Does anyone else get like "woah", or "woooo!" when reading the word of God? Sometimes I get so stinkin excited about what I read! I learn so much. But it's easy to learn by looking in on other peoples lives. If only we had that same benefit in our own lives. If only we could 'look in' to our lives and learn. I guess that's why we need to remember that these people in the bible weren't spiritual cheeses like sometimes we think they are. They were human, with faults and flaws just like me. What would someone say of me looking in my life? What's even better with seeing them as human is that it means we have the ability to change or fall just like them.
I saw a couple of neat things in both our new and old testament passages today. The first that struck me was Numbers 15:14
For the generations to come, whenever a foreigner or anyone else living among you presents a food offering as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, they must do exactly as you do. (empasis mine)My attention caught on the foreigner, or stranger as the NKJV states. For some reason I always viewed the Hebrew tradition as closed, almost clique-ish. Maybe it was my mind that was closed, but there always seemed to be a heavy animosity between the Jews and Gentiles, so I didn't think many from the outside were welcomed into the fold. Perhaps that was a human feeling portrayed by the Jews and never Gods intent. But here I see that God has made provision, from the beginning, for the 'stranger' to find redemption. This scripture states here that they are to do exactly as the Jews are told to do. God wants that all would come to Him, even as far back as the inception of the Jewish nation. How are we in our churches with new or different, or, perhaps, 'strange' people? God wants even them and He wants ALL to come to Him the same way, through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus isn't reserved for the clean, or the chosen, or the beautiful. We all are designed to come to Him the same way. It's true what they say that the ground around the cross is even.
Numbers 15:32-36 strikes a big question mark in me. I realize this man was probably used as an example. But I feel kinda bad for the guy. I mean he was gathering sticks. We don't know why, but this hardly seems worthy of death. But it is what the Lord had commanded, so ok. I bet word got around about that one and I bet no one else worked on the Sabbath from there after. But what about this; remember the passage of Jesus and his disciples plucking the heads of grain on the Sabbath? Why didn't the Pharisees haul them off and stone them? I know Jesus had a great answer for that, found in Matthew 12, but even in His answer He says "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." Why couldn't mercy have been shown to this man here? I know he was probably used as an example and I accept that, but still there are some things that I just don't understand about scripture. I can tell you one thing, I am sure grateful we are under grace instead of the law. I would have been stoned a long time ago!
And Mark, I cannot close without mentioning our Mark passage. I have a lot of sympathy for Peter. He is a bold, brave and courageous man. He does a lot more than the other disciples do. He walks on water, everyone else stayed in the boat, he follows Jesus to the courtyard of the high priest, everyone else scatters. Peter gets a lot of flack for how he reacts in different situations, but I see a loyal man. I have to wonder what I would do in that same situation. Would I be among the scattered? Or would I be standing in the shadows of the courtyard, able to hear the false accusations thrown at Jesus? We've all been in situations where we know what is happening is wrong and our mind is screaming at us to say something and we don't! I wonder what was going through Peter's mind that night. Should he speak up and possibly be arrested too? Should he stay silent and be around to care for his wife and family? Where should his loyalties lie? He is afraid, I would be too! But he is incredibly brave, even in the face of great danger.
Peter spent every day for the past three years with Christ and even he floundered in the face of fear. I'm not saying what he did was right, it's not. But we can 'look in' on Peter's reaction and learn for ourselves. The more I read of scripture the more I see that these people are not spiritual giants, but just ordinary people whose lives are laid bare for all to see. I believe Peter reacted how many of us might. In some strange way it comforts me.
Father God thank You for the examples of Your people in scripture. Thank You for not leaving us alone to flounder aimlessly, but You have provided, as You always do. Help us to learn from them and to change so that in the face of uncertainty we can stand firm. Amen.
Tomorrow's passage: Numbers 17-19, Mark 15:1-25
6 comments:
And the fact that Jesus forgives and reinstates Peter later on helps, too!! The proclamation of Jesus: "Upon this rock I will build my church," which goes on to be very true as Peter is one of the boldest early church evangelists, is probably the clearest example of Christ using VERY human humans to carry on His work.
Peter was passionate, no doubt about it. He often acted or spoke without thinking, and yet later we see Him filled with the Holy Spirit and saying all sorts of things that astonished people in a GOOD way! His spiritual maturing process is clearly evident over the course of his life. I hope that will be obvious over the course of mine, too!!
It is interesting how God hasn't changed and yet His method of dealing with sinful people obviously has since Christ's death on the cross. There seemed to be NO mercy or grace in either the case of the man gathering wood or the Kohathite uprising. But then again, while we see the defiance and belligerence pretty clearly among the Kohathites, but maybe the wood-gatherers heart was the same. Maybe if any one of these people had begged forgiveness, recognizing their rebellion, they would have survived like Miriam did.
I think what I find most disturbing is that in response to the Kohathite uprising, the mens' entire families were swallowed up in the earthquake. It wasn't just the men themselves that were punished ~ their wives and children were, too.
I had a hard time with the Kohathites' whole families being swallowed up too, but then, who are we to question what God chooses to do? And then I thought "What if only the men had been swallowed up? How big were their families? Who would have looked after them and provided for them? Did they have sons old enough to take on the role of "man of the house"?" Things we'll never know, at least in this life, but there may have been reasons behind God's decision of which we're not aware. Alternatively, leaving the families behind may have left the bad blood, a family feud of sorts, between the priests and the remaining members of those men's families. ??? Just a thought.
Interesting thought, Miriam. I also had a hard time understanding the reasoning behind that whole situation.
Our Sunday School class did a bible study series on Peter years ago. He was an interesting and definitely very human man. It's amazing to see how God worked through him.
I love your comments about the foreigner Kathryn. God definitely has always been open to anyone who wants to follow Him.
Don't think I ever noticed it before but the NT also mentions Korah's rebellion. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jude%201:5-13&version=NIV
The fact that the families were swallowed up alongside the rebels bothers me too. But the fact is, our sin does not affect only ourselves. It always affects others, sometimes greatly! (Drunk drivers killing or injuring others, spouses who have affairs and leave their families, etc).
God did tell them, and Moses did plead with them, to move away from the rebellious people. Not sure whether the families actually had a choice or not though.
The thing that just boggled my mind, is how the VERY NEXT DAY, after such an awesome and terrifying display of holy wrath the people AGAIN rebelled against Moses - causing a plague which was only stopped by Aaron offering atonement and standing between the living and the dead (awesome foreshadowing of Christ).
Yeah, the next-day rebellion blew me away, too. As did Aaron standing between the people and God's judgment. I thought that was actually a really incredible image ~ I wonder if he had any idea of the significance??
Great thoughts. When Peter tells Jesus that he would follow Him anywhere and then Jesus tells Peter that before the rooster crows that he would deny Him three times I always wonder how he forgets so quickly. But perhaps the very act of denial and the grief over this is what makes him a passionate missionary??
There is so much reference to our sins affecting not just us but everyone around us and I think this is another situation where the "innocent" wives and children suffered.
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