December 7, 2009 (Numbers 16-20)

Numbers 16-20

Poor Moses. Once again the people rebel against him.

Numbers 16:¹ One day Korah conspired with Dathan and Abiram. ² They incited a rebellion against Moses, along with 250 other leaders of the community, all prominent members of the assembly. ³ They united against Moses and Aaron and said, “You have gone too far! The whole community of Israel has been set apart by the Lord, and he is with all of us. What right do you have to act as though you are greater than the rest of the Lord’s people?”

Moses response was to tell to them that the next day, the Lord would show them who was holy and who was not. Again, he told them they were not revolting against him and Aaron, but against the Lord. After a series of events, God was so frustrated with them that He told Moses and Aaron to get away from them so that He could destroy them. But Moses pleaded with God to not destroy them all for the sins of a few. So God told Moses to tell the people to get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan andAbiram (the instigators). Here's what transpired:

²⁸ And Moses said, “This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things that I have done—for I have not done them on my own. ²⁹ If these men die a natural death, or if nothing unusual happens, then the Lord has not sent me. ³⁰ But if the Lord does something entirely new and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them and all their belongings, and they go down alive into the grave, then you will know that these men have shown contempt for the Lord.”

³¹ He had hardly finished speaking the words when the ground suddenly split open beneath them. ³² The earth opened its mouth and swallowed the men, along with their households and all their followers who were standing with them, and everything they owned. ³³ So they went down alive into the grave, along with all their belongings. The earth closed over them, and they all vanished from among the people of Israel. ³⁴ All the people around them fled when they heard their screams. “The earth will swallow us, too!” they cried. ³⁵ Then fire blazed forth from the Lord and burned up the 250 men who were offering incense.

⁴¹ But the very next morning the whole community of Israel began muttering again against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the Lord’s people!” ⁴² As the community gathered to protest against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the Tabernacle and saw that the cloud had covered it, and the glorious presence of the Lord appeared.

⁴³ Moses and Aaron came and stood in front of the Tabernacle, ⁴⁴ and the Lord said to Moses, ⁴⁵ “Get away from all these people so that I can instantly destroy them!” But Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground.

⁴⁶ And Moses said to Aaron, “Quick, take an incense burner and place burning coals on it from the altar. Lay incense on it, and carry it out among the people to purify them and make them right with the Lord. The Lord’s anger is blazing against them—the plague has already begun.”

⁴⁷ Aaron did as Moses told him and ran out among the people. The plague had already begun to strike down the people, but Aaron burned the incense and purified the people. ⁴⁸ He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague stopped. ⁴⁹ But 14,700 people died in that plague, in addition to those who had died in the affair involving Korah. ⁵⁰ Then because the plague had stopped, Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the Tabernacle.

I don't know about you, but at this point I think I would have said, "Ok God. Kill them all. I'm sick of their rebellion." And as I read several chapters ahead, that may have been better for Moses had he done that. These next verses are very sad concerning Moses:

^{Numbers 20:2} There was no water for the people to drink at that place, so they rebelled against Moses and Aaron. ³ The people blamed Moses and said, “If only we had died in the Lord’s presence with our brothers! ⁴ Why have you brought the congregation of the Lord’s people into this wilderness to die, along with all our livestock? ⁵ Why did you make us leave Egypt and bring us here to this terrible place? This land has no grain, no figs, no grapes, no pomegranates, and no water to drink!”

⁶ Moses and Aaron turned away from the people and went to the entrance of the Tabernacle, where they fell face down on the ground. Then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to them, ⁷ and the Lord said to Moses, ⁸ “You and Aaron must take the staff and assemble the entire community. As the people watch, speak to the rock over there, and it will pour out its water. You will provide enough water from the rock to satisfy the whole community and their livestock.”

⁹ So Moses did as he was told. He took the staff from the place where it was kept before the Lord. ¹⁰ Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels!” he shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock?” ¹¹ Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill.

¹² But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!” ¹³This place was known as the waters of Meribah (which means “arguing”) because there the people of Israel argued with the Lord, and there he demonstrated his holiness among them.

It starts off saying "Moses did as he was told", but it ends up that his anger and frustration got the best of him. God told him to speak to the rock - he struck it twice. But perhaps more importantly, he didn't give God the glory for bringing the water....he said "must we" meaning him and Aaron. The result of this is that he and Aaron were forbidden from entering the promised land. Not long after this Aaron was near death and God told them to take him to the top of Mt. Hor and transfer his priestly garments to his son, Eleazar. It was there that he died. Perhaps God did this so that from the mountaintop he could at least see the promised land.

December 6, 2009 (Numbers 15, Psalm 90)

Numbers 15:2b “When you finally settle in the land I am going to give you, ³ and you want to please the Lord with a burnt offering or any other offering given by fire, the sacrifice must be an animal from your flocks of sheep and goats or from your herds of cattle.

The word that stuck out to me when I read this was "your". It reminded me of another verse (not sure where it's found, but I think it was David that said it): "I will not give the Lord that which costs me nothing."

^{Numbers 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!”

I wonder if this is where the WWJD bracelet idea came from?

This reading section ends with a prayer of Moses from Psalm 90. (That's why I like reading the Bible this way...you can read the songs and prayers of these men as you read the stories of their lives.) I'm going to copy it in it's entirety below, as it seems to be the only recorded Psalm of Moses. Probably the most "famous" verse of this Psalm is verse 12 - "Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom." Other versions read "Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom." Even though my Bible is The New Living Translation, some verses are different in my Bible and The New Living Translation that is referenced in biblegateway.com. I'm not really sure why that is, but you can see this difference if you compare the verse below with the one I wrote above. If anyone out there is reading this, have a great day!

Psalm 90

A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

¹ Lord, through all the generations
you have been our home!
² Before the mountains were born,
before you gave birth to the earth and the world,
from beginning to end, you are God.

³ You turn people back to dust, saying,
“Return to dust, you mortals!”
⁴ For you, a thousand years are as a passing day,
as brief as a few night hours.
⁵ You sweep people away like dreams that disappear.
They are like grass that springs up in the morning.
⁶ In the morning it blooms and flourishes,
but by evening it is dry and withered.
⁷ We wither beneath your anger;
we are overwhelmed by your fury.
⁸ You spread out our sins before you—
our secret sins—and you see them all.
⁹ We live our lives beneath your wrath,
ending our years with a groan.

¹⁰ Seventy years are given to us!
Some even live to eighty.
But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble;
soon they disappear, and we fly away.
¹¹ Who can comprehend the power of your anger?
Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve.
¹² Teach us to realize the brevity of life,
so that we may grow in wisdom.

¹³ O Lord, come back to us!
How long will you delay?
Take pity on your servants!
¹⁴ Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love,
so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.
¹⁵ Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery!
Replace the evil years with good.
¹⁶ Let us, your servants, see you work again;
let our children see your glory.
¹⁷ And may the Lord our God show us his approval
and make our efforts successful.
Yes, make our efforts successful!

December 5, 2009 (Numbers 12-14)

Yesterday's reading was supposed to more than the one chapter, but there was so much stuff in there, that was all the farther I got. I'll see how today goes. Chapter 12 begins like this:

^{Numbers 12:1} While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because he had married a Cushite woman. ² They said, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he spoken through us, too?” But the Lord heard them. ³ (Now Moses was very humble—more humble than any other person on earth.) ⁴ So immediately the Lord called to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam and said, “Go out to the Tabernacle, all three of you!” So the three of them went to the Tabernacle. ⁵ Then the Lord descended in the pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle. “Aaron and Miriam!” he called, and they stepped forward. ⁶ And the Lord said to them, “Now listen to what I say:

“If there were prophets among you,
I, the Lord, would reveal myself in visions.
I would speak to them in dreams.
⁷ But not with my servant Moses.
Of all my house, he is the one I trust.
⁸ I speak to him face to face,
clearly, and not in riddles!
He sees the Lord as he is.
So why were you not afraid
to criticize my servant Moses?”

⁹ The Lord was very angry with them, and he departed.

The thing that caught my eye was the fact that Moses was more humble than anyone on the earth. Is that why he was able to have such a close relationship with God? I never saw that before, but I think that is the key. Here's the definition of humble:

adjective

1.	not proud or arrogant; modest.

2.	having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, subservience, etc.

3.	low in rank, importance, status, quality, etc.; lowly

4.	courteously respectful

–verb (used with object)

6.	to lower in condition, importance, or dignity; abase.

7.	to destroy the independence, power, or will of.

8.	to make meek: to humble one's heart.

Go to www.Biblegateway.com and type in the word "humble" under "keyword search". (I use the New Living Translation). So much good stuff there, not the least of which is that Jesus was "humble and gentle of heart". It makes sense. If one is not humble, he is proud. And pride says "I don't need anyone else." God is looking for those who will humbly accept His authority in their lives. So back to the passage - besides that, the lesson here is don't badmouth God's servants. Especially one who talks to God face to face.

Next, God sent them into the promised land, to go explore the land and come back with a report. He sent out twelve men, one from each tribe of Israel. They all came back with reports of how fertile and magnificent the land was, but only two saw it through eyes of faith. The others also saw "giants" in the land and were afraid. Caleb tried to encourage the people and said "Let's go at once. We can certainly conquer it!", but here's what all the people said:

^{Numbers 14:1} Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. ² Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained. ³ “Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” ⁴ Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!”


Instead of paraphrasing what happens, you'll have to read it for yourself. I know it's a long passage, but you have to read it...hard to believe...


⁵ Then Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground before the whole community of Israel. ⁶⁷ They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! ⁸ And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. ⁹ Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!” Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing.

¹⁰ But the whole community began to talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb. Then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites at the Tabernacle.¹¹ And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them? ¹² I will disown them and destroy them with a plague. Then I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they are!”

Moses Intercedes for the People

¹³ But Moses objected. “What will the Egyptians think when they hear about it?” he asked the Lord. “They know full well the power you displayed in rescuing your people from Egypt. ¹⁴ Now if you destroy them, the Egyptians will send a report to the inhabitants of this land, who have already heard that you live among your people. They know, Lord, that you have appeared to your people face to face and that your pillar of cloud hovers over them. They know that you go before them in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. ¹⁵ Now if you slaughter all these people with a single blow, the nations that have heard of your fame will say, ¹⁶ ‘The Lord was not able to bring them into the land he swore to give them, so he killed them in the wilderness.’

¹⁷ “Please, Lord, prove that your power is as great as you have claimed. For you said, ¹⁸ ‘The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.’ ¹⁹ In keeping with your magnificent, unfailing love, please pardon the sins of this people, just as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.”

²⁰ Then the Lord said, “I will pardon them as you have requested. ²¹ But as surely as I live, and as surely as the earth is filled with the Lord’s glory, ²² not one of these people will ever enter that land. They have all seen my glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and again they have tested me by refusing to listen to my voice. ²³ They will never even see the land I swore to give their ancestors. None of those who have treated me with contempt will ever see it. ²⁴ But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land. ²⁵ Now turn around, and don’t go on toward the land where the Amalekites and Canaanites live. Tomorrow you must set out for the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.”

The Lord Punishes the Israelites

²⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ²⁷ “How long must I put up with this wicked community and its complaints about me? Yes, I have heard the complaints the Israelites are making against me. ²⁸ Now tell them this: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say. ²⁹ You will all drop dead in this wilderness! Because you complained against me, every one of you who is twenty years old or older and was included in the registration will die. ³⁰ You will not enter and occupy the land I swore to give you. The only exceptions will be Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

³¹ “‘You said your children would be carried off as plunder. Well, I will bring them safely into the land, and they will enjoy what you have despised. ³² But as for you, you will drop dead in this wilderness. ³³ And your children will be like shepherds, wandering in the wilderness for forty years. In this way, they will pay for your faithlessness, until the last of you lies dead in the wilderness.

³⁴ “‘Because your men explored the land for forty days, you must wander in the wilderness for forty years—a year for each day, suffering the consequences of your sins. Then you will discover what it is like to have me for an enemy.’ ³⁵ I, the Lord, have spoken! I will certainly do these things to every member of the community who has conspired against me. They will be destroyed here in this wilderness, and here they will die!”

³⁶ The ten men Moses had sent to explore the land—the ones who incited rebellion against the Lord with their bad report—³⁷ were struck dead with a plague before the Lord. ³⁸ Of the twelve who had explored the land, only Joshua and Caleb remained alive.

³⁹ When Moses reported the Lord’s words to all the Israelites, the people were filled with grief. ⁴⁰ Then they got up early the next morning and went to the top of the range of hills. “Let’s go,” they said. “We realize that we have sinned, but now we are ready to enter the land the Lord has promised us.”

⁴¹ But Moses said, “Why are you now disobeying the Lord’s orders to return to the wilderness? It won’t work. ⁴² Do not go up into the land now. You will only be crushed by your enemies because the Lord is not with you. ⁴³ When you face the Amalekites and Canaanites in battle, you will be slaughtered. The Lord will abandon you because you have abandoned the Lord.”

⁴⁴ But the people defiantly pushed ahead toward the hill country, even though neither Moses nor the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant left the camp. ⁴⁵ Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in those hills came down and attacked them and chased them back as far as Hormah.

Will they never learn??? Even after all of that, they still didn't believe what God had told them. Maybe, if they would have really repented and done what God told them, He would have had mercy and relented from His proclamation. But instead they sealed their fate by showing just how rebellious their hearts really were. So many lessons from this passage.

1. It doesn't matter how big the "giants" of your life are. If God is pleased with you, He will deliver you.
2. God responds to the prayers of His people.
3. If you are loyal to the Lord, He will reward you.
4. God punishes sin.
5. We need God's protection. You will only be crushed by your enemies because the Lord is not with you. The Lord will abandon you because you have abandoned the Lord.

December 4, 2009 (Numbers 11)

I have the feeling this will be a long blog. So much stuff to learn/remember:

The last chapter ended with Moses begging the Midianite not to leave them, but to be their guide. It never really does say what decision he made. But following that, it does say that morning and night as God led them and then showed them where to stop, Moses would pray. Numbers 11 starts this way:

^{Numbers 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.

As I learned before, complaints are always against God. And it infuriated Him. I know I don't understand the depth of His love and concern for us. Complaining shows a lack of gratitude and a lack of faith. But when their leader prayed for them, the fire stopped. We need the prayers and support of each other.

^{Numbers 11:4} 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!”

What "foreign rabble" is traveling with me, and polluting my thinking? They remembered the good things they were now missing, but what about the bad? What about the daily load of bricks? What about me....do I forget about the "daily load of sin" that God has removed through Christ? For them, being free should have been enough. For me, being free of sin should be enough. That is the only thing that really matters.

^{Numbers 11:10} Moses heard all the families standing in the doorways of their tents whining, and the Lord became extremely angry. Moses was also very aggravated. ¹¹ And Moses said to the Lord, “Why are you treating me, your servant, so harshly? Have mercy on me! What did I do to deserve the burden of all these people? ¹² Did I give birth to them? Did I bring them into the world? Why did you tell me to carry them in my arms like a mother carries a nursing baby? How can I carry them to the land you swore to give their ancestors? ¹³ Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people? They keep whining to me, saying, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ ¹⁴ I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy! ¹⁵ If this is how you intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery!”

Moses was "real" with God. He didn't "beat around the bush" around. He dumped it all on God, to the point of blaming Him. And God didn't zap him with a lightning bolt, but He gave him a solution because He saw deeper into the problem. He saw that Moses was trying to do too much on his own and was discouraged.

^{Numbers 11:16} Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather before me seventy men who are recognized as elders and leaders of Israel. Bring them to the Tabernacle to stand there with you. ¹⁷ I will come down and talk to you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is upon you, and I will put the Spirit upon them also. They will bear the burden of the people along with you, so you will not have to carry it alone.

Then God made a further declaration:
^{Numbers 11:18} “And say to the people, ‘Purify yourselves, for tomorrow you will have meat to eat. You were whining, and the Lord heard you when you cried, “Oh, for some meat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will have to eat it. ¹⁹ And it won’t be for just a day or two, or for five or ten or even twenty. ²⁰ You will eat it for a whole month until you gag and are sick of it. For you have rejected the Lord, who is here among you, and you have whined to him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”

I think sometimes God gives us what we ask for, to teach us a lesson...to help us realize that we should be depending and waiting upon Him to provide what we need in the way that is truly best for us instead of thinking we know better.

²¹ But Moses responded to the Lord, “There are 600,000 foot soldiers here with me, and yet you say, ‘I will give them meat for a whole month!’ ²² Even if we butchered all our flocks and herds, would that satisfy them? Even if we caught all the fish in the sea, would that be enough?”

²³ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Has my arm lost its power? Now you will see whether or not my word comes true!”

Why do we doubt what God says? If we only had the faith to believe that He is able to do what He says He will do.

^{Numbers 11:31} Now the Lord sent a wind that brought quail from the sea and let them fall all around the camp. For miles in every direction there were quail flying about three feet above the ground. ³² So the people went out and caught quail all that day and throughout the night and all the next day, too. No one gathered less than fifty bushels! They spread the quail all around the camp to dry. ³³ But while they were gorging themselves on the meat—while it was still in their mouths—the anger of the Lord blazed against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague. ³⁴ So that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah (which means “graves of gluttony”) because there they buried the people who had craved meat from Egypt.

My study Bible says of these verses: "It might appear that the people were being punished for eating meat, which God had provided, but a deeper problem existed. It was the people's chronic failure to trust God that provoked the anger of the Lord. Sin comes from selfish desires." I pray that God would help me to trust Him.

December 3, 2009 (Numbers 7-10)

Now,the fun begins. We're getting to the good stuff!

The people of Israel were led by the very presence of God:
Numbers 9:15 On the day the Tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered it.But from evening until morning the cloud over the Tabernacle looked like a pillar of fire. 16 This was the regular pattern—at night the cloud that covered the Tabernacle had the appearance of fire. 17 Whenever the cloud lifted from over the sacred tent, the people of Israel would break camp and follow it. And wherever the cloud settled, the people of Israel would set up camp. 18 In this way, they traveled and camped at the Lord’s command wherever he told them to go. Then they remained in their camp as long as the cloud stayed over the Tabernacle.

As I read that I thought, wow, wouldn't that be nice. To know, without a doubt, where God wanted you to go, how long to stay there, etc. Then I read this:

^{Numbers 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.”

Moses, what the heck are you doing? Asking a foreigner to be your guide? Why do you need a guide? Don't you trust God to lead you? His very presence has been your guide. I peeked ahead to the next chapter, and saw where things begin to turn ugly (but that's for tomorrow). As I "peeked ahead", it made me wonder...did the people start to mistrust God because their leader did? It also reminded me to pray for our leaders - especially our church leaders - that their faith in God would be strong and pure, that they would be able to lead us with clarity and integrity.

December 2, 2009 (Number 1-6)

Well, Numbers isn't much better than Leviticus....at least not yet! As I read about the clans and responsibilities, I thought of the "Warrior ministry" and our past leadership over that. I realize even more how it's important to have it broken down into various "sections" and have people responsible for each section, but the "responsible" person needs to have a team under them to make things happen.

My reading ended today with a well known "blessing". I know I've seen this on plaques, etc.

Numbers chapter 6:
24 ‘May the Lord bless you
and protect you.
25 May the Lord smile on you
and be gracious to you.
26 May the Lord show you his favor
and give you his peace.’

A good prayer for everyone, especially our military in harms way.

December 1, 2009 (Leviticus 24-27)

I'm done with Leviticus today...makes me happy! I think what I got from this book is that God requires obedience and He expects us to live differently. He also promises His blessing for obedience, and His chastisement for disobedience; yet His chastisement is done to get our attention so that we will repent, and put ourselves back in the place of blessing.

^{Leviticus 25:18} “If you want to live securely in the land, follow my decrees and obey my regulations. ¹⁹ Then the land will yield large crops, and you will eat your fill and live securely in it.

^{Leviticus 26:3} “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. ⁵ Your threshing season will overlap with the grape harvest, and your grape harvest will overlap with the season of planting grain. You will eat your fill and live securely in your own land.

^{Leviticus 26:9} “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 their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high. ¹⁴ “However, if you do not listen to me or obey all these commands, ¹⁵ and if you break my covenant by rejecting my decrees, treating my regulations with contempt, and refusing to obey my commands, ¹⁶ I will punish you.

In thinking of what God requires of us, I thought of this verse:

^{Micah 6:8} No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.

And if we say, that's old testament, but that has been put aside with the coming of Christ. Then what is God's will? My search of "God's will" was interesting....

^{Romans 12:2} Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

^{I Thessalonians 4:3} God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin.

^{Hebrews 10:10} For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.

^{Hebrews 10:36} Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

^{I Peter 2:15} It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you.

And now, for perhaps the toughest:

^{I Thessalonians 5:17} Never stop praying. ¹⁸ Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

If only I could live by that last verse. Will try to keep that in the forefront of my mind today.