Isaiah 52:11 gives the command of the Lord: “Be clean, you who bear the vessels of the Lord.” As we read Numbers 8:5-26 about the great lengths to which the Levites went to be clean, we hear these words about God’s servants today: “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He […]
Read More… from August 2, 2022 — Cleanliness Next To Godliness
It has been famously said, “Who would stoop to be a king when you can be a servant of God?” Numbers 8:5-26 sweeps us back more than three thousand years to stand in the desert with the children of Israel. Today the Levites—the servants of God’s servants, the priests—are going to be prepared to work […]
Read More… from August 1, 2022 — The High Honor Of Humble Service
Why would a chapter about the Levites be introduced by a section on the priests’ role? One of the most effective ways to study the Bible is to ask questions. God has the answers. Have you heard this verse? “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is […]
Read More… from July 29, 2022 — Shedding Light On The Subject
A rest is as important as a note, and a missing word may have a message we otherwise might miss. Before we leave Numbers 7, the longest chapter in the book, I’d like to pose a question: Is one word missing? It may be that the Lord left it out on purpose. If so, why? […]
Here were the original “Twelve Days” of giving. But sorry, no leaping lords or maids a-milking. Do you recall that this book in the Greek was called Arithmoi? Well, God certainly does His arithmetic here. After the long list of the dedication gifts in Numbers 7:11-83, the Lord totals them all for us in verses […]
I wonder: Was the giving in Numbers 7 a spontaneous response to God’s blessing in chapter 6? Have you noticed that Numbers 7 is one of the longest chapters in the Bible? Some might also consider it boringly repetitive, but obviously God considers every verse to be essential. Will you consider Heaven’s Reward Day boring […]
It’s a good thing some of the people were thinking practically. Enter the moving vans! How is it that, when you give, in the end it seems to cost you nothing? Generosity gives twice: the recipient is blessed by giving, then the giver is blessed by God. In the words of our Lord, “Give, and […]
What would be the best words to do the greatest good to the people that we love the most? You may have said this yourself; you’ve certainly heard it said: “You took the words right out of my mouth!” In other words, there aren’t other words. If you hadn’t said it, I would have said […]
Read More… from July 22, 2022 — The Benediction Par Excellence