PSALM 138 (King James Version)
Psalm 138
1I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
2I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
3In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
4All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth.
5Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD.
6Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
7Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.
8The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20138%20&version=KJV
SCRIPTURE READING Numbers 11:10-25 (The Message)
10 Moses heard the whining, all those families whining in front of their tents. God's anger blazed up. Moses saw that things were in a bad way.
11-15 Moses said to God, "Why are you treating me this way? What did I ever do to you to deserve this? Did I conceive them? Was I their mother? So why dump the responsibility of this people on me? Why tell me to carry them around like a nursing mother, carry them all the way to the land you promised to their ancestors? Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people who are whining to me, 'Give us meat; we want meat.' I can't do this by myself—it's too much, all these people. If this is how you intend to treat me, do me a favor and kill me. I've seen enough; I've had enough. Let me out of here."
16-17 God said to Moses, "Gather together seventy men from among the leaders of Israel, men whom you know to be respected and responsible. Take them to the Tent of Meeting. I'll meet you there. I'll come down and speak with you. I'll take some of the Spirit that is on you and place it on them; they'll then be able to take some of the load of this people—you won't have to carry the whole thing alone.
18-20 "Tell the people, Consecrate yourselves. Get ready for tomorrow when you're going to eat meat. You've been whining to God, 'We want meat; give us meat. We had a better life in Egypt.' God has heard your whining and he's going to give you meat. You're going to eat meat. And it's not just for a day that you'll eat meat, and not two days, or five or ten or twenty, but for a whole month. You're going to eat meat until it's coming out your nostrils. You're going to be so sick of meat that you'll throw up at the mere mention of it. And here's why: Because you have rejected God who is right here among you, whining to his face, 'Oh, why did we ever have to leave Egypt?'"
21-22 Moses said, "I'm standing here surrounded by 600,000 men on foot and you say, 'I'll give them meat, meat every day for a month.' So where's it coming from? Even if all the flocks and herds were butchered, would that be enough? Even if all the fish in the sea were caught, would that be enough?"
23 God answered Moses, "So, do you think I can't take care of you? You'll see soon enough whether what I say happens for you or not."
24-25 So Moses went out and told the people what God had said. He called together seventy of the leaders and had them stand around the Tent. God came down in a cloud and spoke to Moses and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy leaders. When the Spirit rested on them they prophesied. But they didn't continue; it was a onetime event.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=num%2011:10-25&version=MSG
HYMN Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Tune: Faithfulness
1. Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father, there is no shadow of turning with thee; thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not; as thou hast been thou forever wilt be.
CHORUS: Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed thy hand hath provided – Great is thy faithfulness Lord unto me!
2. Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, sun, moon, and stars in their courses above, join with all nature in manifold witness to thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
3. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide; strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
What a marvelous scene!! People whining (something of course none of us would ever do), a leader who pleads the case to God, and God acts!!! I wonder why that seems to be such a surprise. As I think back over my life there are innumerable times when God has acted but sometimes we tend to forget that. Our ancient brothers and sisters who were out in the wilderness did to. When Moses went to the mountaintop, God’s spirit was poured out on the 70 leaders. And they prophesied. But, the scripture says, it was a one-time event. Maybe therein lies part of the problem. We expect things to be repeated and yet this life that God gives us is not repeatable. Today is the only March 3, 2011 we’ll ever get. We can’t go back and get more. We can’t ever do again what we have the opportunity to do today. How will we go about doing it? Trusting that indeed God will provide and that God’s faithfulness knows no bounds or trusting in ourselves and our own understandings?? May we come to know the faithfulness of God.
Blessings on your journey,
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