Old Testament
1. Purification of the Levites.
- The Levites are set apart for God's use. Isn't that what we are supposed to be doing, too?
2. The Second Passover
-It's been a year since the Israelites have left Egypt. The rules are set for the celebration of the Passover. When and how to celebrate it.
- Failure to celebrate it appropriately calls for separation from the community.
- And, Moses consults God for answers. Here again, isn't that what we are supposed to do. Listen to God, wait for an answer. Granted, Moses had a direct line...
3. The fiery cloud.
- The Israelites moved and rested with God, and at God's command. They were led by God. If He stopped, they stopped. If He moved, they moved.
New Testament
4. Jesus warned of the terrible trgedies which will be part of human experience while He is away. Finally there will come events foretold in the Book of Daniel and by other Old Testament prophets. As the end nears there will be "greater anguish in those days than at any time since God created the world. And it will never be so great again."
5. That day will close when "everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory."
6. So, what are we supposed to do in the meantime?
- Jesus gives His followers this warning: "Be on guard! Be alert!" No one knows when the Lord will come, so each of us must be alert and about his assigned task.
- And what must we be alert for? Jesus is warning us to be alert for the very things that crept into the religion of Israel and sapped it of its vitality do not slip into the practice of our faith!
- How good it is to know that, until Jesus does return, you and I can worship Him, with others, in Spirit and in truth.
Psalm
7. "Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,
and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
Then call on me when you are in trouble,
and I will rescue you,
and you will give me glory.”
- Remember the purpose of all these sacrifices and rules was to keep a constant reminder before these people that they needed to serve God above all else. God did not need their sacrifices, and He doesn't need ours.
- What God wants from us is worship and thanksgiving...from our hearts. David, who is credited with writing the Psalms, was said to be a man after God's own heart. I think what he (David) is trying to get us to see is that the core of what God wants is worship and love...not just meaningless sacrifices. But think about this in human terms. How many times have you gotten a gift for a loved one? Just because it was time to do it, a birthday, or an anniversary. The recipient knows wether this gift is from love or from duty.
8. "...While you did all this, I remained silent,
and you thought I didn’t care.
But now I will rebuke you,
listing all my charges against you.
Repent, all of you who forget me,
or I will tear you apart,
and no one will help you."
- And for the wicked...judgement is coming.
9. "But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.
If you keep to my path,
I will reveal to you the salvation of God.”
Proverbs
10. "The way of the Lord is a stronghold to those with integrity,
but it destroys the wicked."
- Keep your integrity!!!
See you next post...
Showing posts with label Levites. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Levites. Show all posts
Friday, March 7, 2008
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Numbers 2-3:51; Mark 11:27-12:17; Psalm 47:1-9; Proverbs 10:24-25 (New Living Translation)
Old testament
1. How to set up camp...around the Tabernacle.
2. How to organize the march.
3. Geneology of Aaron and Moses. Remember that Aaron had lsot 2 of his sons.
- The tribe of Levi will attend to the furnishings of the Tabernacle.
- The trobe of Levi will stand in for the firstborn of the Israelites who belong to God. They are consecrated by His destruction of the firstborn of the Egyptians.
- The Levite number 22,000. The real firstborn males of the Israelites number 22,273.
- The extra are redeemed with a set price of silver to be paid to the Tabernacle.
New Testament
4. Mark has already established a theme with his first two stories. How can it be that Israel's faith, rooted in God's Old Testament revelation, had become futile and empty? What was it that had distorted in practice the beauty of the faith God Himself had revealed?
5. Empty authority.
- The chief priests and religious teachers had never commissioned or recognized Jesus, So they liked to think that He spoke without any real religious authority. This despite the fact that Jesus did speak as a Man with authority, unlike their official leaders. Jesus question to them showed how empty their "authority" was. The obvious answer, to anyone who has spiritual authority is that John's baptism derived ultimately from God. So anyone who exercises authority must refer to God and God's will in making his decisions.
6. Misuse of authority. (Parable of the evil farmers)
- Jesus told the parable of the person who prepared the land and planted a vineyard. The leaders realize that Jesus has spoken this parable against them, and became even more determined to arrest Him. They had not used their authority as God's agenst to serve Him at all! They had misused their authority, seeking only their own benefit. Their fathers had been willing to kill God's servants, the prophets, and now this generation was eager to kill His only Son!
7. Hipocrisy.
- The Pharisees and Herodians came to try to trap Jesus. The Herodians were a political party that beleived in accommodation with the Romans. To them Jesus seemed a dangerous revolutionary. Both these groups, usually opposed to each other, feared Jesus and hated Him passionately. His answer to their trap: Let Caesar have his things, but give God your heart.
- There it is again...give God your heart!
Psalm
Proverbs
8. "The fears of the wicked will be fulfilled; the hopes of the godly will be granted."
9. "When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation." A lasting foundation!
See you next post...
1. How to set up camp...around the Tabernacle.
2. How to organize the march.
3. Geneology of Aaron and Moses. Remember that Aaron had lsot 2 of his sons.
- The tribe of Levi will attend to the furnishings of the Tabernacle.
- The trobe of Levi will stand in for the firstborn of the Israelites who belong to God. They are consecrated by His destruction of the firstborn of the Egyptians.
- The Levite number 22,000. The real firstborn males of the Israelites number 22,273.
- The extra are redeemed with a set price of silver to be paid to the Tabernacle.
New Testament
4. Mark has already established a theme with his first two stories. How can it be that Israel's faith, rooted in God's Old Testament revelation, had become futile and empty? What was it that had distorted in practice the beauty of the faith God Himself had revealed?
5. Empty authority.
- The chief priests and religious teachers had never commissioned or recognized Jesus, So they liked to think that He spoke without any real religious authority. This despite the fact that Jesus did speak as a Man with authority, unlike their official leaders. Jesus question to them showed how empty their "authority" was. The obvious answer, to anyone who has spiritual authority is that John's baptism derived ultimately from God. So anyone who exercises authority must refer to God and God's will in making his decisions.
6. Misuse of authority. (Parable of the evil farmers)
- Jesus told the parable of the person who prepared the land and planted a vineyard. The leaders realize that Jesus has spoken this parable against them, and became even more determined to arrest Him. They had not used their authority as God's agenst to serve Him at all! They had misused their authority, seeking only their own benefit. Their fathers had been willing to kill God's servants, the prophets, and now this generation was eager to kill His only Son!
7. Hipocrisy.
- The Pharisees and Herodians came to try to trap Jesus. The Herodians were a political party that beleived in accommodation with the Romans. To them Jesus seemed a dangerous revolutionary. Both these groups, usually opposed to each other, feared Jesus and hated Him passionately. His answer to their trap: Let Caesar have his things, but give God your heart.
- There it is again...give God your heart!
Psalm
Proverbs
8. "The fears of the wicked will be fulfilled; the hopes of the godly will be granted."
9. "When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation." A lasting foundation!
See you next post...
Monday, February 11, 2008
Exodus 32-33:23; Matthew 26:69-27:14; Psalm 33:1-11; Proverbs 8:33-36 (New Living Translation)
Old testament
1. The people get anxious when Moses takes so long to return. They make a golden calf. They are sort of following the rules. They plan to make the appropriate sacrifices that God demanded, but instead will give them to their new, and improved, temporary, fill-in "god." We will see that the Israelites backslide many, many times. And God takes them back. Again and again. Because He is merciful.
But the lesson here is for us as well. What's our little god? What thing do we put in the place of God- money, children, ego?
2. And what does Aaron, the high priset do? He buckles under peer pressure. I am sure none of us have ever done that!
3. God threatens to destroy the people. But Moses reasons with Him and He changes His mind.
4. Talk about anger, Moses really "tips over." He destroys the tablets from God, he burns up the calf, grinds it into powder and makes the people drink it. Then he has the Levites kill anyone not on the Lord's side...3,000 people. Wow!
5. Moses goes back to plead with God for the people. God sends them on their way, but will no longer travel with them. And, He will only speak to Moses. and He relents furthe...He will travel with Moses. Remember God said from the beginning of this adventure that He would be with Him. He is keeping His promise, despite the Israelites actions.
6. Moses asks to see "the glory of God." And God does this, but covers Moses to protect him. To be considered a friend of God...that must have been amazing. Like Abraham...remember?
-The other thing to remind ourselves of here is that the patriarchs are normal every day people. They aren't some type of super-human. They are human, like us. They have emotions and feelings, like us. They make mistakes, just like we do. Look back at Moses life- he was marked for death as an infant, fished out of the Nile by the Pharaoh's daught, killed an Egyptian, fled to Midian, called by God...and He listened.
New Testament
7. Peter denies Christ, as Christ had predicted. With the sound of the cock's crow Peter is convicted.
8. Judas is remorseful, and hangs himself. Anyoune think that fulfilling your mission in life, acting on your "ministry" should end up with you killing yourself.
9. Judas tries to return to 30 pieces of silver. But they don't want ot back. Actually they do, but they can't put it back in the offering because it's "dirty." So they buy a field to bury foreigners in. Does using "dirty" money to do something good make the money clean?...just a thought.
10. Jesus comes before Pilate, but is silent.
Psalm
11. "Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord; it is fitting for the pure to praise him." Don't forget or lose your joy.
Proverbs
12. Wisdom-- "For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord."
See you next post...
1. The people get anxious when Moses takes so long to return. They make a golden calf. They are sort of following the rules. They plan to make the appropriate sacrifices that God demanded, but instead will give them to their new, and improved, temporary, fill-in "god." We will see that the Israelites backslide many, many times. And God takes them back. Again and again. Because He is merciful.
But the lesson here is for us as well. What's our little god? What thing do we put in the place of God- money, children, ego?
2. And what does Aaron, the high priset do? He buckles under peer pressure. I am sure none of us have ever done that!
3. God threatens to destroy the people. But Moses reasons with Him and He changes His mind.
4. Talk about anger, Moses really "tips over." He destroys the tablets from God, he burns up the calf, grinds it into powder and makes the people drink it. Then he has the Levites kill anyone not on the Lord's side...3,000 people. Wow!
5. Moses goes back to plead with God for the people. God sends them on their way, but will no longer travel with them. And, He will only speak to Moses. and He relents furthe...He will travel with Moses. Remember God said from the beginning of this adventure that He would be with Him. He is keeping His promise, despite the Israelites actions.
6. Moses asks to see "the glory of God." And God does this, but covers Moses to protect him. To be considered a friend of God...that must have been amazing. Like Abraham...remember?
-The other thing to remind ourselves of here is that the patriarchs are normal every day people. They aren't some type of super-human. They are human, like us. They have emotions and feelings, like us. They make mistakes, just like we do. Look back at Moses life- he was marked for death as an infant, fished out of the Nile by the Pharaoh's daught, killed an Egyptian, fled to Midian, called by God...and He listened.
New Testament
7. Peter denies Christ, as Christ had predicted. With the sound of the cock's crow Peter is convicted.
8. Judas is remorseful, and hangs himself. Anyoune think that fulfilling your mission in life, acting on your "ministry" should end up with you killing yourself.
9. Judas tries to return to 30 pieces of silver. But they don't want ot back. Actually they do, but they can't put it back in the offering because it's "dirty." So they buy a field to bury foreigners in. Does using "dirty" money to do something good make the money clean?...just a thought.
10. Jesus comes before Pilate, but is silent.
Psalm
11. "Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord; it is fitting for the pure to praise him." Don't forget or lose your joy.
Proverbs
12. Wisdom-- "For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord."
See you next post...
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