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 35:34,
"Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the Lord, dwell among the Israelites."
The Lord told the Israelites that because he dwelt among them he had an expectation they would not "defile the land". The context for this was that the Israelites were to keep bloodshed from the land as "Bloodshed pollutes the land", verse 33.
I am reminded that today, the Lord dwells among us believers. In 1 Corinthians 3:16 we read, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst?" We also read in Ephesians 2:19-22, "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."
And, likewise, just as the Lord had an expectation the Israelites observe some things due to his dwelling among them, so he has for us as well. As an example, here is a passage from 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."
"Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the Lord, dwell among the Israelites."
The Lord told the Israelites that because he dwelt among them he had an expectation they would not "defile the land". The context for this was that the Israelites were to keep bloodshed from the land as "Bloodshed pollutes the land", verse 33.
I am reminded that today, the Lord dwells among us believers. In 1 Corinthians 3:16 we read, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst?" We also read in Ephesians 2:19-22, "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."
And, likewise, just as the Lord had an expectation the Israelites observe some things due to his dwelling among them, so he has for us as well. As an example, here is a passage from 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."
We will never hear these kinds of things from the culture and society we live in today. We can only know them by studying the Scriptures.
The Lord dwells among us. Let us treat his dwelling with his satisfaction and comfort in mind.
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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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.
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