March 1
Numbers 7:1-89
Father in Heaven, Peter
called us kings and priests to You. The Levites (in general) were not considered
priests in the sense that the Aaronites
(specifically) were, but they were responsible for the sacred things,
especially the Kohathites who could only carry the
holy things on their shoulders. It is
notable that we are told to carry one sacred thing on our shoulders, our cross,
according to Jesus. There were multiple
items that could be offered for the grain offering, the burnt offering, and the
fellowship offering; but only one item was to be offered for the sin
offering. It points to the truth that
only one item was to be offered for sin.
It points to the truth that only one thing can atone for our sin, the
blood of Jesus Christ. Regarding
fellowship, we contribute from our resources, namely ourselves as living
sacrifices, having our minds renewed by the Word of God and our Spirit
transformed by the Spirit of God. But
ultimately Christ is our all-in-all and He is our only path to access You, to hear You speak.
Amen.
March 2
Numbers 8:1 to
Glorious Lord, it is hard
to imagine the logistical challenge of so large a group stopping and starting
their relocations so quickly and frequently, but obedience apparently prevailed
in this particular duty. I suppose the
people simply performed their individual duties with efficiency, rather than
overly concern themselves with the overall group duties. And since everything was carefully delegated
out first by modules and then sub-modules and so on to the individual duties,
then what at first seems impossible actually worked just fine. I have known those who present You as a God that operates in somewhat of a chaotic manner,
but this is not apparent to me.
Everything You do indicates You prefer order
over chaos. And of course since You operate (within time) from outside time, then knowing
the end from the beginning in Your creation is obvious. You have a plan, it is orderly, and it is
assured. Amen.
March 3
Numbers 11:1 to
Almighty God and generous
Father, Your provision never ceases and the only way we could think it does is
to take our eyes off Jesus and make the things of this world our focus. You do not always provide what we think we
need, but You always provide what we need to be in
accord with Your will. Unfortunately, we
do not always apprehend the good things that are placed before us by You. You provide well
for Your people but they are seldom satisfied and cast
blame at You. Gracious father, Your provision is righteous and Your discipline is
righteous. Your love is divine and that
is why we make so many mistakes regarding Your
love. We are earthly. But You give us Your
Spirit and You change us to love divinely.
We should never mistake Your wrath as a sudden
flying off the handle. You are never
caught off guard and so Your wrath should never be
seen as separate from or set against You love.
Thank You, Father. Amen.
March 4
Numbers 14:1 to
Holy God – Lord – Father, I
would feel just irritation for the distrust and the murmuring of the
Israelites, but I am so like them at times, I think that would be foolish. I have to say I feel sadness for them;
especially when some of them realize too late how foolish they have been and
try to please You by disobeying You. I think we should all realize when there has
been intentional sin that there can be forgiveness and indeed will be, if we
are in Christ – if He is our Advocate.
But we should remember that along with the forgiveness, there may be
punishment as well. Your justice is
never compromised by Your mercy, but then that is why,
Father, You sent Jesus. Justice has been
served, and He received it on Himself.
My Father, I know that the only reason You
could place a royal robe of the righteousness of Jesus around a pig-sty
resident like me, is because of Your inexplicably amazing nature of love. Thank You.
Amen.
March 5
Numbers 16:1 to
Lord, You
are holy and all who are in Christ are declared holy by You. I was struck by many things in this
reading. It was a very emotional
section. But Father, I was especially
concerned with “the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives.” These censers were declared holy by You and You commanded they be retrieved from the smoldering
remains of those who unwisely presented incense before the Lord. And then You
commanded the censers be hammered out and used to overlay the altar. Father, it seems that it is possible for the
unholy to offer the holy, but apparently that act alone does not change the
condition of the unholy. It seems that
the lesson here could be that we cannot become holy by announcing Jesus, but we
become holy only by Jesus announcing us.
It is not our declaration that justifies but Yours, O Lord. We can only surrender to You
by the faith You have measured to us.
Amen.
March 6
Numbers 19:1 to
Father, I wonder how
people read Your written Word in the later Old
Testament times. I know it was read
publicly at times and even explained – so there was teaching and probably even
preaching (i.e. the prophets). There
were “scholars” also, who supposedly knew Your Word better than others. It’s just that the photographs given in this
reading are so vivid. I know that I am
afforded the convenience of hindsight.
But it seems to me that at least one scholar would look at the coverings
the Lord provided at Moriah, the Mercy Seat, the
Tabernacle, the system of sacrifices and festivals, and now this burnt offering
with the cedar, hyssop, and scarlet wool, the snake lifted up on the staff, the
salvation from the deadly bite, and on and on. It seems like at least one would
figure out, especially with Psalms 22, that God will provide a sacrifice to
save the World. Praise Your Name! Amen.
March 7
Numbers 22:1 to 24:25
Father in Heaven, this
character, Balaam seems too much like me at times, having feet that are too
swift to overtake sin. Knowing Your power, seeing Your will, understanding right, and yet
yielding to that law in my members. Only
Christ can deliver me from such a wretched state as this. Balaam seems to be a strong example of lost
potential. God clearly used him and yet
his heart was given to making merchandise of his gift. Is this not a picture of grace? Lord, You spoke
directly to this man, or so it would seem, and he spoke to You. And yet we know that his spiritual condition
was dull at best and evil at worst.
Maybe rather than a picture of grace, this is a picture of sovereign
grace. And this rascal cashed in on it,
even though he knew his limitations; and he certainly must have sensed an
undesirable, eternal destiny. It seems
he always tried to push the envelope.
Father, at times I have done the same.
Forgive me for Christ. Amen.
March 8
Numbers 25:1 to 26:34, 1
Chronicles
Numbers 26:35-37, 1
Chronicles
Holy Lord, my Father in
Heaven, I suppose there are numerous reasons for taking this census. There are only a few special notes found here
that are not found elsewhere, and each is very interesting. But I think the most significant reason is
the one given at the conclusion of this reading – to show the completeness of
the “wilderness cleansing.” Not one
person in this census was in the census so many years before at Sinai except
for Joshua and Caleb. Of course, there
are notes about land allotments, and it is also notable that the totals of each
tribe of
March 9
Numbers 27:1 to 29:40
Holy Father, I can only
imagine what it must have been like in those days, especially as a priest, but
also as a congregant. The
daily and monthly sacrifices, the festivals with the almost endless sacrifices. There was this constant reminder of the
horrible ugliness of sin, and the constant reminder that in and of themselves
these sacrifices were wholly inadequate.
The lesson was clear but I am not sure how well it was learned. The only way to God is by grace and the only way
that could be apprehended is through faith.
Ultimately, God has to provide the sacrifice, human and pure; and only One qualified. Thank
You, Jesus. Thank You, Father. And the reading today also reminds me that
male or female makes no difference. The
value of the soul is the same. I feel
almost like Zelophehad observing from the grave, his
brave bold daughters claiming the inheritance of the father they love. Father, be glorified in this day of
deliverance through Jesus Christ. Amen.
March 10
Numbers 30:1 to 31:54
Father in Heaven, my
Father, it is obvious that vows are important to You. A man’s conduct and a woman’s conduct
regarding integrity should always be godly.
And this is something that seems to be understood by even those who are
not believers. But Father, the real
message You send in this reading regarding vows is the
nature of relationships between a man and woman – father and daughters, and
husband and wife. The consistency of the
Bible is so beautiful - You have made man to be a covering for the woman. There are those that consider the woman and
man of different value, but this is not from You. Their value is not different, only their
roles as assigned by You. Glorious Father, this reading today revealed
the true blackness of Balaam’s heart and the corruption and perversion of the Midianites. They
thumbed their noses at You and destroyed themselves
and their children, when mercy could have been theirs. Amen.
March 11
Numbers 32:1 TO 33:56
My Father, You are
wonderful in every way, but Your grace appears so
powerfully to me this day. Like the
relentless beauty of a sunrise that refuses to be harnessed by the upstart
clouds of threatening storms, Your grace always emerges and triumphs over evil. Thank You, my dear Father, for Your awesome plan of love – for salvation – for Jesus. I love You and I
need You. I have left
March 12
Numbers 34:1 to 36:13
Dear Father, I am thinking
about the boundaries that You specified to Your
people. Even the
March 13
Deuteronomy 1:1 to
Gracious Father, this
section is one that arouses mixed emotions.
It is a roller coaster of defeat and victory – of faithlessness and
trust. It is both heartbreaking and
encouraging. I love you, Father, but it
is a flawed love. I am grateful that Your love is not a flawed love. Your love is unmarred by sin or even the lust
for sin. Your love is pure and
relentless. You preserved this people
who were so faithless at Kadesh Barnea
because it was Your purpose to bring Your Son - Your
salvation into the world through them.
It is Your glorious design of grace. Praise Your
wonderful Name! Every
person whose sin had become full had to be destroyed. They had plenty of time to repent, plenty of
warning, and plenty of opportunity; but they apparently scoffed. Because even though they knew their fate,
they did not evacuate – not even their children. We must do the same eradication of sin in our
own lives. Whether big or little, all
sin must be crushed or else it will revisit.
This is the gift of repentance.
Thank You, Lord. Amen.
March 14
Deuteronomy
Holy Lord, Your special
people cannot be a holy people (as You are holy) if
they do not act holy. And You gave them commands.
It amazes me Father how often we break the commands that we know will
bring us abundant life if we just obey.
But nobody obeys. Instead we
choose disobedient ways with the delusion that they will bring abundance; but
instead they bring only poverty. Of
course, You knew all this even before You gave these
commands, but You lovingly taught us with these commands just how much in need
of a Savior we are. Jesus still expects
obedience. “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
But when we embrace Him, we embrace Him not only as Lord, but as Savior;
and His covenant to save all who believe is a sure promise. Father, I have loved and I kept commandments,
but that love has turned selfish too many times and I have broken commandments
to my shame and discomfort. Forgive me,
Father. Amen.
March 15
Deuteronomy 6:1 to
Father, Your love is relentless
and while I sometimes lose sight of that, You never
do. You are the Guardian, the Protector,
and the Keeper of Your people. I do not
forget You, Father. I know these things
are true and have known since You first drew my
heart. But I think, dear Lord, that I
forget myself in a way that is inappropriate.
In those times that I have yielded to my flesh, I have forgotten who I
am and elevated myself through pride and lust.
But You have never changed. Your love remains relentless, and Your faithfulness to Your Son and those in Him is just as
true as always. It is ironic how quickly
we move to the list of rules and commands that You
give us because we want to express our love to You. But in our haste we bypass the one
commandment that would insure obedience of the rest. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord
is one. Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Amen.
March 16
Deuteronomy 9:1 to
O Father, there are so
many emotions I feel as I read this section.
I can’t help but think of how the people will stray and it makes me
realize how fickled my heart is. I think of Your love
and faithfulness as I read Your promises, and I just want to hide in the warmth
that I feel when I read Your wonderful Words of love. When You exhort
these people to do those things that assure them of abundant life, beginning
with the fear of the Lord, I want to run to You, confess my sins, and abandon
all earthly ties. Why, Father, are we so
weak, so fickled, so apt to wander like foolish
sheep? But these are foolish questions,
aren’t they? The answer is sin and the
solution is Christ. We are in a battle
and the victory is in You and through You. You give us the armor and the sword and the
faith. You even give the command –
awake! Yes, Father, amen!
March 17
Deuteronomy 12:1 to
Father, I love You. Forgive my lack
of love. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit,
sanctify me, and chase the selfishness from my heart and mind. Of course, You are
the Good Shepherd, and You are always doing this for Your sheep. But it has been so painful with me, because
my feet have been so prone to wander into the habitat of wolves, my neck is
stiff, and my heart is still hardened.
The exposure of this is painful, the purging of this is violent, and the
determination of Your loving parenting can even be
terrifying at times; but it all clearly evidences Your heart of love and the
assurance of my renewal into Your image and likeness. And Father, I rejoice, because Yours is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory,
forever. You simply care. You care that I do not worship other gods, or
worship You in the way they are worshipped. You care what I eat, and You
care that I care for others. Thank You
for being our Good and Holy Shepherd.
Amen.
March 18
Deuteronomy 15:1 to
Father, Your Word is a
light to our feet and a lamp to our path.
We know the proverb but I wonder if we are too “spiritual” to be able to
appreciate it. I think we prefer to read
it as, “Your Word is a light to my soul…” or “Your Word is a magnifier to my
spirit…” Even though we know Your Word
is valuable to us for daily practical instruction, I think we suppress that in
favor of that which “feels” more spiritual.
The reading today, Father, is wonderfully practical and intensely
applicable to our lives even today. And
it is all about being partakers of the divine grace to us from You through
Jesus Christ our Lord. If we partake of
Him as in the Passover remembrances, if we show grace with our brothers in
finance, grace with the care of our priests and judges, grace with our
employers and employees in the times assigned to worship You, O God, then
surely we will be blessed and our “joy will be complete.” Amen.
March 19
Deuteronomy 19:1 to
My Lord, while it is true
that we are not a nation called by Your Name; as an individual, I am called by
Your Name. While it is true that
March 20
Deuteronomy 23:1 to 26:19
O
Father, to be the people of promise. How awesome Your
grace. This grace is the most perfect
parallel to that expression, “mighty hand and outstretched arm.” How many times have my feet gravitated to the
slippery slope, but Your outstretched grace rescued me
in my calamity. How many times have I
desecrated the camp where You move about Your people, but You disciplined with
the loving arm of a Father and cleansed me and brought me back to the fear of
the Lord. You are my Good Shepherd and I
am under Your watchful eye. Forgive me – guide me – deliver me and then I
will stand in the assembly of praises and proclaim with a shout that Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory
forever. Your concern for the holy
behavior of your people reveals Your loving heart for all
those other nations who might look on and be saved. Amen.
March 21
Deuteronomy 27:1 to 28:68
My Father in Heaven, the
benefits of obedience are very good, but the results of disobedience are
unthinkable. Nevertheless, You want them to be thought of. They are sobering and yet You
know we will disobey. And as horrible as
the consequences are, there is the sense of a loving Father warning His
children with the greatest intensity.
These are not just deliberate punishments. These are disciplines that result naturally
from the behavior that causes them. They
are measures of discipline because the Lord allows them to happen. And these are only a small fraction of the
judgments awaiting those discovered outside Christ. But those who believe that Jesus received
these curses – these judgments – on Him because of their sins; those who
believe that Jesus the Innocent was punished for us; those who believe that He
rose from the dead – those are the ones who will be saved. Thank You, Father. Amen.
March 22
Deuteronomy 29:1 to 31:29
You know, O Lord, You
know. We forget so easily that You know the end from the beginning. You see all right now. How awesome You
are. We consider ourselves so strong in the
ecstasy of our new birth. We just know
that we love You with all our hearts, but You see the
secret chamber where we have kept the massive reserve of self-love. You know what we do not know. Such things are too great for me. I can only bow and buffet the pridefulness and know that unless You
circumcise the heart, it remains uncircumcised.
Jesus said we must love You with all our heart,
soul, mind, and strength. Father, if
that is the definition of “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” then I cry to You, “I believe, help my unbelief!” Purge, forge, fire, buffet, mold – I surrender.
Consume me for Your glory. Remove any vestige of love for the things of
this world. And make me a reflection of Your love to all.
Amen.
March 23
Psalm 90:1-17; Deuteronomy
31:30 to 32:52
My Rock of Salvation, so
many do not recognize their need of a Savior.
They do not allow their hearts to take in the wonder of design and how
awesomely holy their Creator is. They
see no need to cry out for the favor of God, for the rescuing grace of the
Lord. They do not allow their minds to
ponder the brevity of their days. If
they catch a glimpse of Your glory, they quickly
suppress it and blindfold their own spiritual eyes. They say, “Such thoughts must not be
entertained. They are foolishness. My destiny is the moment in which I live and
the gratification that I might seize. I
may never get another chance. Life is
too short. I have to go for the
gusto!” But how often has it happened –
they are suddenly cut off without remedy from the land of the living, coming
immediately into the presence of Your holy wrath. Father, help me to live so that Your love will be seen, and people will turn to You. Forgive me for neglect in this. I love You. Amen.
March 24
Deuteronomy 33:1 to 34:12;
Joshua 1:1 to
Gracious Lord, when I
think of the blessings pronounced on
March 25
Joshua 3:1 to
Father, I am struck this
morning by the succinctness of these amazing accounts of Your
care of the Israelites. Entire books
have been written about these verses of Scripture, but You
gave these to us in such special measure and meter and mystery, so that we
could consider Your salvation and ponder Your abilities. We know that when there was nothing, You created something.
You spoke the universe into existence and You
designed the molecules. You sustain it
all continually and there is not one neutron or proton that is independent of Your attending will.
And yet You are the God of order. You have created nature and thus sustain Your creation. It is
only for Your wonderful purpose of salvation that You
will occasionally override the forces of nature, such as with the waters of the
March 26
Joshua 7:1 to
Father, there is much
adventure, excitement, and triumph in this reading today; and yet there is so
much heartbreak. The sadness is all
about disobedience. When I think of how
easy it has been for me to forget You momentarily, or
worse, to suppress my awareness of Your presence, I want to scream out to
Joshua to call on the Lord – to remember the Lord. I want to whisper to Achan,
“For the love of God and your family, don’t do this!” Joshua loved the Lord, and I think Achan may have loved the Lord; but I also think Achan succumbed to the lust of his eyes, while Joshua
succumbed to the pride of life. Joshua
failed to seek the Lord about Ai and it cost 36 men their lives. And yet amazingly, Joshua once again made the
error of not seeking the Lord concerning the disguised Gibeonites. This mistake would eventually prove to be the
most costly. Thank You, gracious and
merciful Father, for Jesus and for Your Spirit.
March 27
Joshua 10:1 to
Father, I know that there
is strong allegorical value in the literal, historical, Old Testament
accounts. And this is the place and time
that we learn the battles and the victories that are ours when we pursue Your Promise
- the Promise of everlasting life through faith in the death and resurrection
of Your Son, Jesus Christ. But the
message of consecration must not be lost.
If there are any battles lost in the
March 28
Joshua 13:1 to 15:63
My Father, it is a sad thing
to draw near the end of the earthly journey only to realize one’s destiny was
not fully realized – that “there are still very large areas of land to be taken
over.” And then to have You list the regions of the land yet to be acquired would be
heartbreaking. This speaks of a lack of
faith and a loss of focus. This speaks –
of me. Your mercy always speaks
forgiveness and I thank You. I thank You for always being faithful to Your Promise. And I thank You for
granting the land “rest from war” even before the land was secured. I thank You also
that You give peace even from the battles that were self-inflicted. The showers of Your
grace through Jesus Christ endure forever.
Just as the Jebusites had not been evicted
from Your holy mount, so I have too many times
resigned myself to spiritual cohabitation with the enemy. But the victory is not mine and never has
been. It is Yours
and Yours alone, O Sovereign Lord. Amen.
March 29
Joshua 16:1 to 19:9
Father, I love that word –
Father. And You
have granted by Your Son, Jesus, that I might be called Your son. Your grace is amazing and the righteousness
of Jesus is sure. Thank You, my
Lord. There is a bittersweet atmosphere
to the reading today. We witness the
glorious unfolding of Your Promise as the various sections of land are
allotted. But we are also reminded of
past failures as well as current failures.
Most of the tribes were not moving forward to take possession of the
land that was their promise from God. I
suppose the end of the war and the rest You gave them
left them in a sort of culture shock – a daze.
Simeon’s allotment reminds me of the previous curse on them. And then there was the greed and laziness of
Ephraim and the firm stance of Joshua.
There was just a lot of sadness along with the joy, and as usual, the
reason was people forgetting their God and losing their faith. Revive us O Lord. Amen.
March 30
Joshua 19:32 to 21:42;
Joshua 21:43-45, 1 Chronicles
My faithful Father in
Heaven, I celebrate Your faithfulness. Let God be true and every man a liar. Jesus said He is truth – no promise broken –
ever. The record of the past assures the
future. Jesus said He will come again
and death provides no hindrance any longer to our reunion with our Savior. Father, people use the phrase “you can bank
on it” but banks fail! Your bank of
promises is the only bank that will not fail.
Father, we can bank on Your promises. And this is a worthy celebration, for there
is no hope outside Your Promise. I can
only imagine how Joshua felt as the final allotments of land were
completed. But Father, there is a sense
of sadness amidst the celebration.
Because even with the land distribution and even with the “rest on every
side,” there were two disappointments that remained:
Save us Lord! Amen.
March 31
Joshua 22:1 to 24:33
Dear Father, You are
awesome in Your mercy; and Your grace extends beyond
our definition of distance. Every time I
read this area, I feel brokenhearted for the Israelites and for myself, and
also for the people of God in
Ó
2007 C. E. Briggs