INTERESTING FACTS : "That book [Bible], sir, is the rock on which our republic rests."  PRESIDENT Andrew Jackson [7TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES] [1]

DAILY READING : [NUMBERS 26 - 27]

TEXT : Num 27:12 And the LORD said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel. Num 27:13 And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered. Num 27:14 For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.

THEME : ETERNAL LIFE

We see in chapter twenty five how effective the counsel of Balaam was in getting Israel to sin so God had to judge them. As previously stated, Balaam would not contradict the Word of God but was cunning enough to counsel Balak to get Israel to do so. He counseled Balak to let the women of Moab go after the men of Israel. Hence, as it was with Solomon, under the influence of the women, the men fell into the idol worship of the Moabites in addition to fornication. The Scripture indicates that Solomon's wives lead his heart astray, yet Solomon is held repso0nsible for his [own] actions. The same is true in Israel's case as well. Although Balaam gave the counsel, Israel nonetheless fell into the trap of disobeying God bringing judgment down from the Lord.

After the plague, God has Moses number Israel again. This was for the purpose of finding how many men were qualified to go to war. We should keep in mind as we read the Bible; Israel looms large in our minds. It may leave the impression that Israel was an exceeding large nation. However, in reality Israel was small compared to the nations that surrounded them. Thus, numbering the men able to go to war would lead to the obvious conclusion the Israelites must trust in God for victory, since in most cases they would have less men on the field of battle than their enemies. There is also a numbering to divide the land they would conquer according to the size of the tribes. Dividing a land you have not conquered or fought over shows the great faith of Moses and Joshua. It certainly infers there would be no defeat. Rather, it states through God they would occupy the land - against the odds. By way of comparison, the faith of Moses and Joshua represents the Christian faith as we await Christ's return. There is no doubt there are more unbelievers in the world than believers. Still, like Moses and Joshua and the children of Israel, we believe in the Word of the Lord. Christ will return and establish His kingdom that will rule over all the kingdoms of the world!

TRUTH FOR TODAY : FAITH HONORS GOD, AND GOD HONORS FAITH!

In chapter twenty seven God calls Moses home. He tells him to take a look at the land promised to Israel, but that he will not enter it. Moses, a true man of God, immediately thinks of who is going to lead God's people [a sign of His love for God and Israel] and God appoints Joshua. With this, Moses will climb the summit of Pisgah in the Abarim mountain range. He will see the Promised Land, but will not go in because of his rebellion against God's command at Meribah.

The phrase - "gathered unto the people" ["thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered" verse 13] is an Old Testament reference to the next life. In particular, it refers to the place of the righteous dead, as opposed to the place of the unrighteous dead. It is commonly thought the place of the righteous dead "Abraham's bosom" was a place of beauty, peace, rest, and fellowship with other saints that had passed on. However, the Old Testament saints did not see God or His throne etc. until Messiah came and paid the price for their eternal redemption. John Wesley comments on this statement - "Thou shalt be gathered unto thy people."

"Moses must die: but death does not cut him off; it only gathers him to his people, brings him to rest with the holy patriarchs that were gone before him. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were his people, the people of his choice, and to them death gathered him."

We must never think of death as defeat. It is not, neither in the Old or New Testament. Rather, death is the reward of the just as well as the gift of God. Concerning death and the gift of Eternal Life Jesus said -

Joh 11:21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. Joh 11:22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Joh 11:23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Joh 11:24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Joh 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: Joh 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Moses was to be gathered unto his people like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc. Even though he is not going in to the Promised Land here on earth, he is going in to the Promised Land in the Heavens, a land far more attractive and appealing than anything in this world. Moses faith honored God though he - like we - sinned against God. Yet, God is merciful and receives us into His Kingdom, even as He did Moses because God honors faith.