Hi everyone,
I really hope you've been keeping up with the daily readings. I know that I haven't been updating as frequently as I should, and for that I apologize. In fact, not in over a month. As you understand, I'm working very steadily toward completing my seminary degree and also looking toward ordination. I'm in the process of accepting a call from the folks at Bessemer, and am working to plan a Mission Trip to Appalachia in July as well as lead a youth group made up of the best kids in the world. Plus... I have a personal life to attend to. Needless to say, since it takes an hour or so each time I blog when I also read Scripture, I'm finding that the blogs are a bit too time consuming for what I can accomplish. I hope you all understand.
What I should do is create a forum for people to ask me questions as they read so that we can engage in meaningful conversation over the texts rather than have me give constant interpretations. What are your thoughts? I may just look into it.
Until then, the peace of Christ be with you!
- Pastor Nathan
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Numbers 15-26
Hi everyone,
I hope that since I've returned to a regular schedule in my life (after a week of finals and two weeks vacation), I will get back into updating regularly. By now, you've probably finished Numbers and made your way into Deuteronomy. So my blog is a little behind, but hopefully in time, I'll get us all caught up.
I just want to give some of the highlights from the readings:
1) The shape of chapters 10 through 21 is to show Israel's wandering in the Wilderness and the complaining they did during that journey. For instance, notice that in chapter 15, God instructs Moses on how to make a fragrant offering, and for the people to do this to show their gratitude to God. He also reminds them that they are to live according to His holy standard and not based on their own judgment. But then what happens? Korah and his followers rebel against Moses and against God. What happens to them? There is an earthquake that swallows up Korak, Dathan and Abiram, along with their families. Then fire comes out and consumes the 250 others. Then they complain some more and a plague comes out. So it's a strange scene where the people have this terrible attitude towards God and the leaders He has chosen.
2) Notice in 16:47 that it is the burning of incense that makes atonement for the people. I find this strange and interesting, since typically it is blood that atones for sins. I'd have to think about this further and contemplate it more.
3) God gets really angry it seems. I don't know what to do with this because God is "slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love" (Numbers 14:18). I find that troubling, but perhaps God's anger is somehow different from our anger. Of course, anger isn't a sin, it's when anger masters a person or when it leads to hatred or misdeeds that it is a problem. Still, God's anger produces a great deal of physical wrath on the disobedient, though.
4) Water from the rock: at first, it's like "Why did God get mad about this?" The problem is that they didn't follow God's instructions. Instead, Moses got nasty and struck the rock twice, instead of speaking to the rock and letting God demonstrate His power through all this. So God forbids Moses and Aaron from leading the people into the promised land.
5) Bronze Serpent: The people are on their way around the land of Edom when the people start whining again. So the Lord sends poisonous snakes to bite them. So the people realize what they've done and they ask for Moses to interceed with God and make them stop. If I were Moses by this point, and these people were my congregation, I might just be tempted to send out my PIF (resume) and start looking for a new job. But Moses intercedes and the Lord says to put a bronze serpent on a pole, and whoever has been bitten and looks upon the snake will recover from the bite. And that's what happened. Notice that Jesus compares this bronze serpent to himself in John 3:14-15, showing that He will be lifted up and whoever looks upon Him in faith will live forever. Without this story, you miss what Jesus is talking about in John 3.
6) I just find this one funny. Look at the end of chapter 21. "From there [they went] to Beer, the well the LORD told Moses about, "Gather the people so I may give them water." Then Israel sang this song: Spring up, well—sing to it!" So, in other words, they went to a bar and they sang drinking songs? Not quite. It makes me laugh to think about but this joke wouldn't make sense in Hebrew because the word "Beer" doesn't mean "Beer" to them like it does to us - the Israelites did not have beer to drink. But it still makes me laugh.
7) Balak and Baalam: Interesting that a donkey can in fact speak the word of God. And so, as Martin Luther once said, "If God can speak through the mouth of an ass, I guess He can use me!" True that.
8) The people of Israel start worshipping Baal... It's like a freaking soap opera. The men start having "all kinds of billy goat fun" with the women of Moab. Then those Moabite women seduce the Israelites into worshipping Baal. So God sends a plague on the people. When one of the couples comes by and makes their way to the tent, Phinehas follows them into the tent and kills them. Then the plague stops. So because Phinehas was obdient, God's wrath was turned away. What a story.
9) Then God wants them to attack the Midianites for what these women did to entice the Israelite men. So they take another census to see who can serve in the army.
Well, that's all I can finish for today. I'll keep working at getting caught up. But the point that I've learned from all this as a pastor, is that God's people are always complaining. It's like it never stops. But our task is never to abandon them, but to always point them back to God. Thankfully, we don't have to hold back God's wrath as often anymore.
Have a good one!
In Christ,
Pastor Nathan
I hope that since I've returned to a regular schedule in my life (after a week of finals and two weeks vacation), I will get back into updating regularly. By now, you've probably finished Numbers and made your way into Deuteronomy. So my blog is a little behind, but hopefully in time, I'll get us all caught up.
I just want to give some of the highlights from the readings:
1) The shape of chapters 10 through 21 is to show Israel's wandering in the Wilderness and the complaining they did during that journey. For instance, notice that in chapter 15, God instructs Moses on how to make a fragrant offering, and for the people to do this to show their gratitude to God. He also reminds them that they are to live according to His holy standard and not based on their own judgment. But then what happens? Korah and his followers rebel against Moses and against God. What happens to them? There is an earthquake that swallows up Korak, Dathan and Abiram, along with their families. Then fire comes out and consumes the 250 others. Then they complain some more and a plague comes out. So it's a strange scene where the people have this terrible attitude towards God and the leaders He has chosen.
2) Notice in 16:47 that it is the burning of incense that makes atonement for the people. I find this strange and interesting, since typically it is blood that atones for sins. I'd have to think about this further and contemplate it more.
3) God gets really angry it seems. I don't know what to do with this because God is "slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love" (Numbers 14:18). I find that troubling, but perhaps God's anger is somehow different from our anger. Of course, anger isn't a sin, it's when anger masters a person or when it leads to hatred or misdeeds that it is a problem. Still, God's anger produces a great deal of physical wrath on the disobedient, though.
4) Water from the rock: at first, it's like "Why did God get mad about this?" The problem is that they didn't follow God's instructions. Instead, Moses got nasty and struck the rock twice, instead of speaking to the rock and letting God demonstrate His power through all this. So God forbids Moses and Aaron from leading the people into the promised land.
5) Bronze Serpent: The people are on their way around the land of Edom when the people start whining again. So the Lord sends poisonous snakes to bite them. So the people realize what they've done and they ask for Moses to interceed with God and make them stop. If I were Moses by this point, and these people were my congregation, I might just be tempted to send out my PIF (resume) and start looking for a new job. But Moses intercedes and the Lord says to put a bronze serpent on a pole, and whoever has been bitten and looks upon the snake will recover from the bite. And that's what happened. Notice that Jesus compares this bronze serpent to himself in John 3:14-15, showing that He will be lifted up and whoever looks upon Him in faith will live forever. Without this story, you miss what Jesus is talking about in John 3.
6) I just find this one funny. Look at the end of chapter 21. "From there [they went] to Beer, the well the LORD told Moses about, "Gather the people so I may give them water." Then Israel sang this song: Spring up, well—sing to it!" So, in other words, they went to a bar and they sang drinking songs? Not quite. It makes me laugh to think about but this joke wouldn't make sense in Hebrew because the word "Beer" doesn't mean "Beer" to them like it does to us - the Israelites did not have beer to drink. But it still makes me laugh.
7) Balak and Baalam: Interesting that a donkey can in fact speak the word of God. And so, as Martin Luther once said, "If God can speak through the mouth of an ass, I guess He can use me!" True that.
8) The people of Israel start worshipping Baal... It's like a freaking soap opera. The men start having "all kinds of billy goat fun" with the women of Moab. Then those Moabite women seduce the Israelites into worshipping Baal. So God sends a plague on the people. When one of the couples comes by and makes their way to the tent, Phinehas follows them into the tent and kills them. Then the plague stops. So because Phinehas was obdient, God's wrath was turned away. What a story.
9) Then God wants them to attack the Midianites for what these women did to entice the Israelite men. So they take another census to see who can serve in the army.
Well, that's all I can finish for today. I'll keep working at getting caught up. But the point that I've learned from all this as a pastor, is that God's people are always complaining. It's like it never stops. But our task is never to abandon them, but to always point them back to God. Thankfully, we don't have to hold back God's wrath as often anymore.
Have a good one!
In Christ,
Pastor Nathan
Monday, March 8, 2010
Notes on Numbers 1-14
Hi everyone,
So apparently, my vacation has turned into a vacation in all senses of the word!
By now, you've dug into the book of Numbers, and have probably found that it, like Leviticus, is not exactly a "thumping good read." Well, we have to realize that the Bible serves a greater purpose than just our own spiritual fulfillment - it is a book that tells the story of God's people from beginning to end, and without the genealogies and details, God's people Israel wouldn't have known how they are connected to this story. So it all serves a purpose.
But what can we get from all these things? Well, here are some tidbits that we can glean from the chapters we've read:
1) Redemption of the firstborn males: This is a Jewish ritual now called Pidyon haben. If I understand this correctly, apparently before Israel sinned with the Golden calf, the eldest child of each family was to be set aside as a priest to their family. After the Golden Calf incident, the priesthood was taken from the eldest child and given to the tribe of Levi. So in this ceremony, the eldest child was to be "bought back" or "redeemed" from his former duties by a Levite (Kohen). Someone who is more knowledgeable in Jewish custom can feel free to fill in any details missing.
2) Nazarite Vow: It is interesting because John the Baptist himself was born under (and upheld) this Nazarite vow in his own life.
3) The Aaronic Blessing: This is a very frequently used benediction in Christian Churches today (in fact, I use it quite often mostly because I actually have it memorized - haha).
4) "When Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim. He spoke to him [that way]." The mercy seat is important because it is here that the blood of the sacrificial lamb is placed on the day of atonement. This blood would be placed here as an atoning or "amends-making" offering to God: that is, it was done for the forgiveness of sins. The mercy seat was also seen as a symbolic of God's throne in heaven, where just as the mercy seat was between the cherubim, so also God is "enthroned between the cherubim" in heaven (Is. 6).
5) Purification: this is a big deal in Jewish law. The people of God are called to be ritually pure before God and to be set apart from others in the world. They were to be clear of sin and all defilement in their lives. Of course, the problem was that most people could become unclean at one point or another. But again, the purpose of all these laws is noble: it's to keep the man or woman of God pure before Him.
6) Pillar of Cloud/Fire - these are the sign of God's presence. In Christian worship today, the candle is used to symbolize God's presence. I am reminded of the Easter Vigil service, where the pastor carries the tall paschal candle through the dark church, symbolizing both the deliverance of God's people through the sea, God's presence with His people
7) Complaining: Yes, the people of God are complaining again...
8) Miriam gets leprosy for complaining about Moses - I just point that out as an interesting story. She gets it for complaining about the fact that God speaks directly to him.
9) The Land flowing with milk and honey - sounds great (but sticky). Nevertheless, the people there are apparently gigantic, and the people won't be able to take it as their own. So everyone says forget about it (for now at least).
I think that's enough for tonight. I will finish my notes on numbers in the next couple of days.
Grace and Peace in Christ,
Pastor Nathan
So apparently, my vacation has turned into a vacation in all senses of the word!
By now, you've dug into the book of Numbers, and have probably found that it, like Leviticus, is not exactly a "thumping good read." Well, we have to realize that the Bible serves a greater purpose than just our own spiritual fulfillment - it is a book that tells the story of God's people from beginning to end, and without the genealogies and details, God's people Israel wouldn't have known how they are connected to this story. So it all serves a purpose.
But what can we get from all these things? Well, here are some tidbits that we can glean from the chapters we've read:
1) Redemption of the firstborn males: This is a Jewish ritual now called Pidyon haben. If I understand this correctly, apparently before Israel sinned with the Golden calf, the eldest child of each family was to be set aside as a priest to their family. After the Golden Calf incident, the priesthood was taken from the eldest child and given to the tribe of Levi. So in this ceremony, the eldest child was to be "bought back" or "redeemed" from his former duties by a Levite (Kohen). Someone who is more knowledgeable in Jewish custom can feel free to fill in any details missing.
2) Nazarite Vow: It is interesting because John the Baptist himself was born under (and upheld) this Nazarite vow in his own life.
3) The Aaronic Blessing: This is a very frequently used benediction in Christian Churches today (in fact, I use it quite often mostly because I actually have it memorized - haha).
4) "When Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim. He spoke to him [that way]." The mercy seat is important because it is here that the blood of the sacrificial lamb is placed on the day of atonement. This blood would be placed here as an atoning or "amends-making" offering to God: that is, it was done for the forgiveness of sins. The mercy seat was also seen as a symbolic of God's throne in heaven, where just as the mercy seat was between the cherubim, so also God is "enthroned between the cherubim" in heaven (Is. 6).
5) Purification: this is a big deal in Jewish law. The people of God are called to be ritually pure before God and to be set apart from others in the world. They were to be clear of sin and all defilement in their lives. Of course, the problem was that most people could become unclean at one point or another. But again, the purpose of all these laws is noble: it's to keep the man or woman of God pure before Him.
6) Pillar of Cloud/Fire - these are the sign of God's presence. In Christian worship today, the candle is used to symbolize God's presence. I am reminded of the Easter Vigil service, where the pastor carries the tall paschal candle through the dark church, symbolizing both the deliverance of God's people through the sea, God's presence with His people
7) Complaining: Yes, the people of God are complaining again...
8) Miriam gets leprosy for complaining about Moses - I just point that out as an interesting story. She gets it for complaining about the fact that God speaks directly to him.
9) The Land flowing with milk and honey - sounds great (but sticky). Nevertheless, the people there are apparently gigantic, and the people won't be able to take it as their own. So everyone says forget about it (for now at least).
I think that's enough for tonight. I will finish my notes on numbers in the next couple of days.
Grace and Peace in Christ,
Pastor Nathan
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
And we're back... Notes on the Rest of Leviticus
Hi everyone,
Sorry that this took so long... I had a massive amount of work to do over the course of the last week... No excuse, but even we pastors get sidetracked from time to time. Anyway, we're back to it.
What I'm going to do is just highlight a few things from the readings over the past week today, and then tomorrow I will work my way through the opening chapters of Numbers and do some highlight from there, so that, we'll at least be somewhat back on track. I hope. :)
So, here we go...
1) The Strange Fire - apparently the sons of Aaron offered a strange fire of incense before the Lord; the fire leaps out and burns them up. Why strike them dead over this? Well, because if you pay close enough attention, it seems as though it is implied that they sinned not out of ignorance but out of presumption - they assumed they knew better than God. How often do we think we know better than God, and try to handle the situations in our lives apart from God's will?
2) Clean and Unclean animals - it is from passages such as these that Israel gets it's "Kosher" laws, which have effect on diet. The New Testament seems to be clear that these laws are no longer in effect for Christians. (See Peter's incident in Acts 10).
3) Ceremonial Laws - many of these laws have to do with how a person would become clean again after having been defiled. Although strange, it was in these ways that the Israelites kept their bodies pure before God.
4) Notice how hard it is to get into God's Most Holy presence - (Lev. 16) - God's presence is holy and God's people are not (here, anyway). Aaron therefore must "make atonement" for the people. The word atone/atonement means to make an offering that will forgive sins (expiation) and turn away the wrath of God (propitiation). Notice here the institution of the Day of Atonement which is called "Yom Kippur."
5) Prohibitions of acts that were committed by the "Pagans" - some people have argued that the prohibitions of homosexuality in Leviticus are crouched within laws we no longer uphold - such as slavery, the weaving together of two kinds of fabrics, and so forth. But notice where it appears in Leviticus 18; it appears in a chapter that forbids incest, child sacrifice, etc. Yes, there are some things in this and the next chapter that don't appear such a big deal today (gleaning the entire field, sowing two kinds of seeds, eating fruit from trees within the first five years of its life), and no, I am not a "gay-bashing" person or anything like that. I am just not a fan of "prooftexting" - opening the Bible to a random passages out of context to prove a point. But I am about serious theological and biblical studies, and determining our ethical systems in response to what we learn. Thus, all I'm saying is that before we make such claims, we have to actually pay attention the context and the bigger picture.
Now the problem that arises in this passage today what the Jews were to do with people who did these things: put them to death (20:13). I DON'T ADVOCATE THIS. In fact, I advocate love and respect for the dignity of persons in the LGBT community as I do for any other human individual, regardless of who they are or what sin they commit. After all, we were to uphold all the prohibitions in here, people who curse their parents and people who commit adultery should be put to death. The suggested response to this behavior is itself a part of the civil law of Israel, which were the laws for their government. Civil and ceremonial laws are usually not carried over to Christian practice (the prohibition of weaving two types of fabric together, for instance, is not outlawed for us), while moral laws (thou shalt not steal, etc) do often have a bearing on us as Christians today. Typically, the homosexual prohibition itself is seen as a part of the moral law (especially because of how the NT [specificially Paul] views it); the call to kill them, however, is civil law, and based on this historical use of the civil law, this response is not commanded to us today (in fact, I'd say the opposite is true - we're commanded to love). Now this is not a fair and adequate treatment of the issue, but my point remains: make sure you do your homework before proof texting - because this issue, like many others, requires a great deal more research and meditation than pointing to handful of verses and making a pronouncement.
6) Why all these prohibitions? "I am the LORD your God who set you apart from the peoples" (Lev. 20:24). God has called His people to be set apart from the world and to thus serve Him. As Christians, although our salvation comes through faith by God's grace, we have been set apart from the world to serve God. That means that while our actions are not the basis of our salvation, the call to faith in Jesus Christ is a call to live differently in the world: to live as God created us (see Romans 8:1-17, for instance).
7) Sabbath Year and Jubilee - you might wonder why this matters. These were to be years of rest for the land. Very rarely were these practiced in Israel, however. They require a lot of trust and planning ahead. But where this was done, it would help the soil to be recharged so the crops could grow better. In fact, in agriculture, it is often a good idea to allow your fields to lie fallow for a year every so often (you just don't do it all at once). To us, this matters only because sometimes in our "work-a-day-every-day" world, we need to take time for rest and recharging in our lives as well. We also need to honor others when they do the same.
8) Why follow the law? Well, it was to be followed in recognition of all that God does for Israel, and to continue the good relationship between them. In return, God blessed and multiplied His people (Although he even did this, at times, in spite of their disobedience to the law - call that grace). So the law was meant to give boundaries for a relationship with God in those times, although full obedience would required for salvation were it not for the fact that God saves through faith (see Paul's letters to the Romans and the Galatians).
Well, I think that's it for today. Have a blessed afternoon.
In Christ,
Pastor Nathan
Sorry that this took so long... I had a massive amount of work to do over the course of the last week... No excuse, but even we pastors get sidetracked from time to time. Anyway, we're back to it.
What I'm going to do is just highlight a few things from the readings over the past week today, and then tomorrow I will work my way through the opening chapters of Numbers and do some highlight from there, so that, we'll at least be somewhat back on track. I hope. :)
So, here we go...
1) The Strange Fire - apparently the sons of Aaron offered a strange fire of incense before the Lord; the fire leaps out and burns them up. Why strike them dead over this? Well, because if you pay close enough attention, it seems as though it is implied that they sinned not out of ignorance but out of presumption - they assumed they knew better than God. How often do we think we know better than God, and try to handle the situations in our lives apart from God's will?
2) Clean and Unclean animals - it is from passages such as these that Israel gets it's "Kosher" laws, which have effect on diet. The New Testament seems to be clear that these laws are no longer in effect for Christians. (See Peter's incident in Acts 10).
3) Ceremonial Laws - many of these laws have to do with how a person would become clean again after having been defiled. Although strange, it was in these ways that the Israelites kept their bodies pure before God.
4) Notice how hard it is to get into God's Most Holy presence - (Lev. 16) - God's presence is holy and God's people are not (here, anyway). Aaron therefore must "make atonement" for the people. The word atone/atonement means to make an offering that will forgive sins (expiation) and turn away the wrath of God (propitiation). Notice here the institution of the Day of Atonement which is called "Yom Kippur."
5) Prohibitions of acts that were committed by the "Pagans" - some people have argued that the prohibitions of homosexuality in Leviticus are crouched within laws we no longer uphold - such as slavery, the weaving together of two kinds of fabrics, and so forth. But notice where it appears in Leviticus 18; it appears in a chapter that forbids incest, child sacrifice, etc. Yes, there are some things in this and the next chapter that don't appear such a big deal today (gleaning the entire field, sowing two kinds of seeds, eating fruit from trees within the first five years of its life), and no, I am not a "gay-bashing" person or anything like that. I am just not a fan of "prooftexting" - opening the Bible to a random passages out of context to prove a point. But I am about serious theological and biblical studies, and determining our ethical systems in response to what we learn. Thus, all I'm saying is that before we make such claims, we have to actually pay attention the context and the bigger picture.
Now the problem that arises in this passage today what the Jews were to do with people who did these things: put them to death (20:13). I DON'T ADVOCATE THIS. In fact, I advocate love and respect for the dignity of persons in the LGBT community as I do for any other human individual, regardless of who they are or what sin they commit. After all, we were to uphold all the prohibitions in here, people who curse their parents and people who commit adultery should be put to death. The suggested response to this behavior is itself a part of the civil law of Israel, which were the laws for their government. Civil and ceremonial laws are usually not carried over to Christian practice (the prohibition of weaving two types of fabric together, for instance, is not outlawed for us), while moral laws (thou shalt not steal, etc) do often have a bearing on us as Christians today. Typically, the homosexual prohibition itself is seen as a part of the moral law (especially because of how the NT [specificially Paul] views it); the call to kill them, however, is civil law, and based on this historical use of the civil law, this response is not commanded to us today (in fact, I'd say the opposite is true - we're commanded to love). Now this is not a fair and adequate treatment of the issue, but my point remains: make sure you do your homework before proof texting - because this issue, like many others, requires a great deal more research and meditation than pointing to handful of verses and making a pronouncement.
6) Why all these prohibitions? "I am the LORD your God who set you apart from the peoples" (Lev. 20:24). God has called His people to be set apart from the world and to thus serve Him. As Christians, although our salvation comes through faith by God's grace, we have been set apart from the world to serve God. That means that while our actions are not the basis of our salvation, the call to faith in Jesus Christ is a call to live differently in the world: to live as God created us (see Romans 8:1-17, for instance).
7) Sabbath Year and Jubilee - you might wonder why this matters. These were to be years of rest for the land. Very rarely were these practiced in Israel, however. They require a lot of trust and planning ahead. But where this was done, it would help the soil to be recharged so the crops could grow better. In fact, in agriculture, it is often a good idea to allow your fields to lie fallow for a year every so often (you just don't do it all at once). To us, this matters only because sometimes in our "work-a-day-every-day" world, we need to take time for rest and recharging in our lives as well. We also need to honor others when they do the same.
8) Why follow the law? Well, it was to be followed in recognition of all that God does for Israel, and to continue the good relationship between them. In return, God blessed and multiplied His people (Although he even did this, at times, in spite of their disobedience to the law - call that grace). So the law was meant to give boundaries for a relationship with God in those times, although full obedience would required for salvation were it not for the fact that God saves through faith (see Paul's letters to the Romans and the Galatians).
Well, I think that's it for today. Have a blessed afternoon.
In Christ,
Pastor Nathan
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Just a Quick Note...
Hey everyone,
So I hoped to post a little bit over the course of the last week, but preparation and completion of my finals has been tremendously more stressful than I planned. Anyway, I should be done by tomorrow night, so hopefully I will get us back on track with some updates pretty soon.
Till then, God bless and happy reading!
In Christ,
Pastor Nathan
Friday, February 19, 2010
Leviticus 4:1-9:25
Good morning, everyone!
Here is today's installment of our "Through the Bible in a Year" series.
1) The Sin Offering: Ironic this was a part of the reading for Ash Wednesday. On a day of solemn confession and repentance, we talk about the offerings that were made for unintentional sins against the LORD's commands. One thing to notice here is that the blood of a lamb was shed as an act of atonement (to atone is to "make amends"). In essence, sins were forgiven when life blood was shed. While it sounds gross and on some level horribly unfair, it's the system under which the Old Covenant operated. It's not that God has bloodlust, or that God is some sick freak. Sacrifice reminds us of how seriously our sin has separated us from God, and how severe are its consequences - it leads to death. Animal sacrifice is meant to make us squirm - because it reminds us of the serious consequences of sin. It's supposed to gross us out - because sin is supposed to gross us out.
The only unfortunate reality is that sacrifice does not have the power to change people's lives - only God's Spirit can do that. In time, God will say things like "I don't take delight in your sacrifices... what I really want is you to 'love mercy, do justly,and walk humbly with your God'" (Micah 6:8). Thus, in time, God will work to accomplish both in His people - through Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. Through him, the amends-making offering is accomplished through His life of perfect obedience through His suffering and death.
2) Uncleanness - the whole idea of being unclean meant that a person had been defiled before God by something they did or something that happened to them. God typically gave ways for a person to be cleansed again, however.
3) The various offerings - I don't have much to say about these really. But the part where they have to change clothes through the various parts of handling the offering made me glad I am not an Aaronic priest.
4) Ordination of Aaron and the priests - I found this scene to be interesting, how they consecrated the people and how the dressed them for service.
5) The LORD sends fire to consume the offering and the people stood in amazement and awe, and bowed down before him. I find this scene to be very neat, as well.
We will contrast this scene, where the fire consumes the proper offering, with the scene where the fire consumes those who offer an improper offering in Leviticus 10. But that will have to wait until tomorrow.
Blessings in Christ!
Pastor Nathan
Here is today's installment of our "Through the Bible in a Year" series.
1) The Sin Offering: Ironic this was a part of the reading for Ash Wednesday. On a day of solemn confession and repentance, we talk about the offerings that were made for unintentional sins against the LORD's commands. One thing to notice here is that the blood of a lamb was shed as an act of atonement (to atone is to "make amends"). In essence, sins were forgiven when life blood was shed. While it sounds gross and on some level horribly unfair, it's the system under which the Old Covenant operated. It's not that God has bloodlust, or that God is some sick freak. Sacrifice reminds us of how seriously our sin has separated us from God, and how severe are its consequences - it leads to death. Animal sacrifice is meant to make us squirm - because it reminds us of the serious consequences of sin. It's supposed to gross us out - because sin is supposed to gross us out.
The only unfortunate reality is that sacrifice does not have the power to change people's lives - only God's Spirit can do that. In time, God will say things like "I don't take delight in your sacrifices... what I really want is you to 'love mercy, do justly,and walk humbly with your God'" (Micah 6:8). Thus, in time, God will work to accomplish both in His people - through Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. Through him, the amends-making offering is accomplished through His life of perfect obedience through His suffering and death.
2) Uncleanness - the whole idea of being unclean meant that a person had been defiled before God by something they did or something that happened to them. God typically gave ways for a person to be cleansed again, however.
3) The various offerings - I don't have much to say about these really. But the part where they have to change clothes through the various parts of handling the offering made me glad I am not an Aaronic priest.
4) Ordination of Aaron and the priests - I found this scene to be interesting, how they consecrated the people and how the dressed them for service.
5) The LORD sends fire to consume the offering and the people stood in amazement and awe, and bowed down before him. I find this scene to be very neat, as well.
We will contrast this scene, where the fire consumes the proper offering, with the scene where the fire consumes those who offer an improper offering in Leviticus 10. But that will have to wait until tomorrow.
Blessings in Christ!
Pastor Nathan
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Numbers 7:1-89,Numbers 8-9:23; Leviticus 1-3:17
Hi everyone -
Wow, do we have a lot of stuff to cover today. Now we get into the fun parts of Torah. Hang in there - we'll get through it together!
1) "When Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the Testimony. And he spoke with him." This is on the ark of the covenant, which is like a giant, gold covered box. It had two poles, one on either side, so it could be carried. The lid had two cherubim (these six winged creatures from places like Isaiah 6 who surround the throne of God in heaven), whose wings covered the "mercy seat" in between, which signified the throne of God. It was here that blood would be sprinkled for the forgiveness of sins. God's voice then spoke from this place. It's as if at this Most Holy Place, heaven and earth touch each other - there is a portal into the supernatural, divine realm. I find this quite mysterious and awe inspiring.
Some questions for us to ponder are this: do we have places that symbolize such a connection for us? Why or why not? If so, where and what types of places? I believe that Christians have often shunned having places like these for connecting with the Lord. In part, this is because we see these laws and regulations as fulfilled in Christ, and we see them as
2) Setting apart the Levites... doesn't seem all that relevant, but notice how people are set aside (consecrated, made holy) for the service of God's people. The New Testament tells us that we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation... do we think of ourselves as consecrated to God's service? What would it mean for us to think of ourselves not just as "forgiven sinners" but also as "Holy people?"
3) People are unclean and cannot celebrate the Passover... yet Moses inquires of the Lord and they get special permission. This reminds me of situations I've faced in my pastoral career regarding the sacraments... something we call "Special Dispensation." haha.
4) The various offerings - I have nothing devotional to gain from these. But it is interesting to note the particular offerings made to God and what they signified.
Well, I know that's not much for as much Scripture as we've read... but that's all I have for today.
Take care and God bless.
In Christ,
Pastor Nathan
Wow, do we have a lot of stuff to cover today. Now we get into the fun parts of Torah. Hang in there - we'll get through it together!
1) "When Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the Testimony. And he spoke with him." This is on the ark of the covenant, which is like a giant, gold covered box. It had two poles, one on either side, so it could be carried. The lid had two cherubim (these six winged creatures from places like Isaiah 6 who surround the throne of God in heaven), whose wings covered the "mercy seat" in between, which signified the throne of God. It was here that blood would be sprinkled for the forgiveness of sins. God's voice then spoke from this place. It's as if at this Most Holy Place, heaven and earth touch each other - there is a portal into the supernatural, divine realm. I find this quite mysterious and awe inspiring.
Some questions for us to ponder are this: do we have places that symbolize such a connection for us? Why or why not? If so, where and what types of places? I believe that Christians have often shunned having places like these for connecting with the Lord. In part, this is because we see these laws and regulations as fulfilled in Christ, and we see them as
2) Setting apart the Levites... doesn't seem all that relevant, but notice how people are set aside (consecrated, made holy) for the service of God's people. The New Testament tells us that we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation... do we think of ourselves as consecrated to God's service? What would it mean for us to think of ourselves not just as "forgiven sinners" but also as "Holy people?"
3) People are unclean and cannot celebrate the Passover... yet Moses inquires of the Lord and they get special permission. This reminds me of situations I've faced in my pastoral career regarding the sacraments... something we call "Special Dispensation." haha.
4) The various offerings - I have nothing devotional to gain from these. But it is interesting to note the particular offerings made to God and what they signified.
Well, I know that's not much for as much Scripture as we've read... but that's all I have for today.
Take care and God bless.
In Christ,
Pastor Nathan
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