JUNE 14, 2022 Leviticus 26:11-12 I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people. When God delivered Israel from Egypt, He did so to free them from the yoke of slavery so they could walk as […]
JUNE 13, 2022 Leviticus 26:7-8 You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you. Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you. As we have mentioned previously, there are many who […]
JUNE 12, 2022 Leviticus 26:5 Your threshing shall last till the time of vintage, and the vintage shall last till the time of sowing; you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. This passage conveys the message that, when God’s people walk in obedience, they will experience bountiful crops. The […]
Moses was depressed. Depression is the enemy of faith. Depression and self-pity create a spiritual blindness. When Moses allowed himself to be overcome by the pressures and stresses of his responsibilities, he slipped into despondency and temporarily went spiritually blind. He seems to have momentarily forgotten who God is and what God had done in the past.
The LORD told Moses that He would provide Israel with a month’s supply of meat. Moses protested against the plan, pointing out to God that it would be impossible to procure sufficient meat to feed 600,000 men for a month. Moses rhetorically asked, “Should flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, [would it be] sufficient for them? Or should all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, [would it be] sufficient for them?” (Numbers 11:22).
Moses’ reply seems shocking. Had Moses forgotten that God was already miraculously feeding the people on a daily basis? If God chose to feed them meat instead of manna every morning, what difference did that make? Moses’ despondency had blinded him to God’s power. His depression had flattened his faith.
God responded with a rhetorical question of His own. He asked Moses, “Is the LORD’S power limited?” (Numbers 11:23). A literal translation of the Hebrew is more poetic. He asked Moses, “Has the hand of the LORD become shorter?” In other words, “Are you suggesting that the God who wrought the ten plagues, split the sea, fed you with manna and brought water from the rock has lost His power?”
The next time you find yourself doubting God, ask yourself, “Has the hand of the LORD become shorter?” The next time you find yourself despondent and depressed, remind yourself of the great things God has done in the past.
Then I said, “It is my grief, that the right hand of the Most High has changed.” I shall remember the deeds of the LORD; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will meditate on all Your work and muse on Your deeds. (Psalm 77:10-12)
Beha’alotcha – בהעלתך : “When you set up” Torah : Numbers 8:1-12:16 Haftarah : Zechariah 2:10-4:7 Gospel : Luke 17:11-18:14
JUNE 11, 2022 Leviticus 26:6 I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid; I will rid the land of evil beasts, and the sword will not go through your land. Obedience to God brings so much more than temporal blessings. Yes, it is nice to have rain to water the earth […]
JUNE 10, 2022 Leviticus 26:3-4 If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them, then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. In Hebrew, this chapter is known as tochacha — literally “warning” because, similarly […]
JUNE 9, 2022 Leviticus 24:47-48 Now if a sojourner or stranger close to you becomes rich, and one of your brethren who dwells by him becomes poor, and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner close to you, or to a member of the stranger’s family, after he is sold he may be redeemed again. As we shared in the previous […]
JUNE 8, 2022 Leviticus 24:47-48 Now if a sojourner or stranger close to you becomes rich, and one of your brethren who dwells by him becomes poor, and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner close to you, or to a member of the stranger’s family, after he is sold he may be redeemed again. In Jewish thought, the ultimate degradation […]
JUNE 7, 2022 Leviticus 25:39-40 And if one of your brethren who dwells by you becomes poor, and sells himself to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a slave. As a hired servant and a sojourner he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the Year of Jubilee. Slavery, as we perceive it, is fundamentally evil and so how […]
JUNE 6, 2022 Leviticus 25:36-37 Take no usury or interest from him; but fear your God, that your brother may live with you. You shall not lend him your money for usury, nor lend him your food at a profit. In keeping with the message from the previous devotion, the Bible tells us that we are […]