February 19 + Daily readings & notes

DAY 50

It's been 50 days since we started reading the Bible.  50!  That's a great milestone.

I hope you're finding that reading the Bible daily is a valuable way to experience God's grace.

DAILY READINGS

Numbers 31-32 & Psalm 50

DAILY NOTES

Numbers 31

• Moses is given his final mission with the Israelites.
• The war on the Midianites begins.  It is related to what happened in Numbers 25.
• Notice that Eleazar the priest goes to war with the army, but, apparently, he does not participate (See Verse 12).
• The Israelites defeat the Midianites, killing "every male."  They bring the women and children, but Moses commands that the boys and women should be killed, too.
• Verses 25-54 depict how the rest of the items gathered from the Midianites is distributed.

Numbers 32

• Two tribes ask Moses to stay in Gilead.  In other words, they are asking to not enter the Promised Land.
• Moses receives this as a discouragement to the people.  He relates their request to the negative report the people first received about the land.  They are rejecting God; Moses calls them a "brood of sinners" (Verse 14).
• They agree to leave their children and wives in the land they have asked Moses for, but they will send troops to battle first.  

Psalm 50

• This psalm centers around the sacrifice that is pleasing to God.  Notice that the psalm ends regarding a sacrifice of thanksgiving as what brings honor to God.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS

Numbers 32 is a sermon waiting to happen.  Imagine having everything God promised you right in front of you.  You're so close, but you're not ready.  You're not willing to follow through.  What could possibly keep you from moving forward?

Well, for the Reubenites and the Gadites, it was comfort (Verse 4) and fear (Verse 17).  What they had in their grasp seemed enough that they were willing to give up what God was going to bless them with.

How true that is for us, too.  How true that is for many of our churches.  It's an unfortunate reality of how we sometimes respond to God.

What about you?  What comfort and/or fear is keeping you from seeing the promises of God more fully?

Stay blessed...john