One Year Bible Readings and Commentary for Wednesday, March 9th
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Eldad and Medad Prophesy in the Camp
Moses called the 70 elders to the tabernacle as God had commanded him to do. When the Lord came down as usual and gave His Spirit to Moses, he also distributed His Spirit to the 70 elders, and they prophesied. But then it says they never did this again. That's curious?
They would not continue as prophets, but serve more like elders. More than anything this was a confirmation of the Holy Spirit's presence, which they would need as they moved forward. This gave the other leaders more confidence in Moses, and Moses knew he was not alone in his leadership.
If a man does not have the Holy Spirit’s power flowing in his life, and the same spirit as those he serves the Lord under or serves with, he is unequipped to serve as he should. That man will end up being a hindrance, not a blessing. Guzik
Eldad and Medad did not come to the tabernacle and instead prophesied in the camp. Instead of being offended by this, Moses rejoiced that God had poured out his spirit on even more leaders. Again we see Moses is hungry to share leadership, and the same should be true today. All leaders are servants of the Lord and rely on the Spirit who is solely responsible for their success
The Lord Sends Quail
Due to the murmuring about the manna and then the meat, God sent tons of quail. So many that for miles in every direction you could see them three feet from the ground. Therefore, they were an easy catch for the Israelites. Then, they gorged themselves on the quail, which angered the Lord.
Quail migrate over the Sinai wilderness every year; it has been recorded that Arabs living near this region could catch between one and two million quails during their autumn migration, using nets. Guzik
Then the Lord struck them dead with a plague. This is a little bit hard to understand. The following commentary helps ... a little.
This was a strict judgment, but it was a help to Israel because it taught them to not be ruled by their desires. If the lesson was learned, it was a huge help to the nation. To inherit the land of Canaan – God’s promised land for Israel – they had to be ruled by more than their physical or emotional appetites. Guzik
The Complaints of Miriam and Aaron
We can see complaining has been a theme among the Israelites and it is only going to get worse from here. This time Miriam and Aaron complain that Moses was married to a Cushite woman, and also intimated that Moses had become prideful about his leadership.
This question was meant to tear Moses down, asked with the assumption that Moses was spiritually proud. The idea was that Moses arrogantly presented himself as the only spokesman of God to Israel. Guzik
The basis of the complaint of Miriam and Aaron was essentially, “What’s so special about Moses?” Here, God explained exactly what was so special about him. Most prophets receive revelation through a dream or in a vision; God spoke with Moses face to face.
God overheard their gossiping (of course He did!) and called them to the carpet at a meeting with the three of them at the tabernacle. Miriam was struck with leprosy. I wonder if people were gossiping about a pastor or other leader, and they turned leprous, if that would cause people to think twice about doing it again.
But rather than hold it against her, Moses cried out for his sister to be healed and she was.
When Moses spoke, it was in prayer for his accusers. Moses certainly was a man faithful in the Lord’s house. Guzik
Twelve Scouts Explore Canaan
With all of this preparation in the wildernes, the moving tabernacle, and the power of the Holy Spirit helping Moses and leaders, it was time to begin to strategize and take the Promised Land.
So, God called Moses to send one man from each of the twelve tribes of Israel to scout out the land. He sent them out to see what the land looked like. Was it fertile and conducive to crops? Were there lots of people and what type of homes did they live in? Were they fortified strongholds, or would they be easy targets to take over. The spies were gone for 40 days, which as we have seen is a popular amount of time for important tasks.
Commentators think Moses went a little overkill. God had already promised him a land flowing with milk and honey. Why did he need to confirm what the Lord had already have told him? Of course we can sympathize with Moses too!
The men came back with two major details. The land was indeed fertile and flowing with milk and honey. And secondly, the men in that place were large and powerful like giants. They saw this as a problem. Instead of focusing on the promise of God, they focused on the problem.
But there was one man who perhaps believed God was bigger than the giants. His name was Caleb. As the other men were causing quite a bit of stir and fear with their report, Caleb stood and up and said,
"But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!”
But the other men were not buying and continued to go on about the giants and how they were like grasshoppers in their sight. Their unbelieving response was a potent combination of truth, lies, and exaggeration. Guzik
Caleb – blessed forever! – commanded the people to immediately (at once) trust and obey God and to take the land, because God had made them able.Let us go up at once and take possession: It took great courage for this man to stand against the tide of unbelief, of doubt and “despite all that” attitude
The Words of Institution
As Jesus celebrated this Last Supper with his disciples, he used these words,
As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it, for this is my body.”23 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood, which confirms the covenant[a] between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many. 25 I tell you the truth, I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.”
In my Lutheran tradition we use these words before we celebrate Holy Communion together. Importantly when Jesus gave them both the bread and the wine, he made it personal. When he gave them the broken pieces of bread he said, "Take it, for this is my body". And then he took the cup of wine and said to them, "This is my blood which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifce for many."
The sacraments are the visible words of God. The wine a symbol of blood, and not just any blood, but the innocent blood of the Son of God. The bread was a symbol of a body, and not just any body, but the body of our Lord and Savior Jesus. It would be the last time Jesus celebrated this meal with this disciples until he celebrated it with them in heaven.
So as we receive Holy Communion today, we realize that as Jesus was present with his first disciples, he is present with us. When we receive the two elements of Holy Communion, we remember the great sacrifice Jesus gave of his body and blood. These are not just words. This is not just bread and wine. The bread and wine are the real presence of Jesus. They help us to remember and experience the death of Jesus and the suffering he underwent for us. As we gather as the church, we are preparing ourselves for the feast in heaven. which will never end. We will be in Jesus' presence and celebrating with him for ever the marriage feast.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
Jesus knew and loved Peter, and he also knew when the chips were down, Peter would deny him not once, not twice, but three times. Peter, for his part, pledges vociferously that he would never deny Jesus even to his death.
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
If you ever doubted if Jesus was truly human, just read this passage a few times. First of all, Jesus knowing what was going to happen pleaded with his disciples to stay with him in the garden and pray. It was the first time he had reached out to them in this way, and one would have thought they would have gotten the clue he needed them. While they were sleeping, Jesus was begging and crying out to God to take the cup of suffering from him.
He said these words to them,
"My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Even after this cry for help, the disciples fall back sleep three separate times. Jesus realizes it is time to do what he been called to do since the day he was born. To die for the sins of the world.
Jesus Is Betrayed and Arrested
Soon thereafter, Jesus is surrounded by a mob of armed men with clubs and swords. Judas had tipped them off that Jesus would be at this familiar spot. Judas had prearranged that the one he kissed was Jesus. Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. Though Judas' crime was the most egregious. the others did not exactly stand up for Jesus either as it says,
'Then all his disciples deserted him and ran away.
That day Jesus was all alone. His Father had not answered his prayer to take away the cup of suffering. One of his disciples betrayed him to the soldiers. The rest of his friends fled and deserted him, even after one of them had pledged to give his very life for him.
If you ever feel alone, Jesus knows what it is like. He is with you and will carry you through whatever you are going through!
"What Now" Study Questions:
Pentecost reminds us that the spirit of God is in His people! How is God's Spirit at work in you?
Ten spies reported that the land was full of giants, two argued that God would still be victorious! Which group do you most readily associate with?
Click Here to Read Proverbs 11:1-3
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