Chapter 19: verse 2... interesting that the offering required is a red heifer... isn't that a girl cow? All the past requirements are for male animals (see Lev 1:3-9 for one reference) verse 5... interesting that they are to burn up all the parts of the heifer, since don't they normally throw the offal, and some other things outside the camp and do not offer it as part of the sacrifice? verse 9... "water of cleansing"... is this where the Catholics and some of the other more traditional faiths get their idea of "holy water"? I wonder if it is also where the idea of "baptism" comes from, since the Jews believed in baptism before Jesus came, as a way of repenting of sins to receive forgiveness (Mark 1:4)... although I think the word "baptism" actually means "immersion" if I remember right... this also makes me think about the blind man that Jesus put mud on his eyes and told to go wash in the pool of water (John 9)... but I think that pool was supposed to have been touched by angels or something like that, and that is why it was supposed to have healing power... although the real power came from Jesus... but still the idea of purification from "blindness" by water, whether blindness of sin, or physical blindness, can be seen here. verse 11-15... Yet, Jesus was not opposed to going into homes with dead people and healing them (Matthew 9:18-26, as well as other passages)...was this to rid the uncleaness?...were most of Jesus's recorded actions and miracles done to address the old laws (like this one) that now no longer applied because of the New Covenant in Him?
Chapter 20: see Exodus 17 for the other "water/rock" story verse 1... that is the Desert of Zin, not "sin"... although one might be inclined to think differently after reading these past few books of the Bible... how often do I wander in the Desert of "Zin" in my life?... also Miriam died here... I wonder why... of natural causes? verse 3-5... is anyone else getting tired of hearing these complaints yet again? I can almost repeat them verbatim without looking at the text... but, I do have to pause here and marvel at God's amazing patience... yes, he had gotten angry, but still, to have done all that God has done for these people, and put up with the almost contant complaining of 2+ million people, without wiping them out, is amazing... I lose my patience with only 6 grumbling and most times not all of them are doing it, so to imagine God staying so loving and calm so often with so much negativity about Him and around Him, is mind-boggling to me. What an awesome God we serve... and how blessed we are to be party to His love and grace. verse 8... last time God told Moses to strike the rock... this time He says to speak to it.... why the difference? maybe so the people don't think that there is a magic formula for getting water out of a rock? although the previous time was 40 years before, so maybe no one would even remember what happened then... they don't seem to remember anything else God has done for them... how often do I "forget" the good things and focus on the negative things in my life? verse 10-11... "must WE bring you water out of this rock"... then Moses struck the rock... not what God commanded... so, why did he do it... maybe he was fed up with the people and not thinking? maybe he was acting out of anger and not out of obedience? This makes me think about spanking kids (ok, so my mind wanders into odd places and along strange paths, but indulge me for a moment, please)... so, when you discipline your kids, you are never to do it out of anger... spanking a child in anger is not discipline, it is throwing a temper tantrum yourself and may as well be called hitting... however, under the direction of God, with calm and love, as the foundation of teaching a child a lesson in obedience, when no other option is appropriate, is a form of discipline (see Proverbs 29:15)...no I realize that many will not agree, but it seems to me that just as it is true with the rock, that striking is only appropriate when guided and instructed by God, I believe the same is true when applied to a child discipline scenario... ok, so a child is not a rock, but the point is that all things should be done under the guidance and instruction of God, and the striking reminded me of spanking, so I just connected the two... ok, moving on... verse 12... so here is the issue with the rock... Moses did not give God the glory, and honor Him as holy to the Israelites... God gives us our position of leadership, so long as we lead people to Him... if we lead them to ourselves or to the world, He is not pleased about that... I do wonder, though, if although this was a punishment to Moses, if he was not just a slight bit relieved that soon he would no longer have the responsibility to care for these people who were wearing on his nerves... so maybe it was a blessing in disguise... do we ever notice these in our lives at the time they are given? Moses probably didn't either... who knows...
verse 14-22... Edom is the name given to Esau, Jacob's brother (see Genesis 25:29-30)... also, see Deuteronomy 2:4-6, where God tells the Isrealites that He gave this land to Esau and his decendents (see also Genesis 36:6-9)... basically, they are relying on Edom's good graces, because God will not take sides in any battle they pick, because He will not break His promise to any of His people... makes me think twice about always thinking God is on MY side... also, Edom is likely suspicious of Isreal, considering the past history between their ancestors, Jacob and Esau (remember Genesis 25, Genesis 27-28, Genesis 32-33) verse 26... the passing down of Aaron's clothes, I think, symbolize the passing down of Aaron's power and authority so that the Isrealites would not rise up and try to mutiny again, like in Numbers 16-17 verse 28... Aaron died... reminds me that God really is in control of life and death... no one dies without it being God's timing, and no one lives when God says it is time for them to "move on" verse 29..."mourned for him for thiry days"... I didn't catch it at first, but no one apparently mourned for Miriam (verse 1)... she was just buried... also, Joseph mourned for his father for a total of 77 days (see Genesis 50)... so, that makes me wonder, what the significance of days is for the mourning times... was there a standard time of mourning for different people/titles? was it just based on how much you were loved? was it something else? any ideas?
Chapter 21: verse 2... the footnotes mention that the term "destroy" here means "the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them"... that made me think about the idea of destroying sin in my life... not only am I supposed to wipe it out, but I am supposed to turn the whole matter over to God 'irrevocably'... no take backs... when I am honest with myself, I know that I do not do this... not only do I sometimes give mercy when mercy is not due (like make excuses to try to justify my sins), but I also do not turn them and my life completely over to God... and sometimes, I even try to take that part of my life back... what would my life look like if I completely "destroyed" it for God? verse 3... "the Lord listened... and gave"... when we ask things in accordance with God's will... His will being His glory... then God is willing to comply with our requests... reminds me of the verses about 'ask anything in Jesus name and you will receive it' (John 14:12-14, John 15:16,John 16:23-27, Matthew 7:7-14)... imagine what God's response would have been if the people had wanted to destroy the city out of selfish desires (to keep the wealth, to gloat, just because, whatever)... probably would have received a different answer, huh... so, what does that tell us about how important the meaning behind our asking for things is (James 4:1-4)... and we can't fake the sincerity of our heart... God knows... but we can ask God to align our heart with His, so that our asking can be done in Jesus name and in accordance with the will of God... then, whatever we ask, we will receive, because we are only asking God to do what He wanted to all along...all for His glory verse 6-7... God is not warning them anymore... but the people are finally starting to get it (maybe?)...'we sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you'... but were they only repentant because they were in trouble... [sigh] the frustrating fickle nature of humans verse 8-9... I believe that this is why the medical symbol is a snake on a pole?... I think I heard that before... this is also a redemptive analogy (or 'a story that points people to salvation through Jesus')... Jesus explains that He is like the snake that Moses lifed up in the desert and anyone who believes in Him will be saved (John 3:13-18)... Jesus is saying He must be lifte up, which is giving a foreshadowing of His death on the cross, as salvation through His resurrection (see John 19-20). verse 14... what is the "Book of the Wars"? is it a book of the Bible? is it historical book? verse 25... with God all things are possible (Philippians 4:13, Mark 10:27)... the study notes give reference to Psalm 135 and Psalm 136 as songs that recount this section (Numbers 21:21-35)
The IDEA: Romans 1:12-That we may be mutually strengthened, encouraged, and comforted by each others faith. Have you ever read the whole Bible before? We have never done it. We want to share God’s Word, but how can we if we do not know it.
The PLAN: Ecclesiastes 4:12-One person is easily overcome, but two can stand together and conquer. Three is even better, though, as a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. With each others help we can succeed-So, let us team up and read the Bible in a year.
The DATE: We will start Dec 26, 2009 - Dec 26, 2010.
The FYI: We will read 3-4 chapters each day, starting in Genesis, and post thoughts daily. If you do not have a Bible, you can access many translations at www.biblegateway.com. You can also download an audio for each chapter at: http://www.audiotreasure.com/webindex.htm
Read it... will comment later.
ReplyDeletesandJ
Chapter 19: verse 2... interesting that the offering required is a red heifer... isn't that a girl cow? All the past requirements are for male animals (see Lev 1:3-9 for one reference)
ReplyDeleteverse 5... interesting that they are to burn up all the parts of the heifer, since don't they normally throw the offal, and some other things outside the camp and do not offer it as part of the sacrifice?
verse 9... "water of cleansing"... is this where the Catholics and some of the other more traditional faiths get their idea of "holy water"? I wonder if it is also where the idea of "baptism" comes from, since the Jews believed in baptism before Jesus came, as a way of repenting of sins to receive forgiveness (Mark 1:4)... although I think the word "baptism" actually means "immersion" if I remember right... this also makes me think about the blind man that Jesus put mud on his eyes and told to go wash in the pool of water (John 9)... but I think that pool was supposed to have been touched by angels or something like that, and that is why it was supposed to have healing power... although the real power came from Jesus... but still the idea of purification from "blindness" by water, whether blindness of sin, or physical blindness, can be seen here.
verse 11-15... Yet, Jesus was not opposed to going into homes with dead people and healing them (Matthew 9:18-26, as well as other passages)...was this to rid the uncleaness?...were most of Jesus's recorded actions and miracles done to address the old laws (like this one) that now no longer applied because of the New Covenant in Him?
Chapter 20: see Exodus 17 for the other "water/rock" story
ReplyDeleteverse 1... that is the Desert of Zin, not "sin"... although one might be inclined to think differently after reading these past few books of the Bible... how often do I wander in the Desert of "Zin" in my life?... also Miriam died here... I wonder why... of natural causes?
verse 3-5... is anyone else getting tired of hearing these complaints yet again? I can almost repeat them verbatim without looking at the text... but, I do have to pause here and marvel at God's amazing patience... yes, he had gotten angry, but still, to have done all that God has done for these people, and put up with the almost contant complaining of 2+ million people, without wiping them out, is amazing... I lose my patience with only 6 grumbling and most times not all of them are doing it, so to imagine God staying so loving and calm so often with so much negativity about Him and around Him, is mind-boggling to me. What an awesome God we serve... and how blessed we are to be party to His love and grace.
verse 8... last time God told Moses to strike the rock... this time He says to speak to it.... why the difference? maybe so the people don't think that there is a magic formula for getting water out of a rock? although the previous time was 40 years before, so maybe no one would even remember what happened then... they don't seem to remember anything else God has done for them... how often do I "forget" the good things and focus on the negative things in my life?
verse 10-11... "must WE bring you water out of this rock"... then Moses struck the rock... not what God commanded... so, why did he do it... maybe he was fed up with the people and not thinking? maybe he was acting out of anger and not out of obedience? This makes me think about spanking kids (ok, so my mind wanders into odd places and along strange paths, but indulge me for a moment, please)... so, when you discipline your kids, you are never to do it out of anger... spanking a child in anger is not discipline, it is throwing a temper tantrum yourself and may as well be called hitting... however, under the direction of God, with calm and love, as the foundation of teaching a child a lesson in obedience, when no other option is appropriate, is a form of discipline (see Proverbs 29:15)...no I realize that many will not agree, but it seems to me that just as it is true with the rock, that striking is only appropriate when guided and instructed by God, I believe the same is true when applied to a child discipline scenario... ok, so a child is not a rock, but the point is that all things should be done under the guidance and instruction of God, and the striking reminded me of spanking, so I just connected the two... ok, moving on...
verse 12... so here is the issue with the rock... Moses did not give God the glory, and honor Him as holy to the Israelites... God gives us our position of leadership, so long as we lead people to Him... if we lead them to ourselves or to the world, He is not pleased about that... I do wonder, though, if although this was a punishment to Moses, if he was not just a slight bit relieved that soon he would no longer have the responsibility to care for these people who were wearing on his nerves... so maybe it was a blessing in disguise... do we ever notice these in our lives at the time they are given? Moses probably didn't either... who knows...
verse 14-22... Edom is the name given to Esau, Jacob's brother (see Genesis 25:29-30)... also, see Deuteronomy 2:4-6, where God tells the Isrealites that He gave this land to Esau and his decendents (see also Genesis 36:6-9)... basically, they are relying on Edom's good graces, because God will not take sides in any battle they pick, because He will not break His promise to any of His people... makes me think twice about always thinking God is on MY side... also, Edom is likely suspicious of Isreal, considering the past history between their ancestors, Jacob and Esau (remember Genesis 25, Genesis 27-28, Genesis 32-33)
ReplyDeleteverse 26... the passing down of Aaron's clothes, I think, symbolize the passing down of Aaron's power and authority so that the Isrealites would not rise up and try to mutiny again, like in Numbers 16-17
verse 28... Aaron died... reminds me that God really is in control of life and death... no one dies without it being God's timing, and no one lives when God says it is time for them to "move on"
verse 29..."mourned for him for thiry days"... I didn't catch it at first, but no one apparently mourned for Miriam (verse 1)... she was just buried... also, Joseph mourned for his father for a total of 77 days (see Genesis 50)... so, that makes me wonder, what the significance of days is for the mourning times... was there a standard time of mourning for different people/titles? was it just based on how much you were loved? was it something else? any ideas?
Chapter 21: verse 2... the footnotes mention that the term "destroy" here means "the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them"... that made me think about the idea of destroying sin in my life... not only am I supposed to wipe it out, but I am supposed to turn the whole matter over to God 'irrevocably'... no take backs... when I am honest with myself, I know that I do not do this... not only do I sometimes give mercy when mercy is not due (like make excuses to try to justify my sins), but I also do not turn them and my life completely over to God... and sometimes, I even try to take that part of my life back... what would my life look like if I completely "destroyed" it for God?
ReplyDeleteverse 3... "the Lord listened... and gave"... when we ask things in accordance with God's will... His will being His glory... then God is willing to comply with our requests... reminds me of the verses about 'ask anything in Jesus name and you will receive it' (John 14:12-14, John 15:16,John 16:23-27, Matthew 7:7-14)... imagine what God's response would have been if the people had wanted to destroy the city out of selfish desires (to keep the wealth, to gloat, just because, whatever)... probably would have received a different answer, huh... so, what does that tell us about how important the meaning behind our asking for things is (James 4:1-4)... and we can't fake the sincerity of our heart... God knows... but we can ask God to align our heart with His, so that our asking can be done in Jesus name and in accordance with the will of God... then, whatever we ask, we will receive, because we are only asking God to do what He wanted to all along...all for His glory
verse 6-7... God is not warning them anymore... but the people are finally starting to get it (maybe?)...'we sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you'... but were they only repentant because they were in trouble... [sigh] the frustrating fickle nature of humans
verse 8-9... I believe that this is why the medical symbol is a snake on a pole?... I think I heard that before... this is also a redemptive analogy (or 'a story that points people to salvation through Jesus')... Jesus explains that He is like the snake that Moses lifed up in the desert and anyone who believes in Him will be saved (John 3:13-18)... Jesus is saying He must be lifte up, which is giving a foreshadowing of His death on the cross, as salvation through His resurrection (see John 19-20).
verse 14... what is the "Book of the Wars"? is it a book of the Bible? is it historical book?
verse 25... with God all things are possible (Philippians 4:13, Mark 10:27)... the study notes give reference to Psalm 135 and Psalm 136 as songs that recount this section (Numbers 21:21-35)