Food for the Journey: 365-Day Devotional

By IVP

This volume contains the best teaching from the most-well known speakers from over the years at the Keswick Convention. These readings will teach, inspire and encourage from across the whole canon of scripture.

The books and speakers include:-

Michael Baughan – 2 Timothy
Alec Motyer – 1 Thessalonians
Simon Manchester – John 14-17
Stuart Briscoe – James
Alistair Begg – Ruth
Liam Goligher – Ezekiel
Charles Price - Hebrews
Paul Mallard – Revelation
Jonathan Lamb – Habukkuk
John Stott – Romans 5-8
Chris Wright - Numbers
Steve Brady - Colossians

• Language: English
• Publisher: IVP
• Release date: Jul 18, 2019
• ISBN: 9781783597314

Book preview

Numbers

‘Is God’s promised redemption really unstoppable, even if the people of God disintegrates spiritually? This wonderful little devotional from Chris Wright will really make the book of Numbers come alive for you. And, as you will discover, the answer is a resounding Yes!’

Marcus Honeysett, Executive Director, Living Leadership

Ruth

‘Ideal for anyone wanting to work God’s Word into their busy routines, these bite-sized banquets from the book of Ruth reveal our loving Father weaving the loose and messy ends of our everyday lives into his beautiful, eternal purposes in Christ.’

Derek Burnside, Principal, Capernwray Bible School, England

Ezekiel

‘In these simple but profound devotional thoughts on the message of Ezekiel, Liam Goligher inspires, challenges and comforts us in equal measure. He reminds us that God is closer than we think, and hope is deeper than we could imagine.’

Malcolm Duncan, Lead Pastor, Dundonald Elim Church, Northern Ireland

Habakkuk

‘Jonathan Lamb has done an excellent job of making Habakkuk accessible and exciting. The message that God is in control and is enough, even in the most difficult circumstances, rings out loud and clear for the reader today.’

Clare Heath-Whyte, author of a number of books including First Wives’ Club and Old Wives’ Tales

John 14 – 17

‘These devotional guides are excellent tools.’

John Risbridger, Minister and Team Leader, Above Bar Church, Southampton, and Chair of Evangelical Alliance Council

Romans 5 – 8

‘John Stott explains these challenging chapters with great clarity . . . He enables us to get our heads around core truths for the Christian journey and leads us into praise and thankfulness to the Jesus of the gospel.’

Hugh Palmer, Rector, All Souls, Langham Place, London

Colossians

‘Here is a book that is sound and solid, but also beautifully simple – an exceedingly rare combination. It is Steve Brady at his best interpreting Paul the apostle at his best.’

R. T. Kendall, speaker and former Pastor of Westminster Chapel, London

1 Thessalonians

‘This devotional series is biblically rich, theologically deep and full of wisdom. I recommend it highly!’

Becky Manley Pippert, speaker, author of Out of the Saltshaker and into the World and creator of the Live/Grow/Know course and series of books

2 Timothy

‘This helpful series will facilitate a prayerful, intelligent, systematic reading of the Bible, so that God’s voice is clearly heard.’

David Cook, speaker and former Principal, Sydney Missionary and Bible College, Australia

Hebrews

‘Insightful, pastoral, warm and encouraging. Charles Price has a gift for mining the gold and making it glitter.’

Martin Salter, Associate Pastor, Grace Community Church, Bedford

James

‘I was truly encouraged as I used this devotional each day.’

Peter Maiden, International Director Emeritus, Operation Mobilisation, and Minister-at-Large, Keswick Ministries

Revelation 1 – 3

‘What rich food indeed is served up with these terrific short devotionals from the letters to the seven churches. Paul Mallard does three things so very well: he opens up the text faithfully, he connects to people warmly and, above all, he lifts up Jesus in all his magnificence. Readers are in for a real treat – and, if taken to heart, this book will do you the power of good. Warmly commended!’

Ray Evans, Lead Pastor, Grace Community Church, Bedford, and Church Leadership Consultant, Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches UK

TitlePage_ebk

INTER-VARSITY PRESS

36 Causton Street, London SW1P 4ST, England

Email: [e-mail]

Website: www.ivpbooks.com

© Keswick Ministries, 2019

James Robson, Christopher Wright, Charles Price, Alec Motyer, Liam Goligher, Simon Manchester, John Stott, Jonathan Lamb, Stuart Briscoe, Michael Baughen, Alistair Begg, Steve Brady, Paul Mallard and Elizabeth McQuoid have asserted their rights under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as Authors of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher or the Copyright Licensing Agency.

The publisher and authors acknowledge with thanks permission to reproduce extracts from the following:

‘No Scar?’ by Amy Carmichael, Toward Jerusalem, © 1936 by The Dohnavur Fellowship. Used by permission of CLC Publications. May not be further reproduced. All rights reserved.

The Prayer of Penitence. Extract from Common Worship: Daily Prayer is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council, 2005, and is reproduced by permission of Church House Publishing.

Every effort has been made to seek permission to use copyright material reproduced in this book. The publisher apologizes for those cases where permission might not have been sought and, if notified, will formally seek permission at the earliest opportunity.

First published as single volumes under name of Bible book 2016, 2017 and 2018.

First published as Omnibus edition, containing all twelve volumes, 2019

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN: 978–1–78359–730–7

eBook ISBN: 978–1–78359–731–4

Typeset in Great Britain by CRB Associates, Potterhanworth, Lincolnshire

Printed in Great Britain by Ashford Colour Press Ltd, Gosport, Hampshire

eBook by CRB Associates, Potterhanworth, Lincolnshire

Inter-Varsity Press publishes Christian books that are true to the Bible and that communicate the gospel, develop discipleship and strengthen the church for its mission in the world.

IVP originated within the Inter-Varsity Fellowship, now the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship, a student movement connecting Christian Unions in universities and colleges throughout Great Britain, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. Website: www.uccf.org.uk. That historic association is maintained, and all senior IVP staff and committee members subscribe to the UCCF Basis of Faith.

Contents

Application and commentary for each day by Elizabeth McQuoid

Preface

Psalm 1: Day 1

James Robson

Numbers: Day 2–31

Christopher Wright

Hebrews: Day 31–61

Charles Price

1 Thessalonians: Day 62–91

Alec Motyer

Psalm 51: Day 92

James Robson

Ezekiel: Day 93–122

Liam Goligher

John 14 – 17: Day 123–152

Simon Manchester

Romans 5 – 8: Day 153–182

John Stott

Psalm 13: Day 183

James Robson

Habakkuk: Day 184–213

Jonathan Lamb

James: Day 214–243

Stuart Briscoe

2 Timothy: Day 244–273

Michael Baughen

Psalm 2: Day 274

James Robson

Ruth: Day 275–304

Alistair Begg

Colossians: Day 305–334

Steve Brady

Revelation: Day 335–364

Paul Mallard

Psalm 98: Day 365

James Robson

Bible acknowledgments

Keswick Ministries

Preface

What do you do when you need refreshment? Book a holiday, go for a hike in the hills, sit in front of the TV . . . ? We refresh our bodies in various ways. But God says that true refreshment, the type that nourishes your soul and sustains you on life’s journey, is only found in him. And so the psalmist says:

The law of the

Lord

is perfect,

refreshing the soul.

The statutes of the

Lord

are trustworthy,

making wise the simple.

The precepts of the

Lord

are right,

giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the

Lord

are radiant,

giving light to the eyes.

(Psalm 19:7–8)

This Food for the Journey compilation is a feast for your soul, providing this much-needed sustenance. It is a year’s worth of devotionals designed to deepen your relationship with God and to equip you to live for him wherever life’s journey takes you.

We invite you to savour the rich variety of Bible books and Bible teachers included in this volume. Twelve Bible books, covering a whole raft of topics, have been brought together in one special compilation edition. You’ll find the books are not arranged according to their order in the Bible, but around a unifying theme, and each theme is introduced by a psalm. Psalm 1 introduces the books of Numbers, Hebrews and 1 Thessalonians, which call us to live today in the light of the future. Ezekiel, John 14 – 17 and Romans 5 – 8, introduced by Psalm 51, confront us with the dreadful nature of sin, its consequences and the saving activity of God through Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the ministry of the Spirit. Psalm 13 introduces Habakkuk, James and 2 Timothy, which all engage, in different ways, with the question of suffering. The connecting theme of the final section – the books of Ruth, Colossians and Revelation 1 – 3 – introduced by Psalm 2, is the person of Jesus Christ. The pages of this devotional are deliberately undated for a guilt-free experience! If you have to miss a day for any reason, just pick up the next day where you left off.

The twelve devotionals were originally sermons delivered at the Keswick Convention in the English Lake District. Where necessary, the language has been updated but, on the whole, they are the messages you would have heard had you been listening in the tent on Skiddaw Street. Each day of the devotional ends with a fresh section of application designed to help you apply God’s Word to your own life and situation. Whether you are a Convention regular or have never been to Keswick, this Food for the Journey volume is a unique opportunity to study the Scriptures with a Bible teacher by your side.

Our prayer is that these devotionals will become your daily feast, a nourishing opportunity to meet with God through his Word. Read, meditate, apply and pray through the Scriptures given for each day and allow God’s truths to take root and transform your life.

If these devotionals whet your appetite for more, you can visit our website <www.keswickministries.org> to find the full range of books, study guides, CDs, DVDs and MP3s available. Why not order an audio recording of the sermon series to accompany your daily devotional?

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.

(Colossians 3:16,

esv

)

Day 1

Read Psalm 1

Key verses Psalm 1:1–3

¹ Blessed is the one

who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take

or sit in the company of mockers,

² but whose delight is in the law of the

Lord

,

and who meditates on his law day and night.

³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither –

whatever they do prospers.

When you’re going on a journey, some items demand to be put first on the packing list and/or to be put out first. When the journey is a long one, food is at the top of the list. Without sustenance, energy levels will drop and the journey will become a struggle, not a joy, and may even fail.

Psalm 1 is, spiritually speaking, first on the list. It is placed at the beginning of the Psalter – and of this collection of Food for the Journey – for a reason. It sets the tone for all that follows, to shape our attitudes, thoughts and values.

Of course, the psalmist knows that the world is complex, ambiguous, fraught. But here, with the God-given eye of faith, is the insistence – as Jesus himself taught – that there are two ways and two destinies. There is no middle ground. There is no neutrality. There are righteous and wicked, innocent and guilty, those who listen to God’s Word and those who don’t, those who live God’s way and those who don’t.

The first way (verses 1–3) is the way of blessing or happiness (verse 1). It is the way of prospering, of flourishing (verse 3). It is the way that God ‘watches over’ (literally ‘knows’; verse 6). The way is defined negatively in verse 1. It means not doing certain things or – more specifically – not lingering approvingly and listening to the wrong kinds of voices. Look at how the people are described (‘wicked’, ‘sinners’, ‘mockers’). Look at the progression of the verbs highlighting the dangers of getting ever more involved (‘walk’, ‘stand’, ‘sit’).

This way is marked by a different desire – delighting in God’s instruction (or ‘law’ or ‘Word’). And it has different habits or thought processes – meditating on God’s instruction day and night. To speak of ‘day and night’ is another way of saying ‘all the time’. It suggests learning and reciting – how else with no lights could an Israelite meditate on it at night?

---

Every day we face a choice. What will we pack for our journey? Who will we listen to? Who will we spend time with? What will we value? Will we delight in the Word of God? Will we meditate on it day and night?

Ultimately, it’s a matter of trust. The early Christians were called people of ‘the Way’ (Acts 19:9). Will we walk Jesus’ way?

Introduction

Numbers

Christopher Wright

Is God faithful?

The children of Israel were first-hand witnesses of God’s amazing faithfulness. He had led them out of slavery in Egypt and opened up the Red Sea for them to cross. By Numbers chapter 10, the Israelites were about to leave Mount Sinai, and God was with them: ‘By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. You gave your good Spirit to instruct them’ (Nehemiah 9:19–20).

The future looked bright. Yet, despite all the evidence of God’s faithfulness, the rest of the book of Numbers is a catalogue of grumbling, in-fighting and rebellion by God’s ungrateful people. Instead of embracing freedom, they longed for the food they had eaten in slavery and wanted to return to Egypt (chapter 11). There was division at the very heart of the nation’s leadership, and factions emerged, jockeying for status and ambition, with complete disregard for humility or holiness (chapters 12 and 16). Fear and unbelief stoked rebellion among the people, and they refused to enter Canaan (chapters 13 – 14).

Such rebellion was not without its consequences. God took the people at their word and a whole generation died in the wilderness, never setting foot in the Promised Land. However, despite these repeated failures, God remained faithful. He even used the pagan seer, Balaam, to affirm his determination to bring Israel to the land of promise, highlighting in glorious technicolour that his blessing on Israel rested not on her faithfulness but on his sovereign will (chapters 22 – 24).

Like the Israelites, God’s people still fail him and test his patience. But nothing – not our sin, not the circumstances of our lives, nor the anti-Christian agenda growing in the West – will thwart God’s redemptive plan. Though we face danger, suffering and even death, we can be sure of God’s ultimate protection and eternal blessings.

These selected readings from the book of Numbers testify to God’s faithfulness and invite us to trust him for today and all our tomorrows.

Day 2

Read Numbers 10:11–13, 29–36

Key verses: Numbers 10:29–31

²⁹Now Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, ‘We are setting out for the place about which the

Lord

said, I will give it to you. Come with us and we will treat you well, for the

Lord

has promised good things to Israel.’ ³⁰He answered, ‘No, I will not go . . .’ ³¹But Moses said, ‘Please do not leave us. You know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes.’

What a difference a year makes!

It has been almost exactly a year since the Israelites left Egypt and arrived at Mount Sinai. And in that time they have experienced the miracles over Egypt as they left, the Passover, the great crossing at the Red Sea and the making of the covenant at Mount Sinai. There was the terrible time when they rebelled against God and were almost destroyed, but received God’s forgiveness. Then they spent some months building the tabernacle. But now it is time to move on: ‘The Lord our God said to us . . . , You have stayed long enough at this mountain’ (Deuteronomy 1:6).

In Numbers 10:29, Moses turns to the family of Jethro (also known as Reuel), who first welcomed him to Sinai. Jethro is now his father-in-law (see Exodus 18). Moses speaks to Hobab, Jethro’s son, his brother-in-law, and invites him to accompany him on his journey. Hobab initially declines, but it seems that he eventually agrees because he turns up in Judges chapters 1 and 4. We also read about the Canaanite people of this particular community, later called the Kenites, subsequently being among the Israelites.

So, who is really leading the people at this point? God? Yes: we are told in verse 33 that the Ark of the Covenant, representing the very presence of God, is going before them as they move, and the cloud of God’s presence is seen by day and the pillar of fire by night. God is in charge. What about Moses? He was appointed by God, and in verse 35 we see that he has the authority to say when they are going to leave and where they will stop and camp. So what about Hobab? In verse 31, Moses says to him, ‘You will be our eyes. You know where the water is, you know where the oasis is; you have the local expertise.’

Moses has God’s authority, God’s presence and God’s guidance, yet he asks for Hobab’s eyes. He is confident in God but doesn’t despise human expertise and wisdom.

---

God has given each of us a work to do for him. Perhaps, like the Israelites, he is calling you to begin a new venture. Spend time in God’s presence; seek his guidance. But remember, God has strategically placed mature believers in your life so you can learn from their wisdom and experience. Be humble, be ready to learn from others, recognize that ‘You are Christ’s body – that’s who you are! . . . Only as you accept your part of that body does your part mean anything’ (1 Corinthians 12:27,

msg

).

Day 3

Read Numbers 11:1–9

Key verses: Numbers 11:4–6

⁴The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, ‘If only we had meat to eat! ⁵We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost – also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. ⁶But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!’

The future is bright.

God’s people are on the move. They are led by God, with the presence of God’s Spirit, led by Moses and a man with brilliant expertise, Hobab, and with the wonderful promises of good things that God has put ahead of them. Moses mentions twice to Hobab the good things that God has promised to Israel (10:29, 32).

So Numbers 11:1 is a bit of a shock. ‘The people complained about their hardships.’ The Hebrew word ‘hardships’ conveys the idea of evil. I’m sure the narrator is quite deliberately contrasting the double use of ‘good’ in what Moses says to Hobab with this immediate use of ‘evil’ in the language and the attitude of the people. They are grumbling, rebellious and disobedient. The scene in verses 1–3 – the people grumbling, God’s anger and judgment, followed by Moses’ intervention and the containment of the problem – is replayed throughout the book.

You would be surprised at what the people complain about. What do you think the Israelites would remember the most about the years of slavery in Egypt? Just one year before this event they were an oppressed, exploited minority, being beaten and put to slave labour in Egyptian agriculture and construction projects, doing all the dirty work that the Egyptians didn’t want to do. What do they remember? The hard labour, the humiliation, the genocidal murder of the little boys? No. They remember the fish. It was very tasty, and it was free. Talk about a selective memory! They reckon that a healthy diet in slavery is better than a normal diet in freedom. They have been having a miracle a day – manna – but it isn’t good enough and they find it boring. How perverse!

---

We are not so different from the Israelites. When our circumstances are difficult, we are quick to question whether God loves us and is for us. We conveniently ignore all the miracles of grace that God performs each day – simply because life has not turned out how we had hoped or imagined. We quickly forget God’s faithfulness to us in the past, the times when we have seen his goodness, the answered prayers and the guidance we have received. Today, open your eyes to see God’s mercies and remember his acts of kindness to you. Literally, count your blessings; write them down in a list. Praise God for who he is and all he has done.

I will remember the deeds of the

Lord

;

yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

I will consider all your works

and meditate on all your mighty deeds.

(Psalm 77:11–12

)

Day 4

Read Numbers 11:4–15

Key verses: Numbers 11:12–14

¹²Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their ancestors? ¹³Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ ¹⁴I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.

‘I’m a failure; get me out of here!’

Moses is a gifted leader. He has had all the training, expertise and experience of forty years of government service under Pharaoh, but this massive community protest causes him to doubt his own leadership.

In verse 10, we read, ‘The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled.’ That’s actually a little weak, as the original text says that the people’s complaints are evil in the eyes of Moses. The narrator is yet again contrasting the good things that were supposed to be happening at the end of chapter 10 with the evil that is happening now. Moses and God are quite rightly angry. Moses has told Hobab that things are going to be good, but now he sees that things have become terribly bad.

It’s ironic that, in verse 11, Moses accuses God of doing evil to him. The word used in verse 10 is used again here: ‘God, why did you do evil to me?’ Moses suggests that God should be taking his responsibility as a parent a little more seriously, rather than dumping all the chores on to the nanny. He says, ‘Lord, I can’t take it any more.’ This outburst is almost a complete collapse of his self-confidence as a leader. We can look at this positively and say that, at the very least, Moses is not presented here as a James Bond figure. In films, it’s amazing how quickly the hero comes up with a solution and always knows exactly what to do. Nor is Moses a management guru, expertly sitting down to diagnose the problem, coming up with creative ideas that will lead to solutions that everyone agrees to and then moving forward. Moses simply collapses. He is face down before the Lord in desperate inadequacy, desperate dependence. There’s an absence of self-sufficiency. But I think there’s something more serious here. This crisis is causing Moses to doubt not only his own leadership, but God himself.

---

Feelings of inadequacy and facing criticism are commonplace in Christian ministry. Sadly, opposition does not just come from unbelievers. We also face ‘friendly fire’ from fellow Christians. Such scenarios can cause us to doubt God, when the exact opposite course of action is needed. When you are wounded, cling to Christ more closely, look to him for strength and guidance, trust his Word and his promises. Use this time of weakness to deepen your relationship with Christ. Look to him alone for validation and approval.

Look to the

Lord

and his strength;

seek his face always.

(Psalm 105:4)

Day 5

Read Numbers 11:16–25

Key verses: Numbers 11:16–17

¹⁶The

Lord

said to Moses: ‘Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Make them come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you. ¹⁷I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.’

For the first time we hear that Moses is a man of God’s Spirit: ‘the Spirit that is on you’. What does that mean?

It certainly doesn’t mean that Moses has instant solutions to every problem, nor does it give him some super status. Remember that the man whom God describes here in verse 17 as having ‘the Spirit’ is the man who in verses 11–15 isn’t able to cope. We might say, paradoxically, that the fact that Moses knows he has the Spirit of God reinforces a lack of self-sufficiency. Moses knows that only God can solve the problem, and yet he still feels alone, impotent and inadequate. So God says, ‘I’ll tell you what I’ll do: I’ll spread the Spirit around. I’ll put the Spirit on seventy more people so they can help you carry the load.’

Back in Exodus 18, the administrative load has already been shared and delegated, on the advice of Jethro, so this event is probably talking more about the sharing of spiritual leadership, of widening the circle of those to whom God has given gifts, those who are able to administer pastoral wisdom. In verses 24–25, the elders come together before the watching people. They’re not appointed by some election; they’re summoned by God’s representative, and God authenticates them by letting them prophesy. This probably means that they speak some kind of word from God.

Moses is perfectly willing to accept the gifts of the Spirit to and in other people, and that is a sign of his spiritual maturity. Moses teaches us that the Spirit is for sharing. Even though God raises up remarkable individuals within his community of people, of all ages, he still intends it to be a shared leadership, exercised alongside the gifts of others. The New Testament clearly endorses this: the Spirit of God distributes his gifts not just for the one man at the top, but to be shared.

---

God has shared his Spirit with the other believers in your home group, those with whom you serve on rotas, the people you get on with in church – and those you don’t! What a sobering thought. Remember Barnabas – even though all the activity in the church outside Jerusalem was very different from his own Jewish upbringing, when he ‘saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad’ (Acts 11:23). Today, thank God when you see his Spirit working in someone else’s life. Find practical ways to encourage that person to continue using their gift for God.

Day 6

Read Numbers 11:24–30

Key verse: Numbers 11:29

²⁹But Moses replied, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the

Lord

’s people were prophets and that the

Lord

would put his Spirit on them!’

How do you cope when the unexpected happens?

In the camp, there is an outburst of unscripted, unsupervised charismatic activity. Two men, Eldad and Medad, registered elders, remained in the camp rather than going out to the tent. Yet the Spirit also rests on them and they begin to prophesy. Joshua, son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, is outraged and says, ‘Moses, my lord, stop them!’ (verse 28). Perhaps he is concerned this is a breach of good order, perhaps he thinks it is bad manners, perhaps he is afraid of a loss of control, or perhaps he thinks it is an implied insult to Moses. Often when people are in some position of senior leadership, you find a bunch of acolytes who draw their own authority and status from being servants of the servant of God. Anything that threatens the leader’s authority also threatens theirs. Quite possibly, Joshua sees the threat to Moses’ authority and wonders how it’s going to affect him.

In verse 29, we have Moses’ reply: ‘Are you jealous for my sake?’, as if to say, ‘It’s not a problem to me, so why is it a problem for you?’ Moses has no desire for office, status or prestige. If God wants to share his gifts around, it’s no problem for Moses. In fact, he says that he wishes all of God’s people would be prophets. Perhaps he thinks that if they were all prophets, he wouldn’t have to be the one sorting out everyone else’s problems! Perhaps it is simply that Moses has a deep security in his relationship with God. He has no need to prove anything, and that in itself is a mark of great spiritual maturity.

Our reactions in church and the Christian world, especially when things are unexpected and not quite what we want, can be like Joshua’s: ‘Stop them; we can’t have that going on.’ Or our reaction can be like that of Moses. We can be led by the Spirit of God and renounce the attributes that the world usually links to strong leadership: self-sufficiency, status, ambition and control.

---

Check your heart – are you jealous, are you motivated by status and prestige, do you like to be in control? Like Moses, seek security, not in your position or title, but solely in your relationship with God. You are ‘in Christ’. You may lose your job, or have to relinquish ministry responsibilities, or your family circumstances may change. You may feel that everything that gave you your identity has been stripped away. But grasp the truth that you are totally complete, accepted, righteous, alive and secure in Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you renounce worldly leadership traits in favour of pursuing spiritual maturity.

Do not tie your joy, your sense of well-being, to power in ministry. Your ministry can be taken from you. Tie your joy to the fact you are known and loved by God; tie it to your salvation; tie it to the sublime truth that your name is written in heaven.

(Don Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation, IVP, 2011, p. 141)

Day 7

Read Numbers 11:18–23, 31–35

Key verses: Numbers 11:33–34

³³But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the

Lord

burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague. ³⁴Therefore the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved other food.

Sometimes physical symptoms mask more serious health issues. In a similar way, God perceives that there is more to the people’s whining than simply boredom with manna. He sees his people turning away from the whole project of salvation. The Israelites were crying out in the slavery crisis in Exodus and now they are saying, ‘We were better off in Egypt.’ They have the living God among them, but have rejected him. ‘So,’ says God, ‘you want meat, I’ll give you meat until you’re sick of it’ (verses 18–20).

The writer tells us in verse 31 that ‘a wind went out from the Lord’. In Hebrew that’s the word ruah, which is exactly the word that is translated as ‘Spirit’. The wind or Spirit of God solves the meat crisis by bringing so much quail in on the wind that the people are able to net it and everyone has buckets full. But it leads to serious illness, as we read in verse 33. It sounds as though, before the actual supply of birds is finished, it goes bad. The plague that is described is quite possibly food poisoning. Perhaps they don’t let the meat dry out properly or they don’t salt it properly. The result is more graves in the wilderness. The place, in English, is called, ‘Graves of craving’. The people craved meat and it leads to their punishment, judgment and suffering.

In the same way, we need to be careful about what lies beneath when there is a culture of complaint and protest in any Christian community. In church, complaints about simple things like food, rotas and the use of money can actually hide a deeper discontent and a deeper failure, especially the failure to understand the deeper plan and purpose of God for us as a church. Sometimes our behaviour can be very thoughtless and faithless, and our memories can be very short. In spite of all the good things that God has built into the past, and all the good things that he has for the future, we effectively put God’s purposes in rewind.

---

It is frightening to think that we can be so consumed by grumbling and dissent that we fail to comprehend God’s plan for us. But this danger is real for both the church and individuals. God is working in your difficult circumstances, your grief and your suffering, whether you can see it or not. Don’t get so wrapped up in your complaints that you miss God’s comfort, what he is trying to teach you and how he wants to use you. Today, instead of complaining, will you trust that God, who has worked in your past, is now working in your present?

Day 8

Read Numbers 12:1–9

Key verses: Numbers 12:1–2

¹Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. ²‘Has the

Lord

spoken only through Moses?’ they asked. ‘Hasn’t he also spoken through us?’ And the

Lord

heard this.

‘Who does he think he is?’ This is the essence of Aaron and Miriam’s complaint against Moses.

At first glance, the conflict seems to revolve around sibling rivalry. Moses is the younger brother, and you can imagine Aaron and Miriam’s jealousy that he is still getting the limelight after all these years.

There also seems to be an ethnic issue. Verse 1 mentions twice that Moses’ wife, most likely his second wife, is a Cushite. Cush was an important, powerful kingdom just south of biblical Egypt, in what we could now call southern Egypt or part of northern Sudan. His wife would have been a black African. We are not exactly sure why Aaron and Miriam object to this marriage, but ethnic prejudice and racial hatred seem to play a part.

However, verse 2 exposes the real source of the conflict. Even though Aaron and Miriam have been appointed by God to their roles (Micah 6:4) – Aaron is a high priest, the head of the whole priesthood in Israel, and Miriam is a prophet (Exodus 15:20) – they are jealous of Moses’ position. Moses is the one through whom God is revealing his will, law and word, and Aaron and Miriam question his unique relationship with God and his uniqueness in relation to them.

In terms of biblical history and salvation, at this stage of the biblical revelation, Moses certainly does occupy a unique position. It is not because he claims or wants it, but because God has chosen him and put him there. It is a familiar tactic among the discontented and disaffected, and it insinuates an arrogance about Moses that the narrator is going to tell us is not there. It accuses him of a monopoly that he does not want; it implies that Moses is hogging all the gifts and status, when in fact that is the opposite of what he wants (Numbers 11). And so Aaron and Miriam protest. They both have God-given gifts and responsibilities of their own. But this is a case of spiritual jealousy, discontent and an attack on a brother. It may look like a family feud, but there is a profoundly spiritual issue attached.

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In John 21, Jesus reinstated Peter after his denial. When Jesus spoke to him about his ministry and how he would die, Peter’s first reaction was to look at John, Jesus’ beloved disciple, and ask, ‘Lord, what about him?’ Jesus replied, ‘What is that to you? You must follow me’ (verses 21–22). Don’t waste time looking around at other people’s gifts and how God is using them: what is that to you? Just make sure you are following God and serving him where he has placed you. We won’t have to give an account of how anyone else has used their gifts, only how we have used ours (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Day 9

Read Numbers 12:1–9

Key verses: Numbers 12:2–3

²‘Has the

Lord

spoken only through Moses?’ they asked. ‘Hasn’t he also spoken through us?’ And the

Lord

heard this.

³(Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)

How do you deal with conflict or attacks on your character?

Notice the contrast between the way that Aaron and Miriam are behaving and the way that Moses conducts himself. We read that Miriam and Aaron begin to talk against Moses. We want to ask where and to whom. To each other? To other people? To other family members? And they ask whom? Themselves? Anyone who will listen? The rest of the Levites? There’s a campaign going on – a subtle, subversive undermining of Moses. But what does Moses say in response? Nothing. And it seems that the narrator gets embarrassed by this silence. The narrator says that the Lord hears what they are saying, but Moses says nothing, and the reason is that Moses is the most humble man on earth. Moses is not a character who gets into a dogfight of attack, defence and counter-attack. There is a dignified silence.

One of the things I’ve learnt in my limited experience of Christian leadership is that self-defence is rarely, if ever, the right response to being attacked, accused or misinterpreted. The more you try to defend yourself, the more you dig yourself into a hole and make the accusations sound as if they are true. Moses’ example reminds us that spiritual authority and personal humility are not incompatible, but integral to each other; the one is part of the other. Humility is the very essence of a Christian leader among God’s people.

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Humility is not just for Christian leaders but for all disciples of Christ. Today, reflect on Jesus’ humility and what it means for you, in your particular situation, to cultivate his mindset.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to death –

even death on a cross!

(Philippians 2:5–8)

Can you serve your boss and others at work, helping them to succeed and be happy, even when they are promoted and you are overlooked? Can you work to make others look good without envy filling your heart? Can you minister to the needs of those whom God exalts and men honour when you yourself are neglected? Can you pray for the ministry of others to prosper when it would cast yours in the shadows?

(Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, NavPress, 1991, p. 122)

Day 10

Read Numbers 12:1–9

Key verse: Numbers 12:7

⁷. . . my servant Moses;

he is faithful in all my house.

We all know those words of Jesus that we hope to hear ourselves: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ Most of us expect to die before we hear them. What happens here is that Moses hears them at this precise point of accusation.

God deals with the quarrel by directly confronting the participants and calling them together into his presence. He summons them to the Tent of Meeting and comes down in a pillar of cloud (verses 4–5). We already know that Moses is humble. But now God tells Aaron and Miriam that his servant Moses is faithful (verse 7). Addressing Moses as ‘my servant’ is in itself a term of high honour combined with humble status. This title of ‘my servant’ is given to very few people in the Old Testament. God says it about Caleb, for example, in Numbers 14:24; it’s said about David quite regularly, but it’s a rare term of honour, spoken about someone who is going to do the will and purpose of God.

The fact that Moses is God’s servant means that he has access to the whole of God’s estate. God is saying, ‘All of my affairs are entrusted into his hands.’ God is saying that he exercises trust in Moses. He trusts him to confront Pharaoh and to stand firm in all the pressures of the plagues. He trusts Moses to lead this people; he trusts Moses to reveal his law and his name, as Yahweh the God of Israel. And God says, ‘My servant Moses has not been a disappointment to me. He has been faithful in every department of my house.’ It doesn’t mean that Moses doesn’t make any mistakes, but God is saying that he is a trustworthy house manager.

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Can God trust you? Will you remain faithful to him when your prayers seem to go unanswered? Will you keep serving when you can’t see the results? Will you work zealously when only God sees your effort? Will you obey him in the small, daily, apparently insignificant moments of life rather than looking to make grand gestures?

Faithfulness isn’t very glamorous. We prefer to applaud success. Today, determine to leave the outcomes with God and concentrate on getting ready for his return by faithfully obeying his Word and doing whatever work he has entrusted to you (Matthew 24:36–37; 25:21).

It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

(3 John 1:3–4)

Be a loyal servant of Christ so that one day you will hear him say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!’

(Matthew 25:21)

Day 11

Read Numbers 12:1–9

Key verse: Numbers 12:8

⁸With him I speak face to face,

clearly and not in riddles;

he sees the form of the

Lord

.

Why then were you not afraid

to speak against my servant Moses?

We talk of having ‘mountaintop’ encounters with God: times when our experience and appreciation of him is magnified. Perhaps the concept comes from Moses’ breathtaking encounters with God, many of which happened on mountains.

God certainly distinguishes between ordinary everyday prophets, to whom he gives messages and dreams, and Moses. With Moses, it’s different, as God says, ‘With him I speak face to face.’ The words in verse 8 convey the idea of speaking mouth to mouth. God says that ‘Moses speaks what I say’. There is a direct correlation between the word of Moses and the word of God. God’s law and truth and self-revelation at this point in biblical history are coming through this man of God. That is part of the reason for the scriptural authority of Moses. Not only is Moses God’s servant, but he is also God’s friend. Moses has a unique intimacy with God.

Listen to Exodus 33:11–13:

The

Lord

would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend . . .

Moses said to the

Lord

, ‘You have been telling me, Lead these people, but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, I know you by name and you have found favour with me. If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you.’

Moses wants to know God as a friend, and God honours that request. So in Numbers 12:8, God says that Moses ‘sees the form of the Lord’. It doesn’t mean that Moses sees God as he is, but that Moses clearly sees some visible expression of the presence of God. Exodus 24, the story of the making of the covenant, tells of some people who see God. They have a one-off, visual experience of the presence of God. The rest of the people, we are told in Deuteronomy 4:12, 15, see ‘no form’; there is only a voice on the day that the Lord speaks through the fire. Moses has a unique experience of the presence of God, so much so that when he goes out of the presence of God, his face is shining in such a way that the people are afraid of him.

God affirms his approval of his chosen leader Moses, not because of his great power, resourcefulness or managerial skills, but because he is a humble man, a faithful servant, a unique communicator and a true friend of God.

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Is it obvious when you have spent time with Jesus? When Moses meets with God, his face shines. Your face may not shine, but you may be more patient in difficult situations, quicker to forgive, joyful rather than critical, kind rather than bitter. Time with God – studying and praying through his Word (and then obeying it) – is the only way that we become more like Christ. Make these times a priority. Then, like a candle in a cracked clay jar (2 Corinthians 4:7), the life of Christ will shine out through you and draw others to the Saviour.

Day 12

Read Numbers 12:1–9

Key verses: Numbers 12:7–8

⁷. . . my servant Moses;

he is faithful in all my house.

⁸With him I speak face to face,

clearly and not in riddles;

he sees the form of the

Lord

.

Can you imagine being there when Jesus leads Cleopas and his friend in a Bible study? Luke 24:27 says, ‘And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.’ Perhaps Jesus mentions Numbers 12, as he is clearly anticipated in this chapter. Notice how Moses is a portrait of the Lord Jesus Christ:

Humble. Moses is a humble man; so is Jesus. That’s how he’s assessed in Isaiah 53:2–3: ‘He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.’ Jesus says that ‘whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many’ (Mark 10:44–45).

Faithful. Just as Moses is faithful, so is Jesus. The writer of the book of Hebrews picks up on this language of Moses and applies it to Jesus in Hebrews 3:6: ‘Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house.’ In the preceding verse, he says, ‘Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future.’ Jesus knows that he comes from the Father and is going to the Father. He is secure in his own Sonship, and so he is able to take the status of a servant and act humbly.

The unique revelation of God. Moses sees the form of God, whereas Jesus is in the form of God; he is a member of the Godhead. As Paul puts it in Philippians 2:6, Jesus is ‘in very nature God’. Hebrews 1:1–2 explains that ‘God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son’.

God’s words about Moses, although historically true about him, are prophetically true about Jesus, who also bears the mark of God’s approval.

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Moses’ life points to Christ, and so should ours. Instead of blending in with the world, our lifestyles should be so distinct and winsome that people start asking, ‘Why?’ Think: does how you spend your time and money differ greatly from your non-Christian neighbours? The way you treat work colleagues, what you post on Facebook, the activities in which you encourage your children to be involved: do these point people towards Christ?

If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand – shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

(Matthew 5:14–16,

msg

)

Day 13

Read Numbers 12:10–16

Key verses: Numbers 12:10–11, 13

¹⁰When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam’s skin was leprous – it became as white as snow. Aaron turned towards her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease, ¹¹and he said to Moses, ‘Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed . . .’

¹³So Moses cried out to the

Lord

, ‘Please, God, heal her!’

We often get angry when our plans are derailed, the computer crashes, or even just waiting in a queue! In stark contrast, God’s anger is holy and righteous, and Aaron and Miriam feel the full force of it.

God leaves the Tent of Meeting and, when the cloud lifts, Miriam is afflicted with a skin disease. This is not leprosy in its modern form, but probably some form of flaking skin disorder, with the skin described as falling off like snow. Aaron is horrified; in that culture, the shame on his sister is also a shame on him.

The irony is that Aaron has complained that Moses is usurping the full right to pray and speak to God, but now Aaron doesn’t feel it is right to go straight into the presence of God, high priest though he is, so he turns to Moses. And here, for the first time, Moses speaks. This is the only time he speaks in this chapter, and when he does, it is to pray for his sister: ‘Please, God, heal her!’ (verse 13). This is a mark of the likeness of Christ, who tells us that we should love those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44), and who says, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing’ (Luke 23:34). Moses asks God to heal his sister, and God does so, after a period of time – a week of disgrace, in which the lesson will be learnt by Miriam and the whole community.

Raymond Brown in his commentary puts it like this: ‘Moses learnt the importance of silence and let the Lord do the talking . . . Aaron learnt the value of prayer’ – though he was a high priest, he had to learn the power of the prayer of others (his own brother). ‘Miriam learnt the generosity of grace’, because eventually she was pardoned, cleansed, healed and restored, and ‘the people learnt the seriousness of sin’, although we have to say that they didn’t learn it very well (Raymond Brown, Numbers, The Bible Speaks Today, IVP, 2002, p. 111).

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What about us? What do we learn? It depends on whom you identify with in the story. Is the Holy Spirit convicting you that you are behaving like Miriam and Aaron: critical, undermining and jealous, guilty of discontent? If so, let’s repent of our ways. Is the Holy Spirit impressing on you the humility of Moses, his integrity in leadership, his reliance on God in difficult days? Is the Holy Spirit urging you to trust God, let him vindicate you and, in due course, exalt you? For God’s glory, make it your ambition to be his humble servant.

Day 14

Read Numbers 13:1–33

Key verses: Numbers 13:30–33

³⁰Then Caleb . . . said, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.’

³¹But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.’ ³²And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, ‘The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size ³³. . . We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.’

They don’t know it yet, but the Israelites are on the brink of arguably the most awful catastrophe in their history up to this point. They arrive at the very southern edges of the land of promise, the oasis that is there at Kadesh, and they decide to send spies into the land. The spies’ initial report is very positive. They tell Moses, ‘We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey!’ (verse 27). They even bring back a big bunch of grapes to prove how fruitful the land is.

But then something happens. In verse 28, the spies’ report very suddenly shifts into a grossly exaggerated negative account. Caleb silences the people and urges, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.’

The other ten spies say, ‘Sorry, but we can’t.’ The ten spies then spread negativity and an inferiority complex among the people: ‘We can’t attack those people . . . We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes’ (verses 31, 33). Their account breeds fear among the Israelites, which Moses records in Deuteronomy 1:28–29:

Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.’

Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them.’

As Raymond Brown puts it, the spies ‘magnified the problem and then minimised the resources that they had’, and their report leads to the people’s rebellion (Numbers, The Bible Speaks Today, IVP, 2002, pp. 118–119). ‘That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness!’ (Numbers 14:1–2).

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It is easy to look at the huge problems in our world, the rising opposition to Christianity and the massive task of evangelism, and to feel so fearful and inadequate that we don’t actually do anything. But remember that you serve in God’s name, with his power and resources. He promises to equip you for all that he calls you to do. Just as he multiplied the five loaves and two fish, he can multiply your efforts and use them for his glory. Today, take heart from God’s word to Joshua:

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the

Lord

your God will be with you wherever you go.

(Joshua 1:9)

Day 15

Read Numbers 14:1–12

Key verse: Numbers 14:11

¹¹The

Lord

said to Moses, ‘How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?’

Listening to a sermon is often a good way to understand a Bible passage. Sometimes the Bible helps us by providing a sermon on its own text, and that’s what we get in Deuteronomy 1. In chapters 1 – 3, Moses remembers what happened in the book of Numbers, and preaches to the next generation of Israelites on the basis of this.

Moses’ sermon explains what happened in Numbers 13 – 14:

But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the

Lord

your God. You grumbled in your tents and said, ‘The

Lord

hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us.’

(Deuteronomy 1:26–27)

There is this grumbling rebellion against God and a rejection of God’s plans, the whole purpose of the redemption. The Israelites have been brought out of Egypt and they want to go back. Even worse than that, they attribute false motives to God. They say, ‘He only brought us out of slavery because he wanted to kill us here.’ They also say, ‘The Lord hates us’ (Deuteronomy 1:27, italics added). That’s incredible. What they have just experienced is the biggest demonstration of the love and faithfulness of God in the entire Bible, apart from the cross: the story of the exodus. It’s the Old Testament story of God’s redemption, faithfulness, love and power. God has poured his love on these people and they turn around and say, ‘Do you know what? God hates us.’

They say, ‘We’d rather be dead. We’d rather go back to slavery’ (Numbers 14:1–3). What is God’s response? He says in verse 11, ‘How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me?’ It’s very strong language. It’s the kind of language that is used about David’s adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:14).

This rebellion in the wilderness is not just a rejection of Moses or the leadership; it is a rejection of God himself. The Israelites have a choice to make: they can either please God, and have God be pleased with them, through their courage, obedience and faith; or they can oppose and stand against God, and be afraid of those whom God has already defeated (Numbers 14:8–9).

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There is a story of a father trying to get his young son to sit down. The father kept asking the boy to sit, but the boy determinedly refused. At last the boy sat down, but he looked his father in the eye and said, ‘In my heart I’m standing up!’ We may not have rebelled against God as spectacularly as the