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.

When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.

Acts 23

When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. Acts 23:12

As I continue to ponder what to study next, my Bible study this morning once again leans on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today looks at how nothing can stop God's plans, and that if challenging circumstances are overcome, even in an unbelievable manner, we must look to God as the divine orchestrator of something greater than the challenging circumstances.  John Piper once again, as he did yesterday, looks at the life of Paul and how he goes to Jerusalem and is arrested (see Acts 21). While in Jerusalem, the Jews made a plot to kill Paul (see Acts 23:12), yet God was not done with Paul as Piper points to the previous verse (v11) and how God planned for Paul to go to Rome on appeal to give his testimony to those in Rome. Piper breaks down how God thwarted the plans of the Jews by orchestrating the unraveling of the plan through the sequence of what Piper describes as a highly unlikely (although for God nothing is unlikely or impossible - see vv16-23) set of events:  

• A boy overheard the plot.
• The boy was the son of Paul’s sister.
• The boy had the courage to go to the Roman centurion guarding Paul.
• The centurion took him seriously and brought him to the tribune.
• The tribune believed him and prepared “two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen” to take Paul to safety. 

John Piper wants us as believers to see that "[n]o ambush can stand against the promise of Christ. Until he got to Rome, Paul was immortal. There was a final testimony to be given. And Christ would see to it that Paul would give it.  You too have final testimony to give. And you are immortal until you give it." God has a plan for each one of us and as long as we are alive we should continue to seek what it is that God wants us to do in service of His glory.

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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 - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of Your mercies that are new every morning and that never cease.  Help me respond in white hot worship - You are deserving and I know that is why I exist.  Help me overcome and turn from my sin of lethargy and other sins and turn 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.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28

I continue with my study of - Ten Men of the Bible: How God Used Imperfect People to Change the World - eBook by Max Lucado (for purchase). This morning, I continue with the story of "Joseph: Shaky Limbs and Unanswered Questions*".

*Title of lesson six from the Max Lucado study.

The commentary* of day three starts with Max Lucado describing the "lowly manger" scene in Bethlehem where the baby Jesus was born and how OT prophecies (see Micah 5:2 as one example) pointed to this time.  Despite the many prophecies of the coming Messiah, many overlooked the baby Jesus because they were expecting a conquering king, one who would use the "weapons of the world" (in reference to 2 Corinthians 10:4 how believers rely on the power of the Holy Spirit and God's Word) to force submission to his kingdom.  Lucado wants us to be more aware of how God works and to use scripture to help us be more aware - he points to the Parable of the Ten Virgins awaiting the bridegroom in Matthew 25:1-13, and how some of the virgins failed to take oil for their lamps to help them stay awake while waiting.  Jesus sums up the parable to "keep watch". We do want to keep watch and be more aware.  At the same time, we should not be waiting without developing our relationship with Jesus. In Romans 12:2, we are urged to "be transformed by the renewing of the mind...so that [we]will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."  This is supported by what I posted a couple of days ago in a post emphasizing spiritual growth and maturity as a call for all believers. 

Lucado also wants us to to look closely at Joseph's role and how he is not discussed much in the Bible yet his role is key as a "supporting actor" with Mary perhaps being more primary.  God often uses the ordinary and regular for supernatural purposes and He wants those He is using to see how they are part of a bigger plan. 

Discuss and comment on this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who has a plan and I am part of the plan - I am humbled that You would love me as You do and would use me.  Thank You for the grace, mercy and patience You have for me.  I am not deserving of such love.  I worry and I have other sins.  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 Lord also said to Moses, “I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether human or animal. They are to be mine. I am the Lord.”

Numbers 3-8:4

The Lord also said to Moses, “I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether human or animal. They are to be mine. I am the Lord.” Numbers 3:11-13

Day 34 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 call to the Levites to serve in the priesthood and tabernacle service - offerings are then made to consecrate the tabernacle and then by each of the twelve tribes of Israel.

God calls each of us to roles in His service.  We all have skills and abilities and a role in God's plan.
 
See also 1 Corinthians 12 and previous posts on spiritual gifts.

We must also understand that all of our skills and abilities come from God and they belong to Him - see also post from a few days ago.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has blessed me well beyond what I deserve.  I am grateful Jesus.  Yet I am undeserving.  I sin...daily.  Please forgive me 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 to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  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.