Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Thirty eight verses

Numbers 33:38 KJV
And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of the LORD, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the first day of the fifth month.
Psalms 90:12 KJV
So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
God's Word has many different ways to teach us that our life is “but a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away.” Numbers 33 summarizes forty years - for all practical purposes a lifetime for these Jews because an entire generation pass away in those forty years - in just 38 verses.

All of the victories
All of the failures
All of the encounters with God
All of the miracles
All of the battles


All of it is given in 38 verses. From the greatness of the parting of the Red Sea to the sinfulness of refusing to cross into the Promised Land and Kadesh Barnea. It is all over in 38 verses.

A lifetime is over so quickly. We think the events surrounding our day to day lives are so significant. But at our funeral, someone will summarize our whole life in a 10 to 15-minute eulogy. If our funeral lasts more than an hour those who attend will complain about it.

So what really matters is not at all those day to day events, no matter how huge for good or bad they seemed to be at the time. What really matters is that we apply ourselves to know God and prepare ourselves for eternal heaven.

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