News from February 2012
Back to the future in Numbers
Posted on February 28, 2012 by Pastor Tom
The Biblical book of Numbers moves rapidly through Israel’s history. But it doesn’t seem like it at first. There is all this talk about amount of people in this tribe and that tribe. Thus, the name of the book “Numbers.” But there is a lot more than numbers in numbers. Once you get to chapter 10 things start moving and then get a little confusing time wise. So here’s a quick guide to the time frame surrounding Numbers.
Numbers 10:11 – says “in the second year, in the second month.” The second year of what? Leaving Egypt. So the Israelites have been released from slavery and been at Mount Sinai for just over a year. Now it’s time to leave and go to the Promised Land.
Numbers 11–12 – The people complain along the way and Moses just about loses it completely (11:15)
Numbers 13–14 – The 12 spies scout out the Promised Land. They conclude it’s a good land. However 10 of them conclude they can’t take the land because of the strength of the inhabitants. Only 2, Joshua and Caleb have faith in the Lord. So the Lord sentences the entire community to wander in the wilderness for the next 38 years! The faithless generation will die out and their children will inherit the promised Land.
Numbers 15–20:14 – Events during the wilderness wanderings and some more laws.
FAST FORWARD 38 years.
Numbers 20:15 – Now the Israelites begin their final journey to the Promised Land. They end up having to approach it from the East side rather than the south.
So Numbers 20–36 could be considered the final approach to the Promised Land occurring over a period of a few months or a year. We end the book with the boundaries of the Promised Land declared. The people are just across the Jordan River and can see it in a distance.
But before they cross, Moses will have his final instruction to them in Deuteronomy for he will not cross over the land with them. Then comes Joshua and the conquest of the Land.
Hope that helps.
Key weapons in the war
Posted on February 22, 2012 by Pastor Tom
I once heard a preacher say “I think Ephesians 6:12 is the most disbelieved verse in the Bible.” What do you think? Read Ephesians 6:10–20. Notice the role God’s Word and prayer play in the battle. • Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you to “take up the whole armor of God” each day.
Surviving Leviticus
Posted on February 21, 2012 by Pastor Tom
Okay, I admit it. Leviticus, at first glance, can be a tough read. It starts with regulations concerning offerings, continues with forbidden foods and then has all this stuff about leprosy. What does this have to do with our lives today?
Well, it might seem like little at first. Yet hidden within the pages of Leviticus are all kinds of pearls and insights that reveal God’s character and inform later parts of Scripture. So here’s some pearls that might enhance your read through Leviticus.
1) The first seven chapters contain regulations for different kinds of offerings. Why would God tell them this? Because He wanted to show them how to relate to Him without killing themselves! Remember God is a holy God and cannot be in the presence of sin. So these regulations would teach them and enable them to approach Him with a right attitude. In a way, these regulations are an act of love – the Holy God lays out very specific instructions to protect His people on how to approach Him. Don’t we always want the will of God laid out to us in clear steps? Here’s an example where God actually does that.
2) Chapters 8–9 set apart Aaron and his sons for service. It could be considered the first ordination service. Chapter 10 reveals how seriously God viewed the commitment of the priests to their office.
3) Remember all of this comes within the bigger picture of the Old Testament. God is preparing a people for Himself. So don’t read this as some obscure legal code. Read it as God helping His people relate to Him.
4) Chapter 11 contains the forbidden foods chapter. But in verse 44 you find the theme verse of Leviticus – Be holy because I am holy. To be holy means to be set apart unto God. Many have speculated about why some animals were forbidden and others accepted. I think the best explanation is that God wanted to teach the people about holiness with their diet. So he prohibited animals that blurred distinct lines. If an animal parted the hoof and chewed the cud, it could be eaten. If animals did one but not the other, they couldn’t be eaten. Only those that were separated – those that were distinct from those that blurred these lines of separation – could be eaten. It’s another example of God wanting their faith to be lived out at home.
5) Chapter 18 contains God’s view on holy sexual relations. It is from this passage that we discover the heart of God on all these things.
6) Jesus quotes Leviticus 19:18 when asked about the greatest commandment. This verse contains the “second.” You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
7) The Jewish feasts are described in 23–25. How does Jesus fulfill each of these?
8) 26 contains the reality of consequences for behavior. Good consequences or bad ones.
Leviticus must be read as part of the great story of God setting apart a people for Himself. As you go through it, ask God to reveal Himself to you. You might be surprised where you’ll discover Him.
Bonhoeffer on "Reading the Bible"
Posted on February 18, 2012 by Pastor Tom
Here’s what Dietrich Bonhoeffor wrote to his brother-in-law in 1936 about reading the Bible.
“First of all, I confess quite simply – I believe that the Bible alone is the answer to all our questions, and that we need only to ask repeatedly and a little humbly, in order to receive this answer. One cannot simply ‘read’ the Bible, like other books. One must be prepared really to enquire of it. Only thus will it reveal itself. Only if we expect from it the ultimate answer, shall we receive it. That is because in the Bible, God speaks to us. And one cannot simply think about God in one’s own strength, on has to enquire of him. Only if we seek him, will he answer us.
Of course it is possible to read the Bible like any other books, that is to say from the point of view of textual criticism etc. Only that that is not the method which will reveal to us the heart of the Bible, but only the surface, just as we do not grasp the words of someone we love by taking them to bits, but by simply receiving them, so that for days they go on lingering in our minds, simply because they are words from a person we love; and just as these words reveal more and more of the person who said them as we go on, like Mary ‘pondering them in her heart’ so it will be with the words of the Bible. Only if we will venture to enter into the words of the Bible, as though in them this God were speaking to us who loves and does not will to leave us along with our questions, only so shall we learn to rejoice in the Bible.”
The answer to the Exodus "redundancy."
Posted on February 17, 2012 by Pastor Tom
So why does God include Exodus 35–40 in the Bible after we’ve just gone through all this stuff in Exodus 25–30? The first chapters contained God’s commands. In the second section (chapters 35–40), the people carry out God’s commands completely. They follow His instructions and construct the tabernacle, it’s furnishings and the priest’s garments. God responds at the end of Exodus 40 by displaying His presence in the new tabernacle.
The first section – Exodus 25–31, is followed by the great apostasy – the people worship the golden calf. But God does a great work of discipline and forgiveness. So in Exodus 36–40, a redeemed people carries out His commands.
I think we can learn from this that God expects His commands to be obeyed by His people. We are not to ignore them or revise them. When His people obeyed His commands, they could clearly see His presence among them. So if you made it through all of Exodus, congratulations! But what do we do with Leviticus?
More on that tomorrow.
Why do we have to go through this again? Ending Exodus
Posted on February 16, 2012 by Pastor Tom
Doesn’t Exodus 35–40 seem a little redundant? Didn’t we just go through all this in Exodus 25–30? So here’s a couple of questions.
What is the key difference between Exodus 25–30 and Exodus 35–40?
What does it say about God that He would inspire Exodus 35–40 to be included in Scripture?
Answer coming tomorrow.
God's presence - Amazing Exodus 33-34
Posted on February 15, 2012 by Pastor Tom
Have you ever faced some difficulty and concluded “I don’t think I can do this on my own.” Then you realize you have to do it or go through it which can lead to greater fear, anxiety, turning back or despair. If you’ve ever felt like this or experienced this, you’re not alone.
Moses seemed to struggle with this too. In Exodus 33:12–23, he seeks the Lord’s presence. He desires assurance of the Lord to lead the people. The Lord promises His presence and reveals Himself to Moses in the “cleft of the rock” passage.
God is constantly present with us. Jesus said, “wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them.” “Surely, I am with you ALWAYS.” Life sometimes blinds us to that truth. But God demonstrated His desire to be present with us in sending Jesus to this Earth. And Jesus continues to live in us right now. (Galatians 2:20). So whatever you face that’s daunting, remember God is with you.
Changing God's Word?
Posted on February 8, 2012 by Pastor Tom
One great challenge for the church today is reaching Muslims for Christ. We hear of God’s incredible work among Muslims and how He is introducing them to Jesus. He has also equipped many for proclaiming His Gospel in very sensitive regions. Yet work is being done and accomplished. One way to share Christ is to pass on a copy of the Bible to a Muslim friend.
But there is quite a controversy about translating the Scriptures into languages used by millions of Muslims. There is an effort to produce translations by Wycliffe, SIL and Frontiers that remove the terms Father, Son and Son of God to use terms that the translators consider less offensive to Muslims.
To learn more about this, I encourage you to visit the site Biblical Missiology http://biblicalmissiology.org/. There is also a petition there for you to sign to exhort these Christian agencies to stop moving ahead with this.
For further info, you can contact our own Nelson.
His latest newsletter states this:
Wycliffe, respected Bible translator, and Frontiers are producing some “Muslim idiom” translations in which the words “Father” and “Son of God” are not translated directly because they might give Muslim readers “the wrong impression” that God had sex with Mary (a common belief among Muslims). Instead, translators use other words such as “Guardian” for God and “representative” for Son of God.
This practice creates readings of Scripture that cast doubt on three critical articles of Christian faith that Muslims deny: the Trinity, the divinity of Jesus and Scripture being inspired and “without error in the original manuscripts”. There is a danger of the Gospel being seen to be Islamized.
I personally know two missionaries who have protested without result to SIL about specific translations for northern India and Pakistan.
Biblical Missiology is a consortium that tracks trends in missions. After years of trying to address Wycliffe, SIL (Summer Institute of Linguistics, Wycliffe’s overseas name) and Frontiers directly on this issue, it has begun circulating a petition – not to criticize the ministries, but to “plead that Bible translations ‘testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world’ (1 John 4:14)”.
I urge you to look up the petition on the web and become informed about the issue. Read the materials provided, including the reasons for the petition, statements from Wycliffe, and letters from Christians from Muslim background.
Life without parents
Posted on February 1, 2012 by Pastor Tom
My mom died Wednesday, January 4, 2012. She had been ill for quite some time. We were surprised when it happened because she seemed to be doing better. Yet, in the end it was a blessing. She had suffered much over 2011. I have experienced grief in my Mom’s passing. Even though we were prepared, there was still the shock of not having that person to talk with anymore.
Yet the more surprising thing to me was that suddenly, I had no parents. My dad died in 2005. Yet I still had Mom to talk to and her life experience to draw from. But from January 4th on I’ve entered new territory. .
I know millions have traveled this road before. Many of you are walking it right now. But someone taught me many years ago that I don’t have to pretend that I have all the answers because I don’t. Nobody does. So I’ve learned to ask others about their life experience and what they’ve learned in living life without parents.
Here’s some comments received so far:
• That “orphan” feeling takes a long time to get used to.
• I did not ever think I would miss my mom as much as I do as time goes on.
• It’s very weird not having parents. Mom went hom last January 6th and it is lonely without her. I think I have taken over her role, being the eldest of her children. Sometimes that’s ok, but sometimes it’s too much.
• I still remember the feelings I had after both my parents were gone. Parents give us a context…we’re surrounded by those who are older and younger. After they died, my brother and I were the oldest in our family. The context was lost..you feel vulnerable and exposed because you are now on the outer perimeter. As long as our parents are alive we consider our death remote, one generation removed. When they’re gone we realize we will probably be the next to die. That requires a whole new orientation.
Yet, though I no longer have parents physically with us on Earth, I am not without a parent. This is one of the great hopes we have in Christianity. I have a Heavenly Father who never leaves me or forsakes me. He will continue to guide me and lead me until my time comes. I also have hope because both my parents trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Because of that trust, they did not fear death. They remembered that Jesus promised to go and prepare a place for them. And to die is gain because they now see Jesus face to face. And I also hope because of the coming resurrection. I know I will see my parents again when the Lord returns. He will raise the dead in Christ and give them new resurrection bodies that will never pass away.
Death certainly has some sting today. But Jesus conquered it on the cross and when He rose physically three days later. When He returns, death will be defeated forever. Until then, I walk forward under the leadership and direction of my Heavenly Father.