- araratchurch
- Sep 4, 2022
- 3 min read
“And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.”
Joshua 14:10-12 NKJV
During King David’s rule, they experienced a three-year drought. When David sought the Lord as to why they were experiencing this drought, the Lord told him that it was because of Saul’s treacherous dealings with the Gibeonites.
As background, after the destruction of Jericho and Ai, the Gibeonites had tricked Joshua into signing a covenant with them. And—although he had been tricked, Joshua kept it. In fact, it was kept until Saul decided to pursue them and exterminate them.
Hearing from the Lord concerning the cause of the drought, David asked the Gibeonites what it would take to make peace with them. They asked for the death of seven sons from the house of Saul. So, David handed over two of Saul’s sons and five of his grandsons to the Gibeonites. They were all impaled on poles and left hanging. It is at this point in the story that something very unusual is inserted in the narrative.
“Then Rizpah daughter of Aiah, the mother of two of the men, spread burlap on a rock and stayed there the entire harvest season. She prevented the scavenger birds from tearing at their bodies during the day and stopped wild animals from eating them at night.”
2 Samuel 21:10 NLT
Rizpah, one of Saul’s, concubines, was the mother of two of the men who were killed by the Gibeonites. Rather than allowing the vultures and beasts of the field to consume their bodies, she stood guard over them—day and night—for five months. She kept her vigil during this time, no matter what.
When King David heard of Rizpah’s vigil, he gathered up the bodies of her sons, retrieved the bones of Saul and Jonathan (which had been stolen), and gave them all proper burials.
This mother could not save her sons from being killed, but she could save their bodies from being desecrated and never properly buried.
The tenaciousness to protect what was hers, sets this mother apart, leading to her story being found in the Scriptures.
Yesterday we discussed the fact that Caleb‘s willingness to stake his claim on the promise of the Lord, led to him being offered a certain portion of the Promised Land as his inheritance.
Today we see that the time has come for the land to be divided up. Caleb presented himself before Joshua and reminded him of the promise Moses had made to him.
Interestingly, Caleb not only asserted his claim to the promise Moses had made, but indicated his willingness and ability to fight for it.
God’s promises are true. However, they are only realized in your life when you stake your claim on them and are willing to fight for it!
Thankfully, our fight for what God has offered us, is a fight of faith.
“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
I Timothy 6:12 NKJV
We must make sure what we say and do indicates that we believe God’s promises for us are true. Additionally, we must not relent in taking authority over whatever would keep us from possessing God’s promises until faith becomes sight!
For today write this in your “wilderness journal”:
Be willing to fight for what is yours.
- araratchurch
- Sep 4, 2022
- 3 min read
“Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.””
Numbers 13:30-33 NKJV
The California Gold Rush began in January of 1848 when gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California. This discovery would bring over 300,000 people from the United States and abroad to seek their fortune. It is estimated that over 750,000 pounds of gold were found during this period of time.
Part of the process toward mining the gold was something known as “staking your claim.” This practice involved actually putting out markers around the ground being claimed for mining rights. After the land was staked, you then had to make it to the mining office to file the claim to the staked territory. As you might imagine, there was much competition and effort to sabotage and steal claims from prospectors.
These people found gold and they did what it took to lay claim on it. Interestingly, Jesus told a parable about someone discovering a treasure and finding a way to secure it.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a [very precious] treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field [securing the treasure for himself].”
Matthew 13:44 AMP
We have been given many great and precious promises by our Lord. These promises have been ratified in Jesus Christ. But, we must stake our claim to what the Lord has given us, or else, we may find ourselves being looted by the enemy.
Today we see the story of Caleb, one of the two spies who brought a good report back from Canaan.
The Lord had promised land to His people; their part was to go in and take ownership.
When others fainted at the challenges between them and their promise, Joshua and Caleb did not.
The men who would not stake their claim to the Promised Land, lost their promise, and their lives with it.
“According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection. I the Lord have spoken this. I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.’ ””
Numbers 14:34-35 NKJV
Alternatively, Joshua and Caleb were blessed. Because of his willingness to stake his claim, Caleb would receive his promise.
“because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it. But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.”
Numbers 14:22-24 NKJV
Tomorrow we will look further into Caleb‘s promise.
For today write this in your “wilderness journal”
Be willing to stake your claim.
- araratchurch
- Sep 3, 2022
- 3 min read
Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.”
Leviticus 10:1-2 NKJV
Wild fires destroy thousands of structures in the United States each year. In fact, tens of thousands of structures have been destroyed since 2005. Indeed, all over the world, wildfires are responsible for immeasurable destruction each year. Structures are burned, forests consumed, people displaced,
along with a host of other devastating consequences of wildfires. And—once a wildfire gets started—it can be very difficult to contain.
The fire thought to be the longest lasting on record was the Chinchaga Fire started in a logging slash (woody debris created by logging operations) in British Columbia, Canada, on June 1, 1950. It grew out of control and didn’t end until five months later on October 31 in Alberta. In that period of time, it burned approximately 3 million acres of boreal forest (snow forests).
Yes, fire is an awesome phenomenon. And, it is useful in myriad ways, but is destructive and deadly when uncontrolled.
It’s interesting to note that the power of God is compared to fire many times throughout the Bible. Look what Jesus said about His own work:
““I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!”
Luke 12:49 NKJV
God is referenced as being a devouring fire.
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.”
Hebrews 12:28-29 NKJV
We see that the Holy Spirit is likened to fire.
“Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
Acts 2:3-4 NKJV
In our time in the wilderness with the children of Israel, we have seen that God would appear to them in fire by night.
“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.”
Exodus 13:21 NKJV
And, the Lord brought fire down with Him on Mount Sinai.
“The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.”
Exodus 24:9 NKJV
However, in our opening scripture today, we see described a type of fire of which the Lord will have no part. Yes, it is that kind of fire we started out discussing: wildfire. The sons of Aaron, for whatever reason (presumption? drunkenness?),
chose to take wildfire into the tabernacle. It was wildfire because it was not done in accordance with obedience to the Lord. They paid for this lapse with their lives.
Moses explained to Aaron why the Lord had done this:
“And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.’ ” So Aaron held his peace.”
Leviticus 10:3 NKJV
Now, just before Nadab and Abihu did what they did, they had seen the people’s reaction to the coming forth of the fire of the Lord:
“and fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.”
Leviticus 9:24 NKJV
I think it’s possible that Aaron’s sons wanted to see the same type of reaction from the people for themselves. But, whatever the case, God would have none of it.
God’s fire is holy. His power, His Spirit, must be reverenced. We should never strike out to light a fire He has not commanded and ordained; for, in so doing, we may end up being burned.
For today write this in your “wilderness journal”:
Watch out for wildfire.