“If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.”
~Timothy Keller
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Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this?”
~John 11:25-26
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“The Disciples Peter and John Running to the Sepulcher on the Morning of the Resurrection” by Eugène Burnand, c.1898.
“For me the most radical demand of Christian faith lies in summoning the courage to say yes to the present risenness of Jesus Christ.”
~Brennan Manning
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“Women at the Tomb” by He Qi.
“Life [had] replaced logic.”
~Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment
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“Guards at the tomb of Christ” drawing by J. R. Howley, 2011.
“Perhaps [the critics are right and] the drama is played out now and Jesus is safely dead and buried. Perhaps. It is ironical and entertaining to consider that at least once in the world’s history those words might have been said with complete conviction, and that was on the eve of the Resurrection.”
~Dorothy L. Sayers
*
“Christ on the Cross” by Sir Anthony van Dyke, 1627.
“The Bible says he was raised not just after the blood-shedding, but by it. This means that what the death of Christ accomplished was so full and so perfect that the resurrection was the reward and vindication of Christ’s achievement in death.”
~John Piper
*
There are times when I feel that he has withdrawn from me, and I have often given him cause, but Easter is always the answer to My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me!
~Madeleine L’Engle
*
Today is the day of salvation for the world… Christ is risen from the dead: arise with him. Christ returns to himself: you also must return to him. Christ has come forth from the tomb: free yourselves from the fetters of evil. The gates of hell are open and the power of death is destroyed. The old Adam is superseded, the new perfected. In Christ a new creation is coming to birth: renew yourselves.
~Gregory Nazianzen
*
Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime. ~Martin Luther
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“Now let the heavens be joyful, Let earth her song begin: Let the round world keep triumph, And all that is therein; Invisible and visible, Their notes let all things blend, For Christ the Lord is risen Our joy that hath no end.” ~John of Damascus
*
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Music:
“Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah, performed HERE by the Royal Choral Society. You are cordially invited to sing along!
Saul was physically tall and impressive. 1 Samuel 9:2 – ‘Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else.’
Samuel anointed Saul as ‘ruler over my people Israel’ (1 Sam 9:16). As 1 Samuel 10:1 notes, ‘Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the LORD anointed you ruler over his inheritance?” ‘
The Spirit of God came upon Saul following his anointing. ‘The Spirit of the LORD will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.’ (1 Sam 10:6).
Saul was 30 years old when he became King of Israel. He then reigned over Israel for 42 years! (1 Sam 13:1).
At times Saul failed to follow God’s commands.
1 Samuel 13:11-14: “What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the LORD’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.” “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.”
Saul had no heart for serving God.
Is it true to say that Saul was proud and arrogant? 1 Samuel 15:12 reads that Saul went and set up a monument in his own honour. Something all great humble leaders do (sarcasm).
Interestingly he told Samuel he was afraid of the people (1 Sam 15:24). Was the monument more of a insecure way of attempting to continue to have the support of the people?
Now when Saul disobeyed God as mentioned above, the Spirit of God left him, and thus he became inflicted by the demonic (1 Sam 16:14). Saul tried to pin David to the wall a number of times with his spear (1 Sam 19:9). Anger, resentment, jealousy, etc. Saul’s anger flared up at his son Jonathan too (1 Sam 20:30).
Saul gradually lost the respect of the people of Israel – ‘Is that why you have all conspired against me?’ (1 Sam 22:8).
David was, according to a servant who knew of him, a brave man and a warrior. He was a good communicator and a fine-looking man (1 Sam 16:18).
Samuel anoints David (1 Sam 16:13), and the Spirit of the Lord comes upon him in power.
The story of David and Goliath, you have this sense that David is eager and tenacious. His trust in God is greater than his fear of the giant.
Whatever Saul sent David to do, he did it so successfully, that Saul gave David a high rank in the army (1 Sam 18:5). ‘In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him’ (1 Sam 18:14)
David built loyalty amongst some. He developed a strong bond of mateship with Jonathan (1 Sam 20: 4).
David inquired of the Lord regularly (1 Sam 23:4).
David served God with his whole heart.
Humility was a key characteristic of David’s life. Even with Saul chasing him down wanting to kill him, David still called Saul, King, and continued to call himself a servant (1 Sam 26:18). David had an opportunity to kill Saul (1 Sam 24), but he cuts off a small portion of Saul’s robe and becomes, ‘conscience-stricken‘.
Even David questioned Yahweh’s plan for him at times – ‘One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul’ (1 Sam 27:1). Though remember God had anointed him a long time ago by Samuel to become King. (David experiencing Doubt)
David was greatly stressed at one point, because people wanted to stone him (1 Sam 30:6), ‘But David found strength in the Lord his God.’
David loved to worship God (undignified). The predominant writer of the Psalms.
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KING SOLOMON
Bathsheba gave birth to David’s son – Solomon.
Solomon was God’s appointed King of Israel (not his brother Adonijah) (1 Kings 1:11-14).
David said to Solomon, ‘So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires. Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and where ever you go…’ (1 Kings 2:2-4).
Solomon was known as a man of wisdom (1 Kings 2:9).
Solomon was young, when given the reigns of kingship. He prayed, ‘So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong’ (1 Kings 3:9).
‘God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore’ (1 Kings 4:29).
Men (and women like the Queen of Sheba) would come from all around to hear Solomon’s wisdom.
David had a vision, through the prophet Nathan to build a temple for Yahweh. Solomon built the temple.
David was the visionary
Solomon was the organiser/administrator
We see these differences in many people, take for instance William Booth (the founder of The Salvation Army) was then replaced by his son Bramwell Booth (William Booth was a visionary leader, and Bramwell Booth was a adminsitrative leader). Both are needed at various times.
After Solomon built the temple, the Lord said to him, ‘As for you if you walk before me in integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever…’ (1 Kings 9:4-5).
Solomon failed to ‘finish strong.’ ‘The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice (1 Kings 11:9-11). The Lord tears away the Kingdom from his successors, and so we begin the topsy-turvy period of the Kings in the Bible.
This modern classic will bring light, clarity, and comfort to the brokenhearted. Many Christians have experienced pain, loss, and heartache at the hands of other believers. To those believers, this compelling story offers comfort, healing and hope. Christian leaders and directors of religious movements throughout the world have recommended this simple, powerful, and beautiful story to their members and staff. You will want to join these other people who have been profoundly touched by this incomparable story. This tale by Gene Edwards is based on the biblical figures of David, Saul, and Absalom.
–from amazon.com
King David: the Real Life of the Man who Ruled Israel. Jonathan Kitsch. 2001.
David, King of the Jews, possessed every flaw and failing of which a mortal is capable, yet men and women adored him, and God showered him with many blessings. A charismatic leader, exalted as “a man after God’s own heart,” he was also capable of deep cunning and bloodthirsty violence. Weaving together biblical texts with centuries of interpretation and commentary, as well as the startling discoveries of modern biblical archaeology and scholarship, bestselling author Jonathan Kirsch brings King David to life with extraordinary freshness, intimacy, and vividness of detail, revealing him in all his glory and fallibility. At the center of this taut, dramatic narrative stands a hero of flesh and blood–a man as vibrant and compelling today as he has been for millennia.
–from amazon.com
David: A Man of Passion and Destiny. Charles R. Swindoll. 2000.
David was a man after God’s own heart . . .
What does it mean to be someone “after God’s own heart?” David, Old Testament Shepherd, king, and psalmist, offers an answer in the shape of his own life.
In many ways he was a most extraordinary man–intelligent, handsome, abundantly gifted as a poet, musician, warrior, and administrator. Yet in other ways he was a most ordinary man–often gripped by destructive passion, rocked by family chaos and personal tragedy, and motivated by political expediency. How did David become the national hero of God’s chosen people? Why is he the one character in the Bible described as “a man after God’s own heart?”
David’s life offers hope to all of us. It shows that God can do extraordinary things through ordinary men and women. And David offers an insightful perspective on what it means to be truly spiritual, to become like David–men and women after God’s own heart.
–from amazon.com
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Music:
We have reviewed three flawed kings. Let’s look now at our glorious and perfect king!
HERE is “O Worship the King,” performed by The Carnival Band, an English early music group, and soloist Maddy Prior, in the spirit of the Renaissance. The text of this hymn was written by Sir Robert Grant, 1785-1838, who was a Director of the East India Company.
“If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.”
~Timothy Keller
*
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this?”
~John 11:25-26
*
“The Disciples Peter and John Running to the Sepulcher on the Morning of the Resurrection” by Eugène Burnand, c.1898.
“For me the most radical demand of Christian faith lies in summoning the courage to say yes to the present risenness of Jesus Christ.”
~Brennan Manning
*
“Women at the Tomb” by He Qi.
“Life [had] replaced logic.”
~Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment
*
“Guards at the tomb of Christ” drawing by J. R. Howley, 2011.
“Perhaps [the critics are right and] the drama is played out now and Jesus is safely dead and buried. Perhaps. It is ironical and entertaining to consider that at least once in the world’s history those words might have been said with complete conviction, and that was on the eve of the Resurrection.”
~Dorothy L. Sayers
*
“Christ on the Cross” by Sir Anthony van Dyke, 1627.
“The Bible says he was raised not just after the blood-shedding, but by it. This means that what the death of Christ accomplished was so full and so perfect that the resurrection was the reward and vindication of Christ’s achievement in death.”
~John Piper
*
There are times when I feel that he has withdrawn from me, and I have often given him cause, but Easter is always the answer to My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me!
~Madeleine L’Engle
*
Today is the day of salvation for the world… Christ is risen from the dead: arise with him. Christ returns to himself: you also must return to him. Christ has come forth from the tomb: free yourselves from the fetters of evil. The gates of hell are open and the power of death is destroyed. The old Adam is superseded, the new perfected. In Christ a new creation is coming to birth: renew yourselves.
~Gregory Nazianzen
*
Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime. ~Martin Luther
*
“Now let the heavens be joyful, Let earth her song begin: Let the round world keep triumph, And all that is therein; Invisible and visible, Their notes let all things blend, For Christ the Lord is risen Our joy that hath no end.” ~John of Damascus
*
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Music:
“Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah, performed HERE by the Royal Choral Society. You are cordially invited to sing along!
I wish you a most blessed Christmas Day, with the prayer that our DWELLING together in the truth of the Word of God is transforming us all, day by day, more and more, into the likeness of this Child, the Christ.
With love in Jesus’ Name,
Rebecca Mitchell
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Luke 2:1-7 (Contemporary English Version)
The Birth of Jesus
About that time Emperor Augustus gave orders for the names of all the people to be listed in record books.[a]2 These first records were made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.[b]
3 Everyone had to go to their own hometown to be listed. 4 So Joseph had to leave Nazareth in Galilee and go to Bethlehem in Judea. Long ago Bethlehem had been King David’s hometown, and Joseph went there because he was from David’s family.
5 Mary was engaged to Joseph and traveled with him to Bethlehem. She was soon going to have a baby, 6 and while they were there, 7 she gave birth to her first-born[c] son. She dressed him in baby clothes[d] and laid him on a bed of hay, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Footnotes:
Luke 2:1names. . . listed in record books: This was done so that everyone could be made to pay taxes to the Emperor.
Luke 2:2Quirinius was governor of Syria: It is known that Quirinius made a record of the people in A.D. 6 or 7. But the exact date of the record taking that Luke mentions is not known.
Luke 2:7first-born: The Jewish people said that the first-born son in each of their families belonged to the Lord.
Luke 2:7dressed him in baby clothes: The Greek text has “wrapped him in wide strips of cloth,” which was how young babies were dressed.
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“The Nativity” by Federico Fiori Barocci, 1597 (Del Prado, Madrid)
Christmas turns all wise souls from the surface, which is time, to the center, which is eternity.
–E. Merrill Root
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from The Apostles’ Creed:
We believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary . . .
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Music:
“You’re Here” by Francesca Battistelli. Click HERE to praise God for the gift of His Son, our Savior!
"The Nativity" fresco by Giotto, 1310 (the Church of St. Francis, Assisi, Italy)
Christmas Day 2009
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To all of my readers —
I wish you a most blessed Christmas Day, with the hope that our DWELLING together in the truth of the Word of God is transforming us all, day by day, more and more, into the likeness of this Child, the Christ.
With love in Jesus’ Name,
Rebecca Mitchell
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Luke 2:7 (King James Version)
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
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from Wishful Thinking: A Seeker’s ABC, by Frederick Buechner:
HISTORY
Unlike Buddhism or Hinduism, biblical faith takes history very seriously because God takes it very seriously. He took it seriously enough to begin it and to enter it and to promise that one day he will bring it to a serious close. The biblical view is that history is not an absurdity to be endured or an illusion to be dispelled or an endlessly repeating cycle to be escaped. Instead it is for each of us a series of crucial, precious, and unrepeatable moments that are seeking to lead us somewhere.
The true history of humankind and the true history of each individual has less to do than we tend to think with the kind of information that gets into most histories, biographies, and autobiographies. True history has to do with the saving and losing of souls, and both of these are apt to take place when most people—including the one whose soul is at stake—are looking the other way. The real turning point in our lives is less likely to be the day we win the election or get married, than the morning we decide not to mail the letter or the afternoon we watch the woods fill up with snow. The real turning point in human history is less apt to be the day the wheel is invented or Rome falls, than the night a boy is born a couple of Jews.
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Music:
Celine Dion sings “O Holy Night.”
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We do not believe that the virgin mother gave birth to a son and that he is the Lord and Savior unless, added to this, I believe the second thing, namely, that he is my Savior and Lord.
Martin Luther, “Sermon on the Afternoon of Christmas Day 1530”
1Zelophehad was from the Manasseh tribe, and he had five daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
“Five Sisters” by Paula DiLeo
2One day his daughters went to the sacred tent, where they met with Moses, Eleazar, and some other leaders of Israel, as well as a large crowd of Israelites. The young women said:
3You know that our father died in the desert. But it was for something he did wrong, not for joining with Korah in rebelling against the LORD.
Our father left no sons 4to carry on his family name. But why should his name die out for that reason? Give us some land like the rest of his relatives in our clan, so our father’s name can live on.
5Moses asked the LORD what should be done, 6and the LORD answered:
7Zelophehad’s daughters are right. They should each be given part of the land their father would have received.
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This stamp commemorates American women who carried on in the footsteps of Zelophehad’s daughters.
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8Tell the Israelites that when a man dies without a son, his daughter will inherit his land. 9If he has no daughter, his brothers will inherit the land. 10But if he has no brothers, his father’s brothers will inherit the land. 11And if his father has no brothers, the land must be given to his nearest relative in the clan. This is my law, and the Israelites must obey it.
The “Five Sisters of Kintail” in Scotland in the summer . . .
Joshua Is Appointed Israel’s Leader
12The LORD said to Moses, ” One day you will go up into the Abarim Mountains, and from there you will see the land I am giving the Israelites. 13After you have seen it, you will die, just like your brother Aaron, 14because both of you disobeyed me at Meribah near the town of Kadesh in the Zin Desert. When the Israelites insulted me there, you didn’t believe in my holy power.” 15Moses replied, 16” You are the LORD God, and you know what is in everyone’s heart. So I ask you to appoint a leader for Israel. 17Your people need someone to lead them into battle, or else they will be like sheep wandering around without a shepherd.”
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Matthew 9:36 (New International Version)
When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
John 10:11 (New International Version)
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
John 1:29 (New International Version)
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
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Music:
“Mary, Did You Know . . . that your baby boy is Heaven’s perfect lamb?” Sung by Donny Osmond.
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18The LORD answered, ” Joshua son of Nun can do the job. Place your hands on him to show that he is the one to take your place. 19Then go with him and have him stand in front of Eleazar the priest and the Israelites. Appoint Joshua as their new leader 20and tell them they must now obey him, just as they obey you. 21But Joshua must depend on Eleazar to find out from me what I want him to do as he leads Israel into battle.” 22Moses followed the LORD’s instructions and took Joshua to Eleazar and the people, 23then he placed his hands on Joshua and appointed him Israel’s leader.
1While the Israelites were camped at Acacia, some of the men had sex with Moabite women. 2These women then invited the men to ceremonies where sacrifices were offered to their gods. The men ate the meat from the sacrifices and worshiped the Moabite gods.
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Thanks for nothing, Balaam!
Of all things, it turns out that this double sin of idolatry and sexual immorality was Balaam’s idea! Somehow or another, he had to earn that money!
Revelation 2:14 (New International Version)
You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.
2 Peter 2:15 (New International Version)
They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.
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3The LORD was angry with Israel because they had worshiped the god Baal Peor. 4So he said to Moses, ” Take the Israelite leaders who are responsible for this and have them killed in front of my sacred tent where everyone can see. Maybe then I will stop being angry with the Israelites.”
5Moses told Israel’s officials, ” Each of you must put to death any of your men who worshiped Baal.”
6Later, Moses and the people were at the sacred tent, crying, when one of the Israelite men brought a Midianite woman to meet his family. 7Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron the priest, saw the couple and left the crowd. He found a spear 8and followed the man into his tent, where he ran the spear through the man and into the woman’s stomach.
“Impalement by Phinehas” woodcut by Johann Christoph Weigel 1695 (Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta)
Leviticus 20:10 (English Standard Version)
If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
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The LORD immediately stopped punishing Israel with a deadly disease, 9but twenty-four thousand Israelites had already died.
10The LORD said to Moses, 11” In my anger, I would have wiped out the Israelites if Phinehas had not been faithful to me. 12-13But instead of punishing them, I forgave them. So because of the loyalty that Phinehas showed, I solemnly promise that he and his descendants will always be my priests.”
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Psalm 106:28-31 (New International Version)
They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor
and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;
they provoked the LORD to anger by their wicked deeds,
and a plague broke out among them.
But Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and the plague was checked.
This was credited to him as righteousness
for endless generations to come.
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14The Israelite man that was killed was Zimri son of Salu, who was one of the leaders of the Simeon tribe. 15And the Midianite woman killed with him was Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite clan leader named Zur.
16The LORD told Moses, 17-18” The Midianites are now enemies of Israel, so attack and defeat them! They tricked the people of Israel into worshiping their god at Peor, and they are responsible for the death of Cozbi, the daughter of one of their own leaders.”
Numbers 26
The Israelites Are Counted a Second Time
1After the LORD had stopped the deadly disease from killing the Israelites, he said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, 2” I want you to find out how many Israelites are in each family. And list every man twenty years and older who is able to serve in Israel’s army.”
3Israel was now camped in the hills of Moab across the Jordan River from the town of Jericho. Moses and Eleazar told them 4what the LORD had said about counting the men twenty years and older, just as Moses and their ancestors had done when they left Egypt.
5-7There were 43,730 men from the tribe of Reuben, the oldest son of Jacob. These men were from the clans of Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 8Pallu was the father of Eliab 9and the grandfather of Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the same Dathan and Abiram who had been chosen by the people, but who followed Korah and rebelled against Moses, Aaron, and the LORD. 10That’s when the LORD made the earth open up and swallow Dathan, Abiram, and Korah. At the same time, fire destroyed two hundred fifty men as a warning to the other Israelites. 11But the Korahite clan wasn’t destroyed.
12-14There were 22,200 men from the tribe of Simeon; they were from the clans of Nemuel, Jamin, Jachin, Zerah, and Shaul.
15-18There were 40,500 men from the tribe of Gad; they were from the clans of Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ozni, Eri, Arod, and Areli.
19-22There were 76,500 men from the tribe of Judah; they were from the clans of Shelah, Perez, Zerah, Hezron, and Hamul. Judah’s sons Er and Onan had died in Canaan.
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Matthew 1:1-6 (New International Version)
A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:
Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of King David.
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Music:
“Once in Royal David’s City” sung by the King’s College Choir of Cambridge.
Once in royal David’s city
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little child.
He came down to earth from heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Savior Holy.
And through all His wondrous childhood
He would honor and obey,
Love and watch the lowly Maiden,
In whose gentle arms He lay:
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as He.
For He is our childhood’s pattern;
Day by day, like us He grew;
He was little, weak and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us He knew;
And He feeleth for our sadness,
And He shareth in our gladness.
And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love;
For that Child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heaven above,
And He leads His children on
To the place where He is gone.
Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see Him; but in heaven,
Set at God’s right hand on high;
Where like stars His children crowned
All in white shall wait around.
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23-25There were 64,300 men from the tribe of Issachar; they were from the clans of Tola, Puvah, Jashub, and Shimron.
26-27There were 60,500 men from the tribe of Zebulun; they were from the clans of Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
28-34There were 52,700 men from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph; they were from the clan of Machir, the clan of Gilead his son, and the clans of his six grandsons: Iezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Shemida, and Hepher. Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, but he had five daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
35-37There were 32,500 men from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph; they were from the clans of Shuthelah, Becher, Tahan, and Eran the son of Shuthelah.
38-41There were 45,600 men from the tribe of Benjamin; they were from the clans of Bela, Ashbel, Ahiram, Shephupham, Hupham, as well as from Ard and Naaman, the two sons of Bela.
42-43There were 64,400 men from the tribe of Dan; they were all from the clan of Shuham.
44-47There were 53,400 men from the tribe of Asher; they were from the clans of Imnah, Ishvi, and Beriah, and from the two clans of Heber and Malchiel, the sons of Beriah. Asher’s daughter was Serah.
48-50There were 45,400 men from the tribe of Naphtali; they were from the clans of Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
51The total number of Israelite men listed was 601,730.
52The LORD said to Moses, 53” Divide the land of Canaan among these tribes, according to the number of people in each one, 54so the larger tribes have more land than the smaller ones. 55-56I will show you what land to give each tribe, and they will receive as much land as they need, according to the number of people in it.”
“So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions.” –Joshua 11:23
57The tribe of Levi included the clans of the Gershonites, Kohathites, Merarites, 58as well as the clans of Libni, Hebron, Mahli, Mushi, and Korah. Kohath the Levite was the father of Amram, 59the husband of Levi’s daughter Jochebed, who was born in Egypt. Amram and Jochebed’s three children were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. 60Aaron was the father of Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61But Nadab and Abihu had died when they offered fire that was unacceptable to the LORD. 62In the tribe of Levi there were 23,000 men and boys at least a month old. They were not listed with the other tribes, because they would not receive any land in Canaan.
63Moses and Eleazar counted the Israelites while they were camped in the hills of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho. 64None of the people that Moses and Aaron had counted in the Sinai Desert were still alive, 65except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. The LORD had said that everyone else would die there in the desert.
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1 Corinthians 10:1-6 (New International Version)
For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.
Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.
“The creation is quite like a spacious and splendid house, provided and filled with the most exquisite and the most abundant furnishings. Everything in it tells us of God.”
— John Calvin (1509-1564)
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1The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
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Genesis 1:1 (King James Version)
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
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“How clearly the sky reveals God’s glory!
How plainly it shows what he has done!”
— Psalm 19:1, Today’s English Version
“At this latitude, I’m spinning 836 miles an hour round the earth’s axis; . . . In orbit around the sun I’m moving 64,800 miles an hour. The solar system as a whole, like a merry-go-round unhinged, spins, bobs, and blinks at the speed of 43,000 miles an hour along a course set east of Hercules. Someone has piped, and we are dancing a tarantella until the sweat pours . . . I close my eyes and I see stars, deep stars giving way to deeper stars, deeper stars bowing to deepest stars at the crown of an infinite cone.”
–Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
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2Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.
3There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard;
4yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun,
5which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy, and like a strong man runs its course with joy.
6Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and nothing is hid from its heat.
a poem by Joseph Addison, published in 1712
The spacious firmament on high,
with all the blue ethereal sky,
and spangled heavens, a shining frame,
their great Original proclaim.
The unwearied sun from day to day
does his Creator’s power display;
and publishes to every land
the work of an almighty hand.
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Soon as the evening shades prevail,
the moon takes up the wondrous tale,
and nightly to the listening earth
repeats the story of her birth:
whilst all the stars that round her burn,
and all the planets in their turn,
confirm the tidings, as they roll
and spread the truth from pole to pole.
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What though in solemn silence all
move round the dark terrestrial ball?
What though no real voice nor sound
amid their radiant orbs be found?
In reason’s ear they all rejoice,
and utter forth a glorious voice;
for ever singing as they shine,
“The Hand that made us is divine.”
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7The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple;
8the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes;
9the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.
Psalm 119:103 (New International Version)
How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
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11Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
12But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults.
13Keep back your servant also from the insolent; do not let them have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.
14Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
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Music:
“Psalm 19” by Benedetto Marcello (1686-1739). Played on the great organ at St. Bavo Cathedral in Holland by organist Diane Bish.
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Psalm 20
Prayer for Victory
1The Lord answer you in the day of trouble! The name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2May he send you help from the sanctuary, and give you support from Zion.
3May he remember all your offerings, and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices. Selah
4May he grant you your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your plans.
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Isaiah 26:8 (New Living Translation)
Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your name.
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Music:
“My Heart’s Desire” by the Newsboys.
I lift up my voice
To the King, King of Glory
I hold out my hands
To the One who is worthy
I long for Your presence
I long, Lord, I need Your touch
Come, O Lord, and fill up my life
With the light of Your presence
This is my heart’s desire
O Father, come and let Your Spirit abide
I long for your presence
This is my heart’s desire
I long to be washed
In the well of Your mercy
I long to be warmed
By the fire of Your glory
I long for Your presence
I long for Your healing touch
It’s my desire
Lord, it’s my desire
Lord, You’re my desire
I want to feel Your presence
I want to feel Your presence, Jesus
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5May we shout for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God set up our banners. May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.
6Now I know that the Lord will help his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories by his right hand.
7Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God.
“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” — Psalm 20:7 (King James Version)
8They will collapse and fall, but we shall rise and stand upright.
9Give victory to the king, O Lord; answer us when we call.
Red rocks of Sedona, Arizona — “The Lord is my rock!”
Psalm 18
Royal Thanksgiving for Victory
1I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
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Music:
“I will never be afraid — God Is My Rock!” Sung by GLAD, a Christian a cappella group known for their tight harmonies and intricate arrangements with classical and jazz overtones. With thanks to Carole McCutcheon.
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3I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so I shall be saved from my enemies.
4The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of perdition assailed me;
5the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
6In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
Jonah 2:5-7 (New Living Translation)
“I sank beneath the waves,
and the waters closed over me.
Seaweed wrapped itself around my head.
I sank down to the very roots of the mountains.
I was imprisoned in the earth,
whose gates lock shut forever.
But you, O Lord my God,
snatched me from the jaws of death!
As my life was slipping away,
I remembered the Lord.
And my earnest prayer went out to you
in your holy Temple.”
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7Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry.
8Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9He bowed the heavens, and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.
10He rode on a cherub, and flew; he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind.
11He made darkness his covering around him, his canopy thick clouds dark with water.
12Out of the brightness before him there broke through his clouds hailstones and coals of fire.
13The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice.
My alma mater, and my mother’s, and my husband’s — and now one of our sons is there.
14And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings, and routed them.
15Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
16He reached down from on high, he took me; he drew me out of mighty waters.
verse 16 – He drew me out of mighty waters.
17He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
18They confronted me in the day of my calamity; but the Lord was my support.
19He brought me out into a broad place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
20The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.
“Cleanliness is next to godliness.” John Wesley, 1778.
21For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22For all his ordinances were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from guilt.
24Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
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Romans 6:18 (New International Version)
You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
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25With the loyal you show yourself loyal; with the blameless you show yourself blameless;
26with the pure you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you show yourself perverse.
27For you deliver a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.
Proverbs 3:34 (Contemporary English Version)
The LORD sneers at those
who sneer at him,
but he is kind to everyone
who is humble.
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28It is you who light my lamp; the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.
29By you I can crush a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
Coco Crisp leaps (almost!) over the wall.
30This God—his way is perfect; the promise of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
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from Edges of his Ways, by Amy Carmichael:
Psalm 18:30 — As for God, His way is perfect.
God is love, so we may change the word and say, As for Love, His way is perfect. This has been helping me.
One of the ways of Love is to prepare us beforehand for any hard thing that He knows is near. Perhaps this word will be His loving preparation to some heart for a disappointment, or for some trial of faith, something known to others, or some secret sorrow between the Father and His child. As for Love, His way is perfect.
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31For who is God except the Lord? And who is a rock besides our God?—
32the God who girded me with strength, and made my way safe.
33He made my feet like the feet of a deer, and set me secure on the heights.
34He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand has supported me; your help has made me great.
verse 35 (English Standard Version) — You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.
“Thy gentleness hath made me great.”
–Psalm xviii.35.
The words are capable of being translated, “Thy goodness hath made me great.” David gratefully ascribed all his greatness not to his own goodness, but to the goodness of God. “Thy providence,” is another reading; and providence is nothing more than goodness in action. Some render it, “Thy help,” which is but another word for providence; providence being the firm ally of the saints, aiding them in the service of their Lord. Or again, “Thy humility hath made me great.” Still the idea is the same. David ascribes all of his own greatness to the condescending goodness of his Father in heaven. May this sentiment be echoed in our hearts while we cast our crowns at Jesus’ feet and cry, “Thy gentleness hath made me great.” How marvellous has been our experience of God’s gentleness!
from Morning and Evening, by Charles Haddon Spurgeon
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36You gave me a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.
37I pursued my enemies and overtook them; and did not turn back until they were consumed.
38I struck them down, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet.
39For you girded me with strength for the battle; you made my assailants sink under me.
40You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and those who hated me I destroyed.
41They cried for help, but there was no one to save them; they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42I beat them fine, like dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
43You delivered me from strife with the peoples; you made me head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me.
Isaiah 55:3-5 (New International Version)
“I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.
See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples.
Surely you will summon nations you know not,
and nations that do not know you will hasten to you,
because of the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.”
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44As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me; foreigners came cringing to me.
45Foreigners lost heart, and came trembling out of their strongholds.
46The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation,
47the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me;
48who delivered me from my enemies; indeed, you exalted me above my adversaries; you delivered me from the violent.
49For this I will extol you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to your name.
50Great triumphs he gives to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.
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“Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.”
–Aesop
Thank You, Lord, for saving my soul.
Thank You, Lord, for making me whole.
Thank You, Lord, for giving to me
Thy great salvation, so rich and free.
Given or dedicated in fulfillment of a vow or pledge: a votive offering.
Expressing or symbolizing a wish, desire, or vow: a votive prayer; votive candles.
–The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition.
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27) The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: When a person makes an explicit vow to the Lord concerning the equivalent for a human being, 3the equivalent for a male shall be: from twenty to sixty years of age the equivalent shall be fifty shekels of silver by the sanctuary shekel. 4If the person is a female, the equivalent is thirty shekels. 5If the age is from five to twenty years of age, the equivalent is twenty shekels for a male and ten shekels for a female. 6If the age is from one month to five years, the equivalent for a male is five shekels of silver, and for a female the equivalent is three shekels of silver. 7And if the person is sixty years old or over, then the equivalent for a male is fifteen shekels, and for a female ten shekels. 8If any cannot afford the equivalent, they shall be brought before the priest and the priest shall assess them; the priest shall assess them according to what each one making a vow can afford.
9If it concerns an animal that may be brought as an offering to the Lord, any such that may be given to the Lord shall be holy. 10Another shall not be exchanged or substituted for it, either good for bad or bad for good; and if one animal is substituted for another, both that one and its substitute shall be holy. 11If it concerns any unclean animal that may not be brought as an offering to the Lord, the animal shall be presented before the priest. 12The priest shall assess it: whether good or bad, according to the assessment of the priest, so it shall be. 13But if it is to be redeemed, one-fifth must be added to the assessment.
14If a person consecrates a house to the Lord, the priest shall assess it: whether good or bad, as the priest assesses it, so it shall stand. 15And if the one who consecrates the house wishes to redeem it, one-fifth shall be added to its assessed value, and it shall revert to the original owner.
16If a person consecrates to the Lord any inherited landholding, its assessment shall be in accordance with its seed requirements: fifty shekels of silver to a homer of barley seed. 17If the person consecrates the field as of the year of jubilee, that assessment shall stand; 18but if the field is consecrated after the jubilee, the priest shall compute the price for it according to the years that remain until the year of jubilee, and the assessment shall be reduced. 19And if the one who consecrates the field wishes to redeem it, then one-fifth shall be added to its assessed value, and it shall revert to the original owner; 20but if the field is not redeemed, or if it has been sold to someone else, it shall no longer be redeemable. 21But when the field is released in the jubilee, it shall be holy to the Lord as a devoted field; it becomes the priest’s holding.
22If someone consecrates to the Lord a field that has been purchased, which is not a part of the inherited landholding, 23the priest shall compute for it the proportionate assessment up to the year of jubilee, and the assessment shall be paid as of that day, a sacred donation to the Lord. 24In the year of jubilee the field shall return to the one from whom it was bought, whose holding the land is. 25All assessments shall be by the sanctuary shekel: twenty gerahs shall make a shekel.
26A firstling of animals, however, which as a firstling belongs to the Lord, cannot be consecrated by anyone; whether ox or sheep, it is the Lord’s. 27If it is an unclean animal, it shall be ransomed at its assessment, with one-fifth added; if it is not redeemed, it shall be sold at its assessment.
28Nothing that a person owns that has been devoted to destruction for the Lord, be it human or animal, or inherited landholding, may be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the Lord.
29No human beings who have been devoted to destruction can be ransomed; they shall be put to death.
30All tithes from the land, whether the seed from the ground or the fruit from the tree, are the Lord’s; they are holy to the Lord.
Malachi 3:10 (New International Version)
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”
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31If persons wish to redeem any of their tithes, they must add one-fifth to them. 32All tithes of herd and flock, every tenth one that passes under the shepherd’s staff, shall be holy to the Lord. 33Let no one inquire whether it is good or bad, or make substitution for it; if one makes substitution for it, then both it and the substitute shall be holy and cannot be redeemed.
34These are the commandments that the Lord gave to Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai.
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YOU HAVE MADE IT! — all the way to the end of Leviticus! Congratulations! I hope you have learned something through these chapters about God’s love for his people and his concern for holiness in every detail in our lives. The song “You Are Mine” speaks to us in our current daily situations, but note the echoes of Leviticus as you listen.
Posted by Rebecca 
DWELLING in the Word 
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