Friday, March 2, 2012

Bible Reading Challenge - Week 9 Day 5 - Numbers 18-22

Our reading challenge for the day is Numbers 18-22. I’ll hit a few highlights. You make comments too and fill in the gaps. What strikes you as specially significant?

Numbers 18 - God provides for the priests and Levites from the offerings of the people. His servants are to be taken care of. How do we do with our attitude toward caring for God’s servants?

Numbers 19 - The idea of death and impurity strikes me. Since death is foreign to God’s perfection it is considered unclean. Yet see the efficacy of the means of purification. How does the sprinkling with water, etc., purify the uncleanness? Only because God’s word ordains it to be so.

Numbers 20-21 - Sometimes our situations look bleak. Miriam is dead. Moses fails to uphold God’s holiness. Aaron dies. Edom refuses Israel passage. There is contention. The Lord sends serpents to kill Israelites. When everything looks grim has God departed? Not at all. He’s still there with his blessing and promise. He has the bronze serpent raised up on a pole, that which brings the curse, lifted up so that when people look upon it in faith they will be healed, a foreshadowing of the work of Jesus. The tide of events then turns and Israel starts seeing more success.

Numbers 22 - The Moabites and Midianites fear Israel. They hired a prophet, Balaam, to curse Israel. Though he is a pagan, he says he will not be able to curse them if God has blessed them. Does he see clearly? Not as clearly as his donkey. Yet the truth is that all creation ultimately bows down before the true God.

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