Prayer Works Morning Devotion: July 17, 2025

In The Presence Of God/The Lord

"Numbers 16:41-50 - Moses And Aaron Interceding For The Israelites Who Complained Against Them"

---

Good morning family, Prayer Works Morning Devotion. We pray that all is well in your lives that God is richly blessing you and leading you along the path of righteousness for his namesake. Before we start our devotion this morning, let's go to the throne of grace and give thanks.  

Heavenly Father, we come before you and give you praise, honor and glory because you alone are worthy. We thank you for this day, for waking us up to new grace. New mercies for this day, which we know are sufficient for this day.  

We know, Father, that you do not give us more than we can bear and so we are grateful, humbled and thankful for your Holy Spirit leading us and guiding us through all the challenges and trials and tribulations that we may be facing this day.  

So we pray as we go forth in this day to keep our eyes on you, to look up and to not look down, to walk in faith and not by sight. We pray for forgiveness of our sins where we may fall short and doubt your incredible mercy, Mightiness and holiness in our lives.  

We ask that you watch over us and protect us and guide us, lead us in all thingss. Now as we go forth, I pray that you move me aside and you speak through me. Use me as a willing vessel to deliver the words that you've placed upon my heart this day.  

I pray that all who here will be touched by it and fly it in their lives. We give you all honor and glory this day, thanking you in Jesus name. So family, good morning. We are today in the Book of Numbers  

And our target verses for today are Numbers 16:41-50 and this target verse speaks of Moses and Aaron and how they were interceding for the Israelites when they were in the wilderness and these Israelites were complaining against them.  

But you know, I read this verse and by itself you don't get the full impact of what is really going on here, and since we are discussing being in the presence of God and for our Lord.  

It's incumbent upon me to read the entire chapter so that you can understand the significance of complaining and having a complaining spirit, especially as it applies to being in the presence of the Lord.  

So I will start at verse one, but I will also highlight when I get to chapter verse 41 through 50 so that you can then reference exactly what this scripture is saying and how it applies to us. So here we go.  

Now Korah, and incidentally, I'm reading out of King James, the new King James version. Now Korah, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab and on the sons of Peleth, sons of Reuben took men and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel.  

250 leaders of the congregation's representatives of the congregation, men of renown. They gathered together against Moses and Aaron and said to them you take too much upon yourselves for all the congregation is holy.  

Everyone of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then, do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord? So when Moses heard it, he fell on his face and he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying tomorrow morning the Lord will show who is his and who is holy.  

And will cause him to come near to him. That one, whom he chooses, he will cause to come near to him. Do this, take sensors, Korah and all your company put fire in them and put incense in them before the Lord tomorrow, and it shall be that the man whom the Lord chooses is the holy one.  

You take too much upon yourselves, you sons of Levi. Then Moses said to Korah here, now you sons of Levi. Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the Congregation of Israel to bring you near to himself. To do the work of the Tabernacle of the Lord and to stand before the congregation to serve them. 

And that he has brought you near to himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi with you. And are you seeking the priesthood also? Therefore, you and all your company are gathered together against the Lord and what is Aaron that you complain against him?  

And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab. But they said we will not come. Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of the land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness that you should keep acting like a Prince over us?  

Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? Will you not come up?  

Then Moses was very angry and he said to the Lord, do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them. Nor have I hurt one of them. And Moses said to Korah tomorrow you and all your company be present before the Lord, you and they, as well as Aaron.  

Let each one take his censor and put incense in it. And each of you bring his sensor before the Lord 250 sensors both you and Aaron, each with his sensor. So every man took his sensor, put fire in it, laid incense on it and took it at the door of the Tabernacle of meeting with Moses and Aaron.  

And Korah gathered the congregation against them at the door of the Tabernacle of meeting, then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation. Pay  attention and the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.  

Then they fell on their faces and said, oh, God, the God of spirits of all flesh, shall one man's sin, and you be angry with all the congregation. So the Lord spoke to Moses, saying speak to the congregation, saying get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, then Moses Rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the leaders of Israel followed him. 

And he spoke to the congregation, saying depart now from the tents of these wicked men. Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins. So they got away from around the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of the tents with their wives and their sons and their little children.  

And Moses said by this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them in my own will. If these men die naturally, like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the Lord has not sent me.  

But if the Lord creates a new thing and the Earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit. Then you will understand that these men have rejected the Lord.  

Now came to pass as he finished speaking all these words that the ground split apart upon under them, and the Earth opened its mouth and swallowed them with their households and all the men with Korah and all their goods.  

So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit. The Earth closed over them and they perished from among the assembly. Than all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, let the earth swallow us up also.  

And a fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering incense. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying tell Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, to pick up the incense out of the blaze, for they are holy. 

And scattered the fire some distance away. The sensors of the men who sinned against their own souls let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar. Because they presented them before the Lord therefore they are holy.  

And they shall be assigned to the children of Israel. So Eliezar the priests took the bronze sensors which those who were burned up had presented, and they were hammered out and covered on the altar to be a memorial for the children of Israel,  

That no outsider who is not a descendant of Aaron should come near to offer incense before the Lord, that he might not become like Korah and his companions, just as the Lord had said to him through Moses.  

So now we go to our target scriptures today and again complaints of the people. So verse 41 reads on the next day and This is why I read the whole thing so that you can understand this day on the next day all the congregation of the Children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron. 

Saying you have killed the people of the Lord. Now it happened when the congregation had gathered against Moses and Aaron. They had turned toward the Tabernacle of meeting. And suddenly The cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared.  

Then Moses and Aaron came before the Tabernacle of meeting, and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment and they fell on their faces.  

So Moses said to Aaron, take the sensor and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them. For Wrath has gone out from the Lord, the plague has begun.  

Then Aaron took it as Moses commanded and ran into the midst of the assembly, and already the plague had begun among the people. So he put it, he put the incense. And he put in the incense and made atonement for the people and stood between the dead and the living, so the plague was stopped.  

Now those who had died in the plague were 14,700. Besides those who died in the Korah incident, so Aaron returned to Moses at the door of the Tabernacle of meeting for the plague had stopped.  

So family, what are we getting from this? Do you have a complaining spirit? You know, we as Christians, we tend to look at ourselves in some capacity as being better than others, and you have to understand here that God sees all things.  

He knows the hearts and minds of all of us. And so in essence, when we are complaining we are complaining in the presence of the Lord. Just think about that for a minute. Now there are two types of complaints.  

There are complaints to God for circumstances that we may be facing and personal trials, but then there are complaints against God for his will, his leadership, his divine judgment and his appointed leaders.  

A complainer by definition is someone who sinfullly grumbles and is showing discontentment with his lot in life. Complaining is certainly not a fruit of the spirit. What are the fruits of the spirit, love, joy, peace, goodness, patience, kindness, faithfulness and self-control.  

These are the fruits of the spirit. And nowhere in those fruits does complaining come into the picture. In fact, complaining is a spirit detrimental to the peace, joy and patience that come from the spirit. For a Christian complaining is destructive, debilitating, personally and serves to make one's witness to the world more difficult.  

The Bible gives several examples of those who complain, and the first complainer was in the Book of Genesis, and it was Adam after he and Eve disobeyed God. Adam complained to God that the woman you put here with me gave me some of the fruit from the tree and I ate it.  

So in this way, Adam blamed Eve and indirectly, God for his own sin. While in the wilderness, as we read the Israelites under Moses complained very often.  

It was less than three months after leaving Egypt that they were complaining that they were starving to death in the desert. Their complaint included the foolish wish to have remained slaves in Egypt.  

The whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. And here the Israelites were saying if only we had died in Egypt. Although their complaint was leveled against their human leaders, Moses informed them that they were actually murmuring against God. Says you are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord. 

And the Israelites complaining was also linked to disobedience and lack of faith. They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the Lord. Do you find yourself grumbling in your own private space family?  

I know even myself have been guilty a time or two. And so this is where we have to lift this up to the Lord again as I said in the beginning, there are two types of complaints you can complain to God for your circumstances and personal trials, but it is a sin to complain against God for his own will.  

His leadership, his divine judgment, and especially his appointed leaders in the church. In Psalms chapter 12:1-2. It reads no one is faithful anymore. Those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.  

Everyone lies to their neighbor. They flatter with their lips, but harbor deception in their hearts. And in Jeremiah and Micah, they complain but they were not sinful complaints as a counter, right?  

Because even though they were complaining, as I said about the two types of complaints, they were complaining about their personal circumstances. We know Jeremiah was told to go out and speak to the Israelites even though they wouldn't listen to him.  

And in some instances, he became a laughingstock. And yes, he complained to God, not against God's will but because of his own personal circumstances, and we know that God wants us to cry out when we are going through things, so it's not a sin to complain to God if you will about our circumstances.  

But again, I stress, it is a sin to complain against who God puts in power and for his will and for his leadership. Believers are not to harbor discontent. You know the Greek word for grumbling indicates murmuring,  

And we know that murmuring generally leads to A discontent, a place of how can I put a place of just not being happy and you can't be in the spirit of the Lord and not be happy.  

You have to search yourself and see why it is that you are not happy that you would entertain murmuring or muttering or talking badly about your fellow believers. Scripture says here in Deuteronomy. 

That we should not grumble that we should always be doing things without complaining and that we should offer hospitality to one another without grumbling and that comes also from 1 Peter 4:9. A complaining spirit. Reveals to us that we don't trust God.  

And you know, we have to question that because each and every day that we walk the face of this earth, if we look back, we can see the things that God has done for us in the past. God is not a what have you done for me lately?  

God is a you know God who walks with us from the past, from our birth, right through to when he calls us home. And so during that whole span of our life. If you look back, you can see the things that God has done for you when you've called on him when you've walked faithfully. 

Even the times that you have not walked faithfully, even the times that you have stepped out on your own and done things. You know my wife and I, we often talk about the will of God and the permitted will of God.  

And in the will of God, if you walk faithfully, yes you will see the joy of being in the Lord, but if you step out on your own most times God will allow you to do your own thing. But it's going to be difficult.  

If you find yourself doing your own thing and you have a struggle. You can't open certain doors. You have to question whether or not you are walking in God's will or aim God's permitted will.  

Whenever we are tempted to complain, we should go to the Lord first. We should learn to cast all of our fears on him, knowing that he cares for us. 1 Peter 5:7, says that to overcome the habit of complaining, we should pray to God for his help.  

Remember the Lord's goodness in our lives. Give thanks in all circumstances, and rejoice always. It's impossible to complain while rejoicing just think about that. As we keep studying God's word as we come on every day for our daily devotions, as we participate in Bible study. 

As we broaden our horizons in the word of God and enjoy the fellowship that we have with our brothers and sisters in the body. Are complaining and are grumbling should grow less and less.  

We will begin to allow our difficult circumstances to produce something other than grumbling within us. Whining will fade away. We will learn to, as the scripture says, count it all joy when we meet trials of various kinds, for we know that the testing of our faith produces steadfastness,. 

And I just wanted to read A couple of scriptures and leave them with you. Psalms 79:8-9. This is a prayer to God. Do not remember the iniquities of our forefathers against us. Let your compassion come quickly to meet us, for we are brought very low.  

Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name, and deliver us and forgive our sins for your namesake, Jeremiah, 14:7. Although our iniquities testify against us, O Lord, Act for your namesake truly, our apostasies have been many.  

We have sinned against you. And Jeremiah again, 14:20, we know our wickedness, O Lord, the iniquity of our fathers, for we have sinned against you. And Psalm 130:3 –4, If you, O Lord, should market inequities, O Lord, who could stand?  

But there is forgiveness with you That you may be feared. So family count it all joy. Whatever you're going through, whatever your situation is, don't complain about those things that are done to you by others. 

Don't complain about the structure of things that you have no full knowledge of. Don't complain. I mean, the world gives us so much to complain about the governors, the governments, life, food prices all these things, but we should count it all, joy.  

As we are going through these last days as we are coming to the close of this system of things, we should walk in the goodness of the Lord. Remember, we are studying about being in the presence of the Lord and all scriptures related to being in the presence of the Lord indicate the reverence that we need to have for the Lord.  

So walking faith and not by sight and if you find yourself wanting to complain, lift it up to the Lord, but more importantly, look back over your life and see where the Lord has come into your life to help you.  

To benefit you, to improve you, to prune off those broken leaves and dead branches in your life, we pray, Father, that you will continue to lead us and so I'm going to pray now and ask for God to look over us this day as we walked in his glory and in his presence. 

Heavenly Father we come before you, in your presence, humbly at your throne, asking for forgiveness where we may have complained against you. Inadvertently and even knowingly, father, we have praying that you forgive us for these deeds. 

We pray, Father, for your blessing to be not just on us, not just on our families, but on all those believers, all those in the world, even those Father that don't know you, that you will send a message to them through your Angel.  

To step up and recognize you in all that they are seeing, we know, Father, that sometimes what we see is not the truth and This is why we need to walk in faith and not by sight. And so we are praying this day, Father, that your glory magnify itself in our lives.  

That we can look at you through our circumstances and situations and count it all joy that we accept the blessing and the blood together, we accept your peace and the strife together because we know that all things are done for your glory, and that all those who believe in you will receive a crown as long as they remain faithful to the end.  

So I pray this day, Father, that your spirit lead us and guide us, bless all those that are on this call. Bless all those that will listen to this recording. I pray for the families that are all represented here.  

And I pray for their families, their children, their children's children, their spouses, and we pray Father that your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven, so bless this day as we go forth in it and help us to remember the blessings that you have provided for us.  

The faithfulness that you have shown us and the covering that you have given us through the blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus that we should not forget and be like the Israelites and complain months after they came out of Egypt.  

We should not look to you as an ATM and as a what have you done for me lately God. But as a God who loves his children as parents love their children as parents, we know that we provide, we bend over backwards in most cases for our children. And why wouldn't God do the same thing?  

Where did we get that inclination from? Remember, we have been created in the image of God and so we each have his characteristics and we are thankful for those characteristics. 

I pray now for your blessing on those, especially those that are infirmed and our dear brother, Sarge comes to mind and his lovely wife, we call our Auntie and Uncle. We pray for them.  

We pray for your strength and magnification of your spirit in each of their lives, to bless them and heal Sarge and bring him home.  

We're praying now also for those that are amongst us that may be suffering from one trial or one tribulation and are requiring your response Father, we know that you answer prayers according to your will and to your perfect timing.  

And so we await on your perfect timing and we are consistently praying for your will to be done. So family, thank you, thank you, Father, thank you for this family that you've given us. Thank you for the hope of everlasting life with you.  

We give you all praise, all honor, all glory because you alone are worthy. We thank you. We honor you, and it's in the mighty and matchless name of Jesus that we pray this day and always we say Amen and Amen.  

Thank you, family. Thank you for hearing what the Lord placed in my heart this day, and I pray that it has brought peace and comfort to you. I pray that his will is done in your life this day and every day. Go in peace this day. Know that we love you and we pray that God's spirit blesses you richly this day and in all days to come.  

God bless you, family. Have a blessed day.