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 9:13,
"If anyone who is ceremonially clean and not on a journey fails to celebrate the Passover, they must be cut off from their people for not presenting the Lord's offering at the appointed time. They will bear the consequences of their sin."
After a year in the Desert of Sinai, the Lord told Moses to have Israel celebrate the Passover. Some of them were unable to do so because they had become ceremonially unclean due to a dead body. They approached Moses telling him they wanted to celebrate it at the appointed time.
Moses told them he would raise the issue with the Lord, who told him to have anyone who had become ceremonially unclean or was on a journey at the time to celebrate it the same day the following month. However, anyone who failed to celebrate it on the appointed day (the fourteenth of the month) who was not ceremonially unclean or on a journey would be found disobedient, "They will bear the consequences of their sin." In other words, there were not two different days to celebrate the passover, pick which one you prefer. Only those not capable of celebrating it could do so the following month. The Lord expected obedience.
The reminder of this chapter talks about the obedience of the Israelites in regard to following the Lord as he directed them by the cloud over the tabernacle on when to encamp and when to set out. For me, the theme of this chapter is obedience.
We are called to obedience. We obey the gospel message when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, "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.
We can choose to obey God. If we don't we remain in obedience to our sinful nature, "Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?" Romans 6:16.
Although we often do not consider ourselves as obeying something all the time, we actually do. We either obey our sinful nature, or we obey the gospel message. It is our choice.
"Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:19-23.
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!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"If anyone who is ceremonially clean and not on a journey fails to celebrate the Passover, they must be cut off from their people for not presenting the Lord's offering at the appointed time. They will bear the consequences of their sin."
After a year in the Desert of Sinai, the Lord told Moses to have Israel celebrate the Passover. Some of them were unable to do so because they had become ceremonially unclean due to a dead body. They approached Moses telling him they wanted to celebrate it at the appointed time.
Moses told them he would raise the issue with the Lord, who told him to have anyone who had become ceremonially unclean or was on a journey at the time to celebrate it the same day the following month. However, anyone who failed to celebrate it on the appointed day (the fourteenth of the month) who was not ceremonially unclean or on a journey would be found disobedient, "They will bear the consequences of their sin." In other words, there were not two different days to celebrate the passover, pick which one you prefer. Only those not capable of celebrating it could do so the following month. The Lord expected obedience.
The reminder of this chapter talks about the obedience of the Israelites in regard to following the Lord as he directed them by the cloud over the tabernacle on when to encamp and when to set out. For me, the theme of this chapter is obedience.
We are called to obedience. We obey the gospel message when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, "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.
We can choose to obey God. If we don't we remain in obedience to our sinful nature, "Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?" Romans 6:16.
Although we often do not consider ourselves as obeying something all the time, we actually do. We either obey our sinful nature, or we obey the gospel message. It is our choice.
"Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:19-23.
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!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
No comments:
Post a Comment