When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.

‭‭Numbers‬ ‭30‬:‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I don’t know about you but I have broken more covenants with God over the years than I dare count.

Vows to do this, pledges to do that, promises that come up empty.

Nearly all have been my best intentions defeaten by my worst compulsions.

The cycle can wear you down with guilt, shame, and an encroaching resolve to make fewer promises as the best solution.

Truth is, being in a spiritual battle for righteousness is, itself, the signal to God of your redemption, which in the end is what ultimately matters.

Continue making vows, that’s not the problem. The problem is how you’re going about keeping them.

The solution is found in the prayer for your process and skills to be more successful and to know in the meantime, God understands.

Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭20‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The waters that flowed that day at Meribah were God’s answer to the perpetual complaints of this thirsting thankless mob he calls his own.

The capacity for human selfishness, mistrust and faithlessness is mind blowing.

I suppose it shouldn’t be. But rather what is truly mind blowing is that God loves us in spite of ourselves. It’s a tall order but he fills it to overflowing (contextual pun intended.)

Water from a rock.
Is there nothing he won’t provide for us in our time of need?

Jehovah Jireh.

I think not. 

God has an unusual sense of humor.

The Lord heard you when you wailed, “If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will eat it. You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it.

‭‭Numbers‬ ‭11‬:‭18‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Lesson: Don’t complain about the manna.

“But Moses said, “Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?” The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short?

‭‭Numbers‬ ‭11‬:‭21‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Lesson: Don’t question God’s ability to provide.

In each instance, God made good on his promise to all the complaining Karens. They met the manager alright!

We serve a God who always makes his point crystal clear.

Even when witnessing miracles of providing foods like manna and then quail for his chosen people, we complain like Karens in a fine restaurant.

It’s not enough to be thankful.

Lesson: Don’t be a Karen.

Asking to see the Manager with a complaint instead of with a thankful heart might kill your appetite altogether.

If the Bible is an instruction manual, then the book of Numbers is the fine print.

Say to the Israelites: ‘Any man or woman who wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the Lord is guilty and must confess the sin they have committed. They must make full restitution for the wrong they have done, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the person they have wronged.”

‭‭Numbers‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Details were critical. The drive to get everything just right—keeping every letter of the law—was all-consuming.

Jesus put an end to that performance freeing up our time and attention to focus on love over law, faith over form, purpose over perfection.

The Bible leaves no stones unturned. It speaks precisely to our human conditions from which there is no escape, but every forgiveness.

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.

‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭26‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The significance of the Israelites exodus from Egyptian slavery is one referenced over and over in the Old Testament.

Preceded by God’s many miracles, signs and wonders, the event marked a new covenant of faith and the elevation of Gods chosen people.

Today, those called by God who respond in faith to that call, are also to walk with heads held high for both whose we have chosen to become and whose we now are.

It’s a pride to possess without shame on a road less traveled without indetermination.

Heads held high are bought for a price by a God whose army is being assembled for the coming victory.

I never used to be like this.

I’d wake up anxious, ruled by the ‘what ifs’ of the day ahead and what to do to defend against consequences of the yet unknown.

It’s a miracle how things have changed.

For these many years since I first acquiesced to the fact I’m not in charge, my first waking thoughts are now less ‘what if?’ and a lot more ‘maybe today!’

What a hopeful difference it offers to my morning outlook.

I’m not sure exactly when I pivoted from viewing time and unfolding experience as the enemy instead of my comrade and frankly, I don’t wonder much about it anymore since the view is so much better looking at life as a heavenly menu of possibilities versus dodging the anxious unknowns.

But at some divine moment, anxiety turned away to reveal anticipation, its friendlier counterpart. And mornings haven’t been the same since.

Looking expectantly to the day’s unexpected revelations sure beats blind strategizing against them as foreboding enemies.

There’s an untapped power in ‘maybe today’ thinking and a good morning is what you make of it.

Try plugging into the power of expectancy and today might just be yours for the taking.

Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord.

‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭19‬:‭32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

A rare ‘do’ among the notorious ‘do nots’ chapter in the Old Testament commands us to care for and respect the elderly among us.

Since I was a young man I have held highest regard for the aged.

Literally hundreds of posts and stories about their care and welfare have made it on my pages.

Now as I pull into that same station in my own life, I watch for others who also carry their banners. They are my people.

If you want to know the civility and humanity of a people, you’ll find it in how they regard their elders.

They are our almost buried stories, historians of our culture, and bearers of moral codes that move us forward.

Pray particularly for the gifts of patience and empathy that recognize and acknowledge their contributions and worth.

Soon, you will also arrive at that depot and need to be met by a tribe that knows the value of your journey.

They don’t know when to stop.

They offer without an ask, buy before a need, don’t give or take no for an answer and expect nothing in return.

They don’t regard the world as their oyster, but rather their responsibility.

Their gifts give beyond the holidays and our lives are their only prize with every new morning a personal canvas to divinely practice the fine art of being human.

They create masterpieces for needy people they’ve never even met and surprise unsuspecting strangers from the benevolence of their bottomless hearts.

They neither demand nor expect the same for themselves, but survive on intuition, conscience, faith and opportunity.

Their deeds are often mistaken for angels and tiny pieces of heaven that have fallen to earth, which of course, they are.

They know no different and don’t know when to stop because indeed, this is what they were wonderfully made to do.

And someday. when you meet one, they will either change your life forever or inspire you to follow.

When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.

‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭19‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God provides for those who cannot provide for themselves until they can.

It doesn’t take much to meet the needs of others but those of us with much bear the responsibility to make it happen.

The most critical part of being thankful for what you’ve been given is to give back to those without.

Especially at this time of year, a hand up beats a hand out. A hand up is the choice to lift another from unfortunate circumstances by acknowledging the abilities they still possess to help themselves along the journey.

This is the very heart of charity.

Bear one another’s burdens but let each carry his own loads.—Galatians 6:2-5

If anyone sins because they do not speak up when they hear a public charge to testify regarding something they have seen or learned about, they will be held responsible.

‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

See something, say something.

In an increasingly detached world, speaking up and speaking out is a risky option.

If it’s not about you, don’t get involved.

Truth is, all that’s needed for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing.

That’s not verbatim but close enough to get the message.

We are not called to the fear and timidity that renders us silent. We can all recount countless times in history that false doctrine advanced the cause of evil another small and insidious step.

With knowledge comes responsibility.

Jesus turned this world on its ear by speaking up and speaking out. Following him requires our loudest voice.

See something, say something.

It’s a new slogan for an ancient lesson lest we become an accomplice to evil.