We Love God!

God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)

There may be circumstances in your earthly lot which at this moment are peculiarly trying. You look around and wonder how this or that circumstance will terminate. At present it looks very dark-clouds and mists hang over it, and you fear lest these clouds may break, not in showers upon your head, but burst forth in the lightning flash and the thunder stroke! But all things are put in subjection under Christ's feet! That which you dread cannot take place except by His sovereign will-nor can it move any further except by His supreme disposal. Then make yourself quiet. He will not allow you to be harmed. That frowning providence shall only execute His sovereign purposes, and it shall be among those all things which, according to His promise, shall work together for your good. None of our trials come upon us by chance! They are all appointed in weight and measure-are all designed to fulfill a certain end. And however painful they may at present be, yet they are intended for your good. When the trial comes upon you, what a help it would be for you if you could view it thus, “This trial is sent for my good. It does not spring out of the dust. The Lord Himself is the supreme disposer of it. It is very painful to bear; but let me believe that He has appointed me this peculiar trial, along with every other circumstance. He will bring about His own will therein, and either remove the trial, or give me patience under it, and submission to it.
J.C. Philpot

Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn’t do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn’t mainly about you and what you should be doing. It’s about God and what he has done. Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you’ll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren’t heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose), they get afraid and run away. At times, they’re downright mean. No, the Bible isn’t a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It’s an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It’s a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne–everything–to rescue the ones he loves. It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life! You see, the best thing about this Story is…it’s true. There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves His children and comes to rescue them. It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every story in the Bible whispers His name. He is like the missing piece in the puzzle-the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture.
Sally Lloyd-Jones

Bible – English_World – Numbers Chapter 31:1-54.

Index: World English Bible

 

Numbers 31

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31:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

31:2 Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward you shall be gathered to your people.

31:3 Moses spoke to the people, saying, Arm you men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute Yahweh’s vengeance on Midian.

31:4 Of every tribe one thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall you send to the war.

31:5 So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.

31:6 Moses sent them, one thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.

31:7 They warred against Midian, as Yahweh commanded Moses; and they killed every male.

31:8 They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they killed with the sword.

31:9 The children of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones; and all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods, they took for a prey.

31:10 All their cities in the places in which they lived, and all their encampments, they burnt with fire.

31:11 They took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of man and of animal.

31:12 They brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan at Jericho.

31:13 Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them outside of the camp.

31:14 Moses was angry with the officers of the host, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from the service of the war.

31:15 Moses said to them, Have you saved all the women alive?

31:16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of Yahweh.

31:17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.

31:18 But all the girls, who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

31:19 Encamp you outside of the camp seven days: whoever has killed any person, and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, you and your captives.

31:20 As to every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats’ [hair], and all things made of wood, you shall purify yourselves.

31:21 Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who went to the battle, This is the statute of the law which Yahweh has commanded Moses:

31:22 however the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

31:23 everything that may abide the fire, you shall make to go through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water for impurity: and all that doesn’t withstand the fire you shall make to go through the water.

31:24 You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean; and afterward you shall come into the camp.

31:25 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

31:26 Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of animal, you, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers’ [houses] of the congregation;

31:27 and divide the prey into two parts: between the men skilled in war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation.

31:28 Levy a tribute to Yahweh of the men of war who went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, [both] of the persons, and of the oxen, and of the donkeys, and of the flocks:

31:29 take it of their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, for Yahweh’s heave-offering.

31:30 Of the children of Israel’s half, you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the oxen, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, [even] of all the cattle, and give them to the Levites, who keep the charge of the tent of Yahweh.

31:31 Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Yahweh commanded Moses.

31:32 Now the prey, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep,

31:33 and seventy-two thousand oxen,

31:34 and seventy-one thousand donkeys,

31:35 and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of the women who had not known man by lying with him.

31:36 The half, which was the portion of those who went out to war, was in number three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep:

31:37 and Yahweh’s tribute of the sheep was six hundred seventy-five.

31:38 The oxen were thirty-six thousand; of which Yahweh’s tribute was seventy-two.

31:39 The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred; of which Yahweh’s tribute was sixty-one.

31:40 The persons were sixteen thousand; of whom Yahweh’s tribute was thirty-two persons.

31:41 Moses gave the tribute, which was Yahweh’s heave-offering, to Eleazar the priest, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

31:42 Of the children of Israel’s half, which Moses divided off from the men who warred

31:43 (now the congregation’s half was three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,

31:44 and thirty-six thousand oxen,

31:45 and thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,

31:46 and sixteen thousand persons),

31:47 even of the children of Israel’s half, Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of animal, and gave them to the Levites, who kept the charge of the tent of Yahweh; as Yahweh commanded Moses.

31:48 The officers who were over the thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near to Moses;

31:49 and they said to Moses, Your servants have taken the sum of the men of war who are under our charge, and there lacks not one man of us.

31:50 We have brought Yahweh’s offering, what every man has gotten, of jewels of gold, ankle-chains, and bracelets, signet-rings, ear-rings, and armlets, to make atonement for our souls before Yahweh.

31:51 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all worked jewels.

31:52 All the gold of the heave-offering that they offered up to Yahweh, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels.

31:53 ([For] the men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.)

31:54 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tent of meeting, for a memorial for the children of Israel before Yahweh.