Numbers 11-13 – Feb. 28

In Numbers 11:29, we read a great foreshadowing of the anointing of mankind in the New Testament. After Moses begged for some relief from the pressures of leading this great amount of people, God placed His Spirit on some of the other leaders. Moses replied, “…29 Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!”

 Tada! Moses’ wish came true, but even better. All of the Lord’s people now have the Spirit of God within them. We now have great similarities in abilities as the God appointed leaders that assisted Moses leading the Israelites to the promised land!

 From what leaders are we relieving the pressure? Who are we leading now? Where are we leading them, what is our end goal? Hey, if we are going to be blessed with this much ability, we should be doing something with it, right?

 “My Father God, please help me to understand more the capabilities of my anointing, the newness of my creature, the power of Your authority in me, the potential of my calling, and the gravity of my purpose. Then help me to embrace the lifestyle that will make all of these aspects, a reality.”

Numbers 8-10 – Feb. 27

 Once again, I am drawn to this last verse of chapter 10.

 35 Then it came about when the ark set out that Moses said, “Rise up, O Lord! And let Your enemies be scattered, And let those who hate You flee before You.”

Notice the boldness of Moses as he goes into unknown territory, only because he follows God and puts God at the beginning of his travels.

“Let those who hate You, flee before You – and by the way, we’ll be right behind You” (my version).

If they scatter for God, they scatter for us as well.

If God makes a passage safe, then it’s safe for me.

If I follow God completely and put God first in my goings then my paths are already as good as traveled.

 

Proverbs 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

Numbers 7 – February 26

 All of the leaders of Israelite tribes bring sacrifices and offerings.

I’m not absolutely certain but it seems that if these were used as offerings and sacrifices, that the process would happen immediately instead of holding on to the animals for future sacrifices.

If that is the case, the total number of animal sacrifices was 252. Twelve days has 288 hours total. That means that the Levites, if they worked 24 hours a day for twelve days straight, had to sacrifice (according to Mosaic law) almost 1 animal per hour (.875)!

 But my favorite part is the culmination of all the preparation, the obedience, the temple, the offerings, and the sacrifices. We read this culmination in the last verse of this chapter.

 Leviticus 7:89 Now when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim, so He spoke to him.

 John 5:25 Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

 We are that temple where the Spirit dwells, where the voice of God is heard. How wonderful to be in His presence, how wonderful to hear His voice?!

 Help us today, please Father, to grow ever more familiar with your voice. Help us to listen for Your every Word and help us to hear. We need You and we need Your voice resonating in our lives.

Numbers 5-6 – February 25

 

Nazirite – not to be confused with Nazarene, this word has nothing to do a geographic location. It is from the Hebrew word “nâzı̂yr  or  nâzir” - separate, consecrated (as prince, a Nazirite); set apart

 Some Israelites would take a vow, usually for a limited time, that involved no wine/strong drink, no haircuts, and no touching dead people. It was a time of consecrated service to God to live a holy life.

It is also mentioned in Amos 2 when God is passing judgement on Judah and Israel.

 Amos 2: 11 “Then I raised up some of your sons to be prophets And some of your young men to be Nazirites.  Is this not so, O sons of Israel?” declares the Lord. 12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine, And you commanded the prophets saying, ‘You shall not prophesy!’

 Also, it seems that Luke wrote about Nazirite vows in Acts.

 Acts 21:23 Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow;

 Acts 18:18 Paul, having remained many days longer, took leave of the brethren and put out to sea for Syria, and with him were Priscilla and Aquila. In Cenchrea he had his hair cut, for he was keeping a vow.

 

William Barclay writes that Paul probably took a Nazirite vow because of his thankfulness for God’s blessings or deliverance.

After 30 days of no meat, no wine, and no haircuts; he made certain offerings and his head would be shorn and the hair would be burned on the altar as an offering to God.

(The Daily Study Bible – Acts of the Apostles, William Barclay, 1955)

 

Numbers 3-4 – Feb. 24

It seems that the job of the priest was sometimes less spiritual than what we imagine. Your priestly duties (depending on what family you were born into) may have been making sure the tent fabrics were maintained and cleaned properly.

I am always amazed at the care and detail that God placed on His Old Testament temple. Then I am reminded that He desires the same detail and care for His New Testament temple – all aspects, spiritual and physical.

 The military has a term “clean, dry, and serviceable”. Every item of clothing, tool, or weapon was a waste unless it was always clean, dry, and serviceable.

As Christians (priests) we now have the responsibility to assure the readiness of the New Testament temple – ourselves -  in all aspects.

(ouch, I may need to hit the gym)

 Luke 1:17 It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

 1 Timothy 6:18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,

Numbers - video 2

This is another great video from the same people, however it seemed to shed more light on the book. It is another valuable 6 minute video.

 

Numbers 3-4 – February 23, 2021

 

Just from my own logic, I figured that taking a census for military reasons probably has a few desired purposes.

1 – Who are you able to call on?

2 – How many are you able to call on? (determine strength)

        (btw 603,550 fighting age men on his first census)

3 – What provisions will you need when you call on them? (What do you need to keep

        your strength alive and thriving)

 

Then I am reminded of Jesus’ words in Luke 14:31-32 Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.

 So, Jesus makes the point that a natural king says this, “Depending on our consideration (census) we will know whether we should fight or seek a treaty.”

 This analogy is used to declare the seriousness of discipleship with God. Jesus centers the analogy around these statements: (Warning: His words here are not very “seeker friendly”)

27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

33 So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.

 

Jesus said to count the cost of your discipleship. Take a census maybe.

1 – Who are you able to call on?

2 – Determine strength.

3 – What do you need to keep your strength alive and thriving? 

and, are you going to fold when your enemy looks bigger?!

  

Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh   Just getting you to think about it.

Numbers video - 7 minutes

 

Numbers 1-2 – February 23

Numbers is the fourth book of the five books of “Torah”.

It covers 38 years in the history of Israel – the period of desert wandering en route to the promised land, Canaan.

Numbers begins 2 years after the delivery from Egypt and ends on the eve of entry into Canaan.

 Prepare yourselves for this book. Many call this a book of grumblings and mistrust of a nation of people for which God continuously provides grace. Because of Israel’s disobedience, 220 miles of desert turns into a lifelong journey for many.

I’m interested in finding out, if possible, how many people that exited Egypt, actually made it into the promised land 40 years later.

 As we see in the first chapter, a census is taken, hence the name “Numbers”.

Leviticus 26-27 - February 22

 In the last several chapters of Leviticus, I noticed many mentions of “aliens”. I started to mark them and realized that they were mentioned very often.

Aliens and Natives

19:34 The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.

 stranger/alien – from the Hebrew word “gare” - properly a guest; by implication a foreigner: - alien, sojourner, stranger.

 I love seeing God’s heart for people in the Old Testament. Although God claimed a specific people as His, He still allowed others to join (in a way) to His benefit and relationship.

This also encourages me to love those who are not yet accepting of God or Christians. I was once a sinner too, but now saved by grace.

“Father I pray that I will always love those aliens as You do, and I ask for assistance in influencing them to realize Your love!”

Leviticus 14-15 - Feb. 17

 15:31 “Thus you shall keep the sons of Israel separated from their uncleanness, so that they will not die in their uncleanness by their defiling My tabernacle that is among them.”

This is a pivotal scripture for this book so far. This, I believe is how God was going to raise such a large group of people, probably much sooner than other nations. They were healthier and lived longer because of the laws of God in the old covenant.

Leviticus 11-15 - Feb. 16

 I think, as a priest, I would not have any problems with the sacrificing, and the blood, and even washing the entrails – but chapter 13!? I would leave that for the youth pastor! The medical information was, I’m sure, valuable for the Isaraelites, but gross!

 “Primitive as this approach may seem to us, these simple measures undoubtedly saved many lives.” Haley’s Bible Handbook.

Leviticus in 7 minutes

 The Book of Leviticus - YouTube

This is a great 7 minute video explaining Leviticus.

Levitical offerings and sacrifices

 

Leviticus 5-10 - Feb. 15

 

In chapter 10 we read about Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu when they offered “strange” fire before the Lord.

Strange – to turn aside, profane, outside of the will of God – It was even used to describe committing adultery

 I love what God said next and it is something that I want to remember always. ‘By those who come near Me I [a]will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be honored.’” Leviticus 10:3

God is only trying to take care of them and help them get to His promises, but God is and always will be Sovereign.

I often say that God loves us and simply wants to be a part of our personal lives, but also we must realize that God is Sovereign at the same time.

I had an excellent relationship with my dad and we were great friends; however, there were times that he had to act as my discipliner and teacher.

Our closeness to God does not diminish His sovereignty or His rights to do what is best for our lives, even if we do not see it that way at the time.

As we draw nearer to Him, allow Him to be Sovereign in your lives as well.

I used James 4:8 this past Sunday,

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

Our relating to God still requires clean hands, pure hearts, and single-mindedness, because “(He) will be treated as holy…and honored”

 

Leviticus 1-4 - Feb 13

 

Leviticus means "about, or relating to, the Levites". That is why this book is mostly about laws concerning sacrifices, the priesthood, and sacred feasts, and other laws for the Hebrew nation administered by the priests or Levites.

 The detailed rules for life and worship set out in Leviticus find their focus in a single statement, "You must be holy, because I, the Lord your God, am holy." (Leviticus 11:45)

 Details gleaned from Zondervan Handbook to the Bible - 1999 and Halley's Bible Handbook - 2007.

I believe that it is important to be aware of this part of our history as children of God. This is your history, of your God, and your brothers and sisters that are grafted into the same family. (Read Romans 11)

 Galatians 3:29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.

 It is also my opinion that the New Covenant only makes since when the Old Covenant is understood first. There was a valuable reason that God set it up the way He did, Old Testament and New Testament.

 We may not consider portions of the Old Testament “real page turners”, but it is important to have an understanding of it on some level in order to appreciate and understand our own covenant.

Exodus 39-40 - Feb. 12

“For 300 years, until it is replaced by the Solomon’s Temple, God’s Tent (or Moses’ Tabernacle) will remain the focal centre of the nation’s worship.” (Zondervan Handbook to the Bible, 1999)

This worship and this temple lasted as we read here in Exodus for 300 years! Sometimes I forget the time line. At first I think about all the work and time it would take to do all of this, but then I am reminded that this is all that God required of them - obedience. If that happened, God would take care of them completely, just like He did in the wilderness.

Exodus 36-38

 

A few studies that I read suggested that the gold, silver, and brass that was included in the construction of the tabernacle was a little over 8 TONS!

GOLD 29 talents 730 shekels = 1 1/4 tons

SILVER 100 talents 1,775 shekels = 4 1/4 tons

BRASS 70 talents 2,400 shekels = 4 tons

 

Imagine the manpower it would take to just haul that around.

24 people were assigned to carry the tabernacle utensils alone, with carts and oxen.

We will read more about the transportation of the tabernacle in Numbers.

Exodus 33-35 - Feb. 10

 

Read Exodus 34:34-35 about Moses’ experience with the presence of God and how that affected his interaction with people.

Then read 2 Corinthians 3:12-18, which is Paul’s perception of that, but in modern times.

What point is he making?

Don't be afraid to be incorrect. Only fear the perception that you cannot be.

Exodus 30-32

 I understand some things better if I can have or create a visual interpretation. I want to share this video with you that gives us a 3D look at the tabernacle of Moses. I realize that this may not be perfect or an exact replica, but the artists rendition is probably pretty close and definitely interesting.

https://youtu.be/ceZHlc55HCg 

Exodus 28-29

 Every time I read this portion of Exodus, I am amazed at how precise and detailed God tends to be. From the construction of the building to the construction of the priests wardrobe, we find such minute details. I have read a few studies of just some of these details. They all have purpose and meaning. It would be a very interesting study.

What are you getting from this portion of Exodus?

Exodus 25-27

Oh my goodness, please check this out!!! I hope you find this as cool as I did.

 Exodus 25:10-15 describes the construction of the ark. I noticed it this time because one of the main factors of the construction of the ark was making it mobile - hmm, interesting. Then I looked closer at the main elements of the construction of the ark. I noticed there were four: material, dimensions, design, and mobility.

 Also remember, the ark functioned as a carrier for the testimony and the place of the presence of God. Exodus 25:21,22 “…There I will meet you.”

 

Material – what is it made of, the core components of its make-up

Dimension – how is it made, the particulars of size and shape, details of the scope

Design – what are the adornments, embellishments, make it appealing to the eye

Mobility – make it portable, moveable, with the ability to travel

 

Now look, as carriers of the presence of God and His testimony, we are the ark.

 

Material – Love – the most definitive component of the Christian!

Dimension – Learn – what is the scope of our existence, what are we to do?!

Design – Grow – improving our packaging of His presence and testimony!

Mobility – Go - Mark 16:15 “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

 LOVE - LEARN - GROW - GO

GOD IS A GENIUS!!!

Exodus 22-24

The angel escort into a new land must have been quite an experience!

23:22 But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

Share something that stood out to you in today's reading.

Exodus 19-21

 

19:6 “… a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

This was what God wanted for His people – to be ruled by Him and His priests. In 1 Samuel 8, we read how God was displeased at Israel for being so adamant about having a king to judge them like the other nations. I just realized that He voiced it first here in Exodus.

 

21:22-25

This passage very plainly describes the heart of God towards the unborn. Obviously, a fetus at every stage is considered an important life to God because even to cause injury to an unborn child is punishable with the same injury with which the child is born.

Exodus 16-18 part two

 I love the interaction between Moses and Jethro at the end of chapter 18. Here is Moses a proven great man of God, and yet he is wise and humble enough to take instruction from Jethro, a goat rancher.

Also, Jethro allows himself to be used of God and the wisdom and experience that he has to benefit such a mighty man of God.

In Christianity and ministry, we cannot underestimate the importance of being used and being influenced.

Not long ago, someone came to me with a word from God. It was spot on and well needed.

My first thought was, "God, I just talked to you about this today! Why didn't You say this then?" He told me to notice the effect that this interaction had on that person and myself because it was accomplished this way. Now, this way, both of us are more certain about what God is doing in our lives because of the confirmation of another. God used us a team.

Galatians 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.

Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.

Romans 12:5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

We need each other and we will never outgrow that factor.

Exodus 16-18

I always wondered how you could go through seeing 10 plagues, freed from slavery, through the sea on dry land, the defeat of the Egyptian army, follow a cloud by day, pillar of fire by night, the miraculous turning of bitter water to sweet water, and THEN be able to say, “Would that we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” (Exodus 16:3 NASB95)!!!!

 

Am I ever this blind or forgetful of God's blessings that I do not expect His best for me?!

 

Oh snap!

 

What do you think about these chapters?

Exodus 13-15

Exodus 14:13-14 But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.  14 The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.”

 There are two words that stood out to me like a silent shout to my spiritual eyes - "keep silent".

 I highlighted those two words. There's a secret in those two words.

 We read often about the Israelites complaints. We hear often about modern day complaints as well. There's a lesson in those two words.

 To the Israelites of centuries ago, as well as to my fellow humans of 2021 (including myself) I politely scream these two words.

 When it appears that God has not done quite enough for you - do not fear - wait - KEEP SILENT!

  

What's your thoughts on todays reading?