Numbers 2 – Honoring our forefathers

Numbers 2:1-2 Now the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 “The sons of Israel shall camp, each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers’ households; they shall camp around the tent of meeting at a distance.

It’s these first few chapters that give Numbers it’s name. Once you get past this bit, the book is quite interesting.

I will say that we would do well to embrace our forefathers and reflect on their faith (regardless of the faith tradition they came from). Knowledge of those how came before us is a valuable thing. Planting their banner and honoring their standard can be good.

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John 16 – Bibliolatry and the Holy Spirit

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”

I fear that many contemporary Christians underestimate the importance of the leading of the Holy Spirit in living out our Christian faith. The Holy Spirit was sent to be our guide, to lead us in the ways of God.  But I know too many Christians who reject the role of the Holy Spirit because they claim it is too subjective and experiential. These Christians want an objective concrete truth; so often the elevate the Bible above God (Bibliolatry).

I believe the Bible was given by God to reveal Himself to humanity. I believe the Bible is true. I believe that the leading of the Holy Spirit will not be in conflict with the truths presented in the Bible. But, I believe the Holy Spirit is living and active presence of God who “will guide [us] int all truth”, who will speak God’s words to our hearts and disclose God’s will.

Christians can not live out their faith if they are afraid of experiencing God. We must simultaneously hold onto the objective and the subjective and be willing to accept the ambiguity that will always exist in the presence of God.

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John 5 – What is the Bible?

The following words may show up in your Bible, but they were almost certainly not a part of the original text:

John 5:3b-4 waiting for the moving of the waters; for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.

This phrase appears to have been added by a later scribe in an attempt to explain verse 7:

John 5:7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”

In all likelihood the scribe was trying to explain why it was that the man wanted down into the water. This scribe was probably working with good motives; trying to make it easier for those who would come after to understand what is going on.

Does it change the meaning of the text? Possibly. At the least it gives an event that may be mere legend, more validity.

How does it make you feel to know that someone may have added to this book which became part of our Bible? Does it affect what you understand the Bible to be? Does it trouble your faith? If so, your faith may be in the wrong thing.

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Leviticus 2 – A life seasoned with faithfulness and devoid of sin

The Lord then instructs Moses on how a grain offering is to be presented to the Lord. It is to be “an offering by fire of a soothing aroma too the Lord.” The remainder of the grain offering not burned up is a given to the priests. No leaven or honey may be a part of the grain offering; however, each grain offering needs to be seasoned with salt

Looking forward to the New Testament leaven is most often used to symbolize sin and salt is most often used to represent faithfulness to God. I would guess (without having done any research) that these New Testament understandings of leaven and salt come from these Levitical instructions on presenting a grain offering to God.

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Leviticus 1 – Recovering Ancient Worship Practices: washing the entrails of your goat

Leviticus begins with the Lord speaking to Moses at the tent of meeting. The Lord then gives Moses the instructions Moses is to give to the people on how to present offerings to God.

Those giving the offering and the priests combine their efforts to slay, butcher, and cook the burnt offering. Different methods of offering are given depending on if the offering is a bull, sheep or bird.

Overall, the process of giving an offering is a messy dirty process. It is a messy dirty process to forgive sin and right the offenses committed against God. There is something to be said for the dirty, smelly process of animal sacrifice. I imagine washing the entrails of your sacrifice reminded you how offensive your sins against God were.

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Psalm 41 –We are called to defend the helpless

How blessed is he who considers the helpless; The LORD will deliver him in a day of trouble. The LORD will protect him and keep him alive, And he shall be called blessed upon the earth; And do not give him over to the desire of his enemies. The LORD will sustain him upon his sickbed; In his illness, You restore him to health.

We are called to love and reach out to the helpless amongst us. We need to open our eyes and recognize that we pass suffering people everyday. We have two duties to the world around us; to reveal Jesus Christ, and to meet the needs of others.

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Psalm 40 – I waited patiently for the Lord

I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the LORD. How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood. Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done, And Your thoughts toward us; There is none to compare with You. If I would declare and speak of them, They would be too numerous to count.

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Psalm 39 – We are not owed anything

I said, “I will guard my ways That I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle While the wicked are in my presence.” I was mute and silent, I refrained even from good, And my sorrow grew worse. My heart was hot within me, While I was musing the fire burned; Then I spoke with my tongue: “LORD, make me to know my end And what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am.

Doing the right thing does not always make us feel better. There are times when we need to remain silent and suffer through our silence even though there may be no reward for our faithfulness. There are times when we are to speak and suffer through the consequences even though there may be no reward.

Whatever we do or do not do is done for the glory of God and not our own glory. We often think our suffering should earn us a reward, but really faithful suffering is often a part of being a disciple of Christ. The expectation of a reward is a rejection of the grace Christ has already granted his friends.

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Psalm 38 – Sin causes pain

O LORD, rebuke me not in Your wrath, And chasten me not in Your burning anger. For Your arrows have sunk deep into me, And Your hand has pressed down on me. There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation; There is no health in my bones because of my sin.

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Psalm 37 – To be righteous or wicked?

The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming. The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow To cast down the afflicted and the needy, To slay those who are upright in conduct. Their sword will enter their own heart, And their bows will be broken. Better is the little of the righteous Than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked will be broken, But the LORD sustains the righteous. The LORD knows the days of the blameless, And their inheritance will be forever. They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, And in the days of famine they will have abundance. But the wicked will perish; And the enemies of the LORD will be like the glory of the pastures, They vanish– like smoke they vanish away. The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives. For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, But those cursed by Him will be cut off.

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Psalm 36 – The ungodly

Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is no fear of God before his eyes. For it flatters him in his own eyes Concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it. The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good. He plans wickedness upon his bed; He sets himself on a path that is not good; He does not despise evil.

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Psalm 35 – Let their way be dark and slippery

Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; Fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of buckler and shield And rise up for my help. Draw also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me; Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.” Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life; Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me. Let them be like chaff before the wind, With the angel of the LORD driving them on. Let their way be dark and slippery, With the angel of the LORD pursuing them. For without cause they hid their net for me; Without cause they dug a pit for my soul. Let destruction come upon him unawares, And let the net which he hid catch himself; Into that very destruction let him fall.

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Psalm 34 – Many are the afflictions of the righteous

Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry. The face of the LORD is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the LORD hears And delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.

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Psalm 33 – Worship with all you’ve got

Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright. Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

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Psalm 32 – Horses don’t have free-will

Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, Otherwise they will not come near to you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, But he who trusts in the LORD, lovingkindness shall surround him. Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones; And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.

We are not to behave as a horse or donkey who requires a bit and bridle to be held in place; rather, we are to be responsive to the voice of God calling on our hearts. God does not have to force us to move, rather we willingly listen to God’s voice and follow God’s will. We have free-will to follow God.

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Psalm 31 – Be strong and let your heart take courage

Blessed be the LORD, For He has made marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged city. As for me, I said in my alarm, “I am cut off from before Your eyes”; Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications When I cried to You. O love the LORD, all you His godly ones! The LORD preserves the faithful And fully recompenses the proud doer. Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD.

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Psalm 30 – Making God angry

Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, And give thanks to His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.

Have you ever made God angry? I would guess that we all have at some point. David made God angry on multiple occasions, but he described God’s anger as lasting for only a moment. Even when we mess up it is important that we return to God because his favor is lasting.

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Psalm 29 – The Power of the Voice of the Lord

Ascribe to the LORD, O sons of the mighty,

Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to His name;

Worship the LORD in holy array.

The voice of the LORD is upon the waters;

The God of glory thunders,

The LORD is over many waters.

The voice of the LORD is powerful,

The voice of the LORD is majestic.

The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;

Yes, the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,

And Sirion like a young wild ox.

The voice of the LORD hews out flames of fire.

The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;

The LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

The voice of the LORD makes the deer to calve

And strips the forests bare;

And in His temple everything says, “Glory!”

The LORD sat as King at the flood;

Yes, the LORD sits as King forever.

The LORD will give strength to His people;

The LORD will bless His people with peace.

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Psalm 28 – My rock do not be deaf to me

You, O LORD, I call; My rock, do not be deaf to me, For if You are silent to me, I will become like those who go down to the pit. Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You for help, When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary. Do not drag me away with the wicked And with those who work iniquity, Who speak peace with their neighbors, While evil is in their hearts. Requite them according to their work and according to the evil of their practices; Requite them according to the deeds of their hands; Repay them their recompense. Because they do not regard the works of the LORD Nor the deeds of His hands, He will tear them down and not build them up. Blessed be the LORD, Because He has heard the voice of my supplication. The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him. The LORD is their strength, And He is a saving defense to His anointed. Save Your people and bless Your inheritance; Be their shepherd also, and carry them forever.

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Psalm 27 – Wait…

One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple…

Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.

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