Author: Beth Duncan

Numbers 11:20 “…you have rejected the LORD, who is among you….”
A few last observations before we move on from Numbers 11. The LORD was with the Israelites, brought them out of Egypt, gave them commandments so they knew what He expected, forgave them their idolatry, organized and educated them in His ways and provided them with daily manna for their physical needs, and still they completely ignored the fact that God was WITH them, AMONG them, and they rejected Him.
Numbers 11:23 The LORD answered Moses, “Is the LORD’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.”
Moses approached God with doubt, fear, and frustration. He was trying to lead the Israelites in his own strength, and he was exhausted. He was trying to fathom how the LORD would provide meat for the masses for a month, and his imagination failed him utterly, but His God was steadfast and true. He listened and obeyed what the LORD told him to do, and the LORD helped him. 
Numbers 11:24 So Moses went out and told the people what the LORD had said. He brought together seventy of their elders….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this study in contrasts between the Israelites and Moses, the way they acted and reacted, the way You responded. Help us never to forget that You are among us, steadfast and true, and that You don’t expect us to do Your work in our own strength. You know we can’t. Thank You that You have solutions that we can’t even conceive of. Draw us closer. Help us to trust You always. Amen.
Numbers 11:31 Now a wind went up from the LORD and drove quail in from the sea….
Have a blessed day.

Numbers 11:11a He asked the LORD, “Why have You brought this trouble on Your servant?…”
I have felt God’s call to be a teacher since I was 15 years old. Mostly, I love my job, but it can be incredibly difficult and frustrating at times. However, more than once, like Moses, I have begged God for a way out, feeling wholly inadequate to the tasks before me, feeling utterly drained by my role. But my precious Savior, every time, has drawn me closer to Him instead of providing me a way out. He has strengthened my relationship with Him, taught me how to lean into His strength for the tasks He has called me to. Thank You, Jesus.
Numbers 11:11b “…What have I done to displease You that You put the burden of all these people on me?”
Even analyzing God’s reaction to the Israelites and to Moses is telling. The Israelites are whining. They have food. They just don’t want what they have and don’t want to take initiative to get anything else. So God gives them what they whine for, to their detriment. Moses feels a great responsibility, one he feels wholly inadequate for. He is overwhelmed and frustrated. Maybe he doesn’t SAY the right things, but God definitely understands his heart and helps him.
Numbers 11:14 “I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You are with us, You hear us, You understand the cry of our hearts. Thank You for being big enough to handle our anger and frustration, for strengthening us when we are at the end of ourselves. Thank You for designing us to need Your strength to accomplish the tasks You call us to. Draw us closer to You. Amen.
Numbers 11:15 “If this is how You are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me—if I have found favor in Your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.”
Have a blessed day.

Numbers 11:4 The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat!”
One of our vocabulary words this week was status quo. We talked about how it doesn’t inherently have a negative connotation, but it could be a bad thing. Numbers 11 provides the perfect example, and I find it interesting that the unrest with the status quo began with the rabble but quickly spread to the Israelites.
Numbers 11:5-6 “We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”
The discontent spread rapidly and morphed to the point it romanticized the time of their captivity. The bounteous food they ate “at no cost” was bought at the cost of their freedom. This discontent in daily manna seems like boredom. They took their eyes off God and put faith in their bellies and their memories, and it did not end well.
Numbers 11:18-20 …”The LORD heard you when you wailed….You will eat it…until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it—because you have rejected the LORD, who is among you….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder not to take our eyes off of You and get lost in memories or worldly desires. Forgive me for the times when I, too, have been ungrateful because what I had wasn’t what I wanted right that moment. Help me to never lose sight of Your blessings and provision in my life, no matter my present circumstances. Draw me closer. Amen.
Numbers 11:33 But 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.
Have a blessed day.

Numbers 10:13 They set out, this first time, at the LORD’s command through Moses.
What strikes me in this chapter is the beautiful sense of order. This is a people who know who they are, who know Whose they are. They are prepared. They know their job. They know Whose voice to follow. They are ready.
Numbers 10:14 The divisions of the camp of Judah went first, under their standard….
But once again, commentary gives me pause. “One would be tempted to think that after such extensive preparation…the actual entering into the Promised Land would be easy. This was not the case.” How many times have I been guilty of asking “After all I’ve been through, Lord, it’s going to get easier, right?” But God doesn’t promise us easy. He promises His presence, His peace, His hope.
Numbers 10:18 The divisions of the camp of Ephraim went next, under their standard….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that while You don’t promise us easy, You promise us Yourself. That is all we ever need, Lord. Help us never forget that You are with us, and You are all we need. Draw us closer. Amen.
Numbers 10:25 Finally, as the rear guard for all units, the divisions of the camp of Dan set out under their standard….
Have a blessed day. 

Numbers 9:17 Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out; whenever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. 
I often joke that God needs to send me flashing neon directions so that there is no doubt in my mind of His will for me. But I wondered as I read this passage if God’s presence ever felt like a burden to the Israelites. Sometimes the cloud would settle for a while. Sometimes it would lift in less than a day. Did the Israelites ever mutter under their breath, “Would You just make up Your mind already?!?”
Numbers 9:18 At the LORD’s command the Israelites set out, and at His command they encamped….
And this pondering forces me to look at the conditions of my own heart. It’s no secret that I love Jesus or that I have a death-grip on the steering wheel of my life. I want Him to give me direction and guidance, but I want to stay in control. Jesus, Help me.
Numbers 9:19 When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the LORD’s order and did not set out.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You are in control of my life and that I need to yield to You. I know You created me as I am for a purpose, but I also know that I often get in Your way when I refuse to yield control. Help me. Guide me. Lead me. Draw me closer. Amen.
Numbers 9:23 At the LORD’s command they encamped, and at the LORD‘s command they set out. They obeyed the LORD’s order, in accordance with His command through Moses.
Have a blessed day.

Numbers 8:16 They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to me. I have taken them as my own….
This morning I came to the scriptures feeling weary and beat down. This is a tough time of year for me. I’m tired—personally and professionally, and all my insecurities float to the surface. Everything feels personal. But as I was reading about the Levites in Numbers 8, my precious Savior reminded me of who I am. I am a deeply loved child of God. He has called me by name. He has a purpose for my life. I’m clinging to His promises because I know my feelings lie.
Numbers 8:18 And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborns in Egypt, I set them apart for myself.
Perhaps it is ironic that today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, a time of “saying ‘no’ to sinful habits in the Spirit’s power.” Believing the lies of this world, collapsing under the weight of exhaustion, grief, bitterness, anger, that is a sinful habit, is it not? So if I make a concerted effort this Lenten season to cling to God’s truth about who I am and deny all the lies that the world and my weary mind try to claim about me, I am absolutely denying self and drawing closer to my Savior, which is the purpose of this season. Thank You, Jesus.
Numbers 8:19 From among all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work of the tent meeting on behalf of the Israelites….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for showing up so powerfully this morning and reminding me of who I am in You. I am a deeply, fiercely, completely loved child of God. You created me for a purpose. You ground me in truth and love and grace. You give me hope. Draw me closer during this season. Help me to die to self so I can live only for You. Amen.
Numbers 8:20 Moses, Aaron and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites just as the LORD commanded Moses.
Have a blessed day.

Numbers 7:10 When the alter was anointed, the leaders brought their offerings for its dedication and presented them before the alter.
There are days when I read scripture and it truly feels like it bounces off of me. I don’t feel enlightened. I have no insight. I feel inundated with numbers and words with nothing to show for it. That’s one of the reasons I began reading commentary on each chapter, in the hopes that it would become less an exercise in futility and more a way to connect with my Savior.
Numbers 7:11 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Each day one leader is to bring his offering for the dedication of the altar.”
Commentary on the repetitive list of gifts for Numbers 7 states: “Clearly, this was generous giving. God must show Promised Land people how to be givers—one of the best measures of one who has moved from a slave mind-set to a Promised Land mind-set.” Now this I understand, and it’s true for us, too. We are Promised Land people, but do we act like it? Do we love like it? Give like it? Jesus help us.
Numbers 7:84 These were the offerings of the Israelite leaders for the dedication of the altar when it was anointed: twelve silver plates, twelve silver sprinkling bowls and twelve gold dishes.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for commentary that helps me make sense of it all. Thank You that we are Promised Land people, too, and that You are still leading us from a slave mind-set to a Promised Land mind-set. Draw us closer. Amen.
Numbers 7:88b …These were the offerings for the dedication of the alter after it was anointed.
Have a blessed day.

Numbers 6:24 The LORD bless you and keep you….
I have heard the prayer of Numbers 6:24-26 before, but somehow I missed that it came directly from scripture, that God said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites’” (Numbers 6:23). Somehow, the fact that the wording is directly from God makes it even more beautiful, even more powerful.
Numbers 6:25 …the LORD make His face shine on you and be gracious to you….
How would it be if I tried to live Numbers 6:24-26? If I tried to be God’s hands and feet in these verses? How would all of our lives be changed, enriched, if I tried to show those I encounter God’s blessings through my words, my actions? How would my life be changed if I lived every moment of everyday in the certainty of this prayer? If, with everything I encountered in life, I approached it knowing somehow, the LORD is going to bless me through this. This, in some way, incorporates His grace, His graciousness? If I lived the certainty that through whatever I’m facing, God is working to give me peace? What a beautiful thought.
Numbers 6:26 …the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your amazing, undeserved love. Thank You for the prayer that is Numbers 6:24-26, and for what it teaches us about Your character. Help us to live this prayer in all we do and all we go through. Draw us closer to You. Amen.
Numbers 6:27 So they will put My name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.
Have a blessed day.

Numbers 5:6 “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any man or woman who wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the LORD is guilty…’” (NIV)
When we wrong others, we are unfaithful to the LORD. Talk about a sentence that has the power to stop me in my tracks. Sometimes it is startlingly easy to wrong others—no one will notice, I feel I’ve been wronged anyway, this person is already held in low esteem by others. But to hold the glaring truth up to the light—when I wrong another in any way, I am unfaithful to the LORD—well, there’s just no way around that.
Numbers 5:6 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: If any of the people—men or women—betray the LORD by doing wrong to another person, they are guilty….” (NLT)
Again I am reminded of my dear friend’s truth that any time we draw a line between “us” and “them,” God is on the other side. God wants us to be unified. He wants us in communion with Him and with each other. My fellow man is so closely linked with my Savior that I have to be mindful of the one when I think of the other. God is with us. God is with them. And anything I say or do to them, I say or do to Him. That mindset is powerful.
Numbers 5:6 “Tell the Israelites that when a man or woman acts unfaithfully against the LORD by committing any sin against another, that person is guilty….” (BSB)
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that what I say and do matters. When I sin against others, I am unfaithful to You, Lord. That is an ugly truth, but one that bears remembering. Help me to always be mindful of my relationship with You and to strive to draw closer at every turn. Help me to do nothing that will cause barriers between us. Draw me closer. Amen.
Numbers 5:6 “Tell the Israelites: If you do something wrong to another person, you have been unfaithful to the LORD. When you realize your guilt….” (GWT)
Have a blessed day.