Confessional Lutheran Ministerium

Psalm 119:17-32 NKJV

ג GIMEL

¹⁷ Deal bountifully with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word.
¹⁸ Open my eyes, that I may see
Wondrous things from Your law.
¹⁹ I am a stranger in the earth;
Do not hide Your commandments from me.
²⁰ My soul breaks with longing
For Your judgments at all times.
²¹ You rebuke the proud—the cursed,
Who stray from Your commandments.
²² Remove from me reproach and contempt,
For I have kept Your testimonies.
²³ Princes also sit and speak against me,
But Your servant meditates on Your statutes.
²⁴ Your testimonies also are my delight
And my counselors.

ד DALETH

²⁵ My soul clings to the dust;
Revive me according to Your word.
²⁶ I have declared my ways, and You answered me;
Teach me Your statutes.
²⁷ Make me understand the way of Your precepts;
So shall I meditate on Your wonderful works.
²⁸ My soul melts from heaviness;
Strengthen me according to Your word.
²⁹ Remove from me the way of lying,
And grant me Your law graciously.
³⁰ I have chosen the way of truth;
Your judgments I have laid before me.
³¹ I cling to Your testimonies;
O Lord, do not put me to shame!
³² I will run the course of Your commandments,
For You shall enlarge my heart.

“Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word” (17). Why does the psalmist ask God to deal bountifully with him? So that he might live. He recognizes that if God does not deal bountifully with him—graciously forgiving his sins and looking upon him in favor—he does not have true life. Yet if God rescues him from the guilt of his sins and all that he, by his sins, deserve, then he will live. Even while his soul clings to the dust amid his affliction, he will live because he clings to God’s testimonies.

 The psalmist wants to live, not for himself, but to keep God’s word. This is the new man—the man whom God raises up from the death of sins with a renewed mind, heart, and will. Vivified by God’s word of forgiveness, the new man meditates on God’s statutes, even delighting in them (23, 24). God’s law—which is simply God’s eternal will—becomes the path set out for the forgiven and renewed psalmist. He will run the course of God’s commandments with the heart full of love for God who has revived him (32).

Because he wants to live by God’s word, the psalmist prays that God would make him know His word more. “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law” (18). “Make me understand the way of Your precepts; so shall I meditate on Your wonderful works” (27). The psalmist desires to grow in his understanding, not for the sake of knowledge alone, but so that he might align his life—his thoughts, his words, and his actions—with God’s will.

Like the psalmist, we know that true life—eternal life—is ours because God deals bountifully with us. He revives us by His word of promise, forgiving our sins and looking upon us with His favor and blessing. Being forgiven of our sins and justified by faith, we also want to grow in our understanding of God’s word—to see wondrous things from His law—so that we might align our lives increasingly with God’s will.

Let us pray: We give you thanks, O Lord, for dealing bountifully with us and reviving us by Your word. Keep us near Your word, the source of life, each day. Amen.

118 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.

² Let Israel now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
³ Let the house of Aaron now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
⁴ Let those who fear the Lord now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”

⁵ I called on the Lord in distress;
The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
⁶ The Lord is on my side;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
⁷ The Lord is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
⁸ It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in man.
⁹ It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in princes.

¹⁰ All nations surrounded me,
But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
¹¹ They surrounded me,
Yes, they surrounded me;
But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
¹² They surrounded me like bees;
They were quenched like a fire of thorns;
For in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
¹³ You pushed me violently, that I might fall,
But the Lord helped me.
¹⁴ The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” So begins the psalm, and so the people are called to respond—not with vague feelings, but with confident voices. Let Israel say it. Let the house of Aaron say it. Let all who fear the Lord say it. This isn’t just a call to remember God’s mercy—it’s a command to proclaim it, again and again.

The psalmist doesn’t offer a polished life or trouble-free record. Quite the opposite. He speaks of distress, of being surrounded by enemies, of feeling pushed and pressed on every side. But every moment of fear is matched with a testimony of deliverance: “I called on the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.”

God’s mercy isn’t proven by the absence of danger. It’s seen in His faithfulness through it. When the battle closes in, when friends fall away, when strength runs low—the mercy of the Lord remains. His love is not fragile. His promises do not change with the wind. “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Those are not the words of pride, but of peace—peace that comes from knowing whose hand holds your life.

In the center of the psalm is a sharp contrast between trusting in man and trusting in God. Princes may rise and fall. Human strength may shine for a while, but it burns out fast. The name of the Lord endures. And in His name, the psalmist found courage to stand, to speak, and to sing: “The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.”

This is not just history. This is your story, too. The same God who delivered the psalmist delivers you. The same mercy that carried Israel through battle and exile and return now holds you in Christ. He has heard your cries. He has answered. And His mercy endures—not for a moment, not for a season, but forever.

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, teach us to trust You more than ourselves and to thank You not only in peace but also in battle—for Your mercy endures forever. Amen.

Each Day in the Word, Saturday, May 17, 2025 Psalm 118:1-14 NKJV

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” So begins the psalm, and so the people are called to respond—not with vague feelings, but with confident voices. Let Israel say it. Let the house of Aaron say it. Let all who fear the Lord say it. This isn’t just a call to remember God’s mercy—it’s a command to proclaim it, again and again.

The psalmist doesn’t offer a polished life or trouble-free record. Quite the opposite. He speaks of distress, of being surrounded by enemies, of feeling pushed and pressed on every side. But every moment of fear is matched with a testimony of deliverance: “I called on the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.”

God’s mercy isn’t proven by the absence of danger. It’s seen in His faithfulness through it. When the battle closes in, when friends fall away, when strength runs low—the mercy of the Lord remains. His love is not fragile. His promises do not change with the wind. “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Those are not the words of pride, but of peace—peace that comes from knowing whose hand holds your life.

In the center of the psalm is a sharp contrast between trusting in man and trusting in God. Princes may rise and fall. Human strength may shine for a while, but it burns out fast. The name of the Lord endures. And in His name, the psalmist found courage to stand, to speak, and to sing: “The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.”

This is not just history. This is your story, too. The same God who delivered the psalmist delivers you. The same mercy that carried Israel through battle and exile and return now holds you in Christ. He has heard your cries. He has answered. And His mercy endures—not for a moment, not for a season, but forever.

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, teach us to trust You more than ourselves and to thank You not only in peace but also in battle—for Your mercy endures forever. Amen.

Numbers 33:29-56 NKJV

²⁹ They went from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah. ³⁰ They departed from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth. ³¹ They departed from Moseroth and camped at Bene Jaakan. ³² They moved from Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Hagidgad. ³³ They went from Hor Hagidgad and camped at Jotbathah. ³⁴ They moved from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. ³⁵ They departed from Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber. ³⁶ They moved from Ezion Geber and camped in the Wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh. ³⁷ They moved from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the boundary of the land of Edom.

³⁸ Then Aaron the priest went up to Mount Hor at the command of the Lord, and died there in the fortieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month. ³⁹ Aaron was one hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.

⁴⁰ Now the king of Arad, the Canaanite, who dwelt in the South in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel.

⁴¹ So they departed from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. ⁴² They departed from Zalmonah and camped at Punon. ⁴³ They departed from Punon and camped at Oboth. ⁴⁴ They departed from Oboth and camped at Ije Abarim, at the border of Moab. ⁴⁵ They departed from Ijim and camped at Dibon Gad. ⁴⁶ They moved from Dibon Gad and camped at Almon Diblathaim. ⁴⁷ They moved from Almon Diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo. ⁴⁸ They departed from the mountains of Abarim and camped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho. ⁴⁹ They camped by the Jordan, from Beth Jesimoth as far as the Abel Acacia Grove in the plains of Moab.

⁵⁰ Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho, saying, ⁵¹ “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan, ⁵² then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their engraved stones, destroy all their molded images, and demolish all their high places; ⁵³ you shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land and dwell in it, for I have given you the land to possess. ⁵⁴ And you shall divide the land by lot as an inheritance among your families; to the larger you shall give a larger inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give a smaller inheritance; there everyone’s inheritance shall be whatever falls to him by lot. You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers. ⁵⁵ But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell. ⁵⁶ Moreover it shall be that I will do to you as I thought to do to them.’ ”

The people of Israel stood on the edge of promise. The wilderness was behind them, and the land ahead was theirs to receive. But with the inheritance came a command—a warning, too. The Lord told them clearly: when you enter the land, you must drive out all its inhabitants. Tear down their carved images. Destroy their high places. Do not let anything remain that would tempt you or lead your hearts away.

This was not about cruelty. It was about holiness. The land was not neutral. It was filled with idols, with practices that offended the Lord, with nations who did not fear Him. If the people allowed these things to stay, they would become thorns in their sides and trouble in their eyes. Left alone, sin does not grow quiet. It grows stronger.

The Lord was not calling His people to mere settlement. He was calling them to obedience. The land was a gift—but the life within it had to reflect the Giver. Holiness would require hard choices, uncomfortable actions, and clear lines. They could not cling to God with one hand and keep their favorite idols with the other.

The same is true for us. When the Lord brings us into His promises—when He forgives, restores, and gives new life in Christ—He also calls us to leave the old things behind. Sin does not quietly coexist with faith. It waits for a foothold. What we tolerate today may rule us tomorrow.

Jesus died to deliver us, not just from guilt, but from slavery to sin. He rose to give us a new way of living. And while the battle for holiness is not won by our strength, it is fought with real choices. We do not earn our place in the kingdom—but once we belong to Him, we cannot live like we belong somewhere else.

What sins have been left standing? What idols remain in the corners? The Lord is patient, but He is also clear: if you do not drive them out, they will not go away on their own. Let us pray: Lord, help us not to make peace with sin, but to trust You enough to leave it behind and walk in the life You have given us. Amen.

Numbers 33:1-28 NKJV

33 These are the journeys of the children of Israel, who went out of the land of Egypt by their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron. ² Now Moses wrote down the starting points of their journeys at the command of the Lord. And these are their journeys according to their starting points:

³ They departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the day after the Passover the children of Israel went out with boldness in the sight of all the Egyptians. ⁴ For the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, whom the Lord had killed among them. Also on their gods the Lord had executed judgments.

⁵ Then the children of Israel moved from Rameses and camped at Succoth. ⁶ They departed from Succoth and camped at Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness. ⁷ They moved from Etham and turned back to Pi Hahiroth, which is east of Baal Zephon; and they camped near Migdol. ⁸ They departed from before Hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, went three days’ journey in the Wilderness of Etham, and camped at Marah. ⁹ They moved from Marah and came to Elim. At Elim were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there.

¹⁰ They moved from Elim and camped by the Red Sea. ¹¹ They moved from the Red Sea and camped in the Wilderness of Sin. ¹² They journeyed from the Wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah. ¹³ They departed from Dophkah and camped at Alush. ¹⁴ They moved from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.

¹⁵ They departed from Rephidim and camped in the Wilderness of Sinai. ¹⁶ They moved from the Wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth Hattaavah. ¹⁷ They departed from Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. ¹⁸ They departed from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah. ¹⁹ They departed from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perez. ²⁰ They departed from Rimmon Perez and camped at Libnah. ²¹ They moved from Libnah and camped at Rissah. ²² They journeyed from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah. ²³ They went from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher. ²⁴ They moved from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah. ²⁵ They moved from Haradah and camped at Makheloth. ²⁶ They moved from Makheloth and camped at Tahath. ²⁷ They departed from Tahath and camped at Terah. ²⁸ They moved from Terah and camped at Mithkah.

The journey of Israel from Egypt to the edge of Canaan was not a straight line. It wound through deserts, across wildernesses, past enemies, and around obstacles. In Numbers 33, Moses records the steps. One by one, each campsite is named. From Rameses to Mount Hor, the list reads like a map of memory—forty years of movement under the hand of God.

It might seem like a dry list at first glance, but it is far from meaningless. Every place marked a lesson. Some were places of rebellion, others of mercy. Some brought water from the rock; others revealed the bitter fruit of sin. But through them all, the Lord led. “At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they journeyed.” Israel did not wander alone.

This passage reminds us that God does not waste time or steps. Even in the long delays, even in the places they would rather forget, He was present. His cloud moved ahead of them, and His promise never failed. Though the people were often unfaithful, the Lord was not. He led them out, and He would lead them in.

Our lives may not be recorded in such lists, but we all have our own “campsites”—moments and seasons that mark the road we’ve traveled. Some are joyful. Some are hard. Some we look back on with gratitude, and others with regret. But if we belong to the Lord, none of them are wasted. He is not only the God of the destination; He is also the God of the journey.

Looking back can strengthen our faith. We remember how far He’s brought us. We see the mercy we once missed. And we learn again to trust that the same God who led us through the wilderness will keep guiding us until we reach our eternal home.

The Lord knew every place Israel stopped. He knows every step of your life, too. And if you are in Christ, He walks with you, from first breath to final rest—and beyond. Let us pray: Lord, thank You for leading us, even when we do not understand the path. Help us trust You with every step and remember Your faithfulness in every place. Amen.

Numbers 32:25-42 NKJV

²⁵ And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying: “Your servants will do as my lord commands. ²⁶ Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock will be there in the cities of Gilead; ²⁷ but your servants will cross over, every man armed for war, before the Lord to battle, just as my lord says.”

²⁸ So Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel. ²⁹ And Moses said to them: “If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben cross over the Jordan with you, every man armed for battle before the Lord, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead as a possession. ³⁰ But if they do not cross over armed with you, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.”

³¹ Then the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying: “As the Lord has said to your servants, so we will do. ³² We will cross over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, but the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us on this side of the Jordan.”

³³ So Moses gave to the children of Gad, to the children of Reuben, and to half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land with its cities within the borders, the cities of the surrounding country. ³⁴ And the children of Gad built Dibon and Ataroth and Aroer, ³⁵ Atroth and Shophan and Jazer and Jogbehah, ³⁶ Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran, fortified cities, and folds for sheep. ³⁷ And the children of Reuben built Heshbon and Elealeh and Kirjathaim, ³⁸ Nebo and Baal Meon (their names being changed) and Shibmah; and they gave other names to the cities which they built.

³⁹ And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it. ⁴⁰ So Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he dwelt in it. ⁴¹ Also Jair the son of Manasseh went and took its small towns, and called them Havoth Jair. ⁴² Then Nobah went and took Kenath and its villages, and he called it Nobah, after his own name.

The tribes of Reuben and Gad gave their word to Moses. They would cross the Jordan armed and ready. They would fight alongside their brothers until the Lord gave all His people rest. Then, and only then, would they return to the land they had chosen east of the river. Their promise was clear: “Whatever the Lord has said to your servants, we will do.”

Faithfulness is not just a matter of good intentions. It’s the keeping of a word, even when it costs something. These tribes would be away from their homes, apart from their families, in the thick of battles that were not directly for their own land. But the unity of God’s people mattered more than personal gain or immediate comfort. Their inheritance could wait. Obedience could not.

When the battles were over, they kept their word. They returned east and settled the towns they had pledged to rebuild. The cities are listed by name—towns once destroyed or abandoned, now made whole again. And each one tells a quiet story of restoration and responsibility. These were not grand monuments of pride, but shelters for families, places for herds, and signs that promises kept still matter to God.

We live in a time when vows are often broken and words are easily discarded. But God is not like that. He keeps His promises—every one of them. He sent His Son, not because we were faithful, but because He is. Jesus went all the way to the cross to secure an inheritance for us—not in this life, but in the life to come. And while we wait, He calls us to live as His people: steady, trustworthy, and committed to one another.

Our words should mean something. Our faith should be visible not just in what we say, but in what we finish. The land of promise lies ahead. There is still work to do. But as we go, we go together—not for our own comfort, but for the good of all the Lord has called.

Let us pray: Faithful God, make us people who keep our word, who serve with joy, and who finish the work You’ve given us to do. Amen.

Numbers 32:1-24 NKJV 32 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock; and when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that indeed the region was a place for livestock, ² the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, ³ “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Shebam, Nebo, and Beon, ⁴ the country which the Lord defeated before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” ⁵ Therefore they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan.”

⁶ And Moses said to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben: “Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here? ⁷ Now why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord has given them? ⁸ Thus your fathers did when I sent them away from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. ⁹ For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, so that they did not go into the land which the Lord had given them. ¹⁰ So the Lord’s anger was aroused on that day, and He swore an oath, saying, ¹¹ ‘Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me, ¹² except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord.’ ¹³ So the Lord’s anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone. ¹⁴ And look! You have risen in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the Lord against Israel. ¹⁵ For if you turn away from following Him, He will once again leave them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all these people.”

¹⁶ Then they came near to him and said: “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones, ¹⁷ but we ourselves will be armed, ready to go before the children of Israel until we have brought them to their place; and our little ones will dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. ¹⁸ We will not return to our homes until every one of the children of Israel has received his inheritance. ¹⁹ For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has fallen to us on this eastern side of the Jordan.”

²⁰ Then Moses said to them: “If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before the Lord for the war, ²¹ and all your armed men cross over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven out His enemies from before Him, ²² and the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward you may return and be blameless before the Lord and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the Lord. ²³ But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out. ²⁴ Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what has proceeded out of your mouth.

The land east of the Jordan was rich and wide, perfect for livestock. The tribes of Reuben and Gad saw it and asked to settle there instead of crossing the river into Canaan. On the surface, it seemed like a practical request. But Moses heard something deeper—a risk of history repeating itself.

Years earlier, Israel had refused to enter the promised land because of fear and unbelief. That rebellion led to forty years of wandering. Now, as they stood on the threshold again, Moses saw the danger of delay and division. “Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here?” he asked. Comfort and convenience were no excuse to abandon the mission God had given to the whole people.

To their credit, the tribes responded with a vow. They would not forsake their brothers. They would build pens for their flocks and cities for their families—but they would also cross the Jordan, armed for battle, ready to help secure the land for all of Israel. Only after the Lord had given rest to the others would they return to their own inheritance.

This account is more than a lesson in military cooperation. It speaks to the heart of Christian life: we are not saved into isolation. We are called into a body, and no part of the body can say to another, “I have no need of you.” When some are struggling, others must stand with them. When some are weary, others must carry the load. Faith does not retreat into personal comfort while others strive and suffer.

There are times when God gives a season of rest or a place of blessing—but these are never meant to become excuses for detachment. The question Moses asked still matters: “Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here?” The Christian life is not a private pasture. It’s a pilgrimage—and a battle—shared with others. As the men of Reuben and Gad kept their promise, may we also be found faithful—ready to serve, ready to walk alongside, and willing to bear the burdens of others, even when our own needs feel met. Let us pray: Lord, keep us from selfish rest when others are still striving. Make us faithful in our promises and strong to serve where You lead. Amen.

Numbers 31:1-24 NKJV

31 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ² “Take vengeance on the Midianites for the children of Israel. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.”

³ So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm some of yourselves for war, and let them go against the Midianites to take vengeance for the Lord on Midian. ⁴ A thousand from each tribe of all the tribes of Israel you shall send to the war.”

⁵ So there were recruited from the divisions of Israel one thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. ⁶ Then Moses sent them to the war, one thousand from each tribe; he sent them to the war with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the holy articles and the signal trumpets in his hand. ⁷ And they warred against the Midianites, just as the Lord commanded Moses, and they killed all the males. ⁸ They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of those who were killed—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. Balaam the son of Beor they also killed with the sword.

⁹ And the children of Israel took the women of Midian captive, with their little ones, and took as spoil all their cattle, all their flocks, and all their goods. ¹⁰ They also burned with fire all the cities where they dwelt, and all their forts. ¹¹ And they took all the spoil and all the booty—of man and beast.

¹² Then they brought the captives, the booty, and the spoil to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho. ¹³ And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation, went to meet them outside the camp. ¹⁴ But Moses was angry with the officers of the army, with the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, who had come from the battle.

¹⁵ And Moses said to them: “Have you kept all the women alive? ¹⁶ Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord. ¹⁷ Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately. ¹⁸ But keep alive for yourselves all the young girls who have not known a man intimately. ¹⁹ And as for you, remain outside the camp seven days; whoever has killed any person, and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day. ²⁰ Purify every garment, everything made of leather, everything woven of goats’ hair, and everything made of wood.”

²¹ Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to the battle, “This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord commanded Moses: ²² Only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, ²³ everything that can endure fire, you shall put through the fire, and it shall be clean; and it shall be purified with the water of purification. But all that cannot endure fire you shall put through water. ²⁴ And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean, and afterward you may come into the camp.”

In one of the final events of Moses’ leadership, the Lord commanded a battle against Midian, a nation that had led Israel into sin through deceit and idolatry. What followed was not only a military campaign, but a spiritual reckoning. Israel’s warriors returned victorious, but they brought back reminders of a past failure—a compromise with evil that had once drawn God’s fierce anger. Moses was not pleased. Neither was the Lord. The point of this confrontation was not just to win a battle, but to remove the temptation and pollution that Midian had introduced. The people were being called back to holiness, back to a life set apart. And even in the aftermath, there was still a need for cleansing—not just in body, but in purpose.

So the men were instructed to remain outside the camp for seven days. Every garment, every item of leather, every object of goat hair or wood, and every person who had come into contact with the dead had to be purified. God’s camp was holy. His presence dwelled among His people. And nothing unclean could remain.

This cleansing was not merely about hygiene or ritual. It was about identity. God’s people were not to look like the nations around them. They were not to carry sin lightly or forget the damage it does. Their victories were not their own, and their strength was not the point. Obedience was. Faithfulness was. Holiness was.

We are not under the same purification laws today, but we are called to the same God. His holiness has not changed. He still desires His people to be clean—not outwardly, but inwardly, washed by the blood of Jesus and renewed by the Holy Spirit. Victory over sin, when granted, is not a time to boast, but a time to give thanks and stay watchful. The Christian life is not a trophy room. It’s a walk through a world that still tempts and stains. And so we keep returning to the cleansing water of God’s Word, and the mercy of Christ, who makes us fit for His presence.

Let us pray: Cleanse us, O Lord, from all that defiles, and keep us faithful in heart and life, that we may walk in Your holy presence each day. Amen.

Psalm 116:15-19 NKJV

¹⁵ Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His saints.

¹⁶ O Lord, truly I am Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
You have loosed my bonds.
¹⁷ I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the Lord.

¹⁸ I will pay my vows to the Lord
Now in the presence of all His people,
¹⁹ In the courts of the Lord’s house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.

God does not treat the death of His people as ordinary. To Him, it is precious.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord

Is the death of His saints.

O Lord, truly I am Your servant;

I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;

You have loosed my bonds.” (Ps 116:15-16)

The world tends to avoid the subject of death altogether—treating it as a failure, a tragedy, or something to fear. But the Lord, who knows the names of His people and numbers the hairs on their heads, does not flinch at death. He does not forget His saints when they fall asleep. Instead, He calls it precious.

That is not because death itself is beautiful. It’s not. Death is an enemy, the wages of sin, and a thief of breath and strength. But in Christ, death has lost its sting. The grave cannot hold the Lord’s redeemed. When a believer dies, it is not a defeat—it is a homecoming. The Shepherd who walked with them through every shadow now carries them through the valley and brings them to rest. The Lord sees the end of their earthly life as the beginning of their eternal joy.

That’s why the psalmist responds not with despair, but with thanksgiving. God had delivered him from bondage. He had heard his cries and saved his life. And even if death were still ahead, the psalmist’s heart was set on giving thanks in God’s house and calling on His name. His words echo into every sanctuary and every funeral service where God’s people gather: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”

The Lord Jesus Christ laid down His life and rose again, so that those who trust in Him might die in peace and rise in glory. Their lives are precious to Him. Their deaths are not forgotten. And their voices will join with all the redeemed in the courts of the Lord, forever. Let us pray: Lord, teach us to trust You in life and in death, and to give thanks in all things, knowing that we are Yours forever. Amen.

Psalm 109:17-31 NKJV

¹⁷ As he loved cursing, so let it come to him;
As he did not delight in blessing, so let it be far from him.
¹⁸ As he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment,
So let it enter his body like water,
And like oil into his bones.
¹⁹ Let it be to him like the garment which covers him,
And for a belt with which he girds himself continually.
²⁰ Let this be the Lord’s reward to my accusers,
And to those who speak evil against my person.

²¹ But You, O God the Lord,
Deal with me for Your name’s sake;
Because Your mercy is good, deliver me.
²² For I am poor and needy,
And my heart is wounded within me.
²³ I am gone like a shadow when it lengthens;
I am shaken off like a locust.
²⁴ My knees are weak through fasting,
And my flesh is feeble from lack of fatness.
²⁵ I also have become a reproach to them;
When they look at me, they shake their heads.

²⁶ Help me, O Lord my God!
Oh, save me according to Your mercy,
²⁷ That they may know that this is Your hand—
That You, Lord, have done it!
²⁸ Let them curse, but You bless;
When they arise, let them be ashamed,
But let Your servant rejoice.
²⁹ Let my accusers be clothed with shame,
And let them cover themselves with their own disgrace as with a mantle.

³⁰ I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth;
Yes, I will praise Him among the multitude.
³¹ For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor,
To save him from those who condemn him.

Today we finish the imprecatory Psalm with a prayer for deliverance and with a confession of hope in the Lord.

Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you” (Matt. 7:1-2). David, the author of Psalm 109, had been judged falsely and harshly by his enemies. He is praying in this Psalm that the Lord would do the very thing Jesus said the Lord would do: that He would measure back to the wicked the same wickedness they had displayed toward David.

But after seeking the Lord’s vengeance against his accusers, David then seeks the Lord’s deliverance for himself, not because he deserves it, but only because the Lord is good and merciful. Instead of wallowing in his anger toward the wicked, David pours out his wounded heart to the Lord. He recounts the evils he has suffered, knowing that the Lord will hear with compassion.

As in the first half of this Psalm, it is ultimately the Messiah Himself who prays this prayer from the cross. The Father allowed His Son to suffer for a while at the hands of wicked men. But the Father also heard His Son’s prayer for deliverance. His death was not defeat. His enemies hadn’t won. The Christ would be raised victorious over those who had accused and condemned Him. And so the Lord Jesus suffered in hope, knowing that God would not abandon Him or allow His impenitent accusers to go unpunished.

So let people curse you! God’s blessing means far more than their cursing. Let people accuse you falsely! Yes, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:11-12). As for you, hope in the Lord and praise Him, too, “For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those who condemn him” (v.31).

Let us pray: I will greatly praise You, O Lord, with my mouth. Yes, I will praise You among the multitude, for when men condemn me, I know that You will save me. Amen.

Numbers 30:1-16 NKJV

30 Then Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: ² If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

³ “Or if a woman makes a vow to the Lord, and binds herself by some agreement while in her father’s house in her youth, ⁴ and her father hears her vow and the agreement by which she has bound herself, and her father holds his peace, then all her vows shall stand, and every agreement with which she has bound herself shall stand. ⁵ But if her father overrules her on the day that he hears, then none of her vows nor her agreements by which she has bound herself shall stand; and the Lord will release her, because her father overruled her.

⁶ “If indeed she takes a husband, while bound by her vows or by a rash utterance from her lips by which she bound herself, ⁷ and her husband hears it, and makes no response to her on the day that he hears, then her vows shall stand, and her agreements by which she bound herself shall stand. ⁸ But if her husband overrules her on the day that he hears it, he shall make void her vow which she took and what she uttered with her lips, by which she bound herself, and the Lord will release her.

⁹ “Also any vow of a widow or a divorced woman, by which she has bound herself, shall stand against her.

¹⁰ “If she vowed in her husband’s house, or bound herself by an agreement with an oath, ¹¹ and her husband heard it, and made no response to her and did not overrule her, then all her vows shall stand, and every agreement by which she bound herself shall stand. ¹² But if her husband truly made them void on the day he heard them, then whatever proceeded from her lips concerning her vows or concerning the agreement binding her, it shall not stand; her husband has made them void, and the Lord will release her. ¹³ Every vow and every binding oath to afflict her soul, her husband may confirm it, or her husband may make it void. ¹⁴ Now if her husband makes no response whatever to her from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or all the agreements that bind her; he confirms them, because he made no response to her on the day that he heard them. ¹⁵ But if he does make them void after he has heard them, then he shall bear her guilt.”

¹⁶ These are the statutes which the Lord commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, and between a father and his daughter in her youth in her father’s house.

Moses has already given the Israelites instructions concerning vows. They usually involved the solemn pledge to give up something in return for the Lord’s help. The Lord took such promises very seriously, in part, because the Israelites were to imitate Him. Just as the Lord’s promises and agreements were entirely dependable, so were the promises of His people to be.

But in today’s reading, Moses speaks of an exception. Women, young or old, could make vows. But a woman’s vow could be overruled by her father (while living in her father’s house) or by her husband, as long as the father or husband did so right away, as soon as he heard about the vow. Otherwise, if he said nothing at first, then God viewed his silence as a confirmation of the vow, and He would hold the woman to it.

This is one of many examples in the Law of Moses of what St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, that the women in the churches “are to be submissive, as the law also says” (1 Cor. 14:34). There is no single commandment that says this in the Law. Rather, it is something that the Law teaches through sayings like the one in today’s reading. From the beginning, God’s design for His creation was for the man to serve as the head of his family—of his wife, but also of his sons and daughters while they lived with him. Nevertheless, as we learn in today’s reading, the father’s authority over his daughters was more extensive than his authority over his sons. And with that authority came also the loving responsibility to keep his daughter (or his wife) from fulfilling a rash vow that could be detrimental to her or to the rest of the family, whereas the sons were on their own and required to keep whatever vows they made.

The world has always abused the distinct roles God gave to men and to women, but at least it used to recognize God’s basic design. Now it has all but abandoned it. Christians do well to study the word of God, including the Law of Moses, so that, instead of being conformed to this world, we may be transformed by the renewing of our minds, so that, in this area also, we may “discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2, ESV). Let us pray: O Father in heaven, help Your children, both men and women, to submit to all Your teachings. Amen.