Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Numbers 1-2; Mark 12:1-27.
I found it really interesting in the Numbers reading today that Joseph's sons are named separately as tribes of Israel, even though they were grandsons and not sons of Israel. I tried to do a bit of research on this, and came up with a whole bunch of sites claiming that the USA is one tribe and the UK the other. ??????? I didn't look into that further, as it had no bearing on what I was curious about. If you want to look into it, a simple Google search will provide you with a whole bunch of information for your perusal.
According to The Birthright Blessings go to Ephraim & Manasseh and 1 Chronicles 5:1, Reuben, the eldest son of Jacob and Leah, forfeited the birthright normally given to the eldest son by sleeping with his father's concubine, and so the birthright went to the sons of Joseph, Jacob's oldest son by Rachel. Anyway, it seems that when Jacob/Israel blessed Ephraim and Manasseh before his death (Genesis 48) he said "Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine." And so, when you discount the Levites as the priests of the entire nation rather than one of the tribes and take Joseph's two sons as separate tribes, you still come out to 12.
The rest of the Numbers portion today was kind of dull, but when I saw the final tally of all the men 20 or older who were able to serve in the army - 603,550 - I thought "Wow! I wonder what that would look like, all standing together in a group? And then there are the women, the children, the men who were not able to serve in the army for whatever reason, and all the Levites, who weren't counted as part of this... that is a lot of people!" Can you imagine what the looked like, all camped out in tents? And all the livestock??? How huge must their camp have been? (What did they do with all the ... poo?) Not to mention the miles long that the line must have been when they were on the move? I really can't imagine it.
On to the Mark passage...
The verse that really stood out to me today was Mark 12:27: "He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!"
Since I'm having some trouble forming coherent sentences this afternoon (simply tiredness... no illness here at the moment, thankfully), I will leave it to Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary to expound upon it.
A right knowledge of the Scripture, as the fountain whence all revealed religion now flows, and the foundation on which it is built, is the best preservative against error. Christ put aside the objection of the Sadducees, who were the scoffing infidels of that day, by setting the doctrine of the future state in a true light. The relation between husband and wife, though appointed in the earthly paradise, will not be known in the heavenly one. It is no wonder if we confuse ourselves with foolish errors, when we form our ideas of the world of spirits by the affairs of this world of sense. It is absurd to think that the living God should be the portion and happiness of a man if he is for ever dead; and therefore it is certain that Abraham's soul exists and acts, though now for a time separate from the body. Those that deny the resurrection greatly err, and ought to be told so. Let us seek to pass through this dying world, with a joyful hope of eternal happiness, and of a glorious resurrection. (emphasis mine)
Short-term pain for long-term gain. That phrase has been echoing in my mind a lot lately.
"We're just here to learn to love Him; we'll be home in just a little while." (Amy Grant; In a Little While)
Have a great day!
Tomorrow's passage: Numbers 3-4; Mark 12:28-44.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
March 9, 2011 - Kathryn
Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Leviticus 26-27, Mark 11:19-33
Happy Ash Wednesday! This post is going to be extremely short as my kids and myself have been battling the flu the past couple of days. So I thought I'd try out the SOAP method!
Scripture: Mark 11:25-26
Our relational standing with others can impact our relational standing with God.
Application:
We are not above God in how we deal with our relationships. God has every right to hold a grudge or punish us or with-hold His love. But He doesn't. He is the perfect example and, I believe, as an incentive He commands us to forgive or we will not be forgiven by Him. Who do we think we are if we with-hold mercy and forgiveness if we ourselves have not had it with-held? As they say, the ground at the foot of the cross is even, we are all the same. We are all equal in the sight of God, therefore we do not have any right to hold something against another.
Also, could it be a sin to not forgive someone? Is that why God will not forgive us? What do you think?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father it's hard to forgive someone when they've hurt us, or hurt someone we love. But You command it. Give us strength to do what you ask of us. Help us to be more like You and to see others as You see us. Thank You Father God for Your forgiveness. You are good to us. Amen.
(Please forgive this extremely short and incoherent post. It's hard to think on a muddled brain!)
Tomorrow's passage: Numbers 1-2, Mark 12:1-27
Happy Ash Wednesday! This post is going to be extremely short as my kids and myself have been battling the flu the past couple of days. So I thought I'd try out the SOAP method!
Scripture: Mark 11:25-26
25 “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”Observation:
Our relational standing with others can impact our relational standing with God.
Application:
We are not above God in how we deal with our relationships. God has every right to hold a grudge or punish us or with-hold His love. But He doesn't. He is the perfect example and, I believe, as an incentive He commands us to forgive or we will not be forgiven by Him. Who do we think we are if we with-hold mercy and forgiveness if we ourselves have not had it with-held? As they say, the ground at the foot of the cross is even, we are all the same. We are all equal in the sight of God, therefore we do not have any right to hold something against another.
Also, could it be a sin to not forgive someone? Is that why God will not forgive us? What do you think?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father it's hard to forgive someone when they've hurt us, or hurt someone we love. But You command it. Give us strength to do what you ask of us. Help us to be more like You and to see others as You see us. Thank You Father God for Your forgiveness. You are good to us. Amen.
(Please forgive this extremely short and incoherent post. It's hard to think on a muddled brain!)
Tomorrow's passage: Numbers 1-2, Mark 12:1-27
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Tuesday, March 8 ~ Miriam
So sorry, Jody, that your post for today vanished... technology can be so frustrating sometimes. I'm sorry we won't get to read your post today. I always enjoy them.
Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Leviticus 25; Mark 11:1-18.
This is going to be pretty short today, as I'm doing this on the spur of the moment, but there was a verse in particular in our Leviticus reading that struck me. Leviticus 25:23 says "The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants."
This didn't stand out for me in particular with regards to land. I'm not a farmer, nor am I much of a gardener. I like flowers and I have a perennial bed that I putter around in a bit, but I don't have a lot of time to pursue gardening and don't have enough interest in it to make time for it. The reason this verse spoke to me is because it reminded me that the things we consider ours, belonging to us, are really not ours in actuality at all. Our planet, and therefore the land on which we live, belong to God. Our talents and abilities are given to us by God, and therefore the use of them and the living that we earn belong to Him as well. Our fertility is in His hands, and therefore the children that are entrusted to us also belong to Him. It makes a difference in how I think about looking after things if I remember that I am entrusted with the care of those things by the God who made them.
I think it's incredibly amazing that God gave the Israelites the Year of Jubilee. 50 years is a long time - a lot can happen. Poor crops, bountiful crops, many children born, few children born, illness that causes a significant number of deaths in the community... the list goes on. All of these things can contribute to the situation of an individual, a family, a community, and a nation. But every 50 years, they got a do-over of sorts. They were restored to what they'd originally been given (with some stipulations). Those who were forced to work for others because of circumstances were given their freedom to try and make a fresh start. (Hmmm, just read Tammi's comment about them never having observed it. It seems a terrible shame.)
I love the story of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Kind of like welcoming a celebrity, maybe? He had a "red carpet" of cloaks and palm fronds, people shouting praises...
Regarding the covering of the road, Wikipedia has this to say:
In many lands in the ancient Near East it was the custom to cover in some way the path of someone thought worthy of the highest honour. The Hebrew Bible (2Kings 9:13) reports that Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat, was treated this way. Both the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John report that people gave Jesus this form of honour. However, in the synoptics they are only reported as laying their garments and cut rushes on the street, whereas John more specifically mentions palm fronds. The palm branch was a symbol of triumph and victory in Jewish tradition, and is treated in other parts of the Bible as such (e.g., Leviticus 23:40 andRevelation 7:9).
I can imagine the excitement and the joy, a kind of mob mentality. Have you ever been at an event, like a concert perhaps, where it seems that the excitement and joy and fervor of everyone in the whole place all joins together and it's like a giant bubble just about to burst? And there's a smaller replica of that bubble in your chest? Maybe not. I have had that experience on a couple of occasions, and I imagine this would have been similar. (Hmmm, perhaps it is something similar that causes preteen girls to hyperventilate when in the presence of Justin Beiber. ha ha)
Anyway, thanks for reading. Have a great day!
Tomorrow's passage: Leviticus 26-27; Mark 11:19-33.
Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Leviticus 25; Mark 11:1-18.
This is going to be pretty short today, as I'm doing this on the spur of the moment, but there was a verse in particular in our Leviticus reading that struck me. Leviticus 25:23 says "The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants."
This didn't stand out for me in particular with regards to land. I'm not a farmer, nor am I much of a gardener. I like flowers and I have a perennial bed that I putter around in a bit, but I don't have a lot of time to pursue gardening and don't have enough interest in it to make time for it. The reason this verse spoke to me is because it reminded me that the things we consider ours, belonging to us, are really not ours in actuality at all. Our planet, and therefore the land on which we live, belong to God. Our talents and abilities are given to us by God, and therefore the use of them and the living that we earn belong to Him as well. Our fertility is in His hands, and therefore the children that are entrusted to us also belong to Him. It makes a difference in how I think about looking after things if I remember that I am entrusted with the care of those things by the God who made them.
I think it's incredibly amazing that God gave the Israelites the Year of Jubilee. 50 years is a long time - a lot can happen. Poor crops, bountiful crops, many children born, few children born, illness that causes a significant number of deaths in the community... the list goes on. All of these things can contribute to the situation of an individual, a family, a community, and a nation. But every 50 years, they got a do-over of sorts. They were restored to what they'd originally been given (with some stipulations). Those who were forced to work for others because of circumstances were given their freedom to try and make a fresh start. (Hmmm, just read Tammi's comment about them never having observed it. It seems a terrible shame.)
I love the story of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Kind of like welcoming a celebrity, maybe? He had a "red carpet" of cloaks and palm fronds, people shouting praises...
Regarding the covering of the road, Wikipedia has this to say:
In many lands in the ancient Near East it was the custom to cover in some way the path of someone thought worthy of the highest honour. The Hebrew Bible (2Kings 9:13) reports that Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat, was treated this way. Both the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John report that people gave Jesus this form of honour. However, in the synoptics they are only reported as laying their garments and cut rushes on the street, whereas John more specifically mentions palm fronds. The palm branch was a symbol of triumph and victory in Jewish tradition, and is treated in other parts of the Bible as such (e.g., Leviticus 23:40 andRevelation 7:9).
I can imagine the excitement and the joy, a kind of mob mentality. Have you ever been at an event, like a concert perhaps, where it seems that the excitement and joy and fervor of everyone in the whole place all joins together and it's like a giant bubble just about to burst? And there's a smaller replica of that bubble in your chest? Maybe not. I have had that experience on a couple of occasions, and I imagine this would have been similar. (Hmmm, perhaps it is something similar that causes preteen girls to hyperventilate when in the presence of Justin Beiber. ha ha)
Anyway, thanks for reading. Have a great day!
Tomorrow's passage: Leviticus 26-27; Mark 11:19-33.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Monday, March 7th
Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Leviticus 23-24, Mark 10:32-52
I know Sandy and her kids have all been sick, so I'm assuming that's why she hasn't posted today. So, I will jump in here with a late post....
Our OT passage describes the feasts and festivals that the Israelites were commanded to celebrate or observe. Nowadays, believers are responsible to keep these feasts, but knowing about them enhances our faith. I found a great Hebraic Christian site that described these feasts and their significance for us today.
The Passover, or the Feast of Unleavened Bread reminded the Israelites of their escape from the Eqyptians. The unleavened bread symbolized the Israelites uniqueness as a nation; since yeast was a symbol of sin it also represented Israel's moral purity; and the quick baking method (no yeast, so no waiting for the dough to rise, which allowed them to leave Eqypt quickly) was a reminder for them to obey quickly. This festival also reminded the people they were leaving the old life behind and entering a new way of life.
The festival of Firstfruits celebrated the first cops of the barley harvest and reminded the people how God provided for them.
The festival of Weeks celebrated the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest, and reminded the people to be joyful and thankful for their bountiful harvest.
The festival of Trumpets celebrated the beginning of the 7th month (civil new year) and again reminded the people to express their joy and thanks to the Lord.
The Day of Atonement celebrated the removal of sin from the people and the nation and restored their fellowship with God.
The Feast of Tabernacles (Booths) celebrated God's protection and guidance in the desert, renewing Israel's commitment to God and trust in His guidance and protection.
Here's a fairly long, but extremely interesting excerpt from Hebrew for Christians...
The Spring Feasts
1. Passover (Pesach). Leveticus 23:5 specifies that the festival year begins with Passover on "the fourteenth day of the first month" (Nisan 15). Passover is the Feast of Salvation. In both testaments, the blood of the Lamb delivers from slavery – the Jew from Egypt, the Christian from sin. Think about the tenth plague in Exodus 12:5 when Egypt's first born sons died while the angel of death "passed over" the Jewish homes with the blood of the lamb on their door posts. In the B'rit Chadashah, Jesus serves as the sacrificial lamb. It is no coincidence that our Lord Himself was sacrificed on Passover. In Egypt the Jew marked his house with the blood of the lamb. Today the Christian marks his house – his body, "the house of the spirit" with the blood of Christ. Passover, then, represents our salvation.
2. Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMotzi). Leviticus 23:6 puts the second feast on the next night: "On the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread unto the Lord; seven days ye must eat unleavened bread." Leaven or yeast in the Bible symbolized sin and evil. Unleavened bread, eaten over a period of time, symbolized a holy walk, as with the Lord. Unleavened bread, in the B'rit Chadashah [New Testament] is, of course, the body of our Lord. He is described as "the Bread of Life" (Lechem haChayim). He was born in Bethlehem, which, in Hebrew, means, "House of Bread" (Bet Lechem).
Look at the matzah and see that it is striped: "By His stripes we are healed"; pierced: "They shall look upon me whom they've pierced," and pure, without any leaven, as His body was without any sin. And the Passover custom of burying, hiding and then resurrecting the second of three pieces of matzot (the middle piece), presents the Gospel (Afikomen).
3. First Fruits (Reshit Katzir). "On the morrow after the Sabbath" following Unleavened Bread, Leviticus 23:11 schedules First Fruits, the feast for acknowledging the fertility of the land He gave the Israelites. They were to bring the early crops of their spring planting and "wave the sheaf before the Lord." The modern church has come to call this feast "Easter," named after Ishtar, the pagan goddess of fertility. We continue to revere objects of fertility such as the rabbit and the egg, but the First Fruits celebration was to be over God's replanting of the earth in the spring. Today this feasts celebrates the resurrection of the Lord on First Fruits, which indeed occurred (plus, eventually, the resurrection of the entire Church!)
4. Pentecost (Shavu'ot). Leviticus 23:16 says, "Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shell ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord." In late May or early June, Shavu'ot marked the summer harvest. Leviticus 23:17 requires an offering of two loaves of bread, baked with leaven. These loaves symbolize the church being comprised of both Jew and Gentile.
A review of the first four spring feasts reveals that Yeshua was crucified on Pesach, buried on Unleavened Bread, raised on First Fruits and sent the Ruach Hakkodesh on Shavu'ot. Because we have not yet seen the fulfillment of feast number five - Trumpets - we remain under the orders of Shavu'ot.
The Fall Feasts
5. Trumpets (Yom Teru'ah). Ever since Isaac was spared by virtue of the ram being caught in the thicket by its horn, God seems to have enjoyed the trumpet. He used it when Joshua conquered Jericho. In Leviticus 25:8-10, he specified its use in having trumpets "proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof" (that quotation appears today on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, assuring us that America was founded by Bible readers). Leviticus 23:24 requires that, "in the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets."
The Feast of Trumpets occurs in September. This jump in time from the Feast of Pentecost in May or June seems to represent the Church Age in God's planning, since the trumpet unquestionably represents the Rapture of the Church. The trumpet was the signal for the field workers to come into the Temple. The high priest actually blew the trumpet so that the faithful would stop harvesting to worship. Now, when the trumpet sounds in accordance with 1 Corinthians 15:1-3, living believers will cease their harvest and rise from the earth. The Church will be taken out of the world.
6. Atonement (Yom Kippur). Leviticus 23:27 provides a day of confession, the highest of holy days. "Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a Day of Atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord." This is the one feast that is not fulfilled by the church, because the Church owes no atonement. The Church is not innocent, of course, but it is exonerated. The Day of Atonement will be fulfilled in a wonderful way when the Lord returns at His Second Coming.
7. Tabernacles (Sukkot). Leviticus 23:34 says, "The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord." God wanted to celebrate the fact that He provided shelter for the Israelites in the wilderness. Each year on Tabernacles, devout Jews build little shelters or "booths" (sukkot) outside their houses and worshipped in them. Tabernacles represents the Lord's shelter in the world to come (olam habah), His great Tabernacle to exist in Jerusalem during the Kingdom Age. The Lord will establish His Tabernacle in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 37:26), and the world will come every year to appear before the King and worship Him (Zechariah 14:16-17).
Chanukah, by the way, was not given by God on Mount Sinai, but was prophesied in Daniel 8:9-14, and took place in 165 BC when the Temple was rededicated. Now you probably agree that Christianity's Jewish roots offer an eye to the future as well as the past. The next time someone mentions "The Seven Feasts of Israel," you'll realize they're really talking about the Seven Feasts of all time!
A quick point about our NT passage. Dr. Don Page was a guest speaker at our church yesterday and he also did a Team Leadship seminar in the evening which was fantastic. During his sermon, he discussed Mark 10:41-45.
"You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles (Herod) lord it over them, and their high officials (Caiaphas) exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (emphasis mine, words in parenthesis from Don Page)
The type of rule exemplified by Herod and Caiaphas was what the disciples (and pretty much everyone else) thought was the right way to rule. You're in charge and you let everyone else know it. But Jesus said "Not so with you". That is not the way Jesus ruled and it's not the way He wants us to lead either. Servant leadership is not only the Biblical model for leadship, it's also the most successful in our society today. According to Don Page, the most successful companies in the world, use the biblical model of servant leadership (whether they realize it's biblical or not!).
And we are all leaders. We may not all be CEO's or pastors. But we are all leaders. Most of us are parents - which means we are leaders in our families. And we need to lead our families with servant leadership. And yes, the husband is the spiritual leader of the home, but he delegates part of this spiritual leadership role to his wife every time he steps out the door to go to work.
Tomorrow's passage: Leviticus 25, Mark 11:1-18
I know Sandy and her kids have all been sick, so I'm assuming that's why she hasn't posted today. So, I will jump in here with a late post....
Our OT passage describes the feasts and festivals that the Israelites were commanded to celebrate or observe. Nowadays, believers are responsible to keep these feasts, but knowing about them enhances our faith. I found a great Hebraic Christian site that described these feasts and their significance for us today.
The Passover, or the Feast of Unleavened Bread reminded the Israelites of their escape from the Eqyptians. The unleavened bread symbolized the Israelites uniqueness as a nation; since yeast was a symbol of sin it also represented Israel's moral purity; and the quick baking method (no yeast, so no waiting for the dough to rise, which allowed them to leave Eqypt quickly) was a reminder for them to obey quickly. This festival also reminded the people they were leaving the old life behind and entering a new way of life.
The festival of Firstfruits celebrated the first cops of the barley harvest and reminded the people how God provided for them.
The festival of Weeks celebrated the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest, and reminded the people to be joyful and thankful for their bountiful harvest.
The festival of Trumpets celebrated the beginning of the 7th month (civil new year) and again reminded the people to express their joy and thanks to the Lord.
The Day of Atonement celebrated the removal of sin from the people and the nation and restored their fellowship with God.
The Feast of Tabernacles (Booths) celebrated God's protection and guidance in the desert, renewing Israel's commitment to God and trust in His guidance and protection.
Here's a fairly long, but extremely interesting excerpt from Hebrew for Christians...
The Spring Feasts
1. Passover (Pesach). Leveticus 23:5 specifies that the festival year begins with Passover on "the fourteenth day of the first month" (Nisan 15). Passover is the Feast of Salvation. In both testaments, the blood of the Lamb delivers from slavery – the Jew from Egypt, the Christian from sin. Think about the tenth plague in Exodus 12:5 when Egypt's first born sons died while the angel of death "passed over" the Jewish homes with the blood of the lamb on their door posts. In the B'rit Chadashah, Jesus serves as the sacrificial lamb. It is no coincidence that our Lord Himself was sacrificed on Passover. In Egypt the Jew marked his house with the blood of the lamb. Today the Christian marks his house – his body, "the house of the spirit" with the blood of Christ. Passover, then, represents our salvation.
2. Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMotzi). Leviticus 23:6 puts the second feast on the next night: "On the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread unto the Lord; seven days ye must eat unleavened bread." Leaven or yeast in the Bible symbolized sin and evil. Unleavened bread, eaten over a period of time, symbolized a holy walk, as with the Lord. Unleavened bread, in the B'rit Chadashah [New Testament] is, of course, the body of our Lord. He is described as "the Bread of Life" (Lechem haChayim). He was born in Bethlehem, which, in Hebrew, means, "House of Bread" (Bet Lechem).
Look at the matzah and see that it is striped: "By His stripes we are healed"; pierced: "They shall look upon me whom they've pierced," and pure, without any leaven, as His body was without any sin. And the Passover custom of burying, hiding and then resurrecting the second of three pieces of matzot (the middle piece), presents the Gospel (Afikomen).
3. First Fruits (Reshit Katzir). "On the morrow after the Sabbath" following Unleavened Bread, Leviticus 23:11 schedules First Fruits, the feast for acknowledging the fertility of the land He gave the Israelites. They were to bring the early crops of their spring planting and "wave the sheaf before the Lord." The modern church has come to call this feast "Easter," named after Ishtar, the pagan goddess of fertility. We continue to revere objects of fertility such as the rabbit and the egg, but the First Fruits celebration was to be over God's replanting of the earth in the spring. Today this feasts celebrates the resurrection of the Lord on First Fruits, which indeed occurred (plus, eventually, the resurrection of the entire Church!)
4. Pentecost (Shavu'ot). Leviticus 23:16 says, "Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shell ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord." In late May or early June, Shavu'ot marked the summer harvest. Leviticus 23:17 requires an offering of two loaves of bread, baked with leaven. These loaves symbolize the church being comprised of both Jew and Gentile.
A review of the first four spring feasts reveals that Yeshua was crucified on Pesach, buried on Unleavened Bread, raised on First Fruits and sent the Ruach Hakkodesh on Shavu'ot. Because we have not yet seen the fulfillment of feast number five - Trumpets - we remain under the orders of Shavu'ot.
The Fall Feasts
5. Trumpets (Yom Teru'ah). Ever since Isaac was spared by virtue of the ram being caught in the thicket by its horn, God seems to have enjoyed the trumpet. He used it when Joshua conquered Jericho. In Leviticus 25:8-10, he specified its use in having trumpets "proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof" (that quotation appears today on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, assuring us that America was founded by Bible readers). Leviticus 23:24 requires that, "in the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets."
The Feast of Trumpets occurs in September. This jump in time from the Feast of Pentecost in May or June seems to represent the Church Age in God's planning, since the trumpet unquestionably represents the Rapture of the Church. The trumpet was the signal for the field workers to come into the Temple. The high priest actually blew the trumpet so that the faithful would stop harvesting to worship. Now, when the trumpet sounds in accordance with 1 Corinthians 15:1-3, living believers will cease their harvest and rise from the earth. The Church will be taken out of the world.
6. Atonement (Yom Kippur). Leviticus 23:27 provides a day of confession, the highest of holy days. "Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a Day of Atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord." This is the one feast that is not fulfilled by the church, because the Church owes no atonement. The Church is not innocent, of course, but it is exonerated. The Day of Atonement will be fulfilled in a wonderful way when the Lord returns at His Second Coming.
7. Tabernacles (Sukkot). Leviticus 23:34 says, "The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord." God wanted to celebrate the fact that He provided shelter for the Israelites in the wilderness. Each year on Tabernacles, devout Jews build little shelters or "booths" (sukkot) outside their houses and worshipped in them. Tabernacles represents the Lord's shelter in the world to come (olam habah), His great Tabernacle to exist in Jerusalem during the Kingdom Age. The Lord will establish His Tabernacle in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 37:26), and the world will come every year to appear before the King and worship Him (Zechariah 14:16-17).
Chanukah, by the way, was not given by God on Mount Sinai, but was prophesied in Daniel 8:9-14, and took place in 165 BC when the Temple was rededicated. Now you probably agree that Christianity's Jewish roots offer an eye to the future as well as the past. The next time someone mentions "The Seven Feasts of Israel," you'll realize they're really talking about the Seven Feasts of all time!
A quick point about our NT passage. Dr. Don Page was a guest speaker at our church yesterday and he also did a Team Leadship seminar in the evening which was fantastic. During his sermon, he discussed Mark 10:41-45.
"You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles (Herod) lord it over them, and their high officials (Caiaphas) exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (emphasis mine, words in parenthesis from Don Page)
The type of rule exemplified by Herod and Caiaphas was what the disciples (and pretty much everyone else) thought was the right way to rule. You're in charge and you let everyone else know it. But Jesus said "Not so with you". That is not the way Jesus ruled and it's not the way He wants us to lead either. Servant leadership is not only the Biblical model for leadship, it's also the most successful in our society today. According to Don Page, the most successful companies in the world, use the biblical model of servant leadership (whether they realize it's biblical or not!).
And we are all leaders. We may not all be CEO's or pastors. But we are all leaders. Most of us are parents - which means we are leaders in our families. And we need to lead our families with servant leadership. And yes, the husband is the spiritual leader of the home, but he delegates part of this spiritual leadership role to his wife every time he steps out the door to go to work.
Tomorrow's passage: Leviticus 25, Mark 11:1-18
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Sunday, March 6th
Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Leviticus 21-22 - Mark 10:1-31
Our OT passage today has some very specific rules for the priests of Israel. At first glance, v16-23 make it seem as though God is unfairly discriminating against handicapped people when He said they were not allowed to offer sacrifices as part of their priestly duties.
Our OT passage today has some very specific rules for the priests of Israel. At first glance, v16-23 make it seem as though God is unfairly discriminating against handicapped people when He said they were not allowed to offer sacrifices as part of their priestly duties.
As is the case so often in life, we continue to have some misguided notion that life is all about us and unfortunately, that misconception distorts our assumptions about life, about God and about His Word. Life is not. all. about. us. We need to drill this into our thick, self-centred skulls. It’s about God and His holiness and His glorification.
These verses, these requirements, are reflective of God’s holiness. Littered throughout this passage are phrases like “I am the Lord”, “my holy name”, “I the Lord am holy”, “I who make you holy”, etc.
The sacrifices used by the priest were supposed to be perfect because animals with defects did not represent God’s holy nature. They needed to foreshadow the perfect, sinless life of Jesus – the very (and only!) reason the sacrifice of His life was able to restore our relationship with God.
Similarly, the priests themselves had to match as closely as possible the perfect God they served. Obviously total perfection was humanly impossible, and was only fulfilled completely by Jesus. So in the meantime, God used imperfect humans to minister as priests, but they needed to be as close to perfect as humanly possible. This meant that they could have no physical defects, and that they had much stricter rules to follow in all areas of their lives, including selecting marriage partners and in how they conducted themselves in every situation.
Again, this was to emphasize to the Israelites, and to us, how utterly incapable we are of reaching perfection. We are completely unable to rescue ourselves from sin and the consequences of our sin. We cannot restore our relationship with such a holy God on our own – it’s impossible. And these rules help to demonstrate just how impossible it really was for God's chosen people and continues to be for us today. These verses draw attention to our defects and our imperfections, in order to magnify God’s glory and for us to see the infinite contrast between our filthy rags and God’s ultimate holiness.
We cannot live a perfect life. Only Jesus did.
We cannot find a savior or send one to help us. Only God could.
We cannot even believe on our own strength. Only the Holy Spirit can work that miracle within us.
It is not now, nor ever has been, about us. It’s about Him.
Glory be to God, the One true God, the Holy One – who by His strength alone makes us holy.
Tomorrow's passage: Leviticus 23-24, Mark 10:32-52
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Saturday, March 5-Pamela
Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Leviticus 19-20; Mark 9:30-50
Scripture:
42"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.Observation: Our actions do not just affect us but others as well.
Application:
When I first read this verse, I thought of it from a parent's point of view. As parents, we have this amazing opportunity and privilege to lead our children to the Lord. This exhilarates and terrifies me at the same time. I think about the amazing chance that I have to show my children each and every day how important God is in my life. I can demonstrate how to lean on Him and how my life has been changed by becoming a part of God's family. On the other hand, our lack of example to our kids can create a false sense that we don't need God. Sometimes I don't know if I am doing or saying enough. As parents, we can model Jesus to them and talk about our faith and show them our spiritual lives and how it makes us different from the world. We can't choose for them, but we can lead them in the right direction. If we fail at this, there are dire consequences.
As I thought about more, it made me think that we are all children to God and all "little ones" in a sense. Our actions, or perhaps lack of action as the case may be, can cause others to sin. We are to be an accurate reflection of Christ to everyone we meet and with that comes the responsibility to lead by example. What is our example saying to others? Do we reflect what God wants others to see? How do we handle our tongues? Our hands? Our actions? Are we leading others towards God or causing them to sin by turning them against Him?
Verses 43-47 illustrate that nothing should be an excuse to sin. It is better to lose a hand, foot, and eye than to live with it and be tempted by sin. Let us be reminded of this and the example we are to others as well.
Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Thank you for being perfect and Holy. You are our example and we long to be more like you. Help us to follow your lead and lead others to You. Lord, we struggle with the strongholds of sin and it is difficult to consider chopping off and throwing away the parts of our life that cause us to sin. Help us to realize that we need to do this because our submission to sin causes destruction not just in our lives, but the lives of others too. Please give us Your power to overcome anything that threatens us to sin against You. Amen.
(In another note, Leviticus 19:28 says:
28You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the LORD.
Do you think that they actually performed tattoos like we do today?)
Friday, March 4, 2011
Friday, March 4 ~ tammi
Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Leviticus 17-18; Mark 9:1-29
Today's readings we find out more about why God didn't want His people eating the blood of any animal, and also that the sacrifices HAD to be made by a priest at the tabernacle. If the people were free to make sacrifices on their own, they might begin to add to or subtract from God's laws to fit their lifestyles in a way that suited them better, and their worship would no longer be pleasing to God because it would no longer be ABOUT pleasing God, but about pleasing themselves.
I couldn't help it, but what immediately popped into my head as I read this explanation in my study Bible is churches that have moved their services to a weeknight specifically so that their parishoners don't have to sacrifice any of their valuable time and leisure activities on the weekends in order to attend. I know there are pros and cons, and I don't believe for a minute that you're not a true Christian if you go to church on Wednesday night instead of Sunday morning, but I always find it a little sad when the church, as a whole, makes that decision. Worshipping with fellow believers is something we should crave! Something we love doing, that feels like a blessing from God. It shouldn't feel like an obligation that we have to give up some of our free time for.
Then we have a chapter on sexual standards, and I found it interesting that some of these rules even had to be mentioned ~ like not having sex with your sister (seems like a no-brainer to me! Eeew.) or with aunts or the wives of any other man, related or not. This last category was already covered by the "Thou shalt not commit adultery" commandment, I would have thought.
I find it a little appalling that they needed these rules, but my Life Application Bible reminded me that part of the reason for all these specifics is because the Israelites had been surrounded by the corrupt and detestable idol-worship practices ~ which often involved sexual acts ~ in Egypt and they were going to Canaan, where the same would be true. Not only that, but there had been no previous precedent set by God regarding this issue, so for all they knew, what was happening around them wasn't wrong. God wanted to make very sure they knew what was and wasn't acceptable to Him so that they would be noticeably different from their surrounding pagan nations.
Another thing I found interesting is that the reason given for not sleeping with your mother, your step-mother, your aunt, your aunt-in-law, or your brother's wife is not because it was detestable, but because it would dishonour the woman's husband. I think the reason that struck me is because we hear so much about certain countries, cultures, and religions embracing and condoning the practice of "honour killings," and it's ALWAYS the woman who pays the price, regardless of what kind of relationship it was. Here in the Bible, the responsibility for honouring or dishonouring another man ~ related, unrelated, or even one's own self ~ is placed solely on the MAN. I think this is another indication of how God intends men to take responsibility for the protection and provision for those women placed under their care whether a wife, a daughter, a single cousin or sister, or widowed mother.
Then we come to the momentous event of the Transfiguration, where Jesus meets with Elijah and Moses, and God once again proclaims Jesus is His dearly loved Son and we need to listen to Him. My Bible notes that the transfiguration "revealed Christ's divine nature. God's voice exalted Jesus above Moses and Elijah as the long-awaited Messiah with full divine authority. Moses represented the law, and Elijah, the prophets. Their appearance showed Jesus as the fulfillment of both the Old Testaemnt law and the prophetic pomises.
Jesus was not a reincarnation of Elijah or Moses. He was not merely one of the prophets. As God's only Son, He far surpasses them in authority and power."
And then I wanted to share something that struck me about the healing of the demon-possessed boy. I love that verse where Jesus says, in effect, "If I can heal your son? What do you mean, 'IF I can heal him?!' Of course, I can heal him! Everything is possible for him who believes." But I think it's interesting that Jesus isn't saying here that we can automatically obtain or receive anything we want if we just think positively. Jesus meant that anything was POSSIBLE because nothing is too difficult for God. We cannot have everything we pray for as if by magic; but with faith, He provides everything we need to serve Him.
I found that last phrase very powerful as I struggled last week to surrender my eyesight to God. Yes, I prayed for answers and healing, but at the same time, I wanted to be willing to give up my eyesight if it meant serving Him more effectively. It was a constant, daily, moment-by-moment struggle ~ surrender is not a one-time thing! But our focus in everything needs to be serving Him with whatever we have, and then He will make sure we have everything we need.
Not necessarily what we want, but everything we really need.
I take great comfort in that.
Tomorrow's passages: Leviticus 19-20; Mark 9:30-50
Today's readings we find out more about why God didn't want His people eating the blood of any animal, and also that the sacrifices HAD to be made by a priest at the tabernacle. If the people were free to make sacrifices on their own, they might begin to add to or subtract from God's laws to fit their lifestyles in a way that suited them better, and their worship would no longer be pleasing to God because it would no longer be ABOUT pleasing God, but about pleasing themselves.
I couldn't help it, but what immediately popped into my head as I read this explanation in my study Bible is churches that have moved their services to a weeknight specifically so that their parishoners don't have to sacrifice any of their valuable time and leisure activities on the weekends in order to attend. I know there are pros and cons, and I don't believe for a minute that you're not a true Christian if you go to church on Wednesday night instead of Sunday morning, but I always find it a little sad when the church, as a whole, makes that decision. Worshipping with fellow believers is something we should crave! Something we love doing, that feels like a blessing from God. It shouldn't feel like an obligation that we have to give up some of our free time for.
Then we have a chapter on sexual standards, and I found it interesting that some of these rules even had to be mentioned ~ like not having sex with your sister (seems like a no-brainer to me! Eeew.) or with aunts or the wives of any other man, related or not. This last category was already covered by the "Thou shalt not commit adultery" commandment, I would have thought.
I find it a little appalling that they needed these rules, but my Life Application Bible reminded me that part of the reason for all these specifics is because the Israelites had been surrounded by the corrupt and detestable idol-worship practices ~ which often involved sexual acts ~ in Egypt and they were going to Canaan, where the same would be true. Not only that, but there had been no previous precedent set by God regarding this issue, so for all they knew, what was happening around them wasn't wrong. God wanted to make very sure they knew what was and wasn't acceptable to Him so that they would be noticeably different from their surrounding pagan nations.
Another thing I found interesting is that the reason given for not sleeping with your mother, your step-mother, your aunt, your aunt-in-law, or your brother's wife is not because it was detestable, but because it would dishonour the woman's husband. I think the reason that struck me is because we hear so much about certain countries, cultures, and religions embracing and condoning the practice of "honour killings," and it's ALWAYS the woman who pays the price, regardless of what kind of relationship it was. Here in the Bible, the responsibility for honouring or dishonouring another man ~ related, unrelated, or even one's own self ~ is placed solely on the MAN. I think this is another indication of how God intends men to take responsibility for the protection and provision for those women placed under their care whether a wife, a daughter, a single cousin or sister, or widowed mother.
Then we come to the momentous event of the Transfiguration, where Jesus meets with Elijah and Moses, and God once again proclaims Jesus is His dearly loved Son and we need to listen to Him. My Bible notes that the transfiguration "revealed Christ's divine nature. God's voice exalted Jesus above Moses and Elijah as the long-awaited Messiah with full divine authority. Moses represented the law, and Elijah, the prophets. Their appearance showed Jesus as the fulfillment of both the Old Testaemnt law and the prophetic pomises.
Jesus was not a reincarnation of Elijah or Moses. He was not merely one of the prophets. As God's only Son, He far surpasses them in authority and power."
And then I wanted to share something that struck me about the healing of the demon-possessed boy. I love that verse where Jesus says, in effect, "If I can heal your son? What do you mean, 'IF I can heal him?!' Of course, I can heal him! Everything is possible for him who believes." But I think it's interesting that Jesus isn't saying here that we can automatically obtain or receive anything we want if we just think positively. Jesus meant that anything was POSSIBLE because nothing is too difficult for God. We cannot have everything we pray for as if by magic; but with faith, He provides everything we need to serve Him.
I found that last phrase very powerful as I struggled last week to surrender my eyesight to God. Yes, I prayed for answers and healing, but at the same time, I wanted to be willing to give up my eyesight if it meant serving Him more effectively. It was a constant, daily, moment-by-moment struggle ~ surrender is not a one-time thing! But our focus in everything needs to be serving Him with whatever we have, and then He will make sure we have everything we need.
Not necessarily what we want, but everything we really need.I take great comfort in that.
Tomorrow's passages: Leviticus 19-20; Mark 9:30-50
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Thursday, March 3 ~ Miriam
Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Leviticus 15-16; Mark 8:22-38.
I find it interesting that once again our readings from the OT and NT are related. In the OT we read about the Day of Atonement - an annual event which occurred on the 10th day of the 7th month. A day when everyone was to be cleansed from their sin by the sacrifice of a bull, a goat, and a scapegoat being released in the desert. In our NT reading today, Jesus begins teaching his disciples about what will happen to him - the Day of Atonement that would cleanse those who believe from sin once and for all.
For those who are interested, there is various information regarding the scapegoat, which I was curious about so I looked up some information. A Google search brought up a number of different articles, basically coming down to two schools of thought, mainly because of the debate of the translation of the word for "scapegoat". There is information from both sides on Truth or Fables website talking more about the translation of the word itself and how this debate came to be.
1) One goat dies because without shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sin and the scapegoat then carries the "wickedness and rebellion" (Lev. 16:21) of the people out into the wilderness, "where God would remember their sins no more" (from the article Christ, the final scapegoat). In other words, one goat for "forgive" and one for "forget". Jesus' death on the cross took the place of the entire sacrificial ritual, being both the blood shed and the removal or carrying away of sin.
2) One goat represents Jesus (whose blood was shed) and the other represents Satan, on whom the sins of the saints at the end of the world will be heaped, and he will bear the final penalty. Or, alternatively, the second goat was sent out into the wilderness to a fallen angel, Azazel (the word that is the root of the translation debate), to be a witness that the sins of the people have been removed from them, or to pacify him, depending on which article you read.
Those are, of course, very compacted versions of the information available on this subject. Perhaps it is because I've always been taught that Jesus' shed blood not only atoned for our sin but also removed it from us that doesn't allow me to seriously consider option #2 as valid. Suggesting that Jesus' sacrifice itself was inadequate to completely wash away sin and introducing that Satan's participation is also required is abhorrent to me. Not to mention the many verses in the New Testament that declare that Jesus' blood washes away our sin completely.
Hebrews 10:11-13 says
11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. (emphasis mine)
Now, moving on...
Mark 8:38: "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."
It stood out to me that Jesus referred to the society they lived in as adulterous and sinful, when it seems that our society is so much worse. In some ways it may be worse today, but I don't think it was as much better then as we sometimes think. I know that sinful nature hasn't changed and that people then were greedy, adulterous, lustful, deceitful, and so on, and yet somehow in my mind it's difficult to reconcile that their society was "adulterous and sinful" when they didn't have all the media that we have now. And then I remind myself that sin comes from the inside. Our human nature is the same today as theirs was in Jesus' day.
I also felt a jab of conviction when I read this verse, as I sometimes choose to keep my beliefs to myself in order to avoid having to defend them. Not quite the same thing as being ashamed, but not far off either. I don't know about anyone else, but I sometimes find it hard to talk about my faith and the things that go along with it in certain company. Usually it's because I'm afraid that someone will possibly ridicule my faith - not me personally, but what I believe in - and I'm worried that I won't know how to respond. Alternatively, I may be concerned about offending someone by saying, for example, that homosexuality is wrong, and I'd prefer to allow people to remain ignorant of what I believe rather than offend them.
Sin is accepted and glorified more in our society, on television, in movies, and in music, but I find it hard to distinguish between how the real people in our society actually feel about these things and how they are portrayed. Because one sees things like homosexuality or transgender modification being applauded as "living your truth" and abortion as a valid "personal choice", movies and television shows where everyone cheats on everyone else, magazines and fashion shows where the exterior appearance is all-important, music that talks about sex as a recreational activity, does that mean that these attitudes or beliefs are generally accepted by the majority of people in our society today, or does it seem that way because it's what we hear more often? And has the seeming general acceptance of society actually changed the way the people in your family, church, neighbourhood, or community feel about them? Are we afraid to admit to the things we believe, fearing to offend someone?
I know I often subscribe to a kind of "live and let live" mentality, which I admit is sometimes too apathetic. While shouldn't judge others as people, we also shouldn't allow those whose beliefs differ from ours to be the only ones expressing them. Somehow we must endeavor to denounce the action without vilifying the person. Not easily done, especially since many people automatically take personal offense to being told that something they do or believe is wrong.
I REALLY don't want Jesus to be ashamed of me "when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." I've discovered that a simple way to open a conversation about God or Christianity is to mention going to church. Some people will just let it pass without commenting on it and others will ask about it, giving you an opportunity to share with them. There are actually acquaintances that I'd had for several months and not known that they were Christians until I mentioned church one day. I'm sure they didn't know I was a Christian either. That doesn't make me too happy with myself. I should want people to know that I am a Christian and it should be such a big part of my life that it comes up naturally in regular conversation. Maybe not the people I see in the grocery store or pass on the sidewalks, but certainly people I talk to on a semi-regular basis.
I welcome your thoughts and opinions. Have a great day!
Tomorrow's passage: Leviticus 17-18; Mark 9:1-29.
I find it interesting that once again our readings from the OT and NT are related. In the OT we read about the Day of Atonement - an annual event which occurred on the 10th day of the 7th month. A day when everyone was to be cleansed from their sin by the sacrifice of a bull, a goat, and a scapegoat being released in the desert. In our NT reading today, Jesus begins teaching his disciples about what will happen to him - the Day of Atonement that would cleanse those who believe from sin once and for all.
For those who are interested, there is various information regarding the scapegoat, which I was curious about so I looked up some information. A Google search brought up a number of different articles, basically coming down to two schools of thought, mainly because of the debate of the translation of the word for "scapegoat". There is information from both sides on Truth or Fables website talking more about the translation of the word itself and how this debate came to be.
1) One goat dies because without shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sin and the scapegoat then carries the "wickedness and rebellion" (Lev. 16:21) of the people out into the wilderness, "where God would remember their sins no more" (from the article Christ, the final scapegoat). In other words, one goat for "forgive" and one for "forget". Jesus' death on the cross took the place of the entire sacrificial ritual, being both the blood shed and the removal or carrying away of sin.
2) One goat represents Jesus (whose blood was shed) and the other represents Satan, on whom the sins of the saints at the end of the world will be heaped, and he will bear the final penalty. Or, alternatively, the second goat was sent out into the wilderness to a fallen angel, Azazel (the word that is the root of the translation debate), to be a witness that the sins of the people have been removed from them, or to pacify him, depending on which article you read.
Those are, of course, very compacted versions of the information available on this subject. Perhaps it is because I've always been taught that Jesus' shed blood not only atoned for our sin but also removed it from us that doesn't allow me to seriously consider option #2 as valid. Suggesting that Jesus' sacrifice itself was inadequate to completely wash away sin and introducing that Satan's participation is also required is abhorrent to me. Not to mention the many verses in the New Testament that declare that Jesus' blood washes away our sin completely.
Hebrews 10:11-13 says
11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. (emphasis mine)
Now, moving on...
Mark 8:38: "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."
It stood out to me that Jesus referred to the society they lived in as adulterous and sinful, when it seems that our society is so much worse. In some ways it may be worse today, but I don't think it was as much better then as we sometimes think. I know that sinful nature hasn't changed and that people then were greedy, adulterous, lustful, deceitful, and so on, and yet somehow in my mind it's difficult to reconcile that their society was "adulterous and sinful" when they didn't have all the media that we have now. And then I remind myself that sin comes from the inside. Our human nature is the same today as theirs was in Jesus' day.
I also felt a jab of conviction when I read this verse, as I sometimes choose to keep my beliefs to myself in order to avoid having to defend them. Not quite the same thing as being ashamed, but not far off either. I don't know about anyone else, but I sometimes find it hard to talk about my faith and the things that go along with it in certain company. Usually it's because I'm afraid that someone will possibly ridicule my faith - not me personally, but what I believe in - and I'm worried that I won't know how to respond. Alternatively, I may be concerned about offending someone by saying, for example, that homosexuality is wrong, and I'd prefer to allow people to remain ignorant of what I believe rather than offend them.
Sin is accepted and glorified more in our society, on television, in movies, and in music, but I find it hard to distinguish between how the real people in our society actually feel about these things and how they are portrayed. Because one sees things like homosexuality or transgender modification being applauded as "living your truth" and abortion as a valid "personal choice", movies and television shows where everyone cheats on everyone else, magazines and fashion shows where the exterior appearance is all-important, music that talks about sex as a recreational activity, does that mean that these attitudes or beliefs are generally accepted by the majority of people in our society today, or does it seem that way because it's what we hear more often? And has the seeming general acceptance of society actually changed the way the people in your family, church, neighbourhood, or community feel about them? Are we afraid to admit to the things we believe, fearing to offend someone?
I know I often subscribe to a kind of "live and let live" mentality, which I admit is sometimes too apathetic. While shouldn't judge others as people, we also shouldn't allow those whose beliefs differ from ours to be the only ones expressing them. Somehow we must endeavor to denounce the action without vilifying the person. Not easily done, especially since many people automatically take personal offense to being told that something they do or believe is wrong.
I REALLY don't want Jesus to be ashamed of me "when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." I've discovered that a simple way to open a conversation about God or Christianity is to mention going to church. Some people will just let it pass without commenting on it and others will ask about it, giving you an opportunity to share with them. There are actually acquaintances that I'd had for several months and not known that they were Christians until I mentioned church one day. I'm sure they didn't know I was a Christian either. That doesn't make me too happy with myself. I should want people to know that I am a Christian and it should be such a big part of my life that it comes up naturally in regular conversation. Maybe not the people I see in the grocery store or pass on the sidewalks, but certainly people I talk to on a semi-regular basis.
I welcome your thoughts and opinions. Have a great day!
Tomorrow's passage: Leviticus 17-18; Mark 9:1-29.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
March 2, 2011 - Kathryn
Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Leviticus 14, Mark 8:1-21
I was very excited about today's reading, until I tried to search out some answers I had for my questions. Then I got very frustrated. So I'm going with what I got.
I found it interesting that Leviticus has a lot to say about leprosy. In my studying it seems that the modern day disease is thought to be vastly different than the disease as described in the bible. Here is the description of the modern day leprosy and here is a description of the biblical leprosy. At any rate, it is a disorder that the bible describes in detail, something that God does not want us to miss. In our reading today it deals with the cleansing of healed lepers. Which I found very interesting. Vss. 8 and 9 state that the person must shave all the hair off their bodies. And not just once, but twice in the same week! That's a lot of shaving! And I'm sure they didn't have razors like we had. But we are talking bald, everywhere. And I'm betting that oil that was put on their heads felt good after all that shaving. My one question, though, was why the right ear, right thumb and right big toe? What's the deal with the right? And why those places? Any insight?
I also find it interesting how these passages fall for each us for where we've been in life. Vss 33-57 hearken me back to a very bad time in our lives. I think I've mentioned before about the house we lived in previous to this house. We got a bad case of black mold in Nadia's room. The day we started to rip that out we all ended up in the ER. Nadia had slept in that room from the day she was born and constantly had colds and ear infections. It's no surprise to me why the Lord has strict regulations concerning funky fungi that can grow in our houses. So many times the laws God has put on us are not Him being mean, but it's for our protection.
Our Mark passage covers the feeding of the 4000, which we've seen before. Some theorize this group were gentiles. At any rate, it's a massive amount of people who have been following Jesus around for a while. I love how this whole passage shows the heart and emotions of Jesus. First, he has compassion on the people because they are hungry. He is aware of their physical needs. I am sure most of them were thinking of the big physical needs they had, like the diseases that needed healed, ears opened up, eyes illuminated or limbs straightened. And maybe they weren't all that hungry just yet, but Jesus saw beyond their current state into what might happen and he provided for them. I love that about Jesus. In all ways he is thinking about us. And here he sees our very basic of needs, that being food. And he provides. Why should I worry about anything more? Here these people had nothing to give back to him and yes, they could've packed more food, or went back earlier, or just roughed it and walked to the nearest town, but that doesn't happen. He decides to perform a miracle and provide. And while it was a miracle it wasn't flashy. It was to provide a basic need. I find this so interesting.
Then in vss 11-12 we see more of Jesus' heart. He is exasperated! I don't know why, but I kinda find this funny. I can picture Jesus just sort of exhaling, shaking his head, or maybe rubbing his temples (my husband does that when he's exasperated). Christ is so human! He gets frustrated, tired and fed up with foolish people! I'm sure we can all relate to that! And best yet, he shows us how to deal with them. He does nothing. He walks away. I'm wondering if he's saying here 'it isn't worth my time'. Not that a true, repenting soul isn't, but those trying to trip Jesus up isn't. I'm wondering if the same is true for us, or could be for us? Here's where I'm coming from: I'm not a good debater. I just don't argue well with those who are educated and can articulate themselves well quickly. I fear situations like that. But maybe people like that we don't need to engage them. Especially if they are just out to prove us wrong. Scripture says that we need to be ready with a answer for the hope that we have and that answer is just our personal experience. Some people are gifted debaters (like my husband who was on debate team in high school), some are not, like yours truly. And there is place for us both in the kingdom. There are times that Jesus does engage them and there are times that he just simply walks away. What a comfort.
Studying the scriptures can only enhance our abilities to answer others and so I commend and encourage you as you continue in your efforts. Blessings friends.
Tomorrow's passage: Leviticus 15-16, Mark 8:22-38
I was very excited about today's reading, until I tried to search out some answers I had for my questions. Then I got very frustrated. So I'm going with what I got.
I found it interesting that Leviticus has a lot to say about leprosy. In my studying it seems that the modern day disease is thought to be vastly different than the disease as described in the bible. Here is the description of the modern day leprosy and here is a description of the biblical leprosy. At any rate, it is a disorder that the bible describes in detail, something that God does not want us to miss. In our reading today it deals with the cleansing of healed lepers. Which I found very interesting. Vss. 8 and 9 state that the person must shave all the hair off their bodies. And not just once, but twice in the same week! That's a lot of shaving! And I'm sure they didn't have razors like we had. But we are talking bald, everywhere. And I'm betting that oil that was put on their heads felt good after all that shaving. My one question, though, was why the right ear, right thumb and right big toe? What's the deal with the right? And why those places? Any insight?
I also find it interesting how these passages fall for each us for where we've been in life. Vss 33-57 hearken me back to a very bad time in our lives. I think I've mentioned before about the house we lived in previous to this house. We got a bad case of black mold in Nadia's room. The day we started to rip that out we all ended up in the ER. Nadia had slept in that room from the day she was born and constantly had colds and ear infections. It's no surprise to me why the Lord has strict regulations concerning funky fungi that can grow in our houses. So many times the laws God has put on us are not Him being mean, but it's for our protection.
Our Mark passage covers the feeding of the 4000, which we've seen before. Some theorize this group were gentiles. At any rate, it's a massive amount of people who have been following Jesus around for a while. I love how this whole passage shows the heart and emotions of Jesus. First, he has compassion on the people because they are hungry. He is aware of their physical needs. I am sure most of them were thinking of the big physical needs they had, like the diseases that needed healed, ears opened up, eyes illuminated or limbs straightened. And maybe they weren't all that hungry just yet, but Jesus saw beyond their current state into what might happen and he provided for them. I love that about Jesus. In all ways he is thinking about us. And here he sees our very basic of needs, that being food. And he provides. Why should I worry about anything more? Here these people had nothing to give back to him and yes, they could've packed more food, or went back earlier, or just roughed it and walked to the nearest town, but that doesn't happen. He decides to perform a miracle and provide. And while it was a miracle it wasn't flashy. It was to provide a basic need. I find this so interesting.
Then in vss 11-12 we see more of Jesus' heart. He is exasperated! I don't know why, but I kinda find this funny. I can picture Jesus just sort of exhaling, shaking his head, or maybe rubbing his temples (my husband does that when he's exasperated). Christ is so human! He gets frustrated, tired and fed up with foolish people! I'm sure we can all relate to that! And best yet, he shows us how to deal with them. He does nothing. He walks away. I'm wondering if he's saying here 'it isn't worth my time'. Not that a true, repenting soul isn't, but those trying to trip Jesus up isn't. I'm wondering if the same is true for us, or could be for us? Here's where I'm coming from: I'm not a good debater. I just don't argue well with those who are educated and can articulate themselves well quickly. I fear situations like that. But maybe people like that we don't need to engage them. Especially if they are just out to prove us wrong. Scripture says that we need to be ready with a answer for the hope that we have and that answer is just our personal experience. Some people are gifted debaters (like my husband who was on debate team in high school), some are not, like yours truly. And there is place for us both in the kingdom. There are times that Jesus does engage them and there are times that he just simply walks away. What a comfort.
Studying the scriptures can only enhance our abilities to answer others and so I commend and encourage you as you continue in your efforts. Blessings friends.
Tomorrow's passage: Leviticus 15-16, Mark 8:22-38
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Tuesday, March 1 - Jody
Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Leviticus 13, Mark 7:14-37
Good Morning!
Today I was taken in by the story of the Syrophoenician Woman. This story made me stop and stand amazed at her persistence. I thought I'd see what was said last year about this passage and found that Tammy wrote a great post about it. I've just copied her post here, because I loved it so much! If you want the link it's Here. But, really all of Tammy's words are below... Thanks Tammy!
The passage that jumped out at me was the one about the Greek woman whose daughter Jesus eventually healed by casting out the demon that possessed her.
The reason this passage jumped out at me was because it seems so contradictory to what we know of Jesus. Not that He granted healing to her daughter, but His seeming reluctance to help her.
This woman was a Greek, she was a woman, and she had a demon possessed daughter. She was not in a good position. She was in need. And that is an understatement. But she had heard about Jesus, so she went to Him to petition Him to heal her daughter.
At first He ignored her. But she didn't give up.
Then He refused her. But she still didn't give up.
And then He refused her again. But He said something that gave her a grain of hope, and she latched onto it and implored Him again.
And then He finally healed her daughter.
Why did He ignore her? Why did He refuse her? Why the delay? Why did He seem uncaring and unwilling to help her?
In his sermon, A Harsh Lesson In Grace, David Legge explains.....
you've heard the expression 'Playing the devil's advocate', haven't you? You know what it means: it means to pretend against an idea, to take on a role that you don't really believe in, but to make a point. You understand what it means? Well, here the Lord Jesus is playing the law's advocate, that's what He's doing. He's playing the law's advocate, He's standing in the place of what these religious, self-righteous Pharisees would say, and how they would behave. He wants to show the exclusiveness of the law in order to display the wonderful glory of His grace, as a contrast to it - that He was going to do something new. Ironically, through what seemed to be initially great harshness, the Lord Jesus is inviting this ostracized woman through the open door of His grace....
That's the main point of this story: God's grace has been made free! The Lord had to behave in this seemingly harsh way to illustrate it in a shocking manner, that all men everywhere, if they repent and believe, will be saved. Now: what made her hold on in spite of the apparent unwillingness of Christ? This is very important - I wouldn't have held on, I'll be honest with you, I would have given up. I'm sure many of you, if not all of you, would have been the same. Well, here, I believe, is the answer to this question: the secret of her holding on was that she had got a glimpse of Christ's heart. You remember that she had heard about Him before, and she had understood the heart of this Man who received sinful men and women, and the outcasts all over Palestine. So she was interpreting His words, even His harsh words, in the light of what she already knew about Him. In other words, she had seen His grace displayed and heard about it before, and so she knew that no matter how harsh these words sounded, there had to be a gracious loophole in them somewhere. There had to be! ....
the Lord still does this. He let us first of all see our impossibility from our side, and then He shows us the possibility from His side. It's not that He's reluctant, He wants us to get to that place where our self-sufficiency is gone, so that we are completely dependent upon Him. As Philip Brooks, the Puritan, said: 'Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness'... God's delays are not His denials. Do you know what they are? God's delays are His encouragements to increase our faith - that's why God is delaying in answering your prayers. He wants to increase your faith. We see that in Matthew 15, in his record of this story: Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted. And her daughter was healed from that very hour. (emphasis mine)
He denies, or delays to increase our faith. And to train us to persevere in prayer!
For many of our needs, only persevering faith expressed in prayer will avail and bring us the answer - that's why we don't often see as many answers to prayer as we would like, because we're not prepared to importunately persist, and prevail, and persevere in faith. You see, generally speaking, we are a generation of quitters today - there is a generational aspect to that. Things were harder years ago in an everyday sense, people had to strive for their bread, and work with the sweat of their brow for everything they had. Things come a lot easier today, and so this has really become part of our makeup. That striving spirit that was even a human thing years ago isn't the same, and it is identical in the spiritual realm: there are very few people who strive in prayer. Do you know something? Satan trembles when he sees a striving saint upon their knees. I think he has a way of resisting our ordinary prayers at times, we see that in the book of Daniel. He can resist our prayers, but Daniel's victory came because he persevered, and he prevailed! Satan seems to lose his power, like he lost his power in this wee girl in this story, when we hold onto God and won't let go until He blesses.
Ok, here I'm jumping in again. What a great message to not give up on our prayers. God hears every single one. He longs for our faith to grow and dependence on Him to increase! Praying persistence in faith and prayers today as we surrender ourselves before our Father.
Tomorrow's passage: Leviticus 14, Mark 8:1-21
Good Morning!
Today I was taken in by the story of the Syrophoenician Woman. This story made me stop and stand amazed at her persistence. I thought I'd see what was said last year about this passage and found that Tammy wrote a great post about it. I've just copied her post here, because I loved it so much! If you want the link it's Here. But, really all of Tammy's words are below... Thanks Tammy!
The passage that jumped out at me was the one about the Greek woman whose daughter Jesus eventually healed by casting out the demon that possessed her.
The reason this passage jumped out at me was because it seems so contradictory to what we know of Jesus. Not that He granted healing to her daughter, but His seeming reluctance to help her.
This woman was a Greek, she was a woman, and she had a demon possessed daughter. She was not in a good position. She was in need. And that is an understatement. But she had heard about Jesus, so she went to Him to petition Him to heal her daughter.
At first He ignored her. But she didn't give up.
Then He refused her. But she still didn't give up.
And then He refused her again. But He said something that gave her a grain of hope, and she latched onto it and implored Him again.
And then He finally healed her daughter.
Why did He ignore her? Why did He refuse her? Why the delay? Why did He seem uncaring and unwilling to help her?
In his sermon, A Harsh Lesson In Grace, David Legge explains.....
you've heard the expression 'Playing the devil's advocate', haven't you? You know what it means: it means to pretend against an idea, to take on a role that you don't really believe in, but to make a point. You understand what it means? Well, here the Lord Jesus is playing the law's advocate, that's what He's doing. He's playing the law's advocate, He's standing in the place of what these religious, self-righteous Pharisees would say, and how they would behave. He wants to show the exclusiveness of the law in order to display the wonderful glory of His grace, as a contrast to it - that He was going to do something new. Ironically, through what seemed to be initially great harshness, the Lord Jesus is inviting this ostracized woman through the open door of His grace....
That's the main point of this story: God's grace has been made free! The Lord had to behave in this seemingly harsh way to illustrate it in a shocking manner, that all men everywhere, if they repent and believe, will be saved. Now: what made her hold on in spite of the apparent unwillingness of Christ? This is very important - I wouldn't have held on, I'll be honest with you, I would have given up. I'm sure many of you, if not all of you, would have been the same. Well, here, I believe, is the answer to this question: the secret of her holding on was that she had got a glimpse of Christ's heart. You remember that she had heard about Him before, and she had understood the heart of this Man who received sinful men and women, and the outcasts all over Palestine. So she was interpreting His words, even His harsh words, in the light of what she already knew about Him. In other words, she had seen His grace displayed and heard about it before, and so she knew that no matter how harsh these words sounded, there had to be a gracious loophole in them somewhere. There had to be! ....
the Lord still does this. He let us first of all see our impossibility from our side, and then He shows us the possibility from His side. It's not that He's reluctant, He wants us to get to that place where our self-sufficiency is gone, so that we are completely dependent upon Him. As Philip Brooks, the Puritan, said: 'Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness'... God's delays are not His denials. Do you know what they are? God's delays are His encouragements to increase our faith - that's why God is delaying in answering your prayers. He wants to increase your faith. We see that in Matthew 15, in his record of this story: Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted. And her daughter was healed from that very hour. (emphasis mine)
He denies, or delays to increase our faith. And to train us to persevere in prayer!
For many of our needs, only persevering faith expressed in prayer will avail and bring us the answer - that's why we don't often see as many answers to prayer as we would like, because we're not prepared to importunately persist, and prevail, and persevere in faith. You see, generally speaking, we are a generation of quitters today - there is a generational aspect to that. Things were harder years ago in an everyday sense, people had to strive for their bread, and work with the sweat of their brow for everything they had. Things come a lot easier today, and so this has really become part of our makeup. That striving spirit that was even a human thing years ago isn't the same, and it is identical in the spiritual realm: there are very few people who strive in prayer. Do you know something? Satan trembles when he sees a striving saint upon their knees. I think he has a way of resisting our ordinary prayers at times, we see that in the book of Daniel. He can resist our prayers, but Daniel's victory came because he persevered, and he prevailed! Satan seems to lose his power, like he lost his power in this wee girl in this story, when we hold onto God and won't let go until He blesses.
George Mueller knew all about that. There are many instances in his life we could recite. At one point he said: 'The great point in prayer is never to give up until the answer comes'. He gives an anecdote from his own experience. He says: 'I've been praying 63 years and 8 months for one man's conversion' - 63 years, this is George Mueller, a great man of faith, 63 years and 8 months - 'He is not saved yet, but he will be. How can it be otherwise? I am praying!'. The day came when Mueller's friend did receive the Lord Jesus, but it didn't come until Mueller's coffin was being lowered into the ground - yet it came. Beside that open grave that man, prayed for 63 years and 8 months, trusted Christ at the grave of the man who was praying for him all those years. Persevering prayer won the battle. Mueller's prayer saw success just for four simple words: he did not quit.
What is the Lord teaching? He's teaching the willingness to give His grace. What is He teaching? He's teaching the need for us to desire enough to surrender ourselves before God in importunate, persevering, prevailing prayer - to realize that any delays to answer our prayers, and seeming refusals, are often tests of our faith for us to grow stronger, and pray harder, and see greater wonders done for Almighty God's glory. (emphasis mine)Ok, here I'm jumping in again. What a great message to not give up on our prayers. God hears every single one. He longs for our faith to grow and dependence on Him to increase! Praying persistence in faith and prayers today as we surrender ourselves before our Father.
Tomorrow's passage: Leviticus 14, Mark 8:1-21
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