SEPTEMBER 3, 2022 Numbers 17:5 And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, which they make against you. In the aftermath of Korah’s rebellion and the subsequent complaints coming from the people, the tribes were instructed to present the […]
SEPTEMBER 2, 2022 Exodus 16:46 So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it, and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the Lord.” It is amazing to me that, after all that had occurred to Korah and those […]
SEPTEMBER 1, 2022 Numbers 16:38 The censers of these men who sinned against their own souls, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar. Because they presented them before the Lord, therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel. It is interesting that those things that may […]
AUGUST 31, 2022 Numbers 16:33 So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly. After all is considered, Korah’s rebellion amounted to an unwillingness to believe Moses. By his actions, he didn’t believe that God had visited him in […]
AUGUST 30, 2022 Numbers 16:29-30 If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then […]
AUGUST 29, 2022 Numbers 16:26 And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart now from the tents of these wicked men! Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins.” At a certain point, it seems that some of the Levites, including the sons of Korah, began to distance themselves from the ringleaders […]
AUGUST 28, 2022 Numbers 16:23-24 So the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’ ” In response to Moses intercession, God instructed the people to separate themselves from the rebels. In short, God gave everyone a chance to separate themselves from evil doers and demonstrate […]
An English maxim has it that fences make good neighbors. In biblical times, territorial borders were marked off with boundary stones. Typically, a boundary-stone landmark might be one stone set up on end, indicating the border between a man's field and his neighbor's.
You shall not move your neighbor's boundary mark, which the ancestors have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the LORD your God gives you to possess. (Deuteronomy 19:14)
During the settlement of American territories, a similar method was used. Settlers would set up rocks or drive in stakes to indicate parcels of land that they were claiming. Hence the idiom “staking a claim.” Often it happened that in their absence unscrupulous neighbors or other settlers would remove these landmarks to their own advantage.
Boundary markers worked the same way in the biblical era. An unscrupulous neighbor might move a boundary stone and steal a hundred feet of your field. According to the prophet Hosea, God pours out His wrath like water on those who move boundary stones (Hosea 5:10).
The Torah places a special curse on someone who moved a boundary stone, saying, “Cursed is he who moves his neighbor's boundary mark” (Deuteronomy 27:17). The Proverbs warn against moving boundaries and especially against encroaching on the boundaries of widows and orphans:
Do not move the ancient boundary which your fathers have set. Do not move the ancient boundary or go into the fields of the fatherless, for their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their case against you. But He will establish the boundary of the widow. (Proverbs 22:28, 23:10-11, 15:25)
The prohibition against moving a boundary stone can be applied to many situations in life. It reminds us that God deems it healthy and appropriate to maintain proper boundaries and distinctions. For example, boundaries that maintain a distinction between genders are important.
A person should always be careful to protect the boundaries between private life and public life, between family and friends, between parent and child, between husband and wife, and so on. When boundary lines become fuzzy, confusion and conflict ensue. The godly person is careful to maintain a sense of where another person's property and privacy ends and begins.
There are four types of people. The one who says, “What's mine is mine and what's yours is yours.” This is the normal type of person, but some say this is the type of person who lived in Sodom. The one who says, “What's mine is yours and what's yours is mine.” This type of person is an ignoramus. The one who says, “What's mine is yours and what's yours is yours.” This is a righteous person. The one who says, “What's mine is mine and what's yours is mine.” This is a wicked person. (m.Avot 5:10)
Shoftim – ×©×¤×˜×™× : “Judges” Torah : Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9 Haftarah : Isaiah 51:12-52:12 Gospel : Matthew 26:47-27:10
Psalm 27:13
I would have despaired unless I believed that I would see the hand of the Lord in the land of the living.
This is one of my favorite verses. David is facing moments of doubt and fear, but then he remembers…God has saved him before, and he can and will do it again.
There are times when we are in the depths of despair seeing no way out. It seems all hope is gone. But we just need to seek God and then wait! Wait and look out to the horizon where your help comes from. Listen for the sound of hooves hitting the ground carrying the ministering angels that are coming to minister to your hurt, sorrow and pain. When you are still…you can hear!
We must NEVER give up! Hold fast to His promises! Hold on to His Word! Listen for His still small voice.
Above all the chaos, the tears and us trying to figure it out…He is saying, Be Still and know that I am God. I will not leave you. I will answer…just wait.
In those times of waiting don’t wear yourself out, but REST in Him! Take a deep breath and breathe out all desperation. Then remember! Remember all the times He has come through for you. He is the same God, and He will do it again.
Encourage yourself and BELIEVE! Nothing is too hard or impossible for our God. He’s not finished yet!
