Week 9 Devotions

February 26 - - In the second year after Israel’s departure from Egypt, God commanded Moses to take a census of the whole community of Israel, listing the names of all the men twenty years of age or older who were able to go to war. Moses did as the Lord had commanded him to. He selected a man from each of the twelve clans to help compile this list. That total came to 603,550 fighting men twenty years of age and older (Numbers 1:46). Interestingly enough, many centuries later, King David decided to take a census of all his people, including the fighting men of military age (II Samuel 24:1-9; I Chronicles 21:1-6). But, in both accounts of David’s census, there was a strong indication that what David was doing was wrong. Why? What made David’s taking of a census wrong and Moses’ taking of a census right? In Moses’ case, taking a census would be necessary in organizing a group that large as they wandered through the desert. It also helped in identifying which clan and tribe people belonged to, and it would be a vital tool in fairly dividing the Promised Land amongst the various tribes. And while there may have been other reasons, the bottom line is Moses’ census was commanded by God. Whatever God’s reasons were for commanding Moses to take a census, is not nearly as important to us as is obedience to God’s command. David’s census appeared to be taken without the same motives. In Samuel’s account, we are told that the Lord “caused” David to take the census and in the Chronicles account we are told that Satan “caused” David to take the census. As we see from Job’s life (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7), Satan can only do what God gives him permission him to do. Depending on one’s perspective, both writers would be correct. Satan caused David to take a census because God allowed Satan to do so. Why was David’s census a wrong thing to do? We can only speculate on the reasons. Perhaps, David ordered the census out of pride. He wanted to know how large the nation was that he ruled. Perhaps, David wanted to know what the size of his military was. There could be many reasons, but the primary reason David’s census was wrong is because God had not told David to take one like He had commanded Moses to. The rightness and the wrongness of any action is dependent upon whether we are obeying God or disobeying God. The Israelite people suffered because of David’s disobedience (II Samuel 24:10-17; I Chronicles 21:7-15) The Israelite people were commended for doing exactly what God had commanded Moses to do (Numbers 1:54). Each of us needs to decide whether we prefer the punishment that accompanies disobedience to God’s commands or the commendation that accompanies obedience to God’s commands. March 1 - - Speaking of the tongue, James says, “sometimes it (the tongue) praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been made in the image of God. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!” (3:10&11). The tongue is a very powerful weapon that can either be used for good or used for evil. The tongue can either be constructive or destructive. The tongue can either be helpful to others or hurtful to others. Which purpose the tongue ultimately accomplishes is determined by the one who possesses it. Jesus further said that the words which come from our mouth are ultimately a reflection of what we are in our heart. “For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good words from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil words from an evil heart” (Matthew 12:34b&35). Not only do our words reflect the kind of person we are on the inside and whether we are guided by our sinful nature or guided by our spiritual nature, but they also determine our ultimate fate before God because, “you must give an account on judg-ment day of every idle word you speak. The words you say now reflect your fate then; either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned (by them)” (Matthew 12:36&37). So, the choice each of us must make is not only whether we want to be a blessing to people with our words or a curse to people with our words, but also where we want to spend eternity. As Christians, the Bible calls us “a kingdom of priests” (I Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6). Because we are, we would be wise to bless God’s people today with the same words Aaron, the High Priest and his sons were to bless the people of Israel with. “May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace” (Numbers 2:22-27). While maybe we don’t need to use those exact words, the fact remains, we can bless others with our words when we choose them carefully. For some, it may be with a compliment. For others, it may be with an encouraging or sympathetic word. For others, it may be a promise of God from scripture. But, if we are to use our mouth as a blessing instead of as a curse, we must first make a conscious decision to do so. Have you?