One of the reasons it is so important to read the Bible regularly is because it helps you to understand who God is. To learn about his character and how he moves in the lives of his people and the rest of the world. And when you have the proper understanding of who the God of the Bible is, you will be far better equipped to stand up to the lies all around you that are attempting to create a god to fit the current cultural narrative.
Even as I read in the Old Testament book of Numbers today I found a precious reminder of God’s character tucked away in a story about Moses and the Israelites. The leaders of the tribes were grumbling to Moses and Aaron, claiming that they had just as much of a right to enter the Tent and meet with God as the Levites did. They seemed to have forgotten that it was not Moses and Aaron that determined the Levites place as Priests. It was God who did that. So to solve the argument once and for all, God told Moses to have each of the leaders of the tribes of Israel place their staff in the Tent of Meeting in front of the testimony where God meets with Moses. God told Moses, “The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites.” (Numbers 17:5)
What happened next is one of those reminders of the character of our awesome God. The next morning when Moses entered the Tent of the Testimony, he “saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the house of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds.” (Numbers 17:8) Clearly this settled the matter of who God had chosen to be the priests, but thousands of years later it also jumped off the pages of the Bible to remind me that my God is an above-and-beyond God!
God didn’t just do what Moses was expecting and cause the staff to sprout, but he did much, much more! The staff sprouted. And it budded. And it blossomed. And it produced almonds.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. – Ephesians 3:20 & 21