Choice Gleanings

Numbers 16:1-40; Proverbs 13:1-25; 1 Peter 5:1-14

She bound the scarlet cord in the window. Joshua 2:21 NKJV

According to Strong’s Concordance, the Hebrew word “cord” is translated twenty-three times as “hope” and seven as “expectation”. This gives deep significance to the scarlet cord Rahab tied to her window. She did not know when the city would be taken or how the conquest would take place, but she knew she would be spared and had the promise of the spies and the cord as a visible expression of her hope. We are in the same position today in that we live in the expectation of the return of the Lord Jesus. We have a sure hope based on the grounds of the shed blood of Christ and the assurance of God’s promise. —Gary McBride

My hope is in the Lord who gave Himself for me,
And paid the price of all my sin at Calvary. —N. Clayton

Numbers 15L1-41; Proverbs 12:1-28; 1 Peter 4:1-19

“Yet I will bring back the captives of Moab in the latter days,” says the Lord. Thus far is the judgment of Moab. Jer. 48:47 NKJV

Mercy for Moab? Really? Yes, and also for Nineveh, for Egypt, for Assyria, for Israel (Isa. 19:24-25). We look round about us at the nations, the governments, the people, and something within us cries out, “Let judgment fall! Bring it all to an end!”. And yet our Sovereign looks upon them with His all-seeing eye and cries out, “Oh, how I long to bring you in, to make you My own, to pour out, without reserve, My everlasting love!”. Pray for His heart, then go and proclaim His astounding mercy and grace. —Eunice Free

Calvary! O Calvary! Mercy’s vast unfathomed sea,
Love, eternal love to me: Saviour, we adore Thee.  —S. T. Francis

Numbers 14:1-45; Proverbs 11:1-31; 1 Peter 3:1-22

Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Luke 22:42-44

We’ve all known pain and prayed for it to pass. Yet, in His own agony and drops of blood, Jesus surrendered to the Father’s will. Because He endured the cross, we have assurance that our future holds eternal life and hope, not death and despair. —Alyssa Gee

For me it was in the garden,
He prayed: “Not my will, but Thine.”
He had no tears for His own griefs,
But sweat-drops of blood for mine. —Charles Hutchinson Gabriel

Numbers 12:1-13:33; Proverbs 10:1-32; 1 Peter 2:1-25

[The Father] hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son. Col. 1:13

When the Lord died and rose again, God placed us in His kingdom. Christ not only conquered sin, Satan, and death, but delivered us (past tense), from all the powers of darkness. This assures us that there is no need for a further “ministry of deliverance”, after one is saved. The work of our Saviour is complete. Nothing can ever be added. What a wonderful message of deliverance we have to pass on to those still enslaved by sin. —David Croudace

Christ delivered me when bound,
And when bleeding, healed my wound;
Sought me wand’ring, set me right,
Turned my darkness into light. —William Cowper

Numbers 11:4-35; Proverbs 9:1-18; 1 Peter 1:1-25

He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:38-39 NKJV

Every believer in Christ has the Holy Spirit dwelling within. This occurs at the time of our initial faith in Christ for salvation. One of the Spirit’s works is to make us an instrument of blessing to others. Another is to give us deep satisfaction in our being that nothing in this world can give. To know Christ is to have everything. —Brian Gunning

Joys are flowing like a river, since the Comforter has come,
Who abides with us forever, makes the trusting heart a home. —M. Ferguson

Numbers 10:11-11:3; Proverbs 8:1-36; Jude 1:1-25

He was there in the wilderness. Mark 1:13

There was good news in the wilderness — a lonely, desolate place. That is where Mark begins his Gospel. What a fitting metaphor for the spiritual condition of this world and its inhabitants. Through John the Baptist, God called those in the wilderness to repentance. Then into that place of suffering, struggle and barrenness came God incarnate. Standing in the muddy waters of the Jordan, He identified Himself with the people of the wilderness, foreshadowing
His own desolation at Calvary. Are you in a wilderness today? The Saviour has been there too. In that dry, testing place He can meet and sustain you. —Michael McKillen

In every pang that rends the heart,
The man of Sorrows had a part. —Michael Bruce

Numbers 9:1-10:10; Proverbs 6:20-7:27; Mark 16:1-20

Now after the death of Joshua … the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them? Judges 1:1
In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Judges 21:25

120 years span the striking contrast seen here between the opening and closing words of Judges. It begins with God’s people trusting in Him, seeking His mind concerning the next steps they should take. However, as one has noted about the final chapter, “The book ends with Israel talking to herself. God is completely side-lined.” May this never happen in our lives! —Pete Smith

Lord, on Thee our souls depend; in compassion now descend,
Fill our hearts with Thy grace, tune our lips to sing Thy praise. —W. Hammond

Numbers 8:1-26; Proverbs 5:1-6:19; Mark 15:24-47

In all things He may have the preeminence. Col. 1:18 NKJV

One writer, in commenting on the theme of the book of Colossians has said, “It shows us that Christianity is Christ”. This is emphasized in the phrase, “That in all things He may have the preeminence”. W. E. Vine defines pre-eminence as, “to be first”. Others have said the word speaks of Christ’s absolute supremacy. One might ask, how can we show the pre-eminence of Christ in our life or how can we glorify or reflect Christ in our life? It is not done
through man-made rules or regulations, but through the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth (John 16:13). May Christ be seen in us. – Bob Cretney

With longing all my heart is filled, that like Him I may be,
As on the wondrous thought I dwell, that Christ liveth in me. —D. Whittle

Numbers 7:1-89; Proverbs 4:1-27; Mark 15:1-23

And when the sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had brought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. Mark 16:1

Standing out in beautiful devoted simplicity is this early morning walk of three women who loved the Lord. In faith, they did not try to solve the problem of moving the stone before they got there. Faith simply involves moving purposefully to an objective of His will and that is what they did. Faith may not be dramatic, but it moves forward motivated by love for Christ and endures through deep waters. —Gaius C. Goff

I’ll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death,
And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath …
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now. —William Featherston

Numbers 6:1-27; Proverbs 3:1-35; Mark 14:53-72

And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. Exodus 25:8 NKJV
For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him. Matthew 2:2 NKJV

The tabernacle was to be a place where God and His people met and the ark of the covenant was the visible symbol of God’s presence among them. Without the ark, the tabernacle was purposeless. The weekly worship of the Lord should be a priority for us. The Lord meets us there and what is worship without His presence? Worship is the conscience reality of His presence and our occupation with Him. Let us remember Him today! —Jim Comte

According to Thy gracious Word, in meek humility,
This would I do, my dying Lord, I would remember Thee. —J. Montgomery