Confessional Lutheran Ministerium

Numbers 13:1-16 NKJV

13 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.”

³ So Moses sent them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel. ⁴ Now these were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur; ⁵ from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; ⁶ from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh; ⁷ from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph; ⁸ from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun; ⁹ from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; ¹⁰ from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; ¹¹ from the tribe of Joseph, that is, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi; ¹² from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; ¹³ from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael; ¹⁴ from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi; ¹⁵ from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.

¹⁶ These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.

Spying out the land of Canaan was an important task because it would serve as an encouragement to the people of Israel that the land was, in fact, good. For such an important task, the Lord has each of the twelve tribes of Israel send a leader to spy out the land. Of the twelve men sent to spy out the land of Canaan, we recognize only two of the men, Caleb and Hoshea, whom Moses called Joshua (16). The other ten spies are not mentioned again by name because of their faithlessness and unbelief by which they led Israel to sin.

Hoshea means “salvation” and Joshua means “the Lord is salvation.” We don’t know for certain when Moses gave Hoshea this new name. It may have been when he came into Moses’ service. It may have been in Exodus 17 when he defeated the Amalekites, his new name being a sign to remind Israel that it is the Lord who saves, and not they themselves. Hoshea’s new name will serve as a constant reminder of this fact as he leads Israel into the Promised land to defeat the Canaanites and possess the land the Lord was giving to Israel.

In name and deed, Joshua is a type, or prefiguring, of our Lord Jesus. In name, because Joshua and Jesus are the same name in Greek; in deed, because Jesus leads those who believe in Him out of the wilderness of this life to the promised land of everlasting life with the Triune God. Like Joshua, Jesus defeats the enemies that would hinder us from entering and enjoying everlasting life—our sins, the punishment we deserve, and the temptations and accusations of the devil. Jesus leads us into a far better Promised Land than the land of Canaan. Israel still had enemies all around her, and even within her borders. The Promised Land wo which the greater Joshua—Jesus—brings us is one in which our enemies of sin, death, and the devil, are no more. In the Promised Land of everlasting life, we will have complete rest from all our labors. Not only does His name remind us that the Lord is salvation, but He is also the Lord who brings us salvation.

Let us pray: O Lord, teach us to treasure your name since it teaches us that You came into this world to save Your people from their sins and lead them into eternal life. Amen.

Numbers 12:1-16 NKJV

12 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. ² So they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it. ³ (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.)

⁴ Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!” So the three came out. ⁵ Then the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. ⁶ Then He said,

“Hear now My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision;
I speak to him in a dream.
⁷ Not so with My servant Moses;
He is faithful in all My house.
⁸ I speak with him face to face,
Even plainly, and not in dark sayings;
And he sees the form of the Lord.
Why then were you not afraid
To speak against My servant Moses?”

⁹ So the anger of the Lord was aroused against them, and He departed. ¹⁰ And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper. ¹¹ So Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. ¹² Please do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb!”

¹³ So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “Please heal her, O God, I pray!”

¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again.” ¹⁵ So Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again. ¹⁶ And afterward the people moved from Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran.

“Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth” (3). It is tempting to read Moses’ words about himself as self-praise and unbecoming of the man called to the high office of lawgiver for God’s people. But it is precisely because of His high calling that the Holy Spirit inspired Moses to write this about himself. He was humble in that he had not sought this office. He was humble also in that when he was attacked, reviled, and rejected by Israel, he waited on the Lord and wanted peace. The word translated “humble” here is also translated as “meek” in Psalm Ps 37, “Those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. . . The meek shall inherit the earth And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace” (9, 11). To be humble (meek) is to wait on the Lord for His deliverance so that one doesn’t seek out unnecessary conflict with others.

Moses shows this meekness when his brother—whom God had called to be high priest—and sister—whom God honored with the title “prophetess”—speak against him. Not content with the vocations God had given them, they speak against Moses, using the fact that he had married an Ethiopian woman as a pretext for their real complaint, “Has He not spoken through us also?” They wanted to share Moses’ office. God comes to Moses’ aid and punishes Miriam with leprosy. (Aaron would be barred from his high priestly duties if he was punished with leprosy). Though Miriam had spoken against Moses, he still cares for her and prays for her. God relents and punishes her seven days to teach her—and all Israel—that Moses is His called servant whom they are to hear and believe.

In the New Testament Church there are pastors and hearers. God does not call every Christian to be a minister, but only certain men who are to teach, preach, and administer the sacraments. Pastors and their hearers should both strive for the humility of Moses, so that they wait on the Lord and do not seek out unnecessary conflict.

Let us pray: Increase our humility, O Lord, that regardless of our calling from You, we may bear insults and slights with grace and pray for those who persecute us.

Numbers 11:16-35 NKJV

¹⁶ So the Lord said to Moses: “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. ¹⁷ Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone. ¹⁸ Then you shall say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. ¹⁹ You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, ²⁰ but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have despised the Lord who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever come up out of Egypt?” ’ ”

²¹ And Moses said, “The people whom I am among are six hundred thousand men on foot; yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month.’ ²² Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?”

²³ And the Lord said to Moses, “Has the Lord’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not.”

²⁴ So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord, and he gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle. ²⁵ Then the Lord came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again.

²⁶ But two men had remained in the camp: the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those listed, but who had not gone out to the tabernacle; yet they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷ And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”

²⁸ So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, “Moses my lord, forbid them!”

²⁹ Then Moses said to him, “Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!” ³⁰ And Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

³¹ Now a wind went out from the Lord, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground. ³² And the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers); and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. ³³ But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was aroused against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very great plague. ³⁴ So he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving.

³⁵ From Kibroth Hattaavah the people moved to Hazeroth, and camped at Hazeroth.

Moses had complained to God that he was unable, as one man, to fulfill his God given task of leading the people of Israel. The Lord responds by endowing others with the Holy Spirit to help Moses bear the burden of leadership. The elders gathered at the Tabernacle—as well as the absent Eldad and Medad—receive the Holy Spirit and begin prophesying. This was a special gift for preaching God’s word and applying it to others. This gift showed Israel that God had given them the same spirit as Moses and that they were to be obeyed as Israel was supposed to obey Moses. Moses rejoices in this gift from God, even when Joshua becomes jealous for his honor. Moses understands that if all Israel were endowed with the Holy Spirit as he was, they would speak God’s Word and apply it to themselves, living godly lives according to God’s word.

The Lord also answers Israel’s complaint, “Who will give us meat to eat?” (11:4). While Moses’ complaint was godly, the people’s complaint was sinful because they despised God’s provision of manna and yearned for the delicacies they enjoyed while living under Pharaoh’s tyranny. The Lord answered Israel’s complaint and sent them quail. Rather than repent for despising God’s provision and humbly giving thanks for the quail, “the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all next day, and gathered quail” (32). They gave free reign to their desire with no thought to their sin or God’s undeserved goodness. For their sin, the Lord struck them down. The place was named Kibroth-hattaavah, “graves of craving,” as a reminder to God’s people not to yield to sinful cravings.

God’s answers to both complaints teach us that God wants us to be filled with His Spirit, apply His word to ourselves, and reject the cravings of our sinful flesh. He wants His people to live according to His word, not the sinful desires of their flesh and be content with His provision—which is truly good—rather than yearn for the delicacies the sinful world offers.

Let us pray: Forgive us, O Lord, for craving what the world offers and the flesh desires. Give us Your Holy Spirit so that Your word dwells richly in us, and so that we may live godly lives according to Your word. Amen.

Psalm 106:1-12 NKJV

106 Praise the Lord!

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

² Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord?
Who can declare all His praise?
³ Blessed are those who keep justice,
And he who does righteousness at all times!

⁴ Remember me, O Lord, with the favor You have toward Your people.
Oh, visit me with Your salvation,
⁵ That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones,
That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,
That I may glory with Your inheritance.

⁶ We have sinned with our fathers,
We have committed iniquity,
We have done wickedly.
⁷ Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders;
They did not remember the multitude of Your mercies,
But rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea.

⁸ Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake,
That He might make His mighty power known.
⁹ He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up;
So He led them through the depths,
As through the wilderness.
¹⁰ He saved them from the hand of him who hated them,
And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
¹¹ The waters covered their enemies;
There was not one of them left.
¹² Then they believed His words;

Throughout this psalm the Holy Spirit records Israel’s unfaithfulness in the wilderness. His goal is to teach God’s people in every age to see Israel’s sins in themselves so that they ask God to remember them in mercy and visit them with His salvation. This should lead us to confess with the psalmist, “We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly” (6).

The first sin the psalmist recalls is Israel’s rebellion at the Red Sea. Forgetting how the Lord had brought Pharaoh and all Egypt to submission with the ten plagues, Israel rebelled when they doubted God’s mercy and said, “It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness” (Ex 14:12). The suggestion that life under Pharaoh was better than life under the Lord’s leadership was the height of unbelief. Yet, the Lord saved them for His name’s sake. He dried up the Rea Sea and led them through it safely. He saved them from Pharoah by covering his army so that not one of Israel’s enemies were left. Seeing so great a salvation, “Then they believed His words; They sang His praise” (12).

The Holy Spirit teaches us to recognize Israel’s rebellion in our own hearts. Do we fail to remember the multitude of God’s mercies toward us? Do we look at our current trials and hardships and forget Paul’s words, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Ro 8:32). Do we imagine that life would be better if we were not under God’s leadership, forgetting that “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us?” (Ro 8:18). Like Israel at the banks of the Red Sea, we are tempted to forget what God has done for us in Christ and what He has promised He will do for those who place their trust in Him. These temptations should lead us to pray with the psalmist that God would remember us in mercy.

Let us pray: Remember us in Your mercy, O Lord, and teach us to see the benefit of Your chosen ones, so that we rejoice in gladness of being Your people and glory with those whom You have called to be Your inheritance. Amen.

Psalm 105:29-45 NKJV

²⁹ He turned their waters into blood,
And killed their fish.
³⁰ Their land abounded with frogs,
Even in the chambers of their kings.
³¹ He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
And lice in all their territory.
³² He gave them hail for rain,
And flaming fire in their land.
³³ He struck their vines also, and their fig trees,
And splintered the trees of their territory.
³⁴ He spoke, and locusts came,
Young locusts without number,
³⁵ And ate up all the vegetation in their land,
And devoured the fruit of their ground.
³⁶ He also destroyed all the firstborn in their land,
The first of all their strength.

³⁷ He also brought them out with silver and gold,
And there was none feeble among His tribes.
³⁸ Egypt was glad when they departed,
For the fear of them had fallen upon them.
³⁹ He spread a cloud for a covering,
And fire to give light in the night.
⁴⁰ The people asked, and He brought quail,
And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
⁴¹ He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
It ran in the dry places like a river.

⁴² For He remembered His holy promise,
And Abraham His servant.
⁴³ He brought out His people with joy,
His chosen ones with gladness.
⁴⁴ He gave them the lands of the Gentiles,
And they inherited the labor of the nations,
⁴⁵ That they might observe His statutes
And keep His laws.

Praise the Lord!

The psalmist recounts the mighty works of the Lord in delivering Israel from Egypt. He sent plagues upon their oppressors, darkening the land, turning water to blood, and filling Egypt with frogs, flies, and locusts. He broke Pharaoh’s power, leading His people out with silver and gold, unharmed and rejoicing. He provided for them in the wilderness, giving them quail and manna, water from the rock, and the land He had promised.

The Lord had sworn to Abraham that his descendants would inherit the land, and He does not forget His promises. Though generations passed, though Israel suffered in Egypt, though obstacles seemed insurmountable, God remained faithful. His Word did not fail.

In times of trial, it is easy to forget that the Lord’s promises still stand. When hardships arise, when the path ahead seems uncertain, doubts creep in. Has God forgotten? Will He provide? Is He still leading? Israel faced these same struggles in the wilderness. Though He had freed them, guided them, and fed them, they often questioned His care. Yet through it all, He remained faithful, sustaining them until they reached the land He had sworn to give.

We, too, live by the promises of God. He has delivered us—not from Egypt, but from sin and death. He has fed us—not with manna, but with the true Bread from heaven, Jesus Christ. He has given us an inheritance—not a plot of land, but a kingdom that cannot be shaken. When trials come, we do not look to our own strength but to the faithfulness of the One who has redeemed us.

The Lord remembers His promises. What He has spoken, He will fulfill. As He led Israel, so He leads us. As He provided for them, so He provides for us. We may not always see the way ahead, but we trust in the One who does. He has not forgotten His people. He never will.

Let us pray: O Lord, You are faithful to Your promises. Strengthen our trust in Your Word and remind us that You never fail. Lead us as You led Your people of old, and keep us in Your care until we reach the home You have prepared for us. Amen.

Numbers 10:29-36; 11:1-15 NKJV

²⁹ Now Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well; for the Lord has promised good things to Israel.”

³⁰ And he said to him, “I will not go, but I will depart to my own land and to my relatives.”

³¹ So Moses said, “Please do not leave, inasmuch as you know how we are to camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes. ³² And it shall be, if you go with us—indeed it shall be—that whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same we will do to you.”

³³ So they departed from the mountain of the Lord on a journey of three days; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them for the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place for them. ³⁴ And the cloud of the Lord was above them by day when they went out from the camp.

³⁵ So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said:

“Rise up, O Lord!
Let Your enemies be scattered,
And let those who hate You flee before You.”

³⁶ And when it rested, he said:

“Return, O Lord,
To the many thousands of Israel.”

11 Now when the people complained, it displeased the Lord; for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp. ² Then the people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the Lord, the fire was quenched. ³ So he called the name of the place Taberah, because the fire of the Lord had burned among them.

⁴ Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat? ⁵ We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; ⁶ but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”

⁷ Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its color like the color of bdellium. ⁸ The people went about and gathered it, ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, cooked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and its taste was like the taste of pastry prepared with oil. ⁹ And when the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it.

¹⁰ Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent; and the anger of the Lord was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased. ¹¹ So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me? ¹² Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a guardian carries a nursing child,’ to the land which You swore to their fathers? ¹³ Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all over me, saying, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ ¹⁴ I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. ¹⁵ If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now—if I have found favor in Your sight—and do not let me see my wretchedness!”

The Lord had led Israel out of Egypt, provided for their needs, and guided them with His presence. Yet as they journeyed, the people grew discontent. Their complaints rose quickly—first about their hardships, then about their food. They longed for Egypt, for its fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. Though God was sustaining them daily with manna, they were not satisfied.

Discontentment is not merely about circumstances; it is about the heart. The Israelites’ complaints were not just about food—they were about trust. They doubted that the Lord’s provision was enough. They looked back rather than forward, longing for what they had left behind instead of trusting in what lay ahead. Even Moses, overwhelmed by the burden of leading them, cried out in despair, feeling the weight of their grumbling.

How often do we find ourselves in the same place? God has provided for us, sustained us, and led us, yet we grow impatient. We look at what we lack rather than what He has given. We long for what was, rather than trusting in what He is doing. The problem is not that God has failed to provide—the problem is that our hearts are slow to trust.

Yet even in Israel’s grumbling, the Lord did not abandon them. He heard their cries, and He responded. He provided meat for them, though their discontent would bring consequences. He also answered Moses’ distress, appointing others to share the burden of leadership. The Lord does not ignore our struggles, but He teaches us to depend on Him rather than our own strength.

In Christ, we see the full measure of God’s provision. He is the true bread from heaven, the One who sustains us not just for a day but for eternity. When we are tempted to grumble, He calls us to trust. When we feel overwhelmed, He reminds us that He carries the burden. In Him, we lack nothing. Let us pray: O Lord, forgive our impatience and teach us to trust in Your provision. When our hearts grow restless, turn our eyes to Christ, who sustains us with His grace. Keep us from longing for what You have called us to leave behind, and strengthen us to follow where You lead. Amen.

Numbers 10:1-28 NKJV

10 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ² “Make two silver trumpets for yourself; you shall make them of hammered work; you shall use them for calling the congregation and for directing the movement of the camps. ³ When they blow both of them, all the congregation shall gather before you at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. ⁴ But if they blow only one, then the leaders, the heads of the divisions of Israel, shall gather to you. ⁵ When you sound the advance, the camps that lie on the east side shall then begin their journey. ⁶ When you sound the advance the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall begin their journey; they shall sound the call for them to begin their journeys. ⁷ And when the assembly is to be gathered together, you shall blow, but not sound the advance. ⁸ The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets; and these shall be to you as an ordinance forever throughout your generations.

⁹ “When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the Lord your God, and you will be saved from your enemies. ¹⁰ Also in the day of your gladness, in your appointed feasts, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be a memorial for you before your God: I am the Lord your God.”

¹¹ Now it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle of the Testimony. ¹² And the children of Israel set out from the Wilderness of Sinai on their journeys; then the cloud settled down in the Wilderness of Paran. ¹³ So they started out for the first time according to the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

¹⁴ The standard of the camp of the children of Judah set out first according to their armies; over their army was Nahshon the son of Amminadab. ¹⁵ Over the army of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar. ¹⁶ And over the army of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon.

¹⁷ Then the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set out, carrying the tabernacle.

¹⁸ And the standard of the camp of Reuben set out according to their armies; over their army was Elizur the son of Shedeur. ¹⁹ Over the army of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. ²⁰ And over the army of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

²¹ Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy things. (The tabernacle would be prepared for their arrival.)

²² And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim set out according to their armies; over their army was Elishama the son of Ammihud. ²³ Over the army of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. ²⁴ And over the army of the tribe of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni.

²⁵ Then the standard of the camp of the children of Dan (the rear guard of all the camps) set out according to their armies; over their army was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. ²⁶ Over the army of the tribe of the children of Asher was Pagiel the son of Ocran. ²⁷ And over the army of the tribe of the children of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan.

²⁸ Thus was the order of march of the children of Israel, according to their armies, when they began their journey.

When the time came for Israel to break camp and set out, the Lord gave them clear instructions. Silver trumpets were to be sounded, signaling the tribes to move in order, just as He had commanded. The march was not chaotic or self-determined but ordered by God Himself. He led, and His people followed.

For months, Israel had been encamped at Mount Sinai, receiving the Lord’s commands and preparing for the journey ahead. Now, at His direction, they moved forward. They did not march in uncertainty but in obedience, trusting that He was guiding them. The ark of the covenant went before them, a visible sign of the Lord’s presence in their midst. Their journey was not aimless; it was directed by the One who had redeemed them.

We, too, are called to move at the Lord’s command. Our steps are not determined by our own wisdom or desires but by His Word. Just as the Israelites followed the sound of the trumpets, we listen to the voice of God speaking through Scripture. His commands are not burdensome but given for our good, leading us in the way we should go.

Moses’ prayer when the ark set out reminds us that the journey of faith is not without opposition. The people of Israel would face enemies and challenges along the way, but they did not walk alone. The Lord was their defender, scattering those who opposed Him. In the same way, Christ leads His Church through the wilderness of this world. He goes before us, and no enemy can stand against Him.

When God calls us to move—whether in great decisions or in the daily walk of faith—we do not step forward in fear but in trust. He who redeemed us will not abandon us. He who leads us will also sustain us. Our journey is not random, and our steps are not wasted. The Lord goes before us, and where He leads, we will follow. Let us pray: O Lord, lead us in Your ways and teach us to follow Your commands. When we face trials, remind us that You go before us. Strengthen our trust in Your promises, and keep us faithful on the journey. Amen.

Numbers 9:1-23 NKJV

9 Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying: ² “Let the children of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time. ³ On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time. According to all its rites and ceremonies you shall keep it.” ⁴ So Moses told the children of Israel that they should keep the Passover. ⁵ And they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month, at twilight, in the Wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did.

⁶ Now there were certain men who were defiled by a human corpse, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day; and they came before Moses and Aaron that day. ⁷ And those men said to him, “We became defiled by a human corpse. Why are we kept from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the children of Israel?”

⁸ And Moses said to them, “Stand still, that I may hear what the Lord will command concerning you.”

⁹ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁰ “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If anyone of you or your posterity is unclean because of a corpse, or is far away on a journey, he may still keep the Lord’s Passover. ¹¹ On the fourteenth day of the second month, at twilight, they may keep it. They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ¹² They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break one of its bones. According to all the ordinances of the Passover they shall keep it. ¹³ But the man who is clean and is not on a journey, and ceases to keep the Passover, that same person shall be cut off from among his people, because he did not bring the offering of the Lord at its appointed time; that man shall bear his sin.

¹⁴ ‘And if a stranger dwells among you, and would keep the Lord’s Passover, he must do so according to the rite of the Passover and according to its ceremony; you shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger and the native of the land.’ ”

¹⁵ Now on the day that the tabernacle was raised up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the Testimony; from evening until morning it was above the tabernacle like the appearance of fire. ¹⁶ So it was always: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. ¹⁷ Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, after that the children of Israel would journey; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel would pitch their tents. ¹⁸ At the command of the Lord the children of Israel would journey, and at the command of the Lord they would camp; as long as the cloud stayed above the tabernacle they remained encamped. ¹⁹ Even when the cloud continued long, many days above the tabernacle, the children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and did not journey. ²⁰ So it was, when the cloud was above the tabernacle a few days: according to the command of the Lord they would remain encamped, and according to the command of the Lord they would journey. ²¹ So it was, when the cloud remained only from evening until morning: when the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they would journey; whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud was taken up, they would journey. ²² Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey; but when it was taken up, they would journey. ²³ At the command of the Lord they remained encamped, and at the command of the Lord they journeyed; they kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

“At the command of the Lord the children of Israel would journey, and at the command of the Lord they would camp; as long as the cloud stayed above the tabernacle, they remained encamped” (18). As Israel journeyed through the wilderness, they did not determine their own course. The Lord led them, and they followed. When the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in place. When it lifted, they set out. Whether it was for a few days or many months, their movement depended on the Lord’s command.

This was not an aimless wandering. God was not leaving them to figure things out for themselves. He was guiding them according to His will, providing for their needs and leading them to the land He had promised. Their journey was not simply about reaching a destination—it was about learning to trust Him.

In the same way, God calls us to follow Him. We often desire a clear map, a fixed plan laid out before us, but the Lord does not always reveal the path ahead. Instead, He calls us to trust in His leading. Just as Israel depended on the cloud by day and the fire by night, we depend on His Word, His promises, and His Spirit to direct our steps.

The observance of the Passover at the beginning of this chapter is a reminder that God’s leading is always tied to His saving work. The same God who brought Israel out of Egypt was the One guiding them through the wilderness. His command was not burdensome but rooted in His mercy. He had redeemed them, and He would not abandon them.

So it is with Christ. He is our Redeemer and our Shepherd. He does not leave us to navigate life on our own. He goes before us, leads us by His Word, and sustains us with His grace. We may not always understand His timing, and the way may seem uncertain, but He is faithful. Wherever He leads, we can trust that He is bringing us to where He wants us to be.

Let us pray: O Lord, lead us by Your Word and strengthen our trust in You. When we do not see the way ahead, remind us that You are faithful. Keep us in Your care and guide us in the path of life, now and forever. Amen.

Numbers 8:1-26 NKJV

8 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ² “Speak to Aaron, and say to him, ‘When you arrange the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.’ ” ³ And Aaron did so; he arranged the lamps to face toward the front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses. ⁴ Now this workmanship of the lampstand was hammered gold; from its shaft to its flowers it was hammered work. According to the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

⁵ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ⁶ “Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and cleanse them ceremonially. ⁷ Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purification on them, and let them shave all their body, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean. ⁸ Then let them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another young bull as a sin offering. ⁹ And you shall bring the Levites before the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall gather together the whole congregation of the children of Israel. ¹⁰ So you shall bring the Levites before the Lord, and the children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites; ¹¹ and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord like a wave offering from the children of Israel, that they may perform the work of the Lord. ¹² Then the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls, and you shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites.

¹³ “And you shall stand the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and then offer them like a wave offering to the Lord. ¹⁴ Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine. ¹⁵ After that the Levites shall go in to service the tabernacle of meeting. So you shall cleanse them and offer them like a wave offering. ¹⁶ For they are wholly given to Me from among the children of Israel; I have taken them for Myself instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the children of Israel. ¹⁷ For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are Mine, both man and beast; on the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them to Myself. ¹⁸ I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the children of Israel. ¹⁹ And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the work for the children of Israel in the tabernacle of meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel, that there be no plague among the children of Israel when the children of Israel come near the sanctuary.”

²⁰ Thus Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel did to the Levites; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the children of Israel did to them. ²¹ And the Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes; then Aaron presented them like a wave offering before the Lord, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. ²² After that the Levites went in to do their work in the tabernacle of meeting before Aaron and his sons; as the Lord commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.

²³ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁴ “This is what pertains to the Levites: From twenty-five years old and above one may enter to perform service in the work of the tabernacle of meeting; ²⁵ and at the age of fifty years they must cease performing this work, and shall work no more. ²⁶ They may minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of meeting, to attend to needs, but they themselves shall do no work. Thus you shall do to the Levites regarding their duties.”

“And you shall bring the Levites before the Lord, and the children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites.” (Numbers 8:10, NKJV)

The Lord set apart the Levites for His service, calling them to stand in place of the firstborn of Israel. They did not choose this role for themselves, nor were they selected by the people. God Himself appointed them for the work of His tabernacle. Their cleansing, the laying on of hands, and their presentation before the Lord all signified that they belonged to Him.

This setting apart was not for their own sake but for the sake of the whole congregation. They ministered in the Lord’s presence on behalf of Israel, bearing out His command to teach, serve, and offer sacrifices. Their role pointed forward to a greater reality—that all who are called by God are made holy not by their own effort, but by His Word and promise.

The Levites’ service reminds us that the Lord calls His people to live for Him. While not all are set apart for specific ministry, every believer is called to a life of service. We have been cleansed—not with water alone, but with the blood of Christ. We have been brought before the Lord—not by human hands, but by the work of the Holy Spirit. Our lives, like the Levites’ calling, are not our own. We belong to the Lord.

In Christ, we see the ultimate fulfillment of this calling. He is the true Servant, the One set apart to bear the sins of the world. He did not come to be served, but to serve, giving His life as a ransom for many. Through Him, we are made a royal priesthood, called to proclaim His praises and live in His grace.

No work done in the name of the Lord is small or insignificant. Whether in word or deed, every act of faithfulness is part of the service to which God has called us. Like the Levites, we live not for ourselves, but for the One who redeemed us. In Him, our work is not in vain. Let us pray: O Lord, You have called us to live in Your service. Cleanse us by Your grace, strengthen us in our calling, and use us for Your glory, that we may faithfully serve You all our days. Amen.

Numbers 6:1-27 NKJV

6 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When either a man or woman consecrates an offering to take the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord, ³ he shall separate himself from wine and similar drink; he shall drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from similar drink; neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins. ⁴ All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin.

⁵ ‘All the days of the vow of his separation no razor shall come upon his head; until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. Then he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. ⁶ All the days that he separates himself to the Lord he shall not go near a dead body. ⁷ He shall not make himself unclean even for his father or his mother, for his brother or his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head. ⁸ All the days of his separation he shall be holy to the Lord.

⁹ ‘And if anyone dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it. ¹⁰ Then on the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting; ¹¹ and the priest shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned in regard to the corpse; and he shall sanctify his head that same day. ¹² He shall consecrate to the Lord the days of his separation, and bring a male lamb in its first year as a trespass offering; but the former days shall be lost, because his separation was defiled.

¹³ ‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite: When the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought to the door of the tabernacle of meeting. ¹⁴ And he shall present his offering to the Lord: one male lamb in its first year without blemish as a burnt offering, one ewe lamb in its first year without blemish as a sin offering, one ram without blemish as a peace offering, ¹⁵ a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and their grain offering with their drink offerings.

¹⁶ ‘Then the priest shall bring them before the Lord and offer his sin offering and his burnt offering; ¹⁷ and he shall offer the ram as a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord, with the basket of unleavened bread; the priest shall also offer its grain offering and its drink offering. ¹⁸ Then the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offering.

¹⁹ ‘And the priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, one unleavened cake from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and put them upon the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated hair, ²⁰ and the priest shall wave them as a wave offering before the Lord; they are holy for the priest, together with the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering. After that the Nazirite may drink wine.’

²¹ “This is the law of the Nazirite who vows to the Lord the offering for his separation, and besides that, whatever else his hand is able to provide; according to the vow which he takes, so he must do according to the law of his separation.”

²² And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ²³ “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them:

²⁴ “The Lord bless you and keep you;
²⁵ The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
²⁶ The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.” ’

²⁷ “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace” (24-26).

In the midst of the laws and commands given to Israel, the Lord provided a special blessing to be spoken over His people. These words were not mere formality. They were a declaration of God’s care, His favor, and His peace. To be blessed by the Lord was to be kept in His protection. To have His face shine upon you was to receive His grace. To have His countenance lifted toward you was to know His peace.

Before this blessing, the chapter outlines the Nazirite vow—an act of devotion in which a person set himself apart for the Lord. This vow involved abstaining from wine, avoiding contact with the dead, and letting one’s hair grow. It was an outward sign of inward dedication. Yet even in this, the focus was not on human effort but on the Lord who sanctifies His people.

Israel’s history shows that human faithfulness wavers, but God’s blessing does not. The same nation that received these words would later turn away, yet the Lord remained steadfast. He continued to keep His people, to shine His face upon them, and to call them back to Himself. His blessing was not dependent on their worthiness but on His own faithfulness.

This blessing is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. In Him, we see the face of God shining upon us. He is the One who keeps us, the One through whom we receive grace and peace. By His death and resurrection, we are set apart—not by a vow we make, but by the work He has done. His name is placed upon us in Baptism, marking us as His own.

The Lord still speaks this blessing over His people today. In a world of uncertainty, He remains our keeper. When guilt weighs heavy, His grace is sure. When turmoil surrounds us, His peace is real. His Word does not return void. He blesses, and His blessing stands forever.

Let us pray: O Lord, bless and keep us in Your care. Shine Your face upon us, and grant us Your peace, that we may walk in the assurance of Your steadfast love. Amen.