THINK FOR YOURSELF (Numbers 1-2_

Surprise, surprise, yesterday was the end of Leviticus! So today we dive into Numbers.

I have a looming deadline, so I am going to encourage you to think through the nibbles today. These are the verses that jumped out at me today. As usual, I made a note of the verse, and my initial reaction. 

I look forward to your comments!  Even if you don't comment, I hope they will start you thinking and salivating for more of God's truth.

• Numbers 1:1-5  "writing down the names of every male."  Comment: writing down 600,000 names? On clay tablets or on papyrus?  That would have taken a lot of supplies!
• Numbers 1:4-5  "Pick one man from each tribe who is head of his family to help you. These are the names of the men who will help you."  Comment: First God says, you pick, then He tells them the names.
• Numbers 1:52-53  "The Levites are responsible for the security of The Dwelling of The Testimony."  Comment: The original Swiss Guard
• Numbers 2:9  "The total number of men assigned to Judah, troop by troop, is 186,400. They will lead the march."  Comment: Men assigned to Judah included the men of Judah AND the men of Issachar and Zebulon. The other three leading tribes were Reuben, Ephraim, and Dan.

I invite you to inspire me and feed my soul today!  And thank you.

FEEL-GOOD PROMISE

At last!  After several days of struggling with subjects such as the murder of children and blessing our enemies, today I paused on a genuinely feel-good, it's-wonderful-to-be God's child kind of verse.  

In Exodus 15, Moses sang a song about crossing the Red Sea. Exodus 15:12-13 definitely draws a line between "them" and "us." The Earth swallowed up "them"--those miserable slave-owning, refusing to let go Egyptians. 

But "us?"  We are redeemed--today, by the lamb of God, as surely as the Passover lamb redeemed the Israelites. 

We are led by His love. Have you ever heard the quote, "The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you?" His love accompanies us, wherever we are.

He guides us. Day by day. I might like a map of the next six months (six years?) but He shows me what I need today.

We are under His protection. (That is one of the definitions of "blessing," by the way. I discovered that in my work on my Blessing Factor  book)

He is taking us to His holy pasture.  A pasture to rest and eat--where we are set apart.

Wow: redeemed, loved, guided, protected, set apart, provided for.

That's what God wants for you. Put it in your warm fuzzy file.