January 30, 2011 (Joshua 1-7)

Moses has died and now Joshua is leading the Israelites. Once God got them into the Promised Land they were able to eat from the crops that had been planted by those who had lived there. And at that point manna was never seen again. Coincidence? Not a chance. How many things have happened in my life that I have attributed to 'coincidence' instead of the direct hand of God?

When the Israelites defeated Jericho, God gave them explicit instructions, and those were that they were not to take any of the 'plunder' for themselves. They soundly defeated Jericho, and not long after went to destroy Ai. But with that attempt they were soundly defeated and 36 men lost their lives. When Joshua heard what had happened he immediately went before God in mourning, and then lamented to God about why He had brought them across the Jordan River if He was going to allow them to be defeated. He never thought about the fact there could be a reason for their defeat. Here was God's response:

^7:10 But the Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this? ¹¹ Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings. ¹² That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat. For now Israel itself has been set apart for destruction. I will not remain with you any longer unless you destroy the things among you that were set apart for destruction.

 ¹³ “Get up! Command the people to purify themselves in preparation for tomorrow. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the Lord. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you.

I look back at my own life and see those times where God treated me the same way. He does not allow us to continue in our sin. If we chose our sin over Him, we chose to 'go it alone'. He commands that we remove from our lives the things that cause separation from Him.

The other thing I saw from this passage is that our sin affects other people. Those thirty six men suffered the consequences of one man's sin. And not only them, but when he was punished for his sin, his family died with him. Oh that God would give us eyes to see that He demands purity in every area. He does not take sin lightly - it cost Him His Son.

January 28-29, 2011 (Deuteronomy 26-34, Psalm 90-91)

As I finished the book of Deuteronomy, I couldn't help but think of the years that I lived in disobedience to God, after I was saved. I thought of the daily anguish of my soul as I made choices that put me first and not Him.  I remembered  how it felt to not have peace in my heart, because I knew I was being disobedient to explicit commands from His word. Somehow I thought I was immune from His chastisement, but I was not:

^29:19 “Those who hear the warnings of this curse should not congratulate themselves, thinking, ‘I am safe, even though I am following the desires of my own stubborn heart.’ This would lead to utter ruin! ²⁰ The Lord will never pardon such people. Instead his anger and jealousy will burn against them.

I'm thankful that He is a merciful God and that He drew me back to Himself. He brought me to a point of decision, and I decided that my sin was not worth it:

A Call to Return to the Lord

30:1   “Suppose all these things happen to you - the blessings and curses I have listed - and you meditate on them as you are living among the nations to which the Lord your God has exiled you. ² If at that time you return to the Lord your God, and you and your children begin wholeheartedly to obey all the commands I have given you today, ³ then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes. He will have mercy on you and gather you back from all the nations where he has scattered you. ⁴ Even though you are banished to the ends of the earth, the Lord your God will go and find you and bring you back again. 

And through that experience, He taught me that each day is a day that I can choose to honor Him, or choose to live for myself.

 ^30:19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! ²⁰ You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

I have seen first hand the ravages of my life when I have chosen to ignore the love of the God who made me. It's a fine line - my heart is His, totally His now. But I am still learning what it means to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. I still say things that I shouldn't. I still find myself judging others. I still walk too much in 'the flesh', instead of the Spirit. But I do walk in the confidence of knowing that these areas are those that I continually surrender to Him and ask for His help. I want to walk in His power and not in my own strength. I know He is a merciful God and He is helping me, even though at times I feel like an utter failure. I know He sees my heart and He loves to help me.

^33:26 “There is no one like the God of Israel.
      He rides across the heavens to help you,
      across the skies in majestic splendor.
 ²⁷ The eternal God is your refuge,
      and his everlasting arms are under you.

I know He is teaching me.

^90:12 Teach us to realize the brevity of life,
      so that we may grow in wisdom.
¹⁴ Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love,
      so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.

I know I am trusting in Him.


^91:1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
      will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
 ² This I declare about the Lord:
   He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
      he is my God, and I trust him.

I know He is with me, and I love Him - not for all He does, but for who He is. Dear God, help me to look to Your eyes - to know Your eyes are always on me, and not to Your hand - desiring only what You give. May I rest in Your love.

January 27, 2011 (Deuteronomy 18-25)

I'm a morning person. Today I tried doing my 'quiet time' in the morning but there was too much activity going on. So I ended up doing it tonight. Either these chapters have nothing to write about or I am brain dead. I have to say I got nothing out of these chapters and had to fight dozing off.

Hopefully tomorrow will hold some insight!

January 26, 2011 (Deuteronomy 13-17)

As I read today I was struck by God's words to Moses regarding appointing a king, and thought of the future King Solomon as I read verse 17:

^17:17 The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the Lord. And he must not accumulate large amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself.

God's word is true. It always proves itself as true. And the above verse is pretty much a recap of what happened to Solomon. The Bible says his many wives led him astray.

Over and over in God's word we see where we are to daily be in His word. Here it is again, and this time He is saying it is important for the king. If it is important for the king, it is also important for us.

^17:18 “When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy for himself this body of instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. ¹⁹ He must always keep that copy with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the Lord his God by obeying all the terms of these instructions and decrees. ²⁰ This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. And it will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel.

Here are the other verses that 'hit me' in today's reading:

^13:1 “Suppose there are prophets among you or those who dream dreams about the future, and they promise you signs or miracles, ² and the predicted signs or miracles occur. If they then say, ‘Come, let us worship other gods’—gods you have not known before—³ do not listen to them. The Lord your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul. ⁴ Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him. 


^13:18 “The Lord your God will be merciful only if you listen to his voice and keep all his commands that I am giving you today, doing what pleases him.


^14:22 “You must set aside a tithe of your crops—one-tenth of all the crops you harvest each year. ²³ Bring this tithe to the designated place of worship—the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to be honored. Doing this will teach you always to fear the Lord your God.

January 25, 2011 (Deuteronomy 7-12)

Today's blog is going to be primarily scripture. There is nothing else that needs to be said. I put my name into it to personalize it - to try to hear these words as God speaks them to me.

^10:12 “And now, Sandy, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. ¹³ And you must always obey the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.

 ¹⁴ “Look, the highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the Lord your God. ¹⁵ Yet the Lord chose you as the object of his love. ¹⁶ Therefore, change your heart and stop being stubborn.

^11:22 “Be careful to obey all these commands I am giving you. Show love to the Lord your God by walking in his ways and holding tightly to him. 
 ²⁶ “Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse! ²⁷ You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the Lordyour God that I am giving you today. ²⁸ But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the Lord your God and turn away from him and worship gods you have not known before.

January 24, 2011 (Deuteronomy 5-6)

As I continue to read God's word, I am reminded that I still have so far to go in my quest for God. I know I am always convicted by these passages:

^6:4 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. ⁵ And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. ⁶ And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. ⁷ Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. ⁸ Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. ⁹ Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.


Have I committed myself wholeheartedly to His commands? What does that mean? I would think it would mean that I would do a better job of really living what I have read. Of memorizing His word and taking one aspect per day and really committing myself to allowing His Spirit to change/bring victory in that area. Do I continually talk of God's commands at home? I want our home to be one in which Jesus loves to 'hang out' because He finds us in tune with Him. I want us to be a family that honors Him - in everything we do. I don't want to have any 'hidden closets' in which He is not allowed to enter and 'clean up'.

As I read this following passage I was reminded of the miraculous change that occurred in my at the moment of my conversion.

^6:20 “In the future your children will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of these laws, decrees, and regulations that the Lordour God has commanded us to obey?’

 ²¹ “Then you must tell them, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand. ²² The Lord did miraculous signs and wonders before our eyes, dealing terrifying blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people. ²³ He brought us out of Egypt so he could give us this land he had sworn to give our ancestors. ²⁴ And the Lord our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day. ²⁵ For we will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands the Lord our God has given us.’

I was a slave to sin, and God delivered me from that life of sin with amazing power. He put His Spirit in my heart when I accepted what Jesus had done for me on the cross. He changed me - truly changed me - from the inside. I'm righteous because of Christ - not from "obeying the law". But Jesus does require obedience to His Word because it is our "reasonable service".  He says "If you love me, obey my commandments."

January 23, 2011 (Numbers 34-36, Deuteronomy 1-4)

Deuteronomy begins with another recounting of the journey so far from Moses. In the first chapter we learn that their journey normally would have taken eleven days, but it took them forty years. The price of sin is costly.

As I read these chapters I was struck again by the power of God and by His care and concern for His people. And I was again reminded that the greatness of America was because it was a country founded upon God and His principles and He blessed us. We no longer live in a country that is founded on Godly principles. Laws are being made that provide freedom from religion, not freedom of religion. As a nation, I fear for America. We cannot expect a different outcome for us if we continue to rebel against His principles and His word. I can't change America, but I can start with me. What about me? Am I taking Him at His word? I was struck by this exchange:

^3:23 “At that time I pleaded with the Lord and said, ²⁴ ‘O Sovereign Lord, you have only begun to show your greatness and the strength of your hand to me, your servant. Is there any god in heaven or on earth who can perform such great and mighty deeds as you do? ²⁵Please let me cross the Jordan to see the wonderful land on the other side, the beautiful hill country and the Lebanon mountains.’

 ²⁶ “But the Lord was angry with me because of you, and he would not listen to me. ‘That’s enough!’ he declared. ‘Speak of it no more.

I thought of my continuing struggle to try to maintain Godliness in the midst of a sometimes disobedient child. Which on a larger scale is what Moses went through. He lost his ability to actually enter into the promised land because of his response when the people complained of no water. Instead of following God's instructions, he responded in anger and took credit for providing the water. What have I forfeited because of my anger? Please forgive me God and help me to respond through Your Spirit.

I have seen God do many great and wonderful things. He tells us to never forget them and to pass them on to our children.

^4:9 “But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren. ¹⁰ Never forget the day when you stood before the Lord your God at Mount Sinai, where he told me, ‘Summon the people before me, and I will personally instruct them. Then they will learn to fear me as long as they live, and they will teach their children to fear me also.’

We have just recently begun to end our day doing some 'communication' exercises - using "feeling adjectives" to describe ourselves, and then we use that adjective to say "And the first time I felt 'blank' was....    During my turn, a lot of the time my sentence has something to do with either when I got saved, or when I got married. As I type this, I should also include when I had a son, because all of those occasions were 'miracles' - with my salvation being the biggest miracle.

And finally, a reminder that when we chose to go our own ways, we end up with bitterness in our lives. Our bitterness should be a reminder that we need Him.

^4:30 “In the distant future, when you are suffering all these things, you will finally return to the Lord your God and listen to what he tells you. ³¹ For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors.

January 22, 2011 (Numbers 29-33)

I'm going to start with the last chapter and go backwards. Chapter 33 begins with a recap of what had happened to the Israelites on their journeys. It says "At the Lords' direction, Moses kept a written record of their progress". Then it goes on to list all the stages of their march, identified by the different places they stopped along the way.  First of all, I wish I would have made a written record of all the places I've been and things I've done. My memory is atrocious! Chris recently was looking at some old photo albums and we discovered one from my missions trip to England back in 1985. I really, really wish I had a written log of the experiences of that trip. God did some amazing things and although I remember them in 'generalities' I would love to recount the details. So as a side note, this passage has reminded me that in whatever remaining years I have, I want to journal it through pictures and written words so that I can remember it all. Now, back to the story. So chapter 33 ends with these words:

⁵⁰ While they were camped near the Jordan River on the plains of Moab opposite Jericho, the Lord said to Moses, ⁵¹ “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: When you cross the Jordan River into the land of Canaan, ⁵² you must drive out all the people living there. You must destroy all their carved and molten images and demolish all their pagan shrines. ⁵³ Take possession of the land and settle in it, because I have given it to you to occupy.  ⁵⁵ But if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live. ⁵⁶ And I will do to you what I had planned to do to them.”

I've highlighted the parts that had particular meaning based upon what I read before. God told them exactly what they were to do when they took possession of the land. But Chapter 31 details one of the raids where God told them to take vengeance on the Mideonites for leading them into idolatry. They raided the Mideonites and killed all the men and kings, but took all the women and children as plunder. When they got back to camp, Moses was furious that they hadn't killed them all, but gave the order to let all the young girls who were virgins to live, but to kill everyone else. I found that very confusing. God's specific commands were to drive out ALL the people. Why did Moses back down on obeying God's commands? Was it because God had also told him after this raid, he would die? Did he figure, "What the heck? I'm sick of being the 'bad guy'."

January 21, 2011 (Numbers 26-28)

Chapter 27 covers God's conversation to Moses regarding the fact that he will not enter the Promised Land because "When the people of Israel rebelled, you failed to demonstrate my holiness to them at the waters." He told Moses to go to the top of a mountain to overlook the land though and to see His provision. I was struck by Moses response:

¹⁵ Then Moses said to the Lord, ¹⁶ “O Lord, you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Please appoint a new man as leader for the community. ¹⁷ Give them someone who will guide them wherever they go and will lead them into battle, so the community of the Lord will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”


I had read earlier that "Moses was the most humble man to walk the earth." That humility was shown here. He wasn't concerned for himself, he was concerned for the people he led. I would imagine I would have been having a pity party for myself and would have argued with God about all that I had done for Him those forty years. But not Moses. He humbly accepted God's word to him and showed concern for his people.


In chapter 28 God describes the offerings He required. One in the morning, one in the evening. And they were pleasing to Him. I think He is pleased today when we rise and offer the sacrifice of spending time with Him in the morning, and go to bed remembering His faithfulness - offering sacrifices of praise morning, noon and night.

January 20, 2011 (Numbers 22-25)

Today's reading encompassed the story where Balaam's donkey spoke to him. Specifically the verse says "Then the Lord caused the donkey to speak". God can do anything. We limit Him by our unbelief. I'm not saying that if we believed, our dog could talk; I'm saying that God created everything and can do whatever He wants.

Chapter 25 begins with:

¹ While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove, some of the men defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women. ² These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab. ³ In this way, Israel joined in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the Lord’s anger to blaze against his people.

Then, right before their eyes, one of the Israelite men came into the camp with a Midianite woman.  Another named Phinehas, when he saw what this man did, took a spear and rammed it through the man and the woman, killing them both. Here was God's response:

¹⁰ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹¹ “Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest has turned my anger away from the Israelites by being as zealous among them as I was. So I stopped destroying all Israel as I had intended to do in my zealous anger. ¹² Now tell him that I am making my special covenant of peace with him. ¹³ In this covenant, I give him and his descendants a permanent right to the priesthood, for in his zeal for me, his God, he purified the people of Israel, making them right with me.”

God is looking for people zealous for His name.

January 18, 2011 (Numbers 15-17)

I think we take God's grace too much for granted. I know I do. When I read the stories in the Old Testament, I really get a glimpse of how much God hates sin. They caught one guy gathering wood on the Sabbath. What was his punishment? - Death! Seems rather harse. But I think these examples are to get our attention. Jesus has definitely brought us grace by taking God's wrath upon Himself. We owe Him our very lives.

This segment reminded me of the WWJD bracelets - same principle I think:

^15:37 Then the Lord said to Moses, ³⁸ “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: Throughout the generations to come you must make tassels for the hems of your clothing and attach them with a blue cord. ³⁹ When you see the tassels, you will remember and obey all the commands of the Lord instead of following your own desires and defiling yourselves, as you are prone to do. ⁴⁰ The tassels will help you remember that you must obey all my commands and be holy to your God. ⁴¹ I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt that I might be your God. I am the Lord your God!”

January 16, 2011 (Numbers 11-14)

Chapter 11 begins with the all too familiar:

11:1 Soon the people began to complain about their hardship, and the Lord heard everything they said. Then the Lord’s anger blazed against them, and he sent a fire to rage among them, and he destroyed some of the people in the outskirts of the camp. 2 Then the people screamed to Moses for help, and when he prayed to the Lord, the fire stopped. 3 After that, the area was known as Taberah (which means “the place of burning”), because fire from the Lord had burned among them there.

4 Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt. And the people of Israel also began to complain. “Oh, for some meat!” they exclaimed. 5 “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. 6 But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!”

They were influenced by the foreigners traveling with them. They disregarded God's provision and wanted what they didn't have. They complained about 'their lot in life', about their 'hardships'. Dear God, forgive me for doing the exact same thing. God has called us to be thankful. "In all things give thanks, for this is the will of God concerning you."

There was a lot more in these chapters, but I want to concentrate on this today. On being thankful. On quitting complaining. God hates complaining. It shows a lack of trust and a lack of belief in His love and care for me.

January 15, 2011 (Numbers 1-10)

All through these first chapters of Numbers, we see God's specific commands to Moses and the Israelites - from taking a census of the people to very specific details as to how they were to disassemble and transport the Tabernacle as they moved on to the promised land. Over and over again in these chapters I read that "they did just as the Lord had commanded." I was struck by the sheer amount of work that was required to break camp and move on. But God's presence guided them in the form of a cloud during the day and at night it appeared as fire. When the cloud lifted, the people followed. Sometimes they would stay in place only overnight, and sometimes for months at a time. These verses summarize what happened:

^9:22 Whether the cloud stayed above the Tabernacle for two days, a month, or a year, the people of Israel stayed in camp and did not move on. But as soon as it lifted, they broke camp and moved on. ²³ So they camped or traveled at the Lord’s command, and they did whatever the Lord told them through Moses.

So now in chapter ten I came to verses 11 and 12, where I see they've been traveling for two years - doing "just as the Lord had commanded", but they still haven't made it to the Promised Land. I would imagine the newness is wearing off and they are getting tired of the 'daily grind' - wondering if God really cares. Then I came across this conversation of Moses:

10:29 One day Moses said to his brother-in-law, Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, “We are on our way to the place the Lord promised us, for he said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us and we will treat you well, for the Lord has promised wonderful blessings for Israel!” 30 But Hobab replied, “No, I will not go. I must return to my own land and family.”31 “Please don’t leave us,” Moses pleaded. “You know the places in the wilderness where we should camp. Come, be our guide. 32 If you do, we’ll share with you all the blessings the Lord gives us.”
As I read this I thought, "WHAT??!!! What do you mean, 'be our guide?' God was guiding you with His presence in a cloud! Was even Moses beginning to doubt God?"

And I thought of how easy it is for us to doubt that God is really leading us and really cares for us. God forgive me for losing sight of You, even though You show me Your faithfulness, over and over again.

January 14, 2011 (Leviticus 24-27)

Chapter 26 lists the results of obedience and the results of disobedience. As a country, we need to be obedient to God. But that seems impossible. Ok then, let's say as a city, we need to be obedient. Even that seems impossible. I don't see how this verse can apply with a group of "mixed" people:

³ “If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, ⁴ I will send you the seasonal rains. The land will then yield its crops, and the trees of the field will produce their fruit.

As I wrote that, I realized that unbelievers get to share in the blessings that God pours on His obedient children.

Probably some of the best verses in these chapters, talking of the results of obedience are:

⁹ “I will look favorably upon you, making you fertile and multiplying your people. And I will fulfill my covenant with you. ¹⁰ You will have such a surplus of crops that you will need to clear out the old grain to make room for the new harvest! ¹¹ I will live among you, and I will not despise you. ¹² I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people. ¹³ I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high.

The new testament tells us that Christ has broken the power of sin in our lives so that we no longer need to live as slaves to it. There are so many references to Jesus in the Old Testament. He is woven throughout, like a beautiful thread in a tapestry.