Not to Reason Why

It bothered Raymond when his Sunday School teacher hung up a chart of the Israelite tribes camped around the tabernacle next to a map of the Israelite tribes as they settled in Canaan. Why did Judah, Issachar, and Zebulon camp on the east only for Judah to settle in the south and Issachar and Zebulon to settle up north? Why did Rueben and Gad camp with Simeon but then settle with half of Manasseh? Shouldn’t God have made the camping arrangements closer to their final settlements?

When Raymond pointed this out in class, his teacher smiled. “It didn’t seem to bother the Israelites. Whatever God’s reasons for grouping them as He did, they just obeyed.”

So the Israelites did everything the Lord commanded Moses; that is the way they encamped under their standards, and that is the way they set out, each with his clan and family (Numbers 2:34).

Raymond wasn’t satisfied with that answer at the time, but over time he saw the wisdom of his teacher. Raymond learned to follow God’s instructions even when he didn’t understand

Multiply

Third grade math has been a challenge for our son this year. Why? Multiplication tables. At first it was pretty straightforward: 2 + 2 = 4 and so was 2 × 2. But 10 + 10 was only 20 while 10 × 10 equaled a whopping 100. How was that possible? The numbers got so big so quickly!

Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown (Mark 4:20).

Multiplication is confoundedly powerful. According to Jesus, the believer in whom the gospel truly takes root will yield a multiplied crop of new believers—not just simple addition.

In many countries today, most churchgoers would feel pretty good about bringing in two or three converts over their lifetimes. Thirty seems daunting. Sixty or a hundred seems astounding. Yet it is possible, if we depend on the Holy Spirit to give us power to witness.

www.first-assembly.net

Fear

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. Psalm 19:9

We serve a loving and merciful God. But fear can be a healthy thing for us when it forces us to clean up our lives and walk the straight path. Once on the right path, we can leave fear behind, for nothing can harm us once we are in the Lord’s camp. God’s judgments are righteous and true, and He will always help us make the changes that allow us to clean up our lives, if we will only ask Him to.

A Double Blessing

The reunion between Joseph and his father in Genesis 46 must have been moving to witness. In Chapter 48, an undisclosed time later when Joseph learns his aging father is ill, Israel expresses his gratitude for this opportunity to again be with his favorite son plus grandsons Manasseh and Ephraim. Israel’s statement overflows with joy.

Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too” (Genesis 48:11).

For years the father had believed Joseph was dead. The circumstances were convincing: the brothers had came home without Joseph, but with his bloodied coat (see Genesis 37).

When the brothers returned from Egypt, they reported that Joseph was alive. For the father, the news was unbelievable.

That set the stage for this emotional reunion, and Israel rightfully recognized God as the source for this double blessing.