R³ Devotional - Day 68
R³ Devotional - Day 68 from Numbers Chapters 33-34
By: Justin McCoy
What a journey! As we take off through Numbers 33 at the beginning of the chapter, we see the travel path and journeys of God’s people from the time He promised to remove them Pharaoh’s heavy hand until He placed them in the land He had promised. Over forty years of journeys, struggles, falling away and turning back of His chosen people is reviewed in just a short section of this chapter. As we move through the journeys, the word of God reminds us of some the things that He has personally guided and protected them through.
There are so many things to consider after hearing God clearly lay out the boundaries of His promised land to His people. Sadly, many don’t focus on world history to a point of knowing the history of Israel, and how it was long “off the map” of the world, returning only in 1948 after being exiled for much of history. This review of the boundaries of the “promised land” we find in Numbers 34 is significant in at least two ways in my opinion. First, God promised to get His people freed from Pharaoh and to a land He had in mind for them, and these boundaries set the physical location of fulfilling that promise. Second, the many things we have read about in our journey through the Old Testament where God’s people were protected, witnessed His miraculous acts and still fell away from trust in Him during that journey, are now at hand as the boundaries of Israel are established, a chosen and promised land for God’s people even though they had strayed and mistrusted. In essence, a promise fulfilled, and a covenant sealed.
As we move through Numbers 34, we also find God establishing the tribes of Israel and their chiefs within the land boundaries He has set, with each tribe casting lots and setting out boundaries within each portion to those people of the individual tribes. Now, Israel is an established land with established peoples that God had chosen just as He planned from the beginning. What a gracious and merciful God we serve!
Real Life Principles:
This one to me is just so simple… A promise made and a promise kept. Just stop and think for a minute how hard it is for us to make and keep even a small promise. And yet we see God’s power as His miracles free His people, then His goodness and mercy keep Him with His people throughout their struggles with their sin nature, and finally His protection as He is with them in battles to get them where He needs them to enter His promised land. Friends God is in control…we just have to trust Him and His plans for us!
Relevant Life Applications:
Friends, our selfish human nature leads us to want to do things our way, to say, “I got this” and “I can make this happen” when we have seen over and over throughout human history that we can’t. We get it wrong, we falter and we fail. We must realize this fact and begin to put our trust and obedience in Him as we navigate this world. The more we turn to Him instead of running from Him, the more in line with His plans we will be!
Being Ready with Life Action Steps:
We don’t have to read far in the Bible to find that our God is just and He keeps His covenants. Our actions should be to draw nearer to Him first by accepting His free gift of grace through Jesus, then spending time in His word, and communicating with Him daily through prayer. As our relationship grows with Him, we will find ourselves serving Him in many ways, enjoying the blessing of being a part of His plans.
There are so many things to consider after hearing God clearly lay out the boundaries of His promised land to His people. Sadly, many don’t focus on world history to a point of knowing the history of Israel, and how it was long “off the map” of the world, returning only in 1948 after being exiled for much of history. This review of the boundaries of the “promised land” we find in Numbers 34 is significant in at least two ways in my opinion. First, God promised to get His people freed from Pharaoh and to a land He had in mind for them, and these boundaries set the physical location of fulfilling that promise. Second, the many things we have read about in our journey through the Old Testament where God’s people were protected, witnessed His miraculous acts and still fell away from trust in Him during that journey, are now at hand as the boundaries of Israel are established, a chosen and promised land for God’s people even though they had strayed and mistrusted. In essence, a promise fulfilled, and a covenant sealed.
As we move through Numbers 34, we also find God establishing the tribes of Israel and their chiefs within the land boundaries He has set, with each tribe casting lots and setting out boundaries within each portion to those people of the individual tribes. Now, Israel is an established land with established peoples that God had chosen just as He planned from the beginning. What a gracious and merciful God we serve!
Real Life Principles:
This one to me is just so simple… A promise made and a promise kept. Just stop and think for a minute how hard it is for us to make and keep even a small promise. And yet we see God’s power as His miracles free His people, then His goodness and mercy keep Him with His people throughout their struggles with their sin nature, and finally His protection as He is with them in battles to get them where He needs them to enter His promised land. Friends God is in control…we just have to trust Him and His plans for us!
Relevant Life Applications:
Friends, our selfish human nature leads us to want to do things our way, to say, “I got this” and “I can make this happen” when we have seen over and over throughout human history that we can’t. We get it wrong, we falter and we fail. We must realize this fact and begin to put our trust and obedience in Him as we navigate this world. The more we turn to Him instead of running from Him, the more in line with His plans we will be!
Being Ready with Life Action Steps:
We don’t have to read far in the Bible to find that our God is just and He keeps His covenants. Our actions should be to draw nearer to Him first by accepting His free gift of grace through Jesus, then spending time in His word, and communicating with Him daily through prayer. As our relationship grows with Him, we will find ourselves serving Him in many ways, enjoying the blessing of being a part of His plans.
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