Numbers 11:16-23, 31-32 (NRSV)
So the Lord said to Moses, "Gather for me seventy of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them take their place there with you. I will come down and talk with you there; and I will take some of the spirit that is on you and put it on them; and they shall bear the burden of the people along with you so that you will not bear it all by yourself.
And say to the people: Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wailed in the hearing of the Lord, saying, 'If only we had meat to eat! Surely it was better for us in Egypt.' Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. You shall eat not only one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, but for a whole month - until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you - because you have rejected the Lord who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, 'Why did we ever leave Egypt?'"
But Moses said, "The people I am with number six hundred thousand on foot; and you say, 'I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month'! Are there enough flocks and herds to slaughter for them? Are there enough fish in the sea to catch for them?"
The Lord said to Moses, "Is the Lord's power limited? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not."
... Then a wind went out from the Lord, and it brought quails from the sea and let them fall beside the camp, about a day's journey on this side and a day's journey on the other side, all around the camp, about two cubits deep on the ground. So the people worked all that day and night and all the next day, gathering the quails; the least anyone gathered was ten homers; and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.
Father God Gives an imperfect life. Grieving and loss. Loss causes us to wonder if we will be happy again.
"I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.
And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for. You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain."
"One of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others." - Rick Warren
We recognize Numbers 11 having to do with plague. Very definitely not all Plagues are alike. This Pandemic has it's own unique qualities.
Numbers 11: if we take a tally includes:
Protesting all the Comforts of all the Exodus are not comfortable enough.
Really making the Lord angry and then having His anger abate and making Him angry again. Complaining the food was bad. And far from exotic choices. Moses is watching this like a Terrible Game of Tennis. And Moses becomes afraid asking God Himself for a better group of people or another job. Moses is pretty overwhelmed by 600,000 people who are very upset.
10 Moses heard the people of every family wailing at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled.
11 He asked the Lord, “Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their ancestors? 13 Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ 14 I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.”
The conversation is earnest and continues:
21 But Moses said, “Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ 22 Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?”
23 The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.”
31 Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail in from the sea. It scattered them up to two cubits deep all around the camp, as far as a day’s walk in any direction. 32 All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers. Then they spread them out all around the camp.
33 But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague.
What will we take from this:
Hopefully, we will resist Judging God. He did do quite a lot of Work. The point of the Exodus is hardship, hard work, for a Hope and a Future. God is demonstrating His Faith His people will find their feet.
I complain. We all complain. No one enjoys being in the desert of life. And we will all have desert portions from time to time. In each season, God gives Blessings. When the Promised Land is found, it's not as lush as Egypt in general and yet the farms produced very well mostly. And when the Promised Land was finally found, the community spread widely apart and all aspects of life changed.
In Pandemic, in re-opening, we will do better to focus on our Blessings. And remember the athlete trains for the prize. Believing in the Hope and Future of the training.
Luke 24:49
And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.
Proverbs 8 as Jesus explains the Glory of God in His Creation, Jesus delights in the Master Workmanship of our Father. Jesus is given the Glory of Being God's Only Son and bringing Him to us. Jesus goes through an incredible life and His Words back to frail humanity are Words of Life, the Adoption of God as our Father.
John 10:28-30
28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
30 I and the Father are one.
Abba, Father God,
We ask you to put the Name of Jesus Christ upon us and we are Blessed of God.
Jesus Christ, pray for us, Speak Your Word, bring more Heaven to earth.
To Rejoice in all of Your world.
We ask Your Abundant and Flowing Blessings upon us.
Keep us safe from disasters, quieten storms and keep the Oceans safe.
Help us to seek You first and Your Kingdom.
To Live Love, Joy and Peace. Uphold those we Love. We Trust You.
We ask for the virus to end and Joy in Recovery.
We pray for Your Healing Word to be Spoken.
Your Help for a vaccine.
God Himself Bless, Sustain, Comfort, Guide
President Donald Trump,
Vice President Pence,
Governor Abbott and these 50 United States Governors and Legislatures.
The Administration Coronavirus Response Team,
Dr. Deborah Birx, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Robert Redfield
Jesus Christ Live in us. Amen!
♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †
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2 comments:
Your declaration of trust and faith are inspiring, your honesty, courage, perseverance, commitment to God and to your son humbling. Thank you for sharing your heart. Please keep on believing for Landen's healing; certainly, that doesn't preclude the pain and the joy you experience with him every day.
God is faithful, according to His Word; I believe that. Keep speaking the Word; He promises us healing, but we know it doesn't always come instantly or exactly as we picture it.
Example, I wore coke-bottle lense(s) glasses since I was six-years-old. Last year, I had cataract surgery on both eyes, was given new lenses, and now see 20/20 for distance -- wearing non-perscription reading glasses only. I consider that a miracle from God. Now I'm believing that I won't have to wear the reading glasses but am grateful to Him for what He's already given me.
My wife and I are standing on the Scriptures and believing for healing of other ailments, too; I'm age 68; she's 65.
You're doing everything right, in my opinion; keep on standing and believing for Landen, and for yourself. I'm praying for both of you. "..By His stripes you were healed," and "No weapon formed against you shall prosper."--Jim Young, El Cajon, CA
Thanks very much for your kind words. Landon's mom's post was as a guest writer. She is a very blessed, believing Christian. Landon has begun to do so many more outings and accomplishments than he used to have. They've been blessed to have Christian advisers and have been faithful to God and their lives reflect this. Thanks for your comments.
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