Psalm 90 is the oldest of all of the Psalms and was written by "Moses the man of God". Verses 1-2:
1LORD, YOU have been our dwelling place and our refuge in all generations [says Moses].2Before the mountains were brought forth or ever You had formed and given birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting You are God.
Moses is declaring that God alone is the place of refuge for believers. In verse 2 he declares that God IS God and has always BEEN God, from before the foundation of the world! He is not moved or controlled by time and He expects His people to obey His Word! Disobedience through unbelief was what kept the Israelites walking through the wilderness for forty years. Notice this in verse 10:
10The days of our years are threescore years and ten (seventy years)--or even, if by reason of strength, fourscore years (eighty years); yet is their pride [in additional years] only labor and sorrow, for it is soon gone, and we fly away.
Many people quote this verse as a guide to how long they expect to live on this earth. What Moses was referring to was the age of many of the Israelites when they died in the wilderness because of their unbelief! Moses himself was 120 when he died, Aaron was 123, Miriam was older, Joshua was 110 and Jacob was 130! Don't limit your life by thinking small! Go for 120 healthy, happy, fruitful years unless Jesus comes for us sooner than that! We have all of eternity to be in Heaven, but the people here only have so long to hear the Gospel and be saved!
Luke 2 is the official Christmas story, at least at our house! But there are a couple of interesting things I want to mention concerning this chapter. First of all, Caesar may have liked to take credit for his actions, but this one was ordained of God! This brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, where prophecy said the Messiah would be born! (Micah 5:2) Caesar unknowingly fulfilled the will of God by making this decree! A. T. Pierson was the person who said: "History is His Story"! President James A. Garfield called history "the unrolled scroll of prophecy". God Himself said this in Jeremiah 1:12:
12Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it.
If God said it, bank on it! It WILL come to pass! AMEN!!!
Another point that I think is very important to realize is the virgin birth of Jesus. Mary and Joseph were married at this time, but it wasn't official because the marriage hadn't been consummated yet. That would not happen until after Jesus was born of the virgin Mary. After Jesus was born, Mary was no longer a virgin and went on to have at least six other children! (See Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3) The virgin birth is vitally important to us because it provided the way for Jesus to be born without the sin nature which was passed down from the fathers. He was born without sin, lived without sin and died without sin OF HIS OWN! He was MADE sin with my sin and your sin so that He could pay forever the price (wages) of sin for "whosoever" would believe! Thank You, Jesus!
In Numbers 23-24 we continue with the story of Balak and Balaam. You'd think the donkey story would have been enough to stop this nonsense! But we see Balak continue to ask Balaam to curse Israel. Balaam warns him that he can't but speak what God says about Israel. Three times Balak is looking for a curse and Balaam delivers a blessing instead! That sounds like God to me! God wanted Israel blessed and He definitely wants YOU blessed! Recognize the curse and deal with it according to the Word of God. Then begin to REALLY LIVE in the blessing of God!
Shalom in Him!
