An Everlasting Foundation

Day 63 One-Year Daily Bible Passages – Numbers 2:1–3:51; Mark 11:27–12:17; Psalm 47:1-9; Proverbs 10:24-25

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My Inheritance is an Everlasting Foundation
As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation. – Proverbs 10:25

Storms pass over the wicked and the righteous, but in the end only the righteous will stand.

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Authority
And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, and say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things? And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me. And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed. And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things. – Mark 11:27-33 

The religious leaders had a duty to investigate any person claiming to be of God. So they came to Jesus. Their investigation was one-sided, though, because he threatened the place they had set themselves. So they worked to trap Him to destroy Jesus. They couldn’t act openly, however, because the people were convinced that Jesus was of God. 

Jesus knew their heart. So when he answered the question, he only posed another question to them about John the Baptist. The leaders found themselves unable to answer because to answer one way would incite the crowds against them. To answer another way would expose their hearts to reject the truth for a lie to keep their world intact and their status unchanged. To deny truth and embrace hypocrisy and crowd-pleasing is to set yourself up to pay an eternal price. It is an excellent question to ask ourselves, do our actions or answers (the things we speak) have any hypocrisy or need for worldly approval attached to them? If so, we are on very shaky ground. Speak truth and align your heart with it. Speak life!

They Took Him, Killed Him, and Cast Him Out of the Vineyard
And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be our’s. And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. What shall therefore the Lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. – Mark 12:1-9

The Stone Which the Builders Rejected
And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected Is become the head of the corner: This was the Lord’s doing, And it is marvellous in our eyes? – Mark 12:10-11 

They Knew He Had Spoken the Parable Against Them
And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way. – Mark 12:12 

Render to Caesar the Things that are Caesar’s
And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words. And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Cæsar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Cæsar’s. And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him. – Mark 12:13-17 

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The Levites Were Not Numbered Among the Children of Israel
But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses. – Numbers 2:33 

Eleazar and Ithamar Ministered in the Sight of Aaron Their Father
And these are the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest’s office. And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the sight of Aaron their father. – Numbers 3:2-4 

Thou Shalt Give the Levites Unto Aaron’s and to His Sons
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him. And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle. And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel. And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest’s office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. – Numbers 3:5-10 

I Have Taken the Levites Instead of All the Firstborn
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine; because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the LORD. – Numbers 3:11-13

Thou Shalt Take the Levites For Me Instead of the Firstborn
And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel. – Numbers 3:41

The Levites Shall Be Mine: I am the LORD
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD. – Numbers 3:44-45

The Levites had no inheritance among the Children of Israel. They were not counted among them because they were the Lord’s portion. God was their inheritance, and they were His. He chose the Levites instead of the firstborn of each tribe. (Interesting that the firstborn – first fruits – are always His anyway. 

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My Inheritance is His Choice
He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.- Psalm 47:4

Jacob’s inheritance was that during shakings (famine in the world), Jacob, who God loved, was spared from death and settled in Egypt’s best part (Goshen). So is our portion as God’s children.

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Father, Thank You that You are our Everlasting Foundation and built upon You, we will forever stand. Thank You that You are our inheritance and all we need or will ever need. Thank You that You have chosen our inheritance for each of us, and it is good. Thank You that You are our authority, and as we walk in obedience to Your perfect will, we will also walk in the power and authority given to us by Your Son, Jesus Christ. Help us never to take You and these beautiful gifts for granted – YOU, MY GOD!!! Our inheritance, our authority, our foundation! Help me keep my eyes and my heart on YOU alone. In Jesus Name, we pray. Amen.