NUMBERS-DEUTERONOMY

It is Thursday.  We had a wonderful night last night at church and God blessed.  What a blessing to hear God's Word preached.  I finished up Numbers and read ten chapters into Deuteronomy.  Here are a few thoughts: 1) RENUMBERING THE PEOPLE- In Num. 26:64 we see that the men of Israel, 20 years old and upward, were again numbered.  They were first numbered when they were around Mt. Sinai in Numbers 1:45,46 and they numbered 603,550 men.  Now, adding women and children is where we come up with the 3 1/2 million figure so often discuss.  Keep in mind that this number does not include the Levites and their numbers.  But, in chapter 26:64 when they are again numbered, ONLY TWO, of the men first numbered are STILL ALIVE!!  (Joshua and Caleb)  In forty years, all of the first number of men have died off because of disobedience!!  Now they number 601,730.  They are a few thousand fewer because of so many dying in the wilderness.  2) BE SURE!  There are some things in life that we can be sure about... and one of them is found in Numbers 32:23: "be sure your sin will find you out."  If sin will always find us out, then what do we do?  We find it out.... and confess it!  Yes, God is talking about the sin that we refuse to release, refuse to refrain from, refuse to deal with, refuse to confess and forsake.... this SIN, will ALWAYS find us out!!  It is universal, it is the heavenly decree... it will find us out!!  SO... confess the sin as the Holy Spirit first convicts you of something.  It is not the size or scope of the sin, it is our attitude about it.... let us be repentant and broken and acknowledge our sins to a Holy God and keep the right relationship He wants us to have with Him. 3) ONLY ELEVEN DAY!!!  Yes, from Mt. Horeb to Kadesh-barnea was only eleven days!!  They stayed around Mt. Horeb (Sinai) for 40 days to get the 10 commandments, then Moses broke them when he saw the sin of the people, and then he went back up the mountain another 40 days, and then he came down and taught the people what the laws of God said, (Exodus 20) and then after staying there a great while, God said:  "Ye have compassed this mountain long enough..." Deut. 2:3  BUT, from here to Kadesh-barnea was only a 11 day journey.  There they camped for 40 days for the spies to look over the land, and now they could have gone over and conquered the land of Canaan, but.... they did not and wandered 40 years in the wilderness until the whole generation was killed off!!!  What a cost to procrastinate!!!  4) TESTIMONY- In Deut. 2:36 it is said: "there was not one city too strong for us: the LORD our God delivered all unto us:"  This was the prediction of Joshua and Caleb!  They knew they were WELL ABLE with God's help.  We are not to have "self-confidence" but we are to have "GOD confidence".  WE are to be confident of what God has for us to accomplish that with His help.... it will get done!! 5) MOSES, A MEDIATOR- Deuteronomy 5:5 "I stood between the LORD and you"  This is what Moses told the Israelites...  WOW!!  What a position God gave to him... what a responsibility.  Now, as a pastor, I don't have that position, but I do have a position of preaching and teaching the Word of God and that is a great honor and responsibility as well. Hope you have a wonderful day in the LORD today!  Pastor Mike Mutchler