DCLM Daily Manna 2023: DCLM Daily Manna 15 December 2023: Learning From History
KEY VERSE: “And I stayed in the mount, according to the first time, forty days and forty nights; and the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also, and the LORD would not destroy thee.” – (Deuteronomy 10:10)
At that time the Lord said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood.
2 And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark.
3 And I made an ark of shittim wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in mine hand.
4 And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the Lord spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the Lord gave them unto me.
5 And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the Lord commanded me.
6 And the children of Israel took their journey from Beeroth of the children of Jaakan to Mosera: there Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest’s office in his stead.
7 From thence they journeyed unto Gudgodah; and from Gudgodah to Jotbath, a land of rivers of waters.
8 At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.
9 Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the Lord is his inheritance, according as the Lord thy God promised him.
10 And I stayed in the mount, according to the first time, forty days and forty nights; and the Lord hearkened unto me at that time also, and the Lord would not destroy thee.
11 And the Lord said unto me, Arise, take thy journey before the people, that they may go in and possess the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give unto them.
The Philosopher, George Santayana is credited with the famous quote, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. This has been repeated by countless history teachers in their efforts to ensure they keep their jobs. What they do not know is what George uttered later that same day: “And those who do study the past are just as likely to make the same stupid mistake as those who do not”. Why? Because, studying history is not enough; we should learn from history so we do not repeat the mistakes others made. The children of Israel failed to learn from history, which showed in their repeated disobedience and divine chastisements.
Their making of the golden calf truncated the retreat of Moses with God. After sorting out the mess they were in, Moses, at God’s command, separated the tribe of Levi, instead of the first born males, to be set apart for God’s service, for being the first to come to him in response to the call to forsake idolatry. Moses returned to the mountain to spend another forty days, where God wrote out the Ten Commandments again, this time, on tables of hewed stones as replacement for the ones he broke.
Aaron who capitulated and made the golden calf died later and was replaced by Eleazar his son as Israel’s High Priest. Moses’ forty days and nights of fasting in this narrative is a peculiar one. He was called up to the Mount by God whose presence shielded him from hunger and thirst. In His presence, the Bible says, there is fullness of joy. We do not need similar long period of fasting to get our needs met. We need obedience and faithfulness to God and His command. Obedience is better than sacrifice. Deeper fellowship with God daily enriches our lives, strengthens our spiritual backbone and empowers us to obey God always.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Obedience is better than sacrifice.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nahum 1-3
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – Custodians of the Word – by Pastor W.F Kumuyi
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Daily Manna 15 December 2023
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