February 1 - Numbers 9-12

I had to sleep later this morning because I came down with a bad cold Sunday, and it just got worse yesterday. I mention this to make a point. I believe it is better to have your unhurried time with the Lord in the morning as you start your day, but that is not always possible. The important thing is to take time each day to be with the Lord. Don't become legalistic about the time you have it. The emphasis is on the Lord, not on when you meet Him or for how long. For me it is harder to meet with the Lord later in the day, because there are many more distractions that come. However, it is a good discipline to develop to be able to stop what you are doing at any time and go to seek the Lord like Moses did in this passage.

In Numbers 9 Moses leads the Israelites to celebrate their second Passover feast since coming out of Egypt. Let me say here that the ceremonies of the Old Covenant do not apply to us today, since we are under the New Covenant, but that does not mean they are not important. God has not changed, and the meaning of the ceremonies is still important for us today. Many of them point to Christ. All of them teach us about God, His nature, and His ways. Therefore, we accept the moral and spiritual laws like the 10 commandments, and we learn from the meaning behind the ceremonies and stories when we read the Old Testament.

At this point the Israelites were totally dependent on God for direction. They moved when the cloud or fire moved, and they stayed as long as it stayed. Sometimes it was for one day, and sometimes it was for one year. They did not have any say in the length of their stay. I am sure it was difficult to pick up and go after just setting up their tents, and I am sure it could get a bit boring to stay in one place a long time, but they were to trust God. This is a great lesson for us.

When the time came for the people to move out for the first time, they were ready. They knew their order. The Levites knew what to carry. They had made the trumpets to signal the people. However, I am sure it was a bit scary, too. How is it the first time you do something? Are you just a little unsure of yourself? That is why we must all trust the Lord in all we do, and He will see us through.

Finally Moses has trouble with the people complaining about meat and his siblings complaining about him being the only prophet. I still don't understand the problem with manna myself. It sounds like having Krispy Kreme doughnuts or sour dough bread every day to me. How could that be bad? I don't think it was the food. I think it was their attitude. Some people are just stuck in the objective mood. They can be against anything. God does not want us to be negative like that. In fact, when it tells about Aaron and Miriam standing up against Moses, the Bible makes it plain that there was no one more humble than Moses. He was not pulling rank on anyone. However, some people just want to be the one in the front. They want the spotlight. If they can't have it, they are not happy. Watch out for that tendency. It will get you in a lot of trouble like it did Miriam.

Tomorrow, I plan to read Numbers 13-15.