Going over it again: Num. 28-29

 

Have you ever wondered if you were repeating yourself?  Have you realized you desperately needed to repeat yourself?  Maybe as you were walking out the door? 

Does it surprise you that Moses repeats God's instructions before he leaves? 

I've found myself getting irritated at re-reading the same sacrifice instructions over and over again.  One would think that once would be enough, but for important things, you repeat yourself.  In this case, God seems to think that it's important enough to repeat it so we read it again and they hear it again. 

It's a good thing.  I forget stuff.  I miss steps.  I forget details.  I need reminders. 

So read it again.  Remember how much we don't need to remember (Thank You Jesus!!!!).  Relesh the gravity of God's sacrifices for us and the patience He shows to our frailty. 

Got that?  I'm glad I don't need to repeat myself...

Changing of the guard: Num 26-27

^"18 The Lord replied, “Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. ¹⁹ Present him to Eleazar the priest before the whole community, and publicly commission him to lead the people. ²⁰ Transfer some of your authority to him so the whole community of Israel will obey him."  Numbers 27:18-20

The community is ready to move into the Promised Land, but not without a change of leadership that reflects the changes that have happened in the wilderness.  The updated census shows only a minor reduction in the number of fighting men (603,550 at the start vs. 601,730 before entering the land).  Considering that 603,548 of those men have fallen in the desert, the Lord has been good to them.  The land is allocated based on the new census, but that leaves questions from those who have fallen.

The daughters of Zelophad become the first women land-owners, probably in all of history.  Orphans and widows would normally be destitute and unable to provide for themselves.  In the harsh conditions of early farming, men's labor was not easily replaced and tilling the soil was the work assigned Adam, not Eve.  Still, for the sake of the family's survival, women have always been willing to put their shoulder to the plow if necessary, maybe too willing--but that is a question for another day.  The family line must move on and if need be, it will move on with a clan of women. 
Moses also must pass out of the picture.  His disobedience means he will see the land but not enter it.  He is careful to make sure that the people have a leader and God picks one who has been by Moses' side and God's side continually since they left Egypt. 

It's interesting to me that the primary qualification God identifies for Joshua isn't his leadership skill, but the fact that he has the Spirit in him.  He doesn't appear to have the same relationship with God that Moses had, but then again, who did?  He will grow to be a great leader, though at the moment, I'm sure there are lots of questions in everyone's mind.  Succession is hard and Moses left really big, really humble shoes to fill.  No leader steps in right away with it all together.  God saw things in Joshua that may have been hard for others to see.  That's ok.  God doesn't call the equipped; He equips the ones He calls.  God picks someone He knows He can teach. 

Are you teachable?  (Am I??)

The Specialist: Num 21-25

Disaster is looming. No one knows what to do. The boss calls in...the Specialist.

This is the guy who knows the story.  This is the guy who understands all the angles.  This is the amazing guy who understands everything the moment he walks on the scene and has the power to make it all right. 
There are people in every culture that have the reputation for having "the touch."  Balak thought he had his specialist when he called on Balaam.  The catastrophe that was coming was the approaching Israelite "hoard."  He had already seen what he thought they had done to the Amorites.  He didn't realize that God was the one who did it--and I'm not sure he cared.  He just wanted the problem dealt with. 

That's where Balaam came in.  He was a prophet who worked for money.  There wasn't anything intrinsically wrong with that as long as he couldn't be bought.  He worked as an agent for God Almighty (as we all should) and was good at it.  He knew God.  He could talk with Him for you and bless or curse as God allowed.  If you had a problem, he could go to God and get the right solution to fit your needs based on what God desired.  In an era when God didn't talk to everybody, that's a pretty nice resume'. 

Balaam's first answer to Balak was the right one...Take a hike.  I'm not sure why God eventually let Balaam go, but it was obvious He wasn't happy about it.  Either way, Balaam stayed true to His calling as prophet and only spoke what God told him to say.  The sun will rise in the morning, the sky is blue, and God will say what He pleases.  Balaam can't change any of that and he doesn't try. 

We find out in Revelations that Balaam does end up causing problems.  What he does is tell Balak to entice the Israelites with prostitutes and food sacrificed to idols.  As a result, the entire camp falls under a plague which is only stopped with violent deaths at Phineas' hand.  Later we find out that the Israelites take revenge on the Moabites for their intrigue and Balaam ends up as a casualty.  Seems like a tragedy to me. 

It's a lesson in integrity.  Balaam had the greatest gift possible but he honored the money he could get from his work more than the God who spoke through him.  His advice cost many people their lives and didn't save his client. 

Sounds like a fairly modern tale...

Leadership has its dangers too: Num 19-20

Yesterday we talked about the ways that God supports the leaders He uses and the way God sees  dissention.  That also means that god holds leaders accountable as well. 

Both Moses and Aaron face a grumbling crowd (again).  This time, at least the leadership team is on the same page--the are both before God praying for the people.  Like before, God gives instruction and they go out with God's plan--speak to the rock and it will give the water they all need.  The problem is that Moses has had it with them.  His anger gets the best of him and he hits the rock, not once, but twice.  God even gave him a chance to get control of himself, but he chooses disobedience. 

The penalty seems light in comparison to the penalties handed out earlier until you realize that Moses and Aaron will spend 42 years contending with these people and never get to experience what was promised.  They have seen all that God can do.  They are ready, but they are destined to die unfulfilled.  It will be all work and no reward.  God himself is their reward, but the disappointment must have really stung.  It's the same kind of disappointment that David must have felt when God wouldn't let him build the temple. 

As believers, our position before God is secure.  As leaders, our authority is backed by God.  What we can lose is the chance to enjoy the fruits of our own ministries.  Even Evan Roberts, the great revivalist in Wales, missed out on enjoying a long, fruitful ministry because he started taking leadership responsibility on his own shoulders rather than leaving it humbly in the Lord's hands.  He is the one who truly leads.  The best we can do is herd people in the direction He's going.  It's God's responsibility and direction that are important.  We can't provide that for the people. 

As a leader, even if it's just a leader in your own household, how do you make sure that you are leading others in the direction God desires and letting the responsibility for the results fall on God's shoulders? 

Not a democracy: Num 16-18

Armchair quarterbacks abound when people get uncomfortable.  Over and over again, the people demand to share power with Moses, not realizing this was not a topic for debate.  Moses handles this with great dignity and care.  He does not demand to be in charge, but he grieves that the people would challenge God's authority in the matter. 
It's easy to struggle with  leadership when circumstances don't go well.  When we are following a human leader in a human endeavor, that might be understandable (maybe), but when you are following God, it's not ok.  Challenging the leadership God selects for the work He does is the same as challenging God.  He picked the leader and He can be counted on to continue to direct that person.  That doesn't mean we don't humbly and graciously address the sins and character flaws that all leaders have, particularly if they are hurting people.  That means first going to his Boss in prayer, asking that He address the issue in our hearts and the leader's heart.  Jesus gave a process for dealing with these issues that involves much grace and mercy. 

This is even important for an intercessor as they pray.  Part of the leadership role is to go to God to get directions for where the group is supposed to go.  A good leader will consult his intercessory team, but should be confident enough in his own relationship with God to get that vision directly.  Once he has gotten it from God, then it is the intercessor's job to pray through that vision.  The intercessor can pray for the leader to have clarity in their vision.  The intercessor can pray for God's priorities to surface and for needs to be met by their group or by others, but it's not likely that God will send your vision to the leader--you aren't God.  It may be God Himself that is making you uncomfortable.  If you can't follow the vision the leader has set before you, then you can ask God to release you to go elsewhere, but you can't just cause trouble for the leader because you disagree.  That is what the enemy does. 

We'll talk about the responsibilities of a leader another day...It's coming up soon. 

Trust or disobedience: Num 14-15

They have all seen my glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and again they have tested me by refusing to listen to my voice. Num 14:22

We saw earlier that God had been very patient with the Israelites as tehy left Egypt, but His patience is not without limits.  Moses again has to plead with God to spare their lives. 

Sounds like my own kids.  They understand my punishments more than my kindness.  They see a task ahead of them and believe they have to do it alone so they refuse.  They see the punishment for disobedience and they want to turn around and obey.  Unlike me, God doesn't change His mind just because they've changed theirs.  Their hearts really don't trust Him to do anything other than punish them.  Until they realize the love God has for them and the ways He has the power to make things happen, it will remain a continual tug-of-war.  These are not people you can take into battle and expect to follow orders wholeheartedly.

As they turn back to the wilderness, they fear their children will die there.  It is only they who will fall there, not their children.  Their children will have to wait until their own old age to inherit the land.  In time the company will move together in trust of the God who serves them, but not yet.  At the end of Chapter 15, God commands them to tie blue tassels to their clothing as a constant reminder to obey God's commands rather than follow their own desires.  I need those reminders too.  I don't always believe God will take care of me.  I'm getting better, but I'm still not there.

What do you use to remind you of God's goodness...

Stick Together: Num 12-13

 

One of the things God hates more than anything is dissention.  In Moses's family squabble over his new wife God defends Moses personally.  God doesn't defend Moses' decision to marry a second wife, but he does defend Moses' authority.  It was her disrespectful attitude that caught God's attention and rightfully so.  Miriam and Aaron don't trust Moses' judgment about the woman he had married.  He saw a woman worth redeeming.  They saw a cursed people-group (remember the sons of Noah?).  The whole camp has to wait a week for the lesson to set in.

Then when the spies go up to search out the land they find a land with amazing abundance but they happen across several of their old enemies.  We saw the Amekelites earlier when they attacked the camp at a weak moment.  The Anakim were decendents of demons and were truly giants physically.  Goliath was one example of their decendents.

Those with eyes to see the natural circumstances saw only the barriers.  Those with eyes to see what God had spoken about them, these were enemies that God had already determined would be destroyed.  God had already said He would wipe out even the memory of the Amekelites in return for their treachery.  The children of Anak should never have been born and couldn't be blessed by God.  God had been waiting for the sin of the Canaanites to reach its full measure because He had already given the land to the children of Israel.  Joshua and Caleb saw themselves as tools in God's hand to do what He had already decided to do.  God had already taken down mighty Egypt.  In comparison, these enemies should be a cake walk for God, but for the Israelites that had come out of a lifetime of fending for themselves in abject terror, the thought of facing a new set of potential captors was just too much. 

We spent last weekend at a conference called Created to Connect.  It was focused on helping children from hard places like orphans and foster children overcome their fears and learn to trust and heal from the traumas of their past.  Their behavioral issues all stem from the terrors of their past and the coping mechanisms they created to protect themselves.  Even adopted children born into their new family's arms are affected in utero by the fear and trauma the mother is experiencing.  It leaves an imprint of fear that can last a lifetime if it isn't gently, patiently addressed by a caregiver that can reteach trust. In the groups they lead to help teach trust, there are three rules: 

1. Stick Together--no one gets left behind, left out or left behind
2. No Hurts--there's been enough hurt, don't let more hurt come from within
3. Have Fun--real learning happens most quickly in play.  It's how God designed us to learn

It's hard when a leader sees God's vision and his people can't see the way to get there.  That's when God takes a step back in His timing so that they can learn to trust Him.  Without that trust, they have no tools to obey with their whole hearts and things will go badly.  For those of us who are early acceptors and trust God well, it's hard to wait.  God loves both the bold and the timid.  He's not going to go forward knowing He's going to lose his children along the way.  In His profound compassion, He takes all the time they need, even if that means waiting for a funeral.  If you find yourself out of unity with your body (early or late) take time to see unity from God's perspective. 

So stick together...

Everyday Miracles: Num 8-9

Near the end of this passage is a description of something amazing.  The pillar of cloud and fire that God lived in stayed with the camp through their entire journey.  It lifted when they were to move and settled when they were to stay.  God Himself directed their journey every single day.  If anyone wondered whether they still had to obey God's commands, they could look out the front of their tent and see the pillar over the tabernacle.  There was no need to wonder where they had to go or what they had to do.  God directed them personally.  God gave them their roles and duties directly and provided them an immediate daily reminder that He was there and in charge. 

I wonder when it ceased to be a wonder...  When you see a miracle every day, does it become just an ordinary miracle?  Does it become like an image in a stained glass window--pretty to see but mundane?  Can you spend 25 years of your career working in the presence of an act of God and begin to see it as ordinary?  Probably. 

I say that because from an early age I was gifted with what others see as a special relationship with God.  I cannot remember a time in my life that I couldn't settle my heart, reach out to Him and speak with Him as a friend.  What would have been an unthinkable miracle even to the Israelites in the wilderness is a common occurance to me.  Granted, I can't live without Him.  If I forget to speak with Him, my life becomes barren and parched, like a dehydrated traveler adrift on an ocean with only salt water surrounding him.  Still, I can forget.  This intimate relationship with the Father is the birthright of all those who have been bought by His blood and sealed with His Holy Spirit. Yet it is easy to walk as if it isn't necessary to take advantage of the blessings He has so richly bestowed upon us.  He tells us that apart from Him we can do nothing and it is like the wind rustling in the tops of the trees.  We nod our heads and say, "That's nice..."  and move on as if nothing has happened.  I say "we" because I am just as guilty. 

The last few years, it has astounded me to talk with my son and hear him say, "But Mom, I can't hear Him like you do."  He has accepted Christ.  He is God's son, but he hasn't yet learned to hear God for himself.  I trust that God will do that for him when he is ready, but how often do I go on with my life and fail to seek God even though it is easy for me to find Him. 

This miraculous relationship was both a gift and a skill.  I have always heard Him but I have not always been able to distinguish Him from all the other voices coming at me, including the voice of my own heart.  I have studied the scriptures throughout my lifetime and that provides both balance for me and a wide vocabulary of scripture that God continually uses to speak into my life.  In the same way, for the Israelites, the cloud was a gift, but the following was a work.  Many of God's miraculous gifts are like that.  He does the miracle.  We work with Him in the natural things that we can do.  

Today, think about the miracles that God has given you.  Take time to worship Him for His miraculous activity in your life.  Don't miss out on the wonder just because they happen frequently.  Also think about the work you need to do to cultivate the power of that miracle in your own life. 

Num 5-6: Purity

My daughter Katherine's name means purity. What came to mind when we named her was the sweet innocence of childhood. What we didn't realize was that purity also means undiluted: full strength, intense, potent, 200 proof; perfume, not toilet water.   Katie is more of the latter than the former and it is delightful. She is sweet and sometimes innocent, but more than anything, she throws herself fully into all that she does and is. 

God desires intense devotion to Him alone that embodies this kind of purity. 

Purity needed to extend to people's interactions with each other.  Any impurity of action required restitution of what was lost plus another 1/5th, regardless of whether the person was even still alive.  God is honest in His dealings and expects us to be pure in our dealings as well.  Cheating taints and dilutes our ability to do business to the Glory of God.

Purity in marriage has always been an issue and women were particularly vulnerable to a jealous husband's accusations.  The process for dealing with it leaves the result up to God to reveal, but even in the process, the wife must reaffirm that her devotion to her husband is pure--for her husband alone.

The ultimate commitment of purity in devotion was the Nazarite vow.  It showed singleminded devotion to God about all. Giving up the fruit of the vine symbolized rejection of the pleasures of this life.  Not cutting their hair symbolized rejecting the vanity of outward appearances.  Avoiding defilement from dead things shows that your life is bound up in the eternal God and even death has no power over you. 

There were two major Old Testament figures that held lifelong Nazarite vows: Samson and Samuel. Nothing can be given up to God without a powerful response from Him. Both men lived under tremendous power from the Holy Spirit.  As far as we can tell, Samuel kept this vow throughout his lifetime without interruption.  God honored his words, "letting none of them fall to the ground" and providing him with an intimacy that is rare in both Old and New Testaments.  Samson was to be a Nazarite from birth, but he showed contempt for the commitment required of his parents.  He drank and partied, which got him into trouble frequently.  He used the jawbone of a donkey to kill hundreds and ate honey out of a lion's caracass.  Eventually, when his hair was shaved off, the full vow was broken and the Holy Spirit left him without him even noticing.  As we saw a few chapters ago, it's better not to vow at all if you aren't serious about keeping it. 

Numbers: Num 1-2

This is the book for accountants, and the first two chapters lead the way. Our God is a God of order and this section shows it clearly.

Before you can place a large group of people in a marching order, you need to understand how many people are in each group.  God may know that Himself, but He leaves it up to the people to count themselves.  He has a plan in mind, but for us to understand the plan, we need to understand the details that support the plan.  So Chapter 1 shows a census of all men over 20--all of those that can fight.  Then, in Chapter 2, He orders the camp in the shape of a cross and gives direction about how each division will move when they march.  Every group has its place and every group is in place. 

We talk about how God is orderly, but isn't it interesting that He expected them to order themselves.  He had a plan for how they were to be ordered, but it was the responsibility of each clan to make sure it was in the right place.  Again, this harkens back to Genesis 2 where God gave man authority over all the earth as His agent.  We order things according to God's plan, but it is we who work the plan.  That means that if my own house is disorderly, it's not God's fault.  It's mine.  He expects us to order our own lives consistently and with regularity. 

This is a place I struggle.  I live in my head and my thoughts are usually pretty orderly.  I also live in my home and it isn't.  I live within my days and I have come to realize that if I don't have a plan for those days from the beginning, then very little happens of any value.  Things change and flexibility is more often the rule than the exception, but if I fail to plan, I plan to fail.  Exercising dominion means creating order and ensuring that the order is maintained. 

What is it in your life that you have yet to take dominion over?  (Excuse me, I have to go clean...)

Keeping promises: Lev 26-27

There's basically two major topics for this week.  I'm going to skip over the blessings and cursings in Lev. 26.  We'll see it again.  For the moment, suffice it to say that all of what is predicted in this chapter actually happened in beautiful and gory detail. 

When I read through Lev. 27, the question occured to me that if God was going to be so serious about what we voluntarily vow to give Him, then why would someone vow anything to God at all?  We've all been in situations where we have tried to bargain with God.  It's a losing prospect and reveals a tragic distrust of Him.  We don't believe God is good enough to care for us just because we asked.  Somehow we must twist His arm and offer Him something special so He will do what He already wants to do.  God is so much bigger and better than that. 

Still, there are hints that God does hear and respond to our "bargaining," but not because we hold any power over Him.  Ps. 50:23 tells us: "He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God."   Our thanksgiving rightfully honors God and prepares us to see and recognize the salvation that He has already planned.  If we can't recognize His salvation, we can't receive it from His hands.  It may be there the whole time but we remain incapable of enjoying it. 

In that light, skimping on the offerings we've promised Him out of our desperation shows a lack of gratitude for what He has done and makes us less prepared to recognize and receive the salvation He has prepared for us next time.  We forget our gratitude and promises so quickly.  It's a matter of character that we need to keep our promises to God.  God has no need to lie or go back on His promises--is He going to run out of stuff to give?  Because of His protection and provision, we don't need to back out either so He makes sure we learn to keep our promises too.  It's part of trusting Him to be there with us the next time.

What have you promised God?  Do you need to go back and make it right?

God as Manager: Lev 24-25

As a community planner, I've often wondered what it would look like for God to order and manage a country.  This is what we see in these chapters:

Ownership:  The key to God's management style is in Lev. 25:23:  “The land must never be sold on a permanent basis, for the land belongs to me. You are only foreigners and tenant farmers working for me."  Since all land was owned by God and allotted to tribes, land couldn't be sold as if it belonged to the people.  It doesn't.  "Selling" property was actually a limited term lease and the cost of the lease had to be tied to the amount of time remaining until the Jubilee year.  The Israelites themselves were also owned by God and therefore couldn't be sold.  They could only be hired for a specific period of time.  The only exception was land within a walled city.  Later, after the captivity, people were assigned to cities by lottery and generally had land that was allotted to them by God elsewhere.  That land was not specific to any tribe (other than the Levitical cities which couldn't be sold at all). 

Patriotism:  God is the chief identity of the country.  Blaspheming Him carries a death sentence.  He warned them ahead of time.  His name is sacred and they treated it as sacred (at least from then on).

Principles:  Fairness is the primary guiding principle for all rules.  Losses must be restored or have an equivalent punishment. 

Management:  The beginning of ch. 24 shows part of the payments obligated to the Lord.  The bread is left for God but it is the priests that get to eat it--similar to taxes.  The priests are God's representatives to the community, just as government workers are representatives of their agency and ultimately their government.  The taxes paid support the management of the community.  (Puts a new spin on government work.)

Agricultural Management Principles:  In the south we discovered that crop rotation was absolutely necessary.  Without changing the crops, the nutrients in the soil would become depleted and later crops would yield less each year.  God understood this and incorporated it into the management plan for the land.  The 6th year's crops would provide for the people through the 9th year, but the 7th year, the land was not to be cultivated.  Wild plants would intersperse with the leftovers from previous years and renew the soil.  This principle was so important that after 490 years without sabbath rests, God required that the people be removed from the land so it could have its rest--70 years worth in Babylon.  Those in Babylon experienced great success and heartache.  Those in Israel were tormented and unsuccessful.  God made sure the land got its rest.  It makes me wonder since it's been over 60 years since Israel has been reinstated and it still hasn't had any rest years. 

God's management of the land shows great wisdom (no surprise).  What of His principles can you incorporate into your lives?

Lev 23--Taking a gratitude break...

This morning, I had a great text conversation with a friend that's really struggling with several recovery issues, (not that different than myself).

The root of my own codependency/idolotry was the realization as a teenager that God wasn't enough.  The problem with that realization was that it was only a half truth.  God wasn't enough because I didn't have enough of Him and He didn't have enough of me.  It's like learning a new language.  The kids that give themselves over to immerse themselves in the new culture have no trouble at all.  The adults who have "better" things to do struggle with grammar and never really become fluent. 

Jesus told us that He was the vine and we are the branches--apart from Him we can do nothing.  That sounds like immersion is needed.  We can't just come and go.  It has to be an ongoing part of our lives.  That's one of the reasons God established the festivals at regular intervals throughout the year.  Basically every seven weeks God established a festival to refocus their lives in a big way back on God and all He has done.  There were daily remembrances as well, but everything stopped about every 50 days for a God focused festival.  Those times of worship helped them stop to say thanks and worship Him for all He has done. 

That's one of the reasons Hebrews talks about Jesus being our sabbath rest.  We have the treasure of His Spirit within us so we can do better than taking breaks every 50 days.  We get to enjoy Him every day, all day.  Taking those opportunities consistently keeps the allure of idols from being attractive.  Failing to take them leaves us vulnerable--we seek to get our legitimate needs met by something other than Him--which is the core of idolotry. 

Take time to celebrate Him today.  He's worth it. 

I Am the Lord who makes you holy--Lev 20-22

Last night, the Lord woke me up with this word from Him about this passage. I hope it is an encouragement to you.

"I Am the One who makes you holy, sets you apart to Myself, does the hard work of holiness.  I commanded you to be holy as I Am.  I know you need this.  I also know you can't do it.  Lest your heart become discouraged, I remind you that I Am the One who makes you holy.  I Am the One who justifies.  I Am the One who gives you a new name and makes you a new creation.  I Am the One who changes your deepest desires to run hard after Me.  I Am the One who gives you the courage and wisdom to choose to do right because your frame needs it.  I am not setting before you an impossible task to be accomplished on your own.  It would be impossible if you had to do it in your own fallen, twisted strength.  I Am setting before you life to the full and enabling you to choose it.  Be at peace.  This is My work in you.  I Am the God who makes you holy."

Be Holy: Lev 16-19

"The Lord also said to Moses, ² “Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy."  Lev 19:1-2

If a man had said this, it would have been arrogant and less than compassionate.  If we see God as just like one of us, it can feel that way coming from Him too.  When you look at the rules he lays down in these two chapters, you get an entirely different picture. 

The sexual immorality depicted in Lev. 18 is the reason why the land is vomiting out the people from the place they're about to go.  Besides, there's all kinds of implications for the redneck stupidity listed in that chapter--implications for which they have examples.  Is it a good thing to marry both sisters?  Jacob didn't fare too well with it.  Your family tree should have forks.  

The stuff in Chapter 19 seems pretty obvious to us, with few exceptions, but no one had ever said these things before.  Most of these are just a matter of treating each other with kindness and compassion. 

God's instructions to us are for our good.  His encouragement to be Holy like He is Holy is for our good, because doing otherwise will get us or someone else hurt.  He knows His lifestyle is best, not for Him--He doesn't need anything.  It's best for us.  We are fragile and need to treat ourselves and each other gently.    

Even the regulations for the day of atonement and for sacrificing only at the front of the tabernacle are intended to protect His people.  After the problem with Aaron's sons, God made the rules for atonement more explicit and even required that all others be outside of the tabernacle when the High Priest went in to make atonement.  And to keep the community from idolotry, all sacrifices were required to be performed at the entrance to the Tabernacle.  That way if they were doing something wrong that might offend God, they could be taught how to do it well. 

Jesus ultimately gives the same instructions and again, it is for our good and His glory--both things we want. 

Be holy...It's good for you.

Heathcare: Lev. 11-15

Our culture tries to see a separation between the physical and the spiritual that just isn't there.  If you ever doubted that your physical being impacts your spiritual well-being, then this passage is for you.  God ties the physical cleanliness to spiritual cleanliness and in so doing, he protected his people from disease, poor health, and environmentally based sicknesses of all kinds. 

God charged the Levites with all of the major healthcare issues for the community as both the health department and doctor, in an era without any refrigeration.  God had promised the people before they reached Sinai that if they would follow Him, he would not allow any of the diseases of the Egyptians to fall on them.  This is how.  Long before Louis Pasteur or Jonas Salk, God described how to deal with infectious illness.  Before Dr. Oz, He was telling His people what was healthy to eat and what wasn't. 

Eventually, the priesthood took things too far, but God's intention was that his people would be healthy, live long lives and have strong children.  Since our bodies and minds are intimately related, His care for our bodies overflows into care for our minds and spirits.  He leaves no details unaddressed.  This is not surprising when you consider who He is.  Since He made us, He should know best what it takes for us to live. 

We are no longer bound by the law, but by Christ.  However, understanding why these rules were put in place can go a long way toward maintaining a body, mind and spirit that can honor Him. 

Careful...Lev 10

What a tragedy on so many levels.  There were several issues at hand here.

First, Nadab and Abihu didn't take the coals from the altar that had been lit by the fire of God's presence.  They just took ordinary coals with ordinary fire. 

Second, they didn't have the right to offer up incense before God at all.  It was Aaron's job as the High Priest. 

There's also a hint that they may have been drunk when they did it. 

Incense is pictured as the prayers of the saints and provides a cautionary tale for us as well.  If we try to offer up prayers that are fired by our own desires rather than lit by the desires of Heaven, we are also bringing strange fire and God has a right to be upset with us.  The fragrance may be right, but the motivation is wrong and God can't honor it. 

The second caution is the issue of whether we bring our  prayers to God through our own High Priest, Jesus, or try to bring it to Him by ourselves without the benefit of His cleansing, interceding power.  We know that those who come to God without Christ will be consumed, just as Nadab and Abihu were.  Jesus taught his disciples to ask the Father, but it was only because they had already been with Jesus and were asking in Jesus' name (in line with his attitude, desires and authority).  Since Christians are covered by Christ's blood, we can boldly approach the throne of Grace and the Father who sits upon it.  Without recieving Christ's sacrifice for ourselves, we would be consumed as well. 

Have you recieved the covering of Christ's blood for your sin?  Have you sought the Father's heart so that your prayers are lit by the fires of His desire or you just asking for what you want? 

Leadership Responsibility: Lev 7-9

This was a hard lesson for me earlier this year.  What we see in this passage is that before leaders can usher the people into the presence of God, they have to be there themselves.  The ordination sacrifices are elaborate and require lots of work to cover over their sin and make them holy.  Not only that, the priests must remain at the tabernacle day and night for 7 days and do anything that the Lord tells them to do during that time. 

The work is worth it.  When the sacrifice for the people was laid before the Father the Glory of God came out from the temple and consumed the sacrifice and all the people cried out in joy.  Wouldn't you!?!

This is an immutable principle in ministering God's life to others.  Before we have anything to give of any worth to those we serve, we have to be clean before the Father and recieve His power and glory for ourselves.  Within ourselves, we don't have anything of value to give. 

If you think this doesn't apply to you, then think again.  All of us who are covered by the blood of Christ are a part of His body.  We all minister to each other and our contribution will be missed if we aren't adequately prepared.  If we try to give from what we naturally have, we will quickly run dry and give out of need rather than out of overflow.  That's codependency and it ruins the giver and gift. 

What do you do to prepare your own heart to minister to the people in your life?

The seriousness of Sin: Lev. 4-6

"Don't touch that!"  "Is that really what happened?"  "You didn't really promise THAT, did you?"

Oh the joys of parenting...

Some days it feels like it's one unending nag session.  The problem is that these things really are a problem.  God calls each of these daily annoyances sin and requires a sacrifice of his people to atone for it.  They might be unintentional sins, but they're still sin.  Then there's cheating.  That's not just sin, that's injury to others.  That means you have to pay back what you stole and 20% more and then you can work on atonement.  (I need to work on teaching that to my kids).

The atonement is a big deal too and the more important you become the more significant the atonement must be.  I don't know that we take sin as seriously as God does.  Breaking God's laws resulted in a significant personal loss.  That might explain why the Priest and the Levite passed by the guy in the story of the good Samaritan.  If he was dead, it was going to be a pain in the neck to get clean again--no excuse, but it sheds some light on it. 

The sacrificial system is gone, but each of our sins--each time we miss the mark--those sins were laid on Christ during His crucifixion.  When we really "get it" we begin to see how amazing grace truly is.  This helps us when we go to forgive someone too.  We don't blow off their sin against us.  It was serious enough that Christ died for it and that sin will either be covered by the blood of Christ's sacrifice or will be judged for eternity.  Additional punishment by us is not necessary.  We can let it go and let God deal with sin.  He's really the only one who has a right.

As for training, that never ends.  Back to parenting...

Details matter: Lev 1-3

Details, details...It might be easy to get bogged down in all these regulations.  Several of these sections are basically procedural rulebooks.  Because we're talking about a real God who has preferences of His own, we can't just do what we think is right.  When we face the judgement seat, it will not be a mirror.  Here are a few things that stood out to me:

• No yeast.  Leavening is that which puffs-up.  God desires that we be real with Him.  We don't need to take the time and energy to put on a show.  We do need to take the time to prepare our hearts and our sacrifices, but not just to make them look better. 
• Always salt.  Jesus said we are the salt of the earth.  Salt preserves and brings out the real flavors of food.  We need to gently preserve and encourage those around us as well--bringing out who they are, not drawing attention to ourselves.
• First fruits.  Always bring God the first and best.  That's what He will use to multiply back to us (do you want more of the crappy stuff?).  He is a great God who gives us all good things and deserves our best.
• The fat belongs to the Lord.  (Sounds like a diet, doesn't it?)  Fat is where the flavor is.  The flavor of our lives is to be a pleasing aroma to the Father. 
• Blood is not for eating.  Something else's life is not for your consumption.  You have been granted life from the Father and He holds it sacred.  Hold other life as sacred as well. 

For the most part, the sacrifices were shared between the altar, the giver and the priests.  Eating before the Father was a form of worship. 

What did you see in the passage?  When was the last time you worshiped the Father through your eating?