Blessed are the chosen
Numbers 1:44, “These are the ones who were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, with the leaders of Israel, twelve men, each of whom was of his father’s household. 45 So all the numbered men of the sons of Israel by their fathers’ households, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war in Israel,”
I absolutely love reading the Old Testament; the Mosaic Law that many Christians see as boring or insignificant comes alive when filtered through the lens of the Gospel. Today’s verse seems, at first glance, to say very little to us, but when compared to the truths that Jesus spoke it explodes with application.
Moses and Aaron were commanded by God to count, take a census, of the men in Israel who were able to go to war and fight for Israel. Specific instructions were given by God about who was eligible, but it was an honor to be among those that were chosen by God to fight. No foreigners were counted among them; only the people from the tribes of Israel were allowed by God to fight for His Name. They were counted as the priviledged, blessed ones because they were accepted by God.
For us it is an honor to be chosen by God to fight the battles for His Name. Jesus Christ said in the Sermon on the Mount – Matthew 5:11″Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.12″Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great ; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” We are a blessed people because we get to fight for God, and share in His victory! The war may be ugly at times, and we may get hurt; but God says we are blessed because we have been given the privilege of fighting for Him.
During the Civil War General Sherman said a famous quote, “War is hell.” Those words were never truer than in the war that Christians fight. We are battling the forces of Satan; we are literally waging war against hell, and sometimes, a lot of the time, it gets ugly and nasty; but we know that the victory is ours!
The Apostle Paul reminds us that the battle we are in is not of this world in Ephesians 6:10, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Many people have the misconception that because we are fighting Satanic forces that the Bible says are greater than us that there is no way to win. I John 4:4 tells us, “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” If you have been chosen by God to fight His battles then you have also been given His power to triumph over the forces of evil!
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Father, I thank You for choosing me to fight in this war for You, and I ask that You remind me because You have chosen me You have also empowered me to win the victory. In Jesus’ name, Amen
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Yes, You Can Ministry 