#46. Numbers 24-26 | My Favorite Barely-Known Bible Character

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This is the Dwelling Place from

Entrusted Ministries, and we believe

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that what really transforms our

homes is the presence of the Lord.

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I'm Stephanie Cock, and today we're

diving in on one of my favorite,

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barely known characters in the Bible.

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We're also going to continue to

look at Baum's story and see if

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he'll finally give in to Bailiff's

request to curse the Israelites.

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I'm gonna give a sensitive

ear warning on this episode.

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It'll be best for moms to listen to alone.

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We are looking at numbers Chapter 24

through 26, chapter 23, closed with

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Baum, blessing the Israelites once

again, and Baic the king of Moab,

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getting frustrated and saying, maybe

if I let you look at them from a

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different angle, you'll change your mind.

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I mean, this bait guy is

relentless, but he's pretty dense.

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He's just not figuring it out.

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And in chapter 24, where

our reading begins today.

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It says, and the spirit of God came upon

him, and Baam took up his discourse,

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and he blesses the Israelites once again

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let's start at verse 10, and Bali's

anger was kindled against Balaam and he

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struck his hands together and Balik said

to Baam, I called you to curse my enemies.

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And behold, you have blessed

them these three times.

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Therefore, now flee to your own place.

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I said I will certainly honor you, but

the Lord has held you back from honor

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and Baam said to Balik, did I not tell

your messengers whom you sent to me?

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If Balik should give me his house full

of silver and gold, I would not be able

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to go beyond the word of the Lord to

do either good or bad of my own will.

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What the Lord speaks that will I speak and

now behold, I'm going to my people come.

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I will let you know what this people will

do to your people in the latter days.

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And he took up his discourse and said,

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the oracle of Baam, the son of bor, the

oracle of the man whose eye is opened, the

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oracle of him who hears the words of God.

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And knows the knowledge of the most high.

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Who sees the vision of the Almighty

falling down with his eyes uncovered?

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I see him, but not now.

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I behold him, but not near.

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A star shall come out of Jacob, and

a scepter shall rise out of Israel.

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It shall crush the forehead of Moab

and break down all the sons of Sheth.

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Edem shall be dispersed seer also,

his enemies shall be dispossessed.

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Israel is doing valiantly, and one

from Jacob shall exercise dominion

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and destroy the survivors of cities.

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Perhaps it's helpful For a little

review that the Moabites are

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the descendants from lot and his

oldest daughter, the Amalekites are

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descendants from Esau and the Midianites

descendant from Abraham's second wife.

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It's interesting that they're

called to defeat them as well, I

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kind of get a kick out of it.

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When we read that Balik was so

angry, he struck his hands together.

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You can almost picture him

stomping his feet, can't you?

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I

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Perhaps that prophecy, a star shall

come out of Jacob and a scepter shall

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rise out of Israel is familiar to you

about Jesus, but you didn't realize

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that they came from a pagan prophet.

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The star was related to royalty and

the scepter showed power and authority.

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Baum seems so honorable when he says, even

if you'd give me a house full of silver

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and gold, I can't go beyond the word of

the Lord, but we get a reality check in

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the next chapter that he actually provoked

to the Israelites to become sexually

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immoral with the daughters of Moab.

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So just because the Lord uses him to

give one of the clearest foretelling

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of Christ in the Pentateuch.

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This Messenger is still not our guy.

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We look forward to the

perfect Messiah to come.

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In chapter 25, beginning

in verse one, we're told.

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While Israel lived in shit him that people

began to whore with the daughters of Moab.

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These invited the people to the

sacrifices of their gods, and the

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people ate and bowed down to their gods.

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So Israel yoked himself to Baal

of P, and the anger of the Lord

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was kindled against Israel.

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And the Lord said to Moses, take all

the chiefs of the people and hang

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them in the sun before the Lord,

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that the fierce anger of the

Lord may turn away from Israel.

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And Moses said to the judges of Israel,

each of you kill those of his men who

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have yoked themselves to Baal of P.

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And behold, one of the people of

Israel came and brought a Midianite

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woman to his family in the sight of

Moses and in the sight of the whole

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congregation of the people of Israel

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while they were weeping in the

entrance of the tent of meeting.

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When Phineas, the son of Azar,

son of Aaron, the priest, saw it.

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He rose and left the congregation and

took a spear in his hand and went after

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the man of Israel into the chamber

and pierced both of them, the man of

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Israel and the woman through her belly.

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Thus, the plague on the

people of Israel was stopped.

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Nevertheless, those who died

by the plague were 24,000.

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And the Lord said to Moses Phineas,

the son of Azar, son of Aaron, the

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priest, has turned back my wrath

from the people of Israel and that

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he was jealous with my jealousy among

them so that I did not consume the

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people of Israel and my jealousy.

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Therefore say, behold, I give

to him my covenant of peace.

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And it shall be to him and to his

descendants after him, the covenant

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of a perpetual priesthood because

he was jealous for his God and made

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atonement for the people of Israel.

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Okay.

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like I said, this is my boy.

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I love Phineas.

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Because he is zealous for righteousness.

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I mean, this is bold and brazen sin.

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While people are being killed.

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for sexual impurity.

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Ziri has the gall to take a woman into

his tent while everyone is weeping

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and in the sight of everyone Vinia

sees it and he acts definitively.

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I don't mean to be graphic here,

but if you are going to take a spear

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and pierce it through a man and a

woman through their belly at the same

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time, it's clear what's happening.

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Baal of P is not the exact same Baal as

the Canaanite God, but the Pagan practices

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to worship him were very similar to

that of the Canaanite, Baal, and a Mole.

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There were often sexual

fertility practices and even

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eating sacrifices of the dead.

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On a much more palatable note, there

are five covenants in scripture

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that are originated by God that

are described as everlasting.

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And this is one of them.

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God had already promised to establish

the priesthood through Aaron's line,

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but it's not until Phineas, his

grandson, that God says this will be

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a perpetual and everlasting covenant.

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It's even going to last

through the millennial reign.

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God blesses his zeal and

sees the purity of his heart.

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PHUs is seeing how the sin of some

can affect the whole congregation, and

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he says, I'll cut it off right now.

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The Lord is referring to Phineas in

Malachi two, five through seven when he

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says, my covenant with him was one of

life and peace, and I gave them to him.

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It was a covenant of

fear, and he feared me.

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He stood in awe of my name.

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True instruction was in his mouth

and no wrong was found on his lips.

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He walked with me in peace

and a brightness, and he

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turned many from iniquity.

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Isn't it awesome that by this

act he turned many away from

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sin and he followed the priestly

duties to give wise instruction?

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It makes perfect sense

because it says he feared me.

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We know that the fear of the

Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

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And he guards his mouth from

wrong because he's zealous to

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honor the Lord with his words.

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I'm just so inspired that in spite of

all the sin going on around him, that

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Phineas was uncompromising in his purity.

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And I definitely don't want my son

spearing anyone, but I pray that they

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would have that same fear of the Lord

and desire for righteousness, and it

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would set them apart in this world.

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Seriously, why don't we have

more sermons on this guy?

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in case you're curious about

what those other everlasting

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covenants in scripture are.

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The first we've already read about it

was the NOIC Covenant in Genesis nine.

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When God gave the sign of the rainbow.

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The second is the Abrahamic covenant in

Genesis 17 with the sin of circumcision.

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This is the third, the priestly

covenant, and the fourth will be

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coming with the Davidic covenant.

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And the fifth is the new covenant

described in Jeremiah 32 40.

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In chapter 26, God tells them to take

a census of the second generation.

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I understand it takes a little bit

to dig out some insights, but if we

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look for it, we'll see some really

cool things amidst these numbers,

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the tribes on the southern side of

the tabernacle decreased the most.

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The tribe of Simeon was 37,000.

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Lower this time.

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And the tribe of Manasses

has the most gain.

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It's up by 20,000.

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Overall, it's only about 2000

different than the first census,

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and Judah still has the most

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i'm so encouraged by numbers

26 11 where it tells us, but

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the sons of Cora did not die.

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This is referring to Cora's

Rebellion when the Earth opened up

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its mouth and swallowed them up.

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But guess what?

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It's saying that the sons and the children

were not punished for their father's sin.

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in the midst of all these numbers, we can

see the grace and the goodness of God.

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At the end of this chapter,

in verses 52 through 54, the

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Lord spoke to Moses saying.

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Among these, the land shall

be divided for inheritance

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according to the number of names.

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To a large tribe, you shall give a

large inheritance and to a small tribe,

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you shall give a small inheritance.

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Every tribe shall be given

its inheritance in proportion

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to its size.

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This is so fair and it reminds me

about how our House of Representatives

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is set up and verses 64 and 65, but

among these, there was not one of

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those listed by Moses and Aaron.

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The priest who had listed the people

of Israel in the wilderness of

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Sinai, for the Lord had said of them,

they shall die in the wilderness.

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Now, one of them was left

except Caleb, the son of Jah,

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and Joshua, the son of none.

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We serve a God who does what he says he

will do, and he greatly rewards our faith.

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Let's pray.

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Heavenly Father, we thank you for

these examples even when they were

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in a crooked and depraved generation,

how they were zealous for your name.

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Teach us how to winsomely stand

for you that our example could

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turn many away from iniquity

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And we pray that you would protect our

lips and our children's lips from evil.

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May wisdom be on our tongues.

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Teach us to walk with you

and peace and uprightness.

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We understand that's the fruit

of dwelling with you, and we

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want it for our kids so much.

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We ask for protection for wherever you

have them, whether they're still at home.

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Or being homeschooled or in

private school, public school,

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or grown and on their own.

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Protect them Lord, and keep

their hearts pure before you.

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Thank you Jesus, that you modeled

righteousness so perfectly for us.

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It's in your holy name we pray.

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Amen.