TCN's Biblical Journey- Feb. 5th

Today's readings are Numbers 9-13

Numbers 9

This chapter shows God’s mercy in allowing people who through no fault of their own are given a second opportunity to celebrate Passover. There is also another reference that there is to be no difference in how the stranger or the Israelite was to be treated, one law for both (no prejudice). However, the last part of this chapter is what has caught my attention, when do we move.

However, we are reminded that when the pillar of cloud/fire was taken us it was time for the children of Israel to move. In verses 21-22, you get the idea that no matter how early or late, or how short or long they had stayed in a spot when God decided it was time to move the people moved. In our world, people tend to fit into two categories those that are always ready to go and those who are fine where they are at. The first look around and see nothing changing and want to do something even if its wrong. The latter don’t want to move even if it means survival (okay, those are over-generalizations I know, but that is normally how the extreme on either side sees the other). In this chapter, the children of Israel see God not taking one extreme or the other. He works on His one timetable and the children of Israel are expected to respond. This is also how it needs to work in our lives.

The key is to move when God moves and to stay put when God isn’t ready to move. For me, I have times where I am ready to change and don’t find it easy to leave things alone, yet there are some things which don’t need to be changed. At other times, I catch myself sliding into being comfortable with things as they are.

The difficulty is, for me at least, is to know for certain if why I am doing my own thing or God’s. To keep in tune with God, I try to stay active in worship, prayer, Bible reading and seek Godly counsel. These are amazingly accurate detectors of whether or not the cloud is moving. For the New Testament believer, worship, prayer, Bible reading, and seeking Godly counsel are the best ways to know if you need to move or stay.   

Photo by eberhard grossgasteiger on Unsplash