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- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Num. 13-14
What does it take for us to learn to see things differently? When do we start to really believe that God is not limited by our circumstances? At what point do we decide to trust the God of possibilities? The Israelites had multiple, first-hand experiences over just a couple of years to show them that nothing is too difficult for God and that He keeps His promises. Yet they still let life’s obstacles overshadow their trust. Why do we do that?
We may think questioning God in the face of insurmountable difficulties is okay, even natural. But I see what God said of those who doubted Him. He called them, “those who have despised me” (from Num. 14:23). Ouch! Despising God does not sound like a good plan! So how can I be more like Caleb instead? God said of him, “my servant Caleb has a different spirit and has remained loyal to me” (Num. 14:24a). I think it starts with looking past those insurmountable difficulties and choosing instead to focus on the God of Possible. Maybe then I can face the hard things with eager anticipation, as I place my trust in God and wait patiently to see how He overcomes.
Num. 15
I talk a lot about living intentionally. This is important because living for God is not what comes naturally to us. Our nature is for self. This is the path of least resistance and the one we will tend toward if we are not making an intentional effort to do otherwise. The cool thing I see in this chapter this morning is that God knows us. He is like a good parent who knows His children, often far better than they know themselves. Thus, God told the Israelites to wear tassels on their garments. These served as a visual cue to remind them to obey God rather than following their own heart and eyes. They were God’s provision to help His people live intentionally.
I think maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to give ourselves a visual cue to do likewise. Something that, when we see it, turns our thoughts toward God, reminding us to keep Him first in our day to day. The trouble with that is that things we see every day have a tendency to become everyday things. We get too used to them, grow numb to them, and start taking them for granted. Which is what we do with God’s presence and blessing in our lives. Still, anything that might help me avoid that path of least resistance and encourage me to focus on God sounds like a good idea.
Ps. 90
Moses prayed, “Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.” (Ps. 90:12). Let me paraphrase that prayer. “Remind us that this life is short so that we will live for what truly matters.” Or perhaps, “Shows us how small we are so that we will place our trust in You.” However you phrase it, the point is that God is God and we are not. We would do well to live our lives accordingly.