Numbers 4-5
Num. 4:1-49
What I find interesting in all of this is the amount of organization the Lord put into founding the nation. Especially because of His holiness, and also because He was making a symbolic point regarding approaching Him, God took great care in putting the worship and logistics of marching and moving and packing up, etc., into a form that the people could follow.
Often they say in leadership to give people responsibility but not to prescribe how they have to get the job done. More often than not, people need direction at the beginning of anything and slowly they become competent and independent. God is creating a nation here, so He is giving very specific detail in very important things.
Take note of what each of the 4 groups were to do. This will become more interesting when the Lord gives them their order of marching. If you made a chart with the tabernacle in the middle and the tribes around it, it will make sense later.
The sons of Kohath had a great honor and great danger. What is interesting is that Aaron and his sons went in first and prepared everything in the Holy Place and packed it and covered it until it was just goatskins and poles. Then, when everything was properly concealed, they went and got the sons of Kohath. If they saw any of the furniture, they died. Aaron and his sons had the responsibility to protect them.
As a very real object lesson, God underscores His holiness by forbidding the people to even look upon the items in the Holy Place and Holy of Holies that represent His presence and His provision to them. Later in 1&2 Samuel 6 (what a coincidence), we'll see what happens when well-intentioned people disregard God's holiness and commands regarding the Ark of the Covenant. All of these restrictions would also look forward to the time when the veil would be torn and we, as disciples of our Lord, could stand before His throne and know His grace.
Isn't it cool that the Levites could "retire" at 50?
Num 5:1-4
Now we are easing back into laws for governing the nation of Israel.
Since, for the first time, the "camp" has now been defined, they were to enact the regulations for lepers and those who were unclean. There was to be some area of housing, "outside the camp," where those who were defiled could stay. Notice, particularly with the lepers, they didn't send them away. They had to remain out of the "city limits," but were still a part of Israel.
Num 5:5-10
This is a slant on a law we saw earlier in Leviticus. If a person realized they had done something wrong and restitution had to be made (restoring money or life stock), but the person they were to make restitution to was dead, it would be given to God, specifically to the priest. No statute of limitations here. This would be used for the financial provision for the priests.
Num. 5:11-31
Well, this is a strange one. The general idea is that if a man was overcome by "the spirit of jealousy," he was to go to the priest and there would be a supernatural way of figuring out if his wife had been unfaithful. The entire thing was spiritually instigated. It seems that God is singling out the adulterous woman and not the man, but if a woman was caught, the man she committed adultery with would also be caught. There was a law for dealing with adulterers. This provision deals with the detection of marital defilement, and it works off the idea that the man, being the head of the family, would be roused by this supernatural impulse.
Whatever it was that would happen to the woman was awful and also visual. It wasn't a "scarlet letter," but instead a life-long disability that would not look very appealing. It would be a visual warning to the entire people not to be unfaithful, either to each other, or to God. Just as a note, later in Numbers, the people will be enticed to worship Baal sexually. At the end of Joshua (22:17), Phinehas mentions that there was still evidence of that sin among the people. That suggests to me, that God allowed some physical disability to be associated with that sin to keep it as a warning before the people.
Don't ask me why I think verse 28 is funny. So what if you're an innocent 50-year-old woman. As a result of your husband's jealousy and this ritual, you're going to be rewarded! And get pregnant!
I'm not sure what your impressions and observations will be, but I'll make a couple of general ones.
First, note the large amount of text and attention given to this.
Second, to take it to the priest, once they were in the land, meant a "road trip." So this was a serious thing and this was the only valid way to work through this sort of a problem. The man had to do the right thing and take her to the Tabernacle to the priest.
Third, inherent in this entire law, was the image of God being the husband and Israel being His wife. What is clear in this law is that any unfaithfulness will be found out and punishment will follow. When God says, "I am a jealous God," it brings the symbol of marriage to mind.
As disciples it is easy to slip. God understands, but staying close to Christ, in His Word, in the company of other disciples, helps us to stay focused and faithful to the One who loves us and commissions us to share His love.
Mark 12:18-37
Mark 12:18-27
We know this story. What stands out to me is that they knew neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. How many Christians is this true of? When Jesus said they didn't know the Scriptures, He wasn't saying they didn't know any of it, but they didn't have the relationship with God that made sense of it all, that makes the Word alive and unified. So many Christians don't know enough of the Bible to get beneath the surface and find the living pulse of God, much less be led by the Spirit though the day. Many others know the verses, but there is no love of Christ that makes the Word a light for their lives and to a lost world.
So where do we need to see the power of God? If it is not in the harvest, seeing the lost saved and becoming fully devoted followers of Christ, I'm afraid all we're looking for is a carnival show, like the people mentioned in Matthew 7:21-29.
Mark 12:28-37
Although Luke (Lk 20:39) alludes to this scribe, Mark gives us "the rest of the story." It shows that there were some men of spiritual understanding who had open hearts.
The two commandments are really a summary of the 10 commandments. The first four have to do with God and the last 6 with our neighbor. Paul uses this teaching in Romans.
When all the rabid people around Jesus and this scribe saw that they were both having a reasonable conversation and that Jesus actually complimented the scribe, they had nothing more to say. The scribes/lawyers were the actual teachers of the people and seem to have been in the party of the Pharisees.
Psalm 48
Another of the Psalms of the sons of Korah.
None of us likes hard times. I really, really don't like them. But think of this. If it is true that they wrote in and around the dangerous and stressful times of the Assyrian threat to Jerusalem under Hezekiah, look at the praise that came out of that dark time. Even the Psalms of David reflect the joy and wonder of being delivered by God from threat, danger and death.
You can understand that this kind of great deliverance not only was an amazing thing to Jerusalem, but if the Assyrian army just lost 185,000 men, especially during a time they were making a play to become the world empire of the day, all other nations would not only notice, but they would be afraid to approach Jerusalem, even for a visit. Israel was in the news all over that world. When the ambassadors from Babylon visited Hezekiah after his illness in 2 Kings 20, I'm sure they approached Jerusalem with awe. You can sense some of this awe of the nations in this Psalm.
Imagine what God will produce in us if we are in the harvest with Christ, battling for the souls of the lost, ourselves in danger, following in faith, relying on God, living to bring Him glory by bearing much fruit and so proving to be disciples of our Lord.
Proverbs 10:26
1 Timothy 3:10 And let them also be tested first; then if they prove themselves blameless let them serve as deacons.
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.
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