Our Portion

“Then the Lord said to Aaron, ‘You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.” Numbers 18:20

I knew of a man who valued his inheritance more than his father from which it came.

Thank You, Lord, for what we have in You. Help us not to grasp and grab for earthly portions. And here’s a simple poem . . .

Inheriting

Our portion
our peace
our joy
and happiness
lies in the promise
of Jesus
our hope
and sustenance.

Buds and Blossoms

“And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the murmuring of the children of Israel, which they murmur against you.” Numbers 17:5
“. . .and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds.” Numbers 17:8

I study my “rod” carefully. Still no sign of the obvious buds everyone’s looking for.

Thank you, Lord, for seeing and valuing the opposite of what the world does . . .and making it blossom and grow. And here’s a simple poem . . .

A Ripening Rod

She stands
head tilted upward
eyes closed
“I’m listening for Jesus”
she whispers.
I listen too
then realize
I just heard.

Covered and Carried

“And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them . . . ” Numbers 4:15

In this fourth chapter of Numbers, the Levites, divided into families, were given specific tasks of how to cover and carry the tabernacle of meeting.

Thank You, Lord, for covering and carrying . . . me. And here’s a simple poem . . .

But For You

Nothing about my life
should work
on any level
but You cover and carry me
as though I were
a most holy place.

Given For Others’ Needs

“Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him.” Numbers 3:6
“And they shall attend to his needs and the needs of the whole congregation . . .” Numbers 3:7

I read this and wonder how the Levites felt about being given to meet Aaron and the congregation’s needs? What if they had wanted to be farmers, artisans, shepherds or men of war?

Lord, please help me to want what You know I need. And to see the need behind others’ wants. And here’s a simple poem . . .

We, The Needy

Needs curl up in my lap
and sit across the table from me.
They ring on the phone,
call from the other room
and spill out of
opened envelopes.

I begin to
turn them over
and pick them up
by being ever so needy
of You.

Defective

“No man of the descendants of Aaron the priest, who has a defect, shall come near to offer the offerings made by fire to the Lord. He has a defect; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.
He may eat the bread of his God, both the most holy and the holy;
only he shall not go near the veil or approach the altar, because he has a defect. . .” Leviticus 21:21-23

No one wants defective goods . . .except God.

Thank You Jesus, for being without defect for us, able to draw near and tear the veil, to be our sacrifice on the altar and our Most Holy daily bread. And here’s a simple poem . . .

Holy Recall

Full of defects
from head to heart to toe
often passed over
and rightly so
until that day
I knelt before His throne
and heard, “Redeemed”
“Beloved . . .My very own.”

God sees you today and loves you truly!

Anytime

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell Aaron your brother not to come at simply anytime into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die, for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.'”
“Thus Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with the blood. . .” Leviticus 16:2-3

Even with the closest of friends and family, the offer to “stop by anytime” needs to be considered carefully.

Lord, how blessed we are that You have provided the blood needed for us to be forever in the Holy Place of Your heart. And here’s a simple poem . . .

24/7

No matter when
no matter where
Jesus has promised
He will be there.

How blessed we are
that He made a way
for us to be with Him
every hour of the day.

No Secrets

“So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. And the assembly was gathered together at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.” Leviticus 8:4

God wanted everyone to witness Aaron and his sons being consecrated and sanctified for the work they would do.

Lord, thank You for gathering us at the cross, our door to see and understand Your enduring work of love for us. And here’s a simple poem . . .

Revealing

God doesn’t keep secrets
His word is for all to see
from little children to elders
He moves purposefully
as we come to Jesus
seeking sincerely
new understandings are revealed
ever so patiently.

Coming Clean

“When they went into the tabernacle of meeting, and when they came near the altar, they washed, as the Lord had commanded Moses.”  Exodus 40:32

Moses, Aaron and his sons washed in the bronze laver before serving God.   Am I coming clean before God each day?

Thank You, Jesus, that my sins can be washed away  as I repent and confess them to You and ask for forgiveness. Here’s a  simple poem . . .

In Moses’ Day

Aaron and his sons
washed in the bronze
laver, but now
the laver is gone

and we each
get to decide
whether or not
to come clean.

Anointing Oil

“It shall be a holy anointing oil.”  Exodus 30:25
“It shall not be poured on man’s flesh.”  Exodus 30:32

The holy anointing oil was made from quality spices – myrrh, sweet-smelling cinnamon, sweet-smelling cane, cassia, and olive oil.  It was compounded according to the art of the perfumer and used to anoint the tabernacle, the ark, the table,  the lampstand, utensils, laver and altars.  Even Aaron and his sons.

Thank You, Lord, for anointing us today with Your Holy Spirit.  While You can’t anoint our flesh that rebels against You, You can and do anoint Yourself in us.  Here’s a simple poem . . .

Pour Over Us

Oh Holy Spirit come
and anoint us now
for the work which we must do
show us when and where and how.

Accepted

“You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it . . . . HOLINESS TO THE LORD.  So it shall be on Aaron’s forehead that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel hallow in all their holy gifts, and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.”  Esodus 28:36,38

When my daughter does her best – an act of kindness, writing, art work – it is cause for celebration. Joy. Then is not the time to correct her mistakes or urge her to do more.

Jesus, thank You for taking me the way I am and making me holy before You.  Here’s a simple poem . . .

Bearing Iniquity

Could You have really planned
for me to be holy?
My best attempts are tainted
a far cry away,

but You send Yourself
all Holiness before me,
and what I can’t attain to
You bear along the way.