daughters of Zelophehad

Posted on April 7, 2018 by Jefferson Vann

daughters of Zelophehad

devotions from Jefferson Vann # 2344

Numbers 26:26-41

Num 26:26 The sons of Zebulun, according to their clans: of Sered, the clan of the Seredites; of Elon, the clan of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the clan of the Jahleelites.
Num 26:27 These are the clans of the Zebulunites as they were listed, 60,500.
Num 26:28 The sons of Joseph according to their clans: Manasseh and Ephraim.
Num 26:29 The sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the clan of the Machirites; and Machir was the father of Gilead; of Gilead, the clan of the Gileadites.
Num 26:30 These are the sons of Gilead: of Iezer, the clan of the Iezerites; of Helek, the clan of the Helekites;
Num 26:31 and of Asriel, the clan of the Asrielites; and of Shechem, the clan of the Shechemites;
Num 26:32 and of Shemida, the clan of the Shemidaites; and of Hepher, the clan of the Hepherites.
Num 26:33 Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters. And the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
Num 26:34 These are the clans of Manasseh, and those listed were 52,700.
Num 26:35 These are the sons of Ephraim according to their clans: of Shuthelah, the clan of the Shuthelahites; of Becher, the clan of the Becherites; of Tahan, the clan of the Tahanites.
Num 26:36 And these are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the clan of the Eranites.
Num 26:37 These are the clans of the sons of Ephraim as they were listed, 32,500. These are the sons of Joseph according to their clans.
Num 26:38 The sons of Benjamin according to their clans: of Bela, the clan of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the clan of the Ashbelites; of Achiram, the clan of the Achiramites;
Num 26:39 of Shephupham, the clan of the Shuphamites; of Hupham, the clan of the Huphamites.
Num 26:40 And the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: of Ard, the clan of the Ardites; of Naaman, the clan of the Naamites.
Num 26:41 These are the sons of Benjamin according to their clans, and those listed were 45,600.

daughters of Zelophehad

We will see these daughters of Zelophehad again in the last chapter of this book. Theirs is a special case because Zelophehad did not have any sons. The land inheritance that would have normally gone to his sons will go to these daughters instead.

Under the new covenant, there are no gender restrictions at all. In Christ there is no male and female (Galatians 3:28). We are living in societies that define us by race, social status and gender. But our future will have no such restrictions. Our present is a time where we can learn to live with the new freedom we will inherit.

LORD, teach us how to respect the presence of the Holy Spirit within us all, and treat one another as equals.

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we count

Posted on April 6, 2018 by Jefferson Vann

we count

devotions from Jefferson Vann # 2343

Numbers 26:15-25

Num 26:15 The sons of Gad according to their clans: of Zephon, the clan of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the clan of the Haggites; of Shuni, the clan of the Shunites;
Num 26:16 of Ozni, the clan of the Oznites; of Eri, the clan of the Erites;
Num 26:17 of Arod, the clan of the Arodites; of Areli, the clan of the Arelites.
Num 26:18 These are the clans of the sons of Gad as they were listed, 40,500.
Num 26:19 The sons of Judah were Er and Onan; and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
Num 26:20 And the sons of Judah according to their clans were: of Shelah, the clan of the Shelanites; of Perez, the clan of the Perezites; of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites.
Num 26:21 And the sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the clan of the Hamulites.
Num 26:22 These are the clans of Judah as they were listed, 76,500.
Num 26:23 The sons of Issachar according to their clans: of Tola, the clan of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the clan of the Punites;
Num 26:24 of Jashub, the clan of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the clan of the Shimronites.
Num 26:25 These are the clans of Issachar as they were listed, 64,300.

we count

One of the reasons that there are so many genealogy lists in the Bible is that God wants us to know that our lives matter — all lives matter. We are encouraged to be responsible by living our lives in such a way as to make an impact for God. But we are also encouraged when things do not turn out the way we expected that we still count to God. Since we are here, there are reasons why we are here.

LORD, help us to trust you and know that we count in your eyes.

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starting over

Posted on April 5, 2018 by Jefferson Vann

starting over

devotions from Jefferson Vann # 2342

Numbers 26:1-14

Num 26:1 After the plague, Yahveh said to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron, the priest,
Num 26:2 “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, from twenty years old and older, by their fathers’ houses, all in Israel who are able to go to war.”
Num 26:3 And Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, and this is what he said
Num 26:4 “Take a census of the people, from twenty years old and older,” as Yahveh commanded Moses. The people of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt were:
Num 26:5 Reuben, the firstborn of Israel; the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the clan of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the clan of the Palluites;
Num 26:6 of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the clan of the Carmites.
Num 26:7 These are the clans of the Reubenites, and those listed were 43,730.
Num 26:8 And the sons of Pallu: Eliab.
Num 26:9 The sons of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram, chosen from the congregation, who contended against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against Yahveh
Num 26:10 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured 250 men, and they became a warning.
Num 26:11 But the sons of Korah did not die.
Num 26:12 The sons of Simeon according to their clans: of Nemuel, the clan of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the clan of the Jaminites; of Jachin, the clan of the Jachinites;
Num 26:13 of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the clan of the Shaulites.
Num 26:14 These are the clans of the Simeonites, 22,200.

starting over

The book of Numbers begins with a census, and now a new one. It is as if God is giving his people a chance to start over, even though they have failed him, and he has judged them for it.

Even the sons of Korah get a new chance. They will become well known for their music, and some of the Psalms will come from them.

God is a God of the second chance.

Thank you, LORD, for allowing us to start over.

Posted in discipleship, forgiveness, hope, repentance | Tagged | 1 Comment

the attack at Peor

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Jefferson Vann

the attack at Peor

devotions from Jefferson Vann # 2341

Numbers 25:16-18

Num 25:16 And Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said
Num 25:17 “Attack the Midianites and strike them down,
Num 25:18 because they attacked you treacherously when they deceived you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the leader of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague on account of Peor.”

the attack at Peor

What was the treacherous attack at Peor? Verse 2 says that (the Moabite) women invited (the Israelite men) to the sacrifices of their gods, and the men ate and … bowed down in worship to their (Moabite) gods. All it took was an invitation, and the Israelites could not resist breaking their covenant with Yahveh.

The lesson for Christians is to stay true to Jesus, and to be aware that non Christian friends may be unwitting weapons attacking you with an “invitation.”

LORD, give us discernment and a passionate loyalty to Jesus.

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this has to stop

Posted on April 3, 2018 by Jefferson Vann

this has to stop

devotions from Jefferson Vann # 2340

Numbers 25:6-15

Num 25:6 And notice, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the conference tent.
Num 25:7 When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand
Num 25:8 and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. This is how the plague on the people of Israel was stopped.
Num 25:9 Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.
Num 25:10 And Yahveh said to Moses,
Num 25:11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy.
Num 25:12 Therefore say, ‘notice, I give to him my covenant of peace,
Num 25:13 and it will be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of a permanent priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.'”
Num 25:14 The name of the slain man of Israel, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, leader of a father’s house belonging to the Simeonites.
Num 25:15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was the tribal head of a father’s house in Midian.

this has to stop

If you are thinking “How could God condone this violent act, much less reward it.” — I have to admit, that was my first thought as well. But then I realized, many people had already died because of Israel’s taking on foreign wives — something they covenanted not to do. And, many more were dying from the plague that was ravaging Israel. There comes a time when the sinning has to stop. Phinehas stopped it.

This generation needs people who will dare to put a stop to the sins that society accepts. We need people who will dare to say ‘this is wrong.”

LORD, give us the courage of Phinehas, to stop those things that are bringing your wrath to our lands.

Posted in commitment, courage, sin, wrath of God | Tagged | 1 Comment

gateway drug

Posted on April 2, 2018 by Jefferson Vann

gateway drug

devotions from Jefferson Vann # 2339

Numbers 25:1-5

Num 25:1 While Israel stayed in Shittim, the people began to prostitute themselves with the daughters of Moab.
Num 25:2 These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.
Num 25:3 So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of Yahveh was kindled against Israel.
Num 25:4 And Yahveh said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and hang them in the sun in the sight of Yahveh, that the fierce anger of Yahveh may turn away from Israel.”
Num 25:5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.”

gateway drug

What the Moabites could not accomplish by means of a prophet’s curse, they easily accomplished by seduction. But the fact that sexual promiscuity served as a gateway drug to outright rebellion here does not in any way excuse the Israelites who sinned. They are responsible for their actions, and their leaders are responsible for their lack of prevention.

The unequal yoke is a dangerous thing. Whether it is sexual partnership or business partnership, the ones we decide to partner with will influence us. God has determined to bless those who are distinctly his. When we blur the distinction, we endanger ourselves.

LORD, rid us of our lust for lives that are anything but distinctly yours.

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utter destruction

Posted on April 1, 2018 by Jefferson Vann

utter destruction

devotions from Jefferson Vann # 2338

Numbers 24:15-25

Num 24:15 And he took up his chant and said, “The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
Num 24:16 the oracle of him who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered:
Num 24:17 I see him, but not now; I notice him, but not near: a star will come out of Jacob, and a scepter will rise out of Israel; it will crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.
Num 24:18 Edom will be dispossessed; Seir also, his enemies, will be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly.
Num 24:19 And one from Jacob will exercise dominion and destroy the survivors of cities!”
Num 24:20 Then he looked on Amalek and took up his chant and said, “Amalek was the firstfruits among the nations, but its end is utter destruction.”
Num 24:21 And he looked on the Kenite, and took up his chant and said, “Enduring is your staying place, and your nest is set in the rock.
Num 24:22 Nevertheless, Kain will be burned when Asshur takes you away captive.”
Num 24:23 And he took up his chant and said, “Alas, who will live when God does this?
Num 24:24 But ships will come from Kittim and will discipline Asshur and Eber; and he too will come to utter destruction.”
Num 24:25 Then Balaam rose and went back to his place. And Balak also went his way.

utter destruction

Balaam took a good look at all the powerful nations who stood in the way of God’s plan and saw into their future. They had secure positions today, but their tomorrow held defeat and utter destruction. We do not have to be seers like Balaam to recognize that. The Bible speaks of a future permanent dwelling for God’s people but warns that unbelievers will be destroyed “soul and body” in Gehenna hell.

If you are reading this, and you do not know the LORD, you need to switch sides today. If you think you have a secure position in life, remember that those same thoughts were thought by these nations which Balaam spoke against. They are gone today.

LORD, save us. Deliver us from our self-assurance. Lead us to the Savior.

Posted in destruction in hell, future | Tagged | 1 Comment

have you been listening?

Posted on March 31, 2018 by Jefferson Vann

have you been listening?

devotions from Jefferson Vann # 2337

Numbers 23:27-24:14

Num 23:27 And Balak said to Balaam, “Come now, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.”
Num 23:28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the desert.
Num 23:29 And Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me here seven altars and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”
Num 23:30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Num 24:1 When Balaam saw that it pleased Yahveh to bless Israel, he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness.
Num 24:2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him,
Num 24:3 and he took up his discourse and said, “The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
Num 24:4 the oracle of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered:
Num 24:5 How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel!
Num 24:6 Like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that Yahveh has planted, like cedar trees beside the water.
Num 24:7 Water will flow from his buckets, and his seed will be in much water; his king will be higher than Agag, and his kingdom will be exalted.
Num 24:8 God brings him out of Egypt and is for him like the horns of the wild ox; he will eat up the nations, his adversaries, and will break their bones in pieces and pierce them through with his arrows.
Num 24:9 He crouched, he lay down like a lion and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you.”
Num 24:10 And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and notice, you have blessed them these three times.
Num 24:11 Therefore now run away to your own place. I said, ‘I will certainly honor you,’ but Yahveh has held you back from honor.”
Num 24:12 And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me,
Num 24:13 ‘If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of Yahveh, to do either good or bad of my own will. What Yahveh speaks, that will I speak’?
Num 24:14 And now, notice, I am going to my people. Come, I will let you know what this people will do to your people in the latter days.”

have you been listening?

Why is Balak surprised at what Balaam said in his third oracle, and why is he angry at Balaam’s consistency? Balak thought that it was only a matter of being patient and pushing the right buttons, and he would finally get what he wanted. He never considered that God cannot be manipulated, and his will cannot be changed.

Have you been listening, reader? Do you know who the God of the Bible is? He is unchanging, and unchangeable. If he wants to do something, it is going to be done. Don’t fight him. Don’t try to wait him out. Surrender to his sovereignty.

LORD, thank you for your faithful love, and your powerful consistency.

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look what God has done

Posted on March 30, 2018 by Jefferson Vann

look what God has done

devotions from Jefferson Vann # 2336

Numbers 23:13-26

Num 23:13 Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place, from which you may see them. You will see only a fraction of them and will not see them all. Then curse them for me from there.”
Num 23:14 And he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Num 23:15 Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here beside your ascending offering, while I meet Yahveh over there.”
Num 23:16 And Yahveh met Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus will you speak.”
Num 23:17 And he came to him, and notice, he was standing beside his ascending offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has Yahveh spoken?”
Num 23:18 And Balaam took up his chant and said, “Rise, Balak, and listen; give ear to me, O son of Zippor:
Num 23:19 God is not human, that he should lie, or a son of a human, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
Num 23:20 notice, I received a command to bless: he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it.
Num 23:21 He has not envisioned misfortune in Jacob, nor has he seen trouble in Israel. Yahveh their God is with them, and the shout of a king is among them.
Num 23:22 God brings them out of Egypt and is for them like the horns of the wild ox.
Num 23:23 Because there is no magic that would work against Jacob, no divination against Israel; now it will be said of Jacob and Israel, ‘Look what God has done!’
Num 23:24 notice, a people! As a lioness it rises up and as a lion it lifts itself; it does not lie down until it has devoured the prey and drunk the blood of the slain.”
Num 23:25 And Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all, and do not bless them at all.”
Num 23:26 But Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘All that Yahveh says, that I must do’?”

look what God has done

The demons who pretend to be the gods of the nations are capricious, and that is the kind of god that Balak was used to manipulating for his own purposes. But Balaam has heard from Yahveh, and knows that he cannot be manipulated by humanity. He is sovereign, and once he chooses to bless a people, he will not allow anyone else to curse them. He intends Israel to display his power and demonstrate his grace.

That is what God intends for us too. It may take a while for the circumstances of life to catch up with God’s purpose, but eventually they will. Stay true to him. Some day the world will look at us, and say “Look what God has done!”

LORD, help us to believe in our destiny, something you have promised, and you will accomplish.

Posted in animism, future, will of God | Tagged | 1 Comment

withholding judgment

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Jefferson Vann

withholding judgment

devotions from Jefferson Vann #2335

Numbers 23:7-12

Num 23:7 And Balaam took up his chant and said, “From Aram Balak has brought me, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains: ‘Come, curse Jacob for me, and come, denounce Israel!’
Num 23:8 How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom Yahveh has not denounced?
Num 23:9 Because from the top of the crags I see him, from the hills I notice him; notice, a people staying alone, and not counting itself among the nations!
Num 23:10 Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let my soul die the death of the upright, and let my end be like his!”
Num 23:11 And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I hired you to curse my enemies, and notice, you have done nothing but bless them.”
Num 23:12 And he answered and said, “Must I not be careful to speak what Yahveh puts in my mouth?”

withholding judgment

Balak had brought Balaam to a set of huge rocky cliffs, so that he could see a sizable portion of the Israelite camp. From there Balaam had the vantage point needed to curse the whole people. But the curse could not come, because Balaam knew that God was not in it.

Often the world asks us to condemn those who do not deserve it. We should have the wisdom not to follow the latest fad of condemnation. Leave the judgment to God and his word.

LORD, give us eyes to see those whom you have chosen to bless, and the wisdom to withhold judgment.

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