Key Verse
23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!
 
Meditation
Intimacy with Jesus is the key to joy- sitting at His feet, serving the broken in His name, and participating in His kingdom work because we belong to Him.
 
Jesus has already “set His face to Jerusalem” (9:51) to accomplish His mission of substitutionary sacrifice. In today’s reading, Jesus sends out an envoy of emissaries (v. 1) illustrating the plentiful Kingdom harvest and few laborers (v. 2). There is much kingdom work to do (vv. 5-11)!  Towns rejecting Jesus’ messengers are destined for destruction (vv. 12-16).  Towns welcoming the message of Jesus find peace and joy.

​The apostles returned with joy from fruitful mission (v. 17). Jesus reoriented their focus, helping them see that true joy is found in deep relationship with God- “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (v. 20).  Jesus rejoiced in the Father’s will by the Holy Spirit, a Trinitarian joy (vv. 21-22), and He rejoiced in private moments with His disciples (v. 23).

Intimacy is interrupted with the lawyer’s question- “What must I do…?”  (v. 25) The parable of the Good Samaritan shows how busyness drives us away from the heart of love. Martha’s distraction doubles down the message- “Martha was distracted with much serving…” (v. 40). Jesus re-directs our focus by affirming the posture of Mary, intimately sitting at Jesus’ feet and hearing His words. Business robs us of joy in Jesus, leading us to miss moments of enjoying Him, His word, and His work. 
 
Intimacy with Jesus is the key to joy, and Jesus desires you to have joy through knowing Him.
 
Today’s Reading

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house.8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

Woe to Unrepentant Cities
13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.
16 “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

The Return of the Seventy-Two
17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Jesus Rejoices in the Father's Will21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Martha and Mary
38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially the business and much serving contrasted with intimacy and joy?
 
-. Do you celebrate intimacy with Jesus? Is Jesus enough for you?
 
-What are distractions from Jesus, good things in your life that take your heart focus off of Heaven’s love sent for you? Serving? Busy with mission or religious duties like the Priest and Levite?
 
-How does the invitation of Jesus to celebrate intimacy with Him move you to desire to know Him and be known by Him?
 
Key Verse
23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 

​Key Verse
2 And the Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldeans and bands of the Syrians and bands of the Moabites and bands of the Ammonites, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servants the prophets. 
 
Meditation
God’s sovereign grace transforms the consequences of our sin into a place to display His covenant love. Humble hearts will turn from sin to faith in Jesus to experience the restorative nature of His sovereign grace.
 
In today’s reading, the final series of kings in Jerusalem goes from bad to worse. Jehoaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachn, and Zedekiah continued to reject God and rebel against His word. The narrator clarifies the predictable penalty for their sin, God’s hand sending bands of enemy armies according to the word the Lord spoke by the prophets (v. 2). Ruin and destruction are the predictable consequences of sin.
 
Babylon carried exiles from Jerusalem (v. 14) but God would not allow His covenant faithfulness to be sent down stream. God protected king Jehoiachin, king David’s offspring, and through Jehoiachin God protected His covenant promises (2 Samuel 7:14). God is faithful when we are faithless!
 
Jerusalem fell into the hands of the enemy as God had prophesied and predicted, but this is not the end of the story. Jesus Christ is the faithful king who came through the line of Jehoiachin (listed as Jeconiah in Matthew 1:11), and His perfect life led Him into the hands of the ultimate enemy that He might die for our sins. Jesus Christ took the consequences of our sin, paying the penalty we owe, to display God’s unimaginable grace to all who believe. Through God’s sovereign grace believers move from exile into intimacy, reversing the power and consequences of sin. Through the work of King Jesus, God’s sovereign grace moves believers from ruin to restoration.
 
 
Today’s Reading
​In his days, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 And the Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldeans and bands of the Syrians and bands of the Moabites and bands of the Ammonites, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servants the prophets. 3 Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the Lord, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4 and also for the innocent blood that he had shed. For he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord would not pardon. 5 Now the rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 6 So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers, and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place. 7 And the king of Egypt did not come again out of his land, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates.

Jehoiachin Reigns in Judah
8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done.

Jerusalem Captured
10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. 11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it,12 and Jehoiachin the king of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon, himself and his mother and his servants and his officials and his palace officials. The king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign 13 and carried off all the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold in the temple of the Lord, which Solomon king of Israel had made, as the Lordhad foretold. 14 He carried away all Jerusalem and all the officials and all the mighty men of valor, 10,000 captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained, except the poorest people of the land. 15 And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon. The king's mother, the king's wives, his officials, and the chief men of the land he took into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 And the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon all the men of valor, 7,000, and the craftsmen and the metal workers, 1,000, all of them strong and fit for war. 17 And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

Zedekiah Reigns in Judah
18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.19 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 20 For because of the anger of the Lord it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence.

And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially the predictability of sin’s consequences?
 
-Where are you sinning by choice, rejecting God and His word? How is this leading to ruin? 
 
-God’s grace moves us from ruin to restoration through the cross of Christ. Where do you need to be restored? Ask the Spirit to lead you to restoration.
 
Key Verse
2 And the Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldeans and bands of the Syrians and bands of the Moabites and bands of the Ammonites, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servants the prophets. 

​Key Verse
5 Exalt the Lord our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he!
 
Meditation
In City Alight’s worship song, “Only a Holy God” Christians are invited to worship through a series of questions and answers. One of my favorites comes at the end of the second verse: What other majesty rules in justice? Only a Holy God.
 
Psalm 99 invites us to worship God through declaring a series of statements centered on celebrating God’s holiness evidenced through His justice. The invitation to exalt God, to worship Him because He is holy, holds the psalm together (vv. 5, 9). The justification for joyful worship is that our King rules in justice (v. 4).
 
The Lord reigns as king (vv. 1-3). The King “loves justice, has established equity,” and has “executed justice” (v. 4). The justice of God is celebrated with Moses, Aaron, Samuel, and the season of wandering in the wilderness (vv. 6-7). God is a just king, forgiving sin and avenging wrongdoing (8). God’s people respond by worshipping Him.
 
No other majesty rules in justice. No other god is holy, totally set apart from His creation. Isaiah saw God sitting on the throne of Heaven and heard the song of worship, “Holy, Holy, Holy!” (Isaiah 6:3) Moses saw the victory of God at the Red Sea and asked, “Who is like you, Oh God?... majestic in holiness, awesome in glory?” (Exodus 15:11).
 
Our Holy God is just and He justifies sinners through Christ’s death on the cross (Romans 6:23-26). Christians find our righteousness and holiness in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30). The justice of God highlights the holiness of God and compels the people of God to worship the King!
 
Today’s Reading
The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble!
    He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
2 The Lord is great in Zion;
    he is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name!
    Holy is he!
4 The King in his might loves justice.
    You have established equity;
you have executed justice
    and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt the Lord our God;
    worship at his footstool!
    Holy is he!
 
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
    Samuel also was among those who called upon his name.
    They called to the Lord, and he answered them.
7 In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them;
    they kept his testimonies
    and the statute that he gave them.
8 O Lord our God, you answered them;
    you were a forgiving God to them,
    but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
9 Exalt the Lord our God,
    and worship at his holy mountain;
    for the Lord our God is holy!
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you about the descriptions of the justice of God?
 
-God is Holy and worthy of our worship. How does the declaration of God’s holiness highlight our need for forgiveness as unholy people?
 
-Jesus Christ makes you holy! By satisfying justice, taking the penalty our sin deserves and giving us God’s righteousness. Christ is our God can rule in justice! How can you worship Him today?
 
Key Verse
5 Exalt the Lord our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he!

​Key Verse
11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the Lord of hosts. 12 For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. 
 
Meditation
God’s sovereign grace provides a great reversal moving believers from devastation to restoration. In God Himself our mourning is replaced with joy because God’s covenant faithfulness finds fullness in the finished work of Jesus. 
 
The historical context of today’s reading is God promising to restore His presence with His people through the completion of the second temple. Ten promises of blessing, each beginning with “Thus says the Lord…” (vv. 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 14, 19, 20, 23), outline the chapter. God’s desire for restoration is highlighted in revealing His covenant faithfulness and His renewing His promises of covenant fruitfulness. 
 
With God’s return to His people, Jerusalem will move from ruin to restoration, being called “the fruitful city” (vv. 1-2). God’s covenant faithfulness will fill Jerusalem with peace, streets filled with intergenerational joy (vv. 3-5) and God’s righteousness dwelling with His people (vv. 6-8). The land will be fruitful, a sowing of peace with vines giving fruit, the people strong, and fear not taking root (vv. 9-14). The nations will be drawn to see people who have received God’s grace and look like God’s character (vv. 14-23). God’s presence transforms past frustrations into future fruitfulness!
 
God’s presence is ultimately restored in the person and work of Jesus. Through faith in His representative life and substitutionary death, believers are free to repent of sin (2 Corinthians 7:10) and turn to Him to begin again. In Jesus we discover the fullness of God’s covenant faithfulness, His presence, peace, and prosperity fueling personal piety for all His people. 
 
Today’s Reading
And the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. 3 Thus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. 4 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. 5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.6 Thus says the Lord of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the Lord of hosts? 7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, 8 and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.”

9 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Let your hands be strong, you who in these days have been hearing these words from the mouth of the prophets who were present on the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built. 10 For before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for beast, neither was there any safety from the foe for him who went out or came in, for I set every man against his neighbor. 11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the Lord of hosts. 12 For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. 13 And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong.”

14 For thus says the Lord of hosts: “As I purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the Lord of hosts, 15 so again have I purposed in these days to bring good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; fear not. 16 These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; 17 do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.”

18 And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying,19 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.

20 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. 21 The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.’ 22 Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord. 23 Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially the shower of blessings of which the Lord longs to flood His people?

-God’s restored presence changes everything, promising to redeem the past, renew the present, and give fruitfulness in the future! Which of the ten promises from today’s reading resonates in your heart? Why?
 
-Where can you embrace God’s grace through Christ to look forward in life to focus on future fruitfulness? Be specific. The struggles of your past are soil for a fruitful harvest in Christ!
 
Key Verse
11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the Lord of hosts. 12 For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. 

On Wednesdays we “walk in the Word” through study & application of Biblical doctrine. Rightly understanding Biblical doctrine fuels doxology, delight in Jesus, & gospel centered discipleship. Today we continue a short series on knowing God through General revelation, focusing specifically on teleological reasoning for an eternal God. 
General Revelation & Eternity
Cosmological Reasoning for an Eternal God

In research for my doctoral work, I read Jonathan Edward’s influential book, “The End for which God Created the World.” Edwards wrote the book during his years of ministry with the Delaware Indians (I used this season of Edward’s life as the basis for the first post in our Wednesday in the Word series). One of Edward’s main goals of the book is to demonstrate God’s ultimate goal in creating the world is NOT based on something He lacks. God lacks nothing, yet He created the world from nothing. For what end? Edwards writes,

“God is both the first and the last, both the beginning and the end. This implies that just as God is the first efficient cause of all things, he is also the final object for which they are made. God is the fountain of all being-everything that exists originates and springs forth from him. Likewise, all things are moving toward God as their ultimate goal.”
​
​In other words, God’s goal in creating the world is God Himself. This line of reasoning launched John Piper’s world changing ministry, Desiring God, and it can transform you and your world, too.
 
God’s goal in creating you is for you to know Him, enjoy Him, and glorify Him forever. This is your highest and best good. Your heart will find fullness and your soul satisfaction with you embrace His eternal purpose: His intimate presence with you, a people He bought for Himself.
 
But what about people who do not know and believe in God? And how does God’s end for His creation evidence itself in creation? How can we know that all things are “From Him, through Him, and for Him”? (Romans 11:36)

​             Design Demands a Designer
The fabric of creation demands there is a Creator. A few examples should be noted:
A-The fine tuning of the universe
God established the heavens by understanding (Proverbs 3:19), and without Him nothing was made (John 1:3) and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17).
 
The fine-tuning of the universe is the scientific observation that the laws, constants, and conditions of creation are precisely ordered so that life can exist. If there was even a small variation it would make the cosmos uninhabitable. Scripture affirms that such order reveals God’s wisdom and eternal power (Psalm 19:1; Isaiah 40:26; Romans 1:20), leading us to see fine-tuning not as chance, but as evidence of the Creator’s design.

For instance, if the earth’s orbit moved 1-2% closer to the sun the temperature would rise enough for all water to boil and evaporate and we would be like Venus. If we moved 1-2% further away in our orbit, temperatures would plumet and we would freeze like Mars. The orbit of our planet is tuned to perfection, so that creatures can have physical life.
 
B- DNA is what Francis Collins called “The Language of Life” in his book detailing his conversion from atheist scientist to Christian. Collins was the chief geneticist who led the Human Genome Project studying DNA, a molecular code that stores the instructions for building and maintaining all living organisms. A single human cell contains about 3 billion base pairs of DNA. If written out, it would fill hundreds of volumes of books. This level of detail in our design proves many things, not least of which is this verse:“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13).
 
C- The human eye has over 2 million working parts, including parts you learned in Biology 101- the cornea, lens, retina, and optic nerve. The retina contains over 100 million photoreceptor cells, capable of distinguishing millions of colors. The eye automatically adjusts for light, focus, and depth, integrating with the brain to produce sight in real time. Even Charles Darwin admitted: “To suppose that the eye… could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest possible degree” (Origin of Species, Ch. 6).For you to read this blog, or turn away to see a distraction, is only possible because you have a Creator.
“The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both” (Proverbs 20:12)

The teleological argument hinges on the order and purpose of creation by observing the operation of the natural world according to discernible laws and in a distinguishable direction. This regularity is manifest in everything from physical constants to biological systems, eliminating randomness as an option and elevating rational intentionality. Another resource I have been engaging in my doctoral work is Thomas Aquinas, and his “fifth way” to prove the existence of God is worth quoting extensively:

"The fifth way is taken from the governance of the world. We see that things which lack intelligence, such as natural bodies, act for an end, and this is evident from their acting always, or nearly always, in the same way, so as to obtain the best result. Hence, it is plain that they achieve their end, not fortuitously, but designedly. Now whatever lacks intelligence cannot move towards an end, unless it be directed by some being endowed with knowledge and intelligence; as the arrow is shot to its mark by the archer. Therefore, some intelligent being exists by whom all natural things are directed to their end; and this being we call God."

Only an eternal God who knows the end from the beginning is almighty and omnipotent to establish order and harmony for a specific purpose. “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god” (Isaiah 44:6). God is both the first and the last, both the beginning and the end. This implies that just as God is the first efficient cause of all things, he is also the final object for which they are made. God is the headwaters for all of life, and everything that exists originates and springs forth from Him, through Him, and is created for Him.

In short, the cosmological argument points to God as the eternal Cause, while the teleological argument reveals Him as the eternal Designer. And the One who designed the world has designed you to know Him, enjoy Him, and glorify Him forever. This is where general revelation necessitates special revelation, God’s word used by God’s Spirit to give faith in God’s work through Jesus Christ. Creator became creation according to the Father’s redemptive design, that He might die for us to live. Through Jesus Christ we are able to discover the fullness of knowing, enjoying, and glorifying God. The trinitarian reality Edward’s eventually highlights is the Spirit indwelling a people redeemed by Jesus so that in our thoughts, emotions, experiences, and in all of life we might know the Father and His love in order to enjoy Him and glorify Him- forever.

Richly Dwelling

• Do you subscribe to the simplicity of the end for which you are created, namely to know God, enjoy God, and glorify God forever?  Why or why not?
• What distracts you from this simple truth, competing realities claiming priority for the end of which you are created?
• What stands out to you from the teleological argument for an eternal God through general revelation?

Key Verse
10 The daughters of Zelophehad did as the Lord commanded Moses…
 
Meditation
The gospel gives passion for believers to “press on towards the goal, for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14) by responding to God’s grace in Christ through obeying the word of God. In today’s reading, the daughters of Zelophehad illustrate what it looks like through their hunger to understand covenant inheritance.
 
The word inheritance is mentioned seventeen times in thirteen verses. The women we first met the in Numbers 27, their situation illustrating how grace alone allows us to gain covenant inheritance, now humbly come before leaders with a question of inheritance (vv. 2-5). Their question concerns potential inheritance transfer in the context of marriage. 
 
The women’s obedience to God’s Word is held out as an example for Israel at the end of the book. “The daughters of Zelophehad did as the Lord commanded Moses…” (v. 10) is quickly followed by the last verse: “These are the commandments and rules the Lord commanded through Moses…” (v. 13) When God’s people enter their promised land, will they obey as the daughters of Zelophehad did?
 
To press on towards God’s covenant promises is to respond to God’s grace with obedience to God’s word. For the women and the nation of Israel, this meant looking beyond the wilderness to their inheritance in the promised land. For you and me, pressing on towards our prize in Christ is to seek first our King and His kingdom, responding to God’s grace in Christ by obediently living for the eternal rather than settling for the things of this world.
 
Today’s Reading
The heads of the fathers' houses of the clan of the people of Gilead the son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of the people of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the chiefs, the heads of the fathers' houses of the people of Israel. 2 They said, “The Lord commanded my lord to give the land for inheritance by lot to the people of Israel, and my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters. 3 But if they are married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the people of Israel, then their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of our fathers and added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry. So it will be taken away from the lot of our inheritance. 4 And when the jubilee of the people of Israel comes, then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry, and their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.”

5 And Moses commanded the people of Israel according to the word of the Lord, saying, “The tribe of the people of Joseph is right. 6 This is what the Lord commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: ‘Let them marry whom they think best, only they shall marry within the clan of the tribe of their father. 7 The inheritance of the people of Israel shall not be transferred from one tribe to another, for every one of the people of Israel shall hold on to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. 8 And every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the people of Israel shall be wife to one of the clan of the tribe of her father, so that every one of the people of Israel may possess the inheritance of his fathers. 9 So no inheritance shall be transferred from one tribe to another, for each of the tribes of the people of Israel shall hold on to its own inheritance.’”

10 The daughters of Zelophehad did as the Lord commanded Moses, 11 for Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to sons of their father's brothers. 12 They were married into the clans of the people of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of their father's clan.

13 These are the commandments and the rules that the Lord commanded through Moses to the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you in today’s reading, especially the women’s hunger for understanding inheritance and their obedience?
 
-Do you press on toward the upward goal that is yours in Christ Jesus through obedience to His word? Why or why not?
 
-The work of Jesus gives ground on which we can find a new path to walk by faith, moving through the wilderness to enjoy His promised blessings. WHERE do you need to respond to God’s grace by hearing God’s word and obeying, giving security to your steps in wilderness wanderings? Be specific.
 
Key Verse
10 The daughters of Zelophehad did as the Lord commanded Moses…