DCLM Daily Manna Tuesday 24 October 2023
TOPIC: Chastened, yet Dedicated
TEXT: Numbers 20:14-22 (KJV)
14 And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us:
15 How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers:
16 And when we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border:
17 Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king’s high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders.
18 And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword.
19 And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing anything else, go through on my feet.
20 And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand.
21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.
22 And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto mount Hor.
KEY VERSE
“And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us.”
(Numbers 20:14)
DCLM Daily Manna Tuesday 24 October 2023 MESSAGE
What is a Christian worker’s attitude after he is disciplined by the leadership for acts considered inappropriate? Does he plunge into a long season of sulking in reaction? Does he raise pockets of sympathisers to form an opposition among the congregation? Or does he break away to form his own assembly by claiming he has a call from God for a new fellowship centre?
A chastened Moses took none of those steps. Staying at his duty post, though disciplined by the Lord, this humble messenger of God still obeyed divine directives. He continued serving, even if he was not pleased with the rod applied on him. He submitted to the will of God, knowing full well that His wisdom cannot be questioned. He also knew that his final destination was heaven, which could be denied him if he displayed a haughty and rebellious disposition.
READ DCLM Daily Manna Monday 23 October 2023 – The Birth of a Deliverer
Our reaction when shown the rod of correction determines the spiritual stuff we are made of. We miss the point when we do not take advantage of the period of chastisement to pray for the reordering of our lives for a higher realm of fruitfulness in the Kingdom. We should be joyful we have a loving Father, “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth…”
Leaders like Moses and Aaron who were punished for their wrongdoings did not lose their place in the church because they saw the castigation as part of a divine plot to prepare them for a new phase of service. And God continued with them as they showed a mindset that echoed what the sweet psalmist of Israel said, “Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head…” (Psalm 141:5).
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Reproof from the Lord prepares one for higher realm of work for Him.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Jeremiah 7-9
