Key Verse
13 When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was,14 because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled, failing to uphold me as holy at the waters before their eyes.” (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.) 
 
Meditation
God’s blessings are received through His mercy, never earned by our merit. Even our greatest works cannot secure God’s favor or earn God’s inheritance. Grace alone is our hope for knowing God, receiving His promises, and resting in His steadfast love.
 
Today’s reading displays this grace. First, the daughters of Zelophehad approach Moses because their father died without a son (vv. 1-11). Without an inheritance, their family name and place in the Promised Land were threatened. Moses brings their case before the Lord, and God graciously provides. Their inheritance is not forgotten because the God who numbers His people also knows their names and cares about their future.
 
In a painful contrast, we read that Moses himself will not enter the land (vv. 12-14). Our hearts want to believe a leader like Moses could earn his place within God’s blessing. Surely, we think, the religious fervor and faithfulness of a man who led God’s people through the wilderness is sufficient? Absolutely not. Moses’s rebellion at Meribah (Numbers 20) reveals that he, too, needed a mediator. 
 
Rather than pleading for himself, Moses prays for the people: “Let the LORD… appoint a man over the congregation” so they will not be “as sheep that have no shepherd” (vv. 16-17). God answers by appointing Joshua, a move pointing to Jesus, the “great shepherd of the sheep” (Hebrews 13:20) who leads His people home forever.

Jesus bore the judgment our rebellion deserves so that we can receive an inheritance we could never earn. In Him, overlooked daughters, failing leaders, wandering sheep, and sinners like us are welcomed into God’s forever inheritance.
 
Today’s Reading
Then drew near the daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of Manasseh the son of Joseph. The names of his daughters were: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 2 And they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the chiefs and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, saying, 3 “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah, but died for his own sin. And he had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father's brothers.”
​
5 Moses brought their case before the Lord. 6 And the Lord said to Moses, 7 “The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father's brothers and transfer the inheritance of their father to them. 8 And you shall speak to the people of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter.9 And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father's brothers.11 And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the nearest kinsman of his clan, and he shall possess it. And it shall be for the people of Israel a statute and rule, as the Lord commanded Moses.’”

Joshua to Succeed Moses
12 The Lord said to Moses, “Go up into this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel. 13 When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was,14 because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled, failing to uphold me as holy at the waters before their eyes.” (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.) 15 Moses spoke to the Lord, saying,16 “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation 17 who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.” 18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. 19 Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight. 20 You shall invest him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey. 21 And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the Lord. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation.” 22 And Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and made him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, 23 and he laid his hands on him and commissioned him as the Lord directed through Moses.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially the preparation for God’s promised land for marginalized women and the next generation of leaders?
 
-Do you believe that not even a man like Moses can merit the experience of God’s blessing, not even through his sacrificial leadership in the wilderness for decades? Why do we hold hope in our works of righteousness and (perceived) good deeds?
 
-How does the mercy of God seen in the sacrificial work of Christ move us to celebrate salvation through God’s grace alone? This is to ask: HOW can you allow your heart to be moved by God’s mercy, responding to God’s grace by living for His glory (with gratefulness for His faithfulness)?
 
Key Verse
13 When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was,14 because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled, failing to uphold me as holy at the waters before their eyes.” (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.) 
 

Key Verse
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; 5 for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 
 
Meditation
Babylon will fall, but everyone who belongs to Jesus will stand forever. The systems of this world that seduce with wealth, promise security, and oppose God may appear powerful, but today’s reading assures us their glory is temporary. 
 
Throughout Scripture, salvation includes a gracious call to come out. Noah entered the ark before the flood to come out after the judgment. Lot fled Sodom before the fire fell. Here, God calls His people, “Come out of her, my people” (v. 4). Babylon’s judgment is certain (vv. 1-8). Kings and merchants who profited from her power mourn her destruction (vv. 9-19), while heaven rejoices because God’s justice has finally come (vv. 20-24).
 
The danger of Babylon is seduction. She offers comfort, prosperity, pleasure, and power apart from God. Babylon teaches us to find security in what we possess rather than in the One who possesses us. This is the danger: We can belong to Christ while still being tempted to build our lives with Babylon’s bricks.
 
Christians know that Jesus entered our judgment so we could enter the security of His steadfast love. He bore the wrath our worldliness deserves and rose victorious, so in Him believers might become a holy people who live sanctified lives (2 Corinthians 6:16-17). We “come out” by refusing to worship what the world worships, living as God’s holy people within Babylon while belonging to another city.
 
Babylon will fall.  Our security is not found in the city of man, but in the steadfast love of our Savior. We can “come out” by living holy lives for the glory of the Holy One.
 
Today’s Reading
After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. 2 And he called out with a mighty voice,
       “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
She has become a dwelling place for demons,
       a haunt for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.
3     For all nations have drunk
the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality,
       and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”

4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,
       “Come out of her, my people,
lest you take part in her sins,
       lest you share in her plagues;
5     for her sins are heaped high as heaven,
and God has remembered her iniquities.
6     Pay her back as she herself has paid back others,
and repay her double for her deeds;
mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed.
7     As she glorified herself and lived in luxury,
so give her a like measure of torment and mourning,
       since in her heart she says,
‘I sit as a queen,
       I am no widow,
and mourning I shall never see.’
8     For this reason her plagues will come in a single day,
death and mourning and famine,
       and she will be burned up with fire;
for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”
9 And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. 10 They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say,
       “Alas! Alas! You great city,
you mighty city, Babylon!
       For in a single hour your judgment has come.”

11 And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, 12 cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, 13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.

14    “The fruit for which your soul longed
has gone from you,
       and all your delicacies and your splendors
are lost to you,
never to be found again!”
15 The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,
16    “Alas, alas, for the great city
that was clothed in fine linen,
in purple and scarlet,
adorned with gold,
with jewels, and with pearls!

17    For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.”
And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off 18 and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning,
       “What city was like the great city?”
19 And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out,
       “Alas, alas, for the great city
where all who had ships at sea
grew rich by her wealth!
       For in a single hour she has been laid waste.
20    Rejoice over her, O heaven,
and you saints and apostles and prophets,
       for God has given judgment for you against her!”
21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,
       “So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence,
and will be found no more;
22    and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters,
will be heard in you no more,
       and a craftsman of any craft
will be found in you no more,
       and the sound of the mill
will be heard in you no more,
23    and the light of a lamp
will shine in you no more,
       and the voice of bridegroom and bride
will be heard in you no more,
       for your merchants were the great ones of the earth,
and all nations were deceived by your sorcery.
24    And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints,
and of all who have been slain on earth.”
 
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially regarding God’s command to flee from the world’s system by coming out?
 
-Where do you see your heart embracing the ways of the wicked world system? The hearts of those you know and love? What does it look like to live a life that is not consumed with the ways of the world but consummated for Jesus?
 
-The victory of God is sure, not a question of “if” but a question of “when.” Christ will come again, and the city of man will be judged. Take time now to thank God for his sure victory and to pray for His Spirit to guide you in leading a life devoted to Him.

 Key Verses
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; 5 for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 

Key verse
1 After the plague, the Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron, the priest, 2 “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers' houses, all in Israel who are able to go to war.” 
 
Meditation
God’s sovereign grace calls every generation to cultivate and commission the next generation of disciples. We are familiar with individual inter-generational relationships such as Moses and Joshua, Naomi and Ruth, Paul and Timothy, Jesus and His disciples because developing the next generation is woven into the calling of all God’s people throughout redemptive history.

Today’s reading records the second census of Israel, taking place “after the plague” (v. 1). The wilderness generation had almost completely passed away, but God’s promises had not. Moses and Eleazar counted a new generation preparing to receive their inheritance. The Promised Land was in sight, conflict was coming, and Joshua and Caleb remained (v. 65) to lead them forward.
 
Grace gives the next generation footing for faithfulness. Israel had rebelled repeatedly, but God had not abandoned His covenant promises or replaced His people. Remarkably, even “the sons of Korah did not die” (v. 11). God was preserving a people to receive what He had promised.
 
Christians also live “after the plague” and before the fullness of our inheritance. Jesus bore the judgment our rebellion deserves, dying so sinners can be forgiven, restored, and given a future. Jesus has already won the decisive victory, and we await the new heavens and new earth with confidence.
 
Until then, we cultivate rather than count the next generation. We disciple our children, invest in younger believers, identify emerging leaders, and prepare others for spiritual battle. In response to Jesus’ sovereign grace, it is our privilege is to prepare the next generation to walk faithfully into the inheritance He has obtained. 
 
Today’s Reading
​After the plague, the Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron, the priest, 2 “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers' houses, all in Israel who are able to go to war.” 3 And Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, 4 “Take a census of the people, from twenty years old and upward,” as the Lord commanded Moses. The people of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt were:

5 Reuben, the firstborn of Israel; the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the clan of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the clan of the Palluites; 6 of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the clan of the Carmites. 7 These are the clans of the Reubenites, and those listed were 43,730. 8 And the sons of Pallu: Eliab. 9 The sons of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram, chosen from the congregation, who contended against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the Lord 10 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured 250 men, and they became a warning. 11 But the sons of Korah did not die.
12 The sons of Simeon according to their clans: of Nemuel, the clan of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the clan of the Jaminites; of Jachin, the clan of the Jachinites; 13 of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the clan of the Shaulites. 14 These are the clans of the Simeonites, 22,200.

15 The sons of Gad according to their clans: of Zephon, the clan of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the clan of the Haggites; of Shuni, the clan of the Shunites; 16 of Ozni, the clan of the Oznites; of Eri, the clan of the Erites; 17 of Arod, the clan of the Arodites; of Areli, the clan of the Arelites. 18 These are the clans of the sons of Gad as they were listed, 40,500.

19 The sons of Judah were Er and Onan; and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. 20 And the sons of Judah according to their clans were: of Shelah, the clan of the Shelanites; of Perez, the clan of the Perezites; of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites. 21 And the sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the clan of the Hamulites. 22 These are the clans of Judah as they were listed, 76,500.

23 The sons of Issachar according to their clans: of Tola, the clan of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the clan of the Punites;24 of Jashub, the clan of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the clan of the Shimronites. 25 These are the clans of Issachar as they were listed, 64,300.

26 The sons of Zebulun, according to their clans: of Sered, the clan of the Seredites; of Elon, the clan of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the clan of the Jahleelites. 27 These are the clans of the Zebulunites as they were listed, 60,500.

28 The sons of Joseph according to their clans: Manasseh and Ephraim. 29 The sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the clan of the Machirites; and Machir was the father of Gilead; of Gilead, the clan of the Gileadites. 30 These are the sons of Gilead: of Iezer, the clan of the Iezerites; of Helek, the clan of the Helekites; 31 and of Asriel, the clan of the Asrielites; and of Shechem, the clan of the Shechemites; 32 and of Shemida, the clan of the Shemidaites; and of Hepher, the clan of the Hepherites.33 Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters. And the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 34 These are the clans of Manasseh, and those listed were 52,700.

35 These are the sons of Ephraim according to their clans: of Shuthelah, the clan of the Shuthelahites; of Becher, the clan of the Becherites; of Tahan, the clan of the Tahanites.36 And these are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the clan of the Eranites. 37 These are the clans of the sons of Ephraim as they were listed, 32,500. These are the sons of Joseph according to their clans.

38 The sons of Benjamin according to their clans: of Bela, the clan of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the clan of the Ashbelites; of Ahiram, the clan of the Ahiramites; 39 of Shephupham, the clan of the Shuphamites; of Hupham, the clan of the Huphamites. 40 And the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: of Ard, the clan of the Ardites; of Naaman, the clan of the Naamites. 41 These are the sons of Benjamin according to their clans, and those listed were 45,600.

42 These are the sons of Dan according to their clans: of Shuham, the clan of the Shuhamites. These are the clans of Dan according to their clans. 43 All the clans of the Shuhamites, as they were listed, were 64,400.

44 The sons of Asher according to their clans: of Imnah, the clan of the Imnites; of Ishvi, the clan of the Ishvites; of Beriah, the clan of the Beriites. 45 Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the clan of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the clan of the Malchielites. 46 And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah. 47 These are the clans of the sons of Asher as they were listed, 53,400.

48 The sons of Naphtali according to their clans: of Jahzeel, the clan of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the clan of the Gunites; 49 of Jezer, the clan of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the clan of the Shillemites. 50 These are the clans of Naphtali according to their clans, and those listed were 45,400.

51 This was the list of the people of Israel, 601,730.
52 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 53 “Among these the land shall be divided for inheritance according to the number of names. 54 To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance; every tribe shall be given its inheritance in proportion to its list. 55 But the land shall be divided by lot. According to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit. 56 Their inheritance shall be divided according to lot between the larger and the smaller.”

57 This was the list of the Levites according to their clans: of Gershon, the clan of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the clan of the Kohathites; of Merari, the clan of the Merarites. 58 These are the clans of Levi: the clan of the Libnites, the clan of the Hebronites, the clan of the Mahlites, the clan of the Mushites, the clan of the Korahites. And Kohath was the father of Amram. 59 The name of Amram's wife was Jochebed the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt. And she bore to Amram Aaron and Moses and Miriam their sister. 60 And to Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.61 But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord. 62 And those listed were 23,000, every male from a month old and upward. For they were not listed among the people of Israel, because there was no inheritance given to them among the people of Israel.

63 These were those listed by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who listed the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. 64 But among these there was not one of those listed by Moses and Aaron the priest, who had listed the people of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. 65 For the Lord had said of them, “They shall die in the wilderness.” Not one of them was left, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Where do you see the Scripture’s priority for developing and deploying the next generation of leaders?
 
-What is the point of noting God’s grace and prioritizing God’s promises in preparation for and participation in God’s kingdom work? Is the next generation of believers ready for their faith battle? Why or why not? 
 
-Christ took the plague for us so we can move forward into His purposes. Christ won the war so we can work for His glorious Kingdom to come. What is your role in preparing the next generation? Be specific.
 
Key verse
1 After the plague, the Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron, the priest, 2 “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers' houses, all in Israel who are able to go to war.” 
 

Key Verse
12 “Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers.
 
Meditation
God invites us into wholehearted prayer, bringing to Him our hot heart, hard questions, tears, fears, frustrations, and desperation.
 
In today’s reading, the psalmist’s heart becomes “hot within” him (vv. 1-3). His desperation is cooled by revelation of an eternal perspective: his life is but a breath and shadow (4-6). But his turmoil remains. Ultimately, the desperation in prayer deepens dependence as the psalmist turns from the brevity of life to the only secure place for hope: “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you” (v. 7).
 
The depth of his desperation is captured in verse 12: “Hold not your peace at my tears!” Scripture invites believers to cry out to our King with this level of intensity. And when we do, we are in good company. Job (Job 7:16-17), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:18), and Jesus (Luke 19:41-44) all brought the anguish of their hearts before the Father.
 
In the security of God’s covenant love, we can be vulnerable before Him. On the cross, Jesus cried out and experienced the silence of judgment in our place: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus was forsaken so that those united to Him never will be. Jesus endured rejection to secure our acceptance.

We can bring God everything… our hot heart, hard questions, tears, fears, frustrations, and desperation. Secure in Christ, desperate prayer becomes a means of grace through which God deepens our self-awareness, corrects our perspective, and increases our dependence upon Him.

Today’s Reading
 I said, “I will guard my ways,
    that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth with a muzzle,
    so long as the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was mute and silent;
    I held my peace to no avail,
and my distress grew worse.
3     My heart became hot within me.
As I mused, the fire burned;
    then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “O Lord, make me know my end
    and what is the measure of my days;
    let me know how fleeting I am!
5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
    and my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah

6     Surely a man goes about as a shadow!
Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;
    man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!
7 “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
    My hope is in you.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions.
    Do not make me the scorn of the fool!

9 I am mute; I do not open my mouth,
    for it is you who have done it.
10 Remove your stroke from me;
    I am spent by the hostility of your hand.
11 When you discipline a man
    with rebukes for sin,
you consume like a moth what is dear to him;
    surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah
 
12 “Hear my prayer, O Lord,
    and give ear to my cry;
    hold not your peace at my tears!
For I am a sojourner with you,
    a guest, like all my fathers.
13 Look away from me, that I may smile again,
    before I depart and am no more!”
 
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially the depth of desperation and development that is drawn from the psalmist’s prayer?
 
-Where do you need to cry out in wholehearted prayer? What is holding you back?
 
-How does the rejection of Jesus in your place on the cross assure you of acceptance from Him to cry out in desperation to your Father who loves you? Go for it!
 
Key Verse
12 “Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers.

Key Verses
11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy.
 
Meditation
The bold rebellion of humanity magnifies the astonishing grace of God. Sin deserves judgment, and through the cross God provides the atonement sinners could never provide for themselves.
 
Today’s reading gives the tragic final picture of the first wilderness generation. After experiencing God’s redemption, provision, protection, and presence, Israel “yoked himself to Baal of Peor” (v. 3). Seduced by Moab, God’s people embraced sexual immorality, idolatry, and the gods of the surrounding culture. The generation rescued from slavery ends its wilderness journey enslaved again, this time to sin.
 
God’s anger reveals both His personal holiness and just hatred for sin. Phinehas, Aaron’s grandson, acts with God’s own “jealousy” for His people (vv. 11-13). His intervention turns away God’s wrath, stops the plague, and “made atonement for the people of Israel” (v. 13). God passionately protects the purity of the people He has set apart for Himself.
 
Paul uses this episode to warn Christians: “We must not indulge in sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 10:8). Grace frees us to flee the sin that enslaves and destroys us. Phinehas points beyond himself to a greater Priest. Jesus bore God’s righteous judgment against our rebellion, turning away the wrath we deserved. Unlike Phinehas, Jesus stopped the curse by giving His life for the guilty.

This is the wonder of the gospel. God’s holiness exposes the seriousness of our sin, while the cross displays the greatness of His grace. Jesus bore our judgment, reconciled us to God, and gave us His Spirit so that we might no longer be yoked to sin but belong wholly to Him.
 
Today’s Reading
While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. 2 These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. 4 And the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.” 5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.”

6 And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand 8 and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped.9 Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.

The Zeal of Phinehas
10 And the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy. 12 Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, 13 and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.’”

14 The name of the slain man of Israel, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father's house belonging to the Simeonites. 15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was the tribal head of a father's house in Midian.

16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Harass the Midianites and strike them down, 18 for they have harassed you with their wiles, with which they beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the chief of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague on account of Peor.”
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you in today’s reading, especially the depth of sin and rebellion and the need for sacrifice to turn back God’s wrath?
 
-Where do you identify with Israel, turning to false gods of our culture and participating in sexual immorality?
 
-Our sin is not the end of the story. God’s love is long-suffering, and His covenant faithfulness compels us to return to Him. Jesus took the wrath we deserve so we can receive His unmerited grace. Where do you need to respond to God’s grace by returning to God’s loving invitation for relationship, necessarily turning from the gods of this world and freeing yourself from sexual immorality? Be specific.
 
Key Verses
11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy. 

Key Verse
1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters,
 
Meditation
The world is at war with the Lamb and His people, but Christians can live with courageous confidence because the outcome is certain: Jesus wins, and everyone united to Him will share His victory.

In today’s reading, John sees the judgment of “the great prostitute” (v. 1), identified as “Babylon the great” (v. 5). Drunk with the blood of the saints and riding the scarlet beast, Babylon represents the seductive world system aligned with Satan and beastly political powers against Christ and His Church (vv. 3-13). She promises pleasure, prosperity, and power while demanding allegiance that belongs to God alone.

The Babylonian imagery reaches back through Scripture as a symbol of humanity organized in rebellion against God. Society is not spiritually neutral, and Babylon’s allure continues to seduce through promised success, sexuality, status, security, and strength. Faithful Christians should expect pressure when allegiance to Jesus conflicts with the world's empty promises. But we should never confuse temporary worldly power with ultimate authority.

“They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings” (v. 14). Eventually, evil turns against itself (vv. 15-18) because within itself is the seed of its own destruction.

The gospel produces neither panic nor passivity, but persevering faithfulness. Jesus conquered through apparent defeat: His death before His resurrection. Jesus’s followers should anticipate the same pattern, remaining faithful to the Lamb even when faithfulness costs us, confident of the victory that lies ahead.

The world’s city is temporary; Jesus’s city is eternal. So resist Babylon’s seduction by living from Jesus’s victory.  
 
Today’s Reading
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” 3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.5 And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.” 6 And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.

When I saw her, I marveled greatly. 7 But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. 9 This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. 11 As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. 12 And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast.14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”

15 And the angel said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. 16 And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, 17 for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 18 And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.”

​ Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you about the descriptions of Babylon and the victory of the Lamb?

-Our brothers and sisters around the world experience real attacks and persecution. Take time now to read about a few HERE and pray for them.

-Where do you need to realize life is war, nothing is neutral, and shore up your strength in the Savior? Stop surrendering the turf of your heart to the seductions around you. Jesus wins! And in Him you can apply His victory- today.

Key Verse
1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters,