Chronological Bible 5: More Moses, Laws of Moses part 1

This reading is just for one day, and hits topics like GREED, ARGUING WITH GOD, SEXUAL IMMORALITY, AND THE WAY THAT GOD HONOURS THOSE WHO HATE SIN THE WAY HE DOES.

ENTRY EIGHTEEN – FEBRUARY 11, 2008

18– The Story of Balaam Numbers 22-25

 

Numbers 22 The nation of Moab was terrified because there were so many Israelites. The bible actually says that they were “filled with dread”. Isn't it weird that when God's people grow numerically, it freaks people out? Anyway, the bad guy of the story, Balak, got his top officials to hire Balaam, apparently an effective sorcerer who also knew about Jehovah, to put a curse on the Israelites so that Moab could defeat them and drive them out of the country. Before accepting the job with its tempting pay package, Balaam decided to consult the true God to see what He would say about it. Interesting! Balaam told them that he would give them an answer the next morning. In his line of work, Balaam would have been called upon to place curses on others. Belief in curses and blessings was common in Old Testament times. Sorcerers were thought to have power with the gods. Thus, the king of Moab wanted Balaam to use his powers with the God of Israel to place a curse on Israel-hoping that, by magic, God would turn against his people. Neither Balaam nor Balak had any idea whom they were dealing with!

God did give an answer to Balaam – he told him not to go with them! God said, “You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed." God's command was clear - Don't Go! And the next morning, Balaam told King Balak’s officials that Jehovah God had refused to let him go with them. Of course, Balak wasn’t the kind of guy that took NO for an answer, so he sent more distinguished ambassadors, and offered a greater reward. They carried the following message, "This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Do not let anything keep you from coming to me, 17 because I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me."

Isn't this just like what the world/Satan does to us now???? When we say "NO", the devil comes back with a bigger and better offer! Remember, he did it to Jesus in the wilderness! (The New American Standard version of Luke 4:13 reads “Then Satan left him for a more opportune time. ”)

Now, Balaam gave them the right answer. He told them that he wasn’t able to do anything against the command of Jehovah no matter how much wealth King Balak might promise him. But then he did something dangerous -- he told them to stay back while he consulted with God one more time.

Have you ever said, "No" but your heart was hoping, "Yes"? Balaam sounded good in the first verse, but then he went back to them, hoping that God would change his mind! (“God, I can donate some of the $ to the church!” “Maybe he will become a Christian.”) And since God is a God who believes in free will, he let Balaam go, with a caveat that Balaam obey him on the way. So Balaam happily got up in the morning and accompanied the princes of Moab back to their king. God doesn't force us against our will, but he does make sure that we reap the consequences!

God let Balaam go with Balak's messengers, but he was angry about Balaam's greedy attitude and sent an angel to block the way. Balaam claimed that he would not go against God just for money, but his resolve had slipped. His greed for the wealth offered by the king blinded him so that he could not see how God was trying to stop him. We must be careful of the same kind of temptations...though we may know what God wants us to do, we can become blinded by the desire for money, possessions, or prestige. We can avoid Balaam's mistake by looking past the allure of fame or fortune to the long-range benefits of following God.

25 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. So he beat her again. 26 Then the angel of the LORD moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat her with his staff. 28 Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?" 29 Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now. "30 The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?" "No, "he said.

This is such a memorable story that over a thousand years later, Peter used it as an illustration to not love money!! (II Peter 2:15 “They have wandered off the right road and followed the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to earn money by doing wrong. 16 But Balaam was stopped from his mad course when his donkey rebuked him with a human voice.”)

You gotta hand it to God – he does really have a great sense of humour! And what better way to illustrate how we let sin make a “jackass” out of us! No matter which iniquities ensnare us: a) Procrastinating out of laziness b) Being addicted to food, alcohol, smoking, etc c) Having affairs/ committing adultery d) Blowing up in anger e) Gossiping f) “white lies”... the list is endless. All of these sins eventually make us out to be fools!

31 Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown. 32 The angel of the LORD asked him, "Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her. "34 Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, "I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back."

It's hard not to be humble when you've just been rebuked by a donkey and an angel with a sword is talking to you. HOWEVER, what about when it's "just" a friend? I find it harder to be humble with my husband!? Isn't that the pits? Why is that? Or why is it so hard to hear it from another person?

Numbers 23 The rest of the story shows us how God can pull off a Plan B. He had not wanted Balaam to go, but when Balaam got greedy, God activated Plan B. That means he will allow us to mess up but still provide a way out. In this case, Balaam was righteous for a while, though it seems that he quickly fell back into his idolatrous and immoral ways, because in chapter 25 he is killed with the others who are turning Israel astray. But more on that later. For the time being, Balaam can be a good example of showing repentance.

By the way, isn't verse 19 comforting? Christianity isn't an "Anthropomorphic" religion. (Meaning, that Jehovah God doesn’t have the emotions and character weaknesses of humans, as do the so-called gods in the ancient Greek tradition, for example.)

Numbers 24 Balaam surely saw the error of his ways when King Balak reneged on his offer just because he didn’t like the outcome of Balaam’s prophecies. And Balaam had warned him! This is a lesson for us when dealing with the world -- we shouldn’t think that they will like it when we stand up for God to their disadvantage, especially financially. This reminds me of the story that a friend of mine told me. When she was became a Christian, she stopped lying about her mileage claims, which caused the whole system to come under scrutiny because the boss wandered why her miles were so much less than others when she had the largest sales area! She wasn’t very popular among her colleagues after that! So after all that, Balaam didn't get any money anyway, but at least pleased God! Balaam wasn't exactly a convert, but he was preaching the word & standing up for God here. Too bad he didn't continue with this, because he led the Israelites astray in chapter 25.

Numbers 25 This combination of sexual sin and idolatry, it turns out, was Balaam's idea (Nu 31:16 "They were the ones who followed Balaam 's advice and were the means of turning the Israelites away from the LORD in what happened at Peor, so that a plague struck the LORD's people.” See also Rev 2:14) -- the same Balaam who had just blessed Israel and who appeared to be on their side. It is easy to see how the Israelites were misled, for Balaam seemed to say and do all the right things—at least for a while (22-24). Not until Balaam had inflicted great damage on them did the Israelites realize that he was greedy, used sorcery, and was deeply involved in pagan religious practices. We must be careful to weigh both the words and the deeds of those who claim to offer spiritual help.

How did feel about this? He was really mad! This was an absolute rebellion towards God & his laws!

Num 25:6 Then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

This is almost hard to believe. It sounds like modern-day disregard for morals (remnants of Sodom & Gomorrah).

7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand 8 and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear through both of them—through the Israelite and into the woman's body.

This is disgustingly graphic but it really paints the scene & makes the point well. It's also an EXCELLENT example of righteous indignation. When was the last time you felt indignant, not about how someone treated YOU, but about how someone treated God? Or about your own sin?

Of course, in Christianity, Jesus taught us new ways to be close to God, to repent, and to deal with members of the church who refuse to repent of blatant repeated sin, but the principle of hating sin is the same, whether under the Old or New Covenant. Jesus himself taught us to hate sin when he told us that it would be better to enter heaven with only one eye than to go to hell because of our sin.

Sometimes we know our sin will hurt us but we don’t care. We say, “well, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else, what does it matter?" In this situation, however, one man’s sin led to others sinning as well, and eventually 24,000 were killed by God in a plague. Sin scars and doesn’t leave anyone in its wake unscathed. We must remember that our sin hurts not only ourselves but also our families and even the whole church!

Phinehas received a great compliment from God: "for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them"! May God see my zeal for his honour & my hatred of sin today! (Of course, must love the sin-ner, but that's a different study!)

Numbers 25:16-18 The LORD said to Moses, 17 “Treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them, 18 because they treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the affair of Peor and their sister Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed when the plague came as a result of Peor.^”

When God singles out a whole nation to die, you know that it is serious. See more notes below.

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ENTRY NINETEEN – FEBRUARY 12, 2008

19– Moses and the Destruction of the Midianites Numbers 31

One of the hardest concepts to reconcile is the idea that a loving God could, at least from our vantage point, encourage violence and even wipe out whole nations. This entry, which covers just one day’s reading, will attempt to address that issue, with lots of help from Dr. Smith’s narration!

Numbers 31:1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people."

This was to fulfill what God told Moses in Numbers 25:17-19. Now read the passage Numbers 31:3-18 in its gruesome entirety.

In light of all of this killing, I want to include some excerpts from the LaGard Smith's narration on pages 193, 194 and 219 of the Narrated Bible that I mentioned in my introductory submission. I will also refer to some relevant passages of scripture.

“How can a loving God condone such action? The answer is undoubtedly very complex. As for the women, it was they who turned the Israelites away from the Lord at Peor. As for the young boys, perhaps they would have presented a continuing threat to Israel as they grew into manhood. The young girls, on the other hand, were to be taken as slaves into the homes of the Israelites, where they would at least be spared the inevitable enslavement of the sensuous worship of Baal-Peor. There is no suggestion, by the way, that Moses meant for the Israelites to take them as wives or concubines.

But even these possible explanations are not easy to accept. In order to appreciate more fully God's actions, it is necessary to understand the level of moral consciousness of the times. Among the nations of this era, wars of revenge involving total destruction or confiscation of property, and either extermination or enslavement of men, women and children, are commonplace and expected. (That is doubtless why there is no hint that the Israelites felt the slightest discomfort in carrying out Moses' orders.) In raising the moral consciousness of first a nation, and the then the world, God must take his people as he finds them and introduce principles of righteousness within a moral framework with which the people can identify.

The fact that the women and children were saved from death initially may indicate that an exception was made to the customary practices of such a war of revenge. If so, the reason for the exception becomes important. Quite possibly, the men of Israel were still enticed by the Midianite women and didn't understand the continuing moral threat which the women posed.

It also appears that God is teaching a vitally important lesson about the attitude which his people must have regarding the various human lusts which wage war against the soul, which must be resisted as completely and early as possible in order to prevent their success in moments of moral vulnerability.”

AND LATER LAGARD SMITH WRITES, IN REGARDS TO THE HARSH LAWS OF ISRAEL:

“The laws of Israel may sometimes seem cruel or harsh, yet what appears to be cruel and unusual in modern times must be viewed in the context of the life and times in which the Israelites lived. Death and suffering are very much a reality to all people of this time, and in the surrounding nations, wicked kings practice unspeakable cruelties in ruling their people. Thus the laws given to Moses are designed to lift the national consciousness and impose a high level of ethical conduct. Even the death penalty is an elevating concept in teaching the value of human life, and the procedural safeguards which are imposed insure a measure of unparalleled fairness. In fact, the concept of due process and equal justice found within this legal system will be incorporated even centuries later into enlightened systems of modern law. ”

TO LAGARD SMITH'S COMMENTS I WOULD ADD:

Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of Moral Development is very interesting. Please go the following website to learn more about this theory which is very pertinent to this discussion.

http://daniellapereira.tripod.com/id1.html

LAST BUT NOT AT ALL LEAST I WILL CLOSE OUT WITH SOME VERSES:

Deuteronomy 9:4-5 After the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, “The LORD has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is going to drive them out before you. It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the LORD your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Leviticus 18:24-25 Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways (this is after a long passage on sexual sins) because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.

Leviticus 20:23 Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land where I am bringing you may not vomit you out. You must not live according to the customs of the nations Jam going to drive out before you. Because they did all of these things *, I abhorred them.

*means all of the sins in Leviticus 20, which includes sexual sins of all kinds, even bestiality and homosexuality, plus offering their children in the fire as human sacrifices and having their young daughters be temple cult prostitutes to the goddesses of fertility. Sometimes you gotta know when to just start over! As Jesus later says, “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough”. (Next entry is Feb 13^th)

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ENTRY TWENTY – FEBRUARY 13, 2008

20– Moses Sets His House In Order Numbers 26, 2 7:15-23, 32, 33:50-56, 34, 35:1-8

Many people may find all the numberings of the bible to be quite boring, but you can actually learn something by comparing the different census takings in the Old Testament. This entry covers two days of bible reading on the One Year Schedule, and such topics as CONSEQUENCES OF SIN and GOD’S VIEW ON SUCCESSION OF LEADERSHIP.

Numbers 26 It's interesting to note that the tribes that were cursed with the worst curses back in Genesis 48 -49 by Jacob were the ones that shrunk between the two numberings.

Numbers 27:15-23 Moses asked God for a successor. As much as we might like to think otherwise, none of us is irreplaceable. I do believe that God needed Moses for a crucial time in Israel’s history, but he also needed Joshua, a very different kind of leader, for a different time in Israel’s history.

15 Then Moses said to the LORD, 16 “O LORD, the God of the spirits of all living things, please appoint a new leader for the community. 17 Give them someone who will lead them into battle, so the people of the LORD will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

What a beautiful and selfless prayer! Moses prayed for a leader that would lead, love and shepherd the people. (To a degree, this is probably how the founder of Singapore feels as he grows older.) Why Joshua? He had followed Moses, including daily sitting at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting while Moses met with God, for 40 years! What a testimony to the power of "discipling" or "mentoring"!

The story of Numbers 32 is a good example of how to approach leaders when you have a different idea, ie, not getting defensive or giving up and at the same time being respectful and striving for unity. As for Moses' response and the way it all gets settled, read 32:6- 42. On the one hand, this is an example of a leader rebuking the followers before listening to the whole story...not a good habit. On the other hand, in this case, Moses was EXTREMELY eager to shut them up before they landed their fellow Hebrews 40 more years in the desert! He didn't want cowardice, laziness or selfishness to stop God's plan again!

Numbers 33:50-56

55 But if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live. 56 And I will do to you what I had planned to do to them.

GOD WANTS HIS PEOPLE TO BE SEPARATE FROM THE WORLD!

v56 is scary...It's as if God is saying, "Don't say I didn't warn you!" I bet this was ringing in the ears of Josiah & the prophets when they saw Israel destroyed and knew that Judah was next!

Deut 25:1 7-19 17 Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. 18 When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and cut off all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God. 19 When the LORD your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the memory ofAmalek from under heaven. Do not forget!

God once again plans to wipe out a nation. (See notes on Midianites.)

Why the Amalekites? Remember Ex 17? The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim when they had just crossed the Red Sea! Ex 17:14 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven." 15 Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner. 16He said, "For hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD. The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation."

God doesn't forget his promises!

And he waited MANY generations until he gave Saul & Samuel the charge! (See 1 Samuel 15).

NUMBERS 34,35

Not surprisingly, when the land was allotted, Caleb was the first leader mentioned - oh for a spirit like Caleb's! (More on that later.) STAY TUNED FOR the LAW OF MOSES on Feb 15^th . (Sorry this wasn’t very Valentine-ish, but hope you have a nice 14th)

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ENTRY TWENTY-ONE -- FEBRUARY 15, 2008

21 -- MOSES - His Last Hurrah Pt I Deuteronomy 1-4

Deuteronomy is Moses' personal version of how he remembered everything that had happened over the past 40 years. Written as a summation of the 40 years of wandering with a view toward instructing the adults who had just been children when leaving Egypt, it is filled with some of MOSES’ PRIVATE MEMORIES, and also has some beautifully expressed sentiments about our DIVINE ROMANCE with God. This entry covers one day of reading.

Deuteronomy 1 Moses traced the journey they have been on since Egypt, then he referred back to the time when his father-in-law, Jethro, had given him advice on delegating back in Exodus 18. 17 “Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of any man, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it. ”That is how Moses had tried to live during his 40 years with the Hebrew nation.

In the following section, we are made privy to an interesting detail left out of the Numbers account. Deut 1 :20-23 “Then I said to you, "You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us. 21 See, the LORD your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."22 Then all of you came to me and said, "Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to." 23 The idea seemed good to me; so I selected twelve ofyou, one man from each tribe.”

Here we learn that the sending out of the twelve spies had actually been the peoples' idea, not necessarily Moses' or God's. Interesting ... John once preached about this, that God may want you to go a certain way, and we are either blind to it or we resist it. Then, because of free will, God will allow us to have our Plan B, but he still expects us to be righteous. Unfortunately, our Plan Bs often leads to us not carrying out God’s mission, and our different plan becomes a “back door”, which can sometimes bring spiritual disaster! It certainly did in this case –40 years of manna! Yuk! God had not intended for manna to feed them for 40 years, by the way, but since they rebelled... How many times do we complain and moan about things that “aren’t fair when we actually caused it ourselves?! That reminds me of the verse in I Peter 4 that tells us that we are noble if we suffer for doing good, but to not get bent out of shape if we suffer for our own foolishness...

Not only do we sometimes have the wrong perspective on what is “fair”, our lack of faith also causes us to sometimes have an incorrect perception of what is “possible”. With their humanly vision, the Hebrews called entering the Promised Land “impossible”, even though God had already made his will known. Isn't it interesting that when we're soft on ourselves and we don't want to do something for God (out of fear or for whatever reason), we think of reasons and make excuses about why we can't. Actually God sees it as being "unwilling" which he equates with "rebellion"! And look at the specific language used in verse 27. Moses remembered that grumbling like it was yesterday! We would do well to remember how much God hates grumbling and lack of faith! Unfortunately, moaning and complaining seem to be some of the most common sins of the modern world.

29 “Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. 30 The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, 31 and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.’ ”

I just had to stick this verse in because I love the analogy of a father carrying his son! (I think God caters to us “visual learners” by sticking in lots of word pictures like this!) For those of us leading others, either in a small group or in our homes, one of our most crucial jobs is to give people faith - to take them where they don't think they can go! Even for school teachers – helping kids believe in themselves is so important… but I digress...

Verses 32-36 speak of God’s anger at the Hebrews’ rebellion, and of the way he would reward Caleb, who was so faithful. The writer of Hebrews tells us that the Israelites didn't enter the land of rest that God had prepared for them for two reasons: unbelief and disobedience. Hebrews 3:19 "So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief." and Hebrews 4:6 "It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience." Then the writer warns his audience to make sure they don't follow the same example of disobedience! We must take this warning seriously!

Deut 1:39 “And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do not yet know good from bad-they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it.

This point is worth making again - using your kids as an excuse for not leading a sacrificial life will likely lead YOU to separation from God...and in the case of the Israelites, their kids did eventually make it, but how sad that it was without mom and dad!

Deut 1:41-46 tells of the Israelites reaction to their punishment – they decided then to go and fight. But of course, they were defeated. It was too late. The people to whom Moses was preaching when he was writing Deuteronomy weren't actually the ones who had rebelled, been arrogant and disobeyed, obviously, because all those people had died. This was the new generation who were about to enter Canaan. Sometimes there is corporate guilt, so Moses talks to them like "you did it." They were there, but only as kids.

Deut Chapter 2 tells of the battle with Og and Sihon, which is referred to over and over in Israel’s history as a turning point in their migration from Egypt.

Deut 3:22 Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you." What a moving verse!

In the latter part of chapter three, Moses spoke of God being angry with him and therefore not allowing him to enter the Promised Land. This is a reference back to the even in Numbers 201-13 when the people had grumbled, yet again, and Moses had struck the rock to get water. God did let Moses reap the consequence of Moses’ action, but I sentimentally feel that God knew that the conquest of Canaan would call for a new kind of leadership and a new kind of leader, and he wanted to clear Moses out so that Joshua could shine. (My personal interpretation, of course.)

Deuteronomy 4 You can hear the care in Moses' opening line! And the foundation for all he said is always God's word! He reminded them that they have seen things with their own eyes.

5 See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the LORD my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people." 7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? 8And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?

Lack of gratitude, lack of awareness - these are the spiritual killers of our day. We should constantly feel, "What other nation/fellowship of churches is so blessed/fortunate...?"

9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

REMEMBER! DO NOT FORGET! The apostle Peter grasped this when he wrote, "But if anyone does not have them [the qualities in verses 5-7], he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins."(2 Pet 1 :9)

Also, notice that Moses uses the phrase "slip from your heart". This is our temptation. That's why Jesus later says, "If you HOLD to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31,32)

In verses 10-19, as he did in so many other places, Moses was explaining WHY! This is so important for our faith. God is the God of WHY! Ask questions, search; ask, seek, knock. Explain WHY to others. Love God with your MIND.

In verses 20-24, we can once again hear the love and concern shining through Moses' pleading, "Take care of your relationship with God!" Moses warned them against idolatry, since it was certainly the most visible threat. The antidote is found in verse 29.

29 But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Deuteronomy could also be called, "Moses Begging God's People to Love God With All their Heart!" God's message has ALWAYS been about the heart.

30 When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and obey him. 31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.

Wow, Moses had already predicted their falling away but he countered it by also predicting God's mercy.

Verses 32-39 is one of my favourite passages in the Old Testament. Reading this always makes me cry! We must build our church in such a way so as to feel that this passage describes us! This is beautiful! (See you on the 16^th.)

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ENTRY TWENTY-TWO – FEBRUARY 16, 2008

22– MOSES - His Last Hurrah Pt II Deuteronomy 5-11

Deuteronomy is Moses' personal version of how he remembered everything that had happened over the past 40 years. Written as a summation of the 40 years of wandering with a view toward instructing the adults who had just been children when leaving Egypt, it is filled with some of MOSES’ PRIVATE MEMORIES, and also has some beautifully expressed sentiments about our DIVINE ROMANCE with God. In Deuteronomy 5-8, God repeats the laws one more time for this new generation. Moses died one month later. This is his second address in a week to the new generation - you can tell he feels the burden to "impress these things on their hearts." As I have said earlier, this is one of my favorite sections of scripture! (And it covers two days of reading).

REMEMBER! This is a book imploring the people to remember! We have the bible in so many forms. We can take it in our handbags, briefcases, laptops, PDA’s, and even mobile phones. They didn’t have such luxury. So they had to remember!

3 It was not with our fathers that the LORD made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today.

The ones alive then were under 20. But Moses wanted them to know that this was personal!

And look at verses 4–21. Can you imagine - Moses knew the TEN COMMANDMENTS so well that he could quote it by heart!

After Egypt, the Israelites had had the right response, but they hadn't changed deeply enough to make it stick. They hadn't gone through what Paul later calls (in Eph 4:22-24) “being made new in the attitude of your mind". But forty years in the Wilderness had transformed their children's "World View" or "Belief System."

28 The LORD heard you when you spoke to me and the LORD said to me, "I have heard what this people said to you. Everything they said was good. 29 Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!

What is God's will for me? That my heart would always be inclined to fear Him and keep His commands! He knows if I am like this, my life AND my children's lives will be blessed. (John preached a fantastic sermon on this once called "The Ten-der Commandments". Of course, I'm biased ).

32 So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. 33 Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.

These two verses are in a way the theme of Deuteronomy. It appears over and over. The very next paragraph, which is the beginning of chapter six, has the same theme.

Deuteronomy 6

4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Now you understand the context of where this famous passage. The Jews call this "the shema" which means, “hear”, since it's their most famous passage and begins with the first word being, “Hear”. Obviously Jesus uses it as the first part of his answer to the question, "What's the Greatest Commandment?" And we have co-opted it for our Mission Statement in Singapore, “We Gather Here to Know God and Make God Known”.

6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

We are literally supposed to be constantly meditating on God, talking about God, helping our children to "feel" God and making God alive in our kids' lives.

As for the verse about foreheads and doorframes, the Jews eventually took this literally, and til today you can see small metal containers holding v4-5 placed on the doorframes of practicing Jews' homes. Jesus mentioned the small boxes used to hold v4-5, called "phylacteries" when he was rebuking the Pharisees for their hypocrisy in Matt 23:5ff "Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long..." This is more evidence that God has always been interested in the heart behind the obedience.

Again, in verses 10-12, we see the concepts of "REMEMBER" AND "BE GRATEFUL". Interestingly, it seems that they're related, i.e. the more I remember how bad/ rotten/ empty/ meaningless/ selfish my life was without God, and the more I focus with gratitude on His blessings, the easier time I have loving, fearing and obeying God!

Verses 13-19 restates The Theme yet again!

20 In the future, when your son asks you, "What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the LORD our God has commanded you?" 21 tell him. "We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 Before our eyes the LORD sent miraculous signs and wonders—great and terrible— upon Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. 23 But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land that he promised on oath to our forefathers. 24 The LORD commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the LORD our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. 25 And if we are careful to obey all this law before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness."

Our kids SHOULD ask questions about our faith and we SHOULD have the answers - we WILL if we are WALKING WITH HIM IN HIS WORD! This is another passage I use to show that God cares about the WHY.

Deuteronomy 7 God starts out with stern commands about not mixing with the pagan nations. Why is God so serious? Let’s look at II Corinthians 6. 14-18 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belialb? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said. "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." 17 "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. "18 "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." WE MUST BE FAITHFUL and PURE to GOD, LOVING HIM not the WORLD.

5 This is what you are to do to them. Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire.

Remember young King Josiah in 2Kings? He read the Law and obeyed this verse! (See 2Kings 23:14).

6 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

Isn't this motivation enough? The church is the New Jerusalem - all of these affirmations apply to us! We are God's treasure!

7 The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. 10 But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him. 11 Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today. 12 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers. 13 He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you. 14 You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor any of your livestock without young. 15 The LORD will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you.

Isn't this beautiful? I could read this over and over! God loves us so much! The chapter ends with a reminder that God means business!

Deuteronomy 8 Moses was concerned for his people - he warned them over and over. God is concerned with us now. He knows how quickly we forget. I have a reminder set on my phone alarm to go off several times a day to remind me to pray about my commitment to not overeat or cheat on my psoriasis diet! I need reminders!

2 Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

Doesn't this make you feel loved - to know that God goes to all this trouble for you? So we've had some wilderness years... What have you done with your wilderness years? ARE you humble? ARE you keeping his commands?

3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

Remember that Jesus quoted this in his battle against Satan, also in the Wilderness (after his baptism in Matthew 4, Luke 4). If you’re taking the time to read this, then you are feasting on the word of God, so give yourself a pat on the back! Verses 4-9 remind us of all the blessings. GOD IS GOOD! He loves to bless us! The message of verses 10 -14 is Gratitude and Humility are good; Being proud and forgetting God & his blessings are bad!

15 He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me."

Oh, my, please, God, let me not be cocky!

18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. 19 If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. 20 Like the nations the LORD destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the LORD your God.

WHEW! This is one intense warning! It should SCARE us to even THINK of putting anything before God!

Deuteronomy 9

1 Hear, O Israel. You are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky. 2 The people are strong and tall—Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: "Who can stand up against the Anakites?" 3 But be assured today that the LORD your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the LORD has promised you.

God is stronger than any of the "giants" we face in our life! Claim these promises! God has helped me through all of my difficult times and I am so grateful that he fights my giants for me. And we are to know that God doesn’t do it for us because we are so righteous. The Old Testament is also full of “saved by grace”.

Deuteronomy 10 begins with Moses’ rendition of the repeat tablets of the Ten Commandments, and ends with the wonderful question in verse 12.

12 And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

Summary- considering all your sin against God, and all his blessings, is it too much to ask that we fear, love, serve & obey Him? God loves you, so be grateful, stop being stubborn, and clean out your insides!

17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. 19 And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.

If I were the creator of the Universe and was about to write my own book, would I describe myself this way?

Deuteronomy 11:1-9 are full of God’s care & concern. The next section is full of his promises and warnings. We are promised a wonderful life, if we will just obey. Truly God is Great!

26 See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse—27 the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that Iam giving you today; 28 the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known. 29 When the LORD your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim the blessings, and on Mount Ebal the curses. 30 As you know, these mountains are across the Jordan, west of the road, toward the setting sun, near the great trees of Moreh, in the territory of those Canaanites living in the Arabah in the vicinity of Gilgal. 31 You are about to cross the Jordan to enter and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you. When you have taken it over and are living there, 32 be sure that you obey all the decrees and laws I am setting before you today.

God always gives us freedom of choice. We have the choice to obey and enjoy his blessings, which may or may not be physical, but will certainly be there in the spiritual and emotional realm. The next entry will come on February 18th when we will begin a study of THE LAWS OF MOSES.

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ENTRY TWENTY-THREE -- FEBRUARY 18, 2008

23-- THE LAWS OF MOSES -- Part One

At this point in Moses’ address to God’s people in Deuteronomy 12, we see him giving an exposition of laws. Since I am reading a chronological bible that puts all the laws into one section, I will be referring to the laws for the next few entries, and will be studying from Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy combined. I am borrowing some of Dr. F. LaGard Smith’s narration to spice up the commentary! Some may feel that reading the Old Testament Laws is a boring task. However, most of them were designed to teach the Israelites to respect and honour God, not a bad thing for us to think about now, Amen? These laws help us to focus on BEING HOLY, BEING AWARE OF OUR SEPARATENESS AS A CHOSEN PEOPLE, AND EVEN TO LEARN TO RESPECT THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS. Hopefully you will find this section (in outline format) useful, inspiring and not TOO boring! (One day’s reading)

I. Religious and Ceremonial Laws

The Cornerstone: Deut 5:6-10 6 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 7 "You shall have no other gods before me. 8 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third andfourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

A. Laws Against Idolatry and Paganism (various scriptures from Exodus - Deuteronomy)

In explaining why we shouldn't follow the pagan traditions of neighboring countries, Moses says, "for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession." (Deut 14:2)

God is so serious about avoiding idolatry that he even commands the Hebrews to put to death their fellow Israelites who are involved or are trying to entice others. (Deut 13,17)

God also very specifically wanted only one PLACE for worship, telling them, "You are not to do as we do here today, everyone as he sees fit." (Deut 12) This was to keep them free from pagan influences or the preferences of individual priests.

God wants us to worship him as he designs! It's not up to us!

B. Laws Against False Spiritualists

1 .Witchcraft & Divination

Deut 18:10-14 10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. 13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God. 14 The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.

In Singapore, we all know of many people who do the things mentioned in verse 10, and we are to avoid these things like the plague! Don't be tempted to try them out as harmless fun, cause they're not harmless! God demanded the death penalty for sorcerers, mediums, etc.

2. False Prophets and Dreamers

Deut 13:1-5 warns against false prophets and demands that we trust only in God's word!

C. Laws Regarding Blasphemy

Deut 5:1 1 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."

Reverence for God was commanded! See Lev 24:10-23 for the story of a man put to death for cursing God.

The teachings above command us to FEAR GOD, to HONOUR HIS COMMANDS, and to PUT HIM FIRST!

When I love food pleasure more than God, am I not committing idolatry? (Colossians 3:5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.) At certain times in my life, I have kept this idolatry at bay, at other times, I have given into temptation for stupid reasons and let food rule my life. Right now I am doing well, but I don’t take it for granted. Help me, O God, to have an abstinent day and to love you more than the momentary pleasure of eating.

My next entry on the Laws of Moses will still be covering Religious and Ceremonial Laws and will start with letter "D" of my outline and will go through letter "H". (See ya on Feb 19 th₎

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ENTRY TWENTY -FOUR -- FEBRUARY 19, 2008

24-- THE LAWS OF MOSES -- Part Two

Continuing on with Religious and Ceremonial Laws, this entry, which is two days’ of reading, will cover topics such as tithing, the Sabbath, and special feasts.

D. Laws Requiring Dedications

TO INSTILL A PROPER SENSE OF PRIORITIES AND GRATITUDE, GOD GIVES VARIOUS LAWS DEMANDING GIFTS OF BOTH THE BEST AND FIRST THINGS. (Exodus 22-23; Exodus 34; Deuteronomy 15:19-23)

God is teaching us that he doesn't want our leftovers, but the best! This is related to using our talents for God, our time and our money. If we have been blessed with gifts like leadership qualities that we use at work or school, we should want to use them for God as well.

E. Laws Requiring Tithing

Deut 18:1-8; Deut 14:22-29

Appreciate the good that the Lord has given you, give back to him willingly, and remember to care for the less fortunate.

F. Special Instruction for Conquest

Deut 26:1-15; Lev 19:23-25

This is teaching us to Feel Gratitude and Express our Appreciation.

This should be the attitude with which we give our regular and special contributions! See especially Deut 26:5-10 Then you shall declare before the LORD your God: "My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. 6 But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, putting us to hard labor. 7 Then we cried out to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. 8 So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with miraculous signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; 10 and now I bring the first fruits of the soil that you, O LORD, have given me. "Place the basket before the LORD your God and bow down before him.

G. Law of the Sabbath

To promote continual remembrance, and to provide periodic occasions for formal worship of God, various special days, months and years are set aside for national celebration and individual devotion. The first and foremost day of worship, the Sabbath, is commanded no less than 12 times throughout the giving of the laws. It is symbolic of the day upon which God rested after creation, and a reminder that no day of rest was permitted when the Israelites were in Egyptian bondage. It is the one day each week when all attention can be focused on God and his blessings. In the New Testament, we look forward to our Sabbath rest in heaven. Hebrews 4:9-11 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. AMEN!! The Sabbath Rest was commanded (Deut 5:12; Ex 31:16; Lev 19:30, etc) and there was a death penalty for breaking it (Ex 31:12). Num 15 contains an example of punishment for gathering wood on Sabbath. Take time to think about your concept of a personal Sabbath, your gratitude for not being enslaved, and how much you look forward to heaven.

H. The Special Feasts

Ex 23: 14-17 "Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me. 15 "Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. 16 "Celebrate the Feast of Harvest (or Feast of Weeks- Deut 16) with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field. Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering (or Feast of the Tabernacle) at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field."

Deut 1 6:1 6b, 17 No man should appear before the LORD empty-handed: 17 Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you.

God is teaching many lessons, including relying on him, generosity and remembrance. I especially like Exodus 34:24 as a verse to help us trust God when we take time off work (or don't do as much overtime) in order to be with the body -24 "I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your territory, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times each year to appear before the LORD your God."

1. Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread

The Passover memorializes the freedom of the Israelites from their Egyptian bondage, when death passed over the land and killed the firstborn of all but the Israelites. The weeklong Feast of Unleavened Bread which follows is a commemoration of the exodus itself. The Passover meal includes lamb, representing the Passover lamb; unleavened bread, representing purity; and bitter herbs, representing the horrors of bondage. Cleansing of sins is seen in the blood of the lamb. Of course, in the future, Jesus became our Passover Lamb, and because his blood covered us at baptism, the angel of death will “pass over” us and we will have eternal life. AMEN. (See Luke 22: 14-15 Then at the proper time Jesus and the twelve apostles sat down together at the table. 15 Jesus said, “I have looked forward to this hour with deep longing, anxious to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins.” Imagine what was in Jesus' mind when he said those words, knowing that HE would be the true Passover lamb that week.)

2. Feast of Weeks (Harvest or First fruits)

The second major feast takes place seven weeks following the Feast of Unleavened Bread, on the fiftieth day. Hence the name by which it is presently called, the Feast of Weeks, and the name by which it will one day be called, Pentecost (meaning 50). Because it falls at the time of the wheat harvest and the offering for firstfruits, it is also referred to by those names. Although closely associated with a time of agricultural harvest, it foreshadows various spiritual “firstfruits” in which believers in God will be “harvested”.

Deut 1 6:9 Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. 10 Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the LORD your God has given you. 11 And rejoice before the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name.

We celebrate God by giving and rejoicing. This is hard to do if we're feeling that the Christian life is a duty. The times I feel lousy are when my mind is thinking "have-to" instead of "get-to".

Also see Lev 23 and Num 28 for more details.

3. Feast of Tabernacles (Booths or Ingathering)

The final feast is known as the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths) as a solemn reminder of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness in punishment for its sin of disbelief. During the weeks of celebration the Israelites are to live in tents or booths made of tree branches. As with the Feast of Weeks, this feast is also associated with a time of harvest and thus is alternatively known as the Feast of Ingathering.

God did these festivals three times a year to remind the Israelites about their past and how much they had to be grateful for. We have the Lord's supper and our daily Quiet Times, plus whatever traditions we care to invent in order to help ourselves, our family and our fellow members of Christ's body remember, be grateful and rededicate ourselves.

See Lev 23 and Num 29 for specifics on the kind of sacrifices the Israelites were to offer during the festival (bulls, rams & lambs.)

Deut 16:13-15 “Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress. 14 Be joyful at your Feast—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns. 15 For seven days celebrate the Feast to the LORD your God at the place the LORD will choose. For the LORD your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.”

Note v14: BE JOYFUL! God commanded them to be joyful. And he commands us also! Phil 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always!” I Thess 5:16 “Be joyful always. ”Amen! How are we doing in this area? Get to the root and get help from your group. If you're still having trouble after that, and you live in Singapore, come find me!

4. The Feast of Trumpets, a lesser- known feast

Shortly before the third major feast, the Israelites are to celebrate one of less significance, known as the Feast of Trumpets. It takes place on the first day of the seventh month according to the religious calendar, in association with the institution of the Sabbath. And because that month is the first month on the civil calendar, it is a new year’s celebration as well, modernly called Rosh Hashanah. See Num 29.

5. The Day of Atonement

In addition to the required feasts, God called for an annual Day of Atonement, just before the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths. The Day of Atonement was established when Aaron was the high priest, but will continue until even modern times, in which it is celebrated as Yom Kippur. It is the only day upon which the Israelites are commanded to fast. Its great significance lies in the confession of sins and the sending out of the scapegoat for atonement.

Lev 16 describes the ceremony in detail and Lev 23 tells us that it was a day of fasting.

The Day of Atonement was the greatest day of the year for Israel. The Hebrew word for atone means "to cover." Old Testament sacrifices could not actually remove sins, only cover them. On this day, the people confessed their sins as a nation, and the high priest went into the Most Holy Place to make atonement for them. Sacrifices were made and blood was shed so that the people's sins could be "covered" until Christ's sacrifice on the cross would give people the opportunity to have their sin removed forever.

This event with the two goats occurred on the Day of Atonement. The two goats represented the two ways God was dealing with the Israelites' sin: (1) He was forgiving their sin through the first goat, which was sacrificed, and (2) he was removing their guilt through the second goat, the scapegoat, that was sent into the wilderness. The same ritual had to be repeated every year. Jesus Christ's death replaced this system once and for all. We can have our sins forgiven and guilt removed by placing our trust in Christ (read Hebrews 10:1-18). There are many passages in Hebrews which explain the New Testament significance of these Old Testament rituals. See two below:

Heb 6:19-20 This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain of heaven into God's inner sanctuary. 20 Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the line of Melchizedek.

Heb 9:7 But only the high priest goes into the Most Holy Place, and only once a year, and always with blood, which he offers to God to cover his own sins and the sins the people have committed in ignorance.

To end our section on Feasts, here's Lev 23:37 -38 "'These are the LORD's appointed feasts, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing offerings made to the LORD by fire—the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings required for each day. 38 These offerings are in addition to those for the LORD's Sabbaths and in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings you give to the LORD."

My next entry on the Laws of Moses will still be covering Religious (See and Ceremonial Laws and will cover letter "I" of my outline and letter "J". (See ya on the 21^st Feb)

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ENTRY TWENTY-FIVE -- FEBRUARY 21, 2008

25-- THE LAWS OF MOSES -- Part Three (includes a free Bible Talk idea)

This entry on the Laws of Moses is still covering Religious and Ceremonial Laws and includes letter "I" of my outline and letter "J", covering topics such as "Sacrifices and Offerings". (Three days reading) Thanks again to Dr. F. LaGard Smith for his brilliant narration from whom I borrowed some of the interesting facts.

(For those of you who care , please note that this entry in outline form begins with the letter "I", not the number one (1).)

I. Sacrifices and Offerings

While the feasts are principally times of celebration, remembrance, and thanksgiving, the sacrifices and offerings are designed to bring the removal of guilt (expiation) or the obtaining of God’s favor (propitiation). The Day of Atonement has already been presented as a special day of sacrifice for the sins of the people, and it is by far the most important. In addition, there are five major offerings required, and numerous special ones besides.

1. Burnt Offerings

Burnt offerings are continuous sacrifices of unblemished animals that are completely burned and never eaten. After the worshiper lays his hands on the animal, it is killed, and its blood is sprinkled around the altar in atonement for the worshiper’s sins.

These include offerings from cattle, from sheep and goats, and from certain birds (Lev 1, Lev 6, Num 28)

Lev 6:13 says, "The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out. "Perhaps this relates to us now in that we are to continuously keep pure for God. IJohn 1:5-9 "This is the message we have heardfrom him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood ofJesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful andjust and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

2. Cereal Offerings

Cereal offerings are given, perhaps as an expression of devotion. They are made of vegetables or other crops and cooked according to specific instructions, but never mixed with either honey or leaven, which would make the meal spoil. The offering of grain is to bring special blessings upon the entire crop. According to Lev 2, Lev 6 and Num 15, the offerings could be of flour, oil, incense, unleavened cakes, salt, coarse meal and grain. The fact that these everyday sounding items played such a special role in the worship of Jehovah shows how crucial they were to the lives of people at that time. Concerning all these offerings, the phrase most often repeated is to make it "pleasing to the Lord." When we do anything today, no matter if it is worshiping at church or driving home from work in a traffic jam, we are to also be “pleasing to the Lord.” (Romans 12:1-2, Colossians 3:17)

3. Peace Offerings (or Fellowship Offerings)

Unlike the burnt and cereal offerings, the peace offerings -- whether animals or unleavened cakes -- are only partially burned and the rest eaten. Nor does it matter whether the animal is male or female. If the offering is required, then only the priests are to eat of it; but if it is a freewill offering, then the worshiper may also partake. Peace offerings are given for thanksgiving and praise, and are considered meals of fellowship between God and man.

Lev 3 and Lev 7 describe this kind of offering, which is sort of like having a date with God! It is interesting to note that God cared about the Israelites physical health as well as their spiritual health, note Leviticus 3:1 6b-1 7 "All the fat is the LORD's. 17 This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood." EATING ANIMAL FAT HAS NEVER BEEN GOOD US.

4. Sin Offerings

When any unintentional omissions or transgressions are discovered, various sin offerings are to be made. Included for special offerings are the high priest himself, the entire congregation, the leaders of the congregation, and ordinary worshipers. It is noteworthy that, according to these scriptures, ignorance is NO EXCUSE under the law.

Look at what happened when an ordinary non-leader unintentionally sinned!

Lev 4:27 "'If a member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands, he is guilty. 28 When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as his offering for the sin he committed a female goat without defect. 29 He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering. 30 Then the priest is to take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 31 He shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the LORD. In this way the priest will make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven."

WOW! I guess this would make you think twice before sinning... Either that, or it would make you feel so hopeless you'd BEG God to bring the Messiah.

By the way, unintentional sins included touching "unclean" objects, not speaking up in court when you know something, and thoughtlessly taking an oath! (Lev 5) Also, notice how fair God is - he gave poor people the option of sacrificing birds or grains. (Lev 5)

STIFF WARNING AGAINST SINNING INTENTIONALLY IN NUMBERS 15:30-31 ''But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or alien, blasphemes the LORD, and that person must be cut off from his people. 31 Because he has despised the LORD's word and broken his commands, that person must surely be cut off; his guilt remains on him."

Wow! While not to take away from the all-encompassing grace available through the blood of Christ, it is still important for us to realize that God is very unhappy when we do not hate sin and take it very seriously. Read Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s The Cost of Discipleship for more on this topic.

5. Guilt Offerings

In any case of sin or offense, a guilt (or trespass) offering is to be made to atone for the sin. Where monetary damages can be assessed, there is also the idea of restitution, in which value is given over and above the damage inflicted. In effect, it is an offering of money or of value equivalent. The idea of “restitution” reminds me of a book I read last year by Gary Chapman. It is a follow up to his Love Language series, and it is called The Five Languages of Apology. Chapman asserts that the reason some conflicts take so long to get resolved is that one party feels they have apologized, but the other hears apologies in a certain language, and therefore will not feel that the other has apologized sincerely until hearing the apology in their language. One of those languages is “making restitution^”, i.e., ^“How can I make it up to you?^” I may discuss the other “apology languages^” later, so I will leave that for another time.

Lev 5 & 6 discuss sins of omission and sins of commission.

6. Special Offerings

In addition to the five main offerings, there are other special offerings: Offerings on the Sabbath, Offerings on each Month & Offerings for Unknown Murder. (See Num 28 and Deut 21).

7. Rules Pertaining to Offerings

BIBLE TALK IDEAS CONTAINED HERE! Once again, never give God your leftovers!

Lev 22:1 7-22 The LORD said to Moses, 18 "Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: 'If any ofyou—either an Israelite or an alien living in Israel— presents a gift for a burnt offering to the LORD, either to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, 19 you must present a male without defect from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf. 20 Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf. 21 When anyone brings from the herd or flock a fellowship offering to the LORD to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without defect or blemish to be acceptable. 22 Do not offer to the LORD the blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or festering or running sores. Do not place any of these on the altar as an offering made to the LORD by fire."

This is a great principle regarding our Quiet Times (are we more wide-awake, alert & prepared at a meeting with our boss than we are in our time with God?), our thought life (do we think about worldly things most of the time and then switch gears for church service?), our money (is budgeting and giving contribution first priority or last...?), etc. I LOVE this principle! See, I told you Leviticus isn't boring!

Bible Talk on Spiritual Leftovers:

You could start off by introducing the food you'll be having after Bible Talk, "Welcome to our Friday evening B.T. After our short bible discussion, we'll be feasting on soup which is leftover from my dinner on Tuesday, the Stir-fried Chicken & veggies leftover from my lunch on Wednesday and the braised tofu from Monday's buffet! How does that sound?"

After assuring everyone that you are joking, you could get everyone to share their worst eating experience, then introduce your B.T. on Spiritual Leftovers. I got this idea from James Lloyd, by the way. He used Malachi 1:6-8 6 "A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?" says the LORD Almighty. "It is you, O priests, who show contempt for my name." But you ask, 'How have we shown contempt for your name?' 7 "You place defiled food on my altar. "But you ask, 'How have we defiled you?' "By saying that the LORD's table is contemptible. 8 When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you? "says the LORD Almighty.

Then you could use the questions I typed above about QT, thought life, etc plus some other questions (What would you cook if your neighbourhood MP were coming to your house for dinner?) to generate discussion. Have fun!

J. Other Rituals

1. Oil for Lamps

Lev 24:1-4 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually. 3 Outside the curtain of the Testimony in the Tent ofMeeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps before the LORD from evening till morning, continually. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. 4 The lamps on the pure gold lamp stand before the LORD must be tended continually."

THIS IS LIKE OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD and OUR CHRISTIAN WALK - has to be tended continually.

2. Showbread on Sabbath (Lev 24)

3. Aaronic Benediction - this is one of my personal favourites!

Numbers 6:22 The LORD said to Moses, 23 "Tell Aaron and his sons, 'This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:24 "'"The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."' 27 "So they will put my name on the Israelites, andI will bless them." THIS IS A GREAT PRAYER TO MEMORIZE!!

My next entry on the Laws of Moses will still be covering Religious and Ceremonial Laws and will start with letter "K" of my outline and will go through letter "R". Next entry on Feb 24.

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