DCLM Daily Manna 3 October 2026: Set Forward

DCLM Daily Manna 3 October 2026: Set Forward

KEY VERSE: “And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in Oboth” (Numbers 21:10).

TEXT: Numbers 21:10-20

And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in Oboth.

¹¹ And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ijeabarim, in the wilderness which is before Moab, toward the sunrising.

¹² From thence they removed, and pitched in the valley of Zared.

¹³ From thence they removed, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, which is in the wilderness that cometh out of the coasts of the Amorites: for Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.

¹⁴ Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the Lord, What he did in the Red sea, and in the brooks of Arnon,

¹⁵ And at the stream of the brooks that goeth down to the dwelling of Ar, and lieth upon the border of Moab.

¹⁶ And from thence they went to Beer: that is the well whereof the Lord spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.

¹⁷ Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:

¹⁸ The princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah:

¹⁹ And from Mattanah to Nahaliel: and from Nahaliel to Bamoth:

²⁰ And from Bamoth in the valley, that is in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looketh toward Jeshimon.

READ OTHER DCLM DAILY DEVOTIONAL HERE

Boxing is one game that many decent minds disagree should be rightly called a sport. The deliberate inflicting of injuries on one another in the quest for praise or payment can only appeal to the beastly instinct in man. But there is one lesson professional boxers are taught which is valuable for us all. They are taught not to retreat but to move forward when in the ring.

In our text, it was said of the children of Israel that they ‘set forward…’ The significance of the statement becomes clearer when it is recalled that they had just suffered a serious setback in their progress towards the Promised Land. In their weariness as they marched from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, they murmured against God and Moses, discrediting the gracious provision of manna that the Lord made for them. The righteous judgement of God came upon them for this. Fiery serpents got in their midst and bit many to death. Upon their repentance and Moses’ intercession, the Lord pardoned them and initiated the remedy of the brazen serpent, on which if any victim of the snake bite looked, he was cured.

At this juncture in their journey, they probably would have felt reluctant to move on, at least for the time being. But they set forward! Forward is upward and is the secret of success in every sphere of life. Apostle Paul was conscious of this when he wrote: ‘I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 3:13,14). Their recall of God’s past goodness at this instance and their songs of victory indicate they made the most of the divine discipline.

Have you faced a setback recently? Are you tempted to give up because of what you see as unfair treatment? Are past experiences weighing you down? Are you losing motivation for the race? Take a cue from Israel: look up and press on.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Whatever you’ve got, whatever you’ve lost, the real trophy is ahead – press forward!

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Luke 3–4

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DCLM Daily Manna 3 October 2026