Posts
God’s message to me: Do not show favoritism. Be evenhanded in all dealings. Be fair and just.
Promises: Life will be well with you so long as your dealings are honest, fair, and even handed.
Commands: If you see something wrong you have a duty to help. Ignoring the problem doesn’t make it go away. Considering it someone else's business just isn’t helpful to anyone.
Timeless principles: We see some basic civil rules here as well. Rooftops were typically flat and a parapet is a low wall around the roof to prevent accidental falls. Without one the owner is liable for harm to those who do fall.
Times change, civilization advances, people get new attitudes but, SEXUAL SIN REMAINS THE SAME. No amount of political correctness will change God’s view on this. “The world is different now” is not an excuse. It’s not different. The Old Testament is discussing the same issues 6000 years ago that we are claiming should change our views since the sexual revolution of the 1960’s. Adultery, prostitution, homosexuality, bestiality, child molestation, and the list goes on. These are not new, they are not reasonable or natural and they are always sin.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: A man in the western US recently followed the principle of the gleanings. Having taken only the base portion of his harvest he left the field and arranged a day when people could come and gather the remainder. Thousands showed up and picked the fields clean, grateful for the opportunity to gather food for their families. Imagine if every US farm followed this practice, what would be left of our hunger problems.
more to learn for in-depth study: This section is filled with commands as the law of Israel is repeated and extended. The book of the law is a separate text but it would be easy to recreate it by simply gathering the laws written in the first five books of the bible. Keep in mind the bible is not intended to give you a comprehensive picture of Israel at the time, but to provide you with the details God wanted to pass on for the purpose of teaching us truth. Israel’s history, legends and a lot of details not useful to our study but, interesting historically, can be found in the Jewish Talmud.
Edomites were the children of Esau, twin brother to Jacob who was named Israel by God. they were to be considered brothers to the nation of Israel. Egypt was the nursery in which the young nation of Israel was reared and they were to be considered friends.
tomorrow: Deuteronomy 26-28
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Deuteronomy 18-21
God’s message to me: Many are turned to false beliefs by unintentional lies. They are told that fortune tellers and mediums are all fakes and witchcraft has no power. When they learn this isn’t true they seek the truth the wrong way.
King Saul went to see a witch who was a medium. The spirits warned her he was the king of Israel and she called up the ghost of a prophet of God who told Saul what would happen to him for disobeying God. These were real things but they were not God’s way of doing things which is why they were wrong. People think they can employ fortune telling, astrology, witchcraft and other things in the service of God. God has forbidden these things to His people and so they are wrong.
Promises: God will give you victory over your enemies if you simply follow His rules of engagement. Offering peace to the enemy does not mean offering surrender to their views. In fact it means the opposite. When offering peace it is in exchange for surrender to you.
It makes no sense to demand Israel offer land in exchange for peace with those who want them destroyed. The results of such folly are always the same and can be seen in Gaza. Israel left Gaza and everything they built there. The Palestinians could simply come in and run the businesses and use the supplies to create one of the most popular and prosperous tourist traps on the planet. Instead they used the land to launch rockets at Israel for the entire 3 years of the ceasefire until Israel, at the end of the ceasefire, went back in and stopped them.
It should have gone like this. If “Palestinians” want peace, they must immediately surrender and end all hostile actions. They must pay taxes to the Israeli Government and make themselves subject to that government. Any attempt to resume hostilities will result in immediate and total annihilation of the hostile force.
Commands: Forget all the false paths offered by the New Age religions which are really nothing but recycled paganism. Follow what God has told us to do and how God has told us to worship. It is true that some in the past have used these other ways in their worship of God and it is also true that they are no longer among us. That is because they did what was wrong, no matter the reason. Jewish astrology, Christian mediums, Godly psychics, etc. they are all false paths which need to be ignored in favor of what the bible tells us to do.
Timeless principles: When a person uses fraud to gain another's property or have another person punished for something they didn’t do then the person using fraud should have done to him what he intended to do to the other.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: There are a number of subjects here but eh key one is in regard to worship. Worship only as God has commanded and do not try to “improve” your worship by following the rituals of others. God has laid down specifically how he wants us to worship Him and made it clear that going outside those guidelines is the path to death.
more to learn for in-depth study: Another test of false prophets. What they predict does not come true. Prophecy is not an either/or situation. It happens. God’s prophecies have always been fulfilled and fulfilled literally. He doesn’t “prophecy” what will happen “if”. His prophecies are what will happen and why. If a prophecy doesn’t come true it is not of God. Remember also that a prophecy that does come true but is intended to make you do something god otherwise forbids then it is a test and you should still not sin by doing what God has forbidden.
The refuge cities were given for protection of those who did not kill intentionally. Israel was also commanded to build highways to these cities so that the person running for his life would find his was easily and quickly.
DETERRENTS They claim that the death penalty does not deter crime but, statistics show a marked decrease in crime where civilians are permitted to carry and use weapons in defending themselves and a further decrease where the castle doctrine allows people to protect their property. If the death penalty and prison terms are not deterrents why do criminals go so far to avoid getting hurt or killed. Homes where the owner is known to be armed are less likely to be burglarized than those without a gun. The young hoods targeting German tourists in Florida did so because local residents had the right to carry guns and they didn’t want to get shot. When the bible talks of putting evil away from yourself and ensuring that those remaining hear and fear it is talking about deterrents. Such deterrents are the key to maintaining civilized behavior, not the sign of uncivilized behavior.
HE WHO IS HANGED IS CURSED OF GOD. If a hanged man remains in the tree overnight the land surrounding is cursed. This law is VITAL. Christ was hung on a cross and made a curse for our sake. Judas hung himself at sunset and wasn’t found until morning. The land was cursed and could not be used for farming so it was purchased as a graveyard. That land belonged to a potter which is where we get the term “potter’s field” to refer to the grave yard used for burying the poor and indigent.
Innocent blood must be avenged. If the guilty cannot be determined then a sacrifice was made by the elders of the nearest city. Christ is the ultimate sacrifice for our sins but, the duty of government to uphold the law and protect society does not change. It is still the responsibility of Government to punish crime. While we are taught to turn the other cheek our government authorities are told to punish the persecutor and the persecutor is warned that “if thou doest evil, be very afraid, for he bareth not the sword in vain” regarding government agents and law enforcement.
Blessing of war:
hear, O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them; for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
Who goes to war:
new home owners who have yet to dedicate their house do not
those who have planted a new vineyard and not tasted of it’s produce do not
men engaged to be married do not
anyone afraid to go into battle does not go
Rules of engagement:
Always offer peace first in exchange for surrender placing them under tribute
Cities outside the land of inheritance which choose to fight will be conquered and the fighting men killed with the plunder of the city taken as a gift from God.
Cities within the promised land that fight will be utterly destroyed with all people killed.
Never use food trees for siege works. Only trees not useful for food can be used to build siege works and all food trees are to be left intact.
tomorrow: Deuteronomy 22-25
King Saul went to see a witch who was a medium. The spirits warned her he was the king of Israel and she called up the ghost of a prophet of God who told Saul what would happen to him for disobeying God. These were real things but they were not God’s way of doing things which is why they were wrong. People think they can employ fortune telling, astrology, witchcraft and other things in the service of God. God has forbidden these things to His people and so they are wrong.
Promises: God will give you victory over your enemies if you simply follow His rules of engagement. Offering peace to the enemy does not mean offering surrender to their views. In fact it means the opposite. When offering peace it is in exchange for surrender to you.
It makes no sense to demand Israel offer land in exchange for peace with those who want them destroyed. The results of such folly are always the same and can be seen in Gaza. Israel left Gaza and everything they built there. The Palestinians could simply come in and run the businesses and use the supplies to create one of the most popular and prosperous tourist traps on the planet. Instead they used the land to launch rockets at Israel for the entire 3 years of the ceasefire until Israel, at the end of the ceasefire, went back in and stopped them.
It should have gone like this. If “Palestinians” want peace, they must immediately surrender and end all hostile actions. They must pay taxes to the Israeli Government and make themselves subject to that government. Any attempt to resume hostilities will result in immediate and total annihilation of the hostile force.
Commands: Forget all the false paths offered by the New Age religions which are really nothing but recycled paganism. Follow what God has told us to do and how God has told us to worship. It is true that some in the past have used these other ways in their worship of God and it is also true that they are no longer among us. That is because they did what was wrong, no matter the reason. Jewish astrology, Christian mediums, Godly psychics, etc. they are all false paths which need to be ignored in favor of what the bible tells us to do.
Timeless principles: When a person uses fraud to gain another's property or have another person punished for something they didn’t do then the person using fraud should have done to him what he intended to do to the other.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: There are a number of subjects here but eh key one is in regard to worship. Worship only as God has commanded and do not try to “improve” your worship by following the rituals of others. God has laid down specifically how he wants us to worship Him and made it clear that going outside those guidelines is the path to death.
more to learn for in-depth study: Another test of false prophets. What they predict does not come true. Prophecy is not an either/or situation. It happens. God’s prophecies have always been fulfilled and fulfilled literally. He doesn’t “prophecy” what will happen “if”. His prophecies are what will happen and why. If a prophecy doesn’t come true it is not of God. Remember also that a prophecy that does come true but is intended to make you do something god otherwise forbids then it is a test and you should still not sin by doing what God has forbidden.
The refuge cities were given for protection of those who did not kill intentionally. Israel was also commanded to build highways to these cities so that the person running for his life would find his was easily and quickly.
DETERRENTS They claim that the death penalty does not deter crime but, statistics show a marked decrease in crime where civilians are permitted to carry and use weapons in defending themselves and a further decrease where the castle doctrine allows people to protect their property. If the death penalty and prison terms are not deterrents why do criminals go so far to avoid getting hurt or killed. Homes where the owner is known to be armed are less likely to be burglarized than those without a gun. The young hoods targeting German tourists in Florida did so because local residents had the right to carry guns and they didn’t want to get shot. When the bible talks of putting evil away from yourself and ensuring that those remaining hear and fear it is talking about deterrents. Such deterrents are the key to maintaining civilized behavior, not the sign of uncivilized behavior.
HE WHO IS HANGED IS CURSED OF GOD. If a hanged man remains in the tree overnight the land surrounding is cursed. This law is VITAL. Christ was hung on a cross and made a curse for our sake. Judas hung himself at sunset and wasn’t found until morning. The land was cursed and could not be used for farming so it was purchased as a graveyard. That land belonged to a potter which is where we get the term “potter’s field” to refer to the grave yard used for burying the poor and indigent.
Innocent blood must be avenged. If the guilty cannot be determined then a sacrifice was made by the elders of the nearest city. Christ is the ultimate sacrifice for our sins but, the duty of government to uphold the law and protect society does not change. It is still the responsibility of Government to punish crime. While we are taught to turn the other cheek our government authorities are told to punish the persecutor and the persecutor is warned that “if thou doest evil, be very afraid, for he bareth not the sword in vain” regarding government agents and law enforcement.
Blessing of war:
hear, O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them; for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
Who goes to war:
new home owners who have yet to dedicate their house do not
those who have planted a new vineyard and not tasted of it’s produce do not
men engaged to be married do not
anyone afraid to go into battle does not go
Rules of engagement:
Always offer peace first in exchange for surrender placing them under tribute
Cities outside the land of inheritance which choose to fight will be conquered and the fighting men killed with the plunder of the city taken as a gift from God.
Cities within the promised land that fight will be utterly destroyed with all people killed.
Never use food trees for siege works. Only trees not useful for food can be used to build siege works and all food trees are to be left intact.
tomorrow: Deuteronomy 22-25
Deuteronomy 14-17
God’s message to me: Love your neighbor as yourself and do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Simple Ideas but, God promises prosperity to those who follow them. He promised that doing so would ensure that his people were lenders and not borrowers and rulers but not ruled. how clear can God be. Forgive debt at a reasonable time and give to the poor and you will be RICH.
Promises: Do you want prosperity? GIVE. Do you want debt freedom? FORGIVE. The poor will always be among you(this was not a call to socialism but to charity).
Commands: The Easter season is starting and that means that the time of Passover is coming. God appointed a number of feasts for the Israelites to always celebrate and Passover is the first. It is one we Christians see as the foreshadowing of Christ’s death on the Cross for our salvation. With all the debate over the origins of Easter we must not forget what it is we are commemorating as Christians. The Easter Bunny didn’t rise from the dead. Easter Eggs don’t grant salvation. Jelly beans can’t wash away our sins. The Son of God was Born as a man, lived a perfect life, was murdered brutally to be a sacrifice for all our sins, was buried and rose from the dead victorious over death, hell and the grave.
Timeless principles: The tithe belongs to God. PERIOD. With the spreading of the Israelites across the land it would become difficult to haul grain, produce and livestock to the temple from some locations. For that situation God permitted the tithe offering to be sold and the money for it taken to the temple where it could be used to purchase other produce, grain and livestock for the tithe. No excuses were given for not bringing the tithe. If you couldn’t bring the original product you could bring the durable cash it bought.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: When a slave was set free, in the year of debt forgiveness, his owner sent him away well supplied with food and wine and livestock. No slave was kept longer than 6 years unless owner and slave both chose to stay together as family rather than as master and servant.
more to learn for in-depth study: Chapter 14 gives a partial list of clean and unclean animals in regard to Kosher laws. Deuteronomy 17:18 hundreds of years before the Israelites even asked for a king, God mad it law that such a king would be required to copy all the law in writing and read it and keep it. He would be required to copy it from the written book of the law that was before the priests. In other words, once again, we clarify that these laws and books were in written form from the beginning and kept by the leaders and priests of Israel in written form. THIS IS NOT AN ORAL TRADITION!!!!
Here is a thought. Where do you think the US got the idea for a law that clears things from your credit record after seven years. More importantly, isn’t it interesting that the governments financial situation with deficient, debt and instability worsens dramatically the more it tries to exempt itself and it’s allies from this debt forgiveness.
tomorrow: Deuteronomy 18-21
Promises: Do you want prosperity? GIVE. Do you want debt freedom? FORGIVE. The poor will always be among you(this was not a call to socialism but to charity).
Commands: The Easter season is starting and that means that the time of Passover is coming. God appointed a number of feasts for the Israelites to always celebrate and Passover is the first. It is one we Christians see as the foreshadowing of Christ’s death on the Cross for our salvation. With all the debate over the origins of Easter we must not forget what it is we are commemorating as Christians. The Easter Bunny didn’t rise from the dead. Easter Eggs don’t grant salvation. Jelly beans can’t wash away our sins. The Son of God was Born as a man, lived a perfect life, was murdered brutally to be a sacrifice for all our sins, was buried and rose from the dead victorious over death, hell and the grave.
Timeless principles: The tithe belongs to God. PERIOD. With the spreading of the Israelites across the land it would become difficult to haul grain, produce and livestock to the temple from some locations. For that situation God permitted the tithe offering to be sold and the money for it taken to the temple where it could be used to purchase other produce, grain and livestock for the tithe. No excuses were given for not bringing the tithe. If you couldn’t bring the original product you could bring the durable cash it bought.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: When a slave was set free, in the year of debt forgiveness, his owner sent him away well supplied with food and wine and livestock. No slave was kept longer than 6 years unless owner and slave both chose to stay together as family rather than as master and servant.
more to learn for in-depth study: Chapter 14 gives a partial list of clean and unclean animals in regard to Kosher laws. Deuteronomy 17:18 hundreds of years before the Israelites even asked for a king, God mad it law that such a king would be required to copy all the law in writing and read it and keep it. He would be required to copy it from the written book of the law that was before the priests. In other words, once again, we clarify that these laws and books were in written form from the beginning and kept by the leaders and priests of Israel in written form. THIS IS NOT AN ORAL TRADITION!!!!
Here is a thought. Where do you think the US got the idea for a law that clears things from your credit record after seven years. More importantly, isn’t it interesting that the governments financial situation with deficient, debt and instability worsens dramatically the more it tries to exempt itself and it’s allies from this debt forgiveness.
tomorrow: Deuteronomy 18-21
Deuteronomy 10-13
God’s message to me: Certain religious traditions, many of them Christian, have, in the past, made a habit of incorporating the practices of other religions and cultures into their own system to reach others and out of a desire to improve their own worship. While the Goals are lofty the method is all wrong.
God isn’t honored by worship in the style of false religions no matter how beautiful or uplifting their ceremonies may be. These religions were abominations to Him before and their practices are still abominations now, even if they are done in His name.
Promises: God provides us the good of the land and does not hold it back. Eating meat wasn’t just a religious practice reserved for temples, wild game and cattle slaughtered for meat but not for sacrifice could be killed, butchered and eaten at home.
Commands: Do not do anything which follows after false Gods. Here is a command opposite of what we do and think. When conquering the enemy, destroy all temples, religious art, religious artifacts, religious icons and writings, worship sites, alters and anything else having to do with the false religion. Do not adopt their practices no matter how good they seem. Do not use their religious sites no matter how beautiful they are. Do not salvage their artifacts and paraphernalia no matter how nice or valuable it seems to be. I’ve said it before, the Taliban made us all look bad when they had the guts to destroy the giant Buddahs in the mountain on their land. The followed their religion and, despite the fact that our religion teaches the same thing, we condemned them for it.
Timeless principles: Why do we go to church? That question could develop a lot of study and detail but the basics start here. God set aside places which where to his name where people could go to worship and bring sacrifices. The Tabernacle and the local temples of the tribes were the proper place for the religious practices. Religious ceremonies like sacrifices that were held elsewhere were considered worship to false Gods, with only rare exceptions(e.g. Passover). As we see in the teachings of the New Testament, He caused His people to gather at certain locations to ensure what God calls “the fellowship of the saints”.
Having a place of gathering causes believers to come together for mutual strengthening rather than living apart and unconnected. The Way of God is not a solitary path but one of community. Each member of the church has certain abilities, talents and gifts to bring to the table and only together can they be effective. No one has all the abilities within themselves and that is because God wants us to work together.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Signs and wonders cannot replace knowledge of the bible. Chapter 13 describes clearly the idea of being told to do something you shouldn’t. God never contradicts Himself. Let’s create an example based on the chapter.
Pastor Christian Pilgrim of Christian Heritage Ministries has a Television ministry that has become a worldwide phenomenon. In two years he went from a local congregation of 50 members to a world wide TV ministry to over 1.5 billion viewers and has safely secured TV ratings better than any other Sunday broadcast. Reverend Pilgrim comes on the air on the first Sunday in January and says that he has received the world of the Lord. He says that God told him everyone who truly loves God and wishes to go to heaven should purchase a small statue of Jesus from his ministry for $1 and pray to that from now on. He also says that they should not do so now. Instead, he says that God will provide proof that what he says is true. He says that God has promised a great wonder, to prove Himself and that on the first Saturday in February it will snow in Tahiti. If the sign does not come then he is false.
Just under a month later, for no reason anyone can explain, the tourists in Tahiti wake up to find the temperature has dropped to 30 degrees Fahrenheit and there is 3 inches of snow on the beaches. The next morning the preacher demands everyone recognize God’s sign and worship the statuettes of Jesus.
God forbade us to make statues of Him or to Him. He would not let the Israelites see anything but a pillar of cloud or fire so that they would have nothing to make statues or images of. God commanded us to never worship any such image. Given the sign of the snow compared against the Word of God, how would you worship? Deuteronomy 13:3-4 should give you your answer.
more to learn for in-depth study: Isn’t it harsh to say, Kill the false prophet? Consider this. for the past year you have been hounded by a local hoodlum. He hasn’t much power and his gang is of about 8 people but he has become a criminal mastermind in that he never seems to get charged, let alone arrested for his crimes. You see him, on average, twice a month. You don’t intend to but, it’s impossible to avoid him completely in the small city in which you live. Every time he sees you he tries to kill you. What do you do?
The false prophet is trying to lead you from the path of life eternal in Jesus Christ and in the presence of Almighty God to the eternal death and damnation of separation from God and eternal torment in the lake of fire. Left to his own devices, Rev. Pilgrim will do whatever it takes to keep his place of power and wealth and lead much of the world to Hell. Would you preserve the life of someone who wiped out 1/6 of the worlds population? What about someone who led 3,000,000 to the gas chambers, that’s about 10% of the US Population. 37,000 people is about .01 percent of the population of the United States. Is it reasonable to assume that atheists have led 1/100 of one percent of the population to hell? What would you want to see happen to someone who killed the entire population of Minot, ND as an act of terrorism. The population of Minot is less than 37,000 according to the 2000 census.
tomorrow: Deuteronomy 14-17
For the record, I'm feeling a lot better today and hope to finish these studies for you by the end of the day so that we are caught up for the week and continue in the morning from where you should already be.
God isn’t honored by worship in the style of false religions no matter how beautiful or uplifting their ceremonies may be. These religions were abominations to Him before and their practices are still abominations now, even if they are done in His name.
Promises: God provides us the good of the land and does not hold it back. Eating meat wasn’t just a religious practice reserved for temples, wild game and cattle slaughtered for meat but not for sacrifice could be killed, butchered and eaten at home.
Commands: Do not do anything which follows after false Gods. Here is a command opposite of what we do and think. When conquering the enemy, destroy all temples, religious art, religious artifacts, religious icons and writings, worship sites, alters and anything else having to do with the false religion. Do not adopt their practices no matter how good they seem. Do not use their religious sites no matter how beautiful they are. Do not salvage their artifacts and paraphernalia no matter how nice or valuable it seems to be. I’ve said it before, the Taliban made us all look bad when they had the guts to destroy the giant Buddahs in the mountain on their land. The followed their religion and, despite the fact that our religion teaches the same thing, we condemned them for it.
Timeless principles: Why do we go to church? That question could develop a lot of study and detail but the basics start here. God set aside places which where to his name where people could go to worship and bring sacrifices. The Tabernacle and the local temples of the tribes were the proper place for the religious practices. Religious ceremonies like sacrifices that were held elsewhere were considered worship to false Gods, with only rare exceptions(e.g. Passover). As we see in the teachings of the New Testament, He caused His people to gather at certain locations to ensure what God calls “the fellowship of the saints”.
Having a place of gathering causes believers to come together for mutual strengthening rather than living apart and unconnected. The Way of God is not a solitary path but one of community. Each member of the church has certain abilities, talents and gifts to bring to the table and only together can they be effective. No one has all the abilities within themselves and that is because God wants us to work together.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Signs and wonders cannot replace knowledge of the bible. Chapter 13 describes clearly the idea of being told to do something you shouldn’t. God never contradicts Himself. Let’s create an example based on the chapter.
Pastor Christian Pilgrim of Christian Heritage Ministries has a Television ministry that has become a worldwide phenomenon. In two years he went from a local congregation of 50 members to a world wide TV ministry to over 1.5 billion viewers and has safely secured TV ratings better than any other Sunday broadcast. Reverend Pilgrim comes on the air on the first Sunday in January and says that he has received the world of the Lord. He says that God told him everyone who truly loves God and wishes to go to heaven should purchase a small statue of Jesus from his ministry for $1 and pray to that from now on. He also says that they should not do so now. Instead, he says that God will provide proof that what he says is true. He says that God has promised a great wonder, to prove Himself and that on the first Saturday in February it will snow in Tahiti. If the sign does not come then he is false.
Just under a month later, for no reason anyone can explain, the tourists in Tahiti wake up to find the temperature has dropped to 30 degrees Fahrenheit and there is 3 inches of snow on the beaches. The next morning the preacher demands everyone recognize God’s sign and worship the statuettes of Jesus.
God forbade us to make statues of Him or to Him. He would not let the Israelites see anything but a pillar of cloud or fire so that they would have nothing to make statues or images of. God commanded us to never worship any such image. Given the sign of the snow compared against the Word of God, how would you worship? Deuteronomy 13:3-4 should give you your answer.
more to learn for in-depth study: Isn’t it harsh to say, Kill the false prophet? Consider this. for the past year you have been hounded by a local hoodlum. He hasn’t much power and his gang is of about 8 people but he has become a criminal mastermind in that he never seems to get charged, let alone arrested for his crimes. You see him, on average, twice a month. You don’t intend to but, it’s impossible to avoid him completely in the small city in which you live. Every time he sees you he tries to kill you. What do you do?
The false prophet is trying to lead you from the path of life eternal in Jesus Christ and in the presence of Almighty God to the eternal death and damnation of separation from God and eternal torment in the lake of fire. Left to his own devices, Rev. Pilgrim will do whatever it takes to keep his place of power and wealth and lead much of the world to Hell. Would you preserve the life of someone who wiped out 1/6 of the worlds population? What about someone who led 3,000,000 to the gas chambers, that’s about 10% of the US Population. 37,000 people is about .01 percent of the population of the United States. Is it reasonable to assume that atheists have led 1/100 of one percent of the population to hell? What would you want to see happen to someone who killed the entire population of Minot, ND as an act of terrorism. The population of Minot is less than 37,000 according to the 2000 census.
tomorrow: Deuteronomy 14-17
For the record, I'm feeling a lot better today and hope to finish these studies for you by the end of the day so that we are caught up for the week and continue in the morning from where you should already be.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Deuteronomy 6-9
God’s message to me: The blessings we receive are not a result of our righteousness. They are the result of God’s love for us and His desire to give us the best. When those blessings come at the expense of others it is a result of their wrongs not our rights. If you really think your better than the rest try this test.
Promises: God doesn’t give us more than we can handle. This includes good things as well as bad. Easy conquest of the entire promised land would have left the Israelites in charge of a huge land they could not manage with their small numbers. God helped them conquer it a bit at a time as their numbers grew to manage it so that they would not be overwhelmed by the enemies or by nature.
Commands: Never make the mistake of believing your better than others because your a Christian. Your not better, just forgiven. Your not blessed for your righteousness but because your loved.
Timeless principles: I watched the TV show “LOST” last night and couldn’t help seeing a comparison to the bible. John Locke returned from the island and got in a car wreck. He ended up in the hospital where Jack Shepherd worked. He tried to get Jack to come back to the Island.
After everything that had happened and everything he had seen, Jack still fell back on empty skepticism to act as though nothing about any of it was special and the experience on the Island wasn’t real. The Israelites, and many Christians, are the same. Most of us have seen and experienced things that could never happen without God but, when push comes to shove, we routinely fall back on what we can explain. If we can’t explain it, measure it and prove it with ease than we refuse to depend on it until there is nothing else to depend on.
We often wonder how a loving God could let so many bad things happen to us but, when we really look at our lives, it’s impossible to miss the meaning. We don’t turn to God until we have no other option. God should always be our first option.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Here’s a suggestion. As you read through the bible and find passages of importance, write them down. Whenever you recognize a command you have difficulty following a promise you tend to forget, print it on paper and post it in a noticeable spot. My sister simply used crayons and markers to write these important passages on the refrigerator, mirrors, and other easily noticed spots. My wife and I printed them and taped them to similar locations. When we found a new verse that we had difficulty with we would replace one we had well committed to memory. Deuteronomy 6:9
more to learn for in-depth study: The descendants of Anak is another reference to the giants.
tomorrow: Deuteronomy 10-13
Promises: God doesn’t give us more than we can handle. This includes good things as well as bad. Easy conquest of the entire promised land would have left the Israelites in charge of a huge land they could not manage with their small numbers. God helped them conquer it a bit at a time as their numbers grew to manage it so that they would not be overwhelmed by the enemies or by nature.
Commands: Never make the mistake of believing your better than others because your a Christian. Your not better, just forgiven. Your not blessed for your righteousness but because your loved.
Timeless principles: I watched the TV show “LOST” last night and couldn’t help seeing a comparison to the bible. John Locke returned from the island and got in a car wreck. He ended up in the hospital where Jack Shepherd worked. He tried to get Jack to come back to the Island.
After everything that had happened and everything he had seen, Jack still fell back on empty skepticism to act as though nothing about any of it was special and the experience on the Island wasn’t real. The Israelites, and many Christians, are the same. Most of us have seen and experienced things that could never happen without God but, when push comes to shove, we routinely fall back on what we can explain. If we can’t explain it, measure it and prove it with ease than we refuse to depend on it until there is nothing else to depend on.
We often wonder how a loving God could let so many bad things happen to us but, when we really look at our lives, it’s impossible to miss the meaning. We don’t turn to God until we have no other option. God should always be our first option.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Here’s a suggestion. As you read through the bible and find passages of importance, write them down. Whenever you recognize a command you have difficulty following a promise you tend to forget, print it on paper and post it in a noticeable spot. My sister simply used crayons and markers to write these important passages on the refrigerator, mirrors, and other easily noticed spots. My wife and I printed them and taped them to similar locations. When we found a new verse that we had difficulty with we would replace one we had well committed to memory. Deuteronomy 6:9
more to learn for in-depth study: The descendants of Anak is another reference to the giants.
tomorrow: Deuteronomy 10-13
Deuteronomy 6-9
God’s message to me: The blessings we receive are not a result of our righteousness. They are the result of God’s love for us and His desire to give us the best. When those blessings come at the expense of others it is a result of their wrongs not our rights. If you really think your better than the rest try this test.
Promises: God doesn’t give us more than we can handle. This includes good things as well as bad. Easy conquest of the entire promised land would have left the Israelites in charge of a huge land they could not manage with their small numbers. God helped them conquer it a bit at a time as their numbers grew to manage it so that they would not be overwhelmed by the enemies or by nature.
Commands: Never make the mistake of believing your better than others because your a Christian. Your not better, just forgiven. Your not blessed for your righteousness but because your loved.
Timeless principles: I watched the TV show “LOST” last night and couldn’t help seeing a comparison to the bible. John Locke returned from the island and got in a car wreck. He ended up in the hospital where Jack Shepherd worked. He tried to get Jack to come back to the Island.
After everything that had happened and everything he had seen, Jack still fell back on empty skepticism to act as though nothing about any of it was special and the experience on the Island wasn’t real. The Israelites, and many Christians, are the same. Most of us have seen and experienced things that could never happen without God but, when push comes to shove, we routinely fall back on what we can explain. If we can’t explain it, measure it and prove it with ease than we refuse to depend on it until there is nothing else to depend on.
We often wonder how a loving God could let so many bad things happen to us but, when we really look at our lives, it’s impossible to miss the meaning. We don’t turn to God until we have no other option. God should always be our first option.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Here’s a suggestion. As you read through the bible and find passages of importance, write them down. Whenever you recognize a command you have difficulty following a promise you tend to forget, print it on paper and post it in a noticeable spot. My sister simply used crayons and markers to write these important passages on the refrigerator, mirrors, and other easily noticed spots. My wife and I printed them and taped them to similar locations. When we found a new verse that we had difficulty with we would replace one we had well committed to memory. Deuteronomy 6:9
more to learn for in-depth study: The descendants of Anak is another reference to the giants.
tomorrow: Deuteronomy 10-13
Promises: God doesn’t give us more than we can handle. This includes good things as well as bad. Easy conquest of the entire promised land would have left the Israelites in charge of a huge land they could not manage with their small numbers. God helped them conquer it a bit at a time as their numbers grew to manage it so that they would not be overwhelmed by the enemies or by nature.
Commands: Never make the mistake of believing your better than others because your a Christian. Your not better, just forgiven. Your not blessed for your righteousness but because your loved.
Timeless principles: I watched the TV show “LOST” last night and couldn’t help seeing a comparison to the bible. John Locke returned from the island and got in a car wreck. He ended up in the hospital where Jack Shepherd worked. He tried to get Jack to come back to the Island.
After everything that had happened and everything he had seen, Jack still fell back on empty skepticism to act as though nothing about any of it was special and the experience on the Island wasn’t real. The Israelites, and many Christians, are the same. Most of us have seen and experienced things that could never happen without God but, when push comes to shove, we routinely fall back on what we can explain. If we can’t explain it, measure it and prove it with ease than we refuse to depend on it until there is nothing else to depend on.
We often wonder how a loving God could let so many bad things happen to us but, when we really look at our lives, it’s impossible to miss the meaning. We don’t turn to God until we have no other option. God should always be our first option.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Here’s a suggestion. As you read through the bible and find passages of importance, write them down. Whenever you recognize a command you have difficulty following a promise you tend to forget, print it on paper and post it in a noticeable spot. My sister simply used crayons and markers to write these important passages on the refrigerator, mirrors, and other easily noticed spots. My wife and I printed them and taped them to similar locations. When we found a new verse that we had difficulty with we would replace one we had well committed to memory. Deuteronomy 6:9
more to learn for in-depth study: The descendants of Anak is another reference to the giants.
tomorrow: Deuteronomy 10-13
the other resolution
Well, It took me over 2 and 1/2 hours to get this far and it’s only one days worth of entries. In fact it’s the usual entries for Monday and this is Thursday at almost 11:30. I really don’t feel very good.
Calories have been easy since I couldn’t hold anything down. Hydration was tough at first but it’s such an ingrained habit when I’m recovering from illness that I should do better this week than I have in months. I’m weighing in this week at 230#.
Calories have been easy since I couldn’t hold anything down. Hydration was tough at first but it’s such an ingrained habit when I’m recovering from illness that I should do better this week than I have in months. I’m weighing in this week at 230#.
Deuteronomy 3-5
God’s message to me: God’s laws are neither excessive nor burdensome. The ten commandments are said to be the foundation of Civilized behavior and there are countless claims that similar rules can be found in most societies. (I could argue that point but it would take quite a few articles and, frankly, there are many books on the subject that clarify the point while barely scratching it’s surface.) We often try to find ways around the rules but, they are, literally, written in stone. Would you like to see how well you live up to the 10 commandments? Take the good test.
Promises: Fear God and obey His commandments and it will be well with you.
Commands: Do not add to or take from the Word of the Lord.
Timeless principles: Deuteronomy 4:27-31 should be enough to end all talk of replacement theology. God does not break blood covenants like he had with the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Neither the Muslim nor the Christian is a replacement for the Jew as God’s chosen people. As predicted here, the Children of Israel are returning to their land under the promise of God after being forced to scatter through the world for many generations. They are not forgotten or forsaken of God but blessed with His promise.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Obey God’s law. Obedience is better than sacrifice. Deeds are better than words. Faith without works is dead. How many ways can the bible and men of good conscience describe this before we understand.
more to learn for in-depth study: Chapter 3 describes the boundaries of the land taken before the Jordan river and reiterates the fact that Moses was not permitted to cross the Jordan into Canaan. Instead, he was only to see the promised land from a nearby mountaintop and Joshua would lead the people in.
Og king of Bashon is defeated and all his people destroyed in 60 fortified cites plus many rural towns. Og was a giant. His bed was 6 foot wide and 13 1/2 foot long. As biblical giants go he wasn’t all that big and you will see bigger in upcoming stories.
Here the word for giant is Rephiam and refers to the descendents of the nephelim giants of Genesis which were fallen angels.
Fun fact: Mount Hermon is easily found on a the map, even today, as it still goes by the same name.
The Lost World of Giants
Some want to deliver the idea of giants into the realm of allegory and myth. They can’t accept the idea of giant people within their understanding. I point them to the fossil remains of dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs and many other legends of the ancient world would never survive in our current environment but, the environment has changed. From the time of the flood onward there was a thinning of the atmosphere and it’s protections. Without the additional protection and air pressure most of the ancient creatures we take for granted could not have lived. The idea that humans had longer life spans and unknown creatures such as the giants flourished is no more fantastic than believing in T-Rex or his gigantic cousin. In fact the giant version is a recent discovery so it’s not unreasonable to believe fossils of other things we currently don’t believe in just haven’t been found.
tomorrow: Deuteronomy 6-9
Promises: Fear God and obey His commandments and it will be well with you.
Commands: Do not add to or take from the Word of the Lord.
Timeless principles: Deuteronomy 4:27-31 should be enough to end all talk of replacement theology. God does not break blood covenants like he had with the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Neither the Muslim nor the Christian is a replacement for the Jew as God’s chosen people. As predicted here, the Children of Israel are returning to their land under the promise of God after being forced to scatter through the world for many generations. They are not forgotten or forsaken of God but blessed with His promise.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Obey God’s law. Obedience is better than sacrifice. Deeds are better than words. Faith without works is dead. How many ways can the bible and men of good conscience describe this before we understand.
more to learn for in-depth study: Chapter 3 describes the boundaries of the land taken before the Jordan river and reiterates the fact that Moses was not permitted to cross the Jordan into Canaan. Instead, he was only to see the promised land from a nearby mountaintop and Joshua would lead the people in.
Og king of Bashon is defeated and all his people destroyed in 60 fortified cites plus many rural towns. Og was a giant. His bed was 6 foot wide and 13 1/2 foot long. As biblical giants go he wasn’t all that big and you will see bigger in upcoming stories.
Here the word for giant is Rephiam and refers to the descendents of the nephelim giants of Genesis which were fallen angels.
Fun fact: Mount Hermon is easily found on a the map, even today, as it still goes by the same name.
The Lost World of Giants
Some want to deliver the idea of giants into the realm of allegory and myth. They can’t accept the idea of giant people within their understanding. I point them to the fossil remains of dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs and many other legends of the ancient world would never survive in our current environment but, the environment has changed. From the time of the flood onward there was a thinning of the atmosphere and it’s protections. Without the additional protection and air pressure most of the ancient creatures we take for granted could not have lived. The idea that humans had longer life spans and unknown creatures such as the giants flourished is no more fantastic than believing in T-Rex or his gigantic cousin. In fact the giant version is a recent discovery so it’s not unreasonable to believe fossils of other things we currently don’t believe in just haven’t been found.
tomorrow: Deuteronomy 6-9
Hoping you have continued...
in my absence. It seems God inspired me to begin the weekly assignments for a reason. I have been battling a serious stomach bug since Sunday night. To be completely honest, I still don't’ feel very well and I’m not sure how far I will get today but, I will endeavor to catch up with your current assignment as quickly as possible. Having mapped out several weeks in advance I know where to point you if I have further trouble.
This seems a good time to remind readers that the task of reading through the bible in one year is not one you should abandon in frustration. There will be setbacks and times when you can’t keep up. There will be times when you are well ahead of the curve. There will be times when illness and family emergencies throw you completely off track for days or even weeks. For these times I have suggestions.
If you aren’t already doing so, start a journal of your reading. It doesn’t have to be as detailed as these blog entries but, you should mark down what you read and note any message you felt God left for you in the passage. You won’t always see one. Some passages just don’t seem to be speaking to you. In this case, pray, skim over the passage a little more, and if you still don’t see a message just write that fact down. There is nothing wrong with such honesty.
Get a decent bible cover. The kind that zips up, has a handle and a little extra space inside. Reading through the bible usually means using a larger bible for easy reading and this is less necessary if your eyes allow you to use a pocket size edition. I use a large print bible for comfort even though I’m only 39. Inside the bible cover you should have your bible, a notebook for your journaling, a couple of pens or pencils (in case one runs out of ink), and a note of the reading assignments up to date. This way, you can take advantage of breaks like a long wait at the doctors office to catch up. There is also those times waiting for the school bus, waiting for the dishwasher, waiting for the cake in the oven... you get the idea.
You can also keep a highlighter in the cover to highlight verses that you feel are especially important to you. Try having a couple colors in there so you can color code based on why you think it’s important. One color could be promises and a second could be rules for living.
I’m already lightheaded and I haven’t been doing this for 10 minutes so let me move on and try to get one of these assignments done.
This seems a good time to remind readers that the task of reading through the bible in one year is not one you should abandon in frustration. There will be setbacks and times when you can’t keep up. There will be times when you are well ahead of the curve. There will be times when illness and family emergencies throw you completely off track for days or even weeks. For these times I have suggestions.
If you aren’t already doing so, start a journal of your reading. It doesn’t have to be as detailed as these blog entries but, you should mark down what you read and note any message you felt God left for you in the passage. You won’t always see one. Some passages just don’t seem to be speaking to you. In this case, pray, skim over the passage a little more, and if you still don’t see a message just write that fact down. There is nothing wrong with such honesty.
Get a decent bible cover. The kind that zips up, has a handle and a little extra space inside. Reading through the bible usually means using a larger bible for easy reading and this is less necessary if your eyes allow you to use a pocket size edition. I use a large print bible for comfort even though I’m only 39. Inside the bible cover you should have your bible, a notebook for your journaling, a couple of pens or pencils (in case one runs out of ink), and a note of the reading assignments up to date. This way, you can take advantage of breaks like a long wait at the doctors office to catch up. There is also those times waiting for the school bus, waiting for the dishwasher, waiting for the cake in the oven... you get the idea.
You can also keep a highlighter in the cover to highlight verses that you feel are especially important to you. Try having a couple colors in there so you can color code based on why you think it’s important. One color could be promises and a second could be rules for living.
I’m already lightheaded and I haven’t been doing this for 10 minutes so let me move on and try to get one of these assignments done.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Weekly Assignment
Monday: Deuteronomy 3-5
Tuesday: Deuteronomy 6-9
Wednesday: Deuteronomy 10-13
Thursday: Deuteronomy 14-17
Friday: Deuteronomy 18-21
Saturday: Deuteronomy 22-25
Sunday: Deuteronomy 26-28
Tuesday: Deuteronomy 6-9
Wednesday: Deuteronomy 10-13
Thursday: Deuteronomy 14-17
Friday: Deuteronomy 18-21
Saturday: Deuteronomy 22-25
Sunday: Deuteronomy 26-28
Deuteronomy 1-2
God’s message to me: God’s promises are not restricted to Israel. God promised Esau a kingdom and Seir was home of his people the Edomites. The Israelites were not permitted to interfere with them. Moab and Ar are given to the descendents of Lot, the nephew of Abraham whom Abraham protected in prayer and in battle. Edomites overcame the Horites to posses their land just as Israel overcame the various nations of Canaan. Giants (nephilim) had been destroyed in the lands possessed by the descendants of Esau and Lot and would be destroyed by Israel.
Passing through the lands of Edom and Moab peacefully lent credence to the overtures of peace sent by Israel to other nations. As they did throughout their history and even do today, they offered peaceful coexistence and asked only to pass without incident. When Sihon, King of Heshbon, refused the offer, the subsequent war killed all his people and gave their cattle and the spoil of their cities to the people of Israel.
Promises: Nothing and no one can keep you from God’s promised blessings and bounty. All who try will be destroyed before you and they cannot harm you. Be Valiant.
Commands: Do not doubt God’s promises but claim them as they are yours.
Timeless principles: Peace should always be the first offer but, not at the expense of failing your goals. When Israel needed to go somewhere they offered peaceful passage. They offered honest money for any supplies they might gain, including water, along the way. They did not stop traveling just because the other country sought war instead of peace. They did not back down from aggressors. God turned the hearts of those He wished to maintain peace with Israel and He gave Israel strength to overcome those who would stand in the way. No one was permitted to block Israel’s progress toward the land God promised them except for Israel themselves. Even when Israel’s sin slowed the progress, the next generation was led to the promised land.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: The bible is filled with promises for those who follow Christ. Healing, prosperity, blessing, peace and so much more are yours to be claimed in the name of God. If you are a born again child of The King you need only understand God’s promises to claim them.
more to learn for in-depth study: You have heard how some peoples were destroyed by other children of Abraham. The descendents of Lot, Ishmael, and Esau all took possession of lands by God’s hand for Abraham’s sake. Many more will fall to Israel. This is where the nations mentioned in the earlier books in genealogies become interesting as we see where the play in history, as allies, enemies or by being destroyed.
tomorrow: Deuteronomy 3-5
Passing through the lands of Edom and Moab peacefully lent credence to the overtures of peace sent by Israel to other nations. As they did throughout their history and even do today, they offered peaceful coexistence and asked only to pass without incident. When Sihon, King of Heshbon, refused the offer, the subsequent war killed all his people and gave their cattle and the spoil of their cities to the people of Israel.
Promises: Nothing and no one can keep you from God’s promised blessings and bounty. All who try will be destroyed before you and they cannot harm you. Be Valiant.
Commands: Do not doubt God’s promises but claim them as they are yours.
Timeless principles: Peace should always be the first offer but, not at the expense of failing your goals. When Israel needed to go somewhere they offered peaceful passage. They offered honest money for any supplies they might gain, including water, along the way. They did not stop traveling just because the other country sought war instead of peace. They did not back down from aggressors. God turned the hearts of those He wished to maintain peace with Israel and He gave Israel strength to overcome those who would stand in the way. No one was permitted to block Israel’s progress toward the land God promised them except for Israel themselves. Even when Israel’s sin slowed the progress, the next generation was led to the promised land.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: The bible is filled with promises for those who follow Christ. Healing, prosperity, blessing, peace and so much more are yours to be claimed in the name of God. If you are a born again child of The King you need only understand God’s promises to claim them.
more to learn for in-depth study: You have heard how some peoples were destroyed by other children of Abraham. The descendents of Lot, Ishmael, and Esau all took possession of lands by God’s hand for Abraham’s sake. Many more will fall to Israel. This is where the nations mentioned in the earlier books in genealogies become interesting as we see where the play in history, as allies, enemies or by being destroyed.
tomorrow: Deuteronomy 3-5
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Numbers 36
God’s message to me: God has a plan for all His children. It is a plan of prosperity. None of the Israelites was permanently poor with no ability to regain his losses. The year of Jubilee returned property to it’s families ensuring that no family would be disinherited for financial gain. The plan of inheritance ensured that the property and legacy of the family would pass on from generation to generation. I have no doubt that God will provide for me as well. No matter how bad finances have gotten He has kept me fed and sheltered and I know that better days will come if I don’t reject them.
Of all the major players in the bible only a very small number were poor for their entire lives. Most, including all the ones we have studied, so far, on this blog, were exceptionally wealthy, Including a prince and a prime minister of one of the most powerful kingdoms of the time, Egypt. If God has called us to a life of poverty and suffering, as so many insist, why is that not what we see in the examples He gave us in the bible. Christ has told us that the world will hate us for His sake and we may suffer for His sake in our lives but, living a poor life does not mean your “suffering for Jesus” unless that life is a direct result of religious oppression. The bible has four times as many verses on managing your money as it has on prayer. Before you decide poverty is your lot in life you should find out if your ignoring God’s advice.
Promises: God does not fail in His promises. Zelophehad died without sons but his inheritance and legacy continued through His daughters. It did not require others to give up their inheritance.
Commands: It’s hard to find a direct command in this passage. It is clear that God does not intend His law to be used for taking advantage of people. The Daughter usually shares in the inheritance of her husband. The idea that a daughter could inherit the wealth of two families and undermine another tribe was a concern among some. This ruling clarified the matter so that it could not be used to such an end.
Timeless principles: Pass on your legacy. While not specific here the bible continues to refer to inheritance. While I have no use for those who are so concerned with their inheritance that they don’t consider their parents and alienate their siblings, I don’t believe it is honorable to avoid leaving a legacy.
Some people are not blessed with wealth or lose it near the end of life. Others have it eaten up in medical expenses. This is understandable. The people I refer to are those who praise the idea of leaving nothing to their heirs on purpose, for whatever reason. It has become fashionable for some of the rich to donate their money and make arrangements for their estates to go to charity. This is fine but to many are making it their entire estate and leaving nothing to their heirs. This is not biblical or honorable. Nor is it proper for the lower income folks to intentionally burn through their estate to leave nothing behind. I believe we all seek to live comfortably and retire more comfortably but, intentionally eliminating any inheritance for your heirs is not what God demonstrates.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Understand the importance of family legacy. Some family traditions and legacies are best forgotten, particularly if there are a lot or criminals or otherwise anti-social people in your lineage. The Hitler family would just as soon forget his legacy, for example. Remembering Where you come from and what it means and passing on your legacy and family wealth is important though. The census of Old Testament Israel wasn’t just a head count but a documentation of the family trees to ensure that family heritage was preserved.
more to learn for in-depth study: A short and basic passage. The daughters Zelophehad had no brothers when their father died. God ruled that they could carry on the family legacy and inherit the lands that would have gone to the family. Others considered this dangerous because the wife inherits from the husbands family. This could allow their line to inherit land from two tribes and, if it continued, one tribe could eventually own all the land, or at the least, the lands would be mingled enough to eliminate tribal boundaries.
In order to settle the matter of inheritance, the ladies had to marry cousins from within their own tribe. While modern law extends the rules against marriage to family out to first cousins the bible does not. Biblical rules eliminate Siblings, Parents, Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles from the dating pool. First cousins and beyond are accepted. The fact of genetic defects and certain hereditary illnesses being increased when close kin reproduce has led society to rethink this and expand the circle of kin to close to marry for the sake of improved health.
I realize there is a redneck joke in here somewhere but, I happen to come from a long line of folks you might call rednecks. Outside of the usual rumors of European Royalty and Some of the Old Money families in the US I know of only one person I can identify as marrying a known relative on purpose. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd president of the United States, married Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, his second cousin. Face it. This is redneck country.
tomorrow: Deuteronomy 1-2
Of all the major players in the bible only a very small number were poor for their entire lives. Most, including all the ones we have studied, so far, on this blog, were exceptionally wealthy, Including a prince and a prime minister of one of the most powerful kingdoms of the time, Egypt. If God has called us to a life of poverty and suffering, as so many insist, why is that not what we see in the examples He gave us in the bible. Christ has told us that the world will hate us for His sake and we may suffer for His sake in our lives but, living a poor life does not mean your “suffering for Jesus” unless that life is a direct result of religious oppression. The bible has four times as many verses on managing your money as it has on prayer. Before you decide poverty is your lot in life you should find out if your ignoring God’s advice.
Promises: God does not fail in His promises. Zelophehad died without sons but his inheritance and legacy continued through His daughters. It did not require others to give up their inheritance.
Commands: It’s hard to find a direct command in this passage. It is clear that God does not intend His law to be used for taking advantage of people. The Daughter usually shares in the inheritance of her husband. The idea that a daughter could inherit the wealth of two families and undermine another tribe was a concern among some. This ruling clarified the matter so that it could not be used to such an end.
Timeless principles: Pass on your legacy. While not specific here the bible continues to refer to inheritance. While I have no use for those who are so concerned with their inheritance that they don’t consider their parents and alienate their siblings, I don’t believe it is honorable to avoid leaving a legacy.
Some people are not blessed with wealth or lose it near the end of life. Others have it eaten up in medical expenses. This is understandable. The people I refer to are those who praise the idea of leaving nothing to their heirs on purpose, for whatever reason. It has become fashionable for some of the rich to donate their money and make arrangements for their estates to go to charity. This is fine but to many are making it their entire estate and leaving nothing to their heirs. This is not biblical or honorable. Nor is it proper for the lower income folks to intentionally burn through their estate to leave nothing behind. I believe we all seek to live comfortably and retire more comfortably but, intentionally eliminating any inheritance for your heirs is not what God demonstrates.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Understand the importance of family legacy. Some family traditions and legacies are best forgotten, particularly if there are a lot or criminals or otherwise anti-social people in your lineage. The Hitler family would just as soon forget his legacy, for example. Remembering Where you come from and what it means and passing on your legacy and family wealth is important though. The census of Old Testament Israel wasn’t just a head count but a documentation of the family trees to ensure that family heritage was preserved.
more to learn for in-depth study: A short and basic passage. The daughters Zelophehad had no brothers when their father died. God ruled that they could carry on the family legacy and inherit the lands that would have gone to the family. Others considered this dangerous because the wife inherits from the husbands family. This could allow their line to inherit land from two tribes and, if it continued, one tribe could eventually own all the land, or at the least, the lands would be mingled enough to eliminate tribal boundaries.
In order to settle the matter of inheritance, the ladies had to marry cousins from within their own tribe. While modern law extends the rules against marriage to family out to first cousins the bible does not. Biblical rules eliminate Siblings, Parents, Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles from the dating pool. First cousins and beyond are accepted. The fact of genetic defects and certain hereditary illnesses being increased when close kin reproduce has led society to rethink this and expand the circle of kin to close to marry for the sake of improved health.
I realize there is a redneck joke in here somewhere but, I happen to come from a long line of folks you might call rednecks. Outside of the usual rumors of European Royalty and Some of the Old Money families in the US I know of only one person I can identify as marrying a known relative on purpose. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd president of the United States, married Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, his second cousin. Face it. This is redneck country.
tomorrow: Deuteronomy 1-2
Friday, February 20, 2009
The Exodus
Let’s look at the path they took. If you have a map of the region, particularly maps of the region at that time which can be found in many bibles, you may want to take it out.
Rameses was a large city in Egypt named for the Pharaoh who built it. It is likely that the name did not exist when the record was originally made because that region of the country was possessed by the Israelites and Rameses II (Rameses the Great) probably came after the Exodus. Among other evidence is the idea of a king coming who did not know Joseph. This indicates the possibility that these events occurred in the Hyksos period. This is when the land of Egypt was occupied and ruled by people from the area around what would become Israel. Scribes copying the history later would have had to change the name to match maps of the time period they were in. As these documents were meant to provide an understandable history it makes sense that they would mention things in relation to current locations. You can see that this was done in regard to Eden as well. Most of the locations and landmarks from before the flood had changed but, the description of it’s location is described in terms of the terrain after the flood. In fact this description was clear enough that the remains of the city of Eden was discovered by archaeologists many years ago.
The land of Goshen was on a flood plain which would have been difficult to make use of by the early Egyptians but would make ideal grazing land for the Israelites who were primarily cattleman and sheepherders. Since Egyptians couldn’t use the land and considered it uncouth to be around animal herders, the land of Goshen would have been left entirely in the hands of the Israelites without interference until they left Egypt. The City of Rameses would have been built later as the Egyptian Empire regained strength after it’s failures with Israel. The city was positioned as a base of operations for military actions. The name of the city came after it had been built up for this purpose but, it had gone by the name Rowaty prior to that when it was simply an unfortified rural settlement. the Hyksos rule ended with the death of Tuthmosis the Second in 1450 BC. This timeline agrees with many other historic records and fits the timeline of the Exodus. Later references to Egypt as, again, becoming an ally of Israel in various pursuits, implies ruler ship by those who respected Israel's position. The Egyptian kings of old held no animosity towards Israel and were said to respect Jehovah. The fact that the same is said of later kings implies that the kings at the time of the Israelites persecution were of a different type.
That’s a lot of information to point out that the Exodus from Egypt begat at Rameses. The moved to Succoth where they established camp. Succoth appears to coincide with the Egyptian store city of Pithom. built by the Hyksos regime this city was probably built over one of the Earliest Jewish settlements and is believed to be where Joseph’s body was kept until the Exodus. From there they go to Etham which, from the description of the location is probably another name for Khetam, a fortress along the great wall of Egypt and providing a military outpost on the edge of Egyptian territory. This would seem to be a dead end as they Israelites were boxed in by the mountains.
They turned back to Pi Hahiroth east of Baal Zephon and camped near Migdol which is a military watch tower. This description makes it impossible for the crossing of the sea to occur anywhere but at the straits of Tiran. This is the only place that matches the description. Having crossed the sea they traveled into the Wilderness of Etham which is actually the wilderness of Shur. A very close spelling correlation results in this being called the wilderness of Etham and the continuation of the journey makes clear where this is located.
Suggestions that the crossing was at the bitter lakes or port of Suez miss facts. 1) there is no place for the wilderness to close them in. 2)the doubled back to the point where they crossed. Doing that at either point means they already passed the sea and didn’t need to cross it. 3) the bible says they crossed a wilderness before coming to the sea. The wilderness of Egypt comes after those locations.
http://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-exodus-route-etham.htm this site has maps showing the location of the landmarks mentioned and describing the crossing with detail.
Traveling 3 days to Marah brings them to the foot of the mountains and the closest point to midan which was the hometown of Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law. The bitter water may have refered to saltwater which is common in the flood plains along the sea. Despite being many miles inland they were still near sea level. The moved on to Elim. Traditional maps place these towns along the sea but that makes no sense when the next stop is to camp by the sea. this route goies into the wildernes(inland) to the mountains, turns south and makes camp halfway to the sea at an oasis of sorts with springs of water and palm trees. From there to the sea and then east into the wilderness of Sin brings them around the mountains in lower lands easier for transit. The eventual destination is Mt Sinai and this route comes there by the broad and easy route rather than traveling through the mountains.
From the wilderness of Sin the Israelites moved to a noarrow and difficult passage using Dophkah and Alush as staging areas for the difficult trek that led to a rather easy transit to Rephidim. coming out of this difficult pass they were attacked by the Amalakites who struck at the stragglers in the rear of the group. From here they move to the wilderness of Sinai. This brought them near Mt Sinai where they recieved the law. From this point there are a lot of locations mentioned. Many of them are names only useful to the Hebrew travelers. For example, the first is Kibroth Hattaavah. The name means graves of craving and refers to those who died after eating from the over abundant quail after they complained to God about not having enough meat. The names refer to events or landmarks of interest to the travelers but not associated with other societies or cities.
Wandering through the wilderness they came to Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor on the boundary of Edom. Remember that the Edomites were the children of Esau and were considered family by Israel. God forbid them from interfering with these people. The most likely location for this site is at or near Petra. (If you saw the ancient city in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, then you have seen Petra. It is the city built into the rock by the people of Israel as a stronghold. They came here and Aaron died here 40 years after leaving Egypt. Aaron was 123 years old at the time.
From there they traveled through several more camps until reaching Mt Nebo then to the plains of Moab by the Jordon River and across from the city of Jericho.
They were ordered to drive out the inhabitants of the promised land and destroy all their places of worship and religious Items. I often get strange looks when I praise the Taliban for destroying the Giant Buddhas in the side of the mountain. If Christians followed biblical law they would destroy Idols rather than building museums around them to glorify the “Art”. Appreciating a culture does not require us to study and worship their religious Icons.
From here the final borders of the Promised land are given. You can find a mapping of it on the site I mentioned earlier. This is not all the land of Israel but all the promised land. The Tribes that set up their home on the other side of the Jordan river expanded the territory and Solomon gained control of vast territories beyond the promised borders.
Rameses was a large city in Egypt named for the Pharaoh who built it. It is likely that the name did not exist when the record was originally made because that region of the country was possessed by the Israelites and Rameses II (Rameses the Great) probably came after the Exodus. Among other evidence is the idea of a king coming who did not know Joseph. This indicates the possibility that these events occurred in the Hyksos period. This is when the land of Egypt was occupied and ruled by people from the area around what would become Israel. Scribes copying the history later would have had to change the name to match maps of the time period they were in. As these documents were meant to provide an understandable history it makes sense that they would mention things in relation to current locations. You can see that this was done in regard to Eden as well. Most of the locations and landmarks from before the flood had changed but, the description of it’s location is described in terms of the terrain after the flood. In fact this description was clear enough that the remains of the city of Eden was discovered by archaeologists many years ago.
The land of Goshen was on a flood plain which would have been difficult to make use of by the early Egyptians but would make ideal grazing land for the Israelites who were primarily cattleman and sheepherders. Since Egyptians couldn’t use the land and considered it uncouth to be around animal herders, the land of Goshen would have been left entirely in the hands of the Israelites without interference until they left Egypt. The City of Rameses would have been built later as the Egyptian Empire regained strength after it’s failures with Israel. The city was positioned as a base of operations for military actions. The name of the city came after it had been built up for this purpose but, it had gone by the name Rowaty prior to that when it was simply an unfortified rural settlement. the Hyksos rule ended with the death of Tuthmosis the Second in 1450 BC. This timeline agrees with many other historic records and fits the timeline of the Exodus. Later references to Egypt as, again, becoming an ally of Israel in various pursuits, implies ruler ship by those who respected Israel's position. The Egyptian kings of old held no animosity towards Israel and were said to respect Jehovah. The fact that the same is said of later kings implies that the kings at the time of the Israelites persecution were of a different type.
That’s a lot of information to point out that the Exodus from Egypt begat at Rameses. The moved to Succoth where they established camp. Succoth appears to coincide with the Egyptian store city of Pithom. built by the Hyksos regime this city was probably built over one of the Earliest Jewish settlements and is believed to be where Joseph’s body was kept until the Exodus. From there they go to Etham which, from the description of the location is probably another name for Khetam, a fortress along the great wall of Egypt and providing a military outpost on the edge of Egyptian territory. This would seem to be a dead end as they Israelites were boxed in by the mountains.
They turned back to Pi Hahiroth east of Baal Zephon and camped near Migdol which is a military watch tower. This description makes it impossible for the crossing of the sea to occur anywhere but at the straits of Tiran. This is the only place that matches the description. Having crossed the sea they traveled into the Wilderness of Etham which is actually the wilderness of Shur. A very close spelling correlation results in this being called the wilderness of Etham and the continuation of the journey makes clear where this is located.
Suggestions that the crossing was at the bitter lakes or port of Suez miss facts. 1) there is no place for the wilderness to close them in. 2)the doubled back to the point where they crossed. Doing that at either point means they already passed the sea and didn’t need to cross it. 3) the bible says they crossed a wilderness before coming to the sea. The wilderness of Egypt comes after those locations.
http://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-exodus-route-etham.htm this site has maps showing the location of the landmarks mentioned and describing the crossing with detail.
Traveling 3 days to Marah brings them to the foot of the mountains and the closest point to midan which was the hometown of Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law. The bitter water may have refered to saltwater which is common in the flood plains along the sea. Despite being many miles inland they were still near sea level. The moved on to Elim. Traditional maps place these towns along the sea but that makes no sense when the next stop is to camp by the sea. this route goies into the wildernes(inland) to the mountains, turns south and makes camp halfway to the sea at an oasis of sorts with springs of water and palm trees. From there to the sea and then east into the wilderness of Sin brings them around the mountains in lower lands easier for transit. The eventual destination is Mt Sinai and this route comes there by the broad and easy route rather than traveling through the mountains.
From the wilderness of Sin the Israelites moved to a noarrow and difficult passage using Dophkah and Alush as staging areas for the difficult trek that led to a rather easy transit to Rephidim. coming out of this difficult pass they were attacked by the Amalakites who struck at the stragglers in the rear of the group. From here they move to the wilderness of Sinai. This brought them near Mt Sinai where they recieved the law. From this point there are a lot of locations mentioned. Many of them are names only useful to the Hebrew travelers. For example, the first is Kibroth Hattaavah. The name means graves of craving and refers to those who died after eating from the over abundant quail after they complained to God about not having enough meat. The names refer to events or landmarks of interest to the travelers but not associated with other societies or cities.
Wandering through the wilderness they came to Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor on the boundary of Edom. Remember that the Edomites were the children of Esau and were considered family by Israel. God forbid them from interfering with these people. The most likely location for this site is at or near Petra. (If you saw the ancient city in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, then you have seen Petra. It is the city built into the rock by the people of Israel as a stronghold. They came here and Aaron died here 40 years after leaving Egypt. Aaron was 123 years old at the time.
From there they traveled through several more camps until reaching Mt Nebo then to the plains of Moab by the Jordon River and across from the city of Jericho.
They were ordered to drive out the inhabitants of the promised land and destroy all their places of worship and religious Items. I often get strange looks when I praise the Taliban for destroying the Giant Buddhas in the side of the mountain. If Christians followed biblical law they would destroy Idols rather than building museums around them to glorify the “Art”. Appreciating a culture does not require us to study and worship their religious Icons.
From here the final borders of the Promised land are given. You can find a mapping of it on the site I mentioned earlier. This is not all the land of Israel but all the promised land. The Tribes that set up their home on the other side of the Jordan river expanded the territory and Solomon gained control of vast territories beyond the promised borders.
Numbers 33-35
God’s message to me: Capital punishment is not in violation of God’s law. This has been repeated a couple of times now beginning with Cain and Able and being made clear to Noah after the flood. If a man spills the blood of another then that man’s blood will be shed by man. A fancy way of saying that if you kill someone society has the right to have someone kill you. In this passage God clarifies the concept with rules of evidence, degree of the crime and an appeals process.
Promises: Everyone has an inheritance. While the Levites were not given a tribal homeland they were granted cities and common lands within the territory of the other tribes which were under their control as an inheritance. This ensured that representatives of the priesthood and temple workers were available to all the people of the land without having to travel long distances to a central location of the tribe. This land belonged to the tribe of Levi as an inheritance and could not be taken even as the tribal lands of the other tribes belonged to them forever.
Commands: Keep a record. This command applied directly to the people of the time and ensured a written record of events. This record is known as the Bible and, more specific to this instance, the Torah or the first five books of the bible commonly called the books of Moses.
Timeless principles: The court of Appeal for homicide. The crime of homicide includes anything which causes a human being to die as the result of another human beings actions. This is the charge brought against a person who kills an intruder in their home. “Justifiable Homicide” is the finding for police officers and civilians who kill a person in the course of protecting themselves or others. Murder is unjustifiable and intentional homicide. Vehicular manslaughter is criminal killing with a vehicle while vehicular homicide includes accidental killing with a vehicle. These concepts date to the time of the Exodus and beyond.
When a person killed another they could not be convicted without the testimony of at least 2 witnesses. Conviction didn’t necessarily include a court. If there were 2 witnesses to state that a murder had occurred the “avenger of blood”(a family member or other person close to the victim)was duty bound to hunt down and kill the murderer. Someone who killed another would be wise to flee to a city of refuge. The avenger would come to the city council and present the evidence of the killing. The council acted as an appellate court to decide if the killing was an accident or a murder. If they decided accidental then the killer could take refuge in the city to avoid death. If they found him guilty of murder they would turn the killer over to the avenger who would kill him.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Understand that God ensured we would have an accurate written record of these events. Accept that the concept of this being an oral tradition subject to interpretation and mistakes is a lie. Remember that this is God’s word and that God made certain we would have it, in it’s entirety and in accurate form.
Remember that the entire bible, and not selected passages, constitutes God’s view of things. You shall not commit murder doesn’t mean we can’t execute certain criminals or that we should not go to war.
more to learn for in-depth study: Numbers33:2 “Now Moses wrote down the starting points of their journeys at the command of the Lord. And these are their journeys according to their starting point:” I know I harp on this subject a lot but many of the people who were most influential in my youth still believe this is an inaccurate history based on oral traditions. These are people who have been in the church for most of their life and have taught the bible to others. These are people who have been Christians for a very long time and still undermine their own testimony by not knowing the truth. God ordered that this be kept as a written record and Moses wrote it down. There is plenty of archaeological evidence that writing such a cuneiform existed at least from the flood and possibly before. Written accounts of the history that predated Moses were likely to exist, particularly starting with Joseph as the prime minister of Egypt. Even so, The number of generations through which the tradition would have been passed coupled with the number of years each generation had to ensure it’s accurate transmission and combined with the tradition of creating the histories in verse and in songs to ensure accurate memorization minimizes any chance of inaccuracy. Taken with the fact that the bible has proven accurate enough to hold up under legal and historical scrutiny better than any other document of Antiquity and this theory of inaccurate transmission fails completely.
We will go over the path of the Exodus in a separate entry since it will take some time and space I’d rather not waste while preparing the usual study.
Fun Fact: Levite cities existed in every tribal area. These cities were surrounded by a buffer zone of just over 5 1/2 miles that were left to the Levites control. An area stretching to just under 3 miles from the city was considered common land for the Levites to keep their livestock and farms.
tomorrow: Numbers 36
Promises: Everyone has an inheritance. While the Levites were not given a tribal homeland they were granted cities and common lands within the territory of the other tribes which were under their control as an inheritance. This ensured that representatives of the priesthood and temple workers were available to all the people of the land without having to travel long distances to a central location of the tribe. This land belonged to the tribe of Levi as an inheritance and could not be taken even as the tribal lands of the other tribes belonged to them forever.
Commands: Keep a record. This command applied directly to the people of the time and ensured a written record of events. This record is known as the Bible and, more specific to this instance, the Torah or the first five books of the bible commonly called the books of Moses.
Timeless principles: The court of Appeal for homicide. The crime of homicide includes anything which causes a human being to die as the result of another human beings actions. This is the charge brought against a person who kills an intruder in their home. “Justifiable Homicide” is the finding for police officers and civilians who kill a person in the course of protecting themselves or others. Murder is unjustifiable and intentional homicide. Vehicular manslaughter is criminal killing with a vehicle while vehicular homicide includes accidental killing with a vehicle. These concepts date to the time of the Exodus and beyond.
When a person killed another they could not be convicted without the testimony of at least 2 witnesses. Conviction didn’t necessarily include a court. If there were 2 witnesses to state that a murder had occurred the “avenger of blood”(a family member or other person close to the victim)was duty bound to hunt down and kill the murderer. Someone who killed another would be wise to flee to a city of refuge. The avenger would come to the city council and present the evidence of the killing. The council acted as an appellate court to decide if the killing was an accident or a murder. If they decided accidental then the killer could take refuge in the city to avoid death. If they found him guilty of murder they would turn the killer over to the avenger who would kill him.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Understand that God ensured we would have an accurate written record of these events. Accept that the concept of this being an oral tradition subject to interpretation and mistakes is a lie. Remember that this is God’s word and that God made certain we would have it, in it’s entirety and in accurate form.
Remember that the entire bible, and not selected passages, constitutes God’s view of things. You shall not commit murder doesn’t mean we can’t execute certain criminals or that we should not go to war.
more to learn for in-depth study: Numbers33:2 “Now Moses wrote down the starting points of their journeys at the command of the Lord. And these are their journeys according to their starting point:” I know I harp on this subject a lot but many of the people who were most influential in my youth still believe this is an inaccurate history based on oral traditions. These are people who have been in the church for most of their life and have taught the bible to others. These are people who have been Christians for a very long time and still undermine their own testimony by not knowing the truth. God ordered that this be kept as a written record and Moses wrote it down. There is plenty of archaeological evidence that writing such a cuneiform existed at least from the flood and possibly before. Written accounts of the history that predated Moses were likely to exist, particularly starting with Joseph as the prime minister of Egypt. Even so, The number of generations through which the tradition would have been passed coupled with the number of years each generation had to ensure it’s accurate transmission and combined with the tradition of creating the histories in verse and in songs to ensure accurate memorization minimizes any chance of inaccuracy. Taken with the fact that the bible has proven accurate enough to hold up under legal and historical scrutiny better than any other document of Antiquity and this theory of inaccurate transmission fails completely.
We will go over the path of the Exodus in a separate entry since it will take some time and space I’d rather not waste while preparing the usual study.
Fun Fact: Levite cities existed in every tribal area. These cities were surrounded by a buffer zone of just over 5 1/2 miles that were left to the Levites control. An area stretching to just under 3 miles from the city was considered common land for the Levites to keep their livestock and farms.
tomorrow: Numbers 36
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Numbers 31-32
God’s message to me: Ask and it shall be given. When the Children of Gad and Reuben saw the lands they had just conquered on the way into the promised land they recognized their value for raising cattle and sheep. These two tribes were the primary ranchers of the nation of Israel and asked to be given this land rather than seeking other land in the promised land. Moses warned them against repeating the sin of their parents in hiding in fear from those living in the promised land.
These Israelites saw the opportunity to build a home base. They could leave their flocks and herds secured on ranches in this region and let their families enjoy the protection of homes and cities here while they went into the promised land to fight with the rest of the Israeli army. Their willingness to continue fighting beside their brothers to take the inheritance promised by God, allowed them to receive what they asked for. In doing so they provided a secure base of operations to the Israelites during the initial forays and expanded the territory which would eventually belong to their nation. They Expanded the border and reinforced it with their presence while making good use of suitable land that would otherwise have been abandoned and, potentially taken by enemies later.
Promises: God will give you victory and When He is standing with you no one can stand against you. After the war with the Midianites the Israelites found that none of the soldiers they sent to war had been killed. Everyone had returned home in victory. This was something of a pattern which continues today. as the Enemies of God’s Chosen People come against their tiny nation they are repeatedly beaten back and overwhelmed by a much smaller and less prepared Israeli Army.
I give all due credit to the Israeli intelligence and military structures but, most of the major wars of Modern Israel began when the bulk of those forces were on holiday at home and the military was completely out of place for proper defense. Out manned, out gunned, out sized, outmaneuvered and overwhelmed they nevertheless ended these wars in absolute victory with control over large portions of the invading countries territory. They managed these victories in a matter of days in most cases and within a handful of weeks at most.
Commands: You can’t conquer sin and then bring it’s source into your home. Give God the glory and honor for your victories. And, ask for what you desire. It is God’s pleasure to fulfill your desires and he only withholds those things if He has better for us waiting or if they will be harmful for us.
Timeless principles: There is nothing wrong with pity and mercy but it can go to far. The Israelites killed every Midianite inclined to war but saved the women and children. This is merciful and caring but, the women were a major cause of the sin that brought them to war in the first place and many of the children were already indoctrinated into the lifestyle that had led to the war. As for the separation of the girls, I can only say that young ladies were not seen as much of an influence. Subject to the head of household they did not appear to hold influence.
Then as now, women were a major influence on society. Reading though the scriptures you will find one story after another of how the women made major differences in outcomes. Stealing and concealing idols, influencing decision, taking actions and convincing their husbands to do so. For good or ill women made major changes in the course of history. Sarah giving Abraham her handmaid, Rachel and Leah giving Jacob their maids, Rebeka driving Jacobs deception of his father, Eve offering Adam the apple and so much more yet to come. Historical persons may not have seen women as powerful or influential but the writers of the bible certainly saw what these women could and did do to influence events.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: look past the superficial view of political correctness and humanistic ethics and you can see the truth of what was done in biblical times. While this superficial view has lead to a lot of man made doctrines which enjoy broad support, the rule of the majority can never outweigh the rule of God.
Women are subject to their husbands but that doesn’t make them weak or ineffective. War kills a lot more than just soldiers but, that isn’t always evil. The spoils of war is one of the oldest traditions and, that tradition leads to prosperity so long as those spoils don’t include things which will lead us into the sin of the enemy. Frankly, the subject of war could lead to several long articles so I think I will leave it to readers to bring their opinion to this discussion. I only ask that your opinion be backed by scripture.
more to learn for in-depth study: Sterilization. When bringing home spoils of ware they had to be cleaned. Anything capable of surviving fire was put through fire and the rest was scrubbed thoroughly in water to clean away anything that might have been brought back with it. It’s not hard for modern eyes to recognize sterilization techniques.
The revenge against the Midianites seems harsh. Look at the middle east today. There are a number of documentaries including Obsession: modern Islam’s war against the west which clearly show the problem. Five year old children are taught to hate and to desire martyrdom through Jihad and suicide bombing. boys as young as seven and some younger are given an assault rifle and taught to fight as soon as they are big enough to handle the weapon. The same happens in Africa and even in parts of South America, not to mention Asia. How many times have you heard the stories from veterans of Korea, Vietnam, The Gulf War and others, of children shooting at them or carrying bombs to their camps. How many teenage and, more recently, pre-teen boys and girls will be used as suicide bombers before we understand that war is not and never will be the pleasant, politically correct conflict we want to believe in.
The Geneva conventions convince a lot of people that we can fight a war with rules. There is a basic problem with this theory. Since the conventions were enacted, none of the countries subscribing to them has fought each other. You might say that societies capable of establishing rules for civilized warfare have outgrown their use for warfare. Historians would disagree with me on that point because it hasn’t proven true in the past but it is true that everyone we have fought since then has ignored the Geneva Conventions. Our respect for those rules of warfare has not changed their tactics or their will in the least. Their own moral convictions place no value on the convictions that led to the Geneva Conventions being written.
Fighting within the bounds of the Geneva Conventions isn’t wrong, it is living up to the moral standard we set for ourselves. We must understand; however, that the enemy has no such standard. Their moral standard is completely different and they laugh at our naiveté in following such a code. Whenever you see the opposition leaders cry about our violating Geneva conventions you know what we are doing is effective. They are attempting to undermine our support for the effort by acting offended when most of their troops have never even heard the concept of the conventions. They will break every rule in that book and accuse us of doing so. It is for this reason that Israel, in so many cases, was ordered by God to wipe out the people.
Doing so got rid of the ideology and the resistance. Failure to do so, in most recorded cases, resulted in the Israelites later adopting the ways of the captured people and sinning against God.
The first note in this story is evidence of that. Two key problems with the Midianites were prostitution and idolatry that began with socializing. By bringing the women and children back alive, the Israeli army brought home the very problem they set out to eliminate.
tomorrow: Numbers 33-35
These Israelites saw the opportunity to build a home base. They could leave their flocks and herds secured on ranches in this region and let their families enjoy the protection of homes and cities here while they went into the promised land to fight with the rest of the Israeli army. Their willingness to continue fighting beside their brothers to take the inheritance promised by God, allowed them to receive what they asked for. In doing so they provided a secure base of operations to the Israelites during the initial forays and expanded the territory which would eventually belong to their nation. They Expanded the border and reinforced it with their presence while making good use of suitable land that would otherwise have been abandoned and, potentially taken by enemies later.
Promises: God will give you victory and When He is standing with you no one can stand against you. After the war with the Midianites the Israelites found that none of the soldiers they sent to war had been killed. Everyone had returned home in victory. This was something of a pattern which continues today. as the Enemies of God’s Chosen People come against their tiny nation they are repeatedly beaten back and overwhelmed by a much smaller and less prepared Israeli Army.
I give all due credit to the Israeli intelligence and military structures but, most of the major wars of Modern Israel began when the bulk of those forces were on holiday at home and the military was completely out of place for proper defense. Out manned, out gunned, out sized, outmaneuvered and overwhelmed they nevertheless ended these wars in absolute victory with control over large portions of the invading countries territory. They managed these victories in a matter of days in most cases and within a handful of weeks at most.
Commands: You can’t conquer sin and then bring it’s source into your home. Give God the glory and honor for your victories. And, ask for what you desire. It is God’s pleasure to fulfill your desires and he only withholds those things if He has better for us waiting or if they will be harmful for us.
Timeless principles: There is nothing wrong with pity and mercy but it can go to far. The Israelites killed every Midianite inclined to war but saved the women and children. This is merciful and caring but, the women were a major cause of the sin that brought them to war in the first place and many of the children were already indoctrinated into the lifestyle that had led to the war. As for the separation of the girls, I can only say that young ladies were not seen as much of an influence. Subject to the head of household they did not appear to hold influence.
Then as now, women were a major influence on society. Reading though the scriptures you will find one story after another of how the women made major differences in outcomes. Stealing and concealing idols, influencing decision, taking actions and convincing their husbands to do so. For good or ill women made major changes in the course of history. Sarah giving Abraham her handmaid, Rachel and Leah giving Jacob their maids, Rebeka driving Jacobs deception of his father, Eve offering Adam the apple and so much more yet to come. Historical persons may not have seen women as powerful or influential but the writers of the bible certainly saw what these women could and did do to influence events.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: look past the superficial view of political correctness and humanistic ethics and you can see the truth of what was done in biblical times. While this superficial view has lead to a lot of man made doctrines which enjoy broad support, the rule of the majority can never outweigh the rule of God.
Women are subject to their husbands but that doesn’t make them weak or ineffective. War kills a lot more than just soldiers but, that isn’t always evil. The spoils of war is one of the oldest traditions and, that tradition leads to prosperity so long as those spoils don’t include things which will lead us into the sin of the enemy. Frankly, the subject of war could lead to several long articles so I think I will leave it to readers to bring their opinion to this discussion. I only ask that your opinion be backed by scripture.
more to learn for in-depth study: Sterilization. When bringing home spoils of ware they had to be cleaned. Anything capable of surviving fire was put through fire and the rest was scrubbed thoroughly in water to clean away anything that might have been brought back with it. It’s not hard for modern eyes to recognize sterilization techniques.
The revenge against the Midianites seems harsh. Look at the middle east today. There are a number of documentaries including Obsession: modern Islam’s war against the west which clearly show the problem. Five year old children are taught to hate and to desire martyrdom through Jihad and suicide bombing. boys as young as seven and some younger are given an assault rifle and taught to fight as soon as they are big enough to handle the weapon. The same happens in Africa and even in parts of South America, not to mention Asia. How many times have you heard the stories from veterans of Korea, Vietnam, The Gulf War and others, of children shooting at them or carrying bombs to their camps. How many teenage and, more recently, pre-teen boys and girls will be used as suicide bombers before we understand that war is not and never will be the pleasant, politically correct conflict we want to believe in.
The Geneva conventions convince a lot of people that we can fight a war with rules. There is a basic problem with this theory. Since the conventions were enacted, none of the countries subscribing to them has fought each other. You might say that societies capable of establishing rules for civilized warfare have outgrown their use for warfare. Historians would disagree with me on that point because it hasn’t proven true in the past but it is true that everyone we have fought since then has ignored the Geneva Conventions. Our respect for those rules of warfare has not changed their tactics or their will in the least. Their own moral convictions place no value on the convictions that led to the Geneva Conventions being written.
Fighting within the bounds of the Geneva Conventions isn’t wrong, it is living up to the moral standard we set for ourselves. We must understand; however, that the enemy has no such standard. Their moral standard is completely different and they laugh at our naiveté in following such a code. Whenever you see the opposition leaders cry about our violating Geneva conventions you know what we are doing is effective. They are attempting to undermine our support for the effort by acting offended when most of their troops have never even heard the concept of the conventions. They will break every rule in that book and accuse us of doing so. It is for this reason that Israel, in so many cases, was ordered by God to wipe out the people.
Doing so got rid of the ideology and the resistance. Failure to do so, in most recorded cases, resulted in the Israelites later adopting the ways of the captured people and sinning against God.
The first note in this story is evidence of that. Two key problems with the Midianites were prostitution and idolatry that began with socializing. By bringing the women and children back alive, the Israeli army brought home the very problem they set out to eliminate.
tomorrow: Numbers 33-35
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Numbers 27-30
God’s message to me: God ordained and regulated the rules of inheritance. Not everyone has something to pass on to the next generation but, it is proper to try and preserve an estate for your heirs.
Promises: God does not leave us without guidance. Joshua was appointed to succeed Moses and Eleazar was appointed to succeed Aaron. Moses spoke with God directly but no one else did. In order to ensure continued communication in a world where the Torah had just barely been completed with the book of the law and the rest of the bible was not available, the Priest carried the Urim and Thummim. This is a simple tool of divining answers and most believe it implies a draying of lots or, essentially, a coin flip yielding simple yes or no answers. Properly used by the high priest this would reveal God’s view on a subject.
Taken with other references we can see that drawing lots(like drawing straws) was a typical way of determining God’s will for those who were not prophets. This is sensible doctrine as Christ tells us to test the spirits and there are repeated references to testing God’s calling in the bible. Simple things like laying out a wool fleece and asking God to keep it dry in the morning dew or to soak it and leave the ground dry around it as a yes or no.
Commands: God’s commands don’t change with circumstances. He ordered holidays and feasts as the Israelites traveled in the wilderness and reiterated them before they entered the promised land so that the Israelites wouldn’t think they could stop the sacrifices and holy days just because they had finally been given a permanent home.
Timeless principles: Leaving a legacy to our heirs allows our family to continue growing in prosperity through the generations. It’s also important to pass on the values we practice so that our descendants will act in the same manner for their heirs.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Continue to follow God’s commands in good times as well as bad and make an effort to ensure that I have a legacy to pass on to the next generation.
more to learn for in-depth study: God was pretty specific about how he felt an estate should be handled in regard to inheritance. The daughters were expected to share in any inheritance of their husbands so inheritances were expected to go to the sons. If there was no son then the inheritance went to the daughter to carry on the family legacy.
If the man had no children then his estate would go to his brothers and if he had no brothers it would go to his uncles. Lacking any of these relatives it would go to the closest living relative. This system ensured the continuation of a family legacy and allowed a continual building of wealth in the family so that God’s people would continue to grow more prosperous.
While everyone seems to have their own ideas on inheritance these days the method laid down in the bible has logical and financial merit for continuing to ensure the prosperity of the family. If we followed this pattern and made an effort to ensure there was something for our heirs to inherit the financial concerns of our families would likely be much less.
tomorrow: Numbers 31-32
Promises: God does not leave us without guidance. Joshua was appointed to succeed Moses and Eleazar was appointed to succeed Aaron. Moses spoke with God directly but no one else did. In order to ensure continued communication in a world where the Torah had just barely been completed with the book of the law and the rest of the bible was not available, the Priest carried the Urim and Thummim. This is a simple tool of divining answers and most believe it implies a draying of lots or, essentially, a coin flip yielding simple yes or no answers. Properly used by the high priest this would reveal God’s view on a subject.
Taken with other references we can see that drawing lots(like drawing straws) was a typical way of determining God’s will for those who were not prophets. This is sensible doctrine as Christ tells us to test the spirits and there are repeated references to testing God’s calling in the bible. Simple things like laying out a wool fleece and asking God to keep it dry in the morning dew or to soak it and leave the ground dry around it as a yes or no.
Commands: God’s commands don’t change with circumstances. He ordered holidays and feasts as the Israelites traveled in the wilderness and reiterated them before they entered the promised land so that the Israelites wouldn’t think they could stop the sacrifices and holy days just because they had finally been given a permanent home.
Timeless principles: Leaving a legacy to our heirs allows our family to continue growing in prosperity through the generations. It’s also important to pass on the values we practice so that our descendants will act in the same manner for their heirs.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Continue to follow God’s commands in good times as well as bad and make an effort to ensure that I have a legacy to pass on to the next generation.
more to learn for in-depth study: God was pretty specific about how he felt an estate should be handled in regard to inheritance. The daughters were expected to share in any inheritance of their husbands so inheritances were expected to go to the sons. If there was no son then the inheritance went to the daughter to carry on the family legacy.
If the man had no children then his estate would go to his brothers and if he had no brothers it would go to his uncles. Lacking any of these relatives it would go to the closest living relative. This system ensured the continuation of a family legacy and allowed a continual building of wealth in the family so that God’s people would continue to grow more prosperous.
While everyone seems to have their own ideas on inheritance these days the method laid down in the bible has logical and financial merit for continuing to ensure the prosperity of the family. If we followed this pattern and made an effort to ensure there was something for our heirs to inherit the financial concerns of our families would likely be much less.
tomorrow: Numbers 31-32
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Numbers 25-26
God’s message to me: Political correctness would tell us that we should be tolerant. It even claims to be a biblical principle. The fact is, that you can not tolerate sin. It’s one thing to be a witness and to even be friends with unbelievers. It is something entirely different to tolerate what you know to be wrong.
Promises: Obedience to God and a willingness to stand up for His principles will lead to His grace, mercy and blessing.
Commands: Do not tolerate sin and do not remain with those who promote it. People often think that, because Christ had dinner with sinners, they can be friends with and hang around unrepentant sinners. This is not the case. Christ came among sinners in order to witness to them and bring them out. Those he kept company with for extended periods were the people who abandoned their old ways and followed Him. Remaining among sin places undo temptation on you and makes it easier to fall into sin.
When Israelites began to join in the sins of the Midianites God sent a plague and killed 24,000 of them. Some left the camp and The son of the High priest killed an Israelite who was openly taking a harlot to his tent along with the harlot. His zeal in putting a stop to this open rebellion against God convinced God to stop the plague. God ordered that they attack the Midianites and drive them off so the temptation would be gone.
Timeless principles: Tolerance leads to acceptance. Whenever the righteous spent time close to those who were not it was not long before they turned against God’s law. Being near Idolaters they began to spend time with them, they accepted invitations to dinner where meat of a sacrifice to Idols was the main course, they followed by worshiping with the idolaters and become idolaters themselves. Prostitution was common among the neighbors so they tolerated it and eventually joined in it.
The old saying says, “if you lie down with dogs you get up with fleas”. This story shows that principle and reminds us why we cannot be tolerant of sin. “hate the sin and love the sinner”. I always get a kick out of people who call me a “homophobe” and then try to accuse me of hypocrisy because I associate with some gay people. I don’t fear homosexuals I just accept that they are directly and unrepentantly violating God’s law. I make no secret of how I feel about their lifestyle. I don’t hang out with them but, inasmuch as our paths cross(one is a neighbor, others I have worked with) I act in a civil and even friendly manner. I am willing to help them when they need it. I do as God would have me do in acting out of Christian love and condemning the sinful lifestyle. This is not phobia and it is not hypocrisy. The same goes for drug addicts and alcoholics and the “dogs” that think sex is a recreational sport with no boundaries.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Do not hang around when others are doing wrong. Don’t tolerate their sin. Call them on it. If they don’t stop walk away from the situation. If they encourage you to join their sin they are not friends they are evil and will bring you down. Get away from them.
more to learn for in-depth study: After their years in the wilderness, a new census was taken. Except for Moses, Caleb and Joshua, all of the people who had been counted in the first census were dead. Only their children remained. Their numbers had grown a little despite the plagues and disasters that had fallen as a result of their rebellions against God.
tomorrow: Numbers 27-30
Promises: Obedience to God and a willingness to stand up for His principles will lead to His grace, mercy and blessing.
Commands: Do not tolerate sin and do not remain with those who promote it. People often think that, because Christ had dinner with sinners, they can be friends with and hang around unrepentant sinners. This is not the case. Christ came among sinners in order to witness to them and bring them out. Those he kept company with for extended periods were the people who abandoned their old ways and followed Him. Remaining among sin places undo temptation on you and makes it easier to fall into sin.
When Israelites began to join in the sins of the Midianites God sent a plague and killed 24,000 of them. Some left the camp and The son of the High priest killed an Israelite who was openly taking a harlot to his tent along with the harlot. His zeal in putting a stop to this open rebellion against God convinced God to stop the plague. God ordered that they attack the Midianites and drive them off so the temptation would be gone.
Timeless principles: Tolerance leads to acceptance. Whenever the righteous spent time close to those who were not it was not long before they turned against God’s law. Being near Idolaters they began to spend time with them, they accepted invitations to dinner where meat of a sacrifice to Idols was the main course, they followed by worshiping with the idolaters and become idolaters themselves. Prostitution was common among the neighbors so they tolerated it and eventually joined in it.
The old saying says, “if you lie down with dogs you get up with fleas”. This story shows that principle and reminds us why we cannot be tolerant of sin. “hate the sin and love the sinner”. I always get a kick out of people who call me a “homophobe” and then try to accuse me of hypocrisy because I associate with some gay people. I don’t fear homosexuals I just accept that they are directly and unrepentantly violating God’s law. I make no secret of how I feel about their lifestyle. I don’t hang out with them but, inasmuch as our paths cross(one is a neighbor, others I have worked with) I act in a civil and even friendly manner. I am willing to help them when they need it. I do as God would have me do in acting out of Christian love and condemning the sinful lifestyle. This is not phobia and it is not hypocrisy. The same goes for drug addicts and alcoholics and the “dogs” that think sex is a recreational sport with no boundaries.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Do not hang around when others are doing wrong. Don’t tolerate their sin. Call them on it. If they don’t stop walk away from the situation. If they encourage you to join their sin they are not friends they are evil and will bring you down. Get away from them.
more to learn for in-depth study: After their years in the wilderness, a new census was taken. Except for Moses, Caleb and Joshua, all of the people who had been counted in the first census were dead. Only their children remained. Their numbers had grown a little despite the plagues and disasters that had fallen as a result of their rebellions against God.
tomorrow: Numbers 27-30
Monday, February 16, 2009
weeks assignments
I'm going to start adding this weeks assignments to the Sunday entry for those who study ahead.
Sunday and Monday are done so I'll start with.
Tuesday: Numbers 25-26
Wednesday: Numbers 27-30
Thursday: Numbers 31-32
Friday: Numbers 33-35
Saturday: Numbers 36
As you can see, we will finish the book of Numbers as we finish the week.
Sunday and Monday are done so I'll start with.
Tuesday: Numbers 25-26
Wednesday: Numbers 27-30
Thursday: Numbers 31-32
Friday: Numbers 33-35
Saturday: Numbers 36
As you can see, we will finish the book of Numbers as we finish the week.
The other resolution
In addition to the problem with my aunt, there is the problem of my weight. While my week had a couple of shortfalls, yesterday was a killer. A fellowship dinner at church, followed by dinner with my family at mom’s house and then more to eat at my mother-in-law’s place. I’m back up to 235.8#. Bummer
The worst part was, multiple deserts at church, and more desert at my mother-in-law’s. Even when you cut your self off at one plate of food, cake+pie+puding+chocolate+more=way to much.
The worst part was, multiple deserts at church, and more desert at my mother-in-law’s. Even when you cut your self off at one plate of food, cake+pie+puding+chocolate+more=way to much.
Numbers 22-24
God’s message to me: No one has power over God. Balak sought to overcome Israel with magic. He tried to hire Balaam to curse them. Balaam heeded the words of God and blessed Israel because God blessed Israel.
Promises: No power can overcome God. Balaam was known by the fact that those he blessed were blessed and those he cursed were cursed. He could not do this without God and he could not do it against God’s will. He was hired to curse Israel but the Holy Spirit made him bless them.
Commands: Follow God’s plan. Balaam was told to go with the men if they came to bring him. Instead he got up early, saddled his donkey and went with them before they asked. God allowed his donkey to see the foolishness of this action while Balaam was still blinded by his own intentions.
Timeless principles: God blesses those who bless Israel and curses those who curse Israel. He also knows what is to come. In addition to blessing Israel Balaam accurately predicted the downfall of several nations that would come against them.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Bless the Nation of Israel.
more to learn for in-depth study: The prophecy Balaam made about the downfall of kingdoms will be fulfilled in coming chapters. Try writing down the kingdoms that were named on a slip of paper and marking them off as their defeat is described.
tomorrow: Numbers 25-26
Promises: No power can overcome God. Balaam was known by the fact that those he blessed were blessed and those he cursed were cursed. He could not do this without God and he could not do it against God’s will. He was hired to curse Israel but the Holy Spirit made him bless them.
Commands: Follow God’s plan. Balaam was told to go with the men if they came to bring him. Instead he got up early, saddled his donkey and went with them before they asked. God allowed his donkey to see the foolishness of this action while Balaam was still blinded by his own intentions.
Timeless principles: God blesses those who bless Israel and curses those who curse Israel. He also knows what is to come. In addition to blessing Israel Balaam accurately predicted the downfall of several nations that would come against them.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Bless the Nation of Israel.
more to learn for in-depth study: The prophecy Balaam made about the downfall of kingdoms will be fulfilled in coming chapters. Try writing down the kingdoms that were named on a slip of paper and marking them off as their defeat is described.
tomorrow: Numbers 25-26
Numbers 19-21
A bad couple of days with far to much running. I am just getting time now to write these blog entries. I would appreciate prayer for my aunt. She had a stroke early on Saturday Morning and has been unresponsive since she got to the Emergency room. For clarity, this woman is one of my mom’s best friends from High School. While not a blood relative she has been like an aunt to me for my entire life. Her name is Linda but we call her “Aunt Steamer” (from a school age nick name that stuck)
God’s message to me: God knows me from birth to death from the very beginning. Aaron and Moses were told to speak to the rock and it would give water. Because they struck the rock instead they were denied entry to the promised land. Miriam's rebellions came earlier and she died in the wilderness. Aaron was the high priest. God warned Him and Moses when he would die so that The holy garments of the priesthood could be taken from him before they were made unclean in his death. His son was given the garments and made High priest before Aaron died so that they people would not be without their priests. (In His role as High Priest, Eleazar would not have been able to approach his fathers corpse or attend the funeral.)
Promises: God will give us victory over our enemies.
When Edom refused them passage Israel went around because Edom is the children of Esau and they are kin.
When the king of Arad came against them and took some of the Israelites captive they promised god they would utterly destroy them if He gave them victory. He told them to go ahead and they not only overcame the king of Arad and his army but they wiped out the kingdom and destroyed it’s possessions so that nothing was left behind.
The Amorites refused them passage and rather than just threatening as Edom did they attacked. God gave Israel the victory and they not only wiped out the Amorites but also took their land and cities as their own. The comfort of buildings and supplies that come with living in a city was afforded the Israelites by conquest rather than having to build their own and all because the king of the land attacked them when they asked to pass through without even asking for water on their journey.
When the king of Bashan came against them God said “Fear Not” and He would deliver them as He delivered the Amorites. Israel wiped out the people and took possession of their lands and buildings and supplies.
Commands: Do Not Be A Complainer. God gave the Israelites one thing after another. Freedom, Health, Food, Water and so on. They continued to complain, even after that proved to be a fatal mistake. The Lord sent snakes to bite them and cause death for their complaints. As noted in John chapter 3, His cure was prophetic. He had Moses make a bronze snake and put it on a pole so that people could look up to the snake and be cured of the snake poison. In the same way we look to the cross and believe in Christ to be saved from sin.
Timeless principles: Forget the odds, forget the dangers, forget what you think you know. Trust God in all things and you cannot lose when acting within His will.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: The idea of utter destruction seems wrong to the politically correct and modern mind. The problem is, that is human thinking and not of God. War is an undesirable thing which even Israel did not enter lightly. Then as now they made peaceful overtures first and resorted to warfare only when the opponent proved they were only interested in war.
Once engaged in war the only means to peace is total victory. As proven in many of our wars this doesn’t always mean killing everyone but, it does mean ending their ability and will to fight. Peace through victory has turned enemies into allies. Peace through negotiation has always resulted in renewed fighting when the sides were able to rebuild their strength. This is a lesson of history that is all to often ignored. There is always someone who thinks you can talk your way out of war. The Historical record shows this has NEVER happened.
Pray for peace until it proves impossible. Pray for victory until you have it. Never back down from a fight against evil. Negotiation is not a viable tool in the wars on crime, terror, or genocide
more to learn for in-depth study: The children of Israel entered Egypt as Royal guests and were reduced to slavery. They left with the wealth of Egypt on their backs and went into the wilderness. Despite their complaining they were given victory after victory. In some cases God desired everything of an enemy destroyed and left behind. In most cases, when forced to fight, God gave them victory over the enemy people and possession of the wealth they left behind. After all this victory and taking all these spoils of war, Israel was rapidly becoming the riches nation on earth while still living a nomadic life of travel.
Fun Fact: Moses put a bronze snake on a pole so that people would be healed when they looked up to it. The modern symbol of medicine is a snake on a pole. Look for it on Doctor’s offices, Hospitals, Ambulances and other medical related items.
tomorrow: Numbers 22-24
God’s message to me: God knows me from birth to death from the very beginning. Aaron and Moses were told to speak to the rock and it would give water. Because they struck the rock instead they were denied entry to the promised land. Miriam's rebellions came earlier and she died in the wilderness. Aaron was the high priest. God warned Him and Moses when he would die so that The holy garments of the priesthood could be taken from him before they were made unclean in his death. His son was given the garments and made High priest before Aaron died so that they people would not be without their priests. (In His role as High Priest, Eleazar would not have been able to approach his fathers corpse or attend the funeral.)
Promises: God will give us victory over our enemies.
When Edom refused them passage Israel went around because Edom is the children of Esau and they are kin.
When the king of Arad came against them and took some of the Israelites captive they promised god they would utterly destroy them if He gave them victory. He told them to go ahead and they not only overcame the king of Arad and his army but they wiped out the kingdom and destroyed it’s possessions so that nothing was left behind.
The Amorites refused them passage and rather than just threatening as Edom did they attacked. God gave Israel the victory and they not only wiped out the Amorites but also took their land and cities as their own. The comfort of buildings and supplies that come with living in a city was afforded the Israelites by conquest rather than having to build their own and all because the king of the land attacked them when they asked to pass through without even asking for water on their journey.
When the king of Bashan came against them God said “Fear Not” and He would deliver them as He delivered the Amorites. Israel wiped out the people and took possession of their lands and buildings and supplies.
Commands: Do Not Be A Complainer. God gave the Israelites one thing after another. Freedom, Health, Food, Water and so on. They continued to complain, even after that proved to be a fatal mistake. The Lord sent snakes to bite them and cause death for their complaints. As noted in John chapter 3, His cure was prophetic. He had Moses make a bronze snake and put it on a pole so that people could look up to the snake and be cured of the snake poison. In the same way we look to the cross and believe in Christ to be saved from sin.
Timeless principles: Forget the odds, forget the dangers, forget what you think you know. Trust God in all things and you cannot lose when acting within His will.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: The idea of utter destruction seems wrong to the politically correct and modern mind. The problem is, that is human thinking and not of God. War is an undesirable thing which even Israel did not enter lightly. Then as now they made peaceful overtures first and resorted to warfare only when the opponent proved they were only interested in war.
Once engaged in war the only means to peace is total victory. As proven in many of our wars this doesn’t always mean killing everyone but, it does mean ending their ability and will to fight. Peace through victory has turned enemies into allies. Peace through negotiation has always resulted in renewed fighting when the sides were able to rebuild their strength. This is a lesson of history that is all to often ignored. There is always someone who thinks you can talk your way out of war. The Historical record shows this has NEVER happened.
Pray for peace until it proves impossible. Pray for victory until you have it. Never back down from a fight against evil. Negotiation is not a viable tool in the wars on crime, terror, or genocide
more to learn for in-depth study: The children of Israel entered Egypt as Royal guests and were reduced to slavery. They left with the wealth of Egypt on their backs and went into the wilderness. Despite their complaining they were given victory after victory. In some cases God desired everything of an enemy destroyed and left behind. In most cases, when forced to fight, God gave them victory over the enemy people and possession of the wealth they left behind. After all this victory and taking all these spoils of war, Israel was rapidly becoming the riches nation on earth while still living a nomadic life of travel.
Fun Fact: Moses put a bronze snake on a pole so that people would be healed when they looked up to it. The modern symbol of medicine is a snake on a pole. Look for it on Doctor’s offices, Hospitals, Ambulances and other medical related items.
tomorrow: Numbers 22-24
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Numbers 16-18
God’s message to me: God makes His choice quite clear. The rod of Aaron was a sign to the people that he and his descendants were to be the priests. God made that choice clear to Aaron by speaking to him directly beginning in Numbers 18:8. While Aaron had been High priest and Done much of the speaking for Moses, God rarely spoke to him directly. God spoke to Moses and Aaron trusted it was God’s word when his brother passed along the message.
Promises: God will not be mocked. He will not allow those he has chosen to lead and to serve Him to be undermined. He will not tolerate the arrogance of those who would take demand positions and authority that do not belong to them. Nor will he allow the humble nature of His servants and their desire to serve others be used to weaken the positions He has given them.
The bible repeatedly calls Moses meek and humble. When others stood against Him, and even threatened his life, he not only tried to appease them but begged God to forgive them and not to harm them. When the leaders among the Levites tried to supplant him as ruler and Aaron as High Priest, Moses pleaded for life. His plea resulted in God granting time for others to get out of the way before He killed the leaders and their followers. When the people of Israel rose up against Moses and Aaron the next day, blaming them for the death of the 250 rebels, God sent a plague that killed 14,000 before Aaron was able to make atonement for their rebellion so that God would stop the plague. While Moses pleaded for their lives, Aaron placed himself in the path of death to protect them.
God chose them to lead. He didn’t allow their servants hearts to undermine them in the face of rebellion. Having a large group of leaders disagree couldn’t take them from their positions. Having the congregation rebel could not remove them. Even the sins they committed in anger or arrogance was not enough to remove them from the job God chose them for. They had to atone for their sins and a later act in anger would keep Moses from entering the promised land but, God would not allow them to be removed from their posts. Unrepented sin and unwillingness to stay in the job God has chosen are the two consistent reasons for public failures of ministries. Some fail when the person takes a job God didn’t intend for them but such failures normally come long before it can become a public spectacle.
Commands: The tithes and some of the offerings are the payment for the priests. They, in turn, offer their tithe to God(in the tabernacle some was as burnt offering)to serve the tabernacle/church. Supporting your church is proper and supporting your pastor/minister/priest is commanded. It is his duty to serve the congregation. Asking him to do so while holding an outside job to feed himself and his family takes from his ministry and is against God’s command.
Timeless principles: People do not want to hear God directly because they can’t ignore him as the do men.
God chooses people to do a job and no one can take them from that job once it is done.
Trying to do so subjects them to God’s wrath.
Rebellion against our spiritual leaders is rebellion against God.
Support your spiritual leaders financially, it is God’s command.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Pay my tithes and offerings and never rebel against the payroll of my pastor. It is God’s command to support the church leader. Stewardship of the building and items dedicated to God’s work is the job of the Pastor hand those who serve as the Levites did. Whether they do the job right is between them and God.
more to learn for in-depth study: At the beginning, God spoke to the people of Israel from the cloud. They fell down in fear and insisted Moses and Aaron speak with Him for them. They claimed to be afraid to hear from Him directly. Like many, they understood that it was easy to discount the words of a man on God’s behalf than to ignore God’s direct words. This first passage reiterates this point.
People ignore their preacher and say “he’s just a man”. They let their bibles gather dust. They ignore their conscience, they do all these things so that they can continue to live as they wish and call it good. They do not want to acknowledge God’s word because, if they do, they have to change. As the Israelites chose Moses to be their spokesman with God, many leave it to their pastors to act as their spokesman. In this way they don’t hear God’s word directly and feel safer in ignoring it. If they read their bible and listened to the Holy Spirit they would be to afraid to continue in their path so, they replace those methods of communication with just listening to their spiritual leaders. Then they ignore them. They act as though they are rebelling against a man when they are rebelling against God.
It is both useful and dangerous to seek a sign. God is more than willing to give proof of His choice but, ignoring that proof becomes more dangerous than ignoring the choice without the proof. God chose Moses and Aaron. The Israelites accepted that choice and begged them to speak with God alone out of fear when they heard His voice directly. When they ignored the choice they made God angry and those who rebelled against the choice died. God gave the sign of Aaron's rod as a warning against further insurrection.
tomorrow: Numbers 19-21
Promises: God will not be mocked. He will not allow those he has chosen to lead and to serve Him to be undermined. He will not tolerate the arrogance of those who would take demand positions and authority that do not belong to them. Nor will he allow the humble nature of His servants and their desire to serve others be used to weaken the positions He has given them.
The bible repeatedly calls Moses meek and humble. When others stood against Him, and even threatened his life, he not only tried to appease them but begged God to forgive them and not to harm them. When the leaders among the Levites tried to supplant him as ruler and Aaron as High Priest, Moses pleaded for life. His plea resulted in God granting time for others to get out of the way before He killed the leaders and their followers. When the people of Israel rose up against Moses and Aaron the next day, blaming them for the death of the 250 rebels, God sent a plague that killed 14,000 before Aaron was able to make atonement for their rebellion so that God would stop the plague. While Moses pleaded for their lives, Aaron placed himself in the path of death to protect them.
God chose them to lead. He didn’t allow their servants hearts to undermine them in the face of rebellion. Having a large group of leaders disagree couldn’t take them from their positions. Having the congregation rebel could not remove them. Even the sins they committed in anger or arrogance was not enough to remove them from the job God chose them for. They had to atone for their sins and a later act in anger would keep Moses from entering the promised land but, God would not allow them to be removed from their posts. Unrepented sin and unwillingness to stay in the job God has chosen are the two consistent reasons for public failures of ministries. Some fail when the person takes a job God didn’t intend for them but such failures normally come long before it can become a public spectacle.
Commands: The tithes and some of the offerings are the payment for the priests. They, in turn, offer their tithe to God(in the tabernacle some was as burnt offering)to serve the tabernacle/church. Supporting your church is proper and supporting your pastor/minister/priest is commanded. It is his duty to serve the congregation. Asking him to do so while holding an outside job to feed himself and his family takes from his ministry and is against God’s command.
Timeless principles: People do not want to hear God directly because they can’t ignore him as the do men.
God chooses people to do a job and no one can take them from that job once it is done.
Trying to do so subjects them to God’s wrath.
Rebellion against our spiritual leaders is rebellion against God.
Support your spiritual leaders financially, it is God’s command.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Pay my tithes and offerings and never rebel against the payroll of my pastor. It is God’s command to support the church leader. Stewardship of the building and items dedicated to God’s work is the job of the Pastor hand those who serve as the Levites did. Whether they do the job right is between them and God.
more to learn for in-depth study: At the beginning, God spoke to the people of Israel from the cloud. They fell down in fear and insisted Moses and Aaron speak with Him for them. They claimed to be afraid to hear from Him directly. Like many, they understood that it was easy to discount the words of a man on God’s behalf than to ignore God’s direct words. This first passage reiterates this point.
People ignore their preacher and say “he’s just a man”. They let their bibles gather dust. They ignore their conscience, they do all these things so that they can continue to live as they wish and call it good. They do not want to acknowledge God’s word because, if they do, they have to change. As the Israelites chose Moses to be their spokesman with God, many leave it to their pastors to act as their spokesman. In this way they don’t hear God’s word directly and feel safer in ignoring it. If they read their bible and listened to the Holy Spirit they would be to afraid to continue in their path so, they replace those methods of communication with just listening to their spiritual leaders. Then they ignore them. They act as though they are rebelling against a man when they are rebelling against God.
It is both useful and dangerous to seek a sign. God is more than willing to give proof of His choice but, ignoring that proof becomes more dangerous than ignoring the choice without the proof. God chose Moses and Aaron. The Israelites accepted that choice and begged them to speak with God alone out of fear when they heard His voice directly. When they ignored the choice they made God angry and those who rebelled against the choice died. God gave the sign of Aaron's rod as a warning against further insurrection.
tomorrow: Numbers 19-21
Friday, February 13, 2009
Numbers 14-15
God’s message to me: God fulfills His promises in His timing. When the time is right we will have what we are promised regardless of the odds. Trying to claim things before He gives them only leads to defeat and pain.
Promises: The bible contains many promises for us. They are ours for the asking and when God decides the time is right they are ours for the taking. We don’t have Him speaking to us from a cloud or a temple but we do have the Bible and prayer to provide us with communication with Him. Seek His guidance through prayer and find His answers in the bible and in the way the bible prescribes.
Commands: Unintentional sin is still sin and must be atoned for. Intentional sin is rebellion against God.
Timeless principles: What God promises He will deliver but claiming something in His name does not help if He has not promised it or has forbidden it. The Israelites changed their minds after complaining against God. They decided they could take the land in God’s name after God had said they could not. They lost their battle and their lives.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Accept and claim what God has promised when it is due. Do not think to claim what is not yours.
more to learn for in-depth study: Every Israelite over the age of 20 except Moses, Aaron, Joshua and Caleb was doomed to die during the 40 years in the wilderness leaving their children to take the land of Canaan. The remaining 10 spies died by plague immediately as an example.
tomorrow: Numbers 16-18
Promises: The bible contains many promises for us. They are ours for the asking and when God decides the time is right they are ours for the taking. We don’t have Him speaking to us from a cloud or a temple but we do have the Bible and prayer to provide us with communication with Him. Seek His guidance through prayer and find His answers in the bible and in the way the bible prescribes.
Commands: Unintentional sin is still sin and must be atoned for. Intentional sin is rebellion against God.
Timeless principles: What God promises He will deliver but claiming something in His name does not help if He has not promised it or has forbidden it. The Israelites changed their minds after complaining against God. They decided they could take the land in God’s name after God had said they could not. They lost their battle and their lives.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Accept and claim what God has promised when it is due. Do not think to claim what is not yours.
more to learn for in-depth study: Every Israelite over the age of 20 except Moses, Aaron, Joshua and Caleb was doomed to die during the 40 years in the wilderness leaving their children to take the land of Canaan. The remaining 10 spies died by plague immediately as an example.
tomorrow: Numbers 16-18
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Numbers 11-13
God’s message to me: Be content with what God has given you. He promises more and He will deliver. It’s even alright to ask for more. Don’t complain about what you have been given and don’t whine. Just picture the kids in the back seat on a trip. “Are we there yet? I’m hungry. I don’t like this food. I wanna go home. I want...” You can’t stand it and neither can God.
Promises: God delivers what He promises. The land of Canaan was as fruitful and plentiful as they had been promised and much, much more.
Commands: Trust God to deliver on His promises. Nothing can stand in the way of something God has promised to you no matter how hard the objective may seem.
Timeless principles: God’s power is limitless and eternal. When Moses asked how God would feed the Israelites enough meat to keep eating for a month he should have shut up and remembered recent history. the plagues of Egypt, parting the sea, manna every morning, quail every night, water from stones and even the burning of some of the complainers near the outskirts of camp were all signs that God could make anything happen that he said He would.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Have confidence in the Lord as Caleb and Joshua did. They saw the bounty of the promised land and wanted to take it, confident God could overcome the obstacles in their way. The rest of the spies saw only the problems and the dangers and decided the bounty was unreachable. Joshua and Caleb were there to see God conquer the obstacles and enjoyed the bounty. The rest were left behind in the wilderness. (OK, I’m reading ahead again, sorry). Just over a year from escape this nation found it’s homeland, then wasted 40 years not going there because they didn’t trust God’s power and promise.
more to learn for in-depth study: Remember what the Israelites had to eat. They were given manna in the morning and quail at night. The standard was about a 2 liter bottle worth of manna per person per day. Quail are small birds but one makes a fair meal for a single person and it wouldn’t be hard to get two. The Israelites were just not allowed to keep any food, including the quail, overnight except what they gathered the day before the Sabbath.
In addition they had their flocks. Given the circumstances it would be bad business to slaughter them wholesale. The need for mobility, manpower concerns, and the lack of a permanent home would require that they not expand the herds to much. There was enough for sacrifices and feasts. God ordained these feasts and the sacrifices and would not leave them without the means to hold them.
Primarily, the Israelites were complaining about variety. As bread goes manna is “good eats” and would be fine for most. I know a lot of people who eat the same white bread for years on end without complaint. Quail could be a bit boring after a while I suppose but, with several ordained feasts involving beef and sheep. there would be variety. They couldn’t farm to get the leeks and other veggies they were used to in Egypt but many grew wild in the land they passed through.
Mostly, the Israelites were just whining. The result was that God gave them what they asked for. So many quail came to the camp that they spread out several miles around the camp and around 3 feet deep. Many who gave into the craving for meat were killed by the plague God sent with it.
RACE RELATIONS: Moses married a black woman.(some say Cushite, others say Ethiopian). His brother and sister spoke out against this interracial marriage and even went so far as to say they didn’t need him because the Lord spoke through them as well. God reminded them that He spoke to Moses directly and allowed him to see Him directly. He did not treat anyone else that way. Anyone with sense would see this as a good reason not to question Moses actions. God punctuated His point by covering Miriam in in leprous sores for a week. For those who wonder why he didn’t treat Aaron the same, consider that Aaron was the high priest. Leaving Aaron intact left the nation, and Miriam, with a priest to tend their needs.
It would be unwise not to see God’s opinion of racial intolerance.
Tomorrow: Numbers 14-15
Promises: God delivers what He promises. The land of Canaan was as fruitful and plentiful as they had been promised and much, much more.
Commands: Trust God to deliver on His promises. Nothing can stand in the way of something God has promised to you no matter how hard the objective may seem.
Timeless principles: God’s power is limitless and eternal. When Moses asked how God would feed the Israelites enough meat to keep eating for a month he should have shut up and remembered recent history. the plagues of Egypt, parting the sea, manna every morning, quail every night, water from stones and even the burning of some of the complainers near the outskirts of camp were all signs that God could make anything happen that he said He would.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Have confidence in the Lord as Caleb and Joshua did. They saw the bounty of the promised land and wanted to take it, confident God could overcome the obstacles in their way. The rest of the spies saw only the problems and the dangers and decided the bounty was unreachable. Joshua and Caleb were there to see God conquer the obstacles and enjoyed the bounty. The rest were left behind in the wilderness. (OK, I’m reading ahead again, sorry). Just over a year from escape this nation found it’s homeland, then wasted 40 years not going there because they didn’t trust God’s power and promise.
more to learn for in-depth study: Remember what the Israelites had to eat. They were given manna in the morning and quail at night. The standard was about a 2 liter bottle worth of manna per person per day. Quail are small birds but one makes a fair meal for a single person and it wouldn’t be hard to get two. The Israelites were just not allowed to keep any food, including the quail, overnight except what they gathered the day before the Sabbath.
In addition they had their flocks. Given the circumstances it would be bad business to slaughter them wholesale. The need for mobility, manpower concerns, and the lack of a permanent home would require that they not expand the herds to much. There was enough for sacrifices and feasts. God ordained these feasts and the sacrifices and would not leave them without the means to hold them.
Primarily, the Israelites were complaining about variety. As bread goes manna is “good eats” and would be fine for most. I know a lot of people who eat the same white bread for years on end without complaint. Quail could be a bit boring after a while I suppose but, with several ordained feasts involving beef and sheep. there would be variety. They couldn’t farm to get the leeks and other veggies they were used to in Egypt but many grew wild in the land they passed through.
Mostly, the Israelites were just whining. The result was that God gave them what they asked for. So many quail came to the camp that they spread out several miles around the camp and around 3 feet deep. Many who gave into the craving for meat were killed by the plague God sent with it.
RACE RELATIONS: Moses married a black woman.(some say Cushite, others say Ethiopian). His brother and sister spoke out against this interracial marriage and even went so far as to say they didn’t need him because the Lord spoke through them as well. God reminded them that He spoke to Moses directly and allowed him to see Him directly. He did not treat anyone else that way. Anyone with sense would see this as a good reason not to question Moses actions. God punctuated His point by covering Miriam in in leprous sores for a week. For those who wonder why he didn’t treat Aaron the same, consider that Aaron was the high priest. Leaving Aaron intact left the nation, and Miriam, with a priest to tend their needs.
It would be unwise not to see God’s opinion of racial intolerance.
Tomorrow: Numbers 14-15
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Numbers 8-10
note: by the beginning of chapter 9 the children of Israel have been out of Egypt for about a year. They are about to celebrate the Passover feast. The book of Numbers is good for showing God is precise about timing and numbers but, it isn’t written in chronological order. Thus chapter one discusses events in the second month of the second year and then chapter 9 discusses events in the first month of the same year.
God’s message to me: Following God’s command and worshiping as He commands is not dependent on location or even “cleanness”. Just as the Israelites would celebrate Passover wherever they were and regardless of being ceremonially unclean, we can attend church, worship God, and keep the Sabbath even on vacation or when traveling for business. God doesn’t demand we come with a clean and sinless heart. He wants to show us what needs cleaned so we will confess our sin to Him and be forgiven. It is when we are home and ready and still do not worship and fellowship as we are commanded, that God takes offense.
Promises: We don’t have to be home to worship and we don’t have to wait until we are perfect before coming to God.
Commands: God called the Israelites to celebrate the Passover. Failing to do so was sin. God has called us to worship and to keep the fellowship of the saints. Failing to do so is sin.
Timeless principles: Executive action requires organization. Chapter 9 gives a new rule regarding religious celebrations for travelers and the ritually unclean. It also establishes that the Israelites made camp and kept camp as long as the pillar of smoke and fire in which God traveled was over the tabernacle. Chapters 1-4 established organization. It numbered the people and established where each group was to camp. It set rules for how they would move and the specific jobs of certain groups. Combined with the trumpet calls of chapter 10 this organization allowed the children of Israel to move quickly and efficiently and to know what was expected of them when with a lot of running around and passing messages.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: As a truck driver I used to look for truck stops with a truckers chapel or transport to a local church on Saturday nights so that I could attend services on Sunday morning. When I delivered in the Atlanta area I attended church with a friend who lived in the area. On vacation, my wife and I look for a church we can attend for regular services.
On my honeymoon, my wife and I discovered a nice little church near the beach in Ocean City. We learned from members that the church had moved to a larger facility farther inland a couple of years before but kept the seaside building open and continued having services there so that vacationers would be easily able to find a church to attend.
There are other ways to maintain your worship, and to help others do so, including television evangelists. I have mentioned the ones I use in my own life as suggestions.
more to learn for in-depth study: Levites served from 25 years old to 50 years old in the work. This included setting up, taking down and carrying the temple and the items in it. After 50 they could minister but they were no longer allowed to “work”. In other words the physical labor parts of the job were left to those best suited to it physically and the Lord did not allow those too young or too old to be put into that service.
The bugle calls were once the mainstay of commanding an army in the field. Before radio communications became common and allowed detailed command to small units and individuals on the battlefield, soldiers learned bugle calls, short musical pieces, which told them what to do and when. Each call equated to a different command, wake up, rest, make camp, break camp, charge, march, and so on. Special calls could be established to initiate tactical movements so that the enemy wouldn’t recognize the calls. This system is established for Israel in chapter 10 with senior priests being given the job of delivering trumpet calls to command the nation of Israel.
Whenever the camp of Israel was on the move the Tabernacle was taken down and the Ark of the Covenant moved out. When the Ark was moved Moses would say:
“Rise up, O Lord!
Let Your enemies be scattered,
And let those who hate You flee before you.”
When ever it rested as they made camp he would say:
“Return, O Lord,
To the many thousands of Israel.”
tomorrow: Numbers 11-13
God’s message to me: Following God’s command and worshiping as He commands is not dependent on location or even “cleanness”. Just as the Israelites would celebrate Passover wherever they were and regardless of being ceremonially unclean, we can attend church, worship God, and keep the Sabbath even on vacation or when traveling for business. God doesn’t demand we come with a clean and sinless heart. He wants to show us what needs cleaned so we will confess our sin to Him and be forgiven. It is when we are home and ready and still do not worship and fellowship as we are commanded, that God takes offense.
Promises: We don’t have to be home to worship and we don’t have to wait until we are perfect before coming to God.
Commands: God called the Israelites to celebrate the Passover. Failing to do so was sin. God has called us to worship and to keep the fellowship of the saints. Failing to do so is sin.
Timeless principles: Executive action requires organization. Chapter 9 gives a new rule regarding religious celebrations for travelers and the ritually unclean. It also establishes that the Israelites made camp and kept camp as long as the pillar of smoke and fire in which God traveled was over the tabernacle. Chapters 1-4 established organization. It numbered the people and established where each group was to camp. It set rules for how they would move and the specific jobs of certain groups. Combined with the trumpet calls of chapter 10 this organization allowed the children of Israel to move quickly and efficiently and to know what was expected of them when with a lot of running around and passing messages.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: As a truck driver I used to look for truck stops with a truckers chapel or transport to a local church on Saturday nights so that I could attend services on Sunday morning. When I delivered in the Atlanta area I attended church with a friend who lived in the area. On vacation, my wife and I look for a church we can attend for regular services.
On my honeymoon, my wife and I discovered a nice little church near the beach in Ocean City. We learned from members that the church had moved to a larger facility farther inland a couple of years before but kept the seaside building open and continued having services there so that vacationers would be easily able to find a church to attend.
There are other ways to maintain your worship, and to help others do so, including television evangelists. I have mentioned the ones I use in my own life as suggestions.
more to learn for in-depth study: Levites served from 25 years old to 50 years old in the work. This included setting up, taking down and carrying the temple and the items in it. After 50 they could minister but they were no longer allowed to “work”. In other words the physical labor parts of the job were left to those best suited to it physically and the Lord did not allow those too young or too old to be put into that service.
The bugle calls were once the mainstay of commanding an army in the field. Before radio communications became common and allowed detailed command to small units and individuals on the battlefield, soldiers learned bugle calls, short musical pieces, which told them what to do and when. Each call equated to a different command, wake up, rest, make camp, break camp, charge, march, and so on. Special calls could be established to initiate tactical movements so that the enemy wouldn’t recognize the calls. This system is established for Israel in chapter 10 with senior priests being given the job of delivering trumpet calls to command the nation of Israel.
Whenever the camp of Israel was on the move the Tabernacle was taken down and the Ark of the Covenant moved out. When the Ark was moved Moses would say:
“Rise up, O Lord!
Let Your enemies be scattered,
And let those who hate You flee before you.”
When ever it rested as they made camp he would say:
“Return, O Lord,
To the many thousands of Israel.”
tomorrow: Numbers 11-13
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Numbers 6-7
God’s message to me: Bless others and be blessed.
Promises: God blesses those who ask. He brings blessing on those who others request it for.
Commands: Bless others. Pray God’s blessings on those you are responsible for. You know that God knows your needs before you do and yet you also know He wants you to pray for those needs. the same is true of blessings. He longs to bless us but it is our prayer for blessings that brings Him to action. While the bible mentions those who pray to be blessed themselves with no negative comment, it most often mentions praying for others to be blessed. It specifically places the job on the priests and the fathers. We are to bless our children and our ministers are to bless their congregation. This is their duty.
Timeless principles: Has someone done something for you that you felt they should be blessed for? Pray God’s blessings on them. God promises to pour out His blessings upon those whom you have blessed in His name. Doing so encourages good things as more people will pray those blessings on you as they feel you deserve. We have gotten out of the habit of blessing others in prayer and in our speech. Imagine the power our churches would have if we simply blessed people when they did something we are thankful for or proud of. Then if we continued to pray for God’s blessings on those people. Imagine the power of a church full of people under God’s abundant blessing.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Add “God bless you” to “Thank You” and mean it. Pray for those blessings on those around us.
more to learn for in-depth study: The offerings of the tribes were matching. Each tribal leader brought a platter, a bowl, and a pan representing the tribe and filled with offerings of grain and incense for the temple. The also brought a burnt offering, a sin offering, and a peace offering for their tribe. These were used to provide final sanctification of the temple for all the tribes.
The Nazirite Vow: A Nazerite has nothing to do with the vine. He doesn’t use wine, vinegar, grapes, raisins, grape juice, grape seed oil, grape seeds, or anything similar to these things. He doesn’t cut any hair on his body during the duration of the vow. He won’t go near a dead body even for the funeral of his closest relative or friend. A sudden death near him will be treated as starting the vow over again.
The Nazirite vow is a vow of separation for a time. The Nazirite sets himself apart from society for a specific purpose for a specific time to be in the service of God. This was a vow of holiness and Nazerites must be careful not to defile themselves physically, spiritually or ritually during the time of the vow. Even the routine things that others take for granted are forbidden to a Nazerite. They cannot tend to a sick loved one, attend a funeral, be near things that might defile them. This is why a Nazerite vow is , normally, set for a specific time period.
BENEDICTION: The Lord commanded Moses to teach Aaron and his sons to bless the children of Israel. He taught them a benediction which is commonly spoken over the congregation in Jewish services and which Christian pastors are learning to use in closing a sermon. It is something Christians are wise to emulate so that the congregation will be further blessed of God. Like prayer, God already knows all but, He acts on our speaking it to Him.
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you;
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”
tomorrow: Numbers 8-10
Promises: God blesses those who ask. He brings blessing on those who others request it for.
Commands: Bless others. Pray God’s blessings on those you are responsible for. You know that God knows your needs before you do and yet you also know He wants you to pray for those needs. the same is true of blessings. He longs to bless us but it is our prayer for blessings that brings Him to action. While the bible mentions those who pray to be blessed themselves with no negative comment, it most often mentions praying for others to be blessed. It specifically places the job on the priests and the fathers. We are to bless our children and our ministers are to bless their congregation. This is their duty.
Timeless principles: Has someone done something for you that you felt they should be blessed for? Pray God’s blessings on them. God promises to pour out His blessings upon those whom you have blessed in His name. Doing so encourages good things as more people will pray those blessings on you as they feel you deserve. We have gotten out of the habit of blessing others in prayer and in our speech. Imagine the power our churches would have if we simply blessed people when they did something we are thankful for or proud of. Then if we continued to pray for God’s blessings on those people. Imagine the power of a church full of people under God’s abundant blessing.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Add “God bless you” to “Thank You” and mean it. Pray for those blessings on those around us.
more to learn for in-depth study: The offerings of the tribes were matching. Each tribal leader brought a platter, a bowl, and a pan representing the tribe and filled with offerings of grain and incense for the temple. The also brought a burnt offering, a sin offering, and a peace offering for their tribe. These were used to provide final sanctification of the temple for all the tribes.
The Nazirite Vow: A Nazerite has nothing to do with the vine. He doesn’t use wine, vinegar, grapes, raisins, grape juice, grape seed oil, grape seeds, or anything similar to these things. He doesn’t cut any hair on his body during the duration of the vow. He won’t go near a dead body even for the funeral of his closest relative or friend. A sudden death near him will be treated as starting the vow over again.
The Nazirite vow is a vow of separation for a time. The Nazirite sets himself apart from society for a specific purpose for a specific time to be in the service of God. This was a vow of holiness and Nazerites must be careful not to defile themselves physically, spiritually or ritually during the time of the vow. Even the routine things that others take for granted are forbidden to a Nazerite. They cannot tend to a sick loved one, attend a funeral, be near things that might defile them. This is why a Nazerite vow is , normally, set for a specific time period.
BENEDICTION: The Lord commanded Moses to teach Aaron and his sons to bless the children of Israel. He taught them a benediction which is commonly spoken over the congregation in Jewish services and which Christian pastors are learning to use in closing a sermon. It is something Christians are wise to emulate so that the congregation will be further blessed of God. Like prayer, God already knows all but, He acts on our speaking it to Him.
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you;
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”
tomorrow: Numbers 8-10
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