Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

August 19
Tuesday


FOLLOWING
THE MASTER

READ:
Numbers 9:15-23
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
At the command of the
LORD they remained
encamped, and at the
command of the LORD
they journeyed.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

At a dog show near my home, I watched a Cardigan Welsh corgi named Trevor perform. At his master's command, he ran several yards away and immediately returned, he jumped fences, and he identified objects using his sense of smell. After finishing each exercise, he sat down at his master's feet and waited for more instructions.

Trevor's careful attention to his master's instruction reminded me of the devotion God desired from His people as they followed Him through the wilderness. God led in a unique way. His presence appeared as a cloud. If the cloud ascended, He wanted His people to move to another area. If the cloud descended, they were to stay put. "At the command of the LORD they remained encamped, and at the command of the LORD they journeyed" (Num. 9:23). The Israelites followed this practice day or night, regardless of how long they had to remain in one place.

God wasn't simply testing the Israelites; He was leading them to the Promised Land (10:29). He wanted to take them to a better place. So it is with us when God asks us to follow Him. He wants to lead us to a place of closer fellowship with Himself. His Word assures us that He is loving and faithful in leading those who humbly follow Him.

__Jennifer Benson Schuldt

`````````````````````````In fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,`````````````````````````
```````````````````````````Or we'll walk by His side in the way;```````````````````````````
`````````````````````What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;```````````````````
``````````````````````````Never fear, only trust and obey. __Sammis````````````````````````
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
God asks His children to follow the Leader.

************************************Today's Bible Reading __ Numbers 9:15-23************************************

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. 18 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....

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.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
The tabernacle (Num 9:15) was not only a place of worship, it
was intended to be the center of Israel's national life. This "tent of
meeting" also foreshadowed the incarnation of Christ, the living
Word who "dwelled" (that is, "tabernacled") among us in a tent of
human flesh (John 1:14).