Everyone has a job! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 1:47-51,

"The ancestral tribe of the Levites, however, was not counted along with the others. The Lord had said to Moses: 'You must not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the census of the other Israelites. Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle of the covenant law—over all its furnishings and everything belonging to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they are to take care of it and encamp around it. Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites are to take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall do it.'"

The emancipation of Israel from their enslavement in Egypt was to be followed by their taking of the land of Canaan, the land God promised to their patriarchs. The first chapter in Numbers contains the results of a census the Lord had Moses complete to establish the military strength in terms of troop numbers. This counting only included the men who were over twenty years of age and who were able to serve in the military.

The tribe of Levi was not counted because they had a different task to perform. They were in charge of the "tabernacle of the covenant law". They were responsible for carrying it, setting it up, taking it down, to take care of it and encamp around it.

Everybody had a job, but, not everyone had the same job. Most were conscripted into the military and others were to care for the tabernacle.

I am reminded we all have a job in the kingdom of God. For those of us who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith, Paul says, "Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully." Romans 12:4-8.

As in ancient Israel, everyone has a job, but we all do not have the same job. There is work to do. The time is short and there is much to be done. Find your place, slip into the harness and pull with the rest of us. We are here for a reason. Afterall, God has gifted you for his purposes.

Here is where we find purpose, meaning, fulfillment and satisfaction in our lives.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Numbers and Faith - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 1:45-46,

"All the Israelites twenty years old or more who were able to serve in Israel's army were counted according to their families. The total number was 603,550."

The book of Numbers derives its name from this census of the fighting men as well as a second census we read of in Numbers 26:51, "The total number of the men of Israel was 601,730." The first census was taken near the beginning of Israel's forty year period in the wilderness where the second was of the next generation forty years later.

I take these numbers as literal. It was a count of men 20 years of age and older who could serve in the military (not the older men). The count does not include the tribe of Levi as they were to serve with the tabernacle and not in Israel's fighting force. This means the total group of people (including women, children and the aged) led out of Egypt and through the desert for that forty years was several million. This was no small band of wanderers in the wilderness!

Think of the logistics! This helps us understand the provision of the Lord during Israel's wilderness wanderings: the manna, the quail, the water that came from the rock. These were no small miracles!

It seems to me that the importance of the two countings of fighting men was to show that in spite of Israel's lack of faith in God's ability to enable them to overcome the peoples in the promised land at first (remember the account of the twelve spies?) - they would do just that forty years later with no additional fighting force, the second census being slightly lower than the first.

These numbers become a faith learning tool to help us understand that victory through the Lord resides in his ability, not our resources.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Value of Male Versus Female - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 27:1-7,

"The Lord said to Moses, 'Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "If anyone makes a special vow to dedicate a person to the Lord by giving the equivalent value, set the value of a male between the ages of twenty and sixty at fifty shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel; for a female, set her value at thirty shekels; for a person between the ages of five and twenty, set the value of a male at twenty shekels and of a female at ten shekels; for a person between one month and five years, set the value of a male at five shekels of silver and that of a female at three shekels of silver; for a person sixty years old or more, set the value of a male at fifteen shekels and of a female at ten shekels."'"

I can't help but notice that the value of a vow is different if what was dedicated was a person - depending on gender. The males had a much higher value than the females. Was the Lord indicating he thought more highly of the male gender than the female as persons?

 This is reminiscent for me of the difference placed on male babies versus female, Leviticus 12:2-5, "A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her monthly period. On the eighth day the boy is to be circumcised. Then the woman must wait thirty-three days to be purified from her bleeding. She must not touch anything sacred or go to the sanctuary until the days of her purification are over. If she gives birth to a daughter, for two weeks the woman will be unclean, as during her period. Then she must wait sixty-six days to be purified from her bleeding." A woman was considered "unclean" for twice as long if she had a female baby as was if she had a male.

While I still don't have an answer about the difference in the period of uncleanness of the mother following birth based on the gender of the baby (some find it in the circumcision of the male baby-- in that, of course, the female does not undergo it), the purpose of establishing the relative value of a dedication of a male being higher than a female seems to me to be seen in verses 17-18 where the relative value of a field is discussed, "If they dedicate a field during the Year of Jubilee, the value that has been set remains. But if they dedicate a field after the Jubilee, the priest will determine the value according to the number of years that remain until the next Year of Jubilee, and its set value will be reduced."

It appears to me the difference between the value of the dedication to the Lord of a male versus female is based on earning potential. If the relative value of a field is based on the time the vow of a field is made relative to the year of jubilee, then it was relative to how many harvests were involved-- earning potential. Clearly, in those  days, the earning potential of male versus female was substantial.

In any event, God is not a misogynist. He loves us all and he sent his Son to pay the ransom price for male and female alike. He suffered and died for women as much as men. I am reminded of the famous passage, "So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Galatians 3:26-29.

How wonderful is that?!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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No Buy Back - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 27:29,

"No person devoted to destruction may be ransomed; they are to be put to death."

This chapter discusses how something or someone that was devoted to the Lord could be redeemed back from a dedication as well as what could not be redeemed. In an earlier reflection I provided this thought:

"Bob Deffinbaugh, at bible.org, describes the 'vows' discussed in Leviticus 27 as 'a kind of "credit card" act of worship.' A promise to worship God at a future time by giving something as a person, an animal, a house, an inheritance, land, etc. Something promised to God, to be provided in the future. The reason for the delay in delivering on what was offered is that the worshiper, motivated by gratitude for something God had done or provided them, was unable to provide what was offered at the time and so makes a vow to provide it later. What is discussed in this chapter refers to voluntary gifts folks promised to God and now have reconsidered.

"Recognizing the regret that many may have over having rashly vowed something to the Lord in the heat of a moment, direction here is provided as to how what was vowed might be redeemed back by the worshiper. In the above example of a house, a fifth of the value is to be added to the value of the house if the owner wanted to 'un-vow' it, to 'buy back' his vow to the Lord. In this way the house could be redeemed without harm to the fickle worshiper."

However, we read in the above verse that a person "devoted to destruction" could not be ransomed or redeemed back - he was to be put to death. The NIV makes the comment on this verse as to what devoted to destruction means, "The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them." Does that mean someone could "devote" their spouse they were unhappy with, or the local tax collector and have them put to death? No.

Ellicott's commentary on this verse is as follows, "It is, however, supposed that this Awful vow of banning [the "devoting" in this instance] could only be exercised on notorious malefactors and idolaters as dangerous to the faith of the Israelites, that it could not be made by any private individual on his own responsibility, and that when such cases occurred the community or the Sanhedrin carried out the ban as an act of judicial necessity, thus showing it to be 'most holy unto the Lord.' Accordingly, Leviticus 27:28-29 treat of two different cases. The former regulates objects 'banned unto the Lord,' which differs from the vow of dedication discussed in Leviticus 27:2-8 only in so far that it is unredeemable, whilst Leviticus 27:29 regulates the banning enacted by the law itself (Exodus 22:19), or pronounced by the court of justice on a man who is irretrievably to be put to death."

On this verse John Gill says, "And of either, or of all of these, may the words be understood, and not as they are by some, as if Jewish parents and masters had such a power over their children and servants to devote them to death, or in such a manner devote them, that they were obliged to put them to death; for though they had power in some cases to sell, yet had no power over their lives to take them away, or to devote them to death, which would be a breach of the sixth command, and punishable with death; even a master that accidentally killed his servant did not escape punishment; nay, if he did him any injury, by smiting out an eye, or a tooth, he was obliged to give him his freedom, and much less had he power to take away his life, or devote him to destruction. Some have thought, that it was through a mistaken sense of this law, that Jephthah having made a rash vow sacrificed his daughter, ( Judges 11:30-39 ) ; but it is a question whether he did or not."

Gill also points out the persons devoted to destruction would be idolaters and blasphemers (see Exodus 22:20 and Leviticus 24:10-23), or the Canaanites the Lord himself "devoted", "Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy (the same word as "devoted" in Leviticus 27:29) all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys."

I've got some moles in my yard I would like to "devote" to the Lord...

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Gotta Serve Somebody! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 26:12-13,

"I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high."

This chapter provides something of a conclusion to the laws the Lord gave Moses. Nothing colored in soft pastels in this chapter. Both the frightful warnings of failing to obey the Lord's laws and the astonishingly wonderful rewards he promises in keeping them are provided in big bright and bold strokes.

In verses 12-13 the Lord  reminds Israel that he is God and is to be their God. He reminds them that he was the one who brought them out of slavery, removed the yoke from their necks and enabled them to "walk with heads held high." Now that he has freed them from slavery in Egypt, they are to serve the Lord now through the laws he has provided them.

Freeing the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt brings to mind another type of bondage the Lord frees us from. "But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." Romans 6:17-18.

Just as the Lord freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt to serve him in the promised land, he frees us today from our own sinful natures to serve him in righteousness.

Just as the old Bob Dylan song, "Gotta Serve Somebody", the refrain is "But you're going to have to serve somebody, yes indeed you're going to have to serve somebody." Where he says we either serve the devil or the Lord, Paul in Romans talks about it in reference to our own sinful nature or the Lord.

Stay in slavery to our own sinful nature or be set free to serve the Lord in freedom from it? (Along with all the amazing benefits of an enduring inheritance that brings!) 

It's our choice!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Foreigners and Strangers - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 25:23,

"The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers."

In this chapter the Lord told Moses that Israel was to observe a sabbath year every seven years. The land was not to be cultivated and harvested but to have a rest. Additionally, following seven "sabbath years" (forty-nine years), there was to be a year of "jubilee" where land, if it had been sold, was to be returned to the clan from whom it was bought.

Consequently, when the promised land was divided among the various tribes and clans within those tribes it would remain, over the long term, in sync with what was originally allocated during its original distribution. It was never to be permanently conveyed.

As a result, when fields might be bought and sold, what was actually on the table were the harvests. If the year of jubilee had just previously been observed, the land would be much more valuable than if jubilee was coming up in the next few years. The price of the land would reflect where on the calendar the last jubilee took place and when the next one was due to arrive relative to the time of sale.  Every forty-nine years the land was to be returned to the clan it was distributed to when Israel took possession of it from the Canaanites.

The reason for this is that the land was not to be Israel's property. It would belong to the Lord and Israel simply resided on it "as foreigners and strangers." The Lord was their landowner - interesting, isn't it?

I am reminded of something the writer of Hebrews observed about the great patriarchs of faith, "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place [Canaan - the land Israel would later take possession of] he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." Hebrews 11:8-10.

The writer of Hebrews goes on to say, "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." Hebrews 11:13-16.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Jesus Christ: The Light of the World - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 24:1-4,

"The Lord said to Moses, 'Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually. Outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps before the Lord from evening till morning, continually. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. The lamps on the pure gold lampstand before the Lord must be tended continually.'"

As the Lord gave instructions to Moses on the tabernacle, he said that Aaron was to keep the lamps on the golden lampstand lit continually with clear olive oil the people provided for the purpose. The lampstand was situated in the tabernacle, but in front of the veil that separated the holy place (where the incense altar and table for the bread of presence were located) from the most holy place (where the ark of the covenant was located).

The Lord required light for his tabernacle and it brings to mind Paul's doxology to Timothy, "... God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen." 1 Timothy 6:15-16.

Keeping the lamp lit continually also brings to mind Jesus' statement about himself, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12. Consistent with this statement is how he claimed to be the fulfillment of the famous prophecy in Isaiah 9:1-2,

"Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
    the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
    Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people living in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
    a light has dawned." Matthew 4:15-16.

We also read about how Jesus Christ will light up the sky from one end to the other when he returns at his second coming, "For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other." Luke 17:24.

The apostle John made a fascinating comment about Jesus as light, "In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John [the Baptist]. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God..." John 1:4-12.

Jesus Christ: the light of the world!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Bread of the Presence, The Bread of Life - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 24:5-9,

"Take the finest flour and bake twelve loaves of bread, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf. Arrange them in two stacks, six in each stack, on the table of pure gold before the Lord. By each stack put some pure incense as a memorial portion to represent the bread and to be a food offering presented to the Lord. This bread is to be set out before the Lord regularly, Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant. It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in the sanctuary area, because it is a most holy part of their perpetual share of the food offerings presented to the Lord."

Here is a part of the instructions the Lord gave Moses for setting up the tabernacle and the worship that was to take place there. This passage speaks of the showbread or, "bread of the presence". 12 loaves, made with 7 pounds of flour each were to be stacked on the table situated for that purpose in the tabernacle. Two stacks of six each. The 12 loaves are thought to be a reference to the 12 tribes of Israel.

The bread was to be exchanged with fresh bread on each sabbath, with the older loaves shared among the priests to be consumed on the tabernacle premises. Historical records of Israel indicate a bit of a ceremony that was followed when the bread was changed each week, with the result that there was never a minute when bread was not present before the Lord.

I can't help but think of Jesus Christ as I read of these loaves. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." John 6:35. He explained that he was the "bread" that God the father had sent from heaven that gives life to the world, verse 33. In verse 51 he further explained, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

When Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples (the last supper), we read, "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.'" Matthew 26:26. This speaks of the spiritual reality that when we embrace Jesus Christ in faith, we partake of his body that gave he up on the cross, paying the penalty for our sins--  creating the opportunity for us to have that payment for sin credited to our account with the Father.

Jesus Christ: the Bread of Life

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Fixing our Hearts and Minds on Jesus Christ - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 23:2,

"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.'"

The Lord gave Israel seven festivals for their calendar in this chapter. He begins his direction to Moses of these by repeating his instructions regarding the seventh day of each week: keep the sabbath, "a day of sacred assembly", verse 3.

While these festivals find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ and point to him, I am convinced an additional purpose for them was to facilitate their mindfulness of the Lord, their focus on the Lord. These feasts and the weekly sabbath remembrance of the Lord ("it is a sabbath to the Lord", verse 3) should have provided them opportunity to focus on the Lord, to set aside time for their mindfulness of him, to set their hearts and minds on him.

Since mankind's fall in the garden of Eden, man has lived without the visual presence of God before him. We don't see God's immediate presence and we often do not live our lives as though we were existing in his presence. As astonishing as it may seem, we need reminders. Even us believers today!

We see this underscored in Paul's teaching about the Lord's supper. He quotes Jesus saying, "Do this in remembrance of me", 1 Corinthians 11:24 and 25.

Paul tells us to set our hearts and minds on Jesus, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-2. He encouraged the Corinthian believers by his example, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18.

The writer of Hebrews reminds us as well, "Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest." Hebrews 3:1. He also encourages us, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." Hebrews 12:1-2.

Peter also encourages us to focus our attention on the Lord and the great hope we have in him, "Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming." 1 Peter 1:13.

I know I need all the help I can get to fix my heart and mind on Jesus Christ at times. As bewildering as it is, given all he has done for me, I can zoom along through periods of the day apart from acknowledging his presence in my life and the wonderful hope I have in him: all the wonderful riches of the lavish inheritance he has so graciously and generously bestowed upon us!

I do believe the calendar of festivals the Lord provided Israel was, in part, to help in this regard.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Leave the Gleaning for the Needy! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 23:22,

"When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the Lord your God."

After the reminder of the fourth commandment, to keep the sabbath rest, chapter 23 of Leviticus provides for seven festivals for the Jewish calendar:

Passover (Pesach), verse 5.
Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMatzah), verses 6-8.
Firstfruits (Bikkurim), verses 9-14.
Festival of Weeks (Shavuot), verses 15-21.
Festival of Trumpets (Rosh HaShanah), verses 23-25.
Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), verses 26-32.
Festival of Tabernacles (Sukkot), verses 33-36.

What catches my eye in this chapter is the direction the Lord provides the Israelites as he talks about the Festival of Weeks. He tells Moses that when the Israelites harvested their land, they were not to reap right up to the edge of their fields or go back over their harvested fields to gather what may have been missed (gather the gleanings). They were to leave that for the poor and the foreigners among them.

Probably the best known illustration of this is found in Ruth chapter 2 in a book where a key figure in the account, Boaz, showcases aspects of the heart of the Lord.

This direction to the Israelites speaks to me so much about the heart of our wonderful Lord that provides for those in need. He has care, he has concern for the hungry and needy. He wanted his people known as those who reflected this great quality his - as the people of the Lord. He reminds them at the end of the verse, "I am the Lord your God."

It causes me to be mindful of how I might reflect the Lord's wonderful qualities in my own life. What are those things I can do that point to his wonderful loving and caring heart?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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What is Offered Belongs to the Lord! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 22:1-2,

"The Lord said to Moses, 'Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will not profane my holy name. I am the Lord.'"

In this chapter the Lord explains to Moses his expectations concerning how the priests should regard the things the Israelites brought for offerings. The priests were to perform the offerings on behalf of the people and as the Israelites brought the animals and items to be offered for worship, those were to be treated with respect and honored by the priests. They were to be considered as sacred.

Although portions of the offerings brought by the Israelites were to be consumed by the priests, the priests were to nevertheless handle those offerings in such a way as to recognize they were set apart and dedicated to the Lord himself. Reverence and respect for these offerings was the order of the day and the Lord told Moses how that was to be observed by the priests.

This speaks to me of something in regard to what people of today bring to the Lord. Today people bring their hearts to the Lord by embracing him in faith. As believers they bring offerings of their income, of their time, of their talents. They yield themselves to teaching and training in the Scriptures and find their place in the work of the gospel as the Lord builds his kingdom.

Leaders in the church today should treat all these offerings believers bring as sacred, set apart and dedicated to the Lord. They are to be treated with reverence and respect as these offerings belong to the Lord, not to the local assembly and certainly not to the pastor, elders and other leaders of the congregation.

Peter addresses this in his first letter, "To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ's sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." 1 Peter 5:1-4.

God bless the wonderful leaders in the church today that follow in Peter's footsteps and heed the concepts the Lord provided Moses in Leviticus 22. As for the others, well, something other than "the crown of glory that will never fade away" awaits them.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Bring the Best! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 22:20,

"Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf."

I recall when mission boards would look for donations to send out for the nationals their missionaries served years ago. Clothing, glasses, shoes, etc. It was hoped people would bring in what they no longer needed. Worn clothing, sometimes needing repair. Last year's style - no longer to be worn, clothing that no longer fit, and so on.

I think you can see where I am going with this. The Lord wanted to be honored by the best of what the Israelites had when they brought their offerings to him. After all, what you bring expresses something of the value you place on whose name in which you bring it. Is it going to be junk or is it going to be the best?

I clearly recall a shift when missions finally arrived at asking for new clothing, new supplies, new things that expressed to those being served how valuable the givers found their God to be, in whose name it was given.

When it comes to offering time, treasure and talents, do I bring to the Lord the best or just what is left over?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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What It Means to be Holy - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 21:15,

"I am the Lord, who makes him holy."  

In chapter 21 of Leviticus we read about the direction the Lord gave Moses concerning the comportment of the priests who were to serve at the tabernacle. They were to live "holy" lives. The above observation the Lord made, that he himself made a priest holy, was to underscore the imperative that priests were to only marry a virgin. They were to refrain from taking a wife that had been divorced, a prostitute, a widow - only virgins were suitable for marriage.

What is meant when the Lord says he makes someone holy? What exactly does that mean?

The third definition of "holy" in Merriam-Webster's online dictionary appears to fit best here, "devoted entirely to the deity or the work of the deity". God had chosen Moses' brother Aaron and Aaron's male descendants to serve as priests at the tabernacle. They were the ones who were to offer up sacrifices and offerings on the people's behalf before the Lord. The Lord had set them apart for this responsibility. In this sense the Lord had made them holy. That holiness was to be reflected in the choices the priests made and in the lives they lived.

We read of believers in Hebrews 10:5-10 being made holy, "Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: 'Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, "Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, my God."' First he said, 'Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them'—though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then he said, 'Here I am, I have come to do your will.' He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

Jesus Christ was devoted entirely to the appointment the Father gave him, to offer his own body up as an atonement for all mankind's sins. As the recipients of what Jesus Christ achieved on the cross, we now, as believers, and just as Aaron and his offspring, have been called to be devoted entirely to God and the work of God. It is he who has made us holy. This is both our standing with God and the objective we are to pursue as those who have been made holy by God. 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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About Being Holy - Ruminating in the Word of God

"The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 21:6a,

"They [priests] must be holy to their God and must not profane the name of their God."

The priests serving at the tabernacle worship were to be holy. Holy is a word found eight times relative to them (God calls himself holy once in this chapter, verse 8 and makes reference to the "holy food" offered by the priests, verse 23) in this short chapter of 24 verses that provide instructions for those serving as priests.

God makes them holy, "I am the Lord, who makes him holy", as spoken by God twice, verses 15 and 23, and so they are to comport themselves in a holy way, "They must be holy to their God and must not profane the name of their God." verse 6.

I am reminded that all believers today are considered priests, that he has made us holy and called us to a holy life, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." 1 Peter 2:9-10.

As such, here are a few verses that speak to our holy status before God (he makes all believers holy) and his call to us to comport ourselves in a way that reflects that.

"To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours..." 1 Corinthians 1:2.

"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight." Ephesians 1:4.

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." Ephesians 5:25-27.

"Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation..." Colossians 1:21-22.

"For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life." 1 Thessalonians 4:7.

"He [God] has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace." 2 Timothy 1:9.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Our Non-Evolutionary God - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 20:23a,

"Because they did all these things, I abhorred them."

Here is the ominous statement of God about a region of Gentiles. Because of his abhorrence of them he decided to annihilate them. Yes, our loving God determined to destroy these people in a massive campaign of genocide. These Gentiles were the nations that lived in the land of Canaan. They engaged in practices and behaviors that God described as "detestable", verse 13, "dishonored", verse 11, "a perversion", verse 12, "wicked", verse 14, "a disgrace", verse 17, "an act of impurity", verse 21, etc.

God is not only kind and loving. He is also just and righteous. That which offends his righteous character and nature will be dealt with - one way or another. "'... let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,' declares the Lord." Jeremiah 9:24.

Although Israel failed to wipe them out completely (a disappointment God raised with Israel), God devastated these Gentile nations through Israel's occupation of the land promised to Abraham's offspring. God, the Creator of mankind, made clear his feelings about the issues he raised with Moses and Israel in this chapter by both what he said and what he did.

Fast forward to our day. President Barack Obama announced in May of 2012 that he had "evolved" on same sex marriage. The president, and according to polls at the time, the public mood, had shifted toward embracing same-sex marriage for the nation - solidifying America's embrace of homosexuality.

Does a presidential announcement or polling supersede God's position on the rightness or wrongness of acts he has deemed detestable, dishonorable, perverse, wicked, disgraceful and impure? Who is going to win that argument?

Has God "evolved" on these acts and practices? My Bible informs me that our eternal God never changes. Ever. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8.

Obama may "evolve" - God does not. What may appear to be just news stories in passing - can have grave consequences for us as a people. Our nation's embrace of homosexuality and same-sex marriage will bring conseqences. Afterall, I don't think God is going to apologize to the peoples of Canaan any time soon (like, never!)

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Why God Is Coming to Destroy Us - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 20:22-23,

"Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them."

Here is some important information! God tells Israel he is going to lay waste to a people because they are doing certain things. Israel is to not do these things or they will suffer the same fate. Capital punishment is prescribed for many of these things so that if justice is carried out, if/when anyone does these things the people won't suffer God's wrath.

So, what are these things? Many of them are embodied in the "sexual revolution" of the 60s and 70s (and still active and flourishing today). I put "sexual revolution" in quotes because the term is used for what is more adequately described as really a "sexual rebellion" against God himself: Improper sexual relations.

The homosexual rebellion against God of more recent times is on the list of what God says he will destroy peoples for. "If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads." Leviticus 20:13. We now have embraced homosexuality in our laws and the social norms of our day. In fact it is considered immoral to speak out against homosexuality. People today fear the church might impose its will on the nation if given the chance. It isn't the church people of today need to fear - it is God himself that comes to destroy.

Another reason God destroyed the people of Canaan was their practice of murdering their own helpless children- offering them to a fake God to burn to death in a fire. Today we are more humane in murdering our children. We suck their brains out before they have a chance to make it down the birth canal. Here is what God said, "Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death. The members of the community are to stone him. I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people; for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. If the members of the community close their eyes when that man sacrifices one of his children to Molek and if they fail to put him to death, I myself will set my face against him and his family and will cut them off from their people together with all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molek." Leviticus 20:2-5.

Notice in this passage what God says about those who "close their eyes" when children are murdered.

Certainly not all the inhabitants of Canaan were homosexual. But all faced the wrath of God in Canaan - everyone. Certainly not all the inhabitants murdered their children. But all faced the wrath of God in Canaan - everyone.

Don't tell me God isn't coming to destroy us as a people. Just ask the Canaanites how this works.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Tattoos - Ruminating in the Word of God

"The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 19:28,

"Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord."

I don't care for tattoos. I don't have one and I'm not particularly given to the pop-culture practices that come and go anyway. I also don't have rings or pins or posts or whatever hanging on various parts of my body either. We have enough lemmings amongst us without me contributing.

I suspect we have all seen what some might consider to be the more "tasteful" variety of tattoos as well as the horrific and garish. What I have found odd is that some who would be considered otherwise very attractive marking themselves all up - and not doing their appearance any favors. As one celebrity has said, "You wouldn't put bumper stickers on a Bently, would you?" when asked if she had one.

You might think Leviticus 19:28 would be a great passage to start a biblical movement against tattoos. However, I would be wrong to base an argument against the popular tattoo of our day on this verse. This verse is not about having a military unit tattooed on an arm (or whatever). It is about idolatry.

Here is an observation found at http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/tattoos_culture_leviticus.htm:
"It is widely believed among Biblical scholars that Leviticus 19:28 refers to an ancient practice in the Middle East of people cutting themselves and rubbing in ash when in a period of mourning after an individual had died. It was a sign of respect for the dead and a symbol of respect and reverence and a sense of profound loss for the newly departed; and it is surmised that the ash that was rubbed into the self-inflicted wounds came from the actual funeral pyres that were used to cremate the bodies. In essence, people were literally carrying with them a reminder of the recently deceased in the form of tattoos created by ash being rubbed into shallow wounds cut or slashed into the body, usually the forearms. This rite would have been part of a culturally accepted process of grieving."

Specifically, the law that the Lord gave his people here concerned pagan religious rituals of the peoples that Israel was to destroy as they took possession of the promised land - a tidbit I picked up years ago in studying the background of this prohibition.

And... that is my point. I can't begin to count the many ways I might find myself in error (and have done so!) if I failed to take advantage of the many good volumes on the history, culture, geography, etc. background materials on the Bible available today. Sometimes it makes a difference in how a passage is perceived after understanding the historical and cultural context in which it is found.

Here is an interesting tattoo question: "On his [Jesus Christ's] robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of kings and Lord of lords." Revelation 19:16. Let's just say on his robe his ID is embroidered. On his thigh... is that a tattoo?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Is the Lord My God? ... Is He? - Ruminating in the Word of God

"The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 18:4-5,

"You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the Lord your God. Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord."

Leviticus 18 provides 18 sexual prohibitions. All are from the standpoint of the male gender with the exceptions of verse 23b where a woman is not to "present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion" and verse 6 where the general prohibition is given, "No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the Lord." A prohibition against child sacrifice is also provided in verse 21.

And, yes, homosexuality is condemned as something the Lord considers "detestable", verse 22.

However, we live in a culture where we do not want to be "schooled" in these things by the Lord. We chafe against our sinful desires being prohibited by God who looks into these matters within our lives. I am reminded of Hebrews 4:13, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

While we no longer serve the Lord by law-keeping (Romans 7:6), we nevertheless learn what the Lord's perspective is on such things in these chapters. And, that should matter to those of us who consider ourselves as God's children. The Lord himself emphasizes this point by repeating the theme, "I am the Lord." We read this refrain in verses 2, 4, 5, 6, 21, and 30. The chapter begins with "The Lord said to Moses, 'Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "I am the Lord your God."'" and it ends with "I am the Lord your God."

And, of course, I am challenged with that thought in my own life. Is it true, "I am the Lord your God"? Is he? While I may not be particularly tempted or challenged by any of these prohibitions, I nevertheless face those challenges of pleasing God while still harboring a sinful nature.

If the Lord is my God then these things he has revealed of himself should find expression in my life - including the avoidance of that which he finds detestable.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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What's the Intention? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 17:10-12,

"I [the Lord] will set my face against any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who eats blood, and I will cut them off from the people. For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. Therefore I say to the Israelites, 'None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner residing among you eat blood.'"

One of the hallmarks of sinful man is to take what God has provided us and pervert God's intention for doing so. Here he prohibits the Israelites from eating blood. God says, "I have given it to you" and then he states the reason for it, "to make atonement for yourselves on the altar". Later, in verses 13-14 he says that when an animal is taken for food (and not for the purpose of the tabernacle worship) the blood is to be buried. The blood of an animal was to only be used in offerings and sacrifices or buried.

Here is a prohibition that was continued by apostolic decree at the Jerusalem council in Acts 15:20, 29.

I'm sure we could come up with a lengthy list of things the Lord has provided that sinful man misappropriates or misuses for what God never intended. Sexual pleasure comes to mind here. God wants us to procreate - he is building his kingdom! Look at how sinful man misuses or abuses that (outside the marriage bed). God has given us families and spouses. Look at how sinful man misuses or abuses that. God provides us the ability to provide for ourselves. Look at how sinful man misuses or abuses that. Like I say, I'm sure we could come up with quite a lengthy list here.

I am mindful that when God provides us something, we really ought to consider his purposes in providing it. What it is may be morally neutral, but how we use it just may not be.

On a humorous note, it looks like road-kill is out: "Anyone, whether native-born or foreigner, who eats anything found dead or torn by wild animals must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be ceremonially unclean till evening; then they will be clean." Verse 15. You know who you are...

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Everyone Will Give an Account! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 17:3-7,

"Any Israelite who sacrifices an ox, a lamb or a goat in the camp or outside of it instead of bringing it to the entrance to the tent of meeting to present it as an offering to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord—that person shall be considered guilty of bloodshed; they have shed blood and must be cut off from their people. This is so the Israelites will bring to the Lord the sacrifices they are now making in the open fields. They must bring them to the priest, that is, to the Lord, at the entrance to the tent of meeting and sacrifice them as fellowship offerings. The priest is to splash the blood against the altar of the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting and burn the fat as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols to whom they prostitute themselves."

The last sentence in the above passage indicates the Israelites were at that time currently sacrificing offerings to these "goat" idols (the NIV footnotes "goat idols" as possibly "demons"). This command comes from the Lord as he instructs Moses in the law the Israelites were to keep as their part of the bargain in God's covenant with them.

Those who failed to heed these laws would be "held responsible", verse 16. They would be considered guilty of bloodshed, verse 4, and to be cut off from their people, verses 4, 9 and 14. Those who continued to engage in these sacrifices were considered to be prostituting themselves, verse 7. The Lord said he would set his face against those who ate blood, disobeying his laws given in this chapter and that he himself would cut them off from the people, verse10.

As we continue to read of Israel's history following the giving of the law by the Lord, we see they failed miserably in keeping it. Certainly a part of that failure had to do with a certain lack of fear and reverence for the Lord.

So it is today. People comport themselves in a manner that communicates not just a lack of fear and reverence for the Lord, but an incredible disregard for him. While some may fail to recognize an accounting we will all have to give for ourselves, all will stand in his presence and do just that, "We will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.' So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God." Romans 14:10-12.

Sobering, isn't it?!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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