Family, Government

How Did Jehovah Organize His People?

I will start out by humbly admitting that I have never yet done a detailed study of the book of Numbers. I am positive there is a lot of symbolism to be found and appreciated for those who conduct such a detailed study. I anticipate I will do so at some point.

As the Lord arranged His people and their army, He did so with emphasis placed on keeping them in their family groups. He did not mix them all up into one batch and try to make them all homogeneous (without variation), though they all served Jehovah. There is a natural and God-intended structure within family. It helps to drive familiarity and to some degree a hierarchy of leadership. Of course this presupposes the whole family is serving the Lord. It has been observed and leveraged for military conflicts for many centuries that the parts of the army fight better and support one another better and maintain higher morale when the units have a lot in common. I can think of quite a few examples in the US Civil War, where military units were organized by city, region, or state.

The same is true as I think and apply it to leadership of nations. Many pursue one world government, or globalism, as if that is inherently good. It is not. When Jesus returns to rule the earth… that is going to be an awesome one world government. It will not, however, work well so long as man is trying to run it. More power to the individual nations to address the needs and desires of its people is better than more centralized power led by men.

I can drill down and apply the same principle again to the government within the United States. More power to the states and much less concentrated in a bloated, inefficient federal government would be good and consistent with the government which was first established upon the Christian faith of our founding fathers of the US. Let the government that rules over the people be of the people being governed and represent their common interests, even while serving a broader, often unified purpose with other states or nations.

Numbers 2

Arrangement of the Camps

     1Now the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2“The sons of Israel shall camp, each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers’ households; they shall camp around the tent of meeting at a distance. 3“Now those who camp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the standard of the camp of Judah, by their armies, and the leader of the sons of Judah: Nahshon the son of Amminadab, 4and his army, even their numbered men, 74,600. 5“Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar, and the leader of the sons of Issachar: Nethanel the son of Zuar, 6and his army, even their numbered men, 54,400. 7“Then comes the tribe of Zebulun, and the leader of the sons of Zebulun: Eliab the son of Helon, 8and his army, even his numbered men, 57,400. 9“The total of the numbered men of the camp of Judah: 186,400, by their armies. They shall set out first.

      10“On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben by their armies, and the leader of the sons of Reuben: Elizur the son of Shedeur, 11and his army, even their numbered men, 46,500. 12“Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Simeon, and the leader of the sons of Simeon: Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, 13and his army, even their numbered men, 59,300. 14“Then comes the tribe of Gad, and the leader of the sons of Gad: Eliasaph the son of Deuel, 15and his army, even their numbered men, 45,650. 16“The total of the numbered men of the camp of Reuben: 151,450 by their armies. And they shall set out second.

      17“Then the tent of meeting shall set out with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps; just as they camp, so they shall set out, every man in his place by their standards.

      18“On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim by their armies, and the leader of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud, 19and his army, even their numbered men, 40,500. 20“Next to him shall be the tribe of Manasseh, and the leader of the sons of Manasseh: Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, 21and his army, even their numbered men, 32,200. 22“Then comes the tribe of Benjamin, and the leader of the sons of Benjamin: Abidan the son of Gideoni, 23and his army, even their numbered men, 35,400. 24“The total of the numbered men of the camp of Ephraim: 108,100, by their armies. And they shall set out third.

      25“On the north side shall be the standard of the camp of Dan by their armies, and the leader of the sons of Dan: Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, 26and his army, even their numbered men, 62,700. 27“Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Asher, and the leader of the sons of Asher: Pagiel the son of Ochran, 28and his army, even their numbered men, 41,500. 29“Then comes the tribe of Naphtali, and the leader of the sons of Naphtali: Ahira the son of Enan, 30and his army, even their numbered men, 53,400. 31“The total of the numbered men of the camp of Dan was 157,600. They shall set out last by their standards.”

      32These are the numbered men of the sons of Israel by their fathers’ households; the total of the numbered men of the camps by their armies, 603,550. 33The Levites, however, were not numbered among the sons of Israel, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. 34Thus the sons of Israel did; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so they camped by their standards, and so they set out, every one by his family according to his father’s household.

The concept of a ‘melting pot’ where people of all different beliefs are blended together is not a Christian concept and is sure to mix pagan beliefs with Christianity resulting in a flawed reflection of Christianity indeed. Blending different beliefs (ones that are distinctly non Christian) most certainly does not make us better or stronger in God’s eyes.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Interceding for Others, Suffering / Adversity

Pray for Those Affected by Hurricane Harvey

People are hurting. There is much tragedy and loss in the Texas/Louisiana area associated with Hurricane Harvey and the intense flooding that came with it. Lives have been lost, homes and businesses have been washed away. Rebuilding physically as well as emotionally will take people years and some may not complete the journey to recovery.

Let our prayers as followers of Christ be for these people who have been impacted by the storm and flooding. Pray not only for physical relief and rebuilding but also for spiritual growth. The more people can turn to the Father through Christ and draw near to Him, the more solid their foundation for their lives will become. Then they will be better positioned to withstand much hardship when it comes and still recover and appreciate the joy and peace they find in Christ.

Matthew 7:24-29

 The Two Foundations

     24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26“Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27“The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

      28When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; 29for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

Let us pray for the Spirit to move in the lives of those affected by the storm and flood. Pray for physical and emotional recovery but also for spiritual growth. I pray God would use this tragedy to bring people to Him so that as a result of some suffering in this life, they may find everlasting peace and joy walking with Him.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Consequences of Sin, Faith / Trusting God, Interceding for Others, Obeying God, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

Numbers Alone Will Not Grant Victory

The power is not in numbers, but in the God we serve. Numbers alone will not grant victory. Israel had over 600,000 military aged men in the wilderness at Sinai. Yet their victory only came through obedience to God and their greatest failures came through disobedience to God. Let us take care not to put our faith in our military, no matter how strong. Rather put our faith in our God no matter what the situation… big or small.

I think we can also reflect on the leadership challenge that Moses faced through his time leading God’s people. Over 600,000 military aged men… plus women and children all in a wilderness environment without any infrastructure of governance. God led them rather than a formal government devised by men. Moses was His prophet and conduit to speak to the people.

Numbers 1

The Census of Israel’s Warriors

      1Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2“Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, every male, head by head 3from twenty years old and upward, whoever is able to go out to war in Israel, you and Aaron shall number them by their armies. 4“With you, moreover, there shall be a man of each tribe, each one head of his father’s household. 5“These then are the names of the men who shall stand with you: of Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur; 6of Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai; 7of Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab; 8of Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar; 9of Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon; 10of the sons of Joseph: of Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud; of Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur; 11of Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni; 12of Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai; 13of Asher, Pagiel the son of Ochran; 14of Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel; 15of Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan. 16“These are they who were called of the congregation, the leaders of their fathers’ tribes; they were the heads of divisions of Israel.”

      17So Moses and Aaron took these men who had been designated by name, 18and they assembled all the congregation together on the first of the second month. Then they registered by ancestry in their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, head by head, 19just as the LORD had commanded Moses. So he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai.

      20Now the sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war, 21their numbered men of the tribe of Reuben were 46,500.

      22Of the sons of Simeon, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, their numbered men, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war, 23their numbered men of the tribe of Simeon were 59,300.

      24Of the sons of Gad, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war, 25their numbered men of the tribe of Gad were 45,650.

      26Of the sons of Judah, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war, 27their numbered men of the tribe of Judah were 74,600.

      28Of the sons of Issachar, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war, 29their numbered men of the tribe of Issachar were 54,400.

      30Of the sons of Zebulun, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war, 31their numbered men of the tribe of Zebulun were 57,400.

      32Of the sons of Joseph, namely, of the sons of Ephraim, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war, 33their numbered men of the tribe of Ephraim were 40,500.

      34Of the sons of Manasseh, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war, 35their numbered men of the tribe of Manasseh were 32,200.

      36Of the sons of Benjamin, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war, 37their numbered men of the tribe of Benjamin were 35,400.

      38Of the sons of Dan, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war, 39their numbered men of the tribe of Dan were 62,700.

      40Of the sons of Asher, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war, 41their numbered men of the tribe of Asher were 41,500.

      42Of the sons of Naphtali, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war, 43their numbered men of the tribe of Naphtali were 53,400.

      44These are the ones who were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, with the leaders of Israel, twelve men, each of whom was of his father’s household. 45So all the numbered men of the sons of Israel by their fathers’ households, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war in Israel, 46even all the numbered men were 603,550.

Have you placed your faith in the Lord? or do you put your faith in your country and its military or police or people? Let us always look to the Lord for governing and delivering victory. Let us obey Him and praise Him and glorify Him! Pray for our nation to turn to God wholeheartedly and away from the wickedness of man. We will not stand long as a nation if we reject God and His instructions.

Without God’s blessing, no country will achieve greatness. With His curse, no country can stand.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Father / Yahweh, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Hope, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Protector / Deliverer

The Source of Our Inexpressible Joy

As believers, we truly have a glorious hope which can provide joy within us, even through difficult times. In day to day living, I find it easy to lose sight of that hope and that joy which comes from it. Of course we all need the Spirit to live fully in the joy of the Lord through this life.

1 Peter 1:3-9

     3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 8and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

I am asking the Lord to fill me with this joy and to help me remember this glorious hope as I go throughout my day to day living… so that even the hard times would not smother the joy within. I encourage you to pray for the same in your life.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassionate, Grace / Forgiveness, Holy / Set Apart, Obeying God, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Purposeful / Intentional, Thankfulness

Serve Him In Joy Rather Than Guilt or Obligation

There are times when we may feel an emotional desire to dedicate our lives, the lives of our family, and / or property to the service of the Lord. It appears to have been somewhat common in Israel, perhaps associated with gratitude for some healing or blessing or to ask for such healing during tough times. Perhaps someone just moved with joy to dedicate their lives to the Lord. We can conclude from Leviticus 27, however, that people may have had second thoughts after the emotions passed or settled down a bit. God gave Moses a set of rules for redeeming such things or persons that had been consecrated to God so that people could have a way to still honor God, but exit the formal dedication / consecration.

As always, our loving Father is wise. He does not want anyone to feel trapped into serving Him, but rather to do so willingly on a continuing basis. He does not want a single point in time commitment to be driving us to serve Him out of guilt or obligation. He wants us to serve Him continually out of love… always in free choice to submit to Him and love Him or not.

Leviticus 27

Rules concerning Valuations

     1Again, the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When a man makes a difficult vow, he shall be valued according to your valuation of persons belonging to the LORD. 3‘If your valuation is of the male from twenty years even to sixty years old, then your valuation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 4‘Or if it is a female, then your valuation shall be thirty shekels. 5‘If it be from five years even to twenty years old then your valuation for the male shall be twenty shekels and for the female ten shekels. 6‘But if they are from a month even up to five years old, then your valuation shall be five shekels of silver for the male, and for the female your valuation shall be three shekels of silver. 7‘If they are from sixty years old and upward, if it is a male, then your valuation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 8‘But if he is poorer than your valuation, then he shall be placed before the priest and the priest shall value him; according to the means of the one who vowed, the priest shall value him.

      9‘Now if it is an animal of the kind which men can present as an offering to the LORD, any such that one gives to the LORD shall be holy. 10‘He shall not replace it or exchange it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good; or if he does exchange animal for animal, then both it and its substitute shall become holy. 11‘If, however, it is any unclean animal of the kind which men do not present as an offering to the LORD, then he shall place the animal before the priest. 12‘The priest shall value it as either good or bad; as you, the priest, value it, so it shall be. 13‘But if he should ever wish to redeem it, then he shall add one-fifth of it to your valuation.

      14‘Now if a man consecrates his house as holy to the LORD, then the priest shall value it as either good or bad; as the priest values it, so it shall stand. 15‘Yet if the one who consecrates it should wish to redeem his house, then he shall add one-fifth of your valuation price to it, so that it may be his.

      16‘Again, if a man consecrates to the LORD part of the fields of his own property, then your valuation shall be proportionate to the seed needed for it: a homer of barley seed at fifty shekels of silver. 17‘If he consecrates his field as of the year of jubilee, according to your valuation it shall stand. 18‘If he consecrates his field after the jubilee, however, then the priest shall calculate the price for him proportionate to the years that are left until the year of jubilee; and it shall be deducted from your valuation. 19‘If the one who consecrates it should ever wish to redeem the field, then he shall add one-fifth of your valuation price to it, so that it may pass to him. 20‘Yet if he will not redeem the field, but has sold the field to another man, it may no longer be redeemed; 21and when it reverts in the jubilee, the field shall be holy to the LORD, like a field set apart; it shall be for the priest as his property. 22‘Or if he consecrates to the LORD a field which he has bought, which is not a part of the field of his own property, 23then the priest shall calculate for him the amount of your valuation up to the year of jubilee; and he shall on that day give your valuation as holy to the LORD. 24‘In the year of jubilee the field shall return to the one from whom he bought it, to whom the possession of the land belongs. 25‘Every valuation of yours, moreover, shall be after the shekel of the sanctuary. The shekel shall be twenty gerahs.

      26‘However, a firstborn among animals, which as a firstborn belongs to the LORD, no man may consecrate it; whether ox or sheep, it is the LORD’S. 27‘But if it is among the unclean animals, then he shall redeem it according to your valuation and add to it one-fifth of it; and if it is not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your valuation.

      28‘Nevertheless, anything which a man sets apart to the LORD out of all that he has, of man or animal or of the fields of his own property, shall not be sold or redeemed. Anything devoted to destruction is most holy to the LORD. 29‘No one who may have been set apart among men shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death.

      30‘Thus all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S; it is holy to the LORD. 31‘If, therefore, a man wishes to redeem part of his tithe, he shall add to it one-fifth of it. 32‘For every tenth part of herd or flock, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the LORD. 33‘He is not to be concerned whether it is good or bad, nor shall he exchange it; or if he does exchange it, then both it and its substitute shall become holy. It shall not be redeemed.’”

      34These are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses for the sons of Israel at Mount Sinai.

Do not let your commitment to God be driven by a one time commitment and a sense of guilt or obligation. Instead, take time to evaluate your motives in serving Him. Serve Him willingly and out of love and obedience. Serve Him with joy!

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Hope, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing

Is it realistic to find joy in all circumstances?

Scripture can be challenging if we truly recognize and accept the truth within it. Often, scripture highlights even to followers of Christ our failure to fully live out the life God intends . It becomes a choice of acknowledging we need to change, through God’s power, or justifying our shortcomings by redefining what scripture teaches so we feel more comfortable remaining the way we are.  Human nature is to rationalize that we are not wrong or in need of change, but rather to redefine our perception of what scripture means. However, this is not what God intends.

One such example I confront in my own life is that of living through each moment filled with joy, even in tough situations. It is easy to compare myself to others, or to my former self prior to walking with Christ, and both of these can help me feel better about myself, but they are the wrong measure. The true measure is indeed the Spirit of God and how we compare to His revelation in scripture. Consider Philippians 4.

Philippians 4:4-7

   4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

It is easy to rationalize that perhaps He does not really mean “always”. What about those tough times when things aren’t going my way?

James 1:2-4

    2Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Acts 16:22-25

     22The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. 23When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; 24and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

      25But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;

Clearly, God calls us to rejoice even and especially in tough times. If you continue reading in Acts beyond verse 25 you can actually see a dramatic series of events in how God used Paul’s and Silas’ joy in difficult circumstances to His glory.

Yikes! Rejoicing after being beaten and imprisoned for Christ. That is a really high bar. How can we get there? I have tried and made little progress. But it becomes clear to me now, the more I see God’s Spirit at work in me and transforming me. I can not do it of my own power and will, but only God can do it through me with His power.

Romans 15:13

13Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Philippians 4:13

13I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Let us remember to come to God in prayer and supplication and ask Him for His power and His help to transform us so we may glorify Him all the more. Let it never be about our power or our accomplishment, but rather our own submission to and recognition of the Father and Creator of all.

This is one of my prayers before my Father today and I know He will answer it as He has so many others. I encourage you each to pray for Him to transform your life in this way as well.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Blessed, Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Righteous, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Blessings of Obedience or Curse of Disobedience

Many in the USA have become arrogant, giving full credit to man for the success of the nation… even as the moral fabric of our culture continues to rapidly deteriorate around us. They exclude the very obvious presence of God in establishing our nation and the historical facts that document how the founders put together the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the nation itself based on a strong Christian faith. Separation of church and state simply meant the government would not impose a particular sect of Christianity on its people (e.g. Protestantism, Catholicism, etc.). Christianity itself was integrated into their very discussions in government and leadership addresses from the government to the people and the public schools. Monuments of the 10 Commandments were deliberately highlighted. Though they were imperfect for sure, they glorified God and God blessed the founding of the nation.

Today we stand in stark contrast with this image. Much of the nation despises God and rejects Him. Even those who claim Him by name, somehow have bought the lie that He is to be separated from government. As such we leave government to men to lead instead of God and it degrades into larger and larger bureaucracy which takes money from folks and wastes it badly. It expands to have more and more control over the freedom of the individual and state as it was never intended to have. It removes God from more and more of our culture fostering an environment in which wickedness and depravity grow.

There is blessing in obedience to Jehovah and curse in disobedience. Make no mistake about it. Men are not in control, God is.

Leviticus 26

Blessings of Obedience

     1‘You shall not make for yourselves idols, nor shall you set up for yourselves an image or a sacred pillar, nor shall you place a figured stone in your land to bow down to it; for I am the LORD your God. 2‘You shall keep My sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary; I am the LORD. 3‘If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments so as to carry them out, 4then I shall give you rains in their season, so that the land will yield its produce and the trees of the field will bear their fruit. 5‘Indeed, your threshing will last for you until grape gathering, and grape gathering will last until sowing time. You will thus eat your food to the full and live securely in your land. 6‘I shall also grant peace in the land, so that you may lie down with no one making you tremble. I shall also eliminate harmful beasts from the land, and no sword will pass through your land. 7‘But you will chase your enemies and they will fall before you by the sword; 8five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword. 9‘So I will turn toward you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will confirm My covenant with you. 10‘You will eat the old supply and clear out the old because of the new. 11‘Moreover, I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul will not reject you. 12‘I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people. 13‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would not be their slaves, and I broke the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.

Penalties of Disobedience

     14‘But if you do not obey Me and do not carry out all these commandments, 15if, instead, you reject My statutes, and if your soul abhors My ordinances so as not to carry out all My commandments, and so break My covenant, 16I, in turn, will do this to you: I will appoint over you a sudden terror, consumption and fever that will waste away the eyes and cause the soul to pine away; also, you will sow your seed uselessly, for your enemies will eat it up. 17‘I will set My face against you so that you will be struck down before your enemies; and those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when no one is pursuing you. 18‘If also after these things you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. 19‘I will also break down your pride of power; I will also make your sky like iron and your earth like bronze. 20‘Your strength will be spent uselessly, for your land will not yield its produce and the trees of the land will not yield their fruit.

      21‘If then, you act with hostility against Me and are unwilling to obey Me, I will increase the plague on you seven times according to your sins. 22‘I will let loose among you the beasts of the field, which will bereave you of your children and destroy your cattle and reduce your number so that your roads lie deserted.

      23‘And if by these things you are not turned to Me, but act with hostility against Me, 24then I will act with hostility against you; and I, even I, will strike you seven times for your sins. 25‘I will also bring upon you a sword which will execute vengeance for the covenant; and when you gather together into your cities, I will send pestilence among you, so that you shall be delivered into enemy hands. 26‘When I break your staff of bread, ten women will bake your bread in one oven, and they will bring back your bread in rationed amounts, so that you will eat and not be satisfied.

      27‘Yet if in spite of this you do not obey Me, but act with hostility against Me, 28then I will act with wrathful hostility against you, and I, even I, will punish you seven times for your sins. 29‘Further, you will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters you will eat. 30‘I then will destroy your high places, and cut down your incense altars, and heap your remains on the remains of your idols, for My soul shall abhor you. 31‘I will lay waste your cities as well and will make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will not smell your soothing aromas. 32‘I will make the land desolate so that your enemies who settle in it will be appalled over it. 33‘You, however, I will scatter among the nations and will draw out a sword after you, as your land becomes desolate and your cities become waste.

      34‘Then the land will enjoy its sabbaths all the days of the desolation, while you are in your enemies’ land; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. 35‘All the days of its desolation it will observe the rest which it did not observe on your sabbaths, while you were living on it. 36‘As for those of you who may be left, I will also bring weakness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. And the sound of a driven leaf will chase them, and even when no one is pursuing they will flee as though from the sword, and they will fall. 37‘They will therefore stumble over each other as if running from the sword, although no one is pursuing; and you will have no strength to stand up before your enemies. 38‘But you will perish among the nations, and your enemies’ land will consume you. 39‘So those of you who may be left will rot away because of their iniquity in the lands of your enemies; and also because of the iniquities of their forefathers they will rot away with them.

      40‘If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their forefathers, in their unfaithfulness which they committed against Me, and also in their acting with hostility against Me— 41I also was acting with hostility against them, to bring them into the land of their enemies—or if their uncircumcised heart becomes humbled so that they then make amends for their iniquity, 42then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and I will remember also My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham as well, and I will remember the land. 43‘For the land will be abandoned by them, and will make up for its sabbaths while it is made desolate without them. They, meanwhile, will be making amends for their iniquity, because they rejected My ordinances and their soul abhorred My statutes. 44‘Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I so abhor them as to destroy them, breaking My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. 45‘But I will remember for them the covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am the LORD.’”

      46These are the statutes and ordinances and laws which the LORD established between Himself and the sons of Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai.

Pray for revival amongst believers to take back our nation and be a light to the world. Pray for God’s help for believers as individuals and communities to lead that revival by example. Pray for even those who have not before truly known Him to submit to the Lord and seek to honor and glorify Him. Remain active in demonstrating and sharing your faith and influence the communities and government to the best of your abilities to restore Jehovah to His rightful place as the focal point of all we do as individuals, communities and a nation.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Comforter, Depression / Discouragement, Faith / Trusting God, Hope, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Peace / Rest, Promises

A Broken Spirit

Sickness and hardship can be endured, but a broken spirit is devastating. It drains away our hope.

Proverbs 18:14

      14The spirit of a man can endure his sickness,
But as for a broken spirit who can bear it?

There are many difficulties which we can confront and endure, but hope and a strong spirit are necessary to thrive or even survive these situations. Put your hope in Christ and His promises. He will never leave us or forsake us once we wholeheartedly submit to Him.

Hebrew 13:5b-6

5b… for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,”

6so that we confidently say,
“THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID.
WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?”

It sounds cliché, but it is true… there is no hurt too big for God nor any situation which is beyond His ability to handle. Put your faith and trust in Him and ask Him for help.

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discipline / Correction, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Grace / Patience, Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Justice / Judgment, Merciful, Mercy, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin

Balancing Judgment and Mercy

The subject of law and judgment can be a difficult one. We look to Jesus’ example and see immediately a call for grace and forgiveness of the repentant, but we need also recognize that God also gives instructions to hold people accountable for their actions. Sometimes it feels harsh to us, but God is a just God.

The scripture in Leviticus 24 is in the context of responding to a man who cursed God. It is worth considering… if we curse God, He simply lets us bear the burden of our own sin, in accordance with our rejection of Him and His grace and mercy.  The penalty is death.

Leviticus 24:15-16

15“You shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If anyone curses his God, then he will bear his sin. 16‘Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The alien as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

Scripture continues to record additional instruction provided at the time for other crimes along the lines of “an eye for an eye”. We can have a vigorous debate about what we think are the right punishments in balancing “an eye for an eye” with the example of grace and mercy shown by Jesus toward repentant sinners. It is particularly difficult as man is not very good at judging the heart of other men in the genuineness of their repentance, or lack thereof. But we can clearly see that God is showing us that accountability for our actions against others call for accountability and judgment. For many it is only through this accountability and judgment that they will be encouraged not to harm others. It also sets a clear standard and communicates it to the broader population for what is acceptable and will be tolerated… and what is not.

Leviticus 24:17-23

“An Eye for an Eye”

     17‘If a man takes the life of any human being, he shall surely be put to death. 18‘The one who takes the life of an animal shall make it good, life for life. 19‘If a man injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so it shall be done to him: 20fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a man, so it shall be inflicted on him. 21‘Thus the one who kills an animal shall make it good, but the one who kills a man shall be put to death. 22‘There shall be one standard for you; it shall be for the stranger as well as the native, for I am the LORD your God.’” 23Then Moses spoke to the sons of Israel, and they brought the one who had cursed outside the camp and stoned him with stones. Thus the sons of Israel did, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Let us neither dismiss accountability and judgment, nor grace and mercy. If we are to reflect the image of our Father we must harness both in proper balance. Pray for His help in your life personally and to influence our culture and government toward His ways.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Anger (unrighteous anger), Consequences of Sin, Controlling Thoughts, Discipline / Correction, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Fear / Reverence for God, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Justice / Judgment, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Self Control, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Holiness Contrasted with Rebellion and Disrespect

God paints quite a contrast in Leviticus 24 between holiness and rebellion. He wants us to actively focus on keeping relationship with Him all day, every day… just as the Levitical priests were to keep the lights burning continually before Him.  We are not simply called to spend an hour a week in church listening to His word, but rather have a relationship with Him daily. With the temple gone, and the veil which separated us from God now torn open, we are invited through Jesus to be in relationship with the Father directly rather than just indirectly through the priesthood. We are still to spend even more time with Him on Sabbath as the Levitical priests did with the frankincense and bread. As we take a day off from working, we certainly have time to rest and pray and study the word… maintaining and growing our relationship with the Father.

Contrast that with how God deals with those who blaspheme and curse Jehovah. He is not pleased. It is deeply offensive to Him. There is simply no good reason for a godly, obedient person to curse the Father. Sadly, it is common place today in our culture to show complete lack of respect for His holy name. While you will not be stoned for such an infraction today, consider that our Father is just as displeased as He was by such action back in Levitical times.

Leviticus 24:1-16

The Lamp and the Bread of the Sanctuary

     1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Command the sons of Israel that they bring to you clear oil from beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually. 3“Outside the veil of testimony in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the LORD continually; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations. 4“He shall keep the lamps in order on the pure gold lampstand before the LORD continually.

      5“Then you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it; two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. 6“You shall set them in two rows, six to a row, on the pure gold table before the LORD. 7“You shall put pure frankincense on each row that it may be a memorial portion for the bread, even an offering by fire to the LORD. 8“Every sabbath day he shall set it in order before the LORD continually; it is an everlasting covenant for the sons of Israel. 9“It shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place; for it is most holy to him from the LORD’S offerings by fire, his portion forever.”

      10Now the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the sons of Israel; and the Israelite woman’s son and a man of Israel struggled with each other in the camp. 11The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name and cursed. So they brought him to Moses. (Now his mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.) 12They put him in custody so that the command of the LORD might be made clear to them.

      13Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 14“Bring the one who has cursed outside the camp, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then let all the congregation stone him. 15“You shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If anyone curses his God, then he will bear his sin. 16‘Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The alien as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

Pray for our cities, states, nation, and around the world. Pray that people would once again gain a deep respect for Jehovah and put aside rebellion, denial of His existence, and worship of self. As a believer, be a light before men to show them the ways and love of God.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Sharing God's word through devotionals and other resources. Helping you study the Bible and apply it to your life. Helping young children to enjoy the Bible at our Kid Zone.