Numbers 8

“The Call To Minister”

“And you shall bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands on the Levites: And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD.” (Numbers 8:11)

Here God is telling Moses to bring the tribe of Levite before Him that He may demonstrate whom He has chosen for His service. All Israel must know that they (Levites) did not take this honor to themselves, but were called of God to it.

This also shows us that, all who are employed for God must be dedicated to Him, according to the employment. It is not uncommon today to have a pastor and the elders lay hands on and pray before the congregation for someone stepping out in faith to serve in any capacity.

The key here is, the calling to serve should be from God and not from

from man. Every true born again believer has heard and responded to, the call of God on his/her life. The call to minister should be a similar Spirit type prompting confirmed by God in your heart.

Therefore, be still and listen, pray for conformation, then step out in faith and see what happens.

The Truth

“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble.” (2 Peter 1:10)

Numbers 7

Giving To God

Chapter 7 is all about giving to support the services of the Tabernacle. This chapter (the second longest in the Bible), records the gifts given to Him by all the tribes of Israel.

Giving is a topic that is preached on from many different angles from the pulpit today and is sometimes orchestrated to guilt the body into going beyond their own abilities. This type of manipulation is not scriptural. 

 As the Apostle Paul tells in 2 Corinthians, “The Lord loves a cheerful giver”, someone who gives from the joy of the heart and not grudgingly or out of necessity. He also instructs us to, “give as we purpose in our own hearts.” Meaning, don’t let someone else make that decision for you.

Therefore, any thing we give to Him, any act of kindness we show in His name, is noted by Him and accounted unto us as righteousness. Keep your heart open and He through His Spirit will direct you on what to give.

The Truth

“So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Numbers 6

 “Invoking The Name of the Lord”

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.’ So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.”’( v. 22-27)

The priests were to solemnly bless the people in the name of the Lord. This passage records the solemn benediction, which God appointed for dismissing the people at the close of the daily service. The repetition of the name "Lord" three times, expresses the great mystery of the Godhead—three persons, and yet one God.

This benediction, pronounced by the lips of a fellow man, derived its virtue, not from the priest but from God. The encouraging result at the end of verse 27 "I the Lord will bless them", is the intended result of following this law.

Many congregations in our society today still use this formal benediction (Blessing) at the end of their service. The blessing, with it’s origin from God, pronounced by the lips His servants, to His people in faith, with the expressed purpose of blessing us. 

Thank you Lord for blessing my life, keeping me safe and being faithful to Your promises.

The Truth

“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” (2 Corinthians 1:20)

Open Letter To My Readers

Forgive me for not continuing with our devotional in numbers. I suffered a Heart Attack Monday night and was taken to Orange County Memorial Heart Cath Lab where 3 stints were put in on Tuesday. My cardiologist feels there is more work to be done so he has ordered bypass surgery for Friday at 9 AM. The procedure should take about 4 hrs. So please pray that the procedures go well.

We serve a mighty God  who's grace is sufficient for all our needs. Bless to all.

In His Love,

Chris

Numbers 5

Purifying The Camp

“Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that has an issue, and whoever is defiled by the dead: Both male and female shall you put out, without the camp shall you put them; that they defile not their camps, in the middle whereof I dwell.” (Numbers 2-3)

Chapter 5 deals with purifying both the camp and the people. The laws spoken of here for ridding the encampment of certain impurities were not because they were physically contagious nor because they could lead to disease, it was more about God dwelling in the midst of them.

This vigilant care to maintain external cleanliness in the people was typically designed to teach them the practice of moral purity, or cleansing themselves from all filthiness of the flesh. These regulations made for ensuring cleanliness in the camp suggest the adoption of similar means for maintaining purity in the church.

Today this might look like removing known sin from the church (for a time) in love. This becomes just as necessary to the moral purity of the body, as the exclusion of the leper was, to the physical health and ceremonial purity in the Jewish church.

However, remember upon cleansing, the people were always allowed to return to the body. Sin does separate us from fellowship with God but, “with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10) making restoration into the body possible.

The Truth

“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1)

Numbers 4

Assignments

This chapter reveals the Lord’s assignments for the descendants of the sons of Levi; Kohath, Gershon, and Merari from the age of thirty until they were fifty years old.

This age (thirty) was prescribed as the age of full strength of body and therefore most proper for their laborious work of carrying the parts and vessels of the tabernacle, and of maturity of judgment which is necessary for the right management of holy services. At fifty, they were exempt from the toilsome work of carrying burdens, but not from the Lord’s work within the tabernacle.

The application here is, as ambassadors of Christ there is always work to be done. We might retire from heavy labor but never as ambassadors for His kingdom.

1 Peter 2:9 states that we (believers) are a royal priesthood and that our assignment is, “to proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

May we all get our assignments done every day.

The Truth

“I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works.” (Psalm 9:1)

Numbers 3

The Levites

"And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him. And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle." (v.5-7)

Here we see the tribe of Levi presented to the LORD as a sacrifice of service entirely to the sanctuary. They no longer are their own, but the Lord's property and shall work for the whole congregation.

The Levites were to perform the most common and laborious duties. It was their business to take down, put up, and carry the tabernacle and its utensils; for it was the object of their peculiar care. In a word, they were the servants of the priests. This was an honor given to the Levites by God to serve Him.

Every congregation has it's Levites and could not function without them. The business of set-up, break down, clean-up, parking, security, etc. Carrying out all the laborious work that goes into preparing the church, before the doors even open. Have you ever noticed that those who do the work are usually joyful in their labor? Why is that? Because it's an honor to do so.

The Truth

"Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence." (Revelation 7:15)

Numbers 2

The Encampment Ordered

“And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses: so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers.” (v. 34)

Here in chapter 2 the tribes were instructed to encamp around the tabernacle. Yet, they were to pitch their tents afar off in reverence to the sanctuary. Each tribe was given a specific direction and location in which to set up their company and they did so without murmuring, questioning or disputing their position. This ordered encampment became their safety and their beauty (Numbers 24:5-6).

Just as each of the tribes of Israel accepted their position in the camp around the sanctuary, it is our duty to be content with the place allotted us within the body of Christ as well. For in so doing, we make our sanctuary a place of safety and beauty as well.

The Truth

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Ephesians 4:1-6)

Numbers 1

The Census

"Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, every male, head by head from twenty years old and upward, whoever is able to go out to war in Israel, you and Aaron shall number them by their armies." (v.1-3)

Our study opens with the Lord telling Moses to take a census. The people were numbered to: 1) show God's faithfulness in thus increasing the seed of Jacob, 2) that they might be the better trained for the wars and conquest of Canaan, and 3) to ascertain their families for the division of the land.

Moses served then, as we do now, a God of order, structure and power. Let every believer be prepared to withstand not only the enemy at the gates, but of the soul as well - even when all seems to be at peace. Be ready!

The Truth

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:10-13)

Matthew 23

"Blessed Is He"

Chapter 23 contains the last public sermon of Jesus Christ, given just days before His death. One would think this message would be about love and salvation with an invitation to repent but, not so. It was a message of condemnation against the religious hierarchy of the day concerning their hypocrisy.

About three years earlier Jesus began His public ministry by pronouncing eight blessings in the form of the Beatitudes, teaching all (including the Scribes and Pharisees) the meaning of true spiritual leadership. Now, He is ending His public ministry by pronouncing eight woes against the same spiritual leaders who did not apply His teachings with integrity, humility, nor His authority – but added their own legalistic burdens.

In Matthew 5:10 Jesus said in the last of His eight blessings, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Here (Matt. 23:29-35), in His last sermon, we see the last of the eight woes; “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous.”

In matching up His first sermon with His last, Jesus is saying, “Blessed are the persecuted and woe to the persecutors.” These same religious leaders who claim to be men of peace will secretly plot to kill the Prince of Peace.

Jesus ends His message here in chapter 23 with a promise, “For I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’(v.39)

A time is coming when the Jews will acknowledge Jesus as Lord but for now, blindness is still upon Israel.

The Truth

“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written.” (Romans 11:25-26)