Be Zealous

B’midbar (Numbers) 25:10-13

ADONAI said to Moshe, “Pinchas the son of El’azar, the son of Aharon the cohen, has deflected my anger from the people of Isra’el by being as zealous as I am, so that I didn’t destroy them in my own zeal. Therefore say, ‘I am giving him my covenant of shalom, making a covenant with him and his descendants after him that the office of cohen will be theirs forever.’ This is because he was zealous on behalf of his God and made atonement for the people of Isra’el.”

Zealousness for ADONAI is what brings shalom into our lives. It is the eagerness or enthusiastic activity, that eager partisanship with God that brings peace in our life. It does not mean there is peace around us. The Israelites were about to march to war to take the land of promise, Moshe was to die soon and Y’hoshua would be taking over leadership. Yet for all that God’s covenant of shalom was always with Pinchas. Lord let my drive, my desire for you be as zealous as Pinchas and let me know Your shalom, Your peace in my life. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Trust in our salvation

B’midbar (Numbers) 21:4-9

Then they traveled from Mount Hor on the road toward the Sea of Suf in order to go around the land of Edom; but the people’s tempers grew short because of the detour. The people spoke against God and against Moshe: “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt? To die in the desert? There’s no real food, there’s no water, and we’re sick of this miserable stuff we’re eating!”

In response, ADONAI sent poisonous snakes among the people; they bit the people, and many of Isra’el’s people died. The people came to Moshe and said, “We sinned by speaking against ADONAI and against you. Pray to ADONAI that he rid us of these snakes.” Moshe prayed for the people, and ADONAI answered Moshe: “Make a poisonous snake and put it on a pole. When anyone who has been bitten sees it, he will live.” Moshe made a bronze snake and put it on the pole; if a snake had bitten someone, then, when he looked toward the bronze snake, he stayed alive.

It is the same for us as the nation of Isra’el at that time.  They sinned, we sin, God removes his protection, losses happen to the nation of Isra’el, losses happen to us, they repented and turned back to God and salvation from the poison was hung on a stake that would heal them if they only trusted, Yeshua sacrificed His blood and hung on a stake that will remove death from our lives forever if we only trust.  Like all temptation God does not remove the poison snakes from our lives, just as He didn’t remove the poison snakes from the nation of Isra’el, but if we trust then that poison of temptation will have no effect on us.  We will be able to stay on God’s path and reach our destination in His holy land.  Lord let me look to You and You only as my guiding star in this life.  Let Your will be my marker in all that I do.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

ALL things work to good of those who trust

Mark 5:11-16

Now there was a large herd of pigs feeding near the hill, and the unclean spirits begged him, “Send us to the pigs, so we can go into them.” Yeshua gave them permission. They came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering around two thousand, rushed down the hillside into the lake and were drowned. The swineherds fled and told it in the town and in the surrounding country, and the people went to see what had happened. They came to Yeshua and saw the man who had had the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were frightened. Those who had seen it told what had happened to the man controlled by demons and to the pigs;

The foundation for the man’s testimony delivered from the legion of demons was not his salvation but the economic upheaval of the region with the destruction of the herd of pigs. The herdsmen testified that there was great change and it was their testimony that brought the community out to see the man delivered to righteousness through his trust in Yeshua. It was this economic disruption that gave substance to the delivered man’s testimony as he returned to the area of the Ten Towns. Lord let me not act in panic when finances are involved but trust that You will always keep safe those called to Your purpose. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Learn with humility

B’midbar (Numbers) 14:39-42

When Moshe told these things to all the people of Isra’el, the people felt great remorse. They arose early the next morning, came up to the top of the mountain and said, “Here we are, and we did sin, but now we’ll go up to the place ADONAI promised.” Moshe answered, “Why are you opposing what ADONAI said? You won’t succeed! Don’t go up there, because ADONAI isn’t with you. If you do, your enemies will defeat you.

There are some things that are lost when we are disobedient before ADONAI. Just as the nation of Isra’el was lost their inheritance for 40 years when they doubted God’s hand would be on them to take the land, so do we when we show willful disobedience to God. Sha’ul remained king of Isra’el to his death, but he lost God’s favor years before and was tormented by a troubling spirit because he would not repent. As a believer when we stumble, we have to accept the missed opportunity and keep our hope, our trust in ADONAI and humble ourselves to continue to serve God. We can learn by the losses as wells as the victories. Lord let me serve You in what way You would call me to serve. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Trust, trust and more trust

Mark 2:3-5

four men came to him carrying a paralyzed man. They could not get near Yeshua because of the crowd, so they stripped the roof over the place where he was, made an opening, and lowered the stretcher with the paralytic lying on it. Seeing their trust, Yeshua said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

It is all about trust, the stronger our trust the more powerful the Ruach moves around us.  Lord I am like the man who begged you “I trust, help me to trust!”  Let my trust in You know no bounds, I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Prayer, we need to

Mark 1:35

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Yeshua got up, left, went away to a lonely spot and stayed there praying.

If Yeshua our Messiah could get up before sunrise and seek time alone with ADONAI in prayer, how can I do anything less.  It is to my shame that I didn’t start working on this habit, and I do mean working, because one poll I heard of says the average person who claims to believe in God spends less than one minute a day in prayer, until I was in my 40’s and it wasn’t until I was in my 50’s that it has truly become routine.  Even now I spend more time reading the Word and journaling than I do in prayer most days, it just seems a really difficult thing to focus on, yet it is so important that even our Messiah who sits at the right hand of ADONAI forever set aside time for it.  Lord help me to be obedient in this aspect of my life for Your will.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Maturity required

B’midbar (Numbers) 8:23-24

ADONAI said to Moshe, “Here are instructions concerning the L’vi’im: when they reach the age of twenty-five, they are to begin performing their duties serving in the tent of meeting;

Previously ADONAI had ordered Moshe to conduct a census of all the other tribes of Isra’el but that the criteria was men who were 20 years old or older and fit for military service, yet to serve before ADONAI in the Mishkan one had to be 25, maturity was required for the position.  Many look to youth as favorable trait in leadership but God wants maturity as Sha’ul reminds us in his letter to Timothy “He must not be a new believer, because he might become puffed up with pride and thus fall under the same judgment as did the Adversary.” (1 Tim. 3:6).  There is a reason for the seasoning and testing of people in their youth so that they will serve as great leaders.  Lord let me encourage those that You have placed to lead Your people so that they may serve You with wisdom and trust.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Follow His path

Tehillim (Psalms) 23:3b

He guides me in right paths

for the sake of his own name.

Not to rescue us or make us better than others around us but for the sake of His own righteousness, ADONAI continually leads us to the ancient paths of His salvation through the blood of Yeshua.  When Yeshua spoke to Sha’ul on the road to Dammesek He asked Sha’ul why he kept rebelling against the ox goads trying to get him on the path of righteousness, and it is the same for us, God will push, cajole, and goad us back to Him, it is up to us if we will ignore or obey.  Lord let me see, hear and understand Your guidance in my life so I will not fail to follow You.  I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Trust the Ruach to give you the words

Acts 26:28-32

Agrippa said to Sha’ul, “In this short time, you’re trying to convince me to become Messianic?” Sha’ul replied, “Whether it takes a short time or a long time, I wish to God that not only you, but also everyone hearing me today, might become just like me except for these chains!”
Then the king got up, and with him the governor and Bernice and the others sitting with them. After they had left, they said to one another, “This man is doing nothing that deserves either death or prison.” And Agrippa said to Festus, “If he hadn’t appealed to the Emperor, he could have been released.”

Sha’ul was living out Yeshua’s words in Mark 13:9-11 “But you, watch yourselves! They will hand you over to the local Sanhedrin’s, you will be beaten up in synagogues, and on my account you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. Indeed, the Good News has to be proclaimed first to all the Goyim. Now when they arrest you and bring you to trial, don’t worry beforehand about what to say. Rather, say whatever is given you when the time comes; for it will not be just you speaking, but the Ruach HaKodesh.” This is our example to not hold back but let the Ruach flow through us so all may come to know ADONAI. Lord forgive me when I have been too selfish to follow through with Your Word but let me be the witness You would have me to be all the time. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

We all have a part to play

B’midbar (Numbers) 4:46-48

The census of the L’vi’im, whom Moshe, Aharon and the leaders of Isra’el enumerated by their clans and families, all those between thirty and fifty years old who were part of those working to serve and working to carry loads in the tent of meeting, yielded a total of 8,580 persons.

Even though there was only one High Priest (Aharon) and one prophet (Moshe) it took 8,580 men of maturity to assist them with the Tabernacle and performing the sacrifices for the people. All of us have a role to play inside the body of believers, it is finding that role and doing the best we can at it that honor ADONAI. Lord let me serve You with all my being and be ready for Your work at all times. Let me have the heart of David Your beloved when I answer Your call. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.