– Secret Place Insights –
Dear One, I knew ahead of time that I would be home alone midmorning, so I planned my quiet time for then. The summer morning was perfect, the temperature, the sunshine, and the window breezes; all were luxuriant.
I had been reading, just one paragraph a day, about the offerings to be made to the Lord for the dedication of the Tabernacle, Numbers 7:10-89. Each day, for twelve days, one of Israel’s twelve tribal leaders was appointed by God to present the offering. Each offering was exacting, and identical, but I read everyone carefully, considering all I could find to consider, even trying to memorize portions of it. For on this read through the Bible I wanted to consider it more carefully than I had before. For I thought that God must have repeated the nearly same paragraph twelve times for a good reason, and that perhaps in hovering over it, I might better understand the God we serve.
So far, I have been in awe of everything I have learned about God, yes, even His judgments. For He is perfect, He is God, and we are not. His wisdom far surpasses ours. And let’s be grateful for that, for I think we all find, at some point, that we are not as smart as we once thought we were.
That lovely morning, I was on the twelfth offering to be made by Ahira son of Enan, the leader of the people of Naphtali. Before I began to read, I stopped to reflect upon the event. And there it was, the penetrating results of taking twelve days to cover twelve offerings, as did the Israelites. It seemed that I, for a moment, almost stood among the worshippers, and felt the excitement of the tribal leaders and all the Israelites. For, finally, after eleven days of extravagant giving, the twelfth leader of the tribes would be giving the last of that particular offering. A sense of awe filled my soul.
As best I could, I sat back and imagined, then read the next paragraph on the cumulative amounts. Astounding. Finally I moved on to the last paragraph, verse 89, “When Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the Testimony. And he spoke with him.” And so ended the seventh chapter.
God spoke with his servant Moses. I doubt that Moses was surprised. God had spoken to him often throughout his life.
I hear it said, “God no longer speaks to people.” When I hear this, I just shake my head. This very day, at a Bible study in our home, a woman shared how decades ago when she was watching a soap opera, a voice said, “Change the station.” She could not imagine what had just happened, but not wanting to miss her program, she ignored it. Then in a louder voice she heard, “Turn the station now.” And she did. There she found a pastor asking listeners to accept Jesus Christ as LORD. And she did. That was decades ago, and she still teared up when she spoke of it this morning.
Granted, it appears that God, for the most part, speaks through the Holy Spirit, but He can speak however He wants to, and whenever He wants to – He is God.
I sat for awhile thinking about what a faithful servant Moses had been. Oh, I know. He wasn’t perfect. No, he wasn’t, but doesn’t that give us hope that we can be used by God as well? Then I pictured Moses recording all that God had told him. That could not have been easy…dictating or printing all of God’s instructions to scrolls. And when Moses was recording the same paragraph twelve times, did he think, LORD, isn’t this a bit unnecessary? I think not. For he had been in the Presence of God.
My thoughts moved from then to now. The sacrifices listed in Numbers are no longer necessary for believers today. For Christ, through the generosity of both God the Father, and Himself, offered to Man the last and most extravagant and most compassionate of all sacrifices, how unfathomably generous. Perfect God allowed His Perfect Son to die as payment for our sins. So now, in our very own homes we can sit in His Presence guided through the Scriptures by the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit. How blessed we are.
Before moving on to where I left off in Psalms, I did peek at the next few lines. It was about how God directed the lamps to be set on the lampstand. If God had such detailed plans for lamps, just imagine the plans He must have for us? Oh, that we would fully grow in the likeness of Christ for our life purpose and God’s Glory.
“ “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give
you hope and a future.” ” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
Blessings for another week,
Susanne
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