Date: 02-28-2021

Title: Do Your Job

(S) cripture:
    Numbers 4:1-3 (NLT2) Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Record the names of the members of the clans and families of the Kohathite division of the tribe of Levi. 3 List all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who are eligible to serve in the Tabernacle.

(O) bservation:
    This same command is also given concerning the Gershonite and Merarite clans. Each clan was given a specific job or task to carry out when it was time to move the tabernacle. Each clan was to do their job and not the jobs of the other clans. The clans were to register all the males thirty – fifty years old that were eligible to serve in the tabernacle.

(A) pplication:
    As a leader it is important to delegate responsibilities to others and create a division of labor or tasks. It is also important to let those with the responsibility do the work. Too often we as leaders jump in to do something and in so doing we rob the person of accomplishing their task, It is important for the leader to know that they are not the best at every task and to surround themselves with people that are capable and better. It does not reflect negatively on the leader. In my experience people thought how smart I was to hire such gifted people. I appreciate that Moses and Aaron did not try to do all the tasks but gave us an example to follow. It is also important for the people to know their responsibilities and to do them and not to be doing the responsibilities of others.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, help me to be clear in the instructions I give others and to do my job and to support them as they do theirs. Give me wisdom as I work with others. Amen

Date: 02-27-2021

Title: Order of Encampment

(S) cripture:
    Numbers 2:1-2 (NLT2) Then the LORD gave these instructions to Moses and Aaron: 2 “When the Israelites set up camp, each tribe will be assigned its own area. The tribal divisions will camp beneath their family banners on all four sides of the Tabernacle, but at some distance from it.

(O) bservation:
    With the Tabernacle in the center the Israelites were given an order of encampment that addressed the placement of each tribe. Each tribe was given an assigned area and was to set up camp there under their family banners. The tribes were set with three tribes on each side of the tabernacle. Each set of three tribes had specific responsibilities for parts of the tabernacle when it was time to move. There was order and meaning in this design.

(A) pplication:
    This is a reminder for me as an individual and for the church, too. We should look to the Lord for his guidance in setting up and orderly and meaningful design for our lives. The Apostle, Paul, tells us in 1 Corinthians 14:40 (NLT2) But be sure that everything is done properly and in order. Much of what I see seems to be thrown together and not well thought through. Today I will take time to listen to the Lord and his plan. I want my life to be lived by his plan and not mine. I want there to be an order in my life that reflects God’s design and plan. I want this for our church. I want our church to be known in the community as one where God’s presence and plan are evident in all we do.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, thank you for caring enough for me to give me a plan for my life that is decent and in order. I want my life to reflect your leadership and direction. Amen

Date: 02-26-2021

Title: Who Is Available

(S) cripture:
    Numbers 1:1-4 (NLT2) A year after Israel’s departure from Egypt, the LORD spoke to Moses in the Tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai. On the first day of the second month of that year he said, 2 “From the whole community of Israel, record the names of all the warriors by their clans and families. List all the men 3 twenty years old or older who are able to go to war. You and Aaron must register the troops, 4 and you will be assisted by one family leader from each tribe.

(O) bservation:
    It has been a year since the Israelites left Egypt. The Lord tell Moses to take a census of all the clans to see how many warriors are available. They counted the men that were 20 years old and older. This way Moses and Aaron registered the troops that might be needed in battle.

(A) pplication:
    It is important to know who is available and who can be counted on in times of need. This is also true in the church today. Times have changed though, because today we need both men and women to be on the frontlines for the church. One benefit of having a church membership role is so the leadership can know who has said they are available to be used when needed. Being a member say, “You can count on me.” Today I am so thankful to be a member at New Baptist. That says, “I can be counted on to be available when called on to serve. Even though I am staff there are times when I serve because I am a church member.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, thank you for giving us a way to know just who is available when the church has a need to address. I thank you for bringing me to and allowing me to be part of the membership and staff at New Baptist. Amen

Date: 02-25-2021

Title: God’s Faithfulness

(S) cripture:
    Leviticus 26:40-46 (NLT2) “But at last my people will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors for betraying me and being hostile toward me. 41 When I have turned their hostility back on them and brought them to the land of their enemies, then at last their stubborn hearts will be humbled, and they will pay for their sins. 42 Then I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. 43 For the land must be abandoned to enjoy its years of Sabbath rest as it lies deserted. At last the people will pay for their sins, for they have continually rejected my regulations and despised my decrees. 44 “But despite all this, I will not utterly reject or despise them while they are in exile in the land of their enemies. I will not cancel my covenant with them by wiping them out, for I am the LORD their God. 45 For their sakes I will remember my ancient covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of all the nations, that I might be their God. I am the LORD.” 46 These are the decrees, regulations, and instructions that the LORD gave through Moses on Mount Sinai as evidence of the relationship between himself and the Israelites.

(O) bservation:
    Before these verses the Lord has outlined how he will bless the obedience and punish the disobedience of the people. We then come to this passage where the people confess their sin and God assures them of his promise and covenant that he made with their ancestors. He is the one who brought them out of the land of Egypt to be their God. The passage closes with a declaration of the relationship between God and the Israelites.

(A) pplication:
    As Christians we are not under the Law but under grace. For me grace goes far beyond the requirements of the law. These principles are still true for us. As we walk by faith in obedience God brings blessing to our lives. Likewise, when we are disobedient God disciplines us in order to draw us back to himself. Paul, the Apostle, tells us that “God is faithful even when we are faithless”. I am so glad that God does not abandon me but rather disciplines me that our relationship might be restored to what He wants it to be. I am thankful that God gave us a way to renew our relationship with him through the confession of our sin and being empowered by the Holy Spirit.

(P) rayer:
    Father I thank you for being faithful even when I am faithless. Thank you for forgiving my sin and providing a way for me to walk clean before you each and every day. Let your covenant be evident in my life and let me point others to you. Amen

Date: 02-24-2021

Title: Jubilee Respect

(S) cripture:
    Leviticus 25:14-17 (NLT2) “When you make an agreement with your neighbor to buy or sell property, you must not take advantage of each other. 15 When you buy land from your neighbor, the price you pay must be based on the number of years since the last jubilee. The seller must set the price by taking into account the number of years remaining until the next Year of Jubilee. 16 The more years until the next jubilee, the higher the price; the fewer years, the lower the price. After all, the person selling the land is actually selling you a certain number of harvests. 17 Show your fear of God by not taking advantage of each other. I am the LORD your God.

(O) bservation:
    In the year of Jubilee all purchased property was returned to the seller. These instructions take into account that return at the Jubilee year. The price was based on the number of years until the next Jubilee. The people were to deal honestly with each other out of their reverence and respect for God.

(A) pplication:
    The church I served in Michigan had a number of farmers that owned large amounts of land. Some of them leased the land to other farmers to farm. Those leases could be for any number of years depending on the agreement made. The land remained the property of the owner, but the crop was the property of the lessee. I see something similar in the Year of Jubilee instructions. Although I do not have land to lease nor am I inclined to lease land from someone else I am struck by the thought that the command to “Show your fear of God by not taking advantage of each other. I am the LORD your God” is one that goes far beyond selling or leasing land but to every relationship I have. Today I will treat those I meet with respect and will not intentionally take advantage of anyone.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, Let me walk in integrity with you and treat the person in front of me as you would treat them. Amen

Date: 02-23-2021

Title: Set Yourself Apart

(S) cripture:
Leviticus 20:6-8 (NLT2) “I will also turn against those who commit spiritual prostitution by putting their trust in mediums or in those who consult the spirits of the dead. I will cut them off from the community. 7 So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the LORD your God. 8 Keep all my decrees by putting them into practice, for I am the LORD who makes you holy.

(O) bservation:
The instructions God has given to Moses to give to the people are for their good. The people are to follow these instructions that are the antithesis of what the people in Egypt or the promised land were doing and how they treated each other. God tells the people to set themselves apart to be holy because God is holy. The people were to make a conscious and deliberate decision to do what the Lord instructed. The consequences were dire but the reward was God’s continued presence and provision.

(A) pplication:
The desire to live a holy life is still a deliberate and conscious decision I must make each day. I must choose to follow the Lord each day and my fellowship with God is governed by that decision. Today I choose to follow the Lord and when made aware of sin will confess it immediately so that I can enjoy my fellowship with the Lord and walk with Him by faith each moment.

(P) rayer:
Lord, I am yours and want to walk with you today. Today I choose to walk by faith following your leading. Keep me on your Path and make me aware when I begin to stray from that path. Amen

Date: 02-22-2021

Title: Be Holy

(S) cripture:
    Leviticus 19:1-2 (NLT2) The LORD also said to Moses, 2 “Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.

(O) bservation:
    The previous two chapters have been instructions and prohibitions concerning certain foods to eat and sexual practices. This chapter begins with the Lord telling Moses to call all the community of Israel to holy living. As the Lord describes this holy living it resembles the Ten Commandments given earlier to the people. The Lord, though, expands and extends and gives deeper meaning to them. Coupled with the chapters before it gives a good description of what holy living should be. The people were told not to act like the Egyptians (where they came from) or the people in the land he was taking them to because they were detestable in his sight.

(A) pplication:
    The Lord has a standard of living for His children. Where the Israelites were to keep these rules on their own as Christians God has placed the Holy Spirit in us to empower us to live as God intended. The Israelites focus was on keeping the Law but our focus is to be on following the lead of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Holy Spirit will never lead us contrary to the Word of God but always in concert with the Word. Peter picks up on this in his letter to the dispersed Christians when he wrote, So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 14 So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:13-16 (NLT2) Today I want to walk by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, I thank you that you provided a way for me to walk clean with you. I thank you that you did not leave me on my own to try to be holy. Thank you for giving to me the Holy Spirit to empower me to live as you intended. Give me courage to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading each day. Amen

Date: 02-21-2021

Title: Day of Atonement

(S) cripture:
    Leviticus 16:3-10 (NLT2) “When Aaron enters the sanctuary area, he must follow these instructions fully. He must bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He must put on his linen tunic and the linen undergarments worn next to his body. He must tie the linen sash around his waist and put the linen turban on his head. These are sacred garments, so he must bathe himself in water before he puts them on. 5 Aaron must take from the community of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 6 “Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making them right with the LORD. 7 Then he must take the two male goats and present them to the LORD at the entrance of the Tabernacle. 8 He is to cast sacred lots to determine which goat will be reserved as an offering to the LORD and which will carry the sins of the people to the wilderness of Azazel. 9 Aaron will then present as a sin offering the goat chosen by lot for the LORD. 10 The other goat, the scapegoat chosen by lot to be sent away, will be kept alive, standing before the LORD. When it is sent away to Azazel in the wilderness, the people will be purified and made right with the LORD.

(O) bservation:
    The Lord gave Moses specific instructions concerning the “Day of Atonement” that Aaron was to follow. All of chapter 16 outlines these instructions. They are specific and in a certain order. This was to bring forgiveness to the people of Israel through the sacrifice of one goat and the sins being laid on another that was released away from the camp into the wilderness. This was done once a year.

(A) pplication:
    I am so thankful that our forgiveness is not this complicated and yet we still have instructions to follow to experience God’s forgiveness. Since we are covered by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, we no longer need to sacrifice an animal. As I think about this I am struck by the fact that Jesus was both the sacrifice and the scapegoat. Paul tell us in 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB) He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Our sins were laid on Jesus on the cross. Now to experience forgiveness I must receive Jesus as my Savior and Lord and then I am to confess my sin as I am made aware of them so I might walk clean before God. My atonement is experienced every day not just once a year.

(P) rayer:
    Father, thank you for giving me a way to walk clean with you each moment of each day. Amen

Date: 02-20-2021

Title: Quarantine

(S) cripture:
    Leviticus 13:1-6 (NLT2) The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “If anyone has a swelling or a rash or discolored skin that might develop into a serious skin disease, that person must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons. 3 The priest will examine the affected area of the skin. If the hair in the affected area has turned white and the problem appears to be more than skin-deep, it is a serious skin disease, and the priest who examines it must pronounce the person ceremonially unclean. 4 “But if the affected area of the skin is only a white discoloration and does not appear to be more than skin-deep, and if the hair on the spot has not turned white, the priest will quarantine the person for seven days. 5 On the seventh day the priest will make another examination. If he finds the affected area has not changed and the problem has not spread on the skin, the priest will quarantine the person for seven more days. 6 On the seventh day the priest will make another examination. If he finds the affected area has faded and has not spread, the priest will pronounce the person ceremonially clean. It was only a rash. The person’s clothing must be washed, and the person will be ceremonially clean.

(O) bservation:
    When inspecting a possible skin disease, the priest would isolate or quarantine the person for seven days and if necessary another seven days before declaring the person clean.

(A) pplication:
    During this Covid-19 pandemic we are told if exposed to quarantine for seven days but with the virus to quarantine for fourteen days. I wondered how the medical community came up with those guidelines. Seems they are not new. God gave these same guidelines to Moses to give to the Israelites. What a great reminder of just how relevant and trustworthy the principles in scriptures are. I thank the Lord for the Healthcare community and their efforts to get us through this pandemic. I am thankful for researchers that developed the vaccines. I am thankful that the Lord is using all this to bring healing to us. I wonder if many in the healthcare community know the origins of the seven and fourteen day quarantines.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, I thank you for the truth and instruction of your word. I thank you for the gifts you have given our healthcare workers and researchers as they address the effects of this pandemic. I thank you for granting us you presence, strength and power during this time. Give us all the strength and courage to continue moving forward. Amen

Date: 02-19-2021

Title: My Priestly Duty

(S) cripture:
    Leviticus 10:8-11 (NASB77) The LORD then spoke to Aaron, saying, 9 ” Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you may not die– it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations– 10 and so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean, 11 and so as to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them through Moses.”

(O) bservation:
    After their dedication the priests begin their work. Two of Aaron’s sons did not carry out their tasks the way God prescribed and they were consumed by God’s fire and died. After talking with Moses, Aaron is then given these instructions from the Lord. The priests were not to drink any wine or strong drink before going into the tabernacle. Their task was to distinguish between the holy and profane and between the clean and unclean. They were also to teach all the commands that the Lord had spoken through Moses.

(A) pplication:
    My role as pastor has not changed much from those of the priests here. Jesus’ death and resurrection sure gives me a new starting point, but my responsibilities are not very different. I am to be sober (clear headed) as I approach my duties. I am to help the people I serve to distinguish between what is holy and what is not, what is clean and what is not. I am also to teach what God has spoken. That means that I must stick with the Word. I must let the Word say what it says and not try to make it say what I want it to say. I am not to manipulate it to fit my agenda but rather I am to shape my life by being true to what God has said. My duty is to teach the Word faithfully and to point people to Jesus, the Savior.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, thank you for your calling in my life. Thank you for the reminder today of what I am called to do. Help me to teach your word faithfully. Amen