Deuteronomy 3:5-6 “‘25 Let me, I pray, cross over and see the fair land that is beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.’ 26 But the Lord was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me; and the Lord said to me, ‘Enough! Speak to Me no more of this matter.’” 

STOP ASKING ME THAT!

 How many times have you begged someone for something?  I mean really beg.  Moses, had undoubtedly asked the Lord to allow him to go into the Promised Land more than once.  But because he had disobeyed Him way back in the wilderness, God’s decision was final.

Do you remember that incident?  God had told Moses to speak to the rock, and it would give water.  Instead, Moses struck the rock with his staff.  Water still came out, but Moses had not followed God’s instructions.  God said then that Moses would not enter the Promised Land.  I guess Moses had held out hope that as they neared the Promised Land the Lord might reconsider.

TEACHING MOMENT

How many times have your kids done this to you?  You hand down a consequence for disobedience, and they start right in begging for mercy.  How many times have you given in, just to get them quiet?  Come on, be honest.  You know you’ve done that.

Don’t do it.  It’s okay to reconsider and lessen the consequence, but don’t do it because of their whining.  That teaches them the wrong thing.  This will go with them into their adult life –  whining, complaining, murmuring until they get their way.  That won’t work in the workplace or in their marriage.  Be firm and hold them accountable.

You may be thinking, “Carl, it’s too late. I have already created a monster.”  No, it’s not too late.  Start today following the Lord’s example.  Moses got to see the Promised Land (that was a little compromise the Lord gave without changing the consequence), but he never stepped foot in it.  You, too, hold firm.

Lord, I am so tempted to give in to pressure from others when they want me to change my mind on something that I know is right.  Give me the courage and strength to stand firm.  Help me teach my children the value of sticking to your word.   

Deuteronomy 2:7 “‘For the Lord your God has blessed you in all that you have done; He has known your wanderings through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have not lacked a thing.’”

 DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING?

 Deuteronomy begins with a recap of how the Lord has led the Israelites since they left Egypt.  Moses reminds the people in verse 7 how He sustained them as they wandered in the wilderness.  Now, don’t forget that the wandering was punishment for not going into Canaan.  But God still, even in the midst of their punishment, sustained them.

God’s love for them and His purpose for them had not changed.  He took care of them all through those years.  This was no small feat.  They were a great number.  Some estimate anywhere from 200,000 to over 2 million.  Can you imagine the amount of water that was needed for that crowd?  But God provided it.

TEACHING MOMENT

The next time your child “rebels” against you and has to be disciplined, remind them of this story.  You are not going to stop feeding them just because they are in trouble.  You don’t withhold clothing from them because they are grounded.  No!  You still love them and protect them, even though you have to carry out the discipline.

Do you enjoy disciplining your child?  Neither does God.  He has to because He loves us, but He had much rather see us walk in fellowship with Him.  He had rather have us obey.  He had much rather bless than correct.

Let me ask you this question.  What are you doing right now to obey God?  Is He pleased with your walk right now?  It is so important for us to walk worthy of our Lord.  Others are watching.  They are watching to see how we handle life.  Will you let the Lord guide you?

O God, I am so guilty of wanting to do things my way.  I am just like the Israelites in my rebellion against You.  Forgive me and set me back on the right path.

 Numbers 36:10 “Just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so the daughters of Zelophehad did:”

 KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY

These women, the daughters of Zelophehad, had gone to Moses to ask that their father’s inheritance be passed on to them since he had no sons.  That made sense.  But now others from their tribe were concerned that they may marry outside the tribe, thus causing the lands to be transferred to another tribe in the future.  So, the Lord instructed them to marry within their own tribe to protect the inheritance.

It says later that they married their uncles’ sons – their cousins.  Now, today that is frowned upon and even illegal in some states.  But back then it was pretty common.  It may have required them to give up their own desire for what was best for the family and to obey the Lord.

TEACHING MOMENT

Hmmm!  What do you think would happen if you told your child they had to marry their cousin?  I bet there would be a fight and outright rebellion.  Now, you are not going to do that (at least I hope not).  But what about asking them to do something for the good of the family that is in agreement with God’s Word?  How do you think they would respond?

Training our children to be obedient later in life begins when they are young.  You can’t wait until they are 16 to ask them to make those decisions.  Decision-making skills are taught from an early age.  Always point them to God’s Word as they make their decisions.  They should always follow His direction.  I guarantee that will always be what is best for the family.

What decisions have you made without considering the Lord?  How many of those turned out good?  You may have lucked out and gotten by with one or two.  But most of the time, those kinds of decisions come back to bite us.  Seek His wisdom in all things.

O wise and holy Father, give me the wisdom to seek You first.  Let me make my decisions only after going to You in prayer and seeking godly counsel from those You have placed in my life.  Thank You for Your wisdom that is available through Your Word.

 Numbers 34:1-2 “1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 ‘Command the sons of Israel and say to them, “When you enter the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance, even the land of Canaan according to its borders.”’” 

 BORDERS

 I have always like coloring.  And I hate to brag, but I was pretty good at it.  I mean, I could stay within the lines.  Lol.  Did you know you can even buy adult coloring books now?  I need to get one of those to unwind with.

The Lord is telling Moses here to “stay within the lines” that He is drawing for them.  Why?  After leading them to this point, why would He limit where they went and possessed?  Maybe He knew their limitations better than they did. You think?  He knew what they needed and provided it for them.

TEACHING MOMENT

Children need borders too.  Not giving children clear guidelines invites trouble.  I know parents who don’t give their children bedtimes.  Trouble!  Others don’t enforce curfews.  Trouble!  Still others allow unlimited access to social media.  Trouble!  Borders are necessary to protect our kids.

Now, expect your little Susie or Johnny to buck at this a little.  They want freedom, and they can earn that.  But before freedom is given, responsible behavior is necessary.  Why do you think the Lord gave us the ten commandments?  Borders!

Are you bucking God’s borders in your life?  If you are like me, I like to be free.  Don’t hem me in.  But I also know that left to my own choices, my flesh will choose the wrong things.  I need borders in my life.

Lord, thank You for giving me fences.  I may not always appear grateful, but I am.  When the time is right I know you will expand those fences or open the gate.  Right now I trust You to keep me safe.

 Numbers 31:32 “Now the booty that remained from the spoil which the men of war had plundered was 675,000 sheep,” 

 NOW I UNDERSTAND!

 Remember yesterday’s lesson?  If you missed it, I wrote about the Lord’s requirements for the sacrifices each day.  Where would all those animals come from?  Well, here we see one answer.  In one battle the Israelites captured almost 700,000 sheep.  I have to believe that many of these were suitable for sacrifice.  God was already providing the resource for the people to use to honor Him.

But it wasn’t about what they captured.  They captured sheep, cattle, donkeys and even slaves.  I truly believe the Lord was trying to show them to trust Him for their provision.  They defeated the Midianites and did not lose one fighter, not one.  That’s amazing!  God protects and provides.

TEACHING MOMENT

 Little Elrod and Gertrude need to be taught to trust the Lord for everything in their lives.  “How do I pay this bill?”  God’s got the source.  “Lord, I need healing.”  God knows that and can heal according to His will.  “Lord, I really need to do well on this test.”  Study, apply yourself and leave the rest to God.

Every situation in life can be solved through the power and faithfulness of God.  I am NOT teaching prosperity gospel here.  I am merely saying that when we trust Him, He will come through according to His time and His plan for our lives.  We may not understand or even appreciate it at the time, but He is still in control.

What do you need right now for God to do in your life?  Is there that one thing that you just can’t let go of?  Let it go!  Let Him have control.  Submit to His will and let whatever comes your way come on.  Complete abandonment is what He desires.

Master Planner, You have directed me perfectly when I have bowed to your leadership.  Let me bow again today.  I trust You and believe You are able.

 Numbers 28:1-2 “1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 ‘Command the sons of Israel and say to them, “You shall be careful to present My offering, My food for My offerings by fire, of a soothing aroma to Me, at their appointed time.”’” 

 COMMANDS

I ate at one of those Brazilian steak houses in Nairobi, Kenya once with some friends. When you sit down they give you this little card to put by your plate.  One side is red and the other is green. As long as you have the green side facing up, they keep bringing you meat. You actually have to tell them to stop by flipping your card to red.  Needless to say, I ate way too much.

I thought of that when I read about the number of animals which were required for the daily, monthly and special offerings.  Just the daily sacrifices alone would have added up to almost 30,000 lambs during the 40 years in the wilderness.  That’s a lot of mutton.  Aren’t you glad our Savior offered the perfect, one- time sacrifice?

TEACHING MOMENT

 However, the important thing about this passage to me is the detail and the command.  God was specific about His requirements for sacrifices and offerings.  There was no doubt what He required.  There still isn’t.  We need to teach our children that.  His Word gives us a detailed description of how to live a holy life.

When your little Johnny or Gertrude comes to you with a question about how to live a godly life, don’t give them YOUR opinion. Take them to the Word.  It has the answers.  When they are questioning an event in their life, point them to Scripture.  It can reveal a solution.

Do you look elsewhere for your answers?  Stop it!  You can’t find the correct, long-lasting, eternal one anywhere except in Him.  We can go to gurus and experts in all kinds of fields, but we will never find the truth until we turn to Him.

Commander and King, direct my steps.  Show me the correct path to take each day.  It is only through Your guidance that I can stay true to Your Word.

Numbers 25:3 “So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry against Israel.”

 REJECTION

 Can you believe these Israelites?  Will they never learn?  Through all the miracles they witnessed, they continued to murmur and complain.  Some had rebelled against the leadership, and now we see them turning to other gods.  The women of Moab had influenced them into worshipping Baal.

“Well Carl, I would never do such a thing!”  Really?  What are you worshipping?  Look at your calendar.  Look at your bank account.  Where does all your time and money go?  That will usually tell you what is most important in your life.  Sure, you don’t think you have turned your back on God and worshipped anything else, but you may be just as deceived as the Israelites.

TEACHING MOMENT

Focus!  Focus!  Focus!  That’s the key to any intentional life for Christ.  He is worthy of all our attention.  Everything we do should point our children to Christ.  Our goal as parents is to raise them to see just how important Christ is to us.  That means making tough decisions sometimes.

When your child’s coach calls for a practice on Sunday mornings, what do you do?  If you go every weekend to the lake instead of spending time with the Body of Christ, what does that teach your children?  We are constantly sending them messages about the importance of Christ in our lives.

Please hear my heart.  I am not trying to sound legalistic.  There are just some things that are more important in this life.  Living sold out to Jesus is the most important.  The world will tell your children that there are more important things.  Don’t let them believe that lie.

O Lord, forgive me for putting other things before You. Forgive me for allowing others to influence my relationship with You.  Help me purge myself of all unnecessary things in my life so I can live a life that points my children to You.

 Numbers 23:5 “Then the Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, ‘Return to Balak, and you shall speak thus.’”

 OTHERWISE, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT

 I am not going to get into whether Balaam should have gone or not.  That’s another devotional.  But I want to point out what Balaam did, once he went.  Look at the verse today.  God tells him to only say what He tells him to say.

We could all take a lesson here.  We are all so quick to give advice.  We presume to speak for God sometimes when people come to us for help.  We are too quick to try to help without seeking the Lord’s guidance first.  God CAN use us, but we have to be willing to be His vessels.

TEACHING MOMENT

This is most importantly seen in the way we parent our children.  They are going to come to you for advice and guidance.  That’s your job, but you should go to the Lord first and ask Him how to answer them.  Better yet, go to the Lord with them, so they can hear what you pray.

What a great way to model “hearing” from the Lord.  When they see and hear you relying on the Lord for the wisdom to parent them, they will tuck that away.  They will learn to go to Him for guidance.  Isn’t that our ultimate goal – to help them walk with Him?

What are you struggling with right now in your walk?  Have you asked the Lord for guidance?  Go to Him right now.  Ask Him to speak to You.  Now, don’t get anxious and go ahead before you hear.  Wait on Him to answer. He will in His perfect time.

Father, give me pause to stop and hear from You.  Let my ears be open to hear Your words and then let my tongue speak only what You say.  Praise You for hearing me.

 Numbers 21:9 “And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.”

 HEALED BY A SNAKE?

 More murmuring by the Israelites led to punishment from God in the form on snakes.  People were dying.  They cried out to the Lord, and He told Moses to make a bronze serpent on a pole and lift it UP.  Those who looked at this were saved.  It wasn’t the snake on a pole that healed them.  That would have led to idol worship.  It was obedience to the Lord that led to their salvation.

In the same way, we don’t look at a wooden cross to save us.  We look at the obedience of Jesus on the cross to lay down His life for us.  His shed blood paid the price that was required of us.  We look UP to Him for our salvation.  It comes from no one or nothing else.

TEACHING MOMENT

 Now this story may be a little tricky to teach your kids.  I don’t suggest getting a stick and taping a snake to it.  LOL.  But the story is kind of cool.  Snakes everywhere!  Kids will listen up when they hear this story.  But make sure you tell them why they were there.  The real story is they were disobedient.

Now I know your children have been and will be disobedient.  You are not going to ask God to send snakes to bite them.  But there are consequences to disobedience.  All disobedience is an affront to God.  That’s the first part of the message.  But it continues.  There is also forgiveness after repentance.  Bam!  That’s the key!

Are you disobedient right now?  Have you confessed that to the Lord?  Are you looking to Him?  He stands ready to forgive and restore.  Let Him.

Lord, thank You for healing and forgiveness.  Convict me, Lord, when I grumble and complain.  Let me set the right example for others, especially my children.

 Numbers 17:8 “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.” 

 AARON WAS

 What a way to show the people whom God had chosen to lead!  There had just been the uprising.  People had died.  They were grumbling about who was in charge and who was holy.  God decided to show them whom He had chosen to lead.  But why didn’t God just tell them?  He wanted to give them a reminder for the coming generations.

Now, you may not think it too extraordinary for an almond stick (not the tree) to sprout, produce blooms and then ripe almonds overnight.  Did you know that it normally takes about six months from the time of the blooming until there are ripe almonds?  So, an overnight production would have been amazing.  God wanted this rod put in the ark as a reminder to them and future generations.

TEACHING MOMENT

Have you ever had your children question your authority as a parent?  If you haven’t, I pray you don’t.  But remember this – no amount of questioning can change the fact that YOU are the parent and YOU are in charge.  Children have to be reminded of that sometime, especially as they enter those teenage years.

This would be a great passage to show them.  God has established roles for each of us to fill.  Parents lead children, not the other way around.  Parents, especially fathers, have the responsibility to train their children.  Sometimes that is not easy.  That doesn’t diminish the responsibility.

Are you leading well?  Do you lead by intimidation or by love?  That is the key to leading your children.  I haven’t said this in a while, but you are not just raising children.  You are raising child raisers.  You are raising your grandchildren’s parents.  Remember that.

Holy Father, remind me daily of my responsibilities to lead my children.  Teach me to lead as You lead me.  Let my children rise up and call me holy because of You.