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Take Full Vengeance On The Midianites

Some passages are difficult for many to accept and digest fully. Truly these scriptures become more a test of how much we trust the Lord to determine what is right vs. our own opinion and perception of what is right. When we trust the Lord, we seek to increase our understanding of Him and draw nearer to Him as we study scripture. When we trust our own opinions more than Him, we may start to question whether YHWH has made a mistake or question His goodness and righteousness… His perfection.

We should always start our evaluation of scripture based on understanding YHWH is righteous and good and loving, but also holy and just. We should not question these core characteristics of our Creator. Let us question our own understanding  of the difficult scripture and its significance instead of questioning our God.

Numbers 31:1-24

The Slaughter of Midian

     1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Take full vengeance for the sons of Israel on the Midianites; afterward you will be gathered to your people.” 3Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the LORD’S vengeance on Midian. 4“A thousand from each tribe of all the tribes of Israel you shall send to the war.” 5So there were furnished from the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. 6Moses sent them, a thousand from each tribe, to the war, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war with them, and the holy vessels and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand. 7So they made war against Midian, just as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed every male. 8They killed the kings of Midian along with the rest of their slain: Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the five kings of Midian; they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. 9The sons of Israel captured the women of Midian and their little ones; and all their cattle and all their flocks and all their goods they plundered. 10Then they burned all their cities where they lived and all their camps with fire. 11They took all the spoil and all the prey, both of man and of beast. 12They brought the captives and the prey and the spoil to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest and to the congregation of the sons of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan opposite Jericho.

      13Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the congregation went out to meet them outside the camp. 14Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who had come from service in the war. 15And Moses said to them, “Have you spared all the women? 16“Behold, these caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, so the plague was among the congregation of the LORD. 17“Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man intimately. 18“But all the girls who have not known man intimately, spare for yourselves. 19“And you, camp outside the camp seven days; whoever has killed any person and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves, you and your captives, on the third day and on the seventh day. 20“You shall purify for yourselves every garment and every article of leather and all the work of goats’ hair, and all articles of wood.”

      21Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to battle, “This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded Moses: 22only the gold and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin and the lead, 23everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean, but it shall be purified with water for impurity. But whatever cannot stand the fire you shall pass through the water. 24“And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean, and afterward you may enter the camp.”

Will you question YHWH because of this difficult scripture and others like this one? or will you question instead your understanding of YHWH and His instruction instead?

I have included some commentary from Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary for consideration.

31:1-6 All who, without commission from God, dare to execute private revenge, and who, from ambition, covetousness, or resentment, wage war and desolate kingdoms, must one day answer for it. But if God, instead of sending an earthquake, a pestilence, or a famine, be pleased to authorize and command any people to avenge his cause, such a commission surely is just and right. The Israelites could show such a commission, though no persons now can do so. Their wars were begun and carried on expressly by Divine direction, and they were enabled to conquer by miracles. Unless it can be proved that the wicked Canaanites did not deserve their doom, objectors only prove their dislike to God, and their love to his enemies. Man makes light of the evil of sin, but God abhors it. This explains the terrible executions of the nations which had filled the measure of their sins.

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Strive To Enter Through The Narrow Door; Many Will Seek To Enter And Will Not Be Able

Many reject Christ. Many others think they have accepted and follow Him, but He knows them not. They have been fooled by “religion”. They may go to church, donate money, and say “God bless you”, but do not truly submit their lives to Christ. Tragically, when they meet the Lord they will be devastated…

Luke 13:26-28

26“Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; 27and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.’ 28“In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out.

Truly seek the Lord in prayer, Bible study, worship, and quiet time with Him. Do not just go about busy chasing the day to day activities or going through some sort of religious checklist. Look to take the road less traveled in your pursuit of God… the one that appears harder… that requires personal change in your life… requires you to be different than most of those around you in order to be more devoted to Christ.

We are invited to have a personal relationship with our Creator. Don’t miss it!

Luke 13:22-35

Teaching in the Villages

     22And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. 23And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them, 24“Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25“Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ 26“Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; 27and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.’ 28“In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. 29“And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. 30“And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.”

      31Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.” 32And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’ 33“Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem. 34“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it! 35“Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’”

Strive to enter through the narrow door; many will seek to enter and will not be able.

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Those Who Confess Jesus Before Men, He Will Confess Before God

There is nothing we do which is hidden from God. In the end we will face Him for judgment and be held to account for our choices in life. If you are to fear someone, do not fear those who may mock you or hurt you body or even take your life, but instead fear God who has power to cast you in to eternal hell. Yet, do not fear, you are valuable to Him.

Luke 12:1-12

God Knows and Cares

     1Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2“But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 3“Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops.

      4“I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. 5“But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! 6“Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. 7“Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

      8“And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; 9but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10“And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him. 11“When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; 12for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Lord, may we never be ashamed or reluctant to speak of you to others. Let us not deny you before men. Let us not fear men and seek to avoid upsetting them, but rather hold you in great reverence and confess you before men no matter the consequence. Let us seek to please you. May we not be worried about how we speak in our defense but trust in you to teach us what we should say when the time comes.

There are two verses I encourage you to dwell on in prayer. Do not skip over them, as they are important. The first is self explanatory.

8“And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; 9but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

The second is a bit more tricky. What does it mean to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit? If there is a sin which will not be forgiven, then we must certainly want to know what that is!

10“And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.

This verse is worthy of additional time for you to study on your own and pray for the Lord to show you. There is a lot of material out there on it. As I understand it, it is best explained something like the following.

The Holy Spirit calls to us to draw us to God before we choose to submit to God and follow Him as Lord. To blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to continually reject this call as if it is not of God. Thus you remain separate from the Lord by your own ongoing choice.  You can turn toward the Lord and submit to Him and be forgiven at any time.  Don’t take my word for something so important… go forth in prayer and study. Just remember, whatever opinions you hear, test them against the whole of scripture to ensure they are right.

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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.

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The Lord Wants Our Hearts

The Lord wants our hearts. He wants to walk in close relationship to us. This is why He sent Yeshua to die for us when sin entered the world. He wants to make a way to reconcile His people to Him. His desire for His people is not new with the New Testament. He has always looked forward to this reconciliation through Christ. The sacrifices and offerings in the Old Testament simply foreshadow the ultimate sacrificial lamb, Yeshua. They remind people of their sin and that sin is punishable by death. They remind people that they need to repent and come humbly before Jehovah often for forgiveness and reconciliation.

The death of Yeshua is sufficient for all time for all people for all sin. We no longer need sacrifice animals, but rather admit we are sinners in need of a savior, accept Yeshua as our Lord and Savior, repent and believe that Yeshua died for our sin, ask the Lord to forgive us, and repent or change our lives to be more in line with His instructions.

However, we can see through the Old Testament how many times Jehovah emphasized certain holy days for His people. The emphasis was on reconciliation with the Lord and a series of offerings with a range of symbolic meaning (worth studying at least for surface level understanding), and time. Jehovah often called His people to special Sabbath days of rest so they could focus on Him and their relationship with Him rather than remain busy in their every day life. He has not changed His instructions for recognizing Sabbath days, whether they are weekly or associated with specific holy days. To truly honor the Sabbaths that He instructs, allows us time to focus on our relationship with Him and with fellow believers. These are worth celebrating.

Numbers 29

Offerings of the Seventh Month

     1‘Now in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall also have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets. 2‘You shall offer a burnt offering as a soothing aroma to the LORD: one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs one year old without defect; 3also their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, 4and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs. 5‘Offer one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you, 6besides the burnt offering of the new moon and its grain offering, and the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to their ordinance, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.

      7‘Then on the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall humble yourselves; you shall not do any work. 8‘You shall present a burnt offering to the LORD as a soothing aroma: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs one year old, having them without defect; 9and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the one ram, 10a tenth for each of the seven lambs; 11one male goat for a sin offering, besides the sin offering of atonement and the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

      12‘Then on the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work, and you shall observe a feast to the LORD for seven days. 13‘You shall present a burnt offering, an offering by fire as a soothing aroma to the LORD: thirteen bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old, which are without defect; 14and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two-tenths for each of the two rams, 15and a tenth for each of the fourteen lambs; 16and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering.

      17‘Then on the second day: twelve bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 18and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 19and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

      20‘Then on the third day: eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 21and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 22and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.

      23‘Then on the fourth day: ten bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 24their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 25and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering.

      26‘Then on the fifth day: nine bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 27and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 28and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.

      29‘Then on the sixth day: eight bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 30and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 31and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offerings.

      32‘Then on the seventh day: seven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 33and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 34and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering.

      35‘On the eighth day you shall have a solemn assembly; you shall do no laborious work. 36‘But you shall present a burnt offering, an offering by fire, as a soothing aroma to the LORD: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs one year old without defect; 37their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bull, for the ram and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 38and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.

      39‘You shall present these to the LORD at your appointed times, besides your votive offerings and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings and for your grain offerings and for your drink offerings and for your peace offerings.’” 40Moses spoke to the sons of Israel in accordance with all that the LORD had commanded Moses.

I encourage you to pray and study the meanings of the different holy days, offerings as well the designated Sabbath days. Challenge yourself to observe the Sabbath days Jehovah instructed. Your relationship with Him will grow as a result.

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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.

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Look For Where God Is At Work Around Us And Expect To Find Him

John the Baptist was surely a righteous servant of God. In fact, Yeshua said “I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John…”. (Luke 7:28) Yeshua was not offended when John sent disciples to ask if He were the “Expected One”. He simply answered that they should look at the evidence and report back to John.  Yeshua then makes an insightful comment in verse 23, “Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”

Truly there are many who are lost because they take offense at Yeshua, even all the while dismissing the incredible miracles and evidence that prove He is Messiah. They seem to get so focused on what they are expecting or their own world view that they have essentially decided in advance that there is no God or that Yeshua was not Messiah. They are offended that He claims to be God and miss the evidence THAT HE ACTUALLY IS GOD. They look for evidence to support what they believe and ignore the mountain of evidence that could lead them to Him.

Luke 7:18-29

     18The disciples of John reported to him about all these things. 19Summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?” 20When the men came to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, to ask, ‘Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?’” 21At that very time He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind. 22And He answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM. 23“Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”

      24When the messengers of John had left, He began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25“But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who are splendidly clothed and live in luxury are found in royal palaces! 26“But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one who is more than a prophet.

27“This is the one about whom it is written,
‘BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU,
WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.’

28“I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” 29When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they acknowledged God’s justice, having been baptized with the baptism of John. 30But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.

      31“To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like? 32“They are like children who sit in the market place and call to one another, and they say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’ 33“For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ 34“The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35“Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

    36Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, 38and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. 39Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.”

Let us challenge ourselves to be more like John the Baptist rather than the Pharisees. Both acknowledged that God was Lord, but one truly believed and expected Messiah to come. John looked for Messiah and validated by considering evidence. He expected God to be at work around us. The Pharisees said they expected Messiah, but could never bring themselves to consider Messiah might be there with them. They appeared not to expect God actually working among them.

Let us not dismiss the possibility that God is at work around us, but rather look for Him. Seek to genuinely and with discernment understand when, where and how our Lord is at work around us.  When He does reach out to us personally, carefully seek validation in evidence and scripture. Do not automatically dismiss it as coincidence or chance or imagination. Test everything but let the evidence lead you to accept when, where and how God is at work.

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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.

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Walking In Obedience Does Not Mean Everything Is Easy

Do not think that walking in obedience to the Lord will mean that everything is easy and goes smoothly. Expect that others will come against you. Trust in the Lord during conflict to be your “north star” or “compass” to guide you through to the right and obedient path through adversity. Ask the Spirit to guide and support you. But do not think that you are wrong just because others oppose you. The Hebrews were following the Lord in the desert and still came up against opposition from Edom.

Numbers 20:14-22

      14From Kadesh Moses then sent messengers to the king of Edom: “Thus your brother Israel has said, ‘You know all the hardship that has befallen us; 15that our fathers went down to Egypt, and we stayed in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians treated us and our fathers badly. 16‘But when we cried out to the LORD, He heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out from Egypt; now behold, we are at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory. 17‘Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or through vineyard; we will not even drink water from a well. We will go along the king’s highway, not turning to the right or left, until we pass through your territory.’”

      18Edom, however, said to him, “You shall not pass through us, or I will come out with the sword against you.” 19Again, the sons of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, and if I and my livestock do drink any of your water, then I will pay its price. Let me only pass through on my feet, nothing else.” 20But he said, “You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out against him with a heavy force and with a strong hand. 21Thus Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through his territory; so Israel turned away from him.

      22Now when they set out from Kadesh, the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor.

Just to make broader the point, let us look at another example in which Jesus spoke about following Him and what to expect.

Matthew 10:34-39

   34“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35“For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; 36and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.

      37“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39“He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.

Prayerfully pursue a closer relationship with the Lord. Spend time daily in studying the Bible.  Seek to follow and obey faithfully. Do not turn away from the path of obedience when things get tough. Rely heavily on the Lord as your “north star” and “compass” to guide you through, not necessarily around, adversity. Ask the Spirit to help you glorify the Lord as you experience difficulty on the way.

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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.

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Do Not Think That I Came To Abolish The Law

Many say the Law is no longer relevant now that Jesus has come in the flesh and died for us and risen. They declare some elements of God’s instruction invalid and others still valid. They keep “do not steal” but discard “honor the Sabbath”. They rationalize that it is not required “to get into heaven”, so it is optional.

Our salvation is indeed by grace, through faith, and not by works. That has always been true, old or new testament. Noone has ever been good enough. Those before Christ looked ahead and sacrifices of animals were foreshadowing of Messiah. Those of us after Christ in the flesh look back on His sacrifice as the means of reconciliation to God… of forgiveness. In all cases, our repentance is required, not just lip service to the Lord. We are to submit to Him and turn toward His ways. He has provided much instruction for us and none of it is obsolete.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

16All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Keep in mind that when 2 Timothy was written, there was no new testament and thus it referred to the old testament. Further, Jesus had died and risen already. This clearly attests to the value of the old testament even to those of us following Christ after His death and resurrection.

Further, we do not obey the Lord and His instructions to “earn our way into heaven”. What a selfish way of looking at His instructions and what a terrible way to minimize that Christ’s sacrifice was enough for all. We obey the Lord’s instruction because we love Him. It is evidence of our faith.

John 14:15

     15“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

John 14:233-24

23Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24“He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.

Jesus did not make new commandments and instructions different than before and He never spoke out against the scriptures. From start to finish He was raised in the Law and went to Passover and even provided specific instructions that the Law was not going away until the end of the age, not even in a small way. Further, He told His disciples to teach everyone all that He taught them. He did not say, “now that I died and rose again, do this differently… all these things change”. Jesus confirmed it even after He rose from the dead.

Luke 2:39-40

Return to Nazareth

     39When they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. 40The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

Matthew 5:17-19

     17“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 19-20

19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Let us not discard the Law quickly. There are some parts that have been fulfilled such as Jesus sacrifice now nullifying the need for animal sacrifices which used to foreshadow His sacrifice. However, we have been taught to quickly to dismiss far too much of God’s word. Start with the premise that all is good for instruction and study and pray for the Spirit to provide you insight. Do not rely on common church teaching, but on the word of God itself.

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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, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Merciful, Repenting from Sin, Study the Word

Jehovah Provides A Way for Us To Be Cleansed From Our Sin

I will humbly admit that I do not clearly understand the full or intended meaning of Numbers 19. I recognize that my limited understanding of the Jewish people and their culture at the time the events in Numbers 19 occurred probably contributes to this lack of clarity. I do pray the Spirit opens the meaning of the scriptures to me and I take time daily to study, but the depth of the meaning and value in the Biblical text is incredible. It is worth looking hard for the treasure buried within.

I read a few commentaries on Numbers 19 for possible insight. Here are a few thoughts that seem appropriate to share. I encourage each of you to pray as well daily that the Spirit would open up your eyes to the meaning of scripture.

Sin leads to death. Thus, death can be a potent reminder of sin. When the people had to handle people or animals that had died, they were deemed ceremonially unclean. This can remind us that when they sin, it defiles them before God. Further, it is not simply that we become instantly clean again after a particular episode of sinning has ended.   It takes time and it takes some action on our part in accordance with God’s instruction. It also takes the death of another, one without flaw… a perfect one, to cleanse us of our uncleanness. In the case of Numbers 19, it is “an unblemished red heifer”.  Truly this looks forward to the death of Messiah for our sins. The only person to live a perfect, sinless life. We now look back on Messiah and His sacrifice. Rather than an animal sacrifice which foreshadows the cleansing of our sin through Him, we now seek cleansing and forgiveness directly in Jesus Christ based on His death which paid the penalty of our sin.

Jehovah provides a way for His people to be cleansed of sin and forgiven, drawn back in relationship with Him.

Our society today denies God and tries to eliminate the concept of sin. More and more, sinful behaviors and attitudes are deemed righteous. Society would rather paint being a follower of Christ who believes strongly in living according to the Bible as a “sin”. That is deemed worth attacking and hating, but not the sins we are called to reject by its teaching. We would do well to more clearly emphasize sin, and the need to be cleansed from it, in our society today.

Numbers 19

Ordinance of the Red Heifer

     1Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2“This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel that they bring you an unblemished red heifer in which is no defect and on which a yoke has never been placed. 3‘You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and it shall be brought outside the camp and be slaughtered in his presence. 4‘Next Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. 5‘Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight; its hide and its flesh and its blood, with its refuse, shall be burned. 6‘The priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet material and cast it into the midst of the burning heifer. 7‘The priest shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward come into the camp, but the priest shall be unclean until evening. 8‘The one who burns it shall also wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water, and shall be unclean until evening. 9‘Now a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place, and the congregation of the sons of Israel shall keep it as water to remove impurity; it is purification from sin. 10‘The one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; and it shall be a perpetual statute to the sons of Israel and to the alien who sojourns among them.

      11‘The one who touches the corpse of any person shall be unclean for seven days. 12‘That one shall purify himself from uncleanness with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and then he will be clean; but if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean. 13‘Anyone who touches a corpse, the body of a man who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from Israel. Because the water for impurity was not sprinkled on him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is still on him.

      14‘This is the law when a man dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent shall be unclean for seven days. 15‘Every open vessel, which has no covering tied down on it, shall be unclean. 16‘Also, anyone who in the open field touches one who has been slain with a sword or who has died naturally, or a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean for seven days. 17‘Then for the unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the burnt purification from sin and flowing water shall be added to them in a vessel. 18‘A clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons who were there, and on the one who touched the bone or the one slain or the one dying naturally or the grave. 19‘Then the clean person shall sprinkle on the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify him from uncleanness, and he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and shall be clean by evening.

      20‘But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself from uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD; the water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him, he is unclean. 21‘So it shall be a perpetual statute for them. And he who sprinkles the water for impurity shall wash his clothes, and he who touches the water for impurity shall be unclean until evening. 22‘Furthermore, anything that the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.’”

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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.

Angels, Fear / Reverence for God, Miracles, Miracles, Study the Word, Teachable

Find the Treasure Hidden in the Detail of Scripture

Some elements of scripture are so familiar that we already know the story, but it can be all to easy to gloss over the magnificent detail and meaning within. I find the record of the birth of John the Baptist to be one of these. I am familiar with the story, but there are details throughout that are worth pausing to spend time considering.

  • The Lord chose to use Zacharias and Elizabeth, a married couple who “were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.”
  • Despite both Zacharias and Elizabeth being righteous and wanting children, the were very advanced in years and had not had any. Living righteous lives before God does not mean life is easy and we get all we want, but rather we find our joy in the Lord and what He provides.
  • The fact that the scripture states “Elizabeth was barren” implies she could not have children, but God opened up her womb so to speak for His glory and in answer to their prayer.
  • Zacharias heard from the Lord’s messenger while coming before God in His service as He was instructed by the word.
  • Angels are often depicted as pretty young women, but this is clearly not aligned with scripture. The most typical response when even a righteous person meets an angel is fear. Clearly angels are more powerful and intimidating that that.
  • What an incredible report to hear about your child to come… that he will be “he will be great in the sight of the Lord”.
  • The angel also provided instructions to them that the child will be named John and he will not drink alcohol.
  • All these plans were set by the Lord for this child who had not even been conceived yet! Our Lord clearly is present in the past, present, and future with full knowledge of all that is , was, and is to come. He is in control of all. (By the way, they all come true as prophesied.)
  • Note that John”will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb”. Another example of a person being truly alive even while in the womb, every bit as real as after birth. A person is a person from conception and should be treated as such.
  • It is after mention of John’s being filled with the Holy Spirit that we find more about what John will do… “And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17“It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” It is the Spirit working through John that enables this to happen… not John on his own effort.
  • Zacharias was a righteous man. He served the Lord. Even he was overwhelmed by this encounter and all this news. He essentially asked for a sign, in spite of the angel standing in front of him talking to him. He got one… I am sure he second-guessed that conversation a few times before John was born and he could talk again. It is interesting to ponder, however, as Gideon under similar circumstances asked for a sign twice and received it. Gideon, however, had a different history with his relationship with the Lord than did Zacharias and he was called for a different mission. The signs Gideon received were not as difficult for him as what Zacharias received. Both were likely helped by the signs in following the call God had given them.

Wow! There is a lot of stuff packed into this collection of verses.

Luke 1:5-25

Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

      5In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.

      8Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, 9according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. 13But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. 14“You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15“For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. 16“And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17“It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

      18Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.” 19The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20“And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

      21The people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he kept making signs to them, and remained mute. 23When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home.

      24After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 25“This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men.”

I hope this can encourage you to dive in deep to every scripture you read. Challenge yourself to explore the treasures hidden in the details and not just skim over chapter after chapter taking in only what seems to be the main story or summary. Then, as always, ask the Spirit to help you apply it to your own life.

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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.

Can I Trust the Bible?, Seeking God, Study the Word, Teachable

Searching for And Verifying The Truth of God’s Word

It is too easy for us to overlook how careful the writers of the Bible were in recording the history of God’s relationship with His people. Let us not miss that they took this very seriously. Whether through oral tradition or in writing it down, they were careful to record the historical events accurately. It was a passion. As believers that fervently followed the Lord, they did not consider this “just a book” or “just a letter”. It was their role in serving the Lord and doing what He called them to do.

Luke 1:1-4

Introduction

     1Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, 2just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, 3it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; 4so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.

Luke was a very careful and detail oriented man who was careful to research and document the events of his time. We can find much encouragement in knowing that he investigated to verify what was true. He was also inspired by the Spirit in the writing of the gospel of Luke.  Luke was not some blind zealot just writing propaganda. He was a doctor who meticulously researched and recorded true historical events.

We do well to follow Luke’s example. Do not just accept everything or anything that people tell you about the Bible or what God teaches us in it. Do not accept without questioning what people tell you about holidays and traditions or what culture tells you about what is right and wrong. Seek the truth through prayer and study of the scripture. It takes careful investigation to truly get past the lies and deceptions of our culture including what is taught in many churches and find the treasure which is the truth of God’s word. It is a treasure worth the effort to find!

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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.