Suggested Bible Reading: Numbers 8-10
Devotional Thought:
Chapter 9 contains two important subjects, which was an intimate concern of the nation of Israel. The Passover was the first of the seven feasts of Jehovah, which the Jews were to keep throughout their religious year. It was to be passed down and taught to all their generations. The cloud referred to in the second half of the chapter was a form of guidance for the wilderness journey. It was an every day blessing for the people, but the Passover was a yearly obligation. There is much teaching concerning the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit seen in these two examples. God’s provision for His people is seen in both the Passover and the cloud. In the Passover there is the great theme of redemption, and in the cloud the equally great theme of guidance for the Christian pilgrimage. God expects those whom He has redeemed to be subject to His control even in their decisions through life. A people who are redeemed must be guided by God’s leading and not their own. We live in an amazingly humanistic society. Even we as Christians are more humanistic than we care to admit. We think we know what is best and it is sometimes revealed in our prayers to God and in our responses to His answers. The Passover here was the first time the original Passover was ever celebrated. It is seen here in a different setting altogether, but the stringent regulations given by God in Exodus 12 are in no way lessened, but are repeated here in verses 2-3. It is quite significant that the Lord Jesus should keep the seventh Passover mentioned. In the upper room He was celebrating the old and instituting the new… the Lord’s Supper. Just as all other Passovers were really a memorial of the first one in Exodus 12, so the Lord’s Supper is a memorial of the death of Christ. It is true to say that there never was another Passover quite like the first. We never read, for example, that the sprinkling of the blood on the lintel and doorposts of the houses was done again. There were no doors in the wilderness, only tents. This speaks of the great work of Calvary. The blood of Christ has only been shed once. His sacrifice is “once for all.” The Lord’s efficacious death will never need to be repeated. Just as the first Passover was unique, so the Lord’s death is unique. The chapter concludes with an emphasis upon the cloud. It was the outward sign of God’s presence with His people. The way the cloud is referred to in vs. 15, without any explanation or introduction, shows it to be something that was already known and that which had been seen and experienced recently. The cloud was to be an unfailing guide to God’s people, ever teaching them that in their travels through the wilderness they were to depend upon Him. So it is for the Christian today. We are to completely depend upon the leadership of the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth and help us to live the righteous life God has designed for us.
Prayer Requests:
• Lord, please help me to never forget the amazing redemption that is mine because of my Savior’s great sacrifice for me.
• Lord, thank you for the forgiveness you have provided. Help me to never forget the great price that was paid for my sin.
• Lord, please help me to live dependent upon the leading of the Holy Spirit each and every day. Help me to never make excuses for my humanistic tendencies, but to always be quick to confess and forsake.