Do Not Despair - Rejoice Instead Numbers 17:12-13

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup

The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the Old Testament, Numbers 17:12-13. In this passage of Scripture, the Israelites experience despair over their repeated failures and judgments of God. They did not realize that their situation could have been much worse except for the intercession by Moses and Aaron. As we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine from the cup, we remember that Jesus died for us and now lives to intercede with God on behalf of all Christians. There is no need to despair over failures but rejoice that Jesus loves us. All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) and are used with permission.

As you listen to the episode today, my hope is that you will be encouraged from the time spent meditating on what Jesus has done for you. You are a special person; the one Jesus died to save! 

Transcript

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "Do Not Despair—Rejoice Instead!" I read from Numbers 17:12-13 (NIV). All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version and are used with permission.

12 The Israelites said to Moses, “We will die! We are lost, we are all lost! 13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the LORD will die. Are we all going to die?”

Times were rough for the Israelites. Korah, a Levite, Dathan, Abiram, and On, Reubenites, along with 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders, challenged Moses and Aaron as the leaders of the Israelites. This ended badly for them. The ground opened up and swallowed the households of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and fire came out from the LORD and burned up the 250 challengers assembled before the Tent of Meeting. Unhappy with this turn of events, the entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the LORD sent a plague upon them. A total of 14,700 people died from the plague. Despite these punishments, it could have been worse, much worse, had not Moses and Aaron intervened with the LORD these two times to save the people. God had had enough and was ready to put an end to the entire assembly! At this low point, I can understand the despair of the Israelites, wondering if all were going to die. While there are several applications of these events today, the one I want to focus on is the despair felt by the Israelites after these events. The Israelites had come face-to-face again with God's sovereignty and His Law and the consequences for their own failures. They appear to conclude that it was going to be impossible to please God. They feared death, but little did they realize how close they were to death except for the interventions by Moses and Aaron, their intercessors before God. As we assemble around the table today to partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine from the cup, we are reminded that we have an intercessor, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died for the forgiveness of our sins, and He now intercedes for us to God. As the Son of Man, He knows fully what it is like to be human, and He understands us. If you are feeling that you cannot measure up as a Christian, even considering walking away from the faith, then this time with Jesus today is for you. Go to Him for understanding, forgiveness, and strength; He has an unlimited supply. Do not despair—rejoice instead that Jesus loves you. Let us pray.

Abba, Father. Today we bless and set aside this bread and the fruit of the vine in this cup to remember Your Son, Jesus. We know that the bread represents His body that was nailed to the cross, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood that He shed for us. As we pour out the wine from the cup, we are reminded of how Jesus poured out His own blood that our sins might be forgiven. Abba, Father, living as a Christian has both ups and downs, and we can choose to live by sight rather than faith. Thank-you for sending Your Son, Jesus, to offer His life for us that we might have the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life. His love, Abba, Father, was not just a one-time event, but He lives to intercede for us. Open our eyes, Abba, Father, to the magnitude of our blessings in Jesus, and may we receive strength to live each day as Your children. Thank-you for these tangible reminders in the bread and the fruit of the vine that we partake of today. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26:26-28 (NLT).

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.

And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"

Until next time, from Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV), “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!