King James Daily Bible Study: Lustful Desires
Date: Thursday February 17, 2011
Chapters: Numbers 10 - 11
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-february-17
Details of Today's Reading: The silver trumpets, the camp moves forward, the blessing pronounced by Moses, the burning at Taberah, the people lust for flesh to eat instead of manna, Moses complains of his charge and God gives him help, flesh is promised, and their severe lust brings death upon them.

Hello My Friend/Guest,
Did you ever hear the saying, “Be careful what you wish for.”? We all have desires that go beyond our needs and God is perfectly fine with that. In fact, Jesus says, “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” - Mark 11:24. God desires to fulfill the desires of His children, just like any parent would reward their child with gifts that he desires when obedient, God does the same for us. Now, we have to be careful that we do not get lustful over the things we desire. To be lustful means to be so consumed with the desire that it's all you think about. When we get to that point we will do anything to get what we desire and that is usually when we do something really stupid to get it. That is where the saying, “Be careful what you wish for.” comes into play. The Bible says, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” - James 1:13-15.

It had been over two years that the Israelites were set free and embarked on their journey to the promised land. During that time God gave the commands and laws, had Moses and the people build the Tabernacle, and consecrated Aaron and the rest of the Levites to serve in His ministry. The time had come for the camp to move forward, first, God commanded Moses to make two silver trumpets.

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps. And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation...When ye blow an alarm, then the camps that lie on the east parts shall go forward...But when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm...And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies.” - Numbers 10:1-3,5,7,9.

Part of the reason a person can get caught up in lustful desires is that they will not move forward. I have been there, I have kept myself from moving forward by holding on to something that gave me joy and the desire to have it return. All it did was hinder me from seeing the blessings that I truly had waiting for me. God has so much more waiting for us if we would just move forward and get out of the past. He is blowing the trumpets, it is time to move forward. “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” - I Corinthians 2:9,10.

Another reason a person can get caught up in lustful desires is impatience, we have no problem waiting a couple of days, weeks, or even months, but when those months turn to years we can get a little impatient, maybe even start complaining. After two years of eating manna, some of the Israelites were getting tired of it and started complaining.

“And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes...Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased. And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? ” - Numbers 11:4-6,10,11.

The complaining Israelites could not see the blessings they had before them, only what they left behind. The problem with one person complaining is that it causes others, even the most faithful to start complaining, Moses began complaining to God about their complaining. We all complain from time to time and when that happens we have to take a deep breath and remind ourselves just how far we have come and how blessed we are. God's number one concern is to provide us with the things we need, He will always provide us with the essentials first, then comes the desires. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;” - Philippians 2:13-15.

God did give into their desire and promised to provide them with food other than manna, “And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the LORD which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?” - Numbers 11:18-20.

Some of the Israelites were so lustful of their desire that when they did receive it they became greedy and the desire overtook them. “And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth. And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.” - Numbers 11:31-33.

The biggest problem with receiving lustful desires is the consequences after receiving them. Nothing good ever comes out of receiving lustful desires. “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” - Romans 6:11-14.

Ever want something so bad and after you received it you realized it was not worth the effort? God already knows what we need and gladly gives them to us as well as the desires of our heart. The key to receiving those desires is trusting Him and waiting for Him to give them to us on His time. He will bless us with so much more simply by being patient. “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” - Hebrews 12:1,2. Praise God!

Jesus Christ Revealed: Today Jesus is revealed through the two trumpets were made of silver, silver in the Bible stands for truth. “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” - John 14:6.

Thanks and God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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