Ken Winter

God instructed Moses to collect the staff of each leader from the twelve ancestral tribes, along with Aaron’s staff, representing the tribe of Levi. These thirteen staffs were placed overnight in the tabernacle. God promised that the staff of the man He had chosen would sprout buds, signifying His selection.

From the day the Israelites left Egypt, the Lord gave His people a constant reminder of His presence. He sent a pillar of cloud to guide them by day and a pillar of fire by night, so they could travel without losing sight of His leading.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

God sent an angel to Cornelius, who immediately obeyed the command to send for Peter. Though others may have been closer to Caesarea, Peter was God’s man for this assignment. Remember, Peter “held” the “keys to the Kingdom.” His obedience set in motion events that would open the door of faith to all Gentiles.  What may have seemed like a small act had a ripple effect that continues today.

It’s important to remember that the focus of John’s Gospel is to help us see, discover and know Jesus as the Son of the Living God. John wanted us to behold Jesus in the fullness of His glory as God incarnate. Jesus’ desire for His apostles—and for us—is that we would see the glory of the Father and come to know the Father through Him. Before He spoke these words of comfort,  Jesus had told the disciples that He was going to His Father’s house to make a way for them—and us—to join Him. He seized that moment to remind them that if they truly knew Him, they knew the Father as well.

Pontius Pilate, the governing prefect of the region, ordered the killing of some Galileans as they were offering sacrifices in the Temple in Jerusalem. Eighteen people had recently died when a tower in Siloam collapsed. These two tragedies led the crowd to ask Jesus what these victims had done to deserve such a fate. Let’s explore His response.

Militarily the Canaanites held a great advantage over the Israelites. From a human perspective, the situation looked bleak. Even for a man of courage and faith like Joshua, the situation seemed dire. That’s why the LORD said to him, “Do not be afraid of them. By this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel….”

On the eve of what could have been the greatest day of their lives, and their history as a nation—the day they were to enter God’s Promised Land—the Israelites chose to reject Him and refused to enter.

As the Israelites approached the Promised Land, the Lord instructed Moses to assemble a group of twelve men to spy out the land—each a leader from one of the twelve ancestral tribes.  These men were highly respected and trusted by their peers.

Moses called his brother, Aaron, and his brother-in-law, Hur, to join him on the top of a hill that overlooked the field of battle at Rephidim, where the descendants of Abraham—Israelite and Amalekite—would battle one another.