May 13, 2015

“Then, as the Lord our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites through all that vast and dreadful wilderness that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea. Then I said to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 1:19-21

God was calling His people into their destiny. He had promised them this land of promise, a holy place, a place to rest in Him. And He promised to lead them in.

How could they be sure He would lead them in?

How could feel good about taking this risk?

They could be sure God would lead them in because He had led them out!

Through Moses, God brought His people out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt. God displayed His power in sending plagues throughout Egypt while sparing the Hebrews. Finally, He sent the Death Angel to take the first born sons of all the Egyptians and passed over those who had the blood of a lamb over their door posts.

God’s people were saved and delivered by the blood of a lamb. Sound familiar?

They could be sure God would lead then in because He had led them out.

They could also be sure He would lead them in because He had led them through!

When they were threatened by defeat and destruction on the shore of the Red Sea, God opened the sea and led them through – ON DRY GROUND!

As the Egyptian army pursued them God closed the Red Sea on top of them and drowned them all!

The very thing that looked like it would be their destruction God turned into their deliverance! It’s not unlike the Cross of Jesus, the very thing that looked to destroy Him became our deliverance through a stream of red from His hands and feet.

God also led them through the wilderness with a cloud by day and pillar of fire at night. He provided manna for them to eat and water in the desert!

They could trust God to lead them in because He had led them out and He had led them through.

So, now they found themselves in Kadesh Barnea, the place of decision and consecration. They were there because He had led them there. Now He was calling them into the next great blessing He had for them. Would they decide to trust Him? Would they realize that the best predictor of what someone will do in the future is what he has done in the past?

Perhaps you find yourself in Kadesh Barnea. God is calling you into a new level of fellowship with Him. Will you consecrate yourself to the One who led you there so He can lead you on?