; every tribe shall be given its inheritance in proportion to its list. 55 But the land shall be divided by lot. According to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit. 56 Their inheritance shall be divided according to lot between the larger and the smaller.”

57 This was the list of the Levites according to their clans: of Gershon, the clan of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the clan of the Kohathites; of Merari, the clan of the Merarites. 58 These are the clans of Levi: the clan of the Libnites, the clan of the Hebronites, the clan of the Mahlites, the clan of the Mushites, the clan of the Korahites. And Kohath was the father of Amram. 59 The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt. And she bore to Amram Aaron and Moses and Miriam their sister. 60 And to Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61 But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord. 62 And those listed were 23,000, every male from a month old and upward. For they were not listed among the people of Israel, because there was no inheritance given to them among the people of Israel.

63 These were those listed by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who listed the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. 64 But among these there was not one of those listed by Moses and Aaron the priest, who had listed the people of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. 65 For the Lord had said of them, “They shall die in the wilderness.” Not one of them was left, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

 

REFLECTION:

• The second census was taken, only Joshua, Caleb and Moses were from the older generation. Flip through the whole chapter and then read the passage slowly.
• A comparison of the censuses demonstrates that God could still fulfill His promises to the patriarchs even though the Israelites’ failures had postponed their fulfillment. This is one of the most important revelations of the Book of Numbers.

 

PRAYER: 

• What does “inheritance” mean to me? What does my family have as an inheritance from my ancestors?  What do I want to inherit?  What have I already inherited?  What can I inherit from God? (See I Pet 1:4)
• What has God been doing in my life so that parts of my past, positive or negative, have become good blessings? Or am I still struggling with my past and can’t see God’s faithfulness?
• Thank God for my “inheritance” from my family. Pray for His faithfulness in making my past a more beautiful blessing and inheritance to be passed on to others.

 

HYMN:

Great is Thy Faithfulness – youtu.be/ErwiBz1QA4o

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Numbers+025

 

Numbers Chapter 25   (ESV)

1 While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. 2 These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. 4 And the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.” 5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.”

6 And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand 8 and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. 9 Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.

10 And the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy. 12 Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, 13 and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.’”

 

REFLECTION:

• Read the passage slowly trying to understand the atmosphere then.
• God wants His people to be pure and holy in all aspects of life, including the arena of sexual morality. God’s anger was kindled against the Israelites when they engaged in the fertility rites of Baal with the Moabites.  Sexual immorality and the worship of other gods (idolatry) go hand in hand.  Nor is this an accident.
• Human sexuality was given by God as the highest form of intimacy between a man and a woman. Sexual immorality has not only physical ramifications, but spiritual ones as well.  We must be alert with regard to our thoughts and behavior at all times that we may be pure before the Lord, for our “body is a temple of the Holy Spirit”.

 

PRAYER:

• What are some modern cultural practices that could erode the purity of my Christian faith?
• What is the tension for me to live out the Christian faith in the contemporary culture context?
• Lay it out to the Lord my difficulties. Pray that the Holy Spirit will align my way of life to the way God has intended for me.

 

HYMN:

Build my life – www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZW4_8_zCBE

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Numbers+024

 

Numbers Chapter 24   (ESV)

10 And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them these three times. 11 Therefore now flee to your own place. I said, ‘I will certainly honor you,’ but the Lord has held you back from honor.” 12 And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, 13 ‘If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own will. What the Lord speaks, that will I speak’? 14 And now, behold, I am going to my people. Come, I will let you know what this people will do to your people in the latter days.”

15 And he took up his discourse and said,
“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
16 the oracle of him who hears the words of God,
and knows the knowledge of the Most High,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
falling down with his eyes uncovered:
17 I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near:
a star shall come out of Jacob,
and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;
it shall crush the forehead of Moab
and break down all the sons of Sheth.
18 Edom shall be dispossessed;
Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed.
Israel is doing valiantly.
19 And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion
and destroy the survivors of cities!”

 

REFLECTION:

• Continue this chapter on Balak and Balaam.
• A furious Balak refused to pay Balaam. Balaam then uttered additional oracles which portrayed the doom of Israel’s enemies.  Looking down the history, remote yet clearly, Balaam saw what God would finally do.
• Balaam used two images to describe what he saw: a star rising from Jacob and a scepter coming from Israel (v17).  The star was a representation of light, the scepter a representation of power.  Light and power – these two symbols would come to full expression in the life of Jesus Christ.  We see this vision in much more detail for we’re in close touch with the gospel representations of Jesus as light and power.

 

PRAYER:

• Do I really see God? Is He just a far-off, distant vision, the way with Balaam, or is He a present encounter?  The gospel is concerned not with enlightenment but with encounter.  Not with just envisioning the light and power of God in Jesus Christ but with experiencing it.  And in experiencing it, be transformed by it.
• Have I had encountering with God lately? Has God’s power been transforming me into the image of Himself?  Pray for such encountering and transformation.

 

HYMN:

The Change in Me – youtu.be/p8TCZiy5A2A

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Numbers+023

 

Numbers Chapter 23   (ESV)

18 And Balaam took up his discourse and said,

“Rise, Balak, and hear;

give ear to me, O son of Zippor:

19 God is not man, that he should lie,

or a son of man, that he should change his mind.

Has he said, and will he not do it?

Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

20 Behold, I received a command to bless:

he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it.

21 He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob,

nor has he seen trouble in Israel.

The Lord their God is with them,

and the shout of a king is among them.

22 God brings them out of Egypt

and is for them like the horns of the wild ox.

23 For there is no enchantment against Jacob,

no divination against Israel;

now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel,

‘What has God wrought!’

24 Behold, a people! As a lioness it rises up

and as a lion it lifts itself;

it does not lie down until it has devoured the prey

and drunk the blood of the slain.”

25 And Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all, and do not bless them at all.” 26 But Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘All that the Lord says, that I must do’?”

 

REFLECTION:

• Read aloud this passage. It’s better to read the whole chapter about the almost hilariously embarrassed and puzzled Balak and Balaam.
• As this story illustrates, our words have the potential for great good and great evil. Think a moment about the words that come out of my mouth.  Are they words that bless others or curse them?  Are they words that build up another person or tear that person down?  Do they give life or take away life?

 

PRAYER:

Dear Holy Spirit,

Knowing that the mouth speaks from that which fills the heart,

Please help me to watch over my heart with all diligence.

Keep watch over me so that no unwholesome words slip past the gate and hurt another person.

Keep watch so that my humor doesn’t go in the direction of ridicule.

Keep watch so that no words are spoken in anger.

I realize that it’s a small step from throwing words at people to throwing stones at them.

Help me to give a blessing instead of a curse.

Especially, I pray for ____________ whom I have a hard time loving…..

 

HYMN:

Make me a channel of Your peace – youtu.be/t6nXjugNcMI

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Numbers+022

 

Numbers Chapter 22   (ESV)

21 So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab.

22 But God’s anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road. 24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. 25 And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So he struck her again. 26 Then the angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. 28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” 29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.” 30 And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?” And he said, “No.”

31 Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. 32 And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.” 34 Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.” 35 And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you.” So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.

 

REFLECTION:

• Read aloud this passage. It’s better to read the whole chapter for a better understanding of the whole episode.
• God can speak even through the mouths of animals. God used the donkey to get Balaam’s attention.  And Peter repented after he heard the rooster’s crow (Matt 26:34).  Sometimes we fail to hear the voice of God not because He is silent, but because we are not listening.
• In the spiritual life, we learn to be attentive to the Lord’s voice whenever and however He may speak. Developing listening ears is essential to spiritual growth.

 

PRAYER:

• Recall my “Life’s journey map” and go through the path of my life again. Where am I right now?  What can I see in my life as a signal that there is an “angel of the Lord” blocking my path? How do I respond when the direction of my life is undergoing a “mid-course correction”?  Who has been my “angel”?
• Thank God for the angels in my life. Ask God to help me to hear His voice and to recognize his “blocking” or leading.

 

HYMN:

Shepherd of my soul – youtu.be/C3JK0joYuLI

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Numbers+021

 

Numbers Chapter 21   (ESV)

4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” 6 Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

 

REFLECTION:

• Read this passage the way you might to a group of children with articulation and inflections.
• God brought judgment on the people because of their grumbling. But judgment wasn’t the last word.  It’s never the last word.  Judgment is necessary because of our hard-heartedness.  Its proper work is to open our hearts, to crack the shell of our self-sufficiency so that we can experience the inrushing grace of our loving and compassionate God.
• It’s true, as the apostle Paul wrote, that the kindness of God leads us to repentance (Rom 2:4). But so does the judgment of God.  Both are the means to the same end: to bring us to God, the source of our forgiveness, our healing, and our wholeness.

 

PRAYER:

• What did God do when I need discipline? When I need relief?  How has Jesus been the lifted up Healer to me?
• Tell God my emotions right now, thank Him for His Persistent Grace “that will not let me go” until I submit. Is there anything I need to be softened to God?  Continue conversing with God.

 

HYMN:

You are my All in All – youtu.be/lie1L61Qnos

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Numbers+020

 

Numbers Chapter 20   (ESV)

1 And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. And Miriam died there and was buried there.

2 Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 3 And the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord! 4 Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle? 5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.” 6 Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them, 7 and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” 9 And Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he commanded him.

10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. 12 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”

 

REFLECTION:

• Read the passage aloud.
• When God told Moses to command the rock to yield water, Moses failed to obey God, and instead struck the rock twice with his staff (vv8, 11). For this disobedience Moses was not allowed to bring the people into the Promised Land.  Moses’ punishment might seem harsh to us, but in the economy of God, the crime was significant.  Moses’ failure to obey God to the letter meant he missed an opportunity to demonstrate God’s power in a new way to the Israelites and to validate his own God-given leadership.  What’s more, this great leader who had been hand-picked by God showed that he didn’t fully trust God.
• We must be diligent in obeying God in the details, no matter how well we are doing spiritually. This is as important at the beginning as it is at the end of our spiritual journey.

 

PRAYER:

What is something I am very successful at?  How might this success cause me to trust in myself instead of in God?

Ask God to impress on me that my need of God is just the same in my “40th year” as well as my first.

 

HYMN:

Trust in You – youtu.be/qv-SXz_exKE

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Numbers+019

 

Numbers Chapter 19   (ESV)

1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 “This is the statute of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, and on which a yoke has never come. 3 And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and it shall be taken outside the camp and slaughtered before him. 4 And Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. 5 And the heifer shall be burned in his sight. Its skin, its flesh, and its blood, with its dung, shall be burned. 6 And the priest shall take cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet yarn, and throw them into the fire burning the heifer. 7 Then the priest shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. But the priest shall be unclean until evening. 8 The one who burns the heifer shall wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water and shall be unclean until evening. 9 And a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place. And they shall be kept for the water for impurity for the congregation of the people of Israel; it is a sin offering. 10 And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. And this shall be a perpetual statute for the people of Israel, and for the stranger who sojourns among them.

 

REFLECTION:

• Read aloud this passage.
• In Israel ritual uncleanness was contagious. If a person touched a dead body, he not only became unclean himself, but whatever he touched then became unclean.  This meant that uncleanness had to be dealt with immediately, before the whole camp and the tabernacle itself could be contaminated.  Thus the ashes of a sacrificed heifer were kept nearby, ready to be mixed with water and immediately sprinkled on anyone who had touched a dead body.
• The rite was not magical, but reflected spiritual realities. Sin does contaminate and must be dealt with immediately.  You and I too are to deal with our sins without delay.  We are to confess our sins to God at once, make restitution, and rely on God’s promise to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

 

PRAYER:

Go through my day mentally.  Where do I get “contaminated” by the “uncleanness” the easiest?  How can I avoid it?  How does the sin in my life “infect” those around me?  Ask the Holy Spirit help me to live a “clean” life.

 

HYMN:

Create in me a clean heart oh God – youtu.be/2fVliokreqE

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Numbers+018

 

Numbers Chapter 18   (ESV)

25 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 26 “Moreover, you shall speak and say to the Levites, ‘When you take from the people of Israel the tithe that I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present a contribution from it to the Lord, a tithe of the tithe. 27 And your contribution shall be counted to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress. 28 So you shall also present a contribution to the Lord from all your tithes, which you receive from the people of Israel. And from it you shall give the Lord’s contribution to Aaron the priest. 29 Out of all the gifts to you, you shall present every contribution due to the Lord; from each its best part is to be dedicated.’ 30 Therefore you shall say to them, ‘When you have offered from it the best of it, then the rest shall be counted to the Levites as produce of the threshing floor, and as produce of the winepress. 31 And you may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is your reward in return for your service in the tent of meeting. 32 And you shall bear no sin by reason of it, when you have contributed the best of it. But you shall not profane the holy things of the people of Israel, lest you die.’”

 

REFLECTION:

• Read this passage aloud slowly.
• How we use our resources is important for the spiritual life. Those committed to God must be able to give their best to Him.  In order to grow spiritually, we must treat our possessions in a manner that is honoring and pleasing to God.
• Jesus warns us in the parable of the sower that the lure of wealth will cause unfruitfulness. Only those who overcome the temptation of riches can grow in their spiritual life.

 

PRAYER: 

Meditate on this verse “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:21).  Find some time today to continue the conversation with God and find out what He wants to tell me.

 

HYMN:

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus (We Turn) – www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLilBXq9L1c

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Numbers+017

 

Numbers Chapter 17   (ESV)

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, and get from them staffs, one for each fathers’ house, from all their chiefs according to their fathers’ houses, twelve staffs. Write each man’s name on his staff, 3 and write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each fathers’ house. 4 Then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. 5 And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout. Thus I will make to cease from me the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against you.” 6 Moses spoke to the people of Israel. And all their chiefs gave him staffs, one for each chief, according to their fathers’ houses, twelve staffs. And the staff of Aaron was among their staffs. 7 And Moses deposited the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the testimony.

8 On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the people of Israel. And they looked, and each man took his staff. 10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Put back the staff of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept as a sign for the rebels, that you may make an end of their grumblings against me, lest they die.” 11 Thus did Moses; as the Lord commanded him, so he did.

 

REFLECTION:

• Read aloud this passage and try to appreciate the situation then.
• The Israelite leaders challenged the authority of Aaron’s priesthood. God performed a miracle causing Aaron’s staff to sprout overnight.  Thus God demonstrated to all Israelites His choice of Aaron and confirmed Aaron’s priestly authority.  Then God told Moses the staff was “to be kept as a sign …  put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die.”(v10)  Once again, God pointed it out to them that though they were challenging Moses and Aaron, their true target of complaint was toward God.
• Examine before God, do I grumble against our church pastors, deacons, cell leaders and other leaders? Do I challenge their authority?  What does God speak to me through this passage today?  Who’s my real target of complaint?

 

PRAYER:

Tell God about my thoughts and feelings, or confess to God.  Consider areas that I need to adjust my attitude toward God, and leaders of the church?  Is there any practical ways I can do to amend this issue and to show my genuine appreciation for the leaders (or one specific leader)?

 

HYMN:

All to Jesus I Surrender All – youtu.be/SW8EA7DEQ2M