Week 11, Numbers 25 - Deut. 7

Numbers 25:

The Israelite men begin to sin with Moabite women and worship their idols. To me this is a lesson in letting the world around us creep into to our lives, 1 step at a time. The Lord became very angry and told Moses they must be killed and be exposed in daylight. 24,000 died. This type of sin must have been very out in the open because we see an Israelite man bringing a woman into camp:

6 Then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand 8 and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear through both of them—through the Israelite and into the woman's body. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped; 9 but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.

10 The LORD said to Moses, 11 "Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them, so that in my zeal I did not put an end to them. 12 Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. 13 He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites."

All it took was 1 man being zealous for the Lord's honour to turn His wrath away from the people. We never know what a difference one more prayer makes, what a difference 1 more person interceding makes. Keep praying, keep interceding - all it takes is 1 person.

Chap. 27: So many times I hear God doesn't care for women, He was indifferent to them through out the Old and New Testament. Of course I disagree with this wholeheartedly, in verse 1, we see He cares very much:

1 The daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. They approached 2 the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders and the whole assembly, and said, 3 "Our father died in the desert. He was not among Korah's followers, who banded together against the LORD, but he died for his own sin and left no sons. 4 Why should our father's name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father's relatives." 5 So Moses brought their case before the LORD 6 and the LORD said to him, 7 "What Zelophehad's daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father's relatives and turn their father's inheritance over to them.

Chap. 30 - The Lord has a lot to say about vows, vows no longer seem to mean much in society.

Chap 35:6 - The Lord always provides refuge, even when we sin:

6 "Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone may flee. In addition, give them forty-two other towns.

Deut. 1-4 The recent history of the Israelites is reviewed, we see over and over again, the Lord calls us to be an obedient, holy people.

Deut. 5:

6 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

7 "You shall have no other gods before [a] me.

8 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

11 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

12 "Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

16 "Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

17 "You shall not murder.

18 "You shall not commit adultery.

19 "You shall not steal.

20 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

21 "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor's house or land, his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

Reading the 10 Commandments makes us think it's so simple - I would never murder anyone, I would never cheat. Maybe those are not the sins we commit or ever will commit, but we are people and we commit sins. I have to repeat my motto: I am so glad I am a New Covenant Girl, that Jesus paid the price for me, by the shedding of His blood, our Father resurrecting Him from the grave for us. Live it out, walk by faith not sight, use your sound mind, do not let fear control your life - we are not a bunch of nothings, we are Blood bought, saved, transformed Daughters of the King!