Dave Dishman

Guidance from Overlooked Men and Women of the Bible

Author: Dave Dishman (Page 379 of 475)

Don’t Mess with the Living God

March 9, 2021 / / 0 Comments

How a group of men, 250 in all, imagined they could stand before God and supplant Moses is unfathomable to me.

These men hiked through the dry bed of the Red Sea. These men shielded their eyes when Moses, his face too bright to look upon, sat with them. These men filled their bellies with manna and quail, and astoundingly, these men woke up every morning and checked a pillar of cloud for their marching orders.

Despite all those experiences, these men dug into their hearts and lifted out a dark, stinking prideful mess and splatted it before Moses and the Lord.

Fire consumed the 250 men, getting off easy. The Lord reserved a particularly dramatic finish for their leaders, Dathan and Abiram. A deep rumble from below, and the earth split apart and swallowed them whole.

I can’t believe the things I read in the Bible sometimes. But these stories exist for any number of lessons for me to take to heart.

One of which stands out today – don’t mess with the Living God.

Numbers 16 in week ten of reading the Bible cover to cover

Jealousy Leads to Leprosy?

March 8, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Sibling rivalries can be hell. Especially in the Bible, where in one of the first recorded acts, Cain murdered his brother, Abel.

Moses faced the preening jealousy of his own brother and sister. Miriam and Aaron stirred into their snotty attitudes a reach for power, and the resulting odor caught the attention of the Lord. God invited all three for a consultation.

Expressing his displeasure, the Lord struck Miriam with leprosy and left. Aaron then realized their sin and begged Moses to intercede. An unbelievably gracious brother, Moses prayed and the Lord responded.

What a heinous image of the damage inflicted by jealous attitudes and actions. I harm myself when I nurse my pet jealousies. I invite a wasting disease to spread through my mind, my body, my life. If unchecked, I’ll eventually appear like one who’s flesh is half-eaten away.

Lord, grant me the humility of Moses, rather than the jealousy of his siblings.

Numbers 12 in week ten of reading the Bible cover to cover

At Night It Looked Like Fire

March 7, 2021 / / 2 Comments

A cloud rose above the tabernacle from the first day the children of Israel set it up. The cloud covered it by day and at night it looked like fire (Numbers 9:16).

All night long, when the darkness of the wilderness descended, the fire burned.

On an evening stroll, the fire burned. Lying down with worry, the fire burned. In the deepest hours of the night, when the fears of a homeless nation jumped their fences, the fire burned. God reminded the children of Israel of his watch.

Walk outside tonight, when it’s dark, and imagine the fire. Although we don’t get flames, the God behind the fire continues his watch over you and me.

Week ten of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash

So, Contentment is Really a Thing?

March 6, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Contentment. Hard to find, easy to lose. Like the morning mist burning off under the sun, my sense of contentment disappears in the glare of the world around me.

To be particular, Hebrews 13:5 refers to the love of money. Personally, I don’t love money itself, and I feel super spiritual when I tell myself that. But I do love the things money can buy. Thus, I lack contentment.

The counter to my love for stuff money buys is the presence of the Lord – I will never leave you or forsake you. When I consider these words, when I ponder them, meditate upon them, roll them around for awhile, I edge toward contentment.

Then a rush of advertising and it’s gone again. But I remember it’s there, and occasionally I enjoy living in those moments of contentment, understanding the Lord’s goodness and presence in my life.

Week nine of reading the Bible cover to cover

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