FBC Daily Devotional – June 3, 2021

Faith Baptist Church

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Well, a good Thursday to you. Week is rolling by. Here we are in the third day of June already, and I hope things are going well for you this week, that you're seeing the

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Lord answer prayer and meet your needs and taking care of you, providing, protecting, as he has shown, proved to do, promised to do, and has proved himself so faithful in the past.

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Well, today we read a passage in Numbers chapter 27 that's really,

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I think, really sad, if you think about it. The Lord comes to Moses, and he tells

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Moses, go up in the mountain, you're going to die. Now, there aren't very many of us who will have the opportunity of really knowing when we're going to die.

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Some have a good notion because of a diagnosis that tells them, okay, this is a pretty serious illness, and you better get your house in order.

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You've got maybe six months, something of that nature. And that, of course, is hard to deal with, but there's also a little bit of a benefit to it in that you have that sense, there's a poignancy to it.

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There's a sense of urgency that then comes upon you to get some certain things done in order, if you will.

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Well, Moses is informed by the Lord very clearly, go up in this mountain and you're going to die, just as your brother went up in the mountain and died.

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And then the Lord explained why. You're going to go up in this mountain and die. Even though you're 120 years old and you're strong as an ox, you could live another 50 years normally, but you're not going to.

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And you're not going to because the people of Israel are about to enter into the land of Canaan, the promised land, and you're not going in.

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And you're not going in because of a sin you committed a few years back when

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I told you to speak to a rock, and instead you smote it. And Moses, when you did that, you failed to uphold me as holy.

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That's what the Lord says in chapter 27, in verse 15.

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He said, in the wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, the congregation had provoked

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Moses and he was pretty upset with him. He said, you rebelled. The Lord says you rebelled against my command.

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I told you very clearly what to do, and you rebelled against my command to hallow me, to present me as holy, to set me apart as different at the waters before their eyes.

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And these are the waters of Meribah, he goes on to explain. So this was a very serious sin, and as a result of that very serious sin,

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Moses, who faithfully led the people of Israel out of the land of Canaan, led them through this whole wilderness wandering experience, gave them the law, and so much more that he did in behalf of the people in a service to the

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Lord as well. He's not going to go into the land of promise. He's going to die. One serious sin.

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Now what's interesting about that, though, is how Moses responds. He doesn't argue.

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He doesn't say, come on, Lord, I mean, remember what the people did? Remember how they just, they were so aggravating.

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I was so frustrated with them. Surely you can cut me a little slack here. Moses makes no protest.

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He makes no protest. Instead what he does is he said, well, okay, would you please raise up for the people a leader to take my place?

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Did you notice that? Verses 15 to 23 says, then Moses spoke to the

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Lord saying, let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the

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Lord may not be like sheep which have no shepherd. All Moses is concerned about is the shepherd that's going to follow him.

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He's not interested in arguing with the Lord. He's not interested in having his way, making things easy, comfortable, convenient for himself.

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He knows what's coming and he knows he deserves it. He's accepted that.

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And now all he cares about is for the, the greater care of the people, the people that he's been shepherding these last 40 years.

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Would you please provide for them a shepherd? And the Lord answers that prayer.

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He raises up Joshua to take Moses's place and what a shepherd he's going to be.

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All right. So I wonder, I wonder if we would have that same kind of humble spirit when we're rebuked.

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Do we accept it? Hang our heads like the, like the publican at the temple who wouldn't raise his eyes up to heaven, but just smote upon his breast.

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We have that kind of humility. Moses had it, accepted it, accepted the consequences of his sin and expressed love and care and concern for his people.

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Do we have that kind of, do we have that kind of compassion and care and love for people?

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Father in heaven, thank you for Moses's example and the challenge that he is to us.

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I pray that not only would we learn from his example, but we would, we would follow it.

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We, we would beware of the severity, the seriousness of sin and its consequences.

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May that, may that, may that potential serve to keep us close to your heart and close to your will, not rebel against you.

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And, but then, oh Lord, I pray, I pray that we would have that humility of spirit that accepts the consequences that are ours to face sometimes because of the gravity of sin.

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Oh Lord, give us that humility, we pray. And give us the love for people like Moses expressed.

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I pray that those we are, aren't in our families, those in our church family, we would just have a care and concern and compassion for them as well.

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And we pray these things in Jesus name. Amen. All right. Well, I hope you have a good rest of your

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Thursday as this week is winding down and I trust God will bless you in it. Good day.