March 29, 2022 - Numbers 18-20

It is stated that life or death is a mere 18 inches each time we pass another vehicle on the road. Others have stated it is 18 inches between the mind and the heart, which is the distance between eternal life and death. Life and death circumstances are often closer than we realize!

After the fracture of relationships between the Levites and Aaron, God speaks directly to Aaron and reaffirms his family's role as priests. They were to protect the tabernacle at all costs, since the penalty would be the loss of both the priests lives and the non-Levites if the area of the tabernacle was violated. The rules and standards were strict, and God demanded adherence from all involved in worship to Him.

As the people of God had been instructed to give offerings to the Lord, so the priests were given guidelines about the items they were allowed to have from the sacrifices. They were also to give back a tithe to the Lord from the sacrifices received from the people.

Death was a constant companion even for the leaders of Israel. As the people journeyed, both Miriam and Aaron failed to enter the promised land but perished as the other adults did in the wilderness. Moses also is rebuked and told death awaited him because of his disobedience to the word of the Lord.

Decisions often have consequences that are far reaching and not apparent when first formulated. For each of the leaders of Israel, rash comments and angry responses came back later to impact them in adverse ways. The lessons we can learn from these and other biblical stories show us how seriously God takes His word. May we be slow to anger, slow to accuse, and be careful not to minimize God's word when making decisions. It serves us all well to remember James 1:19, "So then my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God."