Day 11 of 90 Devotion

Dearest e-votees-

Day eleven of our cover to cover voyage through the Bible. If you care to follow along you can find links to the assigned Bible passages at:

www.christthegoodshep.org/biblein90days.html

Peace,
Karl

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Day 11 Readings: Numbers 8:16-21:7

Much complaining, challenging and rebelling in our assigned texts for today:

• Grumbling about hardships that brought fire down around the outskirts of camp
• Quail buried the camp in response to grumbling and then the grumblers were buried in the desert
• Miriam and Aaron incur wrath when they grumble against Moses (Miriam becomes leprous for a week, Aaron not so much—hmmm.)
• 10 of the 12 scouts into the Promised Land bring back a fearful report which causes the community to wander in the desert for 40 years
• The 10 scouts were struck down and died of a plague
• A Sabbath breaker is put to death by stoning
• Korah, Dathan, Abiram and their families are swallowed by the earth while Aaron is reaffirmed with a budded almond staff (which became an ark of the covenant keepsake)
• Moses and Aaron incur God’s judgment for being hasty and not honoring God is bringing water from a rock which keeps them from entering Promised Land
• People slow on the uptake complain, yet again, about food and water and venomous snakes set upon the grumblers

It is hard to read these passages of judgment and destruction. It is hard to imagine these people are so slow to realize the consequences that their complaining, challenging and rebelling can have.

Surely were we there we would have chosen better and differently. Right?

Even in the midst of all of this suffering and death there are hints of the Christ that is to come.

Jesus is the bread of life. Jesus is the source of living waters. Even the snakebites will be healed by one lifted up in the desert which Jesus ties directly to his death on the cross when talking to Nicodemus.

The sad and crushing thing is how slow we are and how often we fail. The good and hopeful thing is that Jesus will crush the head of the serpent once and for all (see one of the first hints of the Gospel in Genesis 4:15).


God we so often live in ways that are contrary to how you have called us to be. Even if we are spared the more decisive judgments as in our readings today we know the pain of our rebellion. Help us amend our ways, trust in your mercy and abide in Jesus. Amen.