I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

     Moses reported to the people the Lord’s instructions to him to appoint 70 elders and that they would receive meat to eat. Moses designated the 70 elders and called for them to gather at the Tabernacle. The Spirit of the Lord came down in a cloud and rested on Moses and the 70 elders and the men prophesied. Two of the seventy that Moses had designated had remained in the camp, yet the Spirit of the Lord rested on them as well and they prophesied.
     After this, a wind came up and blew quail into the camp so that there were quail in and around the camp in large numbers. The people went out and gathered up quail for all that day and night and the next day. They each gathered over 50 bushels. They ate so much of this that many became sick and died. They were not satisfied with the manna that God had provided and when He provided them with quail, they ate to excess and made themselves sick, some to the point of death.
     Miriam and Aaron (Moses’ sister and brother) began to attempt to undermine Moses’ authority using the fact that he had married a Cushite woman. It would be interesting to know if their objection to her was the fact that she was Cushite or the fact that she was not an Israelite. They proclaimed that God had spoken through them as well as through Moses, an attempt to establish their own authority not dependent on Moses. The passage tells us that Moses was humble, suggesting that he did not challenge their assertions. However, the passage tells us that God spoke to all three of them and told them to come out to the tent of meeting (the Tabernacle). God confronts Miriam and Aaron asking them why they were not frightened to criticize His servant Moses? The Lord then withdrew and Miriam exhibited a skin disease. Aaron begged Moses to forgive them and not allow Miriam to die from this skin disease. Moses called on God to heal Miriam. God instructs Moses that Miriam should remain outside of the camp for seven days. At the end of seven days Miriam returned to the camp healed.
     At their next camp location God instructed Moses to send men to explore the land of Canaan, one from each tribe. Moses selected twelve men, one from each of the tribes. The men went into the land and brought back samples of the produce grown there. When they returned to the camp they reported that it was a rich land with much food. However, they also reported that the people living in the land of Canaan were strong and powerful, living in well-defended cities. Caleb told the people that they should go at once and take the land because he was sure that they could. The other scouts disagreed with Caleb and convinced the Israelites that the people living on Canaan were too powerful for them. They told the people that they felt like grasshoppers when they looked at the people of the land and were sure that they were viewed in the same manner. Rather than focusing on God’s will for them and what He wanted them to do, they focused on their own ability and their perceptions of the abilities of others. Caleb on the other hand recognized that if they were to act as God desired, neither their own lack of capability nor the ability of those opposing them would be sufficient to prevent them from accomplishing the task which God had set for them. How often do I fail because I am convinced that a task which God has set before me is greater than my abilities, or because I believe that others have the ability to prevent me from accomplishing God’s purpose?

     While they were eating the Passover meal, Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it up giving it to the disciples telling them that this was His body. Then He took a cup of wine, gave thanks to God for it and passed it among them. He told them that the wine represented His blood which confirms God’s covenant. It was poured out for all who would believe. They then sang a hymn and departed for the Mount of Olives. On the way, Jesus told them that they would all desert Him, but that He would meet them in Galilee after He was risen. Peter claims that even if everyone else ran away, he would stand with Jesus. Jesus replied that before the cock crowed twice the following morning, Peter would disown Jesus three times. Peter vehemently denies that he would do such a thing, proclaiming that he would stand with Jesus even if it meant his own death. The other disciples echoed Peter’s claim.
     When they arrived at Gethsemane, Jesus told the disciples to sit down and pray while he took Peter, James and John a little further. He then told those three that He was overwhelmed with sadness and asked them to stay there and watch. He went a little further and prayed desperately that God not make Him go through the coming suffering, but surrendered Himself to God’s will. When He returned to the disciples He found them sleeping. He chided Peter telling him that he should pray so that he would not fall into temptation, suggesting that if he could not stay awake for one hour, how would he fulfill his promise to stand with Jesus in the face of death? Jesus went away and repeated His prayer returning to find the disciples asleep again. He woke them and went a third time to pray. When He returned the third time He woke them and told them that His betrayer had come.
      When Jesus confronted Peter, He said two things that are significant for us. First, He said that we should watch and pray so that we will not fall into temptation. This is perhaps my greatest failure in my walk. I do not pray as much as I ought. The second thing He said was that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. This is so true. All too many times when I attempt to pray as I think I should I either fall asleep or I get distracted by something else. I need to find a way to pray more. I used to have a similar problem with reading the Bible. God has shown me how to use this blog to overcome that. I am confident that He will show me how to overcome my weakness when it comes to prayer.

     The psalmist condemns those who boast of their evil. We all know someone like that. Maybe we even sometimes get pleasure from telling others about the nasty things we have done to others. The psalmist tells us that those who revel in such things, who take pride in bringing about the destruction of others, will be destroyed by God. That God will destroy those who take delight in doing evil and causing harm to others. But those who have learned to rely on God’s unfailing love will thrive like a treasured olive tree. Rather than taking pleasure in causing the destruction of others we should trust God and strive to carry out His will.

     We have three proverbs today that fit together (although they each have value independently). Those who use intentionally inaccurate weights and measures incur God’s wrath, while He lavishes His love on those who deal fairly. Those who allow themselves to become prideful will find their pride to be the cause of their disgrace, while the wise are humble. Good people will be guided by their honesty, while the treacherous will be destroyed by their lies.