* This episode will have some sensitive content and is best for mom ears alone.

It's one of my favorite things to do when studying The Bible, to look to the New Testament and see what is revealed about Old Testament characters and situations. Today, as we're provided an Old Testament overview of the wilderness wanderings, we'll look to Paul's writings to learn that "these things were written for our instruction." May we learn from the Israelites and flee temptation, embracing Jesus Christ, Our Rock.

Today's Reading: Numbers 31-34

Scripture Read or Referenced:

Numbers 31:1-19, 32-34, 48-50

Numbers 33:50-55

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

You're getting quite the education! Would you consider leading a Bible Study this fall? To learn more about a Life-Changing Bible Study Method, learn about Get the Word Out here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-again-podcast-for-christian-moms-encouragement-in/id1700555502

Want to learn more about God's order for husband's and wives? There's nothing like Entrusted with a Child's Heart! www.entrustedministries.com/studies

Commentaries Most Referenced: Moody Commentary, MacArthur Commentary

Welcome to The Dwelling Place

from Entrusted Ministries.

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I'm Stephanie Cock.

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We've been walking through

the Bible chronologically

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focusing on the Lord that has always

intended to be our dwelling place,

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When we seek him first,

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it brings peace and joy

for our homes as well.

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Today's scripture is number

chapter 31 through 34.

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This episode will have some sensitive

content and is best for mom ears alone.

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Previously, the people of Israel

were engaging with the Midianites,

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doing highly immoral acts on the

Baal of P, the Midianites, pagan God.

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Phineas took a definitive stand for

righteousness, but the Lord wants to

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prevent this from happening again.

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He's going to bring justice

upon the mini knights as well.

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Beginning in numbers 31, verse one.

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The Lord spoke to Moses saying, avenge

the people of Israel on the Midianites.

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After afterward, you shall

be gathered to your people.

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So Moses spoke to the people saying,

arm men from among you for the war.

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That they may go against Midn

to execute the Lord's vengeance.

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On Midn, you shall send a thousand from

each of the tribes of Israel to the war.

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So they were provided out of the

thousands of Israel, a thousand from

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each tribe, 12,000 armed for war,

and Moses sent them to the war, a

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thousand from each tribe together with

Phineas, the son of Alza, the priest.

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With the vessels of the sanctuary and

the trumpets for the alarm in his hand,

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they wared against Midian as the Lord

commanded Moses and killed every male,

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they killed the kings of Midian with

the rest of their slain Evie comb Zu.

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Who and Reba the five kings of Midian.

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And they also killed Balum, the son

of bor with the sword and the people

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of Israel took captive, the women of

Midian and their little ones, and they

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took us plunder, all their cattle,

their flocks and all their goods,

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all the cities in the places where

they lived and all their encampments.

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They burned with fire and

took all the spoil and all the

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plunder, both of man and of beast.

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Then they brought the captives and the

plunder and the spoil to Moses and to LEAs

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are the priest and to the congregation of

the people of Israel at the camp on the

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plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.

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Moses and LEAs are the priest and all

the chiefs of the congregation went

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to meet them outside the camp, and

Moses was angry with the officers of

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the army, the commanders of thousands

and the commanders of hundreds.

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Who had come from service in the war.

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Moses said to them, have

you let all the women live?

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Behold these on blum's advice cause the

people of Israel to act tache against

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the Lord in the incident of Peor.

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And so the plague came upon

the congregation of the Lord.

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Now, therefore, kill every male among

the little ones and kill every woman

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who has known man by lying with him.

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But all the young girls who have not

known man by lying with him, keep alive

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In verse 48.

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Then the officers who were over the

thousands of the army, the commanders of

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thousands and the commanders of hundreds,

came near to Moses and said to Moses,

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your servants have counted the men of

war who are under our command, and there

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is not a man missing from among us.

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And we have brought the Lord's offering

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Speaker 3: Israel had

fallen into awful sin.

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It's amazing that the Lord was still going

to allow them to inhabit the promised

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land, but first they were to defeat

those who had led them into temptation.

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We know this was a Holy War because

Phineas and Azar led them in with some

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of the articles of the Tabernacle.

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Interestingly, Moses' wife,

Sapporo was a Midianite, her

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father was the priest of Midian.

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I assume he had already

passed away at this point.

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But I'm impressed by Moses'

commitment to do what was right here.

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We learned that Baam was the one

that incited them to do this evil.

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When we concluded the Oracles the

other day, he kept blessing Israel

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and he spoke of the coming Messiah.

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But here we're let in that he

had a different plan as well.

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I find it amazing that these 320

Virgin women were given to the

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Levites and were able to serve

before the attentive meeting.

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In the midst of so much death,

the Lord redeems and welcomes

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in those that are pure hearted.

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Of the 12,000 men of Israel that went

out to war, not a single life was lost.

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This is supernatural indeed, and

they recognize God's protection

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over them and they offer gold.

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It says to Aone, but the

Hebrew word fer is used

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and that's used 14 times.

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Its scripture, but it never

refers to an atonement for sin.

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The people are just saying, thank you

God so much for your protection over us.

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In chapter 32, the tribes of

Reuben and Gad are thinking, Hey,

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this land that we're in right

now looks pretty great, Moses.

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We have a lot of livestock,

and this land is good for them.

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Can we just stay here?

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Moses is livid.

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He calls them out for their lack

of faith and tells them, are your

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brothers supposed to go off to war

while you just sit here comfortably?

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And we can't tell if it was on

their heart initially or if they

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were just appeasing Moses' anger.

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But they commit to go with their brothers

for the conquest, not resting until

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they've done what was required of them.

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Be watching for the tribe of Reuben

and Gad and the Half Tribe of Manassa

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joined them right after this and see

what happens because instead of them

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being set apart for the Lord and being

united with all the other tribes, they're

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choosing to stay separate on the east

side of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea.

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And it's going to put them in closer

proximity to some other pegging cultures.

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I wonder if part of Moses'

anger was due to the fact that

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he knew he was about to die.

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When I think about my impatient or

irritable responses with my kids, most

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of the time it has nothing to do with my

kids, but something else that upset me.

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I assume Moses' anger here

was much more righteous.

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But I know that when I fall short

as a mom, I'm called to humble

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myself before my kids and repent.

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Moses also warns them.

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Be sure your sin will find you out.

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If they don't follow through with

this commitment, he's telling

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them that God will punish them.

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this speaks to the

faithfulness of the Lord.

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He knows our sin isn't good for us,

and often it's the most loving thing he

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can do to let us get caught in our sin.

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Think about the times in scripture

we've already read through where someone

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sins and he pursues them right away.

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Adam and even the garden, even

Cain, after murdering his brother.

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This is a verse we can pray that when

our kids are falling into sin or into

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temptation, that the Lord would reveal it

and that we would be ready with a gracious

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and appropriate response that would

deter them from continuing on that path.

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One of the teachings in Entrusted

that has stood with me the most is

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when Betsy says, never be shocked by

your kid's sin, because if you are,

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they're going to hide it from you.

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Often when my kids have been engaging

in something that they shouldn't

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be, I tell them, the Lord is so

good to let this come to light.

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Can you thank him?

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trying to help them see the

faithfulness of God in a moment, they'd

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probably rather hide under a rock.

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Chapter 33 is a recap of those years

in the wilderness, and then chapter

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34, God tells what the borders of

the PROMIS land are going to be.

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The Nation of Israel today is

about the same size as the state

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of New Jersey, and the current

population of New Jersey is 9.5

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million while Israel is 10.2

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million.

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At the time the Israelites

were coming in, it was two to

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two and a half million people.

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This tells us there was plenty of room

to roam and enjoy the land and to expand.

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In chapter three, chapter 33, verse 50,

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And the Lord spoke to Moses in the

plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho

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Saying, speak to the people of Israel

and say to them, when you pass over

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the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

then you shall drive out all the

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inhabitants of the land from before you

and destroy all their figured stones,

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and destroy all their metal images

and demolish all their high places.

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And you shall take possession of

the land and settle in it for I have

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given the land to you to possess it.

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And in verse 55, but if you do not drive

out the inhabitants of the land from

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before you, then those of them whom you

let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes

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and thorns in your sides, and they shall

trouble you in the land where you dwell.

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And I will do to you as

I thought to do to them.

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Speaker 4: Since chapter 33 gave us

this recap, I wanted to point us to a

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convicting but powerful overview that

reminds us to learn from their example.

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I.

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In one Corinthians 10 verses one through

13, Paul writes, for I do not want

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you to be unaware, brothers, that our

fathers were all under the cloud and

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all passed through the sea and all

were baptized into Moses in the cloud

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and in the sea, and all ate the same

spiritual food and all drank the same

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spiritual drink for they drank from

the spiritual rock that followed them.

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And the rock was Christ.

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Nevertheless, with most of them,

God was not pleased for they

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were overthrown in the wilderness.

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Now, these things took place as

examples for us that we might not

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desire evil as they did, do not

be idolaters as some of them were.

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As it is written, the people sat down

to eat and drink and rose up to play.

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We must not indulge in sexual

immorality as some of them did.

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And 23,000 fell in a single day.

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We must not put Christ to the test as

some of them did and were destroyed by

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serpents nor grumble as some of them

did and were destroyed by the destroyer.

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Now, these things happened to

them as an example, but they were

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written down for our instruction on

whom the end of the ages has come.

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Therefore, let anyone who thinks that

he stands take heed lest he fall.

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No temptation has overtaken you.

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That is not common to man.

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God is faithful and he will not let

you be tempted beyond your ability.

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But with the temptation, he will

also provide the way of escape that

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you may be able to endure it.

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And the rock was Christ.

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Jesus was present then?

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He also came as Emmanuel God

with us, and he is still the God

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that longs to dwell with you.

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Let's pray.

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Lord, as I read about this military

campaign, I'm called to lift up those

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that serve in the military and for

their wives and their children that

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give so sacrificially, so that they may

fight for our freedom and protection.

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I pray for a covering of

protection around those that serve.

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And that they would feel your nearness.

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Thank you, Lord, that you are a rock

that we can cling to, that you provide

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for us and you provide a way out.

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When we are tempted, may we

be quick to throw off sin.

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We pray that our kids would grow

in reverence of you turning

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away from sin when they have

an opportunity to disobey you.

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But when they do sin, as we know,

they will empower us through your

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Holy Spirit to be gracious and

forgiving to them, knowing that we

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also have needed much forgiveness.

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Help us to model your character.

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Well,

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in the name.

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Of Jesus Christ, the rock we pray.

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Amen.