Readings For Sunday, Feb 28th- Guest Post By Mrs.Oz

Today's readings are from the One Year Chronological reading plan. Today's passage is Numbers 4-5.

Chapter 4 is a very specific set of instructions for the taking down and moving of the tabernacle. Specific tasks are assigned to the Kohathites, Gershonites and Merarites in a most organized fashion. Even the age of the men to take on these tasks is specified to between 30 and 50 years of age. Old enough to bear the responsibility and weight and young enough for it not to be a burden to their bodies.
What struck me in Chapter 4 was the matter of the poles. I remember reading before about the construction of these pieces and all the rings for the poles was curious to me. Perhaps I'm more dense than some, but it just occurred to me to be significant that these men were not to come into physical contact with these holy structures. The poles were to help bear and distribute the weight without the need for touching.
I also found this correlation by a commentator to be interesting. He compares the tabernacle (or temple) to the body of the believer:
"So Peter calls his death the putting off of his TABERNACLE, 2 Pet. i. 14.
And this similitude is very fit; for, as here, in the tabernacle of Moses, the holy things were first covered and taken away, (see ver. 20,) so the soul and its powers are first withdrawn from the body by death. 2. As the curtains and coverings were taken off and folded up, so the skin and flesh of our bodies are pulled off and consumed. 3. As the boards of the tabernacle were disjointed and pulled asunder, so shall our bones and sinews: compare Job's description of the formation of man, chap. x. 8-12; and Solomon's account of his dissolution, Eccles. xii. 3, 4. 4. As the disjointed and dissolved tabernacle was afterwards set up again, chap. x. 21, so shall our bodies in the day of the resurrection; see 1 Cor. xv. 51-54. "(taken from this commentary)

Chapter 5 is just down right intense. It felt like something so not Christian but more ritualistic or pagan or from a movie I'd be uncomfortable with. I guess when I come across things like this in the old testament that were unfamiliar to me before it's rather shocking. It makes me so glad we don't live under the law anymore! However, the intensity of the process of this "jealousy trial" had to be a stark reminder to keep in obedience to the Lord because the consequences were down right scary.
Bible Gateway commentary summed this up well:
"This law would make the women of Israel watch against giving cause for suspicion. On the other hand, it would hinder the cruel treatment such suspicions might occasion. It would also hinder the guilty from escaping, and the innocent from coming under unjust suspicion. When no proof could be brought, the wife was called on to make this solemn appeal to a heart-searching God. No woman, if she were guilty, could say "Amen" to the adjuration, and drink the water after it, unless she disbelieved the truth of God, or defied his justice. The water is called the bitter water, because it caused the curse. Thus sin is called an evil and a bitter thing. Let all that meddle with forbidden pleasures, know that they will be bitterness in the latter end. From the whole learn, 1. Secret sins are known to God, and sometimes are strangely brought to light in this life; and that there is a day coming when God will, by Christ, judge the secrets of men according to the gospel, Romans 2:16. 2 In particular, Whoremongers and adulterers God will surely judge. Though we have not now the waters of jealousy, yet we have God's word, which ought to be as great a terror. Sensual lusts will end in bitterness. 3. God will manifest the innocency of the innocent. The same providence is for good to some, and for hurt to others. And it will answer the purposes which God intends." (taken from this commentary)

I really appreciated God's interest in justice for the woman who could not prove her innocence as well. However, the first line of this commentary struck me too "watch against cause for suspicion". That is so wise for any of us women. Not only to watch out for this but to build up our husbands confidence in our love for them. It would motivate me to be above reproach in every way and I should think this way still out of love for my Lord and my husband.
The last thing that struck me was the picture of the bitter water. Even though there are so many repetitions of this sin in our culture today, let alone an overall acceptance or excusing of it, there remains the truth still of it's bitterness once swallowed. It made me think of what a great story this is for older teens as we train them about purity and God's design. He does not wish for us to have to drink the water of bitterness in our lives and his ways seek to bless us instead. Even though the youth of this age don't have to go through such a scary ritual, they do bear severe and serious consequences for taking their purity lightly.

Tomorrow's reading is: Numbers 6:1-27; Numbers 10:1-36