God Speaks
Executing the LORD’s Vengeance on the Midianites; Two and a Half Tribes Request to Settle East of the Jordon
Verse of the Day: “But if you fail to do this [keep your promise], you will be sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:23 NIV 2011)
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We Respond
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Numbers 31-32:
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
Numbers 31
1. When He deems necessary, God goes to great lengths to insure the moral purity of His people.
2. Innocent people frequently suffer the consequences of immoral decisions and actions of a few, especially their leaders, as did the Midianites in Moab.
Numbers 32
1. When He chooses, God will honor the requests of those who are willing to make sacrifices to get what they want. For example, the men of fighting age of the tribes of Gad, Rueben and the half tribe of Manasseh were willing to leave their families and property east of the Jordan for an undetermined period of time to help the rest of the Israelites to secure the promised land west of the Jordon.
2. People can sometimes change the decisions of their leaders, if they are willing to negotiate and cooperate, as when the tribes of Gad, Rueben and the half tribe of Manasseh wanted to settle on the east side of the Jordan River.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Numbers 31-32?
Dear Holy and Righteous God, thank You that if I will turn to You and obey You, You will help me to remain morally pure. Thank You that through the cross, You have made a way for me to forgive someone who has wronged me, morally or otherwise. I no longer must remain a victim of someone else’s (or my own) wrong moral decisions and actions. Please help me, also, to set aside my own wants and needs for the benefit of others. I know that You will eventually honor such a sacrifice, and it will bring You glory, LORD. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Numbers 31-32? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will ask God the Holy Spirit to help me to remain morally pure both mentally and physically.
- I will join an accountability group to help me as well.
- I will seek biblical counselling for help in dealing with a situation where I was the innocent victim of someone else’s wrong moral decisions and actions.
- I will appropriately negotiate and cooperate for the good of my entire group to get something I really want.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Numbers 31-32:
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
Numbers 31
1. When He deems necessary, God goes to great lengths to insure the moral purity of His people.
2. Innocent people frequently suffer the consequences of immoral decisions and actions of a few, especially their leaders, as did the Midianites in Moab.
Numbers 32
1. When He chooses, God will honor the requests of those who are willing to make sacrifices to get what they want. For example, the men of fighting age of the tribes of Gad, Rueben and the half tribe of Manasseh were willing to leave their families and property east of the Jordan for an undetermined period of time to help the rest of the Israelites to secure the promised land west of the Jordon.
2. People can sometimes change the decisions of their leaders, if they are willing to negotiate and cooperate, as when the tribes of Gad, Rueben and the half tribe of Manasseh wanted to settle on the east side of the Jordan River.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Numbers 31-32?
Dear Holy and Righteous God, thank You that if I will turn to You and obey You, You will help me to remain morally pure. Thank You that through the cross, You have made a way for me to forgive someone who has wronged me, morally or otherwise. I no longer must remain a victim of someone else’s (or my own) wrong moral decisions and actions. Please help me, also, to set aside my own wants and needs for the benefit of others. I know that You will eventually honor such a sacrifice, and it will bring You glory, LORD. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Numbers 31-32? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will ask God the Holy Spirit to help me to remain morally pure both mentally and physically.
- I will join an accountability group to help me as well.
- I will seek biblical counselling for help in dealing with a situation where I was the innocent victim of someone else’s wrong moral decisions and actions.
- I will appropriately negotiate and cooperate for the good of my entire group to get something I really want.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.