Numbers 23 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Numbers 23.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/num/23/1/s_140001

Meditate on verses 19-20.

 

God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man,

 that He should repent; has He said, and will He not do it?

Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

Behold, I have received a command to bless;

when He has blessed, then I cannot revoke it.

 

King Balak really wanted Balaam to curse the Israelites for him. But, no matter how much he begged and bribed Balaam, Balaam knew he could not speak a word against God’s people.

 

Be encouraged by the story of God, Balaam, Balak, and Israel.  A human cannot “curse whom God has not cursed nor denounce what the LORD has not denounced” (v. 8).  If you belong to Jesus, you cannot be cursed by man.  God does not want you to be afraid of people; He wants you living confidently in Him (Proverbs 14:26).

 

In God I have put my trust;

I shall not be afraid. 

What can mere man do to me?

—Psalm 56:4b

 

Pray Numbers 23:8, 10, 12, and 19 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

 

“LORD, please let _________ and me never be cursed

 or denounced by You or anyone.

Let us die the death of the upright.

Make us careful to speak what You put in our mouths.

God, thank You that You are not a man

 that You should lie, not a son of man,

 that You should repent.  You have said,

and You will do it.  You have spoken,

 and You will make it good.

Because of Your name, Jesus~”

 

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 4 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Numbers 22 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Numbers 22.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/num/22/1/s_139001

Meditate on verse 12.

 

God said to Balaam, "Do not go with them; you shall

 not curse the people, for they are blessed."

 

What a convicting chapter from God’s Word!  Have you ever known what God wanted you to do, yet you hoped to tweak His plans?  So, you started saying and doing things disobedient to God, convincing yourself He was okay with what you were doing, but in the end, God was not okay at all; in fact, He was angry, encountering you as an adversary (vs. 19-22).  And, when you came to your senses, asking forgiveness and hoping to get back into the LORD’s plan, God made you stay on your self-willed path and finish the course (vs. 34-35).  “LORD, forgive us!  Keep us from sinning!”

 

You may want to reread this chapter, noticing when Balaam started disobeying God and what enticed him to sin.  Learn well from Balaam’s rebellion, asking the LORD to keep you on His path for your life.

 

Use the words from Numbers 22:12, 20, 22, and 34 to pray over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

 

“LORD, help _________ and me obey when

You say, ‘Do not go with them.’

Please let us be blessed by You; let no one curse us.

Help us do only the word which You speak to us.

God, we do not want You angry with us

and be as an adversary against us.

LORD, we have sinned; please allow us to turn

 back from what displeases You.

In Your name, Jesus~”

 

 

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 4 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Numbers 21 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Numbers 21.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/num/21/1/s_138001

Meditate on verse 8.

 

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery

 serpent and set it on a standard;

 and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten,

when he looks at it, he will live."

 

Thankfully, Moses obeyed God’s instructions for providing a cure to the calamity caused by sin.  He made a bronze image of the thing killing the people.  All they had to do was look at it in order to live.  In human reasoning, it seems an odd thing to do, but God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8), and just like the life-giving rock in Numbers 20, this serpent on a stick was actually a foreshadowing picture of Messiah.

 

As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even

 so must the Son of Man be lifted up;

 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.

—John 3:14-15

 

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf,

 so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

—2 Corinthians 5:21

 

In obedient faith, the people had to look up at the serpent, the thing killing them, in order to live.  In obedient faith, you must look up at Jesus, who became the sin that will kill you, in order to be saved.

 

Ponder the enormity of God becoming your sin and taking the punishment.  Then, look to Him, and as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7), confess your sins by praying Numbers 21:7.

 

“LORD, I have sinned because I have

 spoken against You and against ___________.

Jesus, please intercede for me

and remove these sins from me.

(Continue confessing your sins to the LORD.)

Thank You for forgiveness in Your name, Jesus~”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Numbers 20 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Numbers 20.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/num/20/1/s_137001

Meditate on verses 12.

 

But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you have

not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the

 sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this

 assembly into the land which I have given them." 

 

This was not the first time the Israelites grumbled about their water situation.  The first was recorded in Exodus 17 when God told Moses to strike the rock once with his rod (Exodus 17:2-6).  Now, more than a year later, God told Moses to speak to the rock; Moses disobeyed, striking it twice.  Moses’ disobedience had severe consequences: he would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land, and he marred God’s picture of Messiah. 

 

For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that

our fathers … all drank the same spiritual drink, for they

were drinking from a spiritual rock which

 followed them; and the rock was Christ.

—1 Corinthians 10:1, 4

 

By this will we have been sanctified through the

 offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

—Hebrews 10:10

 

This rock was to be struck only once for the people to receive life-giving water because according to God’s Word, the rock was Christ, who would only need to die once for the forgiveness of sins.  When Moses struck the rock twice, he gave the Jewish people an unholy picture of Messiah, that His once for all sacrifice was not enough to take away sins.

 

Let these amazing truths from God’s Word soak in and pray Numbers 20:12 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

 

“LORD, may _______ and I always believe You

 and treat You as holy in the sight of all people.

Because You are holy, Jesus~”

 

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 4 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Numbers 19 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Numbers 19.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/num/19/1/s_136001

Meditate on verses 1-4.

 

Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

"This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded,

saying, 'Speak to the sons of Israel that they bring

 you an unblemished red heifer in which is no defect

 and on which a yoke has never been placed.

You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and

it shall be brought outside the camp and

be slaughtered in his presence.  Next Eleazar

 the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger

and sprinkle some of its blood toward the

 front of the tent of meeting seven times.’”

 

Before the people came to the tabernacle to offer an unblemished lamb as a sacrifice for sins, God required a red heifer be sacrificed outside the camp.  The people needed a red heifer before they could even come close to the tabernacle, the dwelling place of God.  As you ponder this requirement to come near to God, read these words from the book of Hebrews:

 

Therefore, Jesus also, that He might sanctify

the people through His own blood, suffered outside

 the gate. So, let us go out to Him outside

the camp, bearing His reproach.

—Hebrews 13:12-13

 

Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), is also the red heifer you need to even begin drawing near to God.  Jesus fulfilled all of the sacrificial requirements of the Law.  As you spend this day walking with the LORD, thank Him for all He did to make your relationship with Him possible.

 

As a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7), thank Jesus for fulfilling the sacrificial requirements of Numbers 19:2-3 and pray for those who need Jesus to be their red heifer.

 

“Jesus, thank You for being the red heifer

 slaughtered outside the camp.

LORD, _________ needs to You to be their red heifer,

so they can come near to God through You.

Please save them in Your name, Jesus~”

 

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 4 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

 

 

 

 

Numbers 18 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Numbers 18.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/num/18/1/s_135001

Meditate on verse 5.

 

So, you shall attend to the obligations of the sanctuary

 and the obligations of the altar, so that there will

 no longer be wrath on the sons of Israel.

 

Aaron and his sons were Levites, the tribe of Israel chosen by God to serve as priests and workers in the tabernacle.  God told them to attend to their obligation He had given them (vs. 3-5).  He expected the Levites to be watchmen, guarding and protecting the people and ministries He placed in their care.  What a sacred obligation!

 

As a Christian, God considers you to be one of his priests (Revelation 1:6), a watchman guarding and protecting those He places in your care.  What a sacred obligation! 

 

Ask the LORD to help you attend well to your obligations with His kind, caring, and selfless heart.

 

Pray Numbers 18:5 over yourself and other “Levites,” asking God to help you attend to your obligations as faithful, prayerful watchmen (Isaiah 62:6-7).

 

“LORD, help______ and me attend to the

obligations of our family and the obligations of

Your other ministries, so there will no longer be

wrath on my family and others.

In Your name, Jesus~”

 

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 4 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Numbers 17 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Numbers 17.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/num/17/1/s_134001

Meditate on verses 7-8.

 

So, Moses deposited the rods before the

 LORD in the tent of the testimony.

Now on the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony;

 and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had

sprouted and put forth buds and produced

 blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds.

 

 

Imagine 12 rods, 12 lifeless walking sticks, being placed in the tabernacle for a day; within 24 hours, one of those dead rods miraculously sprouts and produces ripe almonds.  Incredible!  That is exactly what happened to Aaron’s rod when it was placed in the presence of God.  There could be no doubt among the Israelites whom God had chosen to lead His people.

 

Aaron’s rod is a picture of your soul.  Apart from Christ, you are lifeless and dead, but when you encounter the presence of God, you are made miraculously alive—sprouting, putting forth buds, producing blossoms, and bearing ripe almonds.  Amazing!

 

Ask the LORD to make you and those you love like Aaron’s rod, producing fruit for His glory.  Pray Numbers 17:7-8 and 11 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

 

“LORD, I deposit _________ and me before You.

Please make us sprout, put forth

buds, and produce blossoms.

Let us bear ripe almonds.

May it be said of us: ‘They did just as the

 LORD commanded, so they did.’

For the glory of Your name, Jesus~”

 

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 4 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Numbers 16 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Numbers 16.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/num/16/1/s_133001

Meditate on verses 4, 22a, and 45b.

 

When Moses heard this, he fell on his face.  But

 they fell on their faces.  Then they fell on their faces.

 

Three times in this chapter you see Moses facedown before the LORD.  He fell on his face because people spoke evil, threatening words to him, and twice, he and Aaron fell on their faces when God threatened to destroy the Israelites (vs. 1-4, 20-22, 41-45).  This face to the ground prayer position says, “LORD, I really need Your help!”  Moses knew he needed to speak God’s words to rebellious Korah not his own retaliatory comments.  Moses knew to approach God in humility on behalf of the people, begging God to spare them.

 

What is your first response to someone who is threatening you or your loved ones?  Fall on your face before God, seeking His help and wisdom in the distressful situation.  Fall on your face before God, asking Him to help you and your family repent and live holy to Him. 

 

As a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7), fall on your face and start praying with Numbers 16:22.

 

“O God, God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will

 You be angry with the entire congregation?

God, please do not be angry with _______ and me.

(Stay on your face and continue talking

 to God about your life situations.)

For the sake of Your name, Jesus~”

 

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 4 — Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

 

Numbers 15 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Numbers 15.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/num/15/1/s_132001

Meditate on verse 39.  The LORD is speaking.

 

"It shall be a tassel for you to look at and

 remember all the commandments of the LORD,

 so as to do them and not follow after your own heart

 and your own eyes, after which you played the harlot.”

 

Have you ever been given this advice: “Follow your heart”?  Or have you ever said, “My heart told me to…”?  This is what God says about the heart:

 

The heart is more deceitful than all else and

is desperately sick; who can understand it?

—Jeremiah 17:9

 

Yet they did not obey or incline their ear but walked

 in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their

evil heart and went backward and not forward.

—Jeremiah 7:24

 

God says do not follow your heart because it is deceitful.  However, when you delight yourself in God and His Word, He will give your heart His desires (Psalm 37:4), so you can move forward with Him instead of backward.

 

Pray Numbers 15:39-41 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

 

“LORD, help ________ and me remember all Your commandments

 so as to do them and not follow after our own

 heart and our own eyes.  Do not let us play the harlot

 but help us remember to do all Your commandments

and be holy to You, God.  You are the LORD our God who brought

 us out from slavery to sin to be our God.

You are the LORD our God, Jesus~”

 

The Watchman on the Wall, 4 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Numbers 14 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Numbers 14.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/num/14/1/s_131001

Meditate on verse 11.

 

The LORD said to Moses, "How long will this people spurn Me?

And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all

the signs which I have performed in their midst?”

 

The consequences of grumbling disobedience were severe for the Israelites.  Instead of taking possession of God’s abundant promised land, He sentenced them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, until every male, twenty years old and older, died (vs. 28-29).  Only Joshua and Caleb were spared God’s judgment because they did not complain against and distrust the LORD.  Imagine the women and children burying their husbands, brothers, fathers, and grandfathers for 40 years, until all of the unfaithful complainers were dead.  What a needless tragedy—the children suffered for 40 years because of their fathers’ unfaithfulness (v. 33)! 

 

As you take God’s Word to heart, commit to living in thankful obedience with the LORD instead of in discontented rebellion to Him.  Ask God to make you like Joshua and Caleb, so your family does not suffer for your unfaithfulness.

 

This chapter is rich with verses to pray over yourself and your loved ones.  Pray Numbers 14:9, 17, 24, and 33, plus other verses you find, as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

 

“LORD, do not let __________ and me rebel against You.

Do not let us fear the people of the land.

 LORD, You are with us; do not let us fear people.

Now I pray, let Your power be great in

 my family, just as You have declared, LORD!

Make us like Your servant Caleb who

 had a different spirit and followed You fully.

Make us faithful, so our children

 do not suffer for our unfaithfulness.

Because You are faithful, Jesus~”

 

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 4 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

 

 

Numbers 13 - Praying God's Word

 

Please read Numbers 13.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/num/13/1/s_130001

Meditate on verses 27-28 and 30.

 

Thus, they told him, and said, "We went into the land

where you sent us; and it certainly does flow

with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.

Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong,

 and the cities are fortified and very large;

 and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there.”

Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses

 and said, "We should by all means go up and take

 possession of it, for we will surely overcome it."

 

With whom do you relate to more in this story — confident Caleb or the spineless spies?  The very first words of the story are from God’s lips, promising to give the Israelites this incredible land flowing with milk and honey (vs. 1-2).  Yet, after spying out the land, the men returned with their eyes fixed on giants instead of Almighty God.  The consequences of their faithless report were disastrous.

 

What has God told you to do that makes you squirm in fear because it requires you to do it in His strength and not your own?  Has God given you a vision for your family that is impossible to achieve without Him?  Ask God to make you a faith-filled, Christ-confident Caleb.  Ask Him to give you His perspective on His will for your life.  Do not make decisions based on fear; make them based on God’s promises, knowing nothing is too difficult for Him (Jeremiah 32:17).

 

As a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7), pray Numbers 13:30 over yourself and those you love to be obedient to God’s commands.

 

“LORD, at Your command, _______ and I should by all

means go up and take possession of what You tell us,

for we will surely overcome it.

With Your power, Jesus~”

 

 

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 4 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell