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Heart Prep:As you read and study these first chapters of Numbers (or the Hebrew title of the book bemidbar, “in the desert”) and Psalm 90, consider the heart of Moses and his dedication to continually leading God’s people and advocating for them – even after his initial reluctance to accept that calling. Also, examine the profound relationship between Moses and the Lord.
This Week’s Study:
What to Expect:
Some Things to Look For:
My Personal Insight: There are times when every one of us has been wandering in the desert, and if not, there will be. How many times do we expend our resources, our prayers, our “survival instincts” trying to find a way out of our circumstances, our “desert,” instead of asking Father God what He would accomplish through us while we are in the midst of that desert wandering? Brothers and sisters, Center Church family, if you are reading this today, be encouraged and be reminded that the desert is not our dwelling place, nor is it our home; but rather, our home is in eternity with our Savior, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Be encouraged as you read through these passages of Scripture!! Prayer: Our gracious heavenly Father, thank you that you count each one of us – because each one of us counts, each one of us matters – to You. And Lord, when the giants in our lives appear to be too vast and too overwhelming to us; whether it be the ‘giants’ in our health, the giants in our relationships, the giants in our finances, or our past, whatever it is that they may be, reassure us O Lord of hosts of Your promises, Your faithfulness, Your enduring Word, Your steadfast love and Your amazing grace which transcends all that any of us can feel or even begin to imagine. Yesterday, today and always – you are eternal. We love you Lord, and we thank you so much for all that You are doing, all that You have done, and all that You are going to do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. This week’s devotion was prepared by Stu Schell, aka Studog. Stu helps coordinate the Men’s Fellowship Breakfast, as well as teaches one of the adult Sunday School classes. Stu and his wife Virginia “Ginni” moved to Kansas from Washington state in 2023
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Heart Preparation:
Take a moment each day to open your heart to Gods message to you. Pray that these scriptures would lead you to a better understanding of Gods will for His people. As you read this week, think of how God has shown you kindness and love throughout your life. Weekly Reading:
What to Expect: At the end of Exodus we saw that once God’s presence entered the tabernacle not even Moses of the tribe of Levi and the leader of the entire Nation who had already several times before been in the presence of God was able to enter. In Leviticus we see what needed to be done to make it possible to do that and we pick up this week in the aftermath of some priests not following God’s instructions and continue looking at what God required of Israel to be able to come into his presence. As a result of this instruction we find, at the beginning of Numbers, Moses talking to God in the tabernacle. Things to Look For: Watch for the words and ideas like Holy, set apart, unique, no one like Him. Also the ideas of clean and unclean, in the camp and outside, in the land and in the wilderness. Read for content. Later in scripture the reader will be assumed to have a knowledge of these things.
Personal Insight: As I was considering what to share about this weeks passage my analytical mind worked out frameworks for presentation and analysis of symbolism and parallels between Israel and us today and bits of observation such as how Uncleanliness is different from sin, that it was often unintentional and sometimes unavoidable. For example there is nothing inherently sinful about having a baby or contracting a skin disease. Then I started thinking about the attitude of the Psalmist about the Law of which Leviticus is part. I kept thinking about Psalm one. O the happiness of that one, who has not walked in the counsel of the wicked. And in the way of sinners has not stood, And in the seat of scorners has not sat; But -- in the law of Jehovah his delight, And in His law he does meditate by day and by night: And he has been as a tree, Planted by rivulets of water, That gives its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither, And all that he does he causes to prosper. Not so the wicked: But -- as chaff that wind drives away! Therefore the wicked rise not in judgment, Nor sinners in the company of the righteous, For Jehovah is knowing the way of the righteous, And the way of the wicked is lost! And in song after song this sentiment is expressed. It was not the sentiment that I had as I was reading. On reflection this part of the law was not burdensome or tedious but rather was what allowed the congregation to come and offer their sacrifices to God. Not even Moses was able to enter the tent once the presence of the Lord had descended on it. The people were already sinful but God in his provision and mercy said set yourself apart for me in this way and I will declare you clean and you can enter the tent. Cleanliness is by provision and declaration of God. He has the authority. God is Holy so also set yourselves apart. And I’ll throw in a “compare this to the Vision God gave Peter described in Acts 10 in which he tells Peter to not call anything unclean which God has called clean.”, just to pacify the analytical mind. Prayer: This week, instead of having a guided prayer, take a minute or two and just reflect on who God truly is. His holiness, His majesty, His power, His love, His grace, all the aspects of God. Praise Him. Fix your mind on Him and His character. This weeks devotion was prepared by Karl Nelson. Karl has done extensive missionary work with his wife, Indigo, overseas and abroad. Heart Preparation:
As you read, ask God to show you the timeless truths in these chapters of Exodus & Leviticus, and to help you through the mundane of the detailed readings and see the God that they point us to. Weekly Reading
What to Expect This week, we start out with Moses on Mt. Sanai with God. He is receiving instructions from God about the tabernacle. Meanwhile, the Israelite people talk Aaron into making them a golden calf to worship in place of God. God is not happy about this,and sends Moses back to deal with them. God suggests wiping them out and making a new nation out of Moses, but Moses stands up for them. Moses breaks the stone tablets that God made when he sees the people worshipping an idol and breaking the commands of God. Moses grinds up the calf and puts it in the water for them to drink (the first DE CAF). Moses makes them choose sides and ends up sending the Levites to kill those who choose to serve the idol. About 3000 men were killed that day. Moses continues his conversation with God and tells God to kill him if he plans to wipe out the Israelites. Moses spends 40 days and Nights with God on the mountain, where he gets to see the back side of God. He returned to the people with his face so bright from God's presence that he had to wear a veil. We see the people start the journey to the promised land. As we wrap up Exodus, we see the tabernacle being constructed exactly as God had designed it, and God's presence filling it with a cloud over it by day and a pillar of fire over it by night. We start Leviticus out with instructions on the different offerings that need to be made to make restitution for the sins of the people. Moses consecrates Aaron and his sons as priests to serve in the tabernacle. Not long after the priests were consecrated, two of Aaron's sons offered incense to God without following their instructions, and were consumed by fire from God. Aaron and his remaining sons continue to serve in the tabernacle, while Moses does his best to keep things moving in the direction that God laid out for them. Things to Look For As you read through this portion of Moses and the Israelites' journey, keep an eye out for how God tests how committed Moses is to the people. In Chapter 32 v. 7, God calls them "your people, whom you brought out of Egypt", and Moses calls them "your people, who you brought out of Egypt" to God. It sound s like my wife and I, when one of the kids is in trouble. Moses intercedes for the people more than once in this section which builds up his commitment to the people of God. Also be watching in this section for how many times it mentions things being done "to The Lord". This signifies the importance of what God is laying out as instructions for the people. They aren't merely things to keep themselves busy, but they are things to do in order to keep their focus on God and what he has done and continues to do for them. Personal Insights My mind keeps going back to the goodness of God, as I think about this section of scripture. The constant up and down of the Israelite people would have been enough for me to wipe them out if I was God. Thankfully, I am not God. God continues to forgive and work with these people in spite of how they continually turn their backs on Him. He continues to use Moses and Aaron after they make mistakes and don't get things right. God had every right to wipe these people and any memory of them off the face of the earth at any time, but He chose not to. He also recorded it in His Holy Bible for us to read. Here is why I believe that He did it that way. God knows everything about every person that has been and will ever be. He knows our shortcomings and how evil we can be, but His desire is for us to love Him like He loves us. Any father who has had a young child that meets him at the door with a big hug and an "I Love You", has had a glimpse of what God desires from us. God cares for us and wants what is best for us so much that He is willing to give anything for us to come into a right relationship with Him. The perfect example of this is Jesus giving His life as payment for our sins on that cruel Roman cross. Whether you are on the mountain top or in the dark valley this week, remember that God still loves you and wants a relationship with you. Keep Him first in your thoughts, prayers and actions this week and make sure that everything you do this week is done "to THE LORD"! Prayer Heavenly Father, thank you for being such a loving Father. Your patience and love for your people and for us is incredible. We are so undeserving of any good thing from You, but You continue to bless us beyond belief. Thank you for the salvation that you offer to us and the eternal life that we look forward to. Please help us to keep our focus on you this week in everything that we do. Help us to be patient with others and show them the love that you continually show us. Help us to point others to a relationship with you and be good examples to those that we deal with. In the Holy Name of Jesus, Amen This week's devotion was prepared by Todd Lacen. Todd is an elder at Center Christian Church, teaches an adult Sunday school class, and serves in the sound-booth as well as other various ministries at Center. Heart Preparation:
Take a moment to prepare your heart to enter into relationship with you. You are about to read the Words of eternal life. There is a purpose behind the passages you are going to read this week, God has a message for His people. Pray that your mind would be focused and your heart would be opened to His Word. Weekly Reading:
What To Expect: As you read in Exodus this week you will be encountering the rescuing of God’s people out of Egypt from Pharaoh. You will see that Pharahoh’s heart was hard but eventually, God brings the Israelites out of Egypt. After reading about this you will encounter God establishing many of his laws for the protection of His people. You will see how God specifically wants the Tabernacle to be designed along with the priestly garments. Things To Look For As you read this week's reading take note of how God saved the Israelites in the way He did in Exodus 14. Take note of the Ten Commandments also being a part of our reading. Watch for the repeated term “I am the Lord”. Watch for the many laws God puts into place for protection. Lastly, as you read about the Tabernacle, pay attention to the attention to detail God has. Personal Insights As I read this week's reading, the one thing that popped out to me was the account of Jethro hearing about the good things the Lord had done for the people by bringing them out of Egypt. When the Israelites felt hopeless that they were never going to be released from Pharaoh, God was able to bring them out. Jethro praising the Lord in this time reminds me of when I fail to praise the Lord for bringing me out of hardship in my own life. Thanking God and putting even more trust and faith in Him when I hear stories of people changing their lives for Christ. Seeing Jethro acknowledge that he knows that there is truly no other God and is better than all other gods is a challenge to me to acknowledge Him more rather than the worldly things around me. Because of this story, we know that we have protection from God! Although that does not mean there will not be evil in my life, I know that being with God should always be my number one comfort! Prayer God, thank you for being our Deliverer. Just as you rescued the Hebrews from the Egyptians, you have rescued me from my sins. Thank you for hearing my cry for salvation, and freely giving it to me. May I give you praise in all of this, and live a holy life for you out of the new life you have granted me. |
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