Please Lord deliver me from any rebelliousness of heart. Help me to hear Your voice and obey immediately. Please forgive me for times past when I have not obeyed promptly. Thank You Lord for Your mercy and grace.

I am 3 days behind in my reading so I've been catching up. I am blown away at the richness of God and his mercy. I had to repent that I knew so little of His Word. Familiar scriptures now finding a location. I am looking forward to my daily reading. It is causing me to be more disciplined. When you've spoken about study versus reading I didn't quite grasp the concept, but I know that God is certainly speaking to me through His Word.

Praise Him.

The readings of the last few days have been in books filled with information about specific rules and guidelines God supplies for his people...from how to worship to ways to live together in community. What intrigues me the most is that despite God's constant conversations and His visible presence (in the cloud), the Isrealites still grumble and complain. I guess it also reminds me that I do this a lot too...It may be the 21st century but I don' think human beings have changed that much. Guide me, O Lord, and keep me focused on You, not grumbling about my own concerns.

Note that some had said they were brought out of the land flowing with milk and honey(Egypt)--—and would never see that land that God had promised them

*Numbers 8:18 - "And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel." - Why were the Levites in plac eof firstborn? Wasn't Levi the 3rd born? Reuben was the firstborn.

Why are so many of the passages through here so repetitive?

*Numbers 12:10 - "When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood Miriam - leprous, like snow." - Why was only Miriam punished? Aaron sinned, too, by speaking ill against Moses?

*Numbers 16:31 - "As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, with the

It is interesting to see Moses again and again stand between his people and God - and plea for them.

Made me think

I am amazed how God continues to show his mercy. Again, it's like parenting a child who continues to pout, which I can easily relate to as not only am I guilty of such acts, I see my children doing this. Thankfully, God loves us enough to be patient with us.

Even Moses had doubts and did not trust the Lord enough to provide. (Numbers 20). The Lord tells him that neither he nor Aaron will enter the promised land with the people. Still, the Lord provides the people water from the rock. It's an amazing story of trust, resistance and God's unwavering demand for obedience and faith.