February 11 – Day 42 – Numbers 21-24; John 10 Day 317 – Acts 9-11 Matthew 4

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 317-Acts 9-11; Matthew 4 summary!]

We could title Numbers 21 “God’s Victory Over Israel’s Enemies!” As we read the chapter, we find three external adversaries came against Israel: the Canaanites, the Amorites, and the Bashanites. In each case, God gave the Israelites victory. We also see Israel once again became their own enemy, by complaining against God and Moses. As usual, the complaints focused around the food God provided, and how much they hated it. Their lack of gratitude for God’s provision resulted in God sending poisonous snakes into the region. Many Israelites died from snake bites, and as usual they cried out for Moses to do something. As he interceded, God told him to build a bronze serpent and put it on a pole. When an Israelite was bitten by a snake, if he or she looked up at the bronze serpent he or she would be healed. While my thought was, “Wouldn’t that lead the Israelites to idol worship, because the bronze serpent was a tangible symbol?” Jesus would later refer to the serpent as a type of His own cross. He said just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so will the Son of man be lifted up (see John 3:14).

Numbers 22-24 records the interaction between King Balak of the Moabites and Balaam, son of Beer, a prophet. Balak’s goal was to get Balaam to pronounce a curse on Israel. At first, Balaam wouldn’t go to Balak. Then when Balaam did go, he had a miraculous encounter with the angel of the LORD, which included Balaam’s donkey speaking to him. When Balaam finally arrived, he told Balak he could only pronounce a blessing, or a curse based on what the LORD told him. Each time he inquired of the LORD, the result was Balaam pronounced a blessing on Israel. Each time Balak became more incensed with the result.  In reading the account, I couldn’t help but see the bigger picture: God only listens to prayers or petitions that are in keeping with His will.  When we turn to God with our requests, we do well to turn first to God’s character and nature and ask, “Is my request aligned with God’s will and purpose?”

John 10 shows us clearly Jesus is the Messiah. He refers to Himself as the “door” of the sheepfold, as the “Good Shepherd” who lays down his life for the sheep, and He tells us He and the Father are one. As we would expect, these claims incensed the Jewish leaders. In fact, they wanted to stone Him for these proclamations. Jesus challenged them by asking for which of his works it was that they wanted to stone Him to death? They answered it wasn’t for any of his works (so at least they were acknowledging His good works in a back-handed kind of way), but for claiming to be God. Jesus answered that statement by quoting Scripture, which gives us incentive to read and learn the Scriptures ourselves. That way, when folks question us about our faith in Jesus, we will have reasonable responses.

In John 10, Jesus makes a powerful statement about the difference between Himself and the devil. He said, “The thief (that is the devil) comes only to kill, steal, and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly.” When we experience threats to our well-being, we can be sure they don’t come from Jesus. It isn’t His will for us to suffer, although at times God does permit us to suffer. Jesus came to bring us life, abundant life, here and now, and forever. We do well to remember that statement when we experience challenges, difficulty, and outright evil in our lives. In those times remember Jesus is for us and is on our side.

Day 317-Acts 9-11; Matthew 4

Acts 9 offers us one of the most amazing accounts in the entire book.  Saul, who had been persecuting the church vehemently, was on the way to Damascus from Jerusalem to arrest Christians there. While He was on the way, Jesus appeared to Him in a vision. He asked, “Saul, Saul. Why are you persecuting me?” Saul responded, “Who are you, Lord?”  (Saul’s response shows he knew this was no natural experience!) Jesus answered, “It is Jesus whom you are persecuting.” Through the experience Saul became blind. The folks in his group led him to Damascus. In Damascus, Ananias, a believer in Jesus, was also visited by God in a vision. He was told to meet Paul and pray for his healing. Ananias wasn’t keen on that idea, because Saul’s reputation had preceded him. Ananias was faithful, and as a result Saul was healed, baptized and started preaching that Jesus is the Christ in the synagogue in Damascus. Talk about an amazing conversion! Saul taught in Damascus until the Jews there set their sites on him. Saul left and wanted to go to the Church leaders in Jerusalem, but they were wary lest Saul was seeking to trick them. Barnabas, a trusted leader among the believers, vouched for Saul, so the rest accepted him.  As a result of Saul’s conversion, the believers in the region experienced a time of peace.

We also read of Peter carrying out a couple of powerful miracles at the end of Acts 9. He healed a paralytic named Aeneus, and raised a woman named Dorcas from the dead!

As we move to Acts 10, it is Peter’s time to experience something amazing. We’re told at the beginning of the chapter a Roman centurion, named Cornelius, who was a devout follower of God was told in a vision to send for Simon called Peter. He sent messengers to find Peter, and when they did, they asked Peter to come to Cornelius’ house. Ordinarily, Peter, who was still following the ways of Judaism in addition to following Jesus, would not have obliged the request. But Peter had also experienced a vision, the same vision, three times. The vision was of “unclean” animals, being dropped down from heaven, and his being told, “Rise, kill and eat.” Peter argued that he had never eaten an unclean animal, but the LORD told him not to call what He called clean, unclean.  Peter understood the vision to be an affirmation of his call to visit with Cornelius. He took other Jewish believers with him, and to their amazement, when Peter was preaching to Cornelius, his family and friends they were all baptized in the Holy Spirit.  This caused a ripple through the church that continued to be discussed in Acts 11. The result of the incident is the believers glorified God for giving the Gentiles the opportunity to receive salvation, too.

Matthew 4 offers us the account of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness by Satan. This occurred immediately after Jesus’ baptism and His being affirmed by His Heavenly Father. This reminds us that sometimes after a major victory or blessing in our lives, we are open to temptation. It seems counterintuitive, because such times seem to be times when we would be stronger than ever. But at such times we are also susceptible to pride. Jesus’ victory over Satan came because He remained focus on His Heavenly Father, and He didn’t seek to argue with the devil. He quoted Scripture in response to each temptation. This shows us how important it is for us to learn and live God’s word. After passing the temptation test, Jesus started His ministry in Galilee. He called people to repent because God’s Kingdom is at hand. He called the first four of the twelve disciples and offered them the opportunity to “fish” for people instead of fish. He also healed many people, showing us that the evidence of God’s Kingdom being present is our wholeness in body, soul, and spirit.