Blog Archives - ADVENTURES THAT INSPIRE ACTION

ADVENTURES THAT INSPIRE ACTION

Numbers 2

3/31/2020

This is one of my favorite chapters. I know, weird. But try this little exercise (from Beth Moore's A Woman's Heart/God's Dwelling Place): Take out a piece of paper and pencil. In the middle of the page, draw a small rectangle representing the tent of meeting oriented on your page so that the width is the longer side (wider than it is long). The short end on the right side will represent East. Draw a small box for each 10,000 men represented in each tribe - so on the East side, you will have boxes representing 186,400, on the South side, 151,450, and so on. Draw a circle around your rectangle to represent the Levites who encamped around the tent of meeting to ensure that no one who was not authorized entered in. Now draw a line vertically through the rectangle with 2/3 of the rectangle on the right and 1/3 on the left. This indicates the curtain separating the Holy of Holies. Draw a star in the smaller section of the rectangle indicating the location of the ark of the covenant, the mercy seat.

Now picture this formation making camp in the wilderness. Each time they set out, they were to remain in formation. Each time they encamped they were to remain in formation.

Your picture should look something like this. The reason I love this chapter is because it is such a great illustration of how God is attentive to every detail. Why did it matter who marched out in what order? Why would God care how the people were arranged? Because, as they marched through the desert, they were proclaiming the gospel, even when they didn't realize it. They couldn't see the shape their formation took from the ground level.

How often is our obedience proclaiming the gospel, even when we don't understand or see how it could? We don't have to see how it works to know that God has the bird's eye perspective, God sees the entirety of our lives from beginning to end, and sees how this one facet that makes no sense to us, is in precisely the right place.

Numbers 1

3/30/2020

"5 And these are the names of the men who shall assist you." God calls by name the specific man from each tribe who is to assist Moses and Aaron in taking a census of all the men able to go to war. Think about that for a moment. It's a pretty mundane task, counting heads of all those fighting men within your clan. Anyone probably could have done it. But God not only chose certain men for the task, He had their names recorded so that even today we know who they were (even if we can't pronounce them all!)

That brought to mind when Jesus was gathering His disciples. I always pictured Him walking along the Sea of Galilee calling out to people, "Come, follow Me! I will make you fishers of men," and thought the disciples were simply the ones who took Him up on the His offer.

But this passage led me to reconsider that. Jesus called them by name. Each one had an assignment and no matter whether it was huge like Peter's or relatively unknown to us like Simon the Zealot, Jesus knew their ability and their heart and called these men specifically. Even Judas Iscariot. Jesus knew his heart and everything he had ever done or would do, and still chose him by name.

In fact, He has chosen each of us by name. He has given each one an assignment. It might be counting heads or it might be preaching to the lost. It might be serving those in need, or maybe fighting in a battle. The assignment may change over the course of our life, from shepherding children's hearts to writing His love story. But God is faithful to complete through us all that He has assigned to us, and not one mission we complete will be forgotten. Just as these men's names are recorded in the book of Numbers, our assignments are etched in eternity. And as they are read, God says, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Have you asked Him what your assignment is?

Leviticus 27

3/29/2020

It's easy to get caught up in the "values" on various people based on age and gender at the beginning of this chapter, but to put them in context, these values were based on a vow before the Lord. The idea was that the giver would vow to offer before the Lord someone or something - think of Hannah praying and offering up a son God had not yet provided.

In the case of people, they weren't being offered up as sacrifices (hopefully that's obvious), but offered as being committed to the Lord as she later did with Samuel. The values presupposed that sometimes people would make a vow and want to "take it back" or redeem it. Basically, they would, instead of giving up their child or giving their own life in service to God, pay some amount to get out of the vow. The reason for the differing amounts may have been based on the potential for service/work. Regardless of our current thoughts about equal pay for equal work, in the Israelites' time period, the amount of work which could be done by a man, given the physically-demanding nature of their lives, was greater than that of a woman. Notice that for those over sixty, the distinction between male and female was much less. Similarly, the amount assigned for children may have taken into account their current value of labor or the risk associated due to the hardships they lived under. The point is that these values do not indicate our relative value before God, but reflect the value of work that might be accomplished by each one during that time.

The more important concept is that God anticipated that they would make vows and later want to renege on them. And He provided a means for them to do so. Bear in mind that these vows were not required or mandated - they were simply times when people made a commitment to an offering of worship in the future, and then decided not to follow through.

The principle that God teaches us in this chapter, one that is very applicable to us today, is that we must not make commitments and then violate them without consequence. Whether it is a commitment to serve the Lord, or a commitment to your spouse, or a commitment to your children or your parents, as we read in James 5:12, "But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation."

YAY!! We made it through Leviticus!

Leviticus 26

3/28/2020

How can we know when we as an individual, or as a nation, are following after God, being obedient to His statutes, and doing His will? This chapter describes the blessing and prosperity that God provides when we live by His statutes, as well as the devastation and ruin that are the consequences of rebellion and lack of faith.

Following God does not mean that we will never have problems (see Job if you aren't sure about that). But it does mean that God is constantly looking out for our best interests. In fact, even when we are disobedient, and God allows ruin and destruction in our lives as a result of our disobedience, His end game is still for our good. For the good of our eternal soul.

It does suggest that when our enemies surround us and overtake us, it is because we are not where God wants us to be. There has been a lot of talk over the past year about making this nation great again, but the only thing that makes a nation great is being devoted to God and living in accordance with His statutes - and this nation has never fully done that. Like people of all nations and every time period, like the Israelites who received the statutes directly from God through Moses, we have failed in a multitude of ways to uphold what is right and good. Whether it was Southern slaveholders paying lip service to God while fighting for the right to hold their brother and sister in Christ in chains, or those pushing West driving the original inhabitants of the land into smaller and smaller tracts, with many dying along the way, or men abusing and mistreating women with no justice for their cruelty, or parents abusing their children in the name of religion. Romans 3:23 puts it succinctly: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

But the second part of the chapter offers hope. Hope for the Israelites when they were in Babylon in direct fulfillment of all that God prophesied in this chapter, and hope for us whether we live in the US or any other nation. “But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies—if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land." Of course, this promise was for the Israelites, but it applies to any nation, and to any individual.

If we humble ourselves, acknowledge the fact that we have failed to live a life that honors God in every way, and confess, God is faithful and just to forgive our sin. He is faithful to His promise to provide for our needs and to give us peace that surpasses understanding.

Leviticus 25

3/27/2020

There is an important principle at stake when God teaches us about Sabbath rest. We live in a society that has abandoned the idea of rest in favor of frenetic activity. Even our "vacations" are often filled with adrenalin-pumping fun, instead of reflection and rest.

God instructs us to rest in order for us to recognize that we are dependent upon Him. It is not our hard work and "pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps" which allows us to live, to eat, and to pay our bills. Every breath we take is given by God. Every morsel of food is provided by Him. When we rest from our labor as He instructed and trust in Him to provide, we free ourselves from the very American notion of self-reliance, which is a source of the increased stress so many of us are under.

God instructed the Israelites to rest on the seventh day and to allow the land to rest for an entire year in the seventh year. They were not to even gather in what the land produced on its own that year. God promised that He would provide enough in the sixth year to carry them through until the harvest from the eighth year. We now understand the scientific reasons why this was true - allowing the land to lie fallow enriches the soil and produces better crops. But even more than the scientific basis, there is a spiritual basis for this principle. Our food, our lives, do not come from the land, but from the Lord.

Trusting God to provide for us is liberating. It is not that we sit idle and expect God's provision, but if we are working and resting as God has instructed, we are freed from the worry of dependence on our own abilities. There is liberty in trusting God to provide.

Leviticus 24

3/26/2020

The thing that strikes me about the lamp and the loaves is that both were to be an on-going and constant offering that required the help of the entire congregation. When you think about the construction of the tabernacle, the tent was constructed with several layers of woven fabric and tanned skins. Even at mid-day, inside the tent would have been completely devoid of light without the lamp, the only source of light in the space. Maintaining the lamp would be essential to performing any of the priestly duties.

The bread, or what remained after the offering portion was burned, was for the sustenance of the priests. There were a number of different offerings for which a portion was given to the priest, either to consume within the holy place, or to share with those in his household.

Both of these point to an important consideration still at work in our churches today. Spiritual ministry requires physical maintenance. Whether it is providing for people's physical hunger before offering to satisfy their spiritual hunger, providing the resources for the church's lights to stay on, or providing for those who serve the body of Christ and their families, this principle is essential. There are certainly plenty of examples where this has either been neglected or abused - neglect would be the pastor whose family goes without or the church building lacking in necessary maintenance. Abuse would be those who fleece their flock to live in luxury. The example God sets is one of balance, where needs are met well without gluttony or greed and without creating hardship on those tasked to provide.

This is a short chapter - with a lot more meat than I can do justice to - if you'd like to dig deeper, I've included the link for the commentary I read on Bible.org.

Note: I found an interesting commentary on this chapter titled, "The Lamp, the Loaves, and the Loudmouth" - great title. https://bible.org/seriespage/18-lamp-loaves-and-loudmouth-leviticus-24

Leviticus 23

3/25/2020

Many Christians don't realize that the holidays God instituted for the Israelites were looking forward to the coming Messiah and have tremendous spiritual and historic significance to us.

The Passover celebrates when God sent the final plague on Egypt, the death of the firstborn, in order to set His people free. It pictured the day when His own Firstborn would die in order to set His people free.

The Feast of First Fruits recognized God's provision for the Israelites in the Promised Land, but it also looks to His provision of eternal life for us through the resurrection.

The Feast of Weeks was celebrated precisely 50 days from the Feast of First Fruits to celebrate all that God has given. According to Jewish tradition, this time corresponded to the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses. Just as God provided His Law to the Israelites, He provided His Spirit to guide us in following His Law at Pentecost.

The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) celebrated a new year for the Israelites, a new beginning, and a time of reflecting on their sin and turning toward God. It looks forward to the new beginning God promised in Revelation, after the last trumpet is sounded, when we will reflect upon our sin for the last time before spending eternity with God.

The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) was the one day a year when the priest could enter the Holy of Holies, apply the blood of the sacrifice to the mercy seat and make atonement for the sins of the people. It looks forward to the final cleansing of sin, when God looks upon the covering for our sin, Jesus' blood, and perfect atonement has been made.

The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) celebrates God bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. They spent a week living in booths or tabernacles constructed of palm branches to recall the way they lived in the wilderness. This feast looks forward to the gathering of the nations in Revelation 7:9-10, "After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Every part of the Bible tells the story of God's love and redemption of His people through His Son, Jesus!

Leviticus 22

3/24/2020

God reiterates the requirements for both the priests and the sacrifices to be set apart. Instructions for behavior that would interfere with their worship and guidance for who can share in the offerings with the priest illustrate for us how to prepare our own hearts for worship.

Most of us don't have to worry about having touched something dead, but the foundation of these rules is the notion of being mindful of our actions and of the need to live a life set apart and different. While Christ came and provided the perfect and eternal sacrifice for our sins, we are called to "be holy, for I am holy." As followers of God, we are to seek His will.

While we often worship in more casual settings, dressed more casually, sometimes that leads us to forget that we are not going to coffee with our BFF. We are coming to worship the Creator of the Universe, Almighty God, and a certain degree of reverence and respect is warranted. Reverence and respect doesn't necessarily mean silence or fancy prayers using "thee" and "thou." It may mean raising your hands and shouting praises! But it definitely means a mindfulness of Whose presence you are in. And that mindfulness is not just when we enter the church building. With the Holy Spirit indwelling us, we should be mindful of His Presence always in our life.

On the one hand, because of Jesus' sacrifice for us, God gives us the privilege of being able to approach His throne of mercy at any time, as only the High Priest of the Israelites was able to do, and then only once a year and with the appropriate sacrifices. But God is still God. He is still Holy and Awesome and worthy of our reverence.

Leviticus 21

3/23/2020

It's really hard to read that God's direction to the priests includes that the priest may not have any physical deformity or disability. Why would God say that? Doesn't God love all people, regardless of their appearance or their disability?

Moreover, if God "knit us together in our mother's womb," how can He then say certain ones aren't able to serve in the priesthood because of the way He made them? Aren't we ALL fearfully and wonderfully made?

The priest's role was not only to make atonement for the sins of the people, but to typify both the sacrifice and the coming Christ - both of which were to be without spot or blemish. The reason God required that the priests were to be physically whole and "perfect" was because they represented Christ to the people. They were establishing a picture in the hearts and minds of Israel of the coming Messiah. "Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens." Hebrews 7:26

God was drawing a distinction that the Israelites could see visually of what must be true spiritually, that their High Priest must be pure and set apart. He must be different from them, yet one of them.

This distinction of allowing some to serve and others not is often confused in our mind with the value God places on someone or their worth. In the same way, we often think of the restrictions of certain ministry positions to men as a statement of worth. That is NOT what God says here, or in limiting certain roles to men. "Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work." 2 Timothy 2:21

God establishes His purposes for us. We are set apart for that purpose, whether it is one of great attention and impact or one who serves behind the scenes with little notice. Each role is critical and valued by God.

Leviticus 20

3/22/2020

It's easy to read a chapter forbidding child sacrifice and think it isn't relevant to modern life. Even with the horrors we see in the nightly news, we don't often hear of people sacrificing a child to a pagan god. It's also easy to equate this with the modern practice of abortion, but there is more to this passage than an indictment of abortion.

When we think about the root of what these child sacrifices were, and why God forbade them, it paints a more alarming picture of modern priorities. In Canaan, as in many cultures around the globe at this time, child sacrifice was common, though the means varied. The Canaanites built statues of the god Molech, a pagan deity with a human body and the head of a bull, and made various sacrifices in niches within the statue, including burning newborn or even older children alive. They believed that offering their children to Molech would bring them wisdom, wealth, or blessings

Their hearts were set on what was in it for them, rather than on God or even on someone else's (their child's) best interest.

And that is where the connection with modern times becomes painfully clear and more broadly applicable. Whether it is parents so consumed with their own interests, desires, or demons that they will shoot up drugs while driving with their children in the car, or forget their child is in the car and leave them all day in the heat, we have a society where people think more and more of themselves and less of anyone else. Or maybe they do care for their children, but choose to push them mercilessly to succeed in sports, academics or other endeavors, not with the child's interests in mind, but with selfish motivations.

Maybe it isn't even their own children - maybe it is someone else in the car beside them, who they are willing to shoot for cutting them off in traffic. Maybe it is being willing to throw anyone and everyone under the bus at work in order to gain status or success for yourself. Or maybe it is being willing to turn a blind eye to abuse or to children living in desperate poverty.

The reason God states that they should not sacrifice their children is that it makes His sanctuary unclean and profanes His Holy Name. How would the modern behaviors relate to that?

If we call ourselves Christians, we bear the Name of Christ. To a watching world, we represent Christ whether we do that well or whether we do it poorly. If we believe that sacrificing an unborn child is a woman's choice, we profane the name of God by failing to proclaim that He has created all life and declared it to be good. If we treat another person with hatred or disdain, we profane the name of God by failing to proclaim they were made in the Imago Dei (image of God) just as we were. Anything we do that puts our well-being above that of others, particularly of children, reveals a heart that leans toward Molech more than to the Lord, because Jesus said, "But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." Luke 6:27-28

In a world where looking out for number one is seen as the norm, the worship of Molech continues.