[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 9

[Donnie Parrett]

DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 9

WORD OF WISDOM

Writing my name in cursive is my signature move! 

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DAILY DEVOTION

Standing before the Judgment Seat


Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of
him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every
one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done,
whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we
persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made
manifest in your consciences.
2 Corinthians 5:9-11

When we look at the life of the Apostle Paul, we see a man who was consumed
with a passion for sharing the gospel with others. The man who had once led
the persecution of the church was now its greatest missionary voice. Paul
traveled across the Roman Empire, facing opposition, danger, persecution,
and physical distress for the sake of the gospel. One thing was constantly
on his mind-the day on which he would face God to give an account of his
service. J. C. Ryle wrote, "We and God must at last meet face to face. We
shall have to render an account of every privilege that was granted to us,
and of every ray of light that we enjoyed. We shall find that we are dealt
with as accountable and responsible creatures, and that to whomsoever much
is given, of them much will be required."
That day of accounting that Paul knew and wrote about is coming for each of
us as well. If we have trusted Christ as our Savior, our moment of judgement
will not be to determine if we are going to Heaven-that has already been
settled. Instead, this judgment will be to determine how well we invested
our lives for Christ. The Lord has given us time and talents and resources,
and He expects us to use them. In the parable of the talents, Jesus
described what His reaction would be to those who do not do so. "His lord
answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest
that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed" (Matthew
25:26). How devastating it would be to have God describe us as wicked and
lazy when we stand before Him. How much better it would be to hear Him say,
"Well done, thou good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21).
Serve the Lord today with an eye on eternity and a desire to hear, "Well
done," when you see Him.

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DAILY BIBLE READING

Numbers 4-6 New King James Version
Duties of the Sons of Kohath
4 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 2 "Take a census of the
sons of Kohath from among the children of Levi, by their families, by their
fathers' house, 3 from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old,
all who enter the service to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting.

4 "This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of meeting,
relating to the most holy things: 5 When the camp prepares to journey, Aaron
and his sons shall come, and they shall take down the covering veil and
cover the ark of the Testimony with it. 6 Then they shall put on it a
covering of badger skins, and spread over that a cloth entirely of blue; and
they shall insert its poles.

7 "On the table of showbread they shall spread a blue cloth, and put on it
the dishes, the pans, the bowls, and the [a]pitchers for pouring; and the
showbread[b] shall be on it. 8 They shall spread over them a scarlet cloth,
and cover the same with a covering of badger skins; and they shall insert
its poles. 9 And they shall take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand of the
light, with its lamps, its wick-trimmers, its trays, and all its oil
vessels, with which they service it. 10 Then they shall put it with all its
utensils in a covering of badger skins, and put it on a carrying beam.

11 "Over the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth, and cover it with
a covering of badger skins; and they shall insert its poles. 12 Then they
shall take all the utensils of service with which they minister in the
sanctuary, put them in a blue cloth, cover them with a covering of badger
skins, and put them on a carrying beam. 13 Also they shall take away the
ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth over it. 14 They shall put
on it all its implements with which they minister there-the firepans, the
forks, the shovels, the [c]basins, and all the utensils of the altar-and
they shall spread on it a covering of badger skins, and insert its poles. 15
And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the
furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then the sons of
Kohath shall come to carry them; but they shall not touch any holy thing,
lest they die.

"These are the things in the tabernacle of meeting which the sons of Kohath
are to carry.

16 "The appointed duty of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is the oil for
the light, the sweet incense, the daily grain offering, the anointing oil,
the oversight of all the tabernacle, of all that is in it, with the
sanctuary and its furnishings."

17 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 18 "Do not cut off the
tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites; 19 but do
this in regard to them, that they may live and not die when they approach
the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and [d]appoint each of
them to his service and his task. 20 But they shall not go in to watch while
the holy things are being covered, lest they die."

Duties of the Sons of Gershon
21 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 22 "Also take a census of the sons
of Gershon, by their fathers' house, by their families. 23 From thirty years
old and above, even to fifty years old, you shall number them, all who enter
to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting. 24 This
is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and carrying:
25 They shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tabernacle of
meeting with its covering, the covering of badger skins that is on it, the
screen for the door of the tabernacle of meeting, 26 the screen for the door
of the gate of the court, the hangings of the court which are around the
tabernacle and altar, and their cords, all the furnishings for their service
and all that is made for these things: so shall they serve.

27 "Aaron and his sons shall [e]assign all the service of the sons of the
Gershonites, all their tasks and all their service. And you shall [f]appoint
to them all their tasks as their duty. 28 This is the service of the
families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of meeting. And their
duties shall be under the [g]authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the
priest.

Duties of the Sons of Merari
29 "As for the sons of Merari, you shall number them by their families and
by their fathers' house. 30 From thirty years old and above, even to fifty
years old, you shall number them, everyone who enters the service to do the
work of the tabernacle of meeting. 31 And this is what they must carry as
all their service for the tabernacle of meeting: the boards of the
tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, 32 and the pillars around
the court with their sockets, pegs, and cords, with all their furnishings
and all their service; and you shall assign to each man by name the items he
must carry. 33 This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, as
all their service for the tabernacle of meeting, under the [h]authority of
Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest."

Census of the Levites
34 And Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of the congregation numbered the sons
of the Kohathites by their families and by their fathers' house, 35 from
thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who entered
the service for work in the tabernacle of meeting; 36 and those who were
numbered by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty. 37
These were the ones who were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all
who might serve in the tabernacle of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered
according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

38 And those who were numbered of the sons of Gershon, by their families and
by their fathers' house, 39 from thirty years old and above, even to fifty
years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tabernacle of
meeting- 40 those who were numbered by their families, by their fathers'
house, were two thousand six hundred and thirty. 41 These are the ones who
were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all who might serve
in the tabernacle of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the
commandment of the Lord.

42 Those of the families of the sons of Merari who were numbered, by their
families, by their fathers' [i]house, 43 from thirty years old and above,
even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the
tabernacle of meeting- 44 those who were numbered by their families were
three thousand two hundred. 45 These are the ones who were numbered of the
families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to
the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

46 All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses, Aaron, and the leaders
of Israel numbered, by their families and by their fathers' houses, 47 from
thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who came to do
the work of service and the work of bearing burdens in the tabernacle of
meeting- 48 those who were numbered were eight thousand five hundred and
eighty.

49 According to the commandment of the Lord they were numbered by the hand
of Moses, each according to his service and according to his task; thus were
they numbered by him, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Ceremonially Unclean Persons Isolated
5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 "Command the children of Israel
that they put out of the camp every leper, everyone who has a discharge, and
whoever becomes defiled [j]by a corpse. 3 You shall put out both male and
female; you shall put them outside the camp, that they may not defile their
camps in the midst of which I dwell." 4 And the children of Israel did so,
and put them outside the camp; as the Lord spoke to Moses, so the children
of Israel did.

Confession and Restitution
5 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 "Speak to the children of Israel:
'When a man or woman commits any sin that men commit in unfaithfulness
against the Lord, and that person is guilty, 7 then he shall confess the sin
which he has committed. He shall make restitution for his trespass in full,
plus one-fifth of it, and give it to the one he has wronged. 8 But if the
man has no [k]relative to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the
restitution for the wrong must go to the Lord for the priest, in addition to
the ram of the atonement with which atonement is made for him. 9 Every
offering[l] of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they
bring to the priest, shall be his. 10 And every man's [m]holy things shall
be his; whatever any man gives the priest shall be his.' "

Concerning Unfaithful Wives
11 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12 "Speak to the children of Israel,
and say to them: 'If any man's wife goes astray and behaves unfaithfully
toward him, 13 and a man lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the
eyes of her husband, and it is concealed that she has defiled herself, and
there was no witness against her, nor was she caught- 14 if the spirit of
jealousy comes upon him and he becomes jealous of his wife, who has defiled
herself; or if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he becomes jealous
of his wife, although she has not defiled herself- 15 then the man shall
bring his wife to the priest. He shall bring the offering required for her,
one-tenth of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil on it and put no
frankincense on it, because it is a grain offering of jealousy, an offering
for remembering, for bringing iniquity to remembrance.

16 'And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the Lord. 17 The
priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel, and take some of the dust
that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water. 18 Then
the priest shall stand the woman before the Lord, uncover the woman's head,
and put the offering for remembering in her hands, which is the grain
offering of jealousy. And the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water
that brings a curse. 19 And the priest shall put her under oath, and say to
the woman, "If no man has lain with you, and if you have not gone astray to
uncleanness while under your husband's authority, be free from this bitter
water that brings a curse. 20 But if you have gone astray while under your
husband's authority, and if you have defiled yourself and some man other
than your husband has lain with you"- 21 then the priest shall put the woman
under the oath of the curse, and he shall say to the woman-"the Lord make
you a curse and an oath among your people, when the Lord makes your thigh
[n]rot and your belly swell; 22 and may this water that causes the curse go
into your stomach, and make your belly swell and your thigh rot."

'Then the woman shall say, "Amen, so be it."

23 'Then the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall scrape
them off into the bitter water. 24 And he shall make the woman drink the
bitter water that brings a curse, and the water that brings the curse shall
enter her to become bitter. 25 Then the priest shall take the grain offering
of jealousy from the woman's hand, shall wave the offering before the Lord,
and bring it to the altar; 26 and the priest shall take a handful of the
offering, as its memorial portion, burn it on the altar, and afterward make
the woman drink the water. 27 When he has made her drink the water, then it
shall be, if she has defiled herself and behaved unfaithfully toward her
husband, that the water that brings a curse will enter her and become
bitter, and her belly will swell, her thigh will rot, and the woman will
become a curse among her people. 28 But if the woman has not defiled
herself, and is clean, then she shall be free and may conceive children.

29 'This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, while under her husband's
authority, goes astray and defiles herself, 30 or when the spirit of
jealousy comes upon a man, and he becomes jealous of his wife; then he shall
stand the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall execute all this law
upon her. 31 Then the man shall be free from [o]iniquity, but that woman
shall bear her [p]guilt.' "

The Law of the Nazirite
6 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Speak to the children of Israel,
and say to them: 'When either a man or woman [q]consecrates an offering to
take the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord, 3 he shall
separate himself from wine and similar drink; he shall drink neither vinegar
made from wine nor vinegar made from similar drink; neither shall he drink
any grape juice, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins. 4 All the days of his
[r]separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, from
seed to skin.

5 'All the days of the vow of his separation no razor shall come upon his
head; until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the
Lord, he shall be holy. Then he shall let the locks of the hair of his head
grow. 6 All the days that he separates himself to the Lord he shall not go
near a dead body. 7 He shall not [s]make himself unclean even for his father
or his mother, for his brother or his sister, when they die, because his
separation to God is on his head. 8 All the days of his separation he shall
be holy to the Lord.

9 'And if anyone dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles his
consecrated head, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing;
on the seventh day he shall shave it. 10 Then on the eighth day he shall
bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the
tabernacle of meeting; 11 and the priest shall offer one as a sin offering
and the other as a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he
sinned in regard to the corpse; and he shall sanctify his head that same
day. 12 He shall consecrate to the Lord the days of his separation, and
bring a male lamb in its first year as a trespass offering; but the former
days shall be [t]lost, because his separation was defiled.

13 'Now this is the law of the Nazirite: When the days of his separation are
fulfilled, he shall be brought to the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 14
And he shall present his offering to the Lord: one male lamb in its first
year without blemish as a burnt offering, one ewe lamb in its first year
without blemish as a sin offering, one ram without blemish as a peace
offering, 15 a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with
oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and their grain offering with
their drink offerings.

16 'Then the priest shall bring them before the Lord and offer his sin
offering and his burnt offering; 17 and he shall offer the ram as a
sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord, with the basket of unleavened
bread; the priest shall also offer its grain offering and its drink
offering. 18 Then the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the door
of the tabernacle of meeting, and shall take the hair from his consecrated
head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace
offering.

19 'And the priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, one unleavened
cake from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and put them upon the hands
of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated hair, 20 and the priest
shall wave them as a wave offering before the Lord; they are holy for the
priest, together with the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the
heave offering. After that the Nazirite may drink wine.'

21 "This is the law of the Nazirite who vows to the Lord the offering for
his separation, and besides that, whatever else his hand is able to provide;
according to the vow which he takes, so he must do according to the law of
his separation."

The Priestly Blessing
22 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 23 "Speak to Aaron and his sons,
saying, 'This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to
them:

24 "The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
26 The Lord [u]lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace." '

27 "So they shall [v]put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless
them."

Footnotes
Numbers 4:7 jars for the drink offering
Numbers 4:7 Lit. continual bread
Numbers 4:14 bowls
Numbers 4:19 assign
Numbers 4:27 command
Numbers 4:27 assign
Numbers 4:28 Lit. hand
Numbers 4:33 Lit. hand
Numbers 4:42 household
Numbers 5:2 by contact with
Numbers 5:8 redeemer, Heb. goel
Numbers 5:9 heave offering
Numbers 5:10 consecrated
Numbers 5:21 Lit. fall away
Numbers 5:31 guilt
Numbers 5:31 iniquity
Numbers 6:2 Or makes a difficult vow
Numbers 6:4 Separation as a Nazirite
Numbers 6:7 By touching a dead body
Numbers 6:12 void
Numbers 6:26 Look upon you with favor
Numbers 6:27 invoke