Numbers 1-14
The Promised Land Part 1
Week 12 October 14 – 18, 2019
Monday October 14
Organizing the Tribes – Numbers 1-2
Now that God has established His people and equipped them to be holy and to correctly worship Him, He is preparing them to do His work! God begins by having Moses organize the people by tribes(families) and organize the men into an army. He has more plans for His people beyond just rescuing them from their slavery and sin. Once they have been saved and instructed in righteousness, then it is time to get to work to fulfill God’s good plans. This is exactly how God still works with His people today! He saves us from the slavery of sin and forgives us for our actions against Him, but He doesn’t just leave us there, left to our own devices. No, God has a job for each person and you are an important part of making His plans come true. You have a purpose, you just need to ask God to show you where you fit in. What job does He have for you right now? You can start by getting yourself prepared and organized, just as the Israelites did. Be diligent in your personal times of prayer and Bible study, read books, and gather with God’s people in church. Apply yourself and work hard because the task you have been given by God is the most important job you will ever have. You may already be in the middle of working that job from the Lord. Don’t give up! Remind yourself of who you’re working for and why. This isn’t about anyone else except what is between you and God.
Activity: Read this verse: “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.” Copy this verse onto a piece of paper or journal, find a nice print to hang in your home or at your desk, or whatever else will help you to remember the purpose in your work!
With Children: Read this verse: “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.” Help your child copy this verse onto a piece of paper, draw on or color the page, and hang it in your home as a reminder that we are working for God! For younger children, write the verse out and allow them to color on the page, then hang it in your home as a reminder.
Tuesday October 15
The Priesthood – Numbers 3-5
These chapters show us the people that God chose to be the priests for the Israelites. Only the priests could do things like approach God, and perform sacrifices for forgiveness of sins. No one else could even touch the things of God within the tabernacle, except for the priests. This was very different from how the Egyptians interacted with their gods. They had small sculptures and all kinds of religious artifacts that they kept in their own homes and handled themselves. The One True God was different and required that His people take Him seriously, understanding that He is holy and set apart from the false gods of the Egyptians. Today, Jesus Christ is the high priest and we are each the priests of our own hearts. We no longer need someone else in order to approach God, to worship Him and to ask forgiveness for our sins. However, we must remember that God is still holy and set apart and deserves our respect. How wonderful it is that we can talk to God now whenever we need Him! Do you take advantage of the special position you are in to speak with the Lord regularly? It is not an opportunity that everyone has always had, so don’t take it for granted.
Activity: Take the opportunity to speak with God on several occasions today. As you go throughout your day, ask God for help, thank Him for a blessing, submit a difficult situation to His will. Make it a habit to communicate with God regularly
With Children: Tell your kids that you will help remind each other to talk to God today! Let them remind you to thank God for something, and you remind them to ask God for help, etc. With young children, you’ll have to be the one to do the reminding, but talk to God together!
Wednesday October 16
The Voice of God – Numbers 6-8
During this time, God spoke to Moses from the Ark in the Tabernacle. Not just anyone could enter the Tabernacle and not everyone had the opportunity to receive direct instructions from God. Do you think the Israelites would have been better listeners if they, too, could hear the direct voice of God? Maybe, but then again, their hearts were not always in the right place. Similarly, we have the written Word of God available to us every day, but our hearts are not always in the right place to obey. Whenever the Israelites did not listen to the message from God, they often ended up missing out on the special blessing that He had for them. What special blessings might you have missed out on because you weren’t obedient to the Word of God? Are you willing to get your heart right with the Lord and commit to reading and obeying His instructions for you? Are you waiting for God to speak to you from a burning bush, a cloud, or on top of a mountain? Or are you willing to seek Him out through the Word that He has already given to you in the Bible? You may say that you want to listen to God, but are you actively seeking out His will?
Activity: Commit to reading the Bible with your whole heart! Don’t let yourself or anyone else stop you from studying God’s Word and seeking His will for your life. Find the reference section of your Bible or an online reference website and read the verses about a certain topic that is relevant to you right now. Take the time to copy some of these verses onto a piece of paper or into a journal. Pray over them and ask God to use His Words to direct your life.
With Children: Help your child make a habit of turning to the Bible for help in their life. Talk with them about something in their life that they are interested in or have a question about and help them look up relevant Bible verses. Copy down some of these verses and help them pray to ask God how to use His Word to direct their life in this area. With younger children, talk with them as you do these things for them and pray these Bible verses over their life.
Thursday October 17
Blessings Over Holiness – Numbers 9-11
I think that we can all agree that following God has lots of personal benefits! The Israelites saw these benefits as well, receiving many blessings from the Lord. They were saved from slavery, saved from the Egyptian army, given supernatural food in the desert, provided for in every circumstance and in every way. Ultimately they were blessed with the instructions they needed to be close to the One True Holy God and even to be made holy themselves. While in Egypt, not only were they enslaved by Pharaoh, but they were also enslaved by their sin. Even when God had given the ultimate blessing, the blessing of holiness, they found something to be unhappy about. Many of the people among the Israelites began to complain that their desires for food were not fulfilled. Can you imagine? God sent down manna for His people every morning and they had such bad attitudes that they complained! In this instance, the people valued God’s physical blessings over the gift of His holiness. They couldn’t see past their greed for food to understand the benefits of holiness. How dare they complain when God has already given them so much! It seems trivial and outrageous to us looking at the situation from the outside, but it’s not so different from how we may act sometimes. We can slip into the attitude of measuring our life by what we have and what we don’t have, instead of living in the truth and freedom that God’s holiness imparts. Are you worshipping God for His blessings or for His holiness? Your attitude will help you make the distinction. Are you satisfied with today? Or are you complaining that you don’t have enough? Are you drawn to God because of who He is or what He can do for you? Measure your attitude against this standard and consider how you might need to correct your thinking.
Activity: Write down this declaration, “I worship God today because He is holy and I love Him because He loves me.” Now say this out loud and put it somewhere you will be reminded to correct your attitude.
With Children: Help your child write down this declaration, “I worship God today because He is holy and I love Him because He loves me.” Now help them say this out loud and put it somewhere they will be reminded to correct their attitude. With younger children, you can write and say it for them, then let them color on the page before hanging it in your home.
