Day 72 One-Year Daily Bible Passages – Numbers 19:1–20:29; Luke 1:1-25; Psalm 56:1-13; Proverbs 11:8
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Unbelief Has Consequences
And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there? And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink. And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. – Number 20:2-12
The Children of Israel had begun to complain once again about the lack of water. God told Moses to take them to a particular rock and speak to the rock to bring forth water. Instead, Moses had the people gather, and he shouted at them in anger: Must we bring you water from this rock? He then struck the rock twice with his rod instead of speaking to the rock as God had told him to do. God provided water, but Moses lost the privilege of leading the people into the Promised Land because of his disobedience.
The punishment was hard, and I am sure it devastated Moses and Aaron. It was, however, the punishment of leaders who disobeyed the Almighty God. How many people lost the blessing of giving God the glory that day because of their actions?
It was also an important lesson for the Israelites – and us. We should always do what God says to do His way. God had a good reason for Moses to speak to the rock. He wanted to display His power to His people at a time when their faith was waning. By Moses yelling at the people and then striking the rock, Moses showed his anger and insinuated that he and Aaron were bringing forth the water for them, not wholly God. God was compassionate toward the people and still gave them water, but Moses had to face the consequences of his anger and disobedience. He was not allowed to enter the Promised Land.
We have all been in Moses’ place. At some point, we’ve all had to face the consequences of our own emotions that led to disobedience! We have had to face how we hindered someone else’s ability to glorify the Lord because we overreacted or under-reacted to direct instruction from the Lord. We may have looked at our actions and thought – it was no big deal, but all disobedience to the Lord’s plan is a great big deal.
Disobedience is unbelief.
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Unbelief Has Consequences
That Thou Mightest Know the Certainty of Those Things Wherein Thou Hast Been Instructed
Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, that thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. – Luke 1:1-4
Zacharias and Elisabeth
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judæa, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. – Luke 1:5-7
The Whole Multitude of People Were Praying Without
And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, according to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. – Luke 1:8-10
Fear Not, For Thy Prayer is Heard
And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. – Luke 1:11-17
Because Thou Believest Not My Words
And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. – Luke 1:18-20
Zacharias Remained Speechless
And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. – Luke 1:21-22
Elisabeth Conceived
And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men. – Luke 1:23-25
Unbelief had consequences in the Old Testament. Unbelief had consequences in the New Testament. Unbelief still has consequences today.
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The Righteous is Delivered Out of Trouble
The righteous is delivered out of trouble, And the wicked cometh in his stead. – Proverbs 11:8
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Trust the Lord
What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, In God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
Thou tellest my wanderings: Put thou my tears into thy bottle: Are they not in thy book? When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: This I know; for God is for me. In God will I praise his word: In the LORD will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, That I may walk before God in the light of the living?
– Psalm 56:3-4, 8-13
In all circumstances and in every emotion that springs forth, we have the choice to trust the Lord through it and allow Him to do His perfect work in our hearts and lives…or to trust our own feelings. Leaning into feelings, whether it is fear, anger, jealousy, loneliness, or even earthly love and happiness, rather than leaning into Jesus will cause us to start straying from His perfect path and walking toward disobedience.
Heavenly Father, Please help us to trust You and You alone today. In Jesus’ Name. Amen
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