Guile of the Gibeonites (Joshua 9: 11, 14-15, 22-23)

Our leaders and everyone who lives in our country (Gibeonites) told us to meet with you and tell you that all of us are your servants. They said to ask you to make a peace treaty with our people. They told us to be sure to take along enough food for our journey. The Isrealites tried some of the food, buty they did not ask the LORD if he wanted them to make a treaty. So Joshua made a peace treaty with the messengers and promised that Israel would not kill their people. Israel's leaders swore that Israel would keep this promise. Joshua told some of his soldiers, "I want to meet with Gibeonite leaders. Bring them here." When the Gibeonites came, Joshua said, "You like close to us. Why did you lie by claiming you lived far away? Now you are under a curse, and you people will have to send workers to cut wood and carry water for the place of worship."
This is not the first, neither will it be the last time that the Israelites breach their covenant with God. Their duty is not to sample their food or to make peace treaties. Their duty is to make war with the inhabitants of the Promised Land and to destroy them completely. Failure to do this leads to syncretism which is the blending of two or more religious beliefs. God Almighty did not want the Israelites to become secular, but he wants a peculiar people to himself
Daily Prayer: Father, all too often I try to make decisions on my own. Instead of waiting on your wisdom, I carry on like the rest of the world which is regarded as being in the flesh. This is not your intent for me. Instead, wisdom comes from above, not from within. Teach me to council with you for all my decisions. In your holy name I pray Amen.

The Lord of Hosts (Josheu 5: 13-15)

One day, Joshua was near Jericho when he saw a man standing some distance in fron of him. The man was holding a sword, so Joshua walked up to him and asked, "Are you on our side or on our enemies side" "Neither," he answered. "I am here because I am the commander of the LORD's army." Joshua fell to his knees and bowed down to the ground. "I am your servant," he said. "Tell me what to do." "Take off your sandals," the commander answered. "This is a holy place." So Joshua took off his sandals.
In this passage, God launches Joshua's period of service with the manifestation of God to him. This connects the ministry of Moses with that of Joshua. With Moses, he saw the appearance of God in a burning bush. Now, as Joshua begins the conquest of the Promised Land, God appears to him as he appeared to Moses. In each case God directs them to take off their sandals because they are standing on holy ground. In the Bible, God has various names. His personal name is Yahweh which translates "I am." This is the name he told to Moses. In this passage, however, God is appearing as a soldier. God presents himself this way. Whenever his mission is conquest, he refers to himself as the Lord of Hosts.
Daily Prayer: Father, you appear to me every day. Not in the form of a vision, but in the existence of your creation and by the "small voice" that speaks to me in the person of the Holy Spirit. I set myself apart to you for your service. Lead me as you have led others in the past. Amen.

God's continued work in the conquest of the land (Joshua 3: 7-8, 13)

The LORD told Josshua, "Beginning today I will show the people that you are their leader, and they will know that I am helping you as I helped Moses. Now, tell the priests who are carrying the chest to go a little way into the river and stand there. Just watch as the sacred chest that belongs to the LORD, the ruler of the whole earth. As soon as the priests carrying the chest step into the Jordan, the water will stop flowing and pile up as if someone had built a dam across the river. The LORD has also said that each of the Twelve tribes should choose one man to represent it.
This chest that the priests are carrying is the ark of the covenant. This is the place where God's glory dwells. It is the second generation of Israelites who are entering the land. Just as their parents were a witness to God's parting the Red Sea in the exodus from Egypt, now Father God wants this new generation to be a witness to his continuing presence and guiding by parting the waters of the Jordan River. By elevating Joshua in front of the people and by working signs and wonders in their midst, God is giving assurance that the Living God is with them and they will surely receive the land.
Daily Prayer: Father, I know that you are still with me because you have given me the spirit of understanding. Miracles don't have to be events like the parting of the Jordan River. The fact that we live and breath and have our being is miracle enough. Let me not be too convinced of any self sufficiency. Instead let my sufficiency be in you who made me and sustains me. Amen.

The faith of Rahab Joshua 2: 1,3,10, 12)

Joshua chose two men as spies and sent them from their camp at Acacia with these instructions: "Go accross the river and find out as much as you can about the whole region, especially about the town of Jericho." The two spies left and the Israelite camp and went to Jericho, where they decided to spend the night at the house of a prostitute named Rahab. So the king sent soldiers to Rahab's house to arrest the spies. Meanwhile, Rahab had taken the men up to the flat roof of her house and had hidden them under some piles of flax plants that she had put there to dry. The soldiers came to her door and demanded, "Let us have the men who are staying at your house. They are spies." Rahab said to the two Israelites that we heard how the LORD dried up the Red Sea so you could leave Egypt. And we heard how you destroyed Sihon and Og, those tow Amorite kings east of the Jordan River. Please promise me in the LORD's name that you will be as kind to my family as I have been to you.
In the Old Testament, a gentile who wanted to be under the protection of the Israeli God was called a proselyte. Her fame arises from her faith in Father God for who he is and what he as done. Faith is important only when the object of your faith is able to deliver you. For God Almighty, nothing is outside of his power and nothing is too small for his attention. Rahab was delivered and received protection from God and was remembered in the Scriptures for her great faith.
Daily Prayer: Father, in my time too I desire to place my faith in you. Not only for change or protection of circcumstances of life, but for my very life. Teach me not to lean unto my own understanding, but to seek you all the days of my life. Amen.

Joshua becomes the new mediator between man and God (Joshua 1: 3-5, 8)

Wherever you go, I'll give you that land, as I promised Moses. It will reach from the Southern Desert to the Labanon Mountains in the north, and to the northeast as far as the great Euphrates River. It will include the land of the hittites, and the land ffrom here at the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea on the west. Joshua, I will always be with you and help you as I helped Moses, and no one will ever be able to defeat you.Be careful to do everything my servant Moses taught you. Never stop reading the Book of the Law he gave you. day and night you must think about what it says. If you obey it completely, you and Israel will be able to take this land.
The phrase "I will be with you" is a phrase that is repeated to God's servants throughout the Bible. It was spoken to Moses and Joshua until the fullness of times when Jesus commisssions the apostles to take his word to the nations. Israel is now under the law of the covenant. Even though they have exhorted to keep the law in order to keep God's blessings, we will see that man cannot keep it, but instead it is a school teacher bringing them to the need for a Savior. Joshua's job is direct, resume Moses' control over the people and to take possession of the land. The people's responsibility is to be couragous and keep the law of Moses.
Daily Prayer: Father, obediene and faithfulness are characteristics of you, but fallen man cannot do this. It isn't even so much as agreement with the value of the law as it is about our inability to do it. Thank you for Jesus Christ who is the only man who can keep the law and be faithful to you and to me. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

The death of Moses (Deuteronomy 34: 1-5)

Sometime later, Moses left the lowlands of Moab. He went up Mount Pisgah to the peak of Mount Nebo, which is across the jordan River from Jericho. The LORD showed him all the land as far north as Gilead and the town of Dan. He let Moses see the territories that would soon belong to the tribes of Naphtali, Ephriam, Manasseh, and Judah, as far west as the Mediterranean Sea.The LORD also showed him the land in the south, from the valley near the town of Jericho, known as The City of Palm Trees, down to the town of Zoar. The LORD said,"Moses, this is the land I was talking about when I solemnly promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that they would give land to their descendants. I have let you see it, but you will not cross the Jordan and go in." And so, Moses, the LORD's servant died there in Moab, just as the LORD said.
Comparing the mission of Moses with that of Jesus, St. Cyril of Alexandria tought: "Our Lord Jesus Christ set the world free from its ancient offences; for he is the truth and is holy by his very nature; he sanctifies those who have believed through his blood, and he sets them above death, and he will bring them into his own kingdom of heaven, into the land that is truly holy - to the loftier mansions, to the heavenly city, to the church of the first-born, wose maker and creator is God.
Daily Prayer: And I know, that all things work together for good to those who love you and are called according to your purposes. Create in me a clean heart God and renew a right spirit within me. In your holy name I pray Amen.

Moses' last counsel (Deuteronomy 31: 11-13)

Moses told the priests and leaders:

Each year the Israelites must come together to celebrate to Festival of Shelters at the place where the LORD chooses to be worshiped. You must read these laws and teachings to the people at the festival every seventh year, the year when loans do not need to be repaid. Everyone must come - men, women, children, and even the foreigners who live in your towns.
And each new generation will listen and learn to worship the LORD their God with fear and trembling and to do exactly what is said in God's law.
The meaning of the term "Deuteronomy" for which this book is titled means "second time."
Moses had already commanded the generation that was led out of Egypt concerning the laws of the covenant, but now the generation that was born in the wilderness is preparing to enter the land and also need the same instruction as their fathers. The law is one of blessings and cures.
It is a conditional covenant where obedience is blessed and disobedience is cursed. One may ask why it is so hard to obey the law of God, especially in the times of Moses? With the fall of mankind, he developed an independent heart. It is the heart that needs changing. Until God's ways are written on man's hearts, he is bound to stumble.
Daily Prayer: Father, I too need to take what you have said to me and write it on my heart.
I cannot justify myself or find any natural goodness in me. By your son Jesus Christ and by the power of your spirit, I can be helped to acknowledge the only true God over all human kind and agree with your decisions over my life. In Jesus' name I pray Amen.

Offering first fruits (Deuteronomy 26: 10-12)

Now, LORD, I bring to you the best of the crops that you have given me. After you say these things, place the basket in front of the LORD' s alter and bow down to worship him. Then you and your family must celebrate by eating a meal at the place of worship to thank the LORD your God for giving you such a good harvest. And remember to invite the Levites and the foreigners who live in your town. Every year you are to give ten percent of your harvest to the LORD. But every third year, this ten percent must be given to the poor who live in your town, including Levites, foreignerss, orphans, and widows. That wey, they will have enough to eat.
The prayer of the first fruits offering heightens the contrast between the poverty of the homeless and the prosperity of the rich landowner enjoying his freedom in a land flowing with milk and honey. Now, just after acknowledging the good things received from God, is the right time to imitate the generosity of God and sharing one's wealth with the needy. In other words, the Promised Land should be a benefit to all.
Daily Prayer: Lord, it is true that you bring life-giving rain to both the just and the unjust. You are faithful and I am not. By your word and through your will, implant in me so that I become an imitator of Chirist who loved me and laid down his life for me. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Law concerning the death of a male without a son (Deuteronomy 25: 5)

Moses said to Israel: Suppose two brothers are living on the same property, when one of them dies without having a son to carry on the name. If this happens, his widow must not marry anyone outside the family. Instead, she must marry her late husband's brother, and their first son will be the legal son of the dead man.
The levirate law (from Latin levir, brother-in-law) was practiced among the Jews from patriarchal times onwards, its purpose being to avoid any branch of the family becoming extinct - something that was regarded as a great disgrace. In keeping with this law, the first son of the new marriage was regarded as the son of the dead husband in the eyes of the law. The gesture of handing over a sandal symbolized giving (cf. Ruth 4:7) it is done here implied great humiliation for the brother-in-law. The cunning question the Sadducees put to our Lord in connexion with this law - the hypothetical case of a woman who married seven brothers in turn (Matt. 22: 23-33) shows that it was still in force in our Lord's time. It also allowed for property of inheritance to be retained by the family of the diseased.
Daily Prayer: In my time and among the people of the church, we have no land of inheritance. While carring on the family name is still looked at, now equal attention and consideration is given to daughters of the diseased. I recognize that daughters are as much a child of God as any man and for that reason the children of all couples is looked at as a blessing from God. Even in the days of Ruth, which is where this law is seen greatest in the Bible, the people of Israel considered Ruth (who is a Moabitte) to be as great as seven sons because of her faithfulness to Naomi, her mother-in-law. Thank you Lord for the children we have been given. Amen.

God's laws concerning death, murder, and war Deuteronomy 19: 3, 11-12 and 20: 11-13)

You must choose three of your towns to be Safe Towns. Divide the land into three regions with one Safe Town near the middle of each, so that a Safe Town can be easily reached from anywhere in your land. Then, if one of you accidently kills someone, you can run to a Safe Town adn find protection from being put to death. But you must not have been angrey with the person you killed. But what if you really do commit murder? Suppose one of you hates a neighbor. So you wait in a deserted place, kill the neighbor, and run to a Safe Town. If trhat hapens, the leadeers of your town must send messengers to bring you from the Safe Town. They will hand you over to one of the victim's relatives, who will put you to death. If you attack a town that is far from you land, offer peace to the people who live there. If they surrender, they will become your forced labor. But if they reject your offer of peace then after the LORD helps you capture it, kill all the men.
In civil matters, God does not impose the death penalty on accidental deaths with no heart motive to kill. Instead he protects the slayer so that innocent blood does not get shed in the land of inheritance. Whenever the motive is murder, God always imposes captial punishment. Notice that he puts control in the hands of the families and not any government. The elders are to turn the murder over to the families of the victim. In the cases of warfare, God either wants the foreign people to be servants of the chosen people or to rid them of their existance so that they do not sway the devotion to the one true God.
Daily Prayer: Lord, I know that you value all life, yet you are also a God of justice. In your economy, rules are not made to be broken. Instead they are made for our benefit so that I live a suitabale life before you who is the God of all men. Teach me to love your law, because it reveals the heart of God. Amen.

The qualities of an Israeli king (Deuteronomy 17: 14-15, 17-18)

People of Israel, after you capture the land the LORD your God is giving you, and after you settle on it, you will say, "We want a king, just like the nations around us." "Go ahead and appoint a king, but make sure that he iis an Israelite and that he is the one the LORD has chosen. And the king must not have a lot of wives - they might temmpt him to be unfaithful to the LORD. Finally, the king must not try to get huge amounts of silver and gold. The official copy of God's laws will be kept by the priests of the Levi tribe. So, as soon as anyone becomes king, he must go to the priests and write out a copy of these laws while they watch."
During the period of the judges, a period of 410 years, there wasn't a king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes. When there were disputes, they were settled by judges that God raised up. In the fifth century of they sought a king. Samuel was the judge at that period and felt they were rejecting him, but God assured Samuel that they were rejection God. The period of the kings was a trial for Israel. God desired that not only should the king know the law and revere God, he wanted this king to have a shepherd mentality so that his children would not be a people without a shepherd over them. He wanted a man after his own heart.
Daily Prayeer: Father, whenever I make decisions apart from you, I am in reality rejecting you just as what happened in Israel. Break my independent will and transform it into a dependent one. Dependent on you and the son for my life. Amen.

The penalty for idolatry (Deuteronomy 13: 1-2, 4, 6-8, 13-15)

Someday a prophet may come along who is able to perform miracles or tell what will happen in the future. If he says, "Let's start worshiping some new gods - some gods we know nothing about." If the prophet tells you to disobey the LORD your God and stop worshiping him, then that prophet is evil and must be put to death. Someone may say to you, "Let's worship other gods." That person may abe your best friend, your brother or sister, your son or daughter, or your own dear wife or husband. But you must not listen to people who say such things. Instead, you must stone them to death. You may hear that some worthless people have talked everyone there into worshiping other gods, even though these gods had never done anything for them. You must carefully find out if the rumor is true. Then if the people of that town have actually done such a disgusting thing in your own country, you must take your swords and kill every one of them, and their livestock too.
The grounds for idolatry are the grounds for the law as a whole. God will not share his glory with anyone or anything. God created humans to glorify himself and he created Israel as a nation to be a nation of priests to him. God does not say to reprove the offender. He says to destroy them! We will see that when Israel enters the land which is occupied by the nations, they are commanded to destroy the occupants entirely so that no sign of competing gods remains.
Daily Prayer: Father, it is no wonder that Jesus had to suffer death on the cross, because he was my sin bearer. The death penalty has been paid and we remain your people. Let me do all that is within my power to be an example of Your Kingdom to all who witness my life and to be a promoter of You and Your Son in all I say and do. In your name I pray Amen.

God's blessings to the obedient (Deut. 7 12-13; 8:3)

If you completely obey the law, the LORD your God will be loyal and keep the agreement he made with you, just as he promised our ancestors. The LORD will love you and bless you by giving you many children and plenty of food, wine, and olive oil. Your herds of cattle will have many caves, and your flocks of sheep will have many lambs. When your fathers were hungry, he gave you manna, a kind of food that you and your ancestors had never even heard about. The LORD was teaching you that people need more than bread to live - they need every word that the LORD has spoken.
This is one of the famous statements that Jesus made when tempted by Satan in the wilderness. He said "man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from God (Deut. 8:3)." The Israelites were now under the Law of Moses, also known as the Mosaic Covenant. It is a conditional agreement where God blesses the obedient, but brings curses to the disobedient. A woman who was barren was considered a reproach, because God says that the obedient will have many children. Prolonged disobedience to the law can result in removal of the land of inheritance and a scattering of the Jews among the nations. This covenant of blessings and curses will be in effect until the coming of Christ who will fulfill the law in man's stead.
Daily Prayer: Father, I am thankful for Jesus' fulfilling the law so that it can be possible to be given right standing before you. By grace I am saved through faith and not of works, so I have no reason to boast. But the law is important because it reveals your heart for my life and my living. Amen.

The law as it applies to the second generation of Israelites (Deut. 4: 24-30)

The LORD will be angry if you worship other gods, and he can be like a fire destroying everything in its path. Soon you will cross the Jordan River and settle down in the land. Then in the years to come, you will have children, and they will give you grandchildren. After many years, you might lose your sense of right and wrong and make idols, even though the LORD your God hates them. So I am giving you fair warning today, and I call the earth and sky as witnesses. If you ever make idols, the LORD will ge angry, and you won't have long to live, because the LORD will let you be wiped out. Only a few of you will survive, and the LORD will force you to leave the land and will scatter you among the nations. There you will worship gods made of wood and stone, and these are nothing but idols that can't see or hear or eat or smell. In all of your troubles, you may finally decide that you want to worhip only the LORD. And even if you turn back to him and obey him completely, he will again be your God. The LORD your God will have mercy - he won't destroy you or desert you. The LORD will remember his promise, and he will keep the agreement he made with your ancestors.
This section describes God's attributes, namely, love, mercy, grace and faithfulness. It also describess the attributes of fallen man, disobedient and unfaithful. Both the Jews and the church will go through cycles of obedience, rebellioon, repentance and restoration. God will not breach the promises he formerally made which is his promise not to destroy the world by flood and his promise to Abraham to be the father of a great nation. But God does recognize who man is and what is within him. This is why he promises a Savior, one who can redeem and transform man's fallen ways. God is a god of love, but also one of discipline.
Daily Prayer: Father, too often I leave the path of righteousness and seek my own way. Forgive me. Continue to be my father and I your son until I can stand on your word alone. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Moses is succeeded by Joshua (Numbers 27: 15-21)

Moses replied, "You are the LORD God, and you know what is in everyone's heart. So I ask you to appoint a leader for Israel. Your people need someone to lead them into battle, or else they will be like sheep wandering around without a shepherd. The LORD answered, "Joshua son of Nun can do the job. Place your hands on him to show that he is the one to take your place. Then go with him and have him stand in front of Eleazar the priest and the Israelites. Appoint Joshua as their new leader and temm them they must now obey him, just as they obey you. But Joshua must depend on Eleazar to find out from me what I want him to do as he leads Israel into battle."

Like the entire generation of those who came out of Egypt (except Caleb and Joshua), Moses too will die before entering the Promised Land. However, unlike Aaron, God gives him a special grace of being able to set his eyes on the land from a distance before he dies. But Moses' thoughts are on the people and, as a result of his mediation, God gives them a new leader, so that even though they lose Moses the promise will be kept.
Joshua already posses the spirit which is the ability to act with the strength of God, but now Moses will give him part of his authority to equip him to lead the people. Yet Joshua does not receive all the authority because Moses is the only one who sple fact to face with God.
Daily Prayer: Father, I and my house also are like wandering sheep if it were not for the Holy Spirit who dwells in me as a believer. On this side of heaven, I need a heavenly guide to convict me of sin and to lead me into truth. Thank you Father for restoring me to Yourself. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Balak, King of Moab send for the prophet Balaam (Numbers 22: 1-4, 6, 12, 19)

Israel moved from there to the hills of Moab, where they camped across the Jordan River from the town of Jericho. Here King Balak of Moab and his people heard how many Israelites there were and what they had done to the Amorites, he and the Moabites were rerrifed and panicked. King Balak sent a message to Balaam son of Beor who lived among his relatives in the town of Pethor near the Euphrates River, It said: I need your help. A huge group of people has come here from Egypt and settled near my territory. They are too powerful for us to defeat, so would you come and place a curse on them? Balaam answered, "Even if Balak offered me a palace full of silver and gold, I wouldn't do anything to disobey the LORD my God."
The rest of the book of Numbers and all of Deuteronomy is taken up with events on the plains of Moab in front of Jericho, a city which would be the gateway to the Promised Land. Joyful acknowledgment of God's special love for his people underlies the whole story of Balaam. God spoke with Balaam but this detail serves to highlight that God is also god over pagan magi and can use them. God saves his people from both foreign armies and from dark forces of magic.
Daily Prayer: Father, you are a God of light in whom dwells no darkness. You see everything from the heights of heaven to the depths of Hades. You are a God who goes before me and protects my rear. Nobody can deliver from your hand. Into your hands, I commit my life and my trust. Amen.

The bronze serpent (Numbers 21: 5-8)

The people complained against God and said to Moses, "Did you bring us out of Egypt, just to let us die in the desert? There's no water out here, and we can't sand this awful food! Then the LORD sent poisonous snakes that bit and killed may of them. Some of the people went to Moses and admitted, "It was wrong of us to insult you and the LORD. Now please ask him to make these snakes go away." Moses prayed, and the LORD answered, "Make a snake out of bronze and place it on top of a pole. Anyone who gets bitten can look at the snake and won't die.
This passage in Numbers is interpreted in Wisdom 16: 5-12, where the point is emphasized that it is was not the bronze serpent that cured them but the mercy of God; the serpent was a sign of the salvation which God offers all men. The bronze serpent is mentioned later in the gospel as typifying Christ raised up on the cross, the cause of salvation for those who look at him with faith: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believes in him may have eternal life"(Jn 3:14-15).

Daily Prayer: Father, I know that objects are not the source of my strength, but it is my God who delivers me and sustains me. I don't have to try to live, instead I live because of the life that God has placed in my members and in my soul. It is for this that I raise my eyes in praise and faith in he who has brought me this far. It is in your holy name that I pray Amen.

Moses and Aaron sin and are banished from the Promised Land (Numbers 20: 8 - 12)

"Moses, get your walking stick. They you and Aaron call the people together and command that rock to give you water. That's how you will provide water for the people of Israel and their livestock." Moses obeyed and took his stick from from the sacred tent. After he and Aaron had gathered the people, around the rock, he said, "Look you rebellious people, and you will see water flow from this rock!" He raised his stick in the air and struck the rock two times. At once, water gused from the rock, and the people and thier livestock had water to drink. But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you refused to believe in my power, these people did not respect me. And so, you will not be the ones to lead them into the land I have promised."
In these verses Aaron accompanies Moses, so that both of them share in the sin of mistrusting God. The text does not say what their sin was exactly: presumably it was because they struck the rock twice due to lack of faith, instead of once or in the fact that they struck the rock whereas God had told them to speak to the rock. This is also a sin which is attributed to the people's disobedience.
Daily Prayer: Father I am indeed a rebellious man. The Bible teaches that I am born a child of wrath. Apart from you, I can do nothing. Thank you for Jesus Christ in whom I and my sins are hidden. I now rest on Christ as my basis for your love and blessing in my life. Not by my power, but by your grace I am saved. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Korah's Rebellion (Numbers 16: 3-5, 31-34)

The people gathered agains Aaron and Moses said, "Why do you think you're so much better than anyone else? We're part of the LORD's holy people, and he's with all of us. What makes you think you're the only ones in charge? When Moses heard this, he knelt down to pray. Then he said to Korah and his followers: Tomorrow morning the LORD will show us the person he has chosen to be his priest, and that man wwill faithfully serve him. As soon as Moses said this, the ground under the men opened up and swallowed them alive, together with their families and everything they owned. The the round closed back up, and they were gone. The rest of the Israelites heard the screams, so they ran off, shouting, "We don't want that to happpen to us!"
Korah and his descendents were from the Tribe of Levi which is the priestly line. Moses and Aaron were also families of this same tribe. Korah's complaint was that he wanted the control over the many without God's choosing him. God chose the Levites to be his priests over the congregation, but he chose Moses and Aaron to lead. Korah was in the flesh regarding his complaint. He didn't go to God with his petition, but instead rallied men around him to stike God's elect. In faith, Moses called upon God to make his choice public and God heard his petition and brought judgment against Korah and his bank of rebels.
Daily Prayer: Father, the sin of Korah is the sin of thinking too much of myself that what I ought to. It is important to remember that my strength is in you and not in myself. Korah's pride is the same pride of Lucifer when he brought his will against you and you banished him from heaven for this ungodly rebellion and you banished Korah for the same sin. Amen.

The people rebel (Numbers 14: 1-3, 29-30)

After the Israelites heard the report from the twelve men who had explored Canaan the people cried all night and complained to Moses and Aaron, "We wich we had died in Egypt or somewhere out here in the desert! God replies "You sinful people have complained against me too many times! Now I swear by my own life that I will give you exactly what you wannted. You will die right here in the desert, and your dead bodies will cover the ground. You have insulted me, and none of you men who are over twenty years old will enter the land that I solemnly promised to give you as your own - only Caleb and Joshua will go in.
When Israel was in close proximity to Canaan which is the Promised Land, they sent twelve spies to check out the land. They learned that the land promised them was occupied by a strong people and didn't feel adequate to overtake them. Caleb and Joshua were the only ones who understood that God would fight for them. The believed in God's power and the rest failed the test of faith and were disqualified from their inheritance because of lack of belief in the power of God - the same God who brought them out of Egypt with a strong hand. Be careful of what you wish because God gave them the stated desire - to die in the wilderness.

Daily Prayer: Father, it is easy to be critical of others saying that they should have known and believed. I know, however, that I too try to make my own way too many times. Even though I know that apart from you I can do nothing, I still try. Forgive me father and let me live not according to my own strength, by by your strength according to your will. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

God leads his people (Numbers 9: 15-16, 22)

As soon as the sacred tent was set up: According to Exodus 40.17, this took place "on the first day of the first month of the second year" of the Israelites in the desert. Whether it was only one night, a few days, a month, or even a year, as long as the cloud remained over the tent, the israelites stayed where they were. But when the cloud moved, so did the Israelitees.
The cloud which at night took on the appearance of fire and which stayed with the Israelites on their journeey through the desert, symbolizes the protective presence of the LORD and, at the same time, his transcendence. The children of Israel were convinced that God's constant protection was what mattered most - more than just shielding them from the torrid heat of the desert. As well as this, the cloud is a sign of the Supreme Being, who no one on this earth can see face to face.
Daily Prayer: LORD, I recognize that the people of God do not walk alone nor do we walk aimlessly because you both go before me and come after me. Teach me and build me up to rely on your abiding presence in my journey in this life. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Observance of the Passover (Numbers 9: 1-3, 13)

During the first month of Israel's second year in the Sinai Desert, the LORD had told Moses to say to the people, "Celebrate Passover in the evening of the fourteenth day of this month and do it by following all the regulations." But if any of you refuse to celebrate Passover when you are ot away on a journey, you will no longer belong to my people. You will be punished because you did not offer sacrifices to me at the proper time.

The Passover and Exodus is God's crowning achievement for the deliverance of his people. It was to be remembered to all generations that followed the first one as a lasting ordinance to his Chosen People. In later books of the Old Testament, we will see other "types" of an exodus and passover where God will protect his people and bring them into their land from captivity. The withdrawl of the Jews from slavery is a time to remember God's faithfulness and his love.

Daily Prayer: Father, we at the church have our own exodus. In is called being born again or regeneration of the inner man. Here we I am delivered from slavery of the flesh so that I can worship you in faith and in spirit. By the work of Jesus Christ, I have been set free. In Jesus' name I pray Amen.

Law of the Nazirites (Numbers 6: 1-6)

The LORD told Moses to say to the people of Israel: If any of you want to dedicate yourself to me by vowing to become a Nazirite, you must no longer drink any wine or beer or use any kind of vinegar. Don't drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins - not even the seeds or skins. Even the hair of a Nazirite is sacred to me, and as long as you are a Nazirite, you must never cut your hair. During the time that you are a Nazarite, you must never go close to a dead body.

The key to the law of the Nazirites is that this is one whose sole purpose is for God. This dedication can be by the individual or their parents. We will later see that Samuel the prophet is a Nazarite from birth. His mother dedicataed him to be. Later, Samson was revealed as a Nazarite, but he was unfaithful because as you read through Judges, he violates the law for Nazarites by touching dead things and even cutting his hair. In the New Testament, I believe Jesus Christ was a Nazarite. Nobody was more dedicated to the LORD than him. This also explains his long hair and his refusal to drink the wine at the Lord's Table. It seems that the
Yiddish sect of the Jews today follow the Nazirite Law by the long curls they were in their hair.

Daily Prayer: Father, ot seems unusual to see these diatary and hair laws in my culture. In the New Testament we preach to come the way you are! It seems important though to dress ones self in reverance to you as I grow in faith. When I enter into the presence of the Most High, I desire to give my utmost for his highest. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

The Law on Defilement & Adultery (Numbers 5: 2-3, 18-22)

You are to say to the people of Israel, "Put out of the camp everyone who has leprosy or a bodily discharge or who has touched a dead body. Now that I live among my people, their camp must be kept clean."Suppose a man becomes jealous and suspects that his wife has been unfaithful, but has no proof. The priest shall remove her veil, then had her the barly offering and say, "If you have been faithful to your husband, this water won't harm you. But if you have been unfaithful, it will bring down the LORDs curse - you will never be able to give birth to a child, and everyone will curse your name."

Once again, these laws pertain to the holiness of the LORD who dwells among his people. Defilement can take many forms. In the cased given above, it has to do with his people being physically clean. There is also a moral cleansing that God desires. This is the second case. In the case of adultery, God allowed the spirit of jealously to reign over the offended. Then by taking holy water and sprinkling the dust from the floor and having the suspected wife drink this under an oath, if she were guilty, God would cause that water to be bitter and cause swelling making manifest her hidden sin. The consequence is that she could not bear children which is the reason that a barren woman was so much of a reproach in thise days - it indicated her unfaithfulness.

Daily Prayer: Lord, in our day we are too protective of everyones rights to the extent that we let the guilty go free and punish the victims. Give your believers the spirit of wisdom so that we can exercise justice and live a holy life before our God. In your name I pray Amen.

The Sons & Responsibilities of the Kohathites (Numbers 4: 2-4, 18-19)

"Take a census of teh Kohathite braanch of the Levites by their clans and families. Count all the man from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work at the tent of meeting.This is the work of theKohathites at the tent of meeting: the care of the most holy things. See that the Kohathite tribal clans are not destroyed from among the levites. So that they may live and not die when they come near the most holy things, do this for them: Aaron and his sons are to go into the sanctuary and assign to each mana his work and what he is to carry."

The Kohathites were one of the four main divisions among the levites in Biblical times. Kohatites Family of Levites; its members included Aaron, Moses and Miraiam, making them the most important family descended from Levi. The Bible ascribes a specific religious function to them, namely care of the vessels and objects within the sanctuary - the Ark of the Covenant, Menorah, Table of Shewbred, etc. This differentiation was a part of the priestly code.

Holiness is a profound characteristic of God. Holiness is not only ascribed to the person of God, but also to objects used in worship. God wanted certain holy men to perform this function so that worship of him was not treated as common.

Daily Prayer: Father, we in our day don't understand holiness as we ought to. We are so busy contextualizing ministry so that all people are treated as equal in worship that we forget that you never set up worship that way. You indeed did differentiate between the holy and the common and now we in our day and in the church need to imitate you and the patterns you left us so that we are not an affront to a holy god. In your holy name I pray Amen.

The Firstborn Redeemed (Numbers 3: 8-9, 15, 41)

They(the Tribe of Levi) are to take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, fulfill the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle. Give the levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him. "Count (number) the Levites by their families and clans. Count (number) every male a month old or more." Take the Levites for me in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the israelites. I am the LORD."

Two important issues are brought out in these passages. First, the manner and care of the duties of the priesthood is exclusively on the Tribe of Levi. Second, it is God's expectation that all first fruits, whether it be from the crops, the cattle, or the wombs of women are God's and his alone. This is in recognition of God's sufficiency to all the people when they depend on him. God made an exception where he accepts the first born of the Levites as his possession instead of the first born of all the tribes. In this way, God is recognized and honored.

Daily Prayer: Father, I recognize that these same principles apply to me today. Though I have no crops, cattle, or rams, I do have the fruit of my labor. My first earnings from the labor of my hand belongs to you because apart from you, I can do nothing. In your holy nane I pray Amen.

God surveys the number of Israeli soldiers apart from the priesthood (Numbers 1 2-3, 49-50)

I want you and Aaron to find out how many people are in each of Israel's clans and families. And make a list of all the men twenty years and older who are able to fight in battle. The total number of men registered by Moses, Aaron, and the twolve leaders was 603,550. When you count the Israelites, do not include those from the Levi tribe. Instead, give them the job of caring for the sacred tent, its furnishings, and the objects used for worship. They will camp around the tend, and whenever you move, they will take it down, carry it to the new camp, and set it up again. Anyone else who tries to go near it must be put to death.

The Levites are the priestly line of people consecrated to God himself and are exempt from war. The reason that they are given charge over the tent and its worship furnishings is because they are holy and the responsibility of the priesthood. The counting of the soldiers was not for God's benefit. He knows how many soldiers they have. It was for the benefit of Moses and Aaron, the leaders, so that they were prepared to go to battle. The number of men isn't truely significant because any battle that they face in route to the promised land is a battle the LORD must fight for his people.

Daily Prayer: Father, the battle is your's to fight. Instead of equipping me with armor, equip me with faith in the Living God, because you must go before me in whatever battle I face Amen.

Tithing to the Lord (Leviticus 27: 28)

Anything that you completely dedicate to me must be completely destroyed. It cannot be bought back or sold. Every person, animal, and piece of property that you dedicate completely is only for me.

When applied to divine worship this ban or anathema means an offering made because of a vow; once offered, the thing can no longer be used to one's own advantage because it is a very holy thing. In the sphere of judicial sanctions, ""laid under ban" applies to every condemned wrongdoer. Therefore a person condenmed to death was "said under law" and could not be used as a servant or put to forced labor. All of these rules contained imperfections which became very clear in the light of the New Testament's precept of love God and neighbor.

Daily Prayer: Father, I recall that Jesus encourages me not to make vows, but let my yes be yes and my no be no. By your Spirit, guide me in these matters. Let me be careful to speak, but when I do, let me be careful to fulfill I have said. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

The Year of Jubilee ( Leviticus 25:23, 10)

No land may be permanently bought or sold. It all belongs to me - it isn't your land, and you only live there for a little while. The fiftieth year is sacred (Every 50th year). It is a time of freedom and of celebration when everyone will receive back their original property, and slaves will return home to their families.

Jubilee has to do with redemption. Often times a Jew would run into hard times to the extent where they had to sell their family land - the land of inheritance from God. Jubilee states that you can only sell land for its crop value from the time of sale until the next Jubilee. At the Jubilee, the land comes back to the person or family of inheritance. In the same way, if a Jew became a slave to another, this person would be set free and returned to their family at the time of Jubilee because God intends for Jubilee to be a time of freedom and redemption.

Daily Prayer: Lord, in my day, we often speak of my house, my car, my home, my property.
It is easy to see and understand that we are all dependant on you and your provisions for our life. All things will come back to you with our passing. We come into the world naked and leave it in the same way. But for now, with the possessions we have that have been given by you, let us learn to be generous with them and give freely to those who have not. In your name I pray Amen.

Sabbath To The Land (Leviticus 25: 1 - 4)

When Moses was on Mount Sinai, the LORD told him to say to the community of Israel: After you enter the land that I am giving you, it must be allowed to rest one year out of every seven.
You may raise grain and grapes for six years, but the seventh year you must let your fields and vinyards resst in honor of me, your LORD.

There is a very important reason for this verses inclusion for in our survey of the Bible. The biggest reason that Judah went into captivity into Babylon is because they continually violated this very ordinace of God. God was testing the Jews to see if they trusted him to provide. He had already brought them out of Egypt and slavery there. In their journey to the Promised Land, he showerd down bread in the form of manna to feed them. Now that they are in the land, he gives them a sufficient amout of harvest in the first six years that they can honor God and the land by letting it rest according to his instruction for them. Instead, time after time they farmed the land in the seventh year until God brought down judgment and removed theim from their land so that the land could rest without them there. Thier failure to obey was rooted in a failure to trust.

Father, I say that I trust you, but so often by my actions I try to do things on my own. Forgive me father. Withing me dwells the Holy Spirit to strengthen me and uphold me. Teach me to walk by faith so that I do not do the things of the flesh. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

God's Morality Enforced (Leviticus 20: 1-3, 6, 10, 13)

The LORD told Moses to say to the community of Israel: Death by stoning is the penalty for any citizens or foreigners in the same country who sacrifice their children to the god Molech. They have disgraced both the place wheere I am worshiped and my holy name, and so I will turn against them and no longer let them belong to my people. I will be your enemy if you go to someone who claims to speak with the dead and I will destroy you from among my people. If any of you men have sex with another man's wife, both of you and the woman will be put to death. It's disgusting for men to have sex with on another, and those who do will be put to death, just as they deserve.

The subject of this text is holiness. God cannot and will not dwell with immoral people. When he speaks of child sacrifice, God says if you destroy one of these little ones, you yourself will be destroyed. If you seek spiritists, you are seeking someone from "the other side" to commune with and regard which is an abonination to God. Finally the subject of sexual intercourse. The Bible teaches that sexual sins are not only a sin against God, but also a sin against ones self. These two cannot dwell with a false love and God also, because they are treated as adulterers.

Daily Prayer: Father, bring to my mind the great importance of moral sins in my life. Let me not tollerate these as they compete against the very blessings that you have instore for me.
Instead let me live as an example for holy living so that when I use my name in connection with your's, that I don't bring shame upon your name. Amen.