DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2021-07-08
WRITTEN AT: Williams, AZ

SCRIPTURE FROM: Numbers 31:48-50
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁴⁸ The army commanders went to Moses ⁴⁹ and said, “Sir, we have counted our troops, and not one soldier is missing. ⁵⁰ So we want to give the Lord all the gold jewelry we took from the Midianites. It’s our gift to him for watching over us and our troops.”

APPLICATION: In this very old story, God is bringing His people, a group who was generally ungrateful for all that God did for them, from a land of slavery and ill-treatment to a land of ‘Milk and Honey’ – the Promised Land. We read about all the ways that they turned their backs on God, and how they failed to recognize His awesome provisions and His love towards them. Yet on this particular occasion the Israelites were used of God to eliminate the Midianites from a land they were to assume ownership. It seems like for the commanders of each part of the Israelite army that went to battle, their eyes were opened to the glory of God and His protective hand over their people. They showed their appreciation by giving back to God one hundred percent more than than they were asked to give, as their way of saying ‘thank you’ for watching over them. Friends, this opened my eyes as I meditated on this. We thank God for our food and our health, but most often it seems like we just follow an habitual routine, or a tradition, of thanking Him for these very obvious things. Think about this: What if you or I won a large sum of money, or inherited a large estate. Knowing how comfortable we are already, and how we are meeting all of our bills already, what would we do differently if we were gifted this large estate? I know: you would tithe to your church; you might pay off any mortgages outstanding so that you would end up debt free for once in your life; you might use a chunk of the money to take care of your parents for the rest of their lives; and you may even create an endowment fund so that the orphanage supported by your church will be funded properly. But what if you felt a tug on your heart to give to God’s church for the ongoing ministry in your community? Isn’t it strange how we then become experts on how the church misappropriates it’s money; how the leaders favor one family over another to help when in need; how their budget is a joke; etc, etc? Please dear believer in Christ, notice that there is nothing said about how the Israelites may have felt about misuse of power or provisions by Moses and his leaders. They realized that God Almighty was their guide into the battle; their strength during the battle; their protector that brought them safely out of the battle; and their everlasting hope in every circumstance of life. Notice that the commanders didn’t say that their gifts were for Moses, but they were for God. Notice that they didn’t insist on how their gifts must be used, they just wanted to give unto God for all that He had given to them and protected them from. In God’s Word, He demands that we give to the Lord God. We are given direction on how much to give, based on what is taught in the Word. I believe that God is holding our church leaders accountable for the jobs they are given in leading us, and they are all answerable to God. Let’s learn to do our part, and allow our church leaders to do theirs. God watches over each of us in His own special way, and we each are accountable to God for what He has entrusted to us. God being our helper, may we all thank Him, and give to His work, as we feel in our heart that He commands us to do.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: In a battle where all the men of the opposing army was killed, the Israelites realized that not one of their men was lost. They gave, thanked God, and worshipped Him, for protecting them. So should we when we see our God watching over us like He does each day!

PRAYER: Thank You dear Lord for protecting our ancestors and taking such good care of them. You do the same for us each and every day! So Lord, we just want to say ‘Thank You’ from the bottom of our heart. You are so good to us! Please forgive us when we whine and complain, for Your love is always with us, even when life don’t seem to be going our way. May our lives be an example to those searching for You, or just simply don’t believe in You. May they see Jesus in action through the normal course of our lives, and may they realize that You are alive and well, ready to listen to their cry for forgiveness of their sin. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!