#42. Numbers 9-12 | Very Meek and Faithful in All My House

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This is a dwelling place

from a trusted Ministries.

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I'm Stephanie Hickox.

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As we continue to look at the character

of God displayed through scripture,

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my goal is not to force a theme of

motherhood or a families, but rather to

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encourage us to be transformed by God's

word, so we can be who he's calling us

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to be, but in some passages of scripture

the applications seem so obvious and

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there were many in numbers nine through

12, our scripture for today, God's

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even gonna handle a sibling squabble.

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In chapter nine, God reiterates

his command for the people

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to keep the Passover feast.

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There was a group of people that

was unclean at this time because

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they were bearing their dead.

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Think about it.

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It's a group of two or two

and a half million people.

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Surely some people will

pass away that week.

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Life happens and death happens, And they

ask Moses, why can't we keep the Passover?

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He says, wait, that I may hear what

the Lord will command concerning you.

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It makes me think of Psalm 85 8.

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I will hear what God, the Lord will say

for he will speak peace to his people.

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What stands out so much

about Moses is that

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he doesn't rely on his

words or his own guidance.

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he continually seeks God's directions.

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And the Lord says, let them

still keep the Passover.

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It's sweet to me that God honors

their hearts to enter into this feast

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that has so much importance as they

remember who God has been to them.

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In the rest of chapter nine, we're

told that whenever the cloud would

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lift up from the Teve meeting the

Israelites were to pack up and move,

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there's something about this unpredictable

nature that reminds me so much about

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being a mom, how you can have your day

completely planned out and think you have

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everything set up for success, and then

something completely takes you off guard,

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like an ER visit or a child's meltdown.

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Then in chapter 10, the Lord says, sound

an alarm with the trumpet on the day of

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battle, but also on the day of gladness,

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This makes me look ahead to the return

of Christ when the trumpet will sound.

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Just as the Israelites were

watching and waiting for what the

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cloud of God's presence would do.

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As believers, we should be

waiting and preparing for Christ's

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return when the trumpet sounds

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and chapter 11, people are

complaining about their food again.

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And Understandingly.

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The Lord's anger was kindled and the

fire of the Lord burned among them and

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consumed some outlying parts of the camp.

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Moses intercedes once again and the

fire of the Lord dies down, and 11

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four it says The rabble that was

among them had a strong craving.

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The rabble would've been a

mixed multitude, a term that

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is only used one other time.

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These were Nonis Israelites who were

coming along for the ride trying to see

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if this was the God they wanted to follow.

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But when it gets hard, they're

ready to throw in the towel and the

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people of Israel join in weeping.

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Do you feel God's frustration?

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He's faithfully provided and

they're ready to go back to Egypt

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with all of these fancy foods.

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They imagine.

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It seems they're being idealistic

because they were slaves there.

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Moses goes to the Lord and says,

why don't I have your favor?

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Why have you placed this

burden of these people on me?

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Why do I have to keep dealing with them?

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I can't carry all of this alone.

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The burden is too heavy for me.

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Have you had moments of your

parenting that are so discouraging,

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exhausting, or overwhelming?

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You're confused and you don't know what to

do, and you would just love a little break

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maybe just to get your head on straight

to think about what that child needs.

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The needs of the Israelites

were constant and motherhood is

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constant, but like Moses, we can

continue to press into the Lord for

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strength And God provides a

solution to Moses' struggle.

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70 men of the elders are gathered

and God blesses them with his spirit.

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He equips them to lead.

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They'll bear the burden with Moses.

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And when the spirit diss, descends on

these 70 elders, they start prophesying

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It seems Joshua has really pure

intentions, but he's concerned he

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wants Moses to put a stop to it.

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But Moses says, are you jealous?

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For my sake?

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I Would, that all the Lord's

people were prophets, that the

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Lord would put his spirit on them.

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When God is bringing a blessing

on others, we should rejoice

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and that is the blessing that

we live in, in the new covenant.

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God has poured his

spirit on all believers.

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The anger of the Lord punishes

the rabble, and while the meat was

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yet between their teeth, what a

description it was consumed and

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the Lord struck down those people.

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There's a pattern throughout

scripture that when we give into

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immediate temptation, it can

have long-term consequences.

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Think about Esau.

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This is definitely a message

to pass on to our kids.

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To be careful because God will

provide a way out when we're tempted.

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Remember that sibling

squabble I mentioned?

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Let's look at that

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as I read chapter 12.

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Miriam and Aaron Spoke against

Moses because of the Cushite

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woman whom he had married for.

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He had married a Cushite woman and

they said, has the Lord indeed

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spoken only through Moses?

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Has he not spoken through us also?

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And the Lord heard it.

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now the man Moses, was very

meek, more than all people who

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were on the face of the earth.

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And suddenly the Lord said to Moses

and to Aaron and Miriam come out

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you three to the tent of meeting.

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And the three of them came out and the

Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and

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stood at the entrance of the tent and

called Aaron and Miriam and they both

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came forward and he said, hear my words.

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If there is a prophet among

you, I the Lord, make myself

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known to him in a vision.

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I speak with him in a dream,

not so with my servant Moses.

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He is faithful in all my house with him.

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I speak mouth to mouth clearly

and not in riddles, and he

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beholds the form of the Lord.

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Why then were you not afraid to

speak against my servant, Moses?

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And the anger of the Lord was kindled

against them, and he departed when

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the cloud removed from over the

tent, behold, Miriam was lepers

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like snow, and Aaron turned toward

Miriam and behold she was lepers.

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And Aaron said to Moses, oh my Lord,

do not punish us because we have

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done foolishly and have sinned.

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Let her not be as one dead whose

flesh is half eaten away when he

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comes out of his mother's womb.

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And Moses cried to the Lord,

oh God, please heal her please.

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But the Lord said to Moses,

if her father had what?

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Spit in her face, should she not be

shamed seven days, let her be shut

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outside the camp seven days and after

that she may be brought in again.

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So Miriam was shut outside the

camp seven days, and the people

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did not set out on the march

till Miriam was brought in again.

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Miriam and Aaron are paired together,

but in the original Hebrew we're

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given the feminine form of the verb.

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It seems Miriam was initiating this

and that's why she's going to be the

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one that receives the consequence.

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Later on when she was complaining

about Moses' Cushite wife was

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this Zipporah, the wife we were

introduced to in Exodus, because

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Midian and Kush were perhaps related.

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Or did he take a second wife?

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Did something happen to Zipporah?

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We don't know.

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James Coley speculates that

perhaps Miriam is feeling a little

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threatened that she might be losing

some of her spiritual position.

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She just watched the 70 elders

be elevated and the spirit of

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the Lord descended on them.

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Maybe she's thinking that her

role as prophetess is going to

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be threatened by Moses' wife, but

there's certainly pride in this.

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If Moses is meeting with God face to

face, it would seem the Lord would've

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brought this up to him already, and

that's why I love that God says,

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Moses is faithful in all my house.

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I've always found it fascinating

that Moses is the one recording

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this and he says he was more meek

than all people on the earth.

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Some translations say he was more

humble than anyone on Earth, and

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I could almost picture a little

battle between him and the Lord.

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And the Lord saying, write it down.

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Moses.

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Some people believe that this statement

about him being humble could have

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been an addition later on, but I

still enjoy the image of the Holy

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Spirit guiding Moses to write it.

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Scripture tells us that God opposes the

proud and gives grace to the humble.

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It makes sense that the Lord would choose

for his companion, someone who knows

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how much he needs God, not someone who

thinks they already have it all together.

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If you keep getting humbled in your

life and you thought you'd have more

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figured out by now, press into the Lord

because he wants to be your savior.

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He's not expecting you

to have all the answers.

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When God has them all come together,

it definitely reminds me of a parent.

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Ready to judge a battle

amongst their kids.

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When God says that Moses is faithful

in all his house, I so want that

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to be true of me, don't you?

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That whatever the Lord asks me to do,

that I would be faithful and carry it to

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completion, that the things that matter

to him would be the things that matter

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to me.

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Miriam publicly challenged Moses, and

that's why her consequence is so public.

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But Moses' heartfelt intercession

displays his humility once again that

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he's not holding her sin against her.

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And isn't it amazing that a man who

spent so much of his time with the Lord

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still was able to lead an entire nation?

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And that's why I'm encouraged you're

here because you're saying, God, in all I

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have to do today, I want to put you first

after reading about Moses being a very

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meek, more so than anyone on the Earth.

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I think it's fitting that I would pray

a section of the Beatitudes over you.

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From Jesus's Sermon on

the Mount in Matthew five,

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Heavenly Father, your word tells us

blessed are the poor in spirit for

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theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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May we be people that beg for

you to fill us and you alone.

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Blessed are those who mourn for

they shall be comforted as the

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sin and suffering of this world.

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Often causes grief.

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god drawn near to comfort us.

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Blessed are the meek for

they shall inherit the earth.

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Lord, may the posture of our

hearts elevate you and you alone.

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Blessed are those who hunger

and thirst for righteousness,

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for they shall be satisfied.

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Help us to seek your kingdom first.

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and may we not be satisfied

with anything but you.

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Blessed are the merciful for

they shall receive Mercy,

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give us your supernatural strength

to extend grace and mercy to others.

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Blessed are the pure in

heart for they shall see,

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God,

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Lord, may we turn away from

evil and pursue holy things.

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Blessed are the peacemakers for

they shall be called sons of

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God, as far as, it depends on us,

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Steph: Revealed to us Lord, how we

can make peace in all situations.

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Blessed are those who are persecuted

for righteousness sake, for

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theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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We pray for believers across the

world who exhibit so many of

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these characteristics, but are

being persecuted for your name.

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Lord, we ask for eternal blessings

for them, and we pray we would be

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faithful to not turn a blind eye.

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Blessed are you when others revile you

and persecute you and utter all kinds of

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evil against you falsely on my account.

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Rejoice and be glad for your

reward is great in heaven.

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Lord,

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God,

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Steph: we thank you

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that we have the hope of heaven.

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May it be our greatest aim.

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And Jesus' name we pray.

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Amen.