Thursday 10 Aug 2023

August 10: Numbers 20:1-13

Key Verse: Numbers 20:12
But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not trust in me enough to honour me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.’

Devotion:
Stories like these used to confuse me as a youngster because of my lack of understanding of the bible at the time; and partly because of the lack of explanation from the church leaders at the time too. This is not a blanket statement, just an observation based on my personal experience as a youngster trying to figure out life!

We often see what we think of as contradictions in the bible and we get confused. But, if we spent a little more time reading our bibles and getting the full picture, we would go away a lot happier and a whole lot less confused. God has given us the same truth from the beginning and will continue to do so until the end of time. We are the ones who forget about the parts in the middle where we are given warnings or where we were told not to do something!

God simply wants our faith and trust in Him. When we start doubting and relying on the world, He gives us what we are seeking – worldly replies and rewards. But if we are able to continue relying fully on Him despite what is going on in the world around us, then we will continue to see His full love and support.

God was looking for trust and faith. The people of Israel started falling back and losing faith because of their impatience. God’s instructions were simple. Moses took an earthly approach to a heavenly instruction; so He was given an earthly reward for what he had done. I know full well it is a big ask for us to have faith in something we cannot see, but we must try against all odds!

Points to Ponder:
How would you describe your faith?

Are you willing to wait on your faith in Christ?