Honoring the In-Laws

Can you guess who Hobab was?  I'll tell you....he was Moses' brother-in-law.  While reading Numbers chapter 10 I came across a very interesting verse, verse 28...

"Now Moses said to Hobab  son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, "We are setting out for the place about which the LORD said, "I will give it to you.' Come with us and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised good things to Israel."

By this time the children of Israel had been camping out near Mt. Sinai for about two years whilst the Tabernacle was in the making.  They'd completed it and dedicated it and now it was time to move on.  Seems from this passage that Hobab had been along for much of that time.   There were good things to look forward too and Moses wanted to share them with his brother-in-law.  I believe that Moses valued Hobab.  

Another time, in Exodus 18, we are told that Jethro, also known as Reuel, Moses' father-in-law, gave Moses some advice.  Moses listened and put it into action.  He valued his father-in-law's input.

Now here was the son of Reuel.  At first he said he wouldn't join them on their journeyings around the wilderness.  I wouldn't exactly be thrilled either.  But the focus was on the promise of good things to come.  God had already done some mighty marvelous acts on the children of Israel's behalf and perhaps that was what stayed Hobab and made him decide to continue with them all.  That coupled with Moses' pleading, "Please do not leave us..." (verse 31).

I think this pretty special.

Jump to the story of Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi in the book of Ruth.  A most famous story as well.  Naomi was entreating her daughters-in-law Orpah and Ruth to stay in Moab while she returned to Bethlehem, in her own country.  Orpah stayed but Ruth pleaded, 

"Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you.  Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay.  Your people will be my people and your God my God.  Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried.  May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me" (Ruth 1:16, 17).

Ruth valued her mother-in-law and her mother-in-law's God.  And when we read the whole story in the book of Ruth, we see how she respected and honored her mother-in-law.  Naomi loved her daughter-in-law and must have been exceedingly grateful for her devotion and commitment to stick by her side and that at the cost of personal sacrifice.

These are two notable accounts.  I'm sure we would all do well to honor our own parents, for sure, but to honor our in-laws as well...one big happy family.

The key that ties them together was God and His dealings with the children of Israel and even despite their failings, others were attracted to God, His majesty and might and His love.  May you all have similar experiences with your own family and that of your in-laws.

                                                    ~ERC 2017~

He Heard God's Voice

Moses is such a wonderful character.  Yes, he started out bumpy but God worked wonders on him.  And then Moses learned to value time spent with God, communing with Him.  Even before God asked Moses to have the tabernacle made, Moses dedicated a tent to meet God in and he spent regular time therein and eventually his protege Joshua who "never left the tent" (Exodus 33;7-11) also did.  

Moses would go to that tent and when the rest of the multitude of the Israelites  saw him go there, they stood in their tents watching.  God came and spoke with Moses and Moses spoke with God.  I like to use the word 'commune' to describe what Moses and God did.  

Here is Google's definition...

com·mune²

kəˈmyo͞on/

verb

verb: commune; 3rd person present: communes; past tense: communed; past participle: communed; gerund or present participle: communing

1. 1.

   share one's intimate thoughts or feelings with (someone or something), especially when the exchange is on a spiritual level.

   
   

   "the purpose of praying is to commune with God"

   
   

   synonyms:

   communicate, speak, talk, converse, interface More

   • feel in close spiritual contact with.

     
     

     "he spent an hour communing with nature on the bank of a stream"

     
     

     synonyms:

     empathize with, identify with, have a rapport with, feel at one with;

   
   

He communed and made a regular habit of it and then returned to the camp of the Israelites.  "Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent".  They both valued that communion with God.

If you look again at Numbers 7:89 after the Israelites had completed the building of the Tabernacle as designated by God; all the furnishings and articles of worship and sacrifice and they dedicated the Tabernacle then to God, Moses is the first one in there and talking with the LORD and he heard the LORD speaking with him from between the two cherubim.  This was in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle where God was dwelling among the people.

The Most Holy Place....do we have a 'most holy place' that we get away from the hubbub of life?  Moses' tent was outside the main camp.  The Tabernacle was in the midst of the people where God desired to be.  God still wants to be in the midst of His people and says that "where two or three are gathered together in His Name, He'll be there".  (Matthew 18:20).

We can commune as individuals and/or collectively with God in the Name of Jesus Christ.  This is His great desire.  Oh that we too will reciprocate that desire and make it a habit as Moses did or as Joshua who was free to stay in the tent.  What was the name of that recent movie, War Room?  Is was actually a bedroom closet turned into a prayer room.  We can do the same, oh maybe not a closet or a tent but some little spot that we keep for that.  I have a little mat made by my mother-in-law that is next to my bed.  I sit on it on the floor and commune with my Heavenly Father.

  

Colossians 4:2 asks us to "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful".  And we know that the early Christians did just that as we can see from Acts 2:42.  As a result they ended up praising God...and God added to their number daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47).  

This is encouragement to myself and trust that whoever reads this will find that desire to commune with God.  If you have the desire, you will have the time and turn it into a habit.   More than a habit.  A yearning that I must, I must, I MUST, connect with God no matter what.

Devote yourselves to prayer acknowledging God and your dependence on Him.  I doubt Moses would have gotten far if he didn't lean on his Jehovah God; His covenant-keeping God.  

Thank-you Father, God, for Your love and desire to commune with your children.  I'm reminded how Moses depended on You so much and daily communed with You.   You say in your Word, "Devote yourselves to prayer..."  This is a habit, a desire, I need to inculcate;  to acknowledge and depend on You, oh Father, God.  You actually want to hear from us, Your children.  Thank-You for your humbleness.  The God of all the amazing and awesome creation wants to connect and commune with us, Your human being creation.  May one and all, including myself, look forward to a daily meeting with You in communion and in mutual enjoyment in Your presence.   We can have more or we can have less of You but You are ever standing by to meet with us.  Thank-You from the bottom of my heart.  Lots of love, 

                                                                      ERC  April 2017.