Author: Richard

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Anger Apostolic Writings Life With God

Receiving judgment: Learning from the struggles God sends

A narrow road in Corsica. Photo by FreeImages.com/Steven Dunn

There was a small group from another region who called me a few months ago. The person kept asking for advice. After several phone calls, I told this person that God would now put a test on your group. When He is finished, you will have a great loss. I knew then that this would happen to Hallel Fellowship too.

That is what has transpired. I have looked back and asked God why? How did it happen? Did the Devil do it? No, the Devil is feeble and weak. The Devil only has the authority that God gives him. God can and does protect us from the Evil One.

What is it that God has in mind? For the past couple of weeks, I have been deeply meditating, asking God over and over what to do. I have sought God’s wisdom and understanding and yet something is missing.

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Appointments With God Unleavened Bread

Unleavened Bread: First-born of Israel grow in grace and knowledge

Imagine sacrificing a lamb to save a donkey? Photo by www.LumoProject.com from http://www.freebibleimages.org.

The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread pictures the beginning of a new living way. But that new living way was not joyous when Israel left Egypt — days of affliction — and our departure from our “house of bondage” isn’t either. They were learning to live in a way, and so are we. God writes His law deep in our hearts, which flow with “living water.” We are to grow in grace and knowledge as we get older. We never stop growing, even when we are very old.

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Discussions Torah

Numbers 19: Red heifer a picture of Messiah

A holocaust of a red heifer, with its ashes preserved in water was used to cleanse people who had made contact with a dead body and for ritual items used in Temple worship. (Photo by Rennett Stowe via wikimedia commons, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)

God did not create the ritual of the red heifer, described in Numbers 19, to prevent the spread of disease but to make sure we don’t treat the death of a fellow human being casually. That’s regardless of whether their death was recent or many years ago. Death is our enemy. Death is not natural. Death is not our friend. The symbol of the red heifer points to the Messiah, and we can learn how much Yeshua did for us through that symbol.

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Discussions Torah

Numbers 16-17: Rebel against God’s appointed leaders, rebel against God

When we are not satisfied with the position God placed us and we covet someone else’s job or position, we are in grave spiritual danger. We may experience physical consequences for our rebellion, maybe not in the extreme manner recorded in Numbers 16–17, but God does not like complainers. Any insight we have about our condition comes from God.

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Discussions Torah

Numbers 15: One law for Israelite and foreigner

Studies in Torah

There is a difference between sins done in ignorance vs. those done willfully. But there is no substantial difference between how the native Israelite and the sojourner are judged under God’s instructions and called to repent.

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Discussions Torah

Numbers 14: Bad report about Promised Land sparks rebellion

When the majority spreads lies, the honest and faithful minority are voted out.

The “bad report” brought by the spies about the land God promised to give Israel was a dishonest report. Yet because the majority of the spies were willing to spread lies, the honest report of the two faithful spies was drowned out. The leaders of Israel believed the false report so completely that they were planning an insurrection to have Moses and Aaron stoned and then appoint a “leader” who would return them to Mitsraim (Egypt).

Numbers 14 is an example of democracy gone wrong. It also shows us God’s great patience with us in our lack of trust. We would not have tolerated the 10 times of grumbling that God tolerated from ancient Israel during the journey from Mitsraim. Yet He had to enact discipline too.

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Discussions Torah

Numbers 13: A bad report, a promise delayed

Studies in Torah

Instead of facing their fears about the “giants” in the Land, the spies ancient Israel sent into Canaan after the long journey from captivity in Mitsraim (Egypt) cowered and backed away and encouraged most of the people to do likewise. They lost their prize when they refused to walk forward where God told them to walk. The same is true today: We will lose out on many blessings if we don’t move forward when God tells us to.

When the Israelites doubted God’s word and refused to enter the Land, He took the blessing away from the majority of that generation of forever. They never entered into the promise. But for Caleb and Joshua, the promise was delayed to them for 40 years. Joshua and Caleb paid a price for the cowardice and unbelief of their peers.