March 4, Reading Notes

Numbers 2-3

Numbers 2-3:38

So, before you "Google" a chart or a map or revert to some other source, get some paper and some colored markers or pencils or steal your kids crayons (or use your own) and read through this section and map it out yourself. If you do, you will gain great confidence in your ability to figure stuff out. If you Google it, well, you already know how to use a search engine. Do it yourself. Make sure if you draw the Tabernacle first and then do the tribes in their orders to leave room between the tribes and the Tabernacle for the families of the Levites in chapter 3.

The only thing I would bring to your attention is the major tribe of Israel, and the family that was placed opposite the entrance of the Tabernacle. This was a great honor and is a shadow of what is to come for that tribe.

Just sort of as an application, regardless of who we are, that we somehow have come to know Christ is an amazing honor. We feel tired and beaten up and depressed, but it is only because of the toxic atmosphere of this place and this body of death we lug with us. Ephesians 1-3 gives you a lift, and so does Romans 5:1-6.

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

So, how do you figure out how many people were in the camp of Israel? If there were 603,550 men from 20 years old and up (who could fight) from all the tribes but Levi, and if there were 22,000 total men from Levi, we have about 655,550 men. There were probably more women, but for simplicity, let's just double the men. Now we're up to 1,311,100. Now, there were at least this many kids because the people were very "fruitful," but if we only added another 655,550, we're up to about 2 million people.

Numbers like this are important to think about. When it says Jesus fed 5000, it says in Matthew 14:21 "And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children." The likelihood is that Jesus actually fed over 10,000 people.

Num. 3:39-51

I think this whole thing is kind of cool and I'm always impressed when the math works out. There is always redemption going on somewhere.

Mark 11:27-12:17

It's amazing that the leaders were so set on killing Jesus. When you see irrationality working at this level, you know it is of a deep sick spiritual origin. There are situations I have been in, where at one point or another it became clear that "rationality" wasn't the issue. Things had gone deeply spiritual and personal. In those cases, "one more" illustration or attempt to bring sense to things, doesn't help unless the spiritual root is addressed.

This morning I was going over these verses, 1 Corinthians 15:47-49, "The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven."

When our work for Christ in the harvest is done, we shall bear His image and be like Him. That is something we can look forward to.

Psalm 47

This was written by the sons of Korah, and with the tone of this Psalm, it might also have been composed after Jerusalem's adventures with the Assyrians.

Note the call to all peoples to rejoice.

The Assyrians were making a push to become the first world empire and threatened all the surrounding nations. Because of the amazing deliverance at Jerusalem and the destruction of the Assyrian army, the world was now looking to the God of Israel.

Proverbs 10:24-25

Amen!

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.” 

I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.

If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.

I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible, in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.

Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.