Author: Beth Duncan

Numbers 34:1-2 The LORD said to Moses, “Command the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter Canaan, the land that will be allotted to you as an inheritance is to have these boundaries….
I feel like I am in the last 20 pages of a really good book. I want to gallop through the rest of the story and see how it unfolds. The Israelites can practically taste their inheritance. It’s right there. This chapter feels like a breath, a pause, a grounding, rooting in truth. It feels like a terribly important moment.
Numbers 34:13a Moses commanded the Israelites: “Assign this land as an inheritance….”
The LORD reminds them in the first two verses that the Promised Land is an inheritance, a gift. They didn’t earn it. They didn’t do anything the deserve it. It is a gift. But once it is given, they become stewards of that gift. It is their job to look after the gift, to nurture it and care for it so that it flourishes and can be passed on to others.
Numbers 34:13b “…The LORD has ordered that it be given to the nine-and-a-half tribes….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder that You have gifted us so much in this world—not because we earned it or deserve it but because You love us so deeply. Help us to remember that we are stewards of Your gifts. Help us to nurture and care for these gifts so that we can pass them on to future generations. Draw us closer. Amen.
Numbers 34:16-17 The LORD said to Moses, “These are names of the men who are to assign the land for you as an inheritance: Eleazer the priest and Joshua son of Nun.”
Have a blessed day. 

Numbers 33:2 At the LORD’s command Moses recorded the stages in their journey….
I sometimes I do a project with my seniors called “Where are you going, Where have you been?” It is designed to help them look back and see how they got to where they are now and to help them look forward and begin to figure out where they want to go next. On the edge of the Promised Land, I feel like God is leading the Israelites to a similar type of reflection. 
Numbers 33:51-52 “‘Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, drive out all the inhabitants…. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places.’”
Specifically, He wants them to remember the 38 years spent wandering in the wilderness, waiting for the faithless generation to die out. His last directive to the Israelites in this chapter is to wipe out the inhabitants of Canaan, their carved images, and their idols or to live with the consequences.
Numbers 33:55a “‘But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides….’”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder of the need to look back at where we’ve come from and look forward to where we are going. Help us not to lose sight of how far we’ve come, and help us not to take our eyes off of You. Draw us closer. Amen.
Numbers 33:55b “‘…They will give you trouble in the land where you will live.’”
Have a blessed day. 

Numbers 32:5 “If we have found favor in your eyes….let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.”
In my church, the band will sometimes play Pink Floyd’s “On the Turning Away” during prayer time. I have always found the song to be haunting, but it truly wasn’t until this moment, this scripture, that I see how incredibly apt this song is to our daily walk. 
Numbers 32:7 “Why do you discourage the Israelites from crossing over the land the LORD has given them?”
Every moment of every day we have the choice to turn toward God and His people, to be His hands and His feet to the “pale and downtrodden” or to turn away, to turn a blind eye, to stay content in our personal comfort. But it’s easy to get trapped in the mindset that someone else will help, that it’s ok if we turn away just this once. It’s a slippery slope.
Numbers 32:11 “‘Because they have not followed Me wholeheartedly, not one of those who were twenty years old or more when they came up out of Egypt will see the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—'”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this understanding of the daily choice You place before us. In my comfort, in my discomfort, in my own insecurities, help me always turn toward You and Your people, to be Your hands and feet, to shine Your light. Help there to be no more turning away. Draw us closer. Amen.
Numbers 32:14-15 “And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the LORD even more angry with Israel. If you turn away from following Him, He will again leave all this people in the wilderness….”
Have a blessed day.

Numbers 30:2 “When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.”
We live in a disposable society. Nothing really is seen as permanent or lasting. Unfortunately, that philosophy seems to apply to our promises as well. If it’s easy to keep, the promise will *probably* be kept. If the going gets tough, it could just as easily be tossed aside.
Numbers 30:3 “When a young woman still living in her father’s household makes a vow to the LORD or obligates herself by a pledge….”
But when I think of vows or pledges, I think of my wedding vows, of the pledge I made before God and my family, the pledge that included “for better or for worse, in sickness or in health, till death do us part.” That pledge was not made lightly. And it’s not a vow I ever intend to walk away from.
Numbers 30:6 “If she marries after she makes a vow or after her lips utter a rash promise by which she obligates herself…”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this opportunity to think about pledges and vows. Help us to be an honorable people, Lord. Help us to give and keep our word as a way to honor You and each other. Draw us closer. Amen.
Numbers 30:10 “If a woman living with her husband makes a vow or obligates herself by a pledge under oath….”
Have a blessed day.

Numbers 27:12 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go up this mountain… and see the land I have given the Israelites.”
Sometimes, when my sweet husband plucks my last nerve, I have to remind myself that he is not a mean-spirited person, that what I am perceiving as an intentional slight is not what it seems, that my feelings cannot be trusted. This situation feels similar in that on the surface, it almost seems like God is taunting Moses, saying, “Haha! See the Promised Land? YOU will never set foot there!” But that is not who God is. Not at all.
Numbers 27:13 “After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was….”
Rather, it almost feels like God is reassuring Moses. “See the Promised Land? It’s right there. The Israelites WILL make it, thanks in part to your faithfulness.” And Moses, who has developed such a servant’s heart, only wants to be sure they are not left without a shepherd.
Numbers 27:14 “…for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of Zin, both of you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy before their eyes.”…
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder of Who You are and Whose we are. Thank You for the humble, obedient heart that Moses developed. Thank You for the ability to move past the trap of our feelings into the truth of Your character. Draw us closer, Lord. Amen.
Numbers 27:15-17 Moses said to the LORD, “May the LORD, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community…so the LORD’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”
Have a blessed day.

Numbers 26:63 These are the ones counted by Moses and Eleazer the priest when they counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.
The Israelites have been wandering in the wilderness for 38 years. There has been during that time almost zero growth. That boggles my mind—38 years of stagnation, waiting for the faithless generation to die out.
Numbers 26:64 Not one of them was among those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai.
As I was praying, the phrase “Wash your hands and say your prayers because Jesus and germs are everywhere” came to mind, an apt expression for these troubling times. Just like the Israelites wandering in the dessert, we have no idea how long the threat of COVID-19 might last. Just like the Israelites, we have the opportunity to shine God’s light while we wait, or we could stagnate in the wilderness, languishing in our faith. Just like the Israelites, God loves us, chose us, is with us, but leaves it to us to act in faith.
Numbers 26:65a For the LORD had told those Israelites they would surely die in the wilderness….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this opportunity to shine Your light in troubling times. Help us to approach each day as an opportunity to shine for You, to help our fellow man, to shine light into the world. Draw us closer. Amen.
Numbers 26:65b …and not one of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
Have a blessed day.