Numbers 7 - Day 166 (link to reading plan)
Scripture: Numbers 7:89 Commentary: In this section the twelve tribal leaders bring gifts for the Tabernacle. The first group of gifts consists of transport for the use of the Levites (vv 1–9)—twelve oxen and six wagons in all. The Kohathites, however, are not allowed to use them, their responsibility being the holiest things. The second group of gifts (vv 10–83) is for use in worship—each leader making an identical offering to cover the needs of cereal and incense offerings, and of whole, purification, and shared offerings. These gifts were presented on successive days. The section ends with a calculation of the grand total of offerings (vv 84–88). Budd, P. J. (1984). Numbers (Vol. 5, p. 83). Dallas: Word, Incorporated. Application: After the calculation of the offerings, verse 89 reminds us that God spoke to Moses "face to face." Even with all of the rules, regulations, and rituals in place, God spoke to Moses in a personal way, foreshadowing the relationship He would establish with us. Prayer: Thank You Lord... Numbers 6 - Day 165 (link to reading plan)
Scripture: Numbers 6:22-27 Commentary: The place of this blessing is appropriate. Israel had been set in order and consecrated to the Lord, and now God provided the blessing following their obedience. The blessing is not a thoughtless cliché which trips off the tongue; it is packed with meaning. It falls into six parts. 1. The Lord bless you. Blessing sums up the covenant benefits which God shows to his people (Dt. 28:1–14). Sons would expect a blessing from their father (e.g. Gn. 27:27–29, 38; 49:1–28). God’s blessing was given to Adam, whom Luke calls ‘the son of God’ (Gn. 1:28; 5:1–3; Lk. 3:38). Through Adam’s fall the curse came in (Gn. 3:14–19), but blessing was promised again to Abraham and his descendants (Gn. 12:1–3). Blessing entails fruitfulness (descendants, flocks, harvests), but these benefits are tokens of the true blessing, the relationship with the Lord. Only if God is our Father are we truly blessed (Gn. 17:16; 22:17–18; Lv. 26:3–13; Dt. 28:2–14). 2. And keep you. The purpose of the protection was to keep Israel in covenant relationship with God. The Lord was Israel’s keeper (Ps. 121:7–8; cf. Heb. 13:6). Christ, the good shepherd, kept his sheep and lost none except for Judas Iscariot (Jn. 6:37–40; 10:11–16; 18:9). 3. The Lord make his face shine upon you. His face means his presence, revealed in the cloud of fire (Ex. 40:34ff.); shine upon you means that God takes pleasure in his people and saves them (Pr. 16:15; Pss. 31:16; 67:1f.; 80:3, 7, 19). 4. And be gracious to you. The outcome of God’s pleasure is his grace; his covenant mercy. It is fundamental to salvation that God’s favour is unmerited. It is not deserved in any way; rather God shows mercy because of his own love and faithfulness to his oath (Dt. 7:7–8). This principle can be traced throughout Scripture (Ezk. 16:1ff.; Rom. 5:1–11; 9:10–13, 18; 11:5; 1 Cor. 1:26ff.). 5. The Lord turn his face towards you. This is more emphatic and asks that God might pay attention to Israel. It may reflect the fact that he had chosen them and not other nations. If God hid his face, Israel would suffer and perish (Pss. 30:7; 44:24; 104:29). 6. And give you peace. Peace means completeness and well-being. This has long been recognized as covenant language. Covenants were made to secure peace through a right relationship. But when God gives peace, it extends to the whole of life; even human enemies are quiet (Lv. 26:6; Pr. 16:7). These words were later seen as a promise of the Messiah, the ‘Prince of Peace’ (Is. 9:6), and find their true depths in Christ (Jn. 14:27; Eph. 2:14–18). We should note two points about the form of this blessing. First, it is poetic, having three lines divided into two parts. Each line is longer than the previous one, making the blessing stronger and more emphatic. Secondly, it uses repetition. Twice it speaks of God’s face (presence); that we might enter the presence of God is the goal of all redemption. It repeats the divine name the Lord (Heb. YHWH) three times. Some think that this anticipates the Trinity (see Rom. 10:9; 2 Cor. 3:17). Scholars regard this as very ancient poetry Naylor, P. J. (1994). Numbers. In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.), New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 177). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press. Application: It is good to be blessed, especially by the Lord. Seek Him with all of your heart and you will find Him. Prayer: Lord, bless us and protect us... Numbers 5 - Day 164 (link to reading plan)
Scripture: Numbers 5:29-31 Observation: God prescribes an elaborate test for married women who were accused by their jealous husbands of being unfaithful. Application: We could easily become distracted and run off on numerous tangents about the unfairness of the test, what about the male partners, or how archaic society was at the time so let me get to the point. Obviously, marital unfaithfulness was a problem that needed to be addressed so God included this test. The point is that God is Holy and in order to have a relationship with Him, the Israelites needed to at least pursue God's holiness. I can't stress this enough, without Jesus' sacrifice, we would need to follow all of these rules to have a relationship with God. Prayer: Lord, thank you... Numbers 4 - Day 163 (link to reading plan)
Scripture: Numbers 4:17-20 Observation: The Lord delineates the duties of each tribe within the Levites. The Kohathites were required to care for the most sacred objects within the tabernacle. Application: The Kohathites were like the specialty movers of their day. Even though they cared for the sacred items, their duties were specific and their lives depended on following God's instructions. They couldn't even "look" at the sacred objects for even a moment, or they would die. We've come a long way since then. Take the time to appreciate the fact that we can approach the throne room of God without the supervision of Aaron or his sons. Prayer: Lord Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner. Thank you for your blood that covers me and allows me to approach your Father. Numbers 3 - Day 162 (link to reading plan)
Scripture: Numbers 3:40-51 Commentary: In compensation for His having spared the firstborn … males of Israel at the time of the Exodus, the Lord declared that all the firstborn of men and animals should belong to Him (see comments on vv. 11–13). This would not involve their deaths, but their lifetime service. A further development of this principle was the arrangement whereby the tribe of Levi would be given in service to the Lord as a substitution for all the firstborn of the other tribes. The number of Levites to offer this vicarious service was 22,000 (v. 39) whereas the firstborn males in all Israel amounted to 22,273 (v. 43). This meant that there were insufficient Levites. Therefore, the 273 firstborn Israelites without Levitic redemption had to be redeemed in another way. The solution was to exact five shekels for each of the 273 Merrill, E. H. (1985). Numbers. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 220). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. Application: Everyone needs to be accounted for and those without "Levitic" representation were redeemed with a monetary value. All of this goes to show us that every person is valuable and worth their weight in "silver." Prayer: Lord, thank You for redeeming me. |
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