4 July 2010
Psalm 146, 147; Num. 27:12-23; Acts 19:11-20; Mark 1:14-20

Moses’ life is at an end and Joshua is to be anointed to replace him. There is, however, a difference in their leadership. Joshua is not going to have the authority Moses had, nor will he have the relationship with the Lord that Moses had. There will be an intermediary. Eleazar the priest will be the one through whom the Lord will speak via the Urim that were in the breastplate of the high priest. The leadership will be one step removed from that of Moses. The Lord had given Aaron to Moses as a concession to Moses’ protests and it was clear that over time Moses stepped into the leadership role alone and Aaron performed his functions as high priest. Joshua will not have that same relationship and the Lord must have had a reason for that, but in the end it points to what an extraordinary man Moses was.

Jesus’ proclamation was that John’s message was being fulfilled. His message was that the time had come, the kingdom was here. Jesus calls the fishermen, Peter and Andrew, James and John to follow and these men respond willingly and completely, leaving all behind to answer the call. Do we understand Jesus’ call to discipleship as these men understood it? We were not called simply to add Jesus to our lives but to allow Him to fill them after emptying them of all else. Follow me is the call to all, not go to church on Sunday. Are we willing to respond as these men did?

The seven sons of Sceva understood the name of Jesus to be an incantation that they could appropriate to do their magic. What they learned was that if they did not know Jesus they had no power at all, the power comes from abiding in Him and His abiding in us by the Holy Spirit. If we simply take the name of Jesus as the name we need to toss in at the end to have our prayers heard and believe that since we pray in His Name we will receive, we have taken the name in vain or for the sake of vanity. We must commit our way to Him and allow Him to direct the steps of our lives if we are to enjoy His blessings. It doesn’t mean that you will never have difficulties in life, it simply means that this is where God is taking you and therefore He is with you in those difficulties.

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.