Personal Devotions
Notes from Mark's personal Bible reading and meditation
With a goal to apply one truth from each day's reading to my life that day
Dec 31, 2023, 1:12 AM
Passage Read: Numbers 28-31
Meditation Verses: 28:9-11
Thought
There were daily sacrifices, weekly sacrifices, monthly sacrifices and periodic annual sacrifices, all needing to be offered at their proscribed times. It was not a simple thing for the Lord to dwell on earth among men. Indeed, the Lord did not personally dwell on earth. These sacrifices were just so that He could have a meeting place with men on earth. The sinfulness of men, the uncleanness of a community of people was so great as to require all this bloodshed for God to have a meeting place on earth to commune with men.
Dec 30, 2023, 1:13 AM
Passage Read: Numbers 24-27
Meditation Verses: 24:1-4
Thought
Balaam, the man whose eyes are opened, who sees the Lord and hears from him, upon whom the Spirit of God rested, this man advised the Moabites and Midianites how to turn the Lord against Israel so as to weaken them. He would soon be killed, when Israel took vengeance on Moab. Balaam did hear from God, he did see visions of God, he did speak God's oracles, but none of that protected him from turning away from the Lord.
Dec 29, 2023, 1:14 AM
Passage Read: Numbers 20-23
Meditation Verses: 22:32-35
Thought
Balaam received permission from the Lord to go to Balak, and he knew he could only say or do what the Lord commanded him. But the Lord knew the temptation would be so great that Balaam could easily fall into sin, so he sent this angel to oppose him. The Lord allowed the donkey to see the danger, so Balaam was not in real danger. But the Lord wanted to impress on him how necessary it was for Balaam to obey and to resist any temptation.
Dec 28, 2023, 1:16 AM
Passage Read: Numbers 16-19
Meditation Verses: 16:3-5
Thought
This is such an easy trap to fall into, even and especially today. Today we value equality, we demand equality. We allow for no distinction between people, especially when it comes to the things of God. But we put words into God's mouth, and we distort the words He has spoken to our own gain. All the congregation was holy, but they were not holy and set apart to the same degree and purpose as Aaron and his sons.
Dec 26, 2023, 1:17 AM
Passage Read: Numbers 12-15
Meditation Verse: 12:2
Thought
It is amazing to me how easily we dismiss the Lord and exalt ourselves. There are those who truly know the Lord, because He can be known, yet those who don't know Him well are still willing to step forward and claim authority to represent Him, as if He will not call them out! God is not a tool to be used to claim authority. God is truly alive and aware of all that goes on in the earth. No one can simply claim to know Him, and on that basis, speak authoritatively for God.
Dec 25, 2023, 1:18 AM
Passage Read: Numbers 8-11
Meditation Verses: 11:21-24
Thought
Even Moses didn't fully understand the Lord yet. He had doubts about God's ability to provide so much meat for so many people, and said so to God. So God replied, "You will see whether My Word will come true or not." Moses was either afraid for his own sake, that he might be promising something God couldn't fulfill, or else he was afraid for God's reputation, that He might be promising something He couldn't fulfill.
Dec 24, 2023, 1:19 AM
Passage Read: Numbers 4-7
Meditation Verse: 6:11
Thought
Being in the presence of someone who dies suddenly is counted as a sin to the one who makes the vow of the Nazarite, even though it is completely out of his control who dies and when. If he just happens to be near a person who died suddenly, he is guilty and it is counted as sin. God sees this differently than I would be inclined to see it. Death is repulsive to God; it was not supposed to be part of His Creation, even though it is necessary for atonement.
Dec 22, 2023, 1:10 AM
Passage Read: Leviticus 27 - Numbers 3
Meditation Verses: Leviticus 27:14-15
Thought
To consecrate something to the Lord is to lose ownership of it to the Lord. You could still use it, but it technically belonged to the Lord, even to the point where in the year of Jubilee actual control and ownership would pass to the priests. If the one who consecrated the item to the Lord wanted it back, to have full control and ownership, he had to pay a fifth more than the original valuation to buy it back from the Lord.
Dec 21, 2023, 1:11 AM
Passage Read: Leviticus 23-26
Meditation Verses: 26:40-45
Thought
The Lord promises ever increasing punishment on the people if they refuse to obey Him and turn away from His statutes. He promised to send punishment, and if that doesn't turn them back in humility to Him and His ways, He will increase their punishment, again and again, until they are driven out of their land and living in fear in the land of their enemies. Yet even then He promises not to forget His covenant with their forefathers.
Dec 20, 2023, 1:12 AM
Passage Read: Leviticus 19-22
Meditation Verses: 19:16-18
Thought
This section of commands speaks of loving a neighbor. We are not allowed to hate a neighbor or plan any evil against him. No vengeance, no slander, no grudge, no character assassination. If he has done wrong or done evil, he surely must be rebuked, but he may not be hated in any way. To love him is to point out his error, but not to plot evil against him or rally others to hate him.