Fully Obey All the Way

Cooperate with God with full obedience every time, forever and ever.

In Numbers 20 – 24, God is consistent with HIS demands and judgments. HE gave HIS people clearly instructions to follow. Failure to obey with exactness, those people received punishment according to his bad deed or mistake, no exemption granted.

The LORD commanded Moses to speak to the rock for water but he was too carried away by anger and hit the rock twice instead. By violating precision, Moses failed in belief to God and hallowing HIM in the front of HIS people. God is just. HE forgives people but punishment is still justifiable. Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land in his life. Let’s dispel our anger shortly lest it will lead us sinning against God.

God punished many kings for their refusal to let children of Israel pass through. Never fear your enemy if you are walking with God. Seek help from the LORD by praying for HIS deliverance. Cooperate with God when dealing with HIS people so that you won’t be counted as against HIM. Pride or being ignorant of God’s omnipotence invites one’s decline as nobody could resist HIS power and change HIS plan.

Obeying God thoroughly is a lifetime requirement. Unfortunately, children of Israel complained against God and Moses again and again. This definitely irritated God. HE sent the fiery serpents among the people, who finally confessed their sin, repented and asked Moses praying to God to relieve them.

Complaint against God is a wicked practice that tears people away from HIM, leaving the offenders unprotected like a helpless orphan exposing to all kinds of dangers. Avoidable damages become inevitable until people reconciled with God properly.

Balak sent for Balaam to curse Israel. His wish never came true because it was against God’s will. The LORD instructed Balaam to speak exactly what HE told him, neither more nor less. We should never go beyond God’s word.

Balaam needed God to open his eyes to see the angel of the LORD finally. We ought to pray to God for opening our eyes so that we won’t walk against HIM. Implore HIM for direction and follow the reply with full confidence and belief.

In Balaam’s case, God put word in his mouth to help him cope with Balak appropriately. Be contented and ready for God to use us as HIS tool in fulfilling HIS plan. Balaam blessed Israel bountifully. He didn’t come to please any man no matter how rich and earnest the requested party was.

Nobody can reverse God’s command based on his own will. God’s blessing is invaluable. It kept children of Israel away from their enemies and be unbeatable. Without God’s consent, changing the places to perform the cursing won’t work.

Let’s pray to God:

O LORD, glory to Your Omnipotence. Open our eyes, ears, mind and heart to notice and understand Your will so that we could ask for help correctly and be cooperative to realize Your plan first. Amen.

Same for All

God’s commands are “one law for all”. Whoever violates HIS rules would be punished.

In Numbers 15 – 19, God gave more laws and emphasized “One law for all” over again. HE demands children of Israel and the strangers dwelling among them exact observance to HIS arrangements. Challenging Moses or Aaron was equivalent to rejecting God, and the rebels paid their price for their wickedness.

God’s rules are given to help people live their life uprightly. We must keep them strictly as a way to return our love to HIM. Nowadays, people have a lot of things to worry and tend to abandon precision easily. The reckless attitude affects our behaviors, contributing to our loose relationship with God.

Don’t let our self-will dominate and magnify. Place God as the chief in our heart; cultivate our love and patience to serve HIM with full correctness for every task HE entrusted us.

God knew that people are forgetful. HE instructed children of Israel to have tassels on garments to help them remember all HIS commandments and be holy for HIM. Today, we can print the laws in big poster or pocket-size card, save them in cell phones or tablets. Do whatever we can to remind ourselves God’s rules and act accordingly with exactness.

One law one custom for Israel and the strangers who dwelled with them, God requested HIS people to assimilate others on earth to follow HIS commandments. God’s love is open to all people. A competent God’s servant ought to assimilate others obeying the LORD rather than being assimilated to sin against HIM.

Same for all is not only about following all God’s rules, but also be contented in our given position, authority and duty. Don’t challenge God’s choice and behave like those who complained against Moses and Aaron for being more exalted in the assembly. This is a sign of rejecting God and the wicked people were severely punished.

Direct complaint was unacceptable, so did murmur against Moses and Aaron for the rebels’ deaths. The murmur only suggested that people didn’t understand and care the sinners’ offense to God. The LORD punished them with plague. Never make God angry by participating in evil plot directly or express support for the wicked people.

We should learn from Moses as he prayed to God for mercy without committing the same sin even he lived among the Congregation.

The budding of Aaron’s rod was God’s declaration to stop the complaints of the children of Israel against Moses and Aaron. The duties and offerings in relation to priesthood, and then to Levites were stated.

The LORD requires us full submission to all HIS arrangements. HE will exalt the strict observers and punish those who exalt themselves or rebel against HIM.

Let’s pray to God:

Our heavenly Father, You are the most just adjudicator. Help us maximize our strength and deactivate our weakness, be contented in our roles and duties, obey Your laws strictly and live our every minute with love to You and to our neighbors. Amen.

Never Test God

Have we tested God? Children of Israel did so and got punishments.

In Numbers 11 – 14, God was in wrath because children of Israel were unthankful and kept complaining. They didn’t believe in God but wanted their own way.

Facing many complaints, Moses had difficulty in bearing the burden. He must seek God’s support. He also interceded with God for HIS people.

After God burning the complaining guys, people wanted to eat flesh and HE provided quail. Nothing is impossible to the LORD because HE has full control over everything, including who could receive the Spirit and prophesied for HIM. No man can interfere with HIM.

God keeps a record for everyone and punishes people according to their own deeds. HE punished people with plague due to their craving for eating flesh.

Craving blinds people taking things for granted, thinking God as a magician that must provide if we ask; otherwise, we complain to God without reverence. We fail to appreciate HIS blessings to us and become greedier than ever.

Craving tears us away from God. We forget to thank and praise the LORD, but blame HIM and produce dirty tricks to satisfy our wicked appetite. Many people don’t ask for the right thing, don’t trust in God for the best alternative, and they disbelieve HIM.

Besides greed, jealousy is another man’s common failing. Aaron and Miriam complained to the LORD because they envied Moses. Miriam was punished with leprosy for seven days. Respect God’s faithful servant and never speak against HIM or challenge the given authority.

When God is with us, we should fear nothing. However, children of Israel forgot HIS omnipotence and acted upon their fear. They refused to enter Canaan after hearing the report of giants living there. They blamed God for sending them into the wild and wanted to return to Egypt. They didn’t recall God’s wondrous works and almost stoned Joshua and Caleb, who believed in HIM and suggested fear not.

God granted Israel pardon because Moses interceded again. The rebels received death penalty. The punishment for the rest was neither one could see the Promised Land except Joshua and Caleb and they had to stay in the wild for 40 years.

Children of Israel launched an attack afterwards, without God’s command and so, the effort became futile. Without God, man is nothing.

Learn a lesson and do some self-examination. Are we like children of Israel? For example, being unthankful, envying others, disbelieving God for knowing and giving us the best, misusing HIS love to us. Have we forgotten HIS wondrous works and do not fear HIM? In short, we may not know the LORD well enough, or even refuse to know HIM so that we could do whatever we like.

Whoever tests God is sin against HIM and will be punished.

Let’s pray to God:

Our merciful Father, please help us cultivate our faith and be thankful to You. Give us the wisdom to ask for Your help aptly. Never test nor transgress You forever and ever. Amen.

Seek God’s Guidance

God’s guidance is free and abundant. Seek and we will get it.

In Numbers 5 – 10, God gave a lot of commands to guide HIS people, to show them the correct path to take in one’s life. Any questions, ask the LORD and HE will answer.

God never reserves HIS good advice. HE told children of Israel how to avoid uncleanness. Handle defilement properly, the whole congregation might not be corrupted easily.

The LORD also told HIS people how to do confession and restitution, handle the jealousy of the husband to his wife, perform the law of Nazarite unerring, etc. HE also taught the priests to bless appropriately. God’s commands are to do good.

God never abandons us after leaving commands. Children of Israel asked the LORD how to keep the Passover if they were defiled by a human corpse and they got HIS answer. Don’t do things according to your own will but ask God to know and do HIS.

God demands a strict observance not just from children of Israel but also from the stranger and the native of the land as well. One ordinance for all, this is a clear message that there is only one living God to obey and worship.

God knows everything and HE is full of goodness. HIS commands help Israel to be in good order to journey and camp. HE also accompanied them in the form of cloud (day) and fire (night). We learn the correct principles and develop good habits in worshiping HIM effectively by following the LORD’s orders non-stop.

The LORD gave commands to train HIS people listening to the trumpets and acting with apposite response to remember HIM.

Nowadays, have we forgotten to consult God for everything we do? We often travel our life journey alone. We check all the information on the Internet, ask our acquaintances for advice, read books to get tips and so on, and thought our efforts are good enough. Many people never pray to God for advice and wait patiently for an answer. The over-independence is a result of exalting oneself, leading us to overlook God’s presence and HIS graces to us.

Self-reliance and pride often occupy one’s mind so intense that people fail to remember God, not to mention listening to HIM and discovering HIS subtle way in giving commands to them. They blame God for no help when they never study the Bible, nor do according to HIS word, nor ask and listen, nor have faith in HIM. 

God guides us through the Holy Spirit. Its arrival and staying behind to guard and guide us is a great blessing to the chosen people. We ought to pray for more faith in God and cleanse our heart and mind so that we could hear the little voice of our guardian angel.

Let’s pray to God:

Our loving Father, I thank You for Your incessant guidance. Please help us heed the advice of the Holy Spirit and plunge in the ocean of Your blessings without reserve. Amen.