Day 63: Israel's Rebellion

Numbers 14:1-45 Because of the growing rebellion against Moses in the camp of Israel, God told Moses that the Israelites would remain in the desert forty years and that NO ONE presently above the age of twenty would see the Promised Land except for Caleb and Joshua. The men among the spies who urged Moses not to confront the enemy forces were struck with plague and died. Some of the people decided to cross into the Promised Land without the command of God and were routed by the enemies of Israel. (CCC 1897-1903)


Deuteronomy Ch 12-26 These fifteen chapters contain laws that are sometimes called the “Deuteronomic Code.” As with certain other laws given by God in the Old Testament, the penalties enumerated for transgressing the law might seem disproportionate to the sins involved. These punishments, however, emphasized the seriousness of the offenses and served as an effective deterrent. The Promised Land was surrounded by pagan nations, and Israel had a history of falling prey to idol worship and other pagan practices. A strict discipline was needed to protect and preserve the people of God from infidelity and corruption. (CCC 56-57)


Psalm 95 On most mornings this hymn opens the Liturgy of the Hours, the official prayer of the Church. This is appropriate since it calls everyone together to sing and pray to the Lord and become aware of his presence; it is a hymn of joy and thanksgiving to God our King. The psalm also urges his people to remain faithful and not to doubt and rebel as the Israelites did at Meribah. These words hearken to the time when the people, parched with thirst as they wandered through the desert, rebelled against Moses and believed that God had abandoned them. Moses, fearing he would be stoned, asked God to provide them with water, and God fulfilled the request MIRACULOUSLY by causing water to gush out of the rock when Moses struck it with his rod. Moses gave that place the name Meribah, which means “contention,” because the people challenged the Lord there. The psalm emphasizes “today” because we always encounter the Father, who stands outside of the confines of time, in the present; he sees every event as simultaneously present. The priest and victim of the Eucharistic liturgy is the Son of God made man. Precisely because the one who offers himself is a divine Person who took on a human nature, the re-presentation of Christ’s redemptive Sacrifice transcends time and space. (CCC 1163-1165, 2119, 2618, 2628, 2659)



Testing and Trial 

(*Walking With God: A Journey Through the Bible by Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins)



Prayer by Fr Mike: “Father in Heaven, we thank you and give you praise. We thank you so much for hearing our prayers. We thank you for when we are unfaithful, you remain faithful. And that is what we need. You are who we need because, Lord, the depths to which our fears can control us, the depths to which our lack of faith can control us is paralyzing at times. And yet, Lord, when we know who you are there is no room for fear. When we love you there is no room for fear because that perfect love casts out whatever fear we might experience. Lord, if our day today is marked with fear, we ask that you please place your love in our hearts. If our day today is marked with uncertainty and insecurity, we ask that you place your courage and your strength in our hearts. Lord God, above all we ask that you place us in the palm of your hand and help us to never run away. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”

ANDREW'S PARALLELS

It's astounding how the Israelites still doubt God's power, despite everything they have seen him do for them so far! Yet God, while angry with them, still doesn't give up on them. Makes one think how many times we doubt God after all the blessings we have received from him, and yet he still doesn't give up on us.