Read to prACTice

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Not promised? Not for me... I. Click here to READ  Numbers 34   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (The Lord established boundaries for the promised land. He also set a procedure to divide the land among His people according to each tribe...) 13  So Moses commanded the sons of Israel, saying, “This is the land that you are to apportion by lot among you as a possession, which the  Lord  has commanded to give to the nine and a half tribes.   14  For the tribe of the sons of Reuben have received theirs according to their fathers’ households, and the tribe of the sons of Gad according to their fathers’ households, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their possession.   15  The two and a half tribes have received their possession across the Jordan opposite Jericho, eastward toward the sunrising.” III.  Reflection *  Questions : ...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Rest, it's a no-brainer... I. Click here to READ  Numbers 33   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (The journey of God's people through the 40 years from Egypt through the wilderness to the promised land occurred like this...) ... 5  The sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses and camped in Succoth.   6  They journeyed... and camped...   7  They journeyed... and they camped...  8  They journeyed... and camped...  9  They journeyed... and they camped...   10  They journeyed... and camped...   III.  Reflection *  Questions :  What is the common factor in the above verses (and more) in this chapter? IV. Application : Dear Lord God, I thank You for showing me, through this long journey of the Israelites, that You cared. You wanted them to camp as often as they journeyed on. You knew the importance of rest. I thank You, Lord ...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Cheer, not Tear...  I. Click here to READ  Numbers 32   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (Moses reminded the Israelites that 40 years ago, upon listening to the report of the spies to the promised land, they lost their will to dare to go in and claim the land the Lord had given to them...) 13  So the  Lord’s  anger burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the entire generation of those who had done evil in the sight of the  Lord  was destroyed. III.  Reflection *  Questions :  What was done that was considered evil in the sight of the Lord?   IV. Application : Dear Lord God, I thank You for showing me that the spies' discouragement caused Your people not to follow You wholeheartedly ( Num 32:6-12 ). That was considered evil in Your sight. I thank You, Lord Jesus, for taking me to this point to remi...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Revenge not, Wait for the Lord... I. Click here to READ  Numbers 31   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  1  Then the  Lord  spoke to Moses, saying,   2  “Take full vengeance for the sons of Israel on the Midianites; afterward you will be gathered to your people.”   3  Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the  Lord’s  vengeance on Midian. III.  Reflection *  Questions :  What were the Israelites afflicted with that caused such a strong and full vengeance from the Lord against the Midianites? IV. Application : Dear Lord God: I thank You for reminding me that since sin entered humanity it has been a "life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand and foot for foot" type of society ( Deut 19:21 ). Thank You for the reminder that the slaug...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Vow hastily, Pay promptly... I. Click here to READ  Numbers 30   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  1  Then Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the sons of Israel, saying, “This is the word which the  Lord  has commanded.   2  If a man makes a vow to the  Lord , or takes an oath to bind himself with a binding obligation, he shall not violate his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. III.  Reflection *  Questions :  How is a vow different from an oath? IV. Application : Dear Lord God, I thank You for showing me that a vow is a promise I voluntarily made to You, while an oath is a promise I made to others in Your presence. Since You are the One who keeps Your word ( Num 23:19 ), You want us to be like You, although You did remind us not to vow quickly and unnecessarily. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for taking me to ...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Only one is needed and once only... I. Click here to READ  Numbers 29   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (The Lord gave instructions to the Israelites on how  to observe a feast to the Lord-- each day for seven days from the 15th day of the seventh month) 32  ‘Then on the seventh day: seven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect;   33  and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance;   34  and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering. III.  Reflection *  Questions :  What was the reason that the number of bulls kept decreasing each day from 13 on the first day to 7 on the seventh day, but the number of rams (2), male lambs (14), and male goat (1) did not ch...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* It takes a lot, rightly so! I. Click here to READ  Numbers 28   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (The Lord gave instructions as to how to give offerings in worshiping Him...) 2 . . . be careful to present . . . 3 . . . lamb without defect . . .  5  . . .  a tenth of an ephah of fine flour . . .  mixed with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil . . .  III.  Reflection *  Questions :  Which of the following does it take to achieve the activities described in the above verses in worshiping the Lord? Does it involve a high level of care, a lot of time to inspect, intentional effort to be sure, or concentration to find acceptable materials? IV. Application : Dear Lord God, I thank You for letting me know of Your expectations that worshiping You rightly requires care, takes time, demands effort, and needs concentration. I thank You, Lord Jesus, for taking m...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Be a gracious talker. Be a life builder... I. Click here to READ  Numbers 27   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (The daughters of Zelophehad complained to Moses that they were being treated unjustly by a tradition. Moses came asking the Lord for what to do...) 6  Then the  Lord  spoke to Moses, saying,   7  “The daughters of Zelophehad are right in their statements. You shall surely give them a hereditary possession among their father’s brothers, and you shall transfer the inheritance of their father to them. III.  Reflection *  Questions :  What were the daughters of Zelophehad right about? IV. Application : Dear Lord God, I thank You for showing me that there was injustice and a lack of fairness being practiced even among the community of Your people. But You took action to have them corrected and You gave a compliment to whomever the com...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* All counted singly... I. Click here to READ  Numbers 26   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  1  Then it came about after the plague, that the  Lord  spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying,   2  “Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ households, whoever is able to go out to war in Israel.” III.  Reflection *  Questions :  What was the purpose of taking a census of all the congregation? Wasn't it known already before God? IV. Application : Dear Lord God, I thank You for reminding me that You are the great Lord whose power is abundant and whose understanding is beyond measure. The census was not taken for You to know. It was for the leaders of the congregation to know how many able people they had. Also, it was for each person in the congregation...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* The transparency of the Bible... I. Click here to READ  Numbers 25   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  1  While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab.   2  For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.   3  So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the  Lord  was angry against Israel.   4  The  Lord  said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the  Lord , so that the fierce anger of the  Lord  may turn away from Israel.”   5  So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you slay his men who have joined themselves to Baal of Peor.” . . .  9  Those who died by the plague were 24,000. III. Reflection *...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Now that I've known it, here are my actions... I. Click here to READ  Numbers 24   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  1  By now Balaam realized that the  Lord  was determined to bless Israel, so he did not resort to divination as before. Instead, he turned and looked out toward the wilderness,   2  where he saw the people of Israel camped, tribe by tribe. Then the Spirit of God came upon him,   3  and this is the message he delivered... III. Reflection *  Questions :  What must happen when one realizes the Lord's way and will? IV. Application : Dear Lord God: I thank You for letting me see the result of realizing Your will and way--One must change. Direction must change, intention must change, and the old operation must change. And that was what Balaam did out of reverence for You, by the Spirit from You, for the people blessed by You, and despite...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* The simple complexity... I. Click here to READ  Numbers 23   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  27  Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will be  agreeable with God that you curse them for me from there.” III. Reflection *  Questions :  What is the most fundamental character that Balak, king of Moab, missed or did not understand about the Lord in the above statement? IV. Application : Dear Lord God, I thank You for showing me that not knowing You well will lead a person to sin against You or do things that are not pleasing to You. If Balak knew that Your presence is everywhere, he would not proceed further to sin. I thank You, Lord Jesus, for taking me to this point to remind me that not everyone knows the fundamentals about You. May I not take it for granted that people know the simple complexity of Your salvation (such as...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Today's Balaam, watch out ! I. Click here to READ  Numbers 22   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (King Balak of Moab officially requested, and was willing to richly pay for, Balaam to curse the Israelites for him before battling, but...) 12  God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them;  you shall not curse the people, for they  are blessed.” III. Reflection *  Questions :  Who was Balaam? What could he influence? What could influence Him? IV. Application : Dear Lord God: Thank You for showing me that Balaam was nothing but a for-profit seer whom superstitious people gave too much credit for what he could do. He let people think falsely that whomever he cursed would be cursed and whomever he blessed would be blessed. Besides, as a normal person, he could be easily bought by money and praises as he was presented with an option to please man or God. I thank You, Lord Jes...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* His death cures our death... I. Click here to READ  Numbers 21   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (The Israelites sinned by complaining against the Lord and by despising the heavenly-provided daily food that the Lord had arranged for them. Consequently...)   6   Then the  Lord  sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.   7  And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the  Lord  and against you. Pray to the  Lord , that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.   8  And the  Lord  said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” III. Reflection *  Questions :  Why must people look at the snake? Why must it be set on a po...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* The ends vs. the means... I. Click here to READ  Numbers 20   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (The Lord told Moses to take the rod, assemble the people, and speak to the rock to obtain water to drink. Moses took the rod, assembled the people, chastised them, and angrily struck the rock; water came out for them to drink...) 12  But the  Lord  said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”   III. Reflection *  Questions :  Wasn't having water for people and their animals in the desert to drink the end result? Why was such a harsh punishment for Moses and Aaron? IV. Application : Dear Lord God, I thank You for letting me see clearly here that the ends do not justify the means. Water is very important, but it is ...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* The meaning of a good night... I. Click here to READ  Numbers 19   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (As a result of sacrificing, and offering, a red cow to the Lord...) 7  The priest... shall be unclean until evening.   8  The one who burns it...  shall be unclean until evening...  10  The one who gathers the ashes... s hall... be unclean until evening. III. Reflection *  Questions :  What is the common factor in the above passage? IV. Application : Dear Lord God, I thank You for showing me that You would not want to let Your people go to their night's sleep while being or feeling unclean. So, the condemnation of a person being unclean is lifted when the evening comes. I thank You, Lord Jesus, for reminding me that I should not go to bed holding on to my anger at someone or something ( Eph 4:26 ). O Lord! Please help me practice repenting and forgivi...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Be a gift, not a burden... I. Click here to READ  Numbers 18   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (The Lord was instructing Aaron about his responsibilities in the ministry regarding the Tabernacle...) 6  Behold, I Myself  have taken your  fellow Levites from among the sons of Israel; they are  a gift to you,  dedicated to the  Lord , to perform the service for the tent of meeting. III. Reflection *  Questions :  There are plenty of things being used as gifts. Can you recall a situation when a gift was a person? IV. Application : Dear Lord God, I thank You for showing me that the work to maintain and operate the Tabernacle was tremendously involved and demanding. And You knew that and that You supplied the needed help--the Levites; they are a gift to Aaron. I thank You, Lord Jesus, for taking me to this point to remind me that I must live so that peopl...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* A sprouting rod? It's a small thing... I. Click here to READ  Numbers 17   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (To put to rest the question of who the head priest was among the Israelites, the Lord told them to put together the 12 rods in the Tabernacle with their names written on the rods. The Lord said...) 5  It will come about that the rod of the man whom I choose will sprout . . .  7  So Moses deposited the rods before the  Lord  in the tent of the testimony . . .  8  Now on the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds.   III. Reflection *  Questions :  What was wonderful about the Aaron's rod? IV. Application : Dear Lord God, I thank You for showing me what was wonderful about Aaron's...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Worshipping God could be deadly. Watch out! I. Click here to READ  Numbers 16   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (Moses was talking to the group of people who spoke and acted against his leadership...) 31  As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open;   32  and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who belonged to Korah with their possessions.   33  So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.   34  All Israel who were around them fled at their outcry, for they said, “The earth may swallow us up!”   35  Fire also came forth from the  Lord  and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense. III...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Done unintentionally vs. Done defiantly... I. Click here to READ  Numbers 15   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  ( The Lord teaches about sins among His people... ) 27  ‘Also if one person sins unintentionally, then he shall offer a one year old female goat for a sin offering.   28  The priest shall make atonement before the  Lord  for the person who goes astray when he sins unintentionally, making atonement for him that he may be forgiven . . . .     30  But the person who does anything defiantly, whether he is native or an alien, that one is blaspheming the  Lord ; and that person shall be cut off from among his people.   31  Because he has despised the word of the  Lord  and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt will be on him.’” III. Reflection *...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Don't just keep on going... I. Click here to READ  Numbers 14   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (The Israelites were informed of the terrible consequences of their distrusting the Lord, ranging from the spies' plague-related death to being prohibited from entering the promised land. Having heard that...)  40 In the morning, however, they rose up early and went up to the  ridge of the hill country, saying, “ Here we are;  we have indeed sinned, but we will go up to the place which the  Lord  has promised.” III. Reflection *  Questions :  What was fundamentally wrong with what the Israelites said in the above verse? IV. Application : Dear Lord God, I thank You for letting me see the inappropriate action that the Israelites did that brought them severe devastation from their enemies--"we have sinned but..." O Lord! Please do not let me go forth knowing full...