Numbers 19 - 8.2.2024
Scripture - Pick one verse that stood out to you.
Numbers 19:1-10
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: “This is a requirement of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer without defect or blemish and that has never been under a yoke. Give it to Eleazar the priest; it is to be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence. Then Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting. While he watches, the heifer is to be burned—its hide, flesh, blood and intestines. The priest is to take some cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool and throw them onto the burning heifer. After that, the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water. He may then come into the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean till evening. The man who burns it must also wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he too will be unclean till evening.
“A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and put them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They are to be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin. The man who gathers up the ashes of the heifer must also wash his clothes, and he too will be unclean till evening. This will be a lasting ordinance both for the Israelites and for the foreigners residing among them.
Observation - What about this verse stands out to you?
As I was reading numbers and reading about the requirements for purification I was partly startled by the sheer amount of detail that went into the process of pre-Christ cleansing of sin. The water that is created from Numbers 19 is to be used by the Israelite community for “the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin”.
Application - How will you apply this to your life?
What also struck me as odd was this verse in Numbers 19: The man who sprinkles the water of cleansing must also wash his clothes, and anyone who touches the water of cleansing will be unclean till evening.
The water of cleansing itself caused “uncleanness”.
So understanding the above, how much do I really understand about what is happening when Jesus is brought a paralyzed man on a mat in Matthew 9 and responds with, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
In light of the unclean cleansing-water, when Jesus would eventually take on the penalty for all of our sins, cleansing all of us, what mind-boggling astro-physical-spiritual thing was actually going on??
My mind is so blown right now.
Prayer - Write out a prayer.
Father God, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit. I am just so in awe right now. And I am so grateful. I feel like today you showed me a depth to your sacrifice that I wasn’t aware of. Please, teach me if I am thinking in error. Please guide me to grow further in my understanding of your love for me. Help me to grow in my love and understanding of You as You always do. Thank you for humbling me further today, Lord Jesus. I fear I will never understand all that you have done for us, but I am so grateful for You. I thank you Lord. I love you Lord. In the name of Jesus do I pray, Amen.
-kenneth lee
Matthew 7 - 8.1.24
Matthew 7:24-27
S - 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
O – Here we read about the parable of two builders. Jesus teaches the importance of building our house on solid ground. We’re all building our lives on something. When everything is going well and life is great, a weak or shaky foundation won’t reveal itself. But how often is everything going great?! In MY world, and probably yours too..... stress, anxiety, problems, and struggles come at us almost daily, if not hourly. I’ve been working with the hourly the past couple months. Those are the times when the winds are really blowing and the rain is beating down on our houses. Those are also the times when we will become aware of just how firm our foundation is – or isn’t.
A - The “house” we are building is a metaphor for our whole lives. It represents our faith, our jobs, our relationships, our health, etc. The entire house must rest on a solid foundation, not just a few parts. It’s very easy for us to compartmentalize our lives without even being aware of it. Instead of an organic whole, our lives look more like colorful pie charts with hard lines dividing the sections.
We go to church on Sundays, and we may even participate in a weekly Bible study or small group. A daily quiet time of study and prayer is part of our routine. We feel like that “slice of our pie” is strong. We’ve checked the boxes, we are “doing fine” there. And then we consciously or unconsciously leave Jesus in His pie slice. We move on to our vocational slice, our parenting slice, or our recreational slice, and leave our faith completely out. It’s as though we don’t think Jesus has anything to do with those areas. But He has everything to do with them!
Some troubles are small, persistent and annoying. Some are more troublesome. And some storms are swift, unexpected, and overwhelming. How we pass through the storms is the difference between a life that stands on God’s foundation and one that collapses in on itself. There is no comparison between a life founded on the Word of God and a life floundering without it. (thewildolive.org)
Luke 6:48-49 (The Message) 48-49 “If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss.”
One of my favorite songs and one I needed to hear today: https://youtu.be/noAVrvmZrUA?si=0X56rv4pfwsDvYpB
P – Jesus, as I have in recent months felt like a floundering idiot, I know that you are still with me and will keep me from sinking. Help me to continue to grow in my faith, to stay connected to You and Your Word, so that I do better than survive the daily frustrations and pains, and that I THRIVE under Your continued guidance. Help each of us to always reach for You, our anchor, our life vest, and our protector, in ALL storms of life. Thank you for reminding me that I am safe, that You are faithful, and You won’t fail me, and I AM going to make it through. May we have the foundation built that keeps us standing strong through anything so that we have the strength to lift up our brothers and sisters in need, as well as the ones who have yet to begin a relationship with you. As iron sharpens iron, help us to help others to begin to build their own foundation upon You.
- Crystal Flory
Matthew 6 - 7.31.24
Scripture
Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Observation
This chapter is full of so much wisdom and instruction: the Lord’s Prayer, warnings about serving God with the right intentions, warnings about the love of money, and admonitions that worrying shows a lack of faith. But as I read the chapter over a number of times, I realized that the focus was ultimately on one thing – putting God first.
Application
Matthew 22:37-38
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the FIRST and greatest commandment.
Matthew 6:9-10
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.”
The FIRST thing we should pray is for His will to be done – in all things. We learned on Sunday that the tithe is the FIRST of our income. If we are putting God FIRST, we won’t be tempted to perform in our serving, our giving, our fasting, our prayers because it is for Him rather than for us.
Jesus says if we put our focus and priority on Him, He will meet our needs.
We are to make God’s sovereign rule, and a right relationship with Him, the highest priority in life. Worry is inconsistent with this priority; it doubts the sovereignty or goodness of God and distracts from the true goals of life. God will meet all the needs of those who risk all for Him. ESV Reformation Study Bible
Prayer
Lord, thank you for this reminder today that my ONE job is to put my focus on You. You promise to guide me and direct me and make my paths straight when I follow You. You promise to love me and provide for me. Help me to remember to stand upon Your promises and focus my eyes on You in good times and in bad.
- Debbie Dunn