Verse for the Day, 20 May 2016.

Numbers 10:11-13  In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony,  (12)  and the people of Israel set out by stages from the wilderness of Sinai. And the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Paran.  (13)  They set out for the first time at the command of the LORD by Moses.

The people of Israel had spent just short of a year encamped at Mount Sinai, and now God gives the command for the people to resume their journey to the Promised Land. The signals would have been given, the trumpets were blown accordingly and the tribes began to set out in the given order. At the front, leading the whole nation, was the pillar of cloud guiding them to their next destination. This cloud serving once more as a reminder that God was faithfully leading them to the land He had promised to give them.

With these verses we come to the end of a remarkable time in the history of this nation. Think of all that had happened, all they had witnessed, received and participated in over the past year. God had safely delivered them from Egypt, brought them through the Red Sea and to Mount Sinai. All this was in accordance to His promise made to Moses all the way back in Exodus 3:12. Whilst at Mount Sinai they had enjoyed God’s daily provision of manna and quail. They had seen the mighty thunder cloud descend upon the mountain and felt the ground shake as God spoke with them giving them His commands, and He entered into a covenant with them. They had witnessed the wrath of God against idolatry and learned that God was not a God to trifled with. The people were able to give to the work of the tabernacle and then watched it being built. They had participated in the dedication of the tabernacle once it was completed Also they witnessed the consecration of the priests and then took part in the first celebration of the Day of Atonement. All these and many more blessings and evidences of God’s goodness, grace, faithfulness, presence and power they had witnessed and enjoyed.

After almost a year of all these blessings and encouragements, the people must have set out with a greater measure of confidence, trust and faith in God, as well as a sense of joy and peace, knowing God would continue to be faithful towards them. After all they could reflect on the past 12 months and remember all of God’s goodness.

There are times in our lives when God is calling on us to take some steps forward, when He calls on us to journey to a new place, through unknown lands. We know that the destination is the place where God wants us to be, that it will be the place that is best for us, but we have to trust God through the journey. For the people of Israel, it was a journey through the wilderness, through deserts and arid lands. It would have been a long, hot and tiresome journey for them. But at the end of the journey was the Promised Land, and every step they took brought them one step closer to their final destination.

As with any difficult journey there is always the temptation to give up, to doubt God’s goodness or purposes, it is easy to feel overcome, lost, or fear you are going in the wrong direction. How do we keep on going when we feel this way?

We need to remind ourselves of God’s goodness, His faithfulness and trustworthiness. We can often spend too much time looking forward and worrying about problems that are yet to be. When we do this, we can quickly lose sight of the past and forget how God has proved Himself true and faithful on countless previous occasions. Somehow we find ourselves thinking that on this occasion God will fail us, that this time it is different, yet there is still to be a time when God has failed or will fail.

When God calls on us to follow Him in faith into an unknown future and we find ourselves fearful, then we need to look back and ask, “Has God failed me thus far?” “Has God’s faithfulness, goodness or truth ever been false or absent?” “Has God let me down, failed to provide, guide and protect?” When we have thought through these questions and considered the answer to all of them, we should respond in the same manner as King David. 2 Samuel 7:18-22, “Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, "Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?  (19)  And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord GOD. You have spoken also of your servant's house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord GOD!  (20)  And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord GOD!  (21)  Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it.  (22)  Therefore you are great, O LORD God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.”

Let us not be afraid to faithfully follow God through unknown lands, but by looking back, remembering God faithfulness, truth and goodness in the past, we can then begin to put one foot in front of the other and walk forwards in obedience.

God of truth, faithfulness and goodness, we thank and praise You today for You are a God that doesn’t fail. All of Your plans and purposes come to pass and every promise You make, You bring to fulfilment. We thank You that we can look back upon our lives and see Your hand and Your works of faithfulness, goodness and truth. Your truly have never forsaken us, nor treated us as we deserve to be. Help us not to forget that which You have done, but to daily remind ourselves that Your faithfulness with be the same today and tomorrow as it was yesterday. May the confident assurance we have in You help us to follow You faithfully, even when you call us to walk through unknown, rough and barren lands. Amen.

Verse for the Day, 19 May 2016

Good Morning All!

 

No your eyes do not deceive you, after an exceptionally long break the Verse for the Day is back!

 

As always your feedback and comments are appreciated.

 

 

 

Numbers 10:8-10, “And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets. The trumpets shall be to you for a perpetual statute throughout your generations. And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the LORD your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies. On the day of your gladness also, and at your appointed feasts and at the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be a reminder of you before your God: I am the LORD your God.”

In the first part of Numbers 10, we have God instructing Moses to have two trumpets made, which are to be used for a variety of reasons. They shall be used to summon the chiefs and leaders of the tribes, to inform all the people that they to break up their camp and prepare to set out, and to sound the alarm, issuing the call to arms.

However, there is more to these trumpets than just to issue various instructions, they have a deeper and more significant purpose. Like all of the tabernacle items and articles, they served as reminders of God and were to constantly point the people to God, so it is with these trumpets.

The people are instructed that when they are attacked by an enemy or go out into war they are to blow the trumpets in order that, “you may be remembered before the LORD your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies.” They are also to blow the trumpets when they are rejoicing, celebration and praising God for His faithfulness as this will serve as, “a reminder of you before your God: I am the LORD your God.”

Upon first appearance we could be forgiven for being slightly confused by this, for it seems to imply that God can forget. Only those who forget need reminders! So, is this true, can God, does God forget, does His memory need to be jolted, does He need to be brought to attention? No, not at all!

What then do these verses mean? It is not God that needs reminding, it is the people Israel. The trumpet blasts when going into war or on the days of gladness would serve to remind the people of God.

For this nation, war was a daily fear, they were travelling through foreign lands and were vulnerable. It would have been very difficult to them to defend themselves if an army were to descend on them, they had nowhere to run, and no walls or fortifications to hide safely behind. They would also have to make war against the inhabitants of the Promised Land. For years the men of Israel would be called upon to fight in order to secure the land. Thus the daily reality and fear of war, along with the certain prospect of war in the Promised Land would have caused constant anxiety and fear amongst the nation. This fear would greatly increase when they were confronted by an enemy. Therefore, God gives them this means of seeking to remind them of the most important truth, a truth that is very easy to lose sight of when we come face to face with our fears, with an enemy. This important truth is that God is with them, God is for them, and God will fight both with and for them. When the enemy descend and fear gripped their hearts, that fear would be shattered with the sharp blasts of the trumpet, reminding God is with us, He is our deliverer and He will give us the victory.

Similarly, in time of prosperity and gladness, when life is good and they were rejoicing, it is easy to lose sight of the One who is the source of their prosperity, who has made them glad and joyful through His goodness. The blast of the trumpet would direct their attention to the reality that all these good things, this favour, prosperity and gladness they are now enjoying had all come to them from God.

In addition to these important reminders of God’s presence and goodness, the trumpet blasts at the time of war and at the time of gladness, would serve as a reminder for the people to call upon God in prayer. When the trumpet sounded for war, it would remind them to pray for God’s help, strength and protection, for God to give them the victory, before they gathered their weapons and ran into the battle. In times of gladness, the trumpet blast would remind them to pray and give thanks to God, to acknowledge God’s goodness and give Him the praise He is due.

Essentially, the trumpets are not to remind God because He has a bad memory, but to remind the people to call upon God. For when they call upon God, He will hear them and answer them from heaven. When they call out to God, God will remember His promises, His covenant with them and will be faithful to all He has promised.

The application to us is one of great encouragement, for God’s character has not changed. He remains to be the faithful, good, gracious, present, prayer answering God. God is still with us, and He promises to aid us in our battles, especially against sin and those who oppose us because of Christ. He has promised that one day we will share in the victory of Christ and all our foes will be overcome. He has promised to provide our every need and not to just provide but to lavish His grace upon us, to the point that we can say with the Psalmist that our cup is overflowing. The challenge is for us to constantly remember who God is and what He has promised, so that no matter what situation we may be faced with we first call upon God before we do anything else. We can do this with confidence for God has promised to hear us and to answer us according to His sovereign goodness.

Faithful, Ever-present, Sovereign, All-powerful God, the One who is our Shield and Defender, who is our Provider and the Giver of all good things, we bow in worship before Your throne today. We thank You for the precious reminders found in Your Word, reminding us of who You are and what You have promised to us through Christ. Help us not to be so overcome by our difficulties and battles, or blinded by prosperity that we lose sight of these truths. May we keep You at the fore-front of our minds, being quick to first call upon Your name before we act. May we be people who always remember that we have a faithful God who always remembers us and is working for our highest God. For this we give You our thanks and adore You. Amen.