First Chronicles 7-9

God’s message to me: God has a purpose, plan and place for me. While the genealogies may seem pointless and refer to people we don’t even know, they show the plan that brought great things. While the you may need to check center column references you will see many names you have heard before. Some people were known by other names and, translation sometimes resulted in different spellings over time but, the references can show you the name you are familiar with. You’ll see the line of king Saul, the line of the priests. The line of later kings and other lines to important figures, even prophets.

Promises: God planned things long before we got here. You can see through these genealogies the path that brought high priests and kings into power and provided a place for the prophets. You can see how that plan was developed over generations and began to take shape decades or even centuries before the major players were born.

Commands: Another command for Israel. Take a census every ten years. The US Constitution provides for a census every 10 years based on that command. For us it is a simple count of the population to establish political districts. In Israel it was an exercise in Genealogy. Keep in mind that these were not separate family trees. These are all part of the same family tree going back to Jacob (Israel) for the family of Israel and beyond to Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Esau and others because they are cousins to the brothers of Israel. The relationship of Israel towards Edom and the Ishmaelite was determined by their familial relationship. God commanded Israel not to harass them because they were brothers. Edom and the Ishmaelite weren’t quite as good about recognizing that reason for peace which led to conflict and eventual destruction for them as we will see.

Timeless principles: No matter how much we try to stand out as individuals, our heritage will always be a factor in our lives. Whether we are descended from royalty or rug makers, Whether our families were rich or coal miners, we are a product of our background. Family ties are generally the strongest and determine how we interact with others. Even if we don’t like our family we are stuck with them and the influence us.

How can I apply what I’ve learned: The genealogies become more interesting as we realize how they effected who was king and how different kings were influenced by family loyalties. We’ve seen the line of kings in Israel (Samaria) and Judah (Jerusalem), these genealogies make it easier to understand the family ties that caused people to chose different kings.

more to learn for in-depth study: As the genealogies bring us up to date on where the major players came from we approach the details of stories we already heard. King Saul is the first person we see in the next section and we will flesh out details for a great many more.

tomorrow: First Chronicles 10-12

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

Numbers 4-5

God’s message to me: We are chosen for a specific purpose and in a specific time. Just as the Levites were separated to separate duties during a 20 year period in their life. We have other duties that are more general, applying to everyone who is chosen of God. The Levites took up arms and replaced the guard units on the Sabbath so that the other tribes could celebrate God’s day of rest. All Christians are called to the great commission of spreading the Gospel.

Promises: God has a plan for me. A specific job for a specific time to serve a specific purpose. This makes me unique and special in all the world and it give me a purpose for which I can take pride.

Commands: Do the job that God has for me to do.

Timeless principles: Jealousy has been around a long time and Jealousy without reason has been around just as long. While there is a specific test set here for finding whether a spouse cheated the message is pretty basic. God knows the truth. Leave things in His hands. It’s one thing to know a person cheated but, believing it without cause or evidence is hurtful to the relationship so, God takes responsibility for dealing with the secret sin.

How can I apply what I’ve learned: Do what God commands when he commands it. Many missionaries fight with God over going to the mission field. Many fight harder when it is time to leave the mission field. Some are called to spend their lives in a specific role and others are only called for a specific time. It’s hard to accept when you have a heart for specific service but, sometimes, your time for that service comes to an end.

more to learn for in-depth study: The Levites service was from 30 years old to 50 years old in their duty to carry parts of the temple.

Tomorrow: Numbers 6-7

Exodus chapters 29-30

Sanctify the priests

God’s message to me: God is righteous, holy and just. He cannot abide in the presence of sin. Everything placed before him in the temple had to be consecrated to Him. Cleansed and atoned for then anointed to His service.

Promises: No sin is too great for God to forgive. He has prepared an atonement for our sin and a path to sanctify us to His service.

Commands: That which is meant for God is meant for Him alone. It is not intended for general use by anyone else. Using those things meant for His service and glory in a manner that does not serve and glorify Him is wrong.

Timeless principles: There is an idea I come across pretty regularly. People think that their tithes and offerings can be delayed when they need to use them elsewhere. The idea is that they can always pay it back later. These passages make it clear that these things are meant for God and putting them to other use is wrong. It is difficult to live up to this when the bills are due and the gas prices skyrocket and the kids need new things for school but, Serving God first and foremost will allow God to help you through all the rest.

more to learn for in-depth study: It’s difficult, for us, to understand all the sacrifices and atonement rituals of the Old Testament. God provided rules of atonement and blood sacrifice to atone for the sins of those people. When Christ died on the cross he became the ultimate sacrifice. A sinless man was executed in brutal fashion to make up for all our sins, past, present and future. Because of Jesus Christ, we no longer need all these rituals and devices.

There are some basic principles that still exist today. The Tithes and Offerings we bring to God at our churches are to be used for the maintenance of our church and to provide for our ministers. In later portions of the Old Testament we will see that the temple is neglected as the priests tend their fields and businesses to provide for their families and them selves. This was a result of the failure of the people to bring their offerings to God and thereby support their ministers.

It is true that some churches are small and don’t have the budget to provide for the ministers needs. In this case it is incumbent upon believers, not only to find more ways to support their ministers but, also, to grow the church so that it can better support them. God didn’t call them to a life of poverty and the constant need to find other ways of supporting themselves. He called them to serve Him, teach His word, Lead His people and build His church. God calls the church body to provide for the needs of it’s ministers so that they can concentrate on their jobs.

Your pastors teach the word, manage the church and it’s finances, pray with and tend to the sick, perform your weddings and funerals, lead the prayer ministries, oversee the efforts of the other teachers and workers in the church, and continually go to God in prayer and study to better serve you by serving Him. Is it to much to ask that they have a nice home for their family, good clothes to wear when they are representing God and your church family, Food on their table and provision for the ministries they oversee?

Does your church provide food or supplies to the needy? Does it have outside ministries in the hospitals and prisons? Do they provide Sunday school and other teaching programs? Do they have fellowship meals and socials for the fellowship of the saints? How do you expect these common ministries to be fulfilled if your pastor has to do all that and hold down a full time job to feed his family? How can the church prosper if the pastor is working 40 hours a week to provide for his family and another 40 to keep up the church? When is your minister supposed to spend time with his children?

The most important message here is that we are to support the church and the ministers so that the body of believers can be properly served.