Whoever touches a dead person, the body of anyone who has died, and does not cleanse himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD, and that person shall be cut off from Israel; because the water for impurity was not thrown on him, he shall be unclean.

Numbers 19:1-22

Whoever touches a dead person, the body of anyone who has died, and does not cleanse himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD, and that person shall be cut off from Israel; because the water for impurity was not thrown on him, he shall be unclean. Numbers 19:13

I continue my study of Numbers, and in the text today - Numbers 19:1-22 - God describes purification laws (ceremonial law) for the people.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.

• What do we learn from the text about God?: Impurity is a big deal to God, and the text today lays out many of the Old Testament criteria or conditions that trigger impurity.  Old Testament law ultimately became twisted by the Jewish leaders who focused on the actions of purification vs the heart condition that God really seeks through purification.  Sin is really what drives impurity and this is the great equalizer because we all sin (Psalm 14:1, Romans 3:10, 23, 1 John 1:8).  The gospel of Jesus Christ, allows us to confess and be cleansed of sin and therefore be justified or declared "not guilty" or not accountable for the sin we committed as this would have if guilty led to death (Romans 6:23).  God wants us to love Him with all of our heart and allow Him to change us from the inside out - heart and life transformation.  All are deserving to hear the gospel and of the work He does in us.   
• What do we learn from the text about people?: Purification laws at one point were twisted by Israel to avoid association with those from other lands.  Yet we know that God never intended this as even in the Old Testament, God sought to save those beyond the borders of Israel - one such example is God sending Jonah to save Nineveh.  In the New Testament we see Peter (see Acts 10:28), based on his vision from God, make clear God's intent to not to exclude anyone not from Israel from the church - deemed unclean based on purification laws.  The gospel extends to the Gentiles and to all corners of the world (Matthew 20:19-20).   
• 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 excluding anyone from hearing the gospel.  Claim the promise that Jesus came to seek and save the lost - all.  Follow the example of Peter, Paul and so many others who seek to bring the gospel to all tribes and nations.  Go into the world and bring the Good News everywhere.   

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and seeks to save everyone - all sin and fall short of the glory of God and all are worthy of hearing the gospel to be saved.  You save!  Thank You Jesus for saving me.  I am not deserving...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.

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

Leviticus 4

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:8-10

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - starting chapter four - How God Deals with Sin - covering Leviticus 4:1-35, looking specifically at the theme Sin Forms Everywhere.  Here, God provides instructions to Moses for the "sin offering", and addresses how the sin offering is to be presented based on several scenarios of unintentional sin, including whether an individual Israelite, an anointed priest, the whole congregation of Israel, an Israelite leader (, or a "common" person commits such an unintentional sin.  While the ESV, NKJV, and NIV versions all refer to the offering in Leviticus 4 as a "sin" offering, my commentary writes that "possibly it's best to refer to this sacrifice as the purification offering," as other places in the Bible refer to this offering where there is nothing to do with sin (i.e. childbirth, healing of skin disease, etc.). My commentary emphasizes how God "singles" out leaders in His treatment of sin as God sees these people of influence as key to helping the congregation as a whole avoid sin.  We are also urged not to take sin lightly as it is a devastating, not just eternally, but also now. The commentary writes how only four chapters of the Bible have no sin - the first two chapters of Genesis (before sin existed) and the last two chapters of Revelation (when sin is defeated finally).  Otherwise, the story of sin is the story of all humanity's history - not just in the Bible but as long as humankind exists on earth.  We are urged to see sin as active - always at work and always as something we must battle. Sin also not just separates us from God it impacts our relationships with other people - it is indeed devastating. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who gives me the ability to battle sin in my life - thank You Jesus!  I know the victory is Yours!  Yet I know I am not deserving of how You bless me as my sin does continue - worry, stress, anger, etc. - please forgive me Jesus!  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.