God is faithful – Be Still…

Numbers 31:1-54 – Conquest of the Midianites

Read Numbers 31:1-54

I’m not sure this victory is the legacy that Moses was wanting as one of his last duties as God’s leader of the Israelites. As I understand it, there are details in this account that don’t fit with reality or seem over the top in terms of the sheer amounts recorded. When we encounter difficult texts like this, it’s best to take a step back and see what God’s message is for us today despite all of those “distractions.”

So what do we see as messages from God in this reading? One I see fits with God’s character as he reveals himself and his desire for his people to have the best opportunity for success. The Midianites were the enemy in terms of distracting people from God and “leading them into idolatry.” This would be a clear violation of God’s desire for us to put him first. Without trusting God 100%, the people would not have that “best” opportunity available to them. Continue reading “Numbers 31:1-54 – Conquest of the Midianites”

Numbers 2:1-34 – Keep God in the Center

Read Numbers 2:1-34

With so many of God’s people roaming around in the wilderness, it makes sense that God would command them to be orderly. I can just imagine the chaos of establishing a highly mobile residence in a desert-like region like that if each tribe didn’t have their assigned space.

When it came time to move, there was also an order for leaving established for the clan leadership to follow. I had a flashback to being in school, choosing line leaders, and lining up at the designated time to walk the halls. Classrooms also had their dismissal order to follow. Having an orderly progression helped us students know when and where to move. For the Israelites’, God thought of everything! Continue reading “Numbers 2:1-34 – Keep God in the Center”

Job 42:7-17 – Happily Ever After

Read Job 42:7-17

What a perfect conclusion. God’s timing is always perfect. Can you even believe what Job received for his devotion? His time of agony would be a distant memory, although I’m sure his devotion to God would have only grown over the years.

You can’t live through something like that, witnessing God’s hand at work, and not be changed. Have you ever witnessed a miracle or seen answered prayer? The people in Jesus’ day were sure drawn to all the signs and wonders of Jesus. The first followers of Jesus had a front row seat to seeing God in the flesh, too. Job and his friends just heard the voice from the whirlwind. Continue reading “Job 42:7-17 – Happily Ever After”

Ezekiel 39:1-24 – Good vs. Evil

Read Ezekiel 39:1-24

The episode of oracles involving Gog concludes here with God’s victory. However, Gog and Magog are mentioned again in Revelation 20. I find it curious that such a mystery exists around who Gog and Magog actually are. I think that’s because they are not real people but symbolic representations of something much bigger than two individuals or one individual and it’s land.

The mind can be boggled when you let yourself explore the vastness of God and his plans for his people. Ezekiel and his audience would have been confused, too, since scholars and teachers cannot concur on Gog’s identity. Continue reading “Ezekiel 39:1-24 – Good vs. Evil”

Habakkuk 1:12-17 – When Your World is Rocked

Read Habakkuk 1:12-17

Habakkuk is processing God’s message to him in this second complaint. Have you ever said to God, “You’re going to do what?” You can imagine how unbelievable it would be to know that God was going to use an enemy nation to destroy the same misbehaving children who were appalling Habakkuk.

Habakkuk’s observations are valid, don’t you agree? Babylonian forces would be given victory and yet they weren’t believers in the one true God. How could that be? He calls out to God again saying, “Should you be silent while the wicked swallow up people more righteous than they?” This is a good example to show us how God can and will use any means possible to bring about his purposes in this world. We don’t always have to understand or agree.