Subversive for the Savior

When Jesus met the man filled with demons at Gadara, the demons cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” (Matthew 8:29)

Demons learned a mystery here. They knew they were doomed. They knew the Son of God would be the victor. But they didn’t know until it happened that Christ was coming before the time of final defeat.

Christ is not going to wait for the end of the war to lead his troops into combat. He has begun to lead a subversive force into the territory of Satan. He has trained a “life-squad” to perform daring rescue operations. Christ has plotted many tactical victories before the time of the final strategic victory.

The resulting wartime mentality is this: Since Satan’s doom is sure, and he knows it, we can always remind him of it when he tempts us to follow him. We can laugh and say, “You’re out of your mind. Who wants to join forces with a loser?!”

The church is the liberated enemy of “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). We are the guerrillas and the gadflies. We are the insurgency against the rebel kingdom of “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2).

It is not safe. But it is thrilling. Many lives are lost. Satan’s forces are ever on the lookout for our subversive activity. Christ has guaranteed resurrection for all who fight to the death. But he has not guaranteed comfort, or acceptance from the world, or prosperity in enemy territory.

Many have gladly given their lives behind the lines running errands for the Commander. I can think of no better way to live — or die!

John Piper 

March 15

Matthew 26:1-16

The Plot to Kill Jesus

[1] When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, [2] “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

[3] Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, [4] and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. [5] But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

[6] Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, [7] a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. [8] And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? [9] For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” [10] But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. [11] For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. [12] In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. [13] Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

Judas to Betray Jesus

[14] Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests [15] and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. [16] And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.

Romans 9:19-33

[19] You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” [20] But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” [21] Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? [22] What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, [23] in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—[24] even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? [25] As indeed he says in Hosea, 

    “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’

        and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’” 

    [26] “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’

        there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”

    [27] And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, [28] for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” [29] And as Isaiah predicted, 

    “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring,

        we would have been like Sodom

        and become like Gomorrah.”

    Israel’s Unbelief

[30] What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; [31] but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. [32] Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, [33] as it is written, 

    “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;

        and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Psalm 62

My Soul Waits for God Alone

To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

    [1] For God alone my soul waits in silence;

        from him comes my salvation. 

    [2] He alone is my rock and my salvation,

        my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

    [3] How long will all of you attack a man

        to batter him,

        like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? 

    [4] They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.

        They take pleasure in falsehood.

    They bless with their mouths,

        but inwardly they curse. Selah

    [5] For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,

        for my hope is from him. 

    [6] He only is my rock and my salvation,

        my fortress; I shall not be shaken. 

    [7] On God rests my salvation and my glory;

        my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

    [8] Trust in him at all times, O people;

        pour out your heart before him;

        God is a refuge for us. Selah

    [9] Those of low estate are but a breath;

        those of high estate are a delusion;

    in the balances they go up;

        they are together lighter than a breath. 

    [10] Put no trust in extortion;

        set no vain hopes on robbery;

        if riches increase, set not your heart on them.

    [11] Once God has spoken;

        twice have I heard this:

    that power belongs to God, 

    [12]     and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.

    For you will render to a man

        according to his work.

Deuteronomy 1

The Command to Leave Horeb

[1] These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab. [2] It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea. [3] In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the people of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him in commandment to them, [4] after he had defeated Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth and in Edrei. [5] Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to explain this law, saying, [6] “The LORD our God said to us in Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. [7] Turn and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negeb and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. [8] See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them.’

Leaders Appointed

[9] “At that time I said to you, ‘I am not able to bear you by myself. [10] The LORD your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as numerous as the stars of heaven. [11] May the LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you, as he has promised you! [12] How can I bear by myself the weight and burden of you and your strife? [13] Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads.’ [14] And you answered me, ‘The thing that you have spoken is good for us to do.’ [15] So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes. [16] And I charged your judges at that time, ‘Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him. [17] You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God’s. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’ [18] And I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do.

Israel’s Refusal to Enter the Land

[19] “Then we set out from Horeb and went through all that great and terrifying wilderness that you saw, on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us. And we came to Kadesh-barnea. [20] And I said to you, ‘You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us. [21] See, the LORD your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not fear or be dismayed.’ [22] Then all of you came near me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, that they may explore the land for us and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up and the cities into which we shall come.’ [23] The thing seemed good to me, and I took twelve men from you, one man from each tribe. [24] And they turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied it out. [25] And they took in their hands some of the fruit of the land and brought it down to us, and brought us word again and said, ‘It is a good land that the LORD our God is giving us.’

[26] “Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. [27] And you murmured in your tents and said, ‘Because the LORD hated us he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. [28] Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to heaven. And besides, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.”’ [29] Then I said to you, ‘Do not be in dread or afraid of them. [30] The LORD your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, [31] and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ [32] Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the LORD your God, [33] who went before you in the way to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and in the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go.

The Penalty for Israel’s Rebellion

[34] “And the LORD heard your words and was angered, and he swore, [35] ‘Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, [36] except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land on which he has trodden, because he has wholly followed the LORD!’ [37] Even with me the LORD was angry on your account and said, ‘You also shall not go in there. [38] Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. [39] And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it. [40] But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.’

[41] “Then you answered me, ‘We have sinned against the LORD. We ourselves will go up and fight, just as the LORD our God commanded us.’ And every one of you fastened on his weapons of war and thought it easy to go up into the hill country. [42] And the LORD said to me, ‘Say to them, Do not go up or fight, for I am not in your midst, lest you be defeated before your enemies.’ [43] So I spoke to you, and you would not listen; but you rebelled against the command of the LORD and presumptuously went up into the hill country. [44] Then the Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you as bees do and beat you down in Seir as far as Hormah. [45] And you returned and wept before the LORD, but the LORD did not listen to your voice or give ear to you. [46] So you remained at Kadesh many days, the days that you remained there.

Deuteronomy 2

The Wilderness Years

[1] “Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea, as the LORD told me. And for many days we traveled around Mount Seir. [2] Then the LORD said to me, [3] ‘You have been traveling around this mountain country long enough. Turn northward [4] and command the people, “You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful. [5] Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. [6] You shall purchase food from them with money, that you may eat, and you shall also buy water from them with money, that you may drink. [7] For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.”’ [8] So we went on, away from our brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir, away from the Arabah road from Elath and Ezion-geber. 

“And we turned and went in the direction of the wilderness of Moab.  [9] And the LORD said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab or contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land for a possession, because I have given Ar to the people of Lot for a possession.’ [10] (The Emim formerly lived there, a people great and many, and tall as the Anakim. [11] Like the Anakim they are also counted as Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim. [12] The Horites also lived in Seir formerly, but the people of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them and settled in their place, as Israel did to the land of their possession, which the LORD gave to them.) [13] ‘Now rise up and go over the brook Zered.’ So we went over the brook Zered. [14] And the time from our leaving Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the brook Zered was thirty-eight years, until the entire generation, that is, the men of war, had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them. [15] For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from the camp, until they had perished.

[16] “So as soon as all the men of war had perished and were dead from among the people, [17] the LORD said to me, [18] ‘Today you are to cross the border of Moab at Ar. [19] And when you approach the territory of the people of Ammon, do not harass them or contend with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot for a possession.’ [20] (It is also counted as a land of Rephaim. Rephaim formerly lived there—but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim—[21] a people great and many, and tall as the Anakim; but the LORD destroyed them before the Ammonites, and they dispossessed them and settled in their place, [22] as he did for the people of Esau, who live in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites before them and they dispossessed them and settled in their place even to this day. [23] As for the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and settled in their place.) [24] ‘Rise up, set out on your journey and go over the Valley of the Arnon. Behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take possession, and contend with him in battle. [25] This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you on the peoples who are under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.’

The Defeat of King Sihon

[26] “So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon the king of Heshbon, with words of peace, saying, [27] ‘Let me pass through your land. I will go only by the road; I will turn aside neither to the right nor to the left. [28] You shall sell me food for money, that I may eat, and give me water for money, that I may drink. Only let me pass through on foot, [29] as the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I go over the Jordan into the land that the LORD our God is giving to us.’ [30] But Sihon the king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, for the LORD your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might give him into your hand, as he is this day. [31] And the LORD said to me, ‘Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to take possession, that you may occupy his land.’ [32] Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Jahaz. [33] And the LORD our God gave him over to us, and we defeated him and his sons and all his people. [34] And we captured all his cities at that time and devoted to destruction every city, men, women, and children. We left no survivors. [35] Only the livestock we took as spoil for ourselves, with the plunder of the cities that we captured. [36] From Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and from the city that is in the valley, as far as Gilead, there was not a city too high for us. The LORD our God gave all into our hands. [37] Only to the land of the sons of Ammon you did not draw near, that is, to all the banks of the river Jabbok and the cities of the hill country, whatever the LORD our God had forbidden us.

Deuteronomy 3

The Defeat of King Og

[1] “Then we turned and went up the way to Bashan. And Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. [2] But the LORD said to me, ‘Do not fear him, for I have given him and all his people and his land into your hand. And you shall do to him as you did to Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.’ [3] So the LORD our God gave into our hand Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people, and we struck him down until he had no survivor left. [4] And we took all his cities at that time—there was not a city that we did not take from them—sixty cities, the whole region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. [5] All these were cities fortified with high walls, gates, and bars, besides very many unwalled villages. [6] And we devoted them to destruction, as we did to Sihon the king of Heshbon, devoting to destruction every city, men, women, and children. [7] But all the livestock and the spoil of the cities we took as our plunder. [8] So we took the land at that time out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, from the Valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon [9] (the Sidonians call Hermon Sirion, while the Amorites call it Senir), [10] all the cities of the tableland and all Gilead and all Bashan, as far as Salecah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. [11] (For only Og the king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaim. Behold, his bed was a bed of iron. Is it not in Rabbah of the Ammonites? Nine cubits was its length, and four cubits its breadth, according to the common cubit.)

[12] “When we took possession of this land at that time, I gave to the Reubenites and the Gadites the territory beginning at Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and half the hill country of Gilead with its cities. [13] The rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, that is, all the region of Argob, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh. (All that portion of Bashan is called the land of Rephaim. [14] Jair the Manassite took all the region of Argob, that is, Bashan, as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and called the villages after his own name, Havvoth-jair, as it is to this day.) [15] To Machir I gave Gilead, [16] and to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave the territory from Gilead as far as the Valley of the Arnon, with the middle of the valley as a border, as far over as the river Jabbok, the border of the Ammonites; [17] the Arabah also, with the Jordan as the border, from Chinnereth as far as the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, under the slopes of Pisgah on the east.

[18] “And I commanded you at that time, saying, ‘The LORD your God has given you this land to possess. All your men of valor shall cross over armed before your brothers, the people of Israel. [19] Only your wives, your little ones, and your livestock (I know that you have much livestock) shall remain in the cities that I have given you, [20] until the LORD gives rest to your brothers, as to you, and they also occupy the land that the LORD your God gives them beyond the Jordan. Then each of you may return to his possession which I have given you.’ [21] And I commanded Joshua at that time, ‘Your eyes have seen all that the LORD your God has done to these two kings. So will the LORD do to all the kingdoms into which you are crossing. [22] You shall not fear them, for it is the LORD your God who fights for you.’

Moses Forbidden to Enter the Land

[23] “And I pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying, [24] ‘O Lord GOD, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours? [25] Please let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.’ [26] But the LORD was angry with me because of you and would not listen to me. And the LORD said to me, ‘Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again. [27] Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes westward and northward and southward and eastward, and look at it with your eyes, for you shall not go over this Jordan. [28] But charge Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he shall go over at the head of this people, and he shall put them in possession of the land that you shall see.’ [29] So we remained in the valley opposite Beth-peor.

Do You Respect Authority?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.” Romans 13:1-2

 

PONDER THIS

The Word of God and the Book of Romans speak very clearly about the matter of Christian citizenship.

Paul says, “Let every soul be subject unto the governing authorities.” He is literally talking about the civil magistrate, the governmental leaders. Let every soul be subject unto the civil magistrate. “For there is no authority except from God,” that is the rulers, the leaders, the magistrates that be, “are appointed of God.” Now you might think of your minister as an ordained minister, but have you ever thought of your governor as an ordained governor? “Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God.”

Who was the authority when Paul wrote this? Caesar. The Roman government was in power. The Christians were disenfranchised. They had no political power. Still, even in that time, Paul wrote, if you resist these authorities, you’re resisting God, because it is God that set them up.

Why do we often struggle with authority?

How can you show respect to your God-appointed leaders?

PRACTICE THIS

Ask a friend who knows you well about your attitude toward authority. Give that person space to speak some critique as well as encouragement.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Triumph Is Sure

Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you. (Isaiah 25:3)

Isaiah sees the day coming when all the nations — representatives from all the people groups — will no longer be at odds with Yahweh, the God of Israel and his Messiah, whom we know to be Jesus.

They will no longer worship Bel or Nebo or Molech or Allah or Buddha or utopian social programs or capitalistic growth possibilities or ancestors or animistic spirits. Instead they will come in faith to the banquet on God’s mountain.

And they will have the veil of sorrow removed and death shall be swallowed up and the reproach of God’s people will be removed and tears shall be gone forever.

That’s the setting for understanding the vision of Isaiah 25:3: “Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you.” In other words, God is stronger than the “strong peoples” and he is so powerful and so gracious that in the end he will turn ruthless nations to revere him.

So the picture Isaiah gives us is one of all nations turned to God in worship, a great banquet for all the peoples, the removal of all suffering and grief and reproach from the nations, who have become his people, and the final putting away of death forever.

This triumph is sure because God is doing it. Therefore we can be certain of it.

Not one life spent in the cause of world evangelization is spent in vain. Not one prayer or one dollar or one sermon or one letter of encouragement or one little light shining in some dark place — nothing in the cause of this advancing kingdom is in vain.

The triumph is sure.

John Piper 

March 14

Matthew 25:31-46

The Final Judgment

[31] “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. [32] Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. [33] And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. [34] Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. [35] For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, [36] I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ [37] Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? [38] And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? [39] And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ [40] And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

[41] “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. [42] For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, [43] I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ [44] Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ [45] Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ [46] And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Romans 9:1-18

God’s Sovereign Choice

[1] I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—[2] that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. [3] For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. [4] They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. [5] To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

[6] But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, [7] and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” [8] This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. [9] For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” [10] And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, [11] though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—[12] she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” [13] As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

[14] What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! [15] For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” [16] So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. [17] For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” [18] So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

Psalm 61

Lead Me to the Rock

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. Of David.

    [1] Hear my cry, O God,

        listen to my prayer; 

    [2] from the end of the earth I call to you

        when my heart is faint.

    Lead me to the rock

        that is higher than I, 

    [3] for you have been my refuge,

        a strong tower against the enemy.

    [4] Let me dwell in your tent forever!

        Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah 

    [5] For you, O God, have heard my vows;

        you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

    [6] Prolong the life of the king;

        may his years endure to all generations! 

    [7] May he be enthroned forever before God;

        appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!

    [8] So will I ever sing praises to your name,

        as I perform my vows day after day.

Numbers 33

Recounting Israel’s Journey

[1] These are the stages of the people of Israel, when they went out of the land of Egypt by their companies under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. [2] Moses wrote down their starting places, stage by stage, by command of the LORD, and these are their stages according to their starting places. [3] They set out from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the day after the Passover, the people of Israel went out triumphantly in the sight of all the Egyptians, [4] while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, whom the LORD had struck down among them. On their gods also the LORD executed judgments.

[5] So the people of Israel set out from Rameses and camped at Succoth. [6] And they set out from Succoth and camped at Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness. [7] And they set out from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which is east of Baal-zephon, and they camped before Migdol. [8] And they set out from before Hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and they went a three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah. [9] And they set out from Marah and came to Elim; at Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there. [10] And they set out from Elim and camped by the Red Sea. [11] And they set out from the Red Sea and camped in the wilderness of Sin. [12] And they set out from the wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah. [13] And they set out from Dophkah and camped at Alush. [14] And they set out from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink. [15] And they set out from Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai. [16] And they set out from the wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah. [17] And they set out from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. [18] And they set out from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah. [19] And they set out from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez. [20] And they set out from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah. [21] And they set out from Libnah and camped at Rissah. [22] And they set out from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah. [23] And they set out from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher. [24] And they set out from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah. [25] And they set out from Haradah and camped at Makheloth. [26] And they set out from Makheloth and camped at Tahath. [27] And they set out from Tahath and camped at Terah. [28] And they set out from Terah and camped at Mithkah. [29] And they set out from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah. [30] And they set out from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth. [31] And they set out from Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan. [32] And they set out from Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad. [33] And they set out from Hor-haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah. [34] And they set out from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. [35] And they set out from Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber. [36] And they set out from Ezion-geber and camped in the wilderness of Zin (that is, Kadesh). [37] And they set out from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the edge of the land of Edom.

[38] And Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor at the command of the LORD and died there, in the fortieth year after the people of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month. [39] And Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.

[40] And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negeb in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the people of Israel.

[41] And they set out from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. [42] And they set out from Zalmonah and camped at Punon. [43] And they set out from Punon and camped at Oboth. [44] And they set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, in the territory of Moab. [45] And they set out from Iyim and camped at Dibon-gad. [46] And they set out from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim. [47] And they set out from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo. [48] And they set out from the mountains of Abarim and camped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho; [49] they camped by the Jordan from Beth-jeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.

Drive Out the Inhabitants

[50] And the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, [51] “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, [52] then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places. [53] And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. [54] You shall inherit the land by lot according to your clans. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance. Wherever the lot falls for anyone, that shall be his. According to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit. [55] But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. [56] And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.”

Numbers 34

Boundaries of the Land

[1] The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, [2] “Command the people of Israel, and say to them, When you enter the land of Canaan (this is the land that shall fall to you for an inheritance, the land of Canaan as defined by its borders), [3] your south side shall be from the wilderness of Zin alongside Edom, and your southern border shall run from the end of the Salt Sea on the east. [4] And your border shall turn south of the ascent of Akrabbim, and cross to Zin, and its limit shall be south of Kadesh-barnea. Then it shall go on to Hazar-addar, and pass along to Azmon. [5] And the border shall turn from Azmon to the Brook of Egypt, and its limit shall be at the sea.

[6] “For the western border, you shall have the Great Sea and its coast. This shall be your western border.

[7] “This shall be your northern border: from the Great Sea you shall draw a line to Mount Hor. [8] From Mount Hor you shall draw a line to Lebo-hamath, and the limit of the border shall be at Zedad. [9] Then the border shall extend to Ziphron, and its limit shall be at Hazar-enan. This shall be your northern border.

[10] “You shall draw a line for your eastern border from Hazar-enan to Shepham. [11] And the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain. And the border shall go down and reach to the shoulder of the Sea of Chinnereth on the east. [12] And the border shall go down to the Jordan, and its limit shall be at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land as defined by its borders all around.”

[13] Moses commanded the people of Israel, saying, “This is the land that you shall inherit by lot, which the LORD has commanded to give to the nine tribes and to the half-tribe. [14] For the tribe of the people of Reuben by fathers’ houses and the tribe of the people of Gad by their fathers’ houses have received their inheritance, and also the half-tribe of Manasseh. [15] The two tribes and the half-tribe have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, toward the sunrise.”

List of Tribal Chiefs

[16] The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, [17] “These are the names of the men who shall divide the land to you for inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun. [18] You shall take one chief from every tribe to divide the land for inheritance. [19] These are the names of the men: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. [20] Of the tribe of the people of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud. [21] Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon. [22] Of the tribe of the people of Dan a chief, Bukki the son of Jogli. [23] Of the people of Joseph: of the tribe of the people of Manasseh a chief, Hanniel the son of Ephod. [24] And of the tribe of the people of Ephraim a chief, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan. [25] Of the tribe of the people of Zebulun a chief, Elizaphan the son of Parnach. [26] Of the tribe of the people of Issachar a chief, Paltiel the son of Azzan. [27] And of the tribe of the people of Asher a chief, Ahihud the son of Shelomi. [28] Of the tribe of the people of Naphtali a chief, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.” [29] These are the men whom the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance for the people of Israel in the land of Canaan.

Numbers 35

Cities for the Levites

[1] The LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, [2] “Command the people of Israel to give to the Levites some of the inheritance of their possession as cities for them to dwell in. And you shall give to the Levites pasturelands around the cities. [3] The cities shall be theirs to dwell in, and their pasturelands shall be for their cattle and for their livestock and for all their beasts. [4] The pasturelands of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits all around. [5] And you shall measure, outside the city, on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits, the city being in the middle. This shall belong to them as pastureland for their cities.

[6] “The cities that you give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, where you shall permit the manslayer to flee, and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities. [7] All the cities that you give to the Levites shall be forty-eight, with their pasturelands. [8] And as for the cities that you shall give from the possession of the people of Israel, from the larger tribes you shall take many, and from the smaller tribes you shall take few; each, in proportion to the inheritance that it inherits, shall give of its cities to the Levites.”

Cities of Refuge

[9] And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, [10] “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, [11] then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there. [12] The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment. [13] And the cities that you give shall be your six cities of refuge. [14] You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge. [15] These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills any person without intent may flee there.

[16] “But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death. [17] And if he struck him down with a stone tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death. [18] Or if he struck him down with a wooden tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death. [19] The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death. [20] And if he pushed him out of hatred or hurled something at him, lying in wait, so that he died, [21] or in enmity struck him down with his hand, so that he died, then he who struck the blow shall be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.

[22] “But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or hurled anything on him without lying in wait [23] or used a stone that could cause death, and without seeing him dropped it on him, so that he died, though he was not his enemy and did not seek his harm, [24] then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood, in accordance with these rules. [25] And the congregation shall rescue the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he had fled, and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil. [26] But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the boundaries of his city of refuge to which he fled, [27] and the avenger of blood finds him outside the boundaries of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood. [28] For he must remain in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest, but after the death of the high priest the manslayer may return to the land of his possession. [29] And these things shall be for a statute and rule for you throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.

[30] “If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. [31] Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death. [32] And you shall accept no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the high priest. [33] You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it. [34] You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell, for I the LORD dwell in the midst of the people of Israel.”

Numbers 36

Marriage of Female Heirs

[1] The heads of the fathers’ houses of the clan of the people of Gilead the son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of the people of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the chiefs, the heads of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel. [2] They said, “The LORD commanded my lord to give the land for inheritance by lot to the people of Israel, and my lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters. [3] But if they are married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the people of Israel, then their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of our fathers and added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry. So it will be taken away from the lot of our inheritance. [4] And when the jubilee of the people of Israel comes, then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry, and their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.”

[5] And Moses commanded the people of Israel according to the word of the LORD, saying, “The tribe of the people of Joseph is right. [6] This is what the LORD commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: ‘Let them marry whom they think best, only they shall marry within the clan of the tribe of their father. [7] The inheritance of the people of Israel shall not be transferred from one tribe to another, for every one of the people of Israel shall hold on to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. [8] And every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the people of Israel shall be wife to one of the clan of the tribe of her father, so that every one of the people of Israel may possess the inheritance of his fathers. [9] So no inheritance shall be transferred from one tribe to another, for each of the tribes of the people of Israel shall hold on to its own inheritance.’”

[10] The daughters of Zelophehad did as the LORD commanded Moses, [11] for Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to sons of their father’s brothers. [12] They were married into the clans of the people of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of their father’s clan.

[13] These are the commandments and the rules that the LORD commanded through Moses to the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.

Do People See Jesus in You?

PRAY OVER THIS

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2

 

PONDER THIS

I want people to see Jesus in me. Don’t you want people to see Jesus in you? The little boy said to his father, “Dad, is Jesus bigger than I am?” Dad said, “Well, yeah, son, I guess He is.” He said, “Well then if Jesus is in me, He’ll stick out, won’t He?” He sure will if you’ll let Him! The inner nature of a Christian is Jesus.

When there comes transformation, then there comes revelation. When you’re changed by Christ, you gain the mind of Christ. Why did God renew your mind? So, you could think with it. After he talks about renewing your mind, Paul essentially says, “Think, think, think! Don't be afraid to use your mind. You have the mind of Christ.” The will of God is found between your ears when you get right with God.

When you present yourself to Him, a living sacrifice, you’re transformed, you get the mind of Christ, you can use the mind of Christ, and you’re able to make assessments that you could never make before. You think, not with human rationality, not with human intellect, not with human intuition, but with divine guidance because you have the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Have you been transformed by Jesus? How has that changed the way you think?

Think about your old ways. How did you think before you were transformed by Jesus?

PRACTICE THIS

Share with someone your testimony about how Jesus transformed your life.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Jesus Is God’s Amen

All the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. (2 Corinthians 1:20)

Prayer is the place where the past and future are linked repeatedly in our lives. I mention this here because Paul links prayer with God’s Yes in this verse in a striking way.

In 2 Corinthians 1:20, he says (with choppy Greek that comes through in choppy English), “That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” Let’s try to smooth that out.

Here’s what he is saying: “Therefore, because of Christ, we say Amen to God in our prayers to show that God gets the glory for the future grace we are asking for and counting on when we pray.”

If you’ve ever wondered why Christians say Amen at the end of our prayers, and where that custom comes from, here’s the answer. Amen is a word taken straight over into Greek from Hebrew without any translation, just like it has come into English and most other languages without any translation.

In Hebrew, it was a very strong affirmation (see Numbers 5:22; Nehemiah 5:13; 8:6) — a formal, solemn, earnest “I agree,” or “I affirm what was just said,” or “This is true.” Most simply, “Amen” means a very earnest Yes in the context of addressing God.

Now notice the connection between the two halves of 2 Corinthians 1:20. The first half says, “All the promises of God find their Yes in him.” The second half says, “That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”

When we realize that “Amen” and “Yes” mean the same thing, here’s what the verse says: In Jesus Christ, God says his Yes to us through his promises; and in Christ we say our Yes to God through prayer.

John Piper