the watcher

Numbers 30:2-5,10-12 A man who makes a vow to the Lord or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. He must do exactly what he said he would do. “If a young woman makes a vow to the Lord or a pledge under oath while she is still living at her father’s home, and her father hears of the vow or pledge and does not object to it, then all her vows and pledges will stand. But if her father refuses to let her fulfill the vow or pledge on the day he hears of it, then all her vows and pledges will become invalid. The Lord will forgive her because her father would not let her fulfill them. “But suppose a woman is married and living in her husband’s home when she makes a vow or binds herself with a pledge. If her husband hears of it and does not object to it, her vow or pledge will stand. But if her husband refuses to accept it on the day he hears of it, her vow or pledge will be nullified, and the Lord will forgive her. Reading through Numbers chapter 30, we begin to see that the Lord takes

Numbers 29:39-40 “You must present these offerings to the Lord at your annual festivals. These are in addition to the sacrifices and offerings you present in connection with vows, or as voluntary offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, liquid offerings, or peace offerings.” So Moses gave all of these instructions to the people of Israel as the Lord had commanded him. So much offerings for different occasions at different times. Daily offerings, Sabbath offering, monthly offering, Passover offering, harvest offering, trumpet offering etc. The list continues. All these seems like a burden, however, they helped to keep Israel in remembrance of who gives them all the blessings and who they are committed to. Today as believers we give our whole lives. All we have is offered to the Lord beginning from our hearts. Romans 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind

1Colossians 1:9  God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. There are times it seems to hurt so much, or it all looks quiet and alone, when it appears not to work out. Everyone one of us experiences it one way or another, no one is left out. These times do come, yet it would not change who God is, what God has done and what He has said. His promise is still yes and amen. 2Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. Please don't give up, God is still in control Hebrews 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. It is not about how we feel, and not about what it seems, it is about what He Has promised and He who promised is sure to keep His Word. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and n

Numbers 28:4,8,10,15 Sacrifice one lamb in the morning and the other in the evening. Offer the second lamb in the evening with the same grain offering and liquid offering. It, too, is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. This is the burnt offering to be presented each Sabbath day, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its accompanying liquid offering. “On the first day of each month, you must also offer one male goat for a sin offering to the Lord. This is in addition to the regular burnt offering and its accompanying liquid offering. In Numbers chapter 28, we see various offerings the people ought to bring to the Lord. As we have discussed in earlier writings, offerings to the Lord has always been there from the beginning. The first record was that of Cain and Abel. As believers we may not be bound by the regulated offerings as we do not celebrate all the enlisted festivals, however it remains a picture for us on how to give to the Lord. Every serious believer who is

Numbers 27:18-20 The Lord replied, “Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. Present him to Eleazar the priest before the whole community, and publicly commission him to lead the people. Transfer some of your authority to him so the whole community of Israel will obey him. When it is time to handover the assignment, will you be found worthy? Moses was not to enter the promised land, the Lord said it was because he did not give Him His honour when water was released to the people in Meribah. Numbers 27:14 for you both rebelled against my instructions in the wilderness of Zin. When the people of Israel rebelled, you failed to demonstrate my holiness to them at the waters.” (These are the waters of Meribah at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.) Listening to this conversation I personally felt as if God was giving Moses the opportunity to ask for forgiveness and seek for mercy. However, we see Moses only interest was for the people to have a great leader.

Matthew 7:7-8 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. R equest never ending, Asking and Asking, Seeking and Seeking, Fasting and waiting, Reading and studying, Being taught day after day, from one programme to the other, one skill acquisition to another and one miracle service to the other. All these are key elements of people who are heading somewhere, who have a vision of something greater in the future. Mediocrity and laziness is not acceptable in the kingdom of God. Trying to get help on things we do not have control on. But . . . What have we done with the one we can control. God asked Moses: "what do you have in your hand?" The prophet asked the widow: "What do you have left?" Now the question is what are we doing with what God has allowed us to

Numbers 27:1,5-7 One day a petition was presented by the daughters of Zelophehad—Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. Their father, Zelophehad, was a descendant of Hepher son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh, son of Joseph. So Moses brought their case before the Lord. And the Lord replied to Moses, “The claim of the daughters of Zelophehad is legitimate. You must give them a grant of land along with their father’s relatives. Assign them the property that would have been given to their father. There is a false conception in the minds of people that women were looked down on, during Bible times and were not counted among the inheritance. When you read scriptures carefully you find out that this is not true. Yes, women were seen as the home builders because ofcourse the child begins their abode in the woman's body, and when they come out to the world, the woman still has the duty to wean the child to a matured age. This responsibility actually makes the woman very importa

Numbers 26:1-2,64-65 After the plague had ended, the Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, “From the whole community of Israel, record the names of all the warriors by their families. List all the men twenty years old or older who are able to go to war.” Not one person on this list had been among those listed in the previous registration taken by Moses and Aaron in the wilderness of Sinai. For the Lord had said of them, “They will all die in the wilderness.” Not one of them survived except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. We remember that the first census took place when they left Egypt. Numbers 1:1-3 A year after Israel’s departure from Egypt, the Lord spoke to Moses in the Tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai. On the first day of the second month of that year he said, “From the whole community of Israel, record the names of all the warriors by their clans and families. List all the men twenty years old or older who are able to go to war. You and Aar

Numbers 25:1-3 While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove, some of the men defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women. These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab. In this way, Israel joined in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the Lord’s anger to blaze against his people. When some read of the destruction that comes up on a people, they refuse to see the errs and wrongs of the people, their only interest is "Why will a loving God destroy?". You cannot keep living in iniquity sinning against the Lord God and expect that His grace will abound. Paul asked: Romans 6:1-2 Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? It was not acceptable in the old times and it is not now. Yes they are the children of inheritance those thro

Numbers 23:19-20,25-26 God is not a man, so he does not lie.  He is not human, so he does not change his mind.  Has he ever spoken and failed to act?  Has he ever promised and not carried it through? Listen, I received a command to bless; God has blessed, and I cannot reverse it! Then Balak said to Balaam, “Fine, but if you won’t curse them, at least don’t bless them!” But Balaam replied to Balak, “Didn’t I tell you that I can do only what the Lord tells me?” In insisting that Balaam curse the people of Israel, Balak got frustrated. Though Balaam might not have been a direct prophet of the Lord God but he had been given a gift to be able to bless and curse, and at that time they all knew there was one true God. Listen, the power of darkness know this too: James 2:19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. It is foolishness for anyone to be an atheist! However let us look a bit closer, Balak h

Numbers 23:5,8,11-12 The Lord gave Balaam a message for King Balak. Then he said, “Go back to Balak and give him my message.” But how can I curse those whom God has not cursed?  How can I condemn those whom the Lord has not condemned? Then King Balak demanded of Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies. Instead, you have blessed them!” But Balaam replied, “I will speak only the message that the Lord puts in my mouth.” The Lord had already spoken blessings on the children of Israel, if anyone was to release them of it, it can only be Him! The same with us believers today, Christ became the curse for us by being hung on a tree, therefore all curses on us has been annulled. Galatians 3:13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” Balak wanted to be rid of the Israelites, he did n

Numbers 22:21-22,32-33 So the next morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started off with the Moabite officials. But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way. As Balaam and two servants were riding along, “Why did you beat your donkey those three times?” the angel of the lord demanded. “Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me. Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.” Balak had sent men with money to get Balaam to curse the people of Israel. Balaam who was a prophet at that time had asked God if he should go and God said he should not. Numbers 22:16-19 They went to Balaam and delivered this message to him:“This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Please don’t let anything stop you from coming to help me. I will pay you very well and do whatever you tell me. Just come and curse these people for me!”

Numbers 22:6,12 Please come and curse these people for me because they are too powerful for me. Then perhaps I will be able to conquer them and drive them from the land. I know that blessings fall on any people you bless, and curses fall on people you curse.” But God told Balaam, “Do not go with them. You are not to curse these people, for they have been blessed!” We could very well get comfortable because we have experienced some type of victory or escaped some form of challenge that we think that the battle is over. Not really. What we see is the product of the finished work and not the events that took place in the secret. The same way we see the output on the computer screen that is a product of requests, the layman would not understand or even know the processes that took place behind the screen for us to get our output. The same way we may have no idea of the events, plots and battles already won for us in the spirit before the manifestations we see in the flesh. Israel had just

Numbers 21:24,30-31,35 But the Israelites slaughtered them with their swords and occupied their land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River. They went only as far as the Ammonite border because the boundary of the Ammonites was fortified. We have utterly destroyed them, from Heshbon to Dibon.  We have completely wiped them out as far away as Nophah and Medeba.” So the people of Israel occupied the territory of the Amorites. And Israel killed King Og, his sons, and all his subjects; not a single survivor remained. Then Israel occupied their land. When the Lord promises He fulfills His part, it is we humans that are fallible, we are not consistent with our promise. Now the opposition territory are being occupied, but it did not just happen, there was first a battle. Numbers 21:23,33 But King Sihon refused to let them cross his territory. Instead, he mobilized his entire army and attacked Israel in the wilderness, engaging them in battle at Jahaz. Then they turned and marched up the roa

Numbers 21:10-11,19-20 The Israelites traveled next to Oboth and camped there. Then they went on to Iye-abarim, in the wilderness on the eastern border of Moab. Nahaliel, and Bamoth. After that they went to the valley in Moab where Pisgah Peak overlooks the wasteland. The Israelites seemed to just keep going round in circles! One of the great things to happen to a believer is to receive direction from the Lord concerning any part of their lives. When the Lord does this, it makes everything easy, no dilly-dallying concerning the issue but surging right ahead with the assurance and power to breakthrough. The Israelites had this type of advantage, the Lord was ready to take them with the same power and zeal to take over the land flowing with milk and honey, but the people chose unbelieve and rebellion. Numbers 14:7-10 They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that

Numbers 21:5-6 and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!” So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. The children of Israel who where delivered from Egypt seemed not to learn from their mistakes. They kept going back to complaining and rebellion. What do we expect? Instant judgment.  We learn from their errors by not becoming complainers. We should be thanksgivers to Him for all the good He does. This is why the apostle wrote: 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. They only needed to go through the inconvenience for a while, then enter the promised land. Their negativity, complaints and rebellion kept them wandering in the wilderness. We cannot afford to make the same mistakes. Instead we should pr

Numbers 21:3 The Lord heard the Israelites’ request and gave them victory over the Canaanites. The Israelites completely destroyed them and their towns, and the place has been called Hormah ever since. When the Lord gives a promise He comes through with it. We could have our shortcomings, make our mistakes or face challenges. When we bring His promises to remembrance the Lord acts on His word. The people of Israel had done evil, they had rebelled against their God again and again, they even had a judgment on their head. Of the generation that left Egypt none will enter the promised land except Caleb and Joshua. However, that did not stop God from arising and giving them victory when they faced attack. Numbers 21:1-3 The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that the Israelites were approaching on the road through Atharim. So he attacked the Israelites and took some of them as prisoners. Then the people of Israel made this vow to the Lord: “If you will hand these people

Numbers 20:28-29 At the summit, Moses removed the priestly garments from Aaron and put them on Eleazar, Aaron’s son. Then Aaron died there on top of the mountain, and Moses and Eleazar went back down. When the people realized that Aaron had died, all Israel mourned for him thirty days. God had said that Aaron and Moses would not enter the promised land because of their disobedience at Meribah Numbers 20:12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!” We saw from our topic two days ago that it was the people's nagging and complain that pushed them to err. Now he has left the scene and they mourned him as if they really appreciated him when he was with them working tirelessly for their welfare. The unsteady nature of humans, makes it difficult to commit yourself fully to anyone, however we have faithful friends. They are rare but when you find one

Numbers 20:14, 17-18 ,21 While Moses was at Kadesh, he sent ambassadors to the king of Edom with this message:“This is what your relatives, the people of Israel, say: You know all the hardships we have been through. Please let us travel through your land. We will be careful not to go through your fields and vineyards. We won’t even drink water from your wells. We will stay on the king’s road and never leave it until we have passed through your territory.” But the king of Edom said, “Stay out of my land, or I will meet you with an army!” Because Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through their country, Israel was forced to turn around. Why would the king of Edom not allow the children of Israel pass through his land? We can begin to understand this when we look at the background of Edom, who were they? Genesis 25:30 Esau said to Jacob, “I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!” (This is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which means “red.”) Genesis 36:1 This is the account

Numbers 20:3-5,11-12 The people blamed Moses and said, “If only we had died in the Lord’s presence with our brothers! Why have you brought the congregation of the lord’s people into this wilderness to die, along with all our livestock? Why did you make us leave Egypt and bring us here to this terrible place? This land has no grain, no figs, no grapes, no pomegranates, and no water to drink!” Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!” We must beware of the people we lead that they do not get us into trouble. Also those who work with us or for us. Including all those under our care. Moses had a record of being compassionate for his people, the children of Israel, however they really did not reciproca