Tag: Christian Life

Reflections on Numbers 1-4

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

The time is coming for the Israelites to leave Mt. Sinai.  Like with any trip – preparations must be made.  This requires some organization:

  • Organized for battle – First, they must be ready to fight the upcoming battles they will face as God leads them into the land.  So God tells them to count those able to fight tribe by tribe.  How has God prepared you for the battles you are facing?  What might God want you to do in order to be better ready to face future battles in your life?
  • Organized for worship – God organizes the camp around the tabernacle where he dwells.  The camp is literally organized around God.  How have you organized your life around God?  How might you better organize your life around God?
  • Organized for service – God assigns the Levites to different tasks in their service to him.  Likewise today, God assigns different tasks to each Christian in his or her service to God.  How has God called and gifted you to serve?  Are you fulfilling the task God has given you?

 

Numbers 1-8: Preparation

On By BrianIn OT Studies

(1) Preparations must be made for the people to move from Mt. Sinai to the Promised Land.  First, they must get an idea of how many men are available for battle.  How does this census point to the fulfilling of the Abrahamic Covenant?  How would this encourage the people?

How does God prepare and encourage us for our own battles?

(2) The second preparation is to organize the camp.  What is the camp organized around?  What does this suggest for Israel?  For us?  What would this look like in our church?  In our families?

(3-4) The third preparation is to assign duties to the Levites.  How is the way God does this similar and different in the church?

(5) The fourth preparation requires the removal of impurities from the camp so God will go with them.  How does each of the three instructions in this chapter relate to this theme?

How does this theme point to the necessity of church discipline and unity today?

(7) The fifth preparation was to provide the necessary items for the service and transportation of the tabernacle.  How does our giving today prepare for church ministry?

(3, 8) The sixth preparation was to cleanse the Levites, separating them for service to God.  What words or phrases do you find in 8:14-18 and 3:11-13 that point to the Levites’ separation unto God?

We too have been cleansed and belong to God (I Peter 2:9-10, etc.).  What does that mean for our lives?

Reflections on Leviticus 26-27

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

God will bless obedience and punish disobedience.

  • God’s Presence – God promises to bless the people if they will obey the covenant.  One of his greatest blessings is that he will dwell with them (26:11).  One of God’s greatest blessings to us is that he dwells with us by his Spirit.
  • Punishment – God will punish the people if they forsake the covenant.  God takes disobedience seriously.  Unfaithfulness to God is a serious affair.  In a world that scoffs at sin, let us be careful to obey God faithfully.

Semon Songs: Ephesians 4:15-16

On By BrianIn Ephesians Hymns

MusicNotes

Now tell the truth with loving speech
To build up the Body
Speak the gospel in love to reach
The world for His glory

One another now serve in love
Enabled by Jesus
That we might be like Christ above
The Head of all of us

In truth and love now let us grow
And into Christ our Lord
Draw near to Him – His love to know
His grace to us out-poured

 (To the tune of “O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing”)

Reflections on Levitiicus 23-25

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

Our passage today continues to give laws that teach us some very important lessons

  • The Lord’s Name – One of the people blasphemed the name of God.  The penalty was death, and he was stoned.  Here is a reminder of how serious God is about how we treat his name.  While the punishment is part of the Mosaic Covenant, the command comes from the Third Commandment – a universal law.  How do you treat God’s name?  Do you use it as a curse?  Do you treat it poorly?
  • The Poor – Chapter 25 reveals God’s concern for the poor.  How does your heart match the heart of God?  How are you helping those in need?