~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
Numbers 15:17-16:40 ~ Mark 15:1-47
Psalm 54:1-7 ~ Proverbs 11:5-6
Old Testament - Today in Numbers chapter 15 we read about unintentional and intentional sins. Verse 30 stood out to me - "But those who brazenly violate the LORD's will, whether native Israelites or foreigners, blaspheme the LORD." I have thought about this in my life in the past... and thought about that old phrase, "ignorance is bliss." While this phrase may seem true at first glance - ignorance is bliss - it's obviously not "True" at all. It is so much better to know godly Truth, than to be ignorant. However... once we know godly Truth, what if we then consciously go against that Truth? What if we "brazenly violate God's will"? I'll admit - I have done this certainly. I have consciously sinned. And it eats me up inside when I do. Not because I expect myself to be perfect - but because I am simply sinning against God, whom I love so much. And I know better. I guess this verse today reminded me that once we know Truth - and as we continue to grow in our knowledge of Truth and the Bible - we really should be much more intentional in how we live. We know what godly living looks like. We should not go back to our old ways of thinking or our old habits. We know better. And we most certainly should not think that "ignorance is bliss." It isn't. Ala the Matrix - we've taken the red pill - we've gone down the rabbit hole - we are now on the only True Adventure that matters - we cannot go back to "ignorance is bliss" - nor should we want to...
"Trial By Fire" - ever hear this term? I think this term may have gotten its genesis here in Numbers chapter 16. Korah's rebellion caused Moses to explain how this true trial by fire would go down in verses 4 through 7 - ""Tomorrow morning the LORD will show us who belongs to him and who is holy. The LORD will allow those who are chosen to enter his holy presence. You, Korah, and all your followers must do this: Take incense burners, and burn incense in them tomorrow before the LORD. Then we will see whom the LORD chooses as his holy one." A trial by fire indeed occurs subsequently in this chapter. Here's how Boticelli depicts this scene of scripture in the Sistine Chapel in Rome (note that Michelangelo did the ceiling of the Sistine - whereas other artists did the walls - I just learned this just now!) -
Verses 12 & 13 stood out as completely strange, as these 2 men had somehow now thought that instead of being a prison, Egypt was now in their minds a paradise?.... "Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they replied, "We refuse to come! Isn't it enough that you brought us out of Egypt, a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us here in this wilderness, and that you now treat us like your subjects?" I wonder if we do this in our lives? Think that things that used to be so bad for us are now somehow good? I know I've done this. I've left situations or relationships or bad habits - knowing they were simply bad for me - and then later down the road I've sometimes thought to myself, "ahh... I miss xyz or doing xyz... I should go back to that." And I do. And I regret it all over once again. There is a somewhat obscure R.E.M. song that goes "Don't go back to Rockville - and waste another year." I think of this song on occasion when I am tempted to go back to something I know I shouldn't go back to - I sing to myself, "don't go back to Rockville." Perhaps Dathan and Abiram should have been singing to themselves - "don't go back to Egypt - and waste another year..." What about you? Is there an Egypt / Rockville or two in your life that you've left behind? Are you ever tempted to go back? Do you sometimes even think you might have been wrong about how bad things were back then.... that it might have really been a land flowing with milk and honey even! Well, I know we'll all have our moments of going backwards.... but I pray we see the True land of milk and honey in front of us that is only available through a relationship with Jesus and God - and that we won't go back to our "Egypts"...
New Testament - It is interesting in the One Year Bible how we go through the 4 Gospels one after another in the beginning portion of the year. In some ways it may seem repetitive - but I think repetitive is good when we're talking about the story of Jesus... we really cannot hear and meditate upon this story enough. Also, what I like is the nuances of each Gospel - or maybe things that are indeed in a few of the Gospels that somehow just stand out to me in some new way in one of the Gospels. Today is one of those days where something jumped out at me that I have not really noticed before - and that is Pilate in verses 9 & 10 - ""Should I give you the King of the Jews?" Pilate asked. (For he realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.)" It's interesting that Pilate used the term King of the Jews here - and again later in the narrative - and that he also had this term nailed to the cross. And the question I have is this - did Pilate do this simply to try and irritate the leading priests? I think this is probably the case. But, I'm looking forward to some further study on this.
Bible.org's commentary on Mark chapter 15 is at this link.
Psalms - I like Psalm 54 verse 4 a lot - "But God is my helper. The Lord is the one who keeps me alive!" Is this true in your life? Is God the one who keeps you alive? Or are you trying to lean on other things as your source of life? I believe it is such a blessing to surrender more and more to God until we get to the point where truly this true for us - God is the one - and only - who keeps us alive. I am not saying I am there yet - but I'm trying to get there. I'm trying to surrender more and more each day to God and to Jesus - all that I am - all that I am living for. I pray that in your life and in mine God will be the one who keeps us alive.
Proverbs - Proverbs chapter 11 verse 5 stands out at me today, mostly because I've caught myself telling a couple of "white lies" recently.... and I so regret that I did so! There was no value in them.... I want honesty and not lies to come out of my mouth! "The godly are directed by their honesty." How about you? Are you directed by honesty? Do you place honestly as a major guiding principle in your life? I am trying to get there... it makes such a difference in my life when I am simply honest with others - and honest with myself!
What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings? Please post up in the Comments section below!
Grace,
Mike
Ironical, last time I praised the picture of mountains and snow and this time Im aghast at the picture of Jesus where he apparently looks White and Blond. But then... it is Bible that is considered inerrant not its followers!
Posted by: Emberglow | March 11, 2006 at 04:14 AM
I love the REM reference--maybe we listened to the same radio stations growing up, but I don't think it's obscure.
The whole episode with Korah and fire and the earth swallowing up disobedient followers is hard to wrap my brain around. If I were swallowed up when I disobeyed, I think I'd have been gone a long time ago. And yet we still know that God is slow to anger and abounding in mercy. One thing the Bible does not do is allow us to fall asleep when we read it faithfully. My comfortable view of God is always being challenged and expanded.
Posted by: Micah Girl | March 11, 2006 at 05:22 AM
A. JESUS – CUP OF BEARING THE WORST OF OUR REBELLIOUS NATURES
NUMBER 15 (NKJV)
30
‘But the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is native-born or a stranger, that one brings reproach on the LORD, and he shall be cut off from among his people.
31
Because he has despised the word of the LORD, and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt shall be upon him.’”
MARK 15 (NKJV)
5
But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.
Taking the Place of Barabbas (heading of chapter section in New King James Version)
7
And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion.
~~~
B. JESUS – ONE WITH THE FATHER
Numbers 16 (NKJV)
28
And Moses said: “By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, for
I have not done them of my own will.
29
If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me.
30
But if the LORD creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the LORD.”
31
Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them,
32
and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods.
33
So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly.
34
Then all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up also!”
35
And a fire came out from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense.
~~~
C. JESUS – MY EVER PRESENT HELP IN TIME OF NEED / LOVE OF THE TRUTH
Psalm 54 (NKJV)
4
Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is with those who uphold my life.
5
He will repay my enemies for their evil. Cut them off in Your truth.
MY NOTES:
A. JESUS – CUP OF BEARING THE WORST OF OUR REBELLIOUS NATURES
It is true that I, too, have done what I knew was wrong – deliberately and willfully going against my conscience. This can be labeled “weakness of the flesh” and “natural desires drawn by temptation”. Even Jesus said, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” People of this day who do not agree that man is sinful are more likely to see all desires as justifiable in some way. (This is the folly of “situational ethics” – OR… it depends on the situation to determine what is right).
Yet, note that the living and true God will not allow the persistently rebellious person to live. That person “brings reproach on the Lord”, and must be cut off.
YET ALSO NOTE that I noticed that JESUS TOOK THE PLACE OF BARNABAS. If there was ever a deliberately willful criminal, Barnabas was that man. JESUS TOOK HIS PLACE. Jesus also took all of our deliberate sins on the cross. HOW GREAT IS THE GLORY OF THE LOVE OF GOD manifest on the Cross!
B. JESUS – ONE WITH THE FATHER
Just a quick comment. Jesus is One with the Father, by His own words. What the Father in His glorious judgment did in the OT is what Jesus also did. JESUS AND THE FATHER ARE ONE. There is NOT one God of the OT (who is wrathful and angry) and another God of the NT (who is Jesus—loving, paying the price so the first God in the OT is kept away from us.
John 10 (NKJV)
30
I and My Father are one.”
31
Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.
32
Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”
33
The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”…
36
do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
C. JESUS – MY EVER PRESENT HELP IN TIME OF NEED / LOVE OF THE TRUTH
I see no conflict between verses 4 and 5 in Psalm 54, though some people might.
There are those of us who are willing to turn from what they have come to realize is sin (repent) and trust in the true and living God. FOR PEOPLE LIKE THIS – God is our Helper, and will uphold our lives.
~~~ MAY WE TRULY SANCTIFY CHRIST AS LORD IN OUR HEARTS! Christ’s LOVE is TRUTH. To ACCEPT THE LOVE is to ACCEPT THE TRUTH. Conversely, one cannot accept THE LOVE WITHOUT ACCEPTING THE TRUTH—for they are one.
Anyone who persistently hates God and His people because of Jesus (WHO IS THE TRUTH) IS NOT ACCEPTING the LOVE of God. Thus, the only other option is that God MUST judge that person.
Yet, even if that person truly repented, Jesus would forgive them.
And may we NEVER allow any “false guilt” or “condemnation” to cripple us because we are not “perfect” in our pursuit of loving God. JESUS PAID FOR OUR SINS. We are now free to live FOR HIM, and to do this BY HIS GRACE and ABILITY.
Vance
Posted by: Vance Brown | March 11, 2006 at 06:38 AM
The Lord is my helper....we talked about the disciples in church yesterday.They were used to seeing Jesus with authority over demons,heal the sick...feed thousands...now when faced with the crowd he did nothing,when accused,he didn't defend himself.His accusers laughed at how he save others yet he didn't save himself.Yet he was doing something...he was saving us.In times when nothing seems to make sense,everything seems to be going wrong...it's that time maybe to be still and know the He is our helper..He's not not lost control,he's still got the last word...ALL things work together for our good.
God bless you all
Posted by: Anka | March 11, 2006 at 01:36 PM
Tassels on Garments
Numbers 15:39
"You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes."
"Rashi, a prominent Jewish commentator, bases the number of knots on a gematria: the word tzitzit (in its Mishnaic spelling) has the value 600. Each tassel has eight threads (when doubled over) and five sets of knots, totalling 13. The sum of all numbers is 613, traditionally the number of mitzvot (commandments) in the Torah. This reflects the concept that donning a garment with tzitzit reminds its wearer of all Torah commandments.
Posted by: John | March 11, 2006 at 05:14 PM
Acts 6:7
"So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith." NIV
Large number in Greek is "great multitude". I wonder how many of those priests were at the cross, or in the temple when the veil was torn as they were performing Passover sacrifices???? What a powerful testimony they must have had concerning Christ.
Posted by: John | March 11, 2006 at 05:29 PM
Korah and judgment
The leaders of rebellion: Korah, Dathan, and Abiram tried to divide the people.
God ordered that the people be moved back (divided) from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.
God divided the earth to swallow them up.
Galatians 6:7
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." NIV
Source: J. Vernon McGee commentary on "Numbers"
I wondered why God chose this method of judgment on the leaders of the rebellion. Perhaps this is the explanation.
Posted by: John | March 11, 2006 at 05:53 PM