In today's Numbers passage we find a new census for a new generation. 39 years had passed since the first census recorded in Numbers (1-2) and since that time every Israelite man and over over the age of 20 (except Caleb, Joshua, and Moses) had died. I found it interesting that the census called attention to the men who lost their lives due to their faithlessness, not to mention that the census itself was a reminder of the faithlessness of all the Israelites which resulted in their 40 years of wandering in the desert. Just like the saying "those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it".
The Bible often speaks of remembering - in both negative and positive ways. In a negative way, we need to remember the dire consequences of sin. In a positive way, we need to remember the faithfulness of God. We remember this also when we celebrate the Lord's supper today.
This verse struck me in our Matthew passage...
v18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
This verse was speaking, of course, about the killing of all Israelite males under 2 years (and is a quote from Jeremiah which spoke of those lost in the exile), in Herod's vain attempt to kill the Messiah. But it also reminds me of the holocaust of abortion that is going on right now.
Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Numbers 29-31; Matthew 3
2 comments:
I love it how when God has a plan, it comes to fruition. This is evident in the Matthew passage. Despite Herod wanting to try to kill Jesus, his plan was not going to override God's plan of keeping Jesus safe.
Two things stood out for me:
8 And you shall speak to the people of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter.
What an amazing acknowledgement of a woman's rights in biblical times. I think too often people believe that the Bible is a rule book against women but I think it values women in ways that were very different from cultural expectations of the time. Just as Tammy noted yesterday, women even took a notable place in the genealogy of Jesus.
The other thing that stood out was that three times God commanded people to rise and go. The wisemen to leave by another route to avoid seeing Herod, Joseph rose and left, and rose and came back. They listened immediately. They didn't think about it or ask the opinions of others....they just obeyed. What is God asking me to rise and do?
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