God's Care for His People - Numbers 34-36 and Mark 9:30-50
I hope that each of us has a good understanding of God's care for us. He does not just care for us. He has a perfect care for us, and this is especially true of His children. Count the ways that God cares for you as you read His Word and meditate on it today.
God supplied the Land of Canaan for Israel. He spelled out the boundaries, and He appointed a way to divide it between the tribes. It was a wonderful land for them. God knew it was just the right place for them. Then, He provided well for the Levites with cities and lands spread through all of the tribes. These cities included the cities of refuge, which were places where a person accused of murder could go for trial. If he was guilty of murder, he was put to death. If it was just manslaughter, he could live there safely until the death of the high priest. Then, he could return home. God even had this rule because of His care for His people. He did not want them to live in a land polluted by the sin of shedding innocent blood. He did not want them to have to face His anger at that terrible sin. Finally, He showed His care by telling the tribes to keep their land within the tribe. He did not want one tribe or a few tribes ending up with the majority of the land. This was a way of insuring that each one would have a way to make a good living. Truly God had thought of everything for Israel, and He has thought of everything for you and me.
Mark 9 shows us God's care, too. He cared that His disciples knew the truth of His death and resurrection, because that is the Gospel by which we are saved. They did not yet understand, but He cared for them so He began to tell them. When we care for others we will tell them the Gospel, too. Jesus showed everyone the importance of being a servant, because He cared that we would find true meaning in life. He did not want us to be sectarian or prejudice against people who were not in our group, so He told us to accept those who were not against us as being for us. Finally, He showed His great care for children. They are the ones who can't take care of themselves, so we must be very careful not to harm them. He will make sure of that. He will punish those who hurt children. Isn't that a great picture of the care of God for His people? He cares more about you than you do for yourself. The main difference is that He is not selfish. He truly wants what is best for you.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Deuteronomy 1-2 and Mark 10:1-31.
God supplied the Land of Canaan for Israel. He spelled out the boundaries, and He appointed a way to divide it between the tribes. It was a wonderful land for them. God knew it was just the right place for them. Then, He provided well for the Levites with cities and lands spread through all of the tribes. These cities included the cities of refuge, which were places where a person accused of murder could go for trial. If he was guilty of murder, he was put to death. If it was just manslaughter, he could live there safely until the death of the high priest. Then, he could return home. God even had this rule because of His care for His people. He did not want them to live in a land polluted by the sin of shedding innocent blood. He did not want them to have to face His anger at that terrible sin. Finally, He showed His care by telling the tribes to keep their land within the tribe. He did not want one tribe or a few tribes ending up with the majority of the land. This was a way of insuring that each one would have a way to make a good living. Truly God had thought of everything for Israel, and He has thought of everything for you and me.
Mark 9 shows us God's care, too. He cared that His disciples knew the truth of His death and resurrection, because that is the Gospel by which we are saved. They did not yet understand, but He cared for them so He began to tell them. When we care for others we will tell them the Gospel, too. Jesus showed everyone the importance of being a servant, because He cared that we would find true meaning in life. He did not want us to be sectarian or prejudice against people who were not in our group, so He told us to accept those who were not against us as being for us. Finally, He showed His great care for children. They are the ones who can't take care of themselves, so we must be very careful not to harm them. He will make sure of that. He will punish those who hurt children. Isn't that a great picture of the care of God for His people? He cares more about you than you do for yourself. The main difference is that He is not selfish. He truly wants what is best for you.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Deuteronomy 1-2 and Mark 10:1-31.