Thursday, December 2, 2010
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jeremiah 31-33 and Philemon
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jeremiah 31-33 and Philemon
SCRIPTURE READING
Numbers 24:17, 19 (NIV); I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel… A ruler will come out of Jacob…
Thirteen hundred years before the birth of Christ, Balaam blessed Israel with these words. Thirteen hundred years! God is not a con-artist. He doesn’t sneak around, trying to trick us OUT of a relationship with Him! He desires to draw us NEAR. He desires people to enter into relationship with Him. For those who say, “If only God would SHOW Himself to me, THEN I would believe” He says “I HAVE!” God has been showing Himself and giving foretastes and prophesies of His plans since the Garden of Eden, and Balaam was only one example. He told Israel that in the faraway future, a “star”, a “scepter”, a “ruler” would come out of the tribe of Jacob. These words – along with those of Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc – would be a signpost for the people pointing to their Redeemer, the Christ.
The book of Malachi depicts an ungrateful people, blind to the love and glory of their God: “‘I have loved you,’ says the LORD. But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’” (See Mal. 1:2) The people, whom God had spared time and again, had the audacity to ask God “How have you loved us?”! We must open our eyes to the signposts and affection of God and cling to His truths and submit to Him.
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. Meditate on the verses in Numbers. Take a moment to think about how God revealed these words 1300 years before Christ! How does this make you feel?
2. Meditate on these words: star, scepter and ruler. How Did Jesus fulfill each of these?
3. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal if you have spoken/acted impudently (disrespectfully) towards God. Why? What were you upset about? Take time to confess. What is God’s response to your treatment towards Him? Ask Him to show you the truth about how He has been present in the midst of your situation.
4. Thank God for the signs that He has given His people throughout history and today. Thank Him for the signs of His promises that He has given you in your life.
