And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry.

Numbers 4:1-15

And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry. Numbers 4:15

I continue my study of Numbers, and in the text today 4:1-15, where the Lord commands Moses and Aaron to take a census of the sons of Kohath (among the Levites), and He describes their duties with the tent of meeting.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.

• What do we learn from the text about God?: God seeks obedience - in detail.  In the Old Testament ceremonial law, these details matter but we know that as part of God's plan obedience to this level of detail is unsustainable so there is a need for regular atonement through animal sacrifice.  With the New Covenant based on Christ's shed blood, obedience to ceremonial law is fulfilled permanently, leaving obedience to the moral law intact.  Obedience in detail still matters because lack of attention to detail shows lack of care.  We should treasure God above all else and it should show in our obedience and service to Him.  Because He is SO good to us, in response we want to please, honor and glorify Him...so obedience is not burdensome (see also 1 John 5:3). 
• What do we learn from the text about people?: There are so many people behind the scenes in every day life that serve and obey God in detail.  Their hearts are right with God because they abide in Him and bear fruit (John 15:1-10).  They are not seeking their own glory but that of the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid seeking God's favor through action and your own strength and power.  Claim the promise that obedience is not burdensome because we love Him SO much and we treasure and seek Him. Follow the example of Jesus who loved the Father SO much that He willingly suffered and died so that others could have life now to the full and for eternity.  Obey God in detail - do it all for the glory of God. 

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves.  I am not deserving of how You love and save.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.  

I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

 John 17:1-5

I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. John 17:4-5

I continue my study of John and today I focus on John 17:1-5, where Jesus pauses speaking to the disciples to pray what is referred to as the High Priestly Prayer.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method. 

• What do we learn from the text about God?: Jesus sticks to His mission and plan given to Him by the Father - to seek and save the lost through His ministry on earth then to die on the cross and to rise again claiming victory over sin and death as the perfect sacrifice for all sin throughout redemptive history.  Jesus shares how the "hour has come" given He has completed what He was sent to do on earth (vv1, 4) and He is now ready for His arrest and crucifixion which we see comes next in John 18-19.  Jesus prays that He and the Father are glorified - v1.  In v2, He supports His prayer in v1 by sharing that He is worthy of glory Himself and worthy of bringing glory to the Father because the Father has given Him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom the Father has given Him (adopted into His family). V3 is not a prayer per se but a definition and set of conditions of eternal life for those that will receive it - you must know God the Father and Jesus (and of course that they are One - both persons of the Triune God).  In v5, Jesus repeats His prayer that He be glorified - in the Father's presence (similar to Jesus' baptism) - with the glory Jesus shared with the Father since the beginning.  The Triune God has existed since the beginning and will exist through the end - Alpha and Omega.    
• What do we learn from the text about people?: People exist for the glory of God just as Jesus existed for the glory of God the Father.      
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Claim the promise that Jesus is the Alpha and Omega and that for those that believe He gives them eternal life.  Follow the example of Jesus to know the will of God and to follow it - accomplish the work given to you.  Bring glory to God in all that you do.  We exist to   

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves.  Thank You for Your obedience to the Father and for accomplishing the work the Father gave You.  I am not deserving of how You save and bless.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to accept You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go.

Mark 11:1-11

And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. Mark 11:6

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Mark 11:1-11.  Excerpts from the commentary's second (of five) division (vv4-7):

• The title of the first division per the commentary is "Worship the One Who Submits to the Word of God."   
• The response in v6 leaves one to wonder whether those who saw the disciples untie and take the colt knew the prophecy and recognized Jesus at work fulfilling this prophecy... 
• The commentary first refers us to Zechariah 9:9-17; Matthew 21:4-5; John 12:14-15 where we read about the prophecy of Jesus coming on a colt and about the other gospel accounts of Jesus' riding into Jerusalem as a fulfillment of this prophecy. 
• "[Jesus riding into Jerusalem in this way] is highly symbolic in light of Old Testament prophecy, expectations, and allusions! The phrase “The Lord needs it” (Mark 11:3) uses the same phrase as in 2:25 to justify David’s eating “the sacred bread” when he and his men were hungry. David’s greater Son is here! His riding in on a donkey also is a declaration of His kingship and a fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9, as Matthew 21:4-5 and John 12:14-15 make clear."  
• "Our Lord lived His life from beginning to end in total submission to the Word of God. His life, death, and resurrection were the unfolding of the drama of redemption." 

This text, including the Zechariah prophecy, underscores the importance of reading and studying all scripture both Old and New Testament.  See also 2 Timothy 3:16.  All scripture points to Jesus - from the very beginning - see Genesis 1:2 where the Spirit of God hovers over the face of the waters - this is Jesus!  See also this post at DesiringGod.com. For a very long time, I did not read and study all books of the Bible, such as Leviticus, yet once I did and other books, I began to appreciate the full arc of the Bible, and how the redemptive story of Jesus is represented in all 66 books of the Bible. "Worship the One who submits to the Word of God" - Jesus Christ.  Indeed!

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves.  You are the Alpha and Omega and You hold all things together.  Thank You Jesus for my salvation.  I am not deserving of my salvation, nor any of the blessings You pour out for me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

And being made perfect, [Jesus] became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.

Hebrews 5

And being made perfect, [Jesus] became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him. Hebrews 5:9

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. My focus this morning is Hebrews 5:1-10, and my initial unaided observations of this text. Here, the author of Hebrews compares the role the high priest during the Old Testament, using Aaron as an example, and during the New Testament, where upon His death and resurrection, Jesus was "appointed" (v5) as Great High Priest. The comparison first looks at how both the Old Testament high priests and Jesus possessed (of course Jesus still does) the ability to sympathize with those who were weak because of their own humanity (v2). This weakness inevitably leads to sin, except of course for Jesus, and this sin requires sacrifice to atone for sin (v3). The text then refers to the high priest's act of offering sacrifice for sin for not just himself, but also for others, as an honor (v3-4).  The text indicates that "no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God" (v4). Jesus assumed the role of Great High Priest not to "exalt himself" (v5), to fulfill prophecy referred to in v5-6, 10 where Psalm 2:7 and 110:4 are both quoted. Christ's humanity is further explored in v7 where Jesus prayed to God to save him from death on the cross, and the text shares how God heard these prayers "because of [Jesus' reverence]."  V8-9 then describe Christ as obedient, the perfect sacrifice, and as "the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - taking my sin and all of humanity's sin upon Yourself, sacrificing Your life for all of us...even though You lived a perfect, spotless live.  Thank You Jesus for this gift of grace - amazing indeed and I am not deserving of such a gift - the greatest gift of all time.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.