And Aaron did so: he set up its lamps in front of the lampstand, as the LORD commanded Moses. And this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was hammered work; according to the pattern that the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

Numbers 8:1-4

And Aaron did so: he set up its lamps in front of the lampstand, as the LORD commanded Moses. And this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was hammered work; according to the pattern that the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand. Numbers 8:3-4

I continue my study of Numbers, and in the text today, 8:1-4, we see the Lord give instructions to Moses to give to Aaron re: lamps of the lampstand within the tabernacle.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.

• What do we learn from the text about God?: The presence of the Lord should remind us that God is light - see also 1 John 1:5.  The seven lamps provided light within the tabernacle both practically and spiritually.  The materials and design of the lamp - hammered ornate gold - reflect the glory of God and how He should be treasured as the finest of all things.       
• What do we learn from the text about people?: Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses - vv3-4.  He was obedient in the details.  We may not see how obedience in the details matters but it does.  God sees all and so when we lack attention to detail, specifically with regards to His instruction and in anything we do, we are not using our resources wisely and according to His plan.  God wants all of our heart, not pieces of it - see also 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 earthly influences that have no light - too much of these influences greater sin.  Claim the promise that God is light - in Him there is no darkness and He is a lamp unto our feet. Follow the example of Aaron and so many others with obedience in the detail - this reflects our love of God with all of our heart.   

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves and You are Light and my Treasure - the finest of all things. Thank You for how You provide both physical and spiritual light and You save.  I am not deserving of such blessings.  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.

These are those who were listed, whom Moses and Aaron listed with the help of the chiefs of Israel, twelve men, each representing his fathers’ house. So all those listed of the people of Israel, by their fathers’ houses, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war in Israel— all those listed were 603,550.

 Numbers 1:20-46

These are those who were listed, whom Moses and Aaron listed with the help of the chiefs of Israel, twelve men, each representing his fathers’ house. So all those listed of the people of Israel, by their fathers’ houses, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war in Israel— all those listed were 603,550. Numbers 1:44-46

I continue my study of Numbers, and in the text today 1:20-46, we see the results of the census by tribe.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method. 

• What do we learn from the text about God?: God cares about the details...yes, He is a big God who is both our Creator and is in and before all things and He holds all things together (Colossians 1:16-17), but He cares about each person individually, and each of us are not just numbers - we are His creation and He loves each one of us.  See also Matthew 10:30, and Luke 12:7 where the text shares how God numbers all the hairs on your head. Text from the Parable of the Lost Sheep (Matthew 18:12–14, Luke 15:3–7) shares how God leaves the rest of His sheep (99) and goes to find the one lost sheep.  You matter to God. 
• What do we learn from the text about people?: Each person has a a role to play in God's plan. See my post yesterday.
• 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 seeing yourself as unnamed and not worthy of love.  Claim the promise that God loves all of His creation and seeks to save as many as possible. Follow the example of those who have confessed their sin to Jesus and surrendered their life to Him as Lord and Savior.  Obey God and His call as the tribes did in Numbers to play a role in journey He sets before you in your journey to the promised land (Heaven).  

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My Prayer: Father God, You are indeed a great God...a big God that cares about all the details and who knows everything about us individually and He cares about each one of us.  Thank You Jesus for Your love and for my salvation.  I am not deserving of such blessings.  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.

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

Luke 1

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. Luke 2:1-5

This morning, my focus is DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, where John Piper seeks for believers to prepare our hearts for Christmas.  Today's Solid Joys daily devotion marks day 4 of Advent, and today John Piper looks at how God's providence over all of the universe impacts all of us, regardless of how insignificant and far away from God we may feel. The bottom line from Piper is that God is a big God - orchestrating big things (i.e. creation of the world, putting in place earthly authorities, etc.) but He is also involved in every detail of every life - all of humanity (see Psalm 139:13-16).  Piper writes that God "is a big God for little people."  Given we are in the Advent season, Piper refers us to Luke 2 where we see how Joseph and Mary go from Nazareth (where the baby Jesus was born) to Bethlehem - following Caesar Augustus' decree for a census.  We are encouraged to see how this travel was orchestrated by God to fulfill prophecy from Micah 5:2. Piper writes: "[h]ave you ever thought what an amazing thing it is that God ordained beforehand that the Messiah be born in Bethlehem...; and that he so ordained things that when the time came, the Messiah’s mother and legal father were living not in Bethlehem but in Nazareth; and that in order to fulfill his word and bring two unheard-of, insignificant, little people to Bethlehem that first Christmas, God put it in the heart of Caesar Augustus that all the Roman world should be enrolled each in his own town? A decree for the entire world in order to move two people seventy miles!"  Piper then moves towards connecting God's providence to all believers.  He does not want us to miss how any adversity in our lives is not because God's hand "is shortened" towards us.  Piper uses Proverbs 21:1 as he shares that "[i]t is not our prosperity or our fame but our holiness that he seeks with all his heart."  God is always turning His will "for his saving and sanctifying and eternal purposes among his people."  Piper ends today's devotion by exhorting us to respond to rejoice in because God directs all of the details in the universe, big and small, so that "we, the children, might be conformed to the image of his Son, Jesus Christ — and then enter his eternal glory."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a big God, for me and for all of humanity - thank You Jesus for Your providence in my life.  I am not deserving of how Your hand works in my life.  My sin is great and it is 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.    

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.

Proverbs 16

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. Proverbs 16:33

As I continue my vacation in Maine, I maintain a pause on my studies of both Isaiah and Proverbs, and tonight and throughout my vacation I will use DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotionals - today's focuses on how God is in control of all details of the natural world, including my life. I should gain peace and security knowing that God is in control and this should in turn eliminate my need to worry as I know God loves me and He does respond to prayer. Of course my immediate thought is to worry but the more I read today's devotion and reflect on it, I DO gain peace and security and I know I can pray to God and He will hear my cries and respond - I don't know what His response will be but I do know He will respond and it will be perfect and good. 

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My Prayer: God You are good and I KNOW You love me - You provide for all of my needs, You hear all of my cries and You do respond to all of my prayers - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of all the blessings You pour out for me.  My sin is great and it is 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.

All fat is the Lord's. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood.

Leviticus 3

All fat is the Lord's. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood. Leviticus 3:16-17

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - looking at chapter three - Peace with God - covering 3:1-17, looking specifically at the theme We Submit to the Word of God.  Here, the commentary urges us to look carefully at the details of God's commands for animal sacrifice as part of the Old Testament sacrificial system.  Many, including myself, often ask about these details and the role they play in the Bible - similar details are expressed in the construction of God's temple (first constructed by Solomon in 1 Kings). My commentary offers great insight on this question on several fronts, including how in Leviticus 3 we see details about how certain parts of animal (kidneys, fat, entrails, liver) are to be cut up and offered. Blood is also to be sprinkled on the sides of the altar.  The commentary writes how pagan/Canaanite worship, at the time Leviticus was written, used animal liver as a form of divination called hepatoscopy:  "[t]he one true God told His people not to save that part of the animal--not for divination or for anything else--but to burn the liver on the altar.  They were not looking at a liver to determine the future; they were trusting in God for the future."  God detests such pagan worship. Similarly, the commentary writes how the offering of blood during sacrifice represents "the giving of life" as blood, and how blood carries oxygen to all parts of the body is the key to life.  The commentary summarizes the use of details during animal sacrifice (again, done away with in the New Covenant with Jesus Christ) as important to the extent that God did not want empty, mindless rituals, and the use of such details forced worshipers to slow down to ensure careful following of God's commands.  Such a message should not be lost on believers in Christ and we should not speed through empty rituals as we approach Christ with any aspect of our worship.  

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who provides a path for atonement and a path to reconcile with You.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You provide this path or for any of the blessings You pour out for me.  I worry, am harsh with others, etc.  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.

“Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you."

Exodus 25-28

 “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you." Exodus 25:8-9

Day 28 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) focuses on God's instructions to Moses for the construction of the tabernacle and priestly garments - no detail is spared.

My commentary* indicates "[t]he details of the blueprints given to Moses, as well as the descriptions of priestly garments, not only arouse one’s fascination but also suggest that no detail of man’s worship of God is too small for God’s concern".

*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) . Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

God wants us to listen to what He tells us to do and to be obedient - He cares about the details of our our worship/prayers and we should be grateful for this.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a God that is beyond my imagination - I know I can never fully grasp how much You love me or how much You care about the smallest details of my life and my worship.  You call me to be a living sacrifice and I desire to be.  I am thankful for Your love but undeserving as my sacrifice and worship I know falls short of what You ask.  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.