And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation. | ||
| Numbers 1:1 | ||
| In Genesis, we see in the person of Abraham God’s people waiting—waiting for the son promised to him, the first of a nation which was to number as the stars in the heavens, the sand on the seashore. In Exodus, we see God’s people watching, as God raised up a deliverer named Moses to set them free. In Leviticus, we see God’s people worshiping, as He outlined for them the way they were to commune with Him. Here in Numbers, we see God’s people warring, as they organized into camps to do battle against the enemies they would encounter in the Promised Land. It was in the wilderness that Moses heard the Word of the Lord. I point this out because sometimes when we go through a wilderness experience, although we try to extract things from the Word, although we spend time in prayer, we don’t hear the voice of the Lord. All of us go through such times. But notice exactly where Moses was in the wilderness when the Lord spoke to him—he was in the tabernacle of the congregation when he heard the voice of the Lord. And I believe the best place to hear the Lord speak is still the tabernacle of the congregation, in church. So many times in my walk when I have been dry, when I haven’t heard the heart of the Lord, no sooner would I go into a church service and plop down on a back pew somewhere, than I would begin to listen and wonder, Who told this preacher what I’m going through? The Word spoke directly and specifically to my situation. I say this because sometimes we fail to remember that one of the most effective ways to study the Bible is to consistently and faithfully come to church and travel through the Word with our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Pastor Jon Courson | ||
