OT: The Book of Numbers, Chapter 9

Numbers 9:1-23

9:1-14 God reasserts the importance of the Passover. The messiah, Jesus, became our Passover and so we now celebrate Him. The importance of the celebration is to keep the tether between soul and God strong: to remember His promises and blessings and presence in our lives. 

9:15-23 The children of Israel are instructed to follow God's direction. God symbolizes His presence as a cloud above their tabernacle in the day, and as a fire at night. He is shelter and light! The height of the cloud will determine whether the children of Israel are to make camp or journey on.

Although God does not exactly appear as a cloud or fire to most of us, He does make His presence known other other ways if we are giving Him our attention. He guides us, gently telling us when to rest and when to rise and walk. Our connections with Him are all unique. How He reaches one person is different from how He reaches another; He knows how to grab and retain our attention. The children of Israel trust in His timing... when He says to wait for two days, a month or a year, they wait! When He says to move, they do not hesitate to act. 

We will revisit this topic of trust in God in Numbers 11:20. Our generation especially is exceptionally bad at waiting (and subsequently, at trusting).

OT: The Book of Numbers, Chapter 7-8

Numbers 7:1-89

This chapter is made up of the Offerings of the Leaders.

Numbers 8:1-28

This chapter covers the arrangements of Lamps (no longer pertinent to our lives). It also contains instruction for the cleasing and dedication of the Levites.

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 6

Numbers 6:1-27

6:1-21 These verses speak of fasting and because we have the benefit of the New Testament, we have more updated instruction from God through Jesus regarding the practice.

Matthew 6:16-18 “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

God wants the practice of fasting to be a personal and solemn exchange between Himself and you. He wants for it to be a sacred time, a time through which you can purely receive His instruction and encourage. For that to happen, we must separate ourselves from distractions... from anything or anyone but Him.

6:22-27 The Lord gave this beautiful and selfless prayer to Moses:

The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.

Remember that we learned the power of intercessory prayer from Abraham, Genesis 18. Remember this prayer when you are speaking with God. The most sincere way to God's heart is to have compassion for others. Let's examine the contents of the prayer.

The Lord bless you and keep you: We often pray for specific things for others when the most comprehensive prayer we could pray for them would be to pray for God to bless and keep them. For God to continually fill their lives with what He knows they need. For God to claim them as His own because we know how mercifully and generously God loves His children.

The Lord make His face shine upon you: We should pray for God's love and watchful spirit to be all over the lives of those we pray for. His warmth is an incomparable comfort. As long as He is looking at their lives, they are covered from all sides. 

And be gracious to you: God's grace is a safety net. It is also the gentle hand, word and place to rest our bodies so often crave. The type of kindness in the world can never match God's level of kindness. His grace is the light of life.

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you: Pray for those you love to have God's full attention, to have access not only to His love but also His wise word and firm truth... His guiding Hand and welcoming lap of peace.

And give you peace: In an often restless world, pray for the people you encounter to have God's peace. He is the only one with the balm which is able to salve the wounds life often inflicts. He gives rests to our bodies, our minds, our spirits... our lives. Allow Him to decide what the recipients of your prayers need. Notice that God's advice to Moses is not to tell people to pray for food for others or shelter, wealth or fame or friendship... God knows what our souls need to be fulfilled. God knows that we often do not know what our souls need to be fulfilled. 

Pray for these things for others and blessings will naturally abound and flow into your own life as well. Let God decide the specifics. Pray for Him to be with you and everything else is taken care of by Him.

OT: The Book of Numbers, Chapter 5

Numbers 5:1-31

5:1-4 Moses is instructed by God to separate the people with contagious illnesses from the rest. This is not a punishment but a health precaution for the healthy.

5:5-10 God teaches Moses that a person who is guilty and seeking forgiveness must right their wrong. They must offer back what they took from their victim, plus 1/5 more. If the victim is unable to receive the restitution (the restoration of what they had), the culprit should make the donation to the church. 

5:11-31 Unfaithful spouses were encouraged to settle their disputes in front of the eyes of God. Their methods are a bit antiquated but essentially the process was to have the person confess the truth before God.

OT: The Book of Numbers, Chapter 1-4

Numbers 1:1-51

The Book of Numbers was originally named "Arithmoi" in the Greek and "Bəmiḏbar" in the Hebrew, meaning: In the wilderness (a much more adventurous name!). It is the fourth book of the Bible and the continuation of the children of Israel's journey out of enslavement.

1:1-4 Numbers begins and ends with a census. This large group needs organization and recolonization, after all, they are embarking on a massive journey -- confronting obstacle and enemy and other challenges along the terrain. They do not need to organize for God's benefit because He knows who we each are, Luke 12:7 and Psalm 139.

1:5-46 Census is taken of the families and ancestry of individuals.

1:47-50 The Levites (of the tribe of Levi) were not counted. This is a pattern in the Bible: those most committed to God are never assigned any specific portion of land because God is their (our) home: Deuteronomy 18:2 and Joshua 13:38 for example.

1:51 The children of Israel are still listening to God... and therefore, they are prospering. The children of Israel, however, have wavered in faith before (remember their moaning and complaining during the Exodus out of Egypt?) and will again.

Numbers, Chapters 1-4, are composed of the organization of the tribes within the group known as the children of Israel. Do not forget that "the children of Israel" are the generations born of Jacob, son of Isaac and Rebekah. God changed Jacob's name to Israel.

For an outline of the chapter we are about to begin, watch this illustration by The Bible Project. The Bible Project is a great supplementary resource to any Bible Study journey. One can never have too many biblical resources as long as they are rooted in truth and the word.

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 27

Leviticus 27:1-34

27:1-34 We have reached the end of Leviticus. It can be a difficult book of the Bible to relate to because many of the practices have been made defunct by God. We are many, many generations beyond when this was written, so God created the New Testament to relate to us in a more modern way (Hallelujah!).

The main take-away(s) from this chapter:

• Sacrificial Offering has been cancelled by God: Isaiah 1:11 and Hosea 6:6.

• Compassion reigns over vengeance: Matthew 5:38.

• The separation of corrupt and pure (all of the children of Israel's efforts were to understand that concept). 1 Corinthians 15:50.

• We no longer need a spokesperson; we are enabled by God to communicate with Him directly, Psalm 34:17-19.

• Even though we frequently stray away from Him, He will always welcome us back. Leviticus 26:44-45.

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 26

Leviticus 26:1-46

26:1 We frequently mistake this idea of idol worship as being an antiquated practice. Yet in our own time frame, we have, as a society, created our own idols. Iterations of wealth, fame and power have diverted our social conscious from the Will and Way of God. If He is not our director, direction and destination, something else is standing in His place(s). And whatever it is that stands in what is rightfully His place is not leading us on the right path. If He is not in those places, we are walking away from our divinely ordained purpose.

In order to examine and determine if we have placed Him in those three places, we have to look at the details of our life, soul, heart, words, thoughts and actions. It is easy for us to flippantly believe that we have our values shorted out... it is another thing entirely to prove and exemplify that we do. Prove to Him and to ourselves. What keeps us up at night? Are we worried about serving Him better or about serving ourselves? Are the thinking about what we want or are we being grateful for having what we need?

If we tie our happiness to anything but Him... that is idol worship. The only thing we need to be focused on is Him. He's going to lead us to exactly where we need to be. To where we can be the most effective here on earth... where we can make the most profound improvements here. 

26:2 We are meant to keep His rest... and to revere Him as our sanctuary. He is the only rest that is permanent. He is the only sanctuary that is safe. He does not command us to keep these commandments because He's bossy... He's actually a relaxed parent; He doles freedom out abundantly. He encourages us to keep Him as our rest and sanctuary because only He knows how to invigorate us during that time and in that space. And He knows that we need His invigoration. We are so susceptible to weariness: we often do not understand our journey here and we frequently have no idea how to traverse it. He knows how to disintegrate that weariness and replace it with hope and courage.

26:3-4 Read this verse in a figurative sense: God is going to provide the materials we need to produce. He is going to ensure that during a time of labor (life here on earth) we have the materials and equipment to come out of this season and into a season of abundant harvest. We are going to create and produce because He enables us. John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." God has plans for you to bear fruit. What you produce on the earth matters. Let what you produce be from Him, pure and abundant and good.

26:5 He is going to fill us... with overflow! He loves us and wants to provide for us. He never leaves us alone with scraps. He is always present and offering an overflow of His love and safety. Nothing can permeate the sphere of protection He places around us... not evil, not scarcity, nothing... no-thing, no-person.

26:6 His protection is complete: omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent! Lets look at these definitions of Who our creator, our Father is; let's look at these three traits of His that are constantly available to us and working for us as individuals:

• Omniscient: Knowing everything. Well, that's convenient. God knows so much that we (limited beings that we are) cannot even understand the full scope of that definition. He knows thing we cannot even see! He knows the details of things we cannot even conceive of. He knows all that is inside of us and outside of us. He contemporaneously knows all things! He knows past, present and future. He knows what we need and what we want. He knows. Everything. He is never blindsided. He isn't missing anything. He's planning for everything. He happily carries all of our burdens. They are not burdens to Him. He always sees a way out and a way through. He knows how to lead... let Him do what He is best at: loving, leading and knowing.

• Omnipotent: Unlimited power, able to do anything. Our God cannot be challenged: not by any thing, man, entity or force. He has complete control. He gives us a lot of freedom here on earth because He is patient and generous... because He knows that we are children in need of schooling (earth = our hands-on-classroom). Yet our freedom is still under His power. It is given and maintained by Him. Its length and nature has been decided by Him. Give Him permission to implement this perfect power in your life. He has given us the generous freedom and opportunity to choose... choose Him. Let yourself be absorbed by His power.

• Omnipresent: Widely, constantly encountered; widespread. He is present in all places and spaces. He is at our beck and call no matter where we are or where we go. He is present and listening. He's ready and willing. He's competent and able. In every place! We do not have to be somewhere specific to access Him. He is around and within us. Emmanuel: God with us, Matthew 1:23.

26:7-8 You and God are a majority. No number of enemies or worries or fears can overtake you if you recruit God, if you become an army with God. Your enemies do not just back down... they flee you! God's protection and power is fierce. Claim your Inheritance, He is holding out His hand. 

26:9 God gives us the reason why we do not have to fear or worry about any enemy or circumstance: For I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm My covenant with you. What more could we possibly need? God has promised to fulfill us. He has promised to reaffirm His blessings. By Him we will be made fruitful... we will be continuously loved. He's going to multiply our harvest.

26:10 God constantly, consistently provides. He replaces one blessing with another and another. As God taught the children of Israel in the wilderness... eat now, take what is provided and do not worry about what is next. God is next. God is always next when we are rooted in faith. We do not have to worry about what is coming or what is around the corner because we have placed our omnipresent God there! He is in every space -- seen and unseen! God was, God is, God will be. He's in every place. 

26:11 God has offered to reside within us... the most accessible place. He has promised to love us from within us. We would not have even known to ask that of Him... yet there it is: He has offered to be our everything. Our provider. Our home. An omniscient lodger in our hearts and omnipotent lodger souls.

One of the most beautiful declarations God has made to us is in this verse: He will not abhor us. As a species, we have done a lot of abhor-able things. Deplorable things. Even on an individual level, our mistakes could have been enough for Him to turn His heart away from us... but He never does! And He promises that He never will. He's always going to be present and available and loving.

26:12 The capabilities of His omnipresence are written here: He promises to walk among us. From the divine place that He is... He offers to walk with us here... in this imperfect and challenging place. He does not have to do that; He chooses to do that. He can be in this place with us. He can be within us. All He waits for is an invitation.

26:13 God has broken the chains of the things that try to imprison us. As God's children we are slaves to NO-thing and NO-person. God even frees us from ourselves. From our mistakes. From our shortcomings. From our circumstances (even if we caused them ourselves). He frees us and then makes us stronger and smarter and more capable. He enables us to walk upright: in Him, we no longer have to walk hunched over in self-consciousness or brokenness or in inferiority. To Him we are important and purposeful, beautiful and wise. He builds up our best characteristics and fixes our worst.

26:14-17 Yet if we reject Him... if we become oppressors, we can expect to stumble and fail. If we become oppressors, we face all of those powerful characteristics of His we just talked about. He cannot be defeated. He's constantly busy clearing oppressors OUT of the way. Diminishing them. Disintegrating their works. His wrath is poured out over injustice. That should be a comfort to you.

26:18-20 As our Parent, God knows how to right our wrongs. He knows how to knock us down out of arrogance and into a state of humility. 1 Peter 5:10  But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

26:21-22 Without God's protection, we are vulnerable to the harsh reality of life here. God is the only complete protection that we have... He's also the only protection that we need. Opposing Him is to reject that protection. To reject Him is to choose trial and tribulation... not as a punishment but as a subsequent reality. 

26:23 Allow God to reform you. When a bone heals improperly, the only way to fix it is to reform it. The process may be painful but the result is perfection. Health. Regrowth can be difficult but through God is is worthwhile. When we walk contrary to His Way and His will, we break our figurative bones. Come back to Him and be healed. Let Him reset every brokenness inside of you. 

26:24 God tries to make this simple for us. When we leave His side... we become His opposition. We just learned that nothing that opposes Him prevails. Think of it this way: If God is the ocean, powerful and abundant and widespread... our best decision would be to become a part of that force. If we decide to oppose the ocean's force instead... then we have to constantly battle it.

26:25-26 Only God knows how to fill us. Not only does He provide, He provides precisely what our souls need. We often do not even know what we need. We think we know what we want... we rarely know what we need, Romans 8:26. Our Father knows what we need. Relent to His love. Give Him permission in every crevice of your life and soul -- because as soon as He is welcomed into those places, He's going to nourish those places.

This is something God reaffirms in other places in the Bible: when people try to fill themselves with material things and selfish wants they are never properly filled or satisfied. Micah 6:14, Joel 20:26 and take a closer look at Isaiah 55:2 "Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance."

God implores us to listen carefully to Him: He knows what we need. He knows how to fill every need we have. Notice the word He chooses to use... abundance. He fills us to the point of abundance! He gives us more than we even need because He is that good. That capable. That generous.

26:27-35 This is a warning from God. To oppose Him is to choose to walk a difficult life. To abandon Him is to cut oneself off from all of His blessings and provisions. Nothing prospers outside of His sphere. He is THE life-giver. Away from Him, life withers. This diatribe should come as a comfort to us... for it is God's words to our enemies. It is a message to those who oppose Him and we certainly never would want to choose that path.

26:36-39 God completely destabilizes evil. After we complete this schooling that is life on earth, that which is evil is destroyed. Forever. For good. For goodness to prosper evil is destroyed. And even here on earth, when one of His children calls out to Him, He immediately appears and begins to orchestrate their rescue. 

26:40-43 God finishes this emphatic declaration against evil with the beautiful purity that is His default, inherent self: if we remember Him... He will remember us. No matter how far we strayed... no matter for how long we've strayed. If we turn our focus back to Him. If we give Him our heart and our love and our soul to be reformed, He will be present.

He will remember His covenant. He will remember the land. Every place we plant our feet or rest our body will be under His care once again. Our Father posses an extraordinary amount of patience, forgiveness, mercy and love. Even if we go AGAINST Him... He welcomes us back. We learn this most emphatically from the apostle Paul. In Acts 22 Paul owns up to all of his gruesome mistakes against God and God's children.

Yet Paul turned His heart to God and allowed God to reform Him. Not only did God forgive Paul... and deeply love Paul... He also gave Him a divine purpose! God allowed Paul to personally pour the foundation of this faith -- Christianity would not have been the same without his work and faith. Paul went boldly, fiercely against Christianity... but God welcomed Him back.

26:44-45 One of the most gentle and generous things God steadfastly does is claim us. He says it here: I am the LORD their (our) God. Mess and all, He claims us. No matter how messy we get. No matter how ugly we act. He gives us the right and truth to declare that we are His.

There is so much beauty in that. We are that awkward, embarrassing kid with the braces and the acne and the bad attitude... we're that person with the outdated dance moves everyone is laughing at... the kid who misses the basket and loses the game, the one who backs into a pole... and God looks at us in a room, a world full of people and declares: that's my baby. That's my girl. That's my boy. He's the proud Parent who never gives up on us. Who never loves less and always loves more. He loves our quirks. He empathizes with our hurts. He claims all of us. Every atom of our body. Every energy within our soul. He claims. It's His. We are His.

What is so tremendously beautiful is that He loves us whether we deserve it or not. The depths His kindness are staggeringly generous. We do not have to earn His love... but in order to have it, to claim it, we have to choose Him. Choose His way of life.

26:46 These are the declarations God made to our ancestors... and promised to offer to their posterity (that's us!). Claim Him as emphatically as He claims us. These promises are offered to you by God... welcome these blessings into your life.

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 25

Leviticus 25:1-55

Leviticus 25:1-55 This chapter is a series of celebrations and laws that are no longer pertinent to our more modern way of life. Our celebrations are now rooted in Jesus (specifically His Birth and Resurrection). Moreover, we have governmental systems of law and order that are (for the most part) endeavoring to be just for all citizens in our current time period.

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 24

Leviticus 24:1-23

24:1-23 Much of the Book of Leviticus has been corrected and rewritten by God through Jesus. This chapter calls us to journey to those corrections, specifically in Matthew 5:38-42 and John 8:1-11.

The New Testament came at a time when the world needed a jump-start in faith. God had promised not to flood the earth again, Genesis 9:15, but He needed a profound way to reach out to His children once again. It seems that we, as a species, have a pattern of repeating mistakes. As generations pass, we get further away from Him...despite His urging to keep near. 

Even in the very beginning, people missed the message of love given by God. He is merciful and forgiving. He values life above all else and because He knows that compassion sustains life, He would never give a command that is not compassionate. At times in this book of Leviticus, and in this chapter for certain, that God's message is tainted. Now we journey to the books of Matthew and John to understand why.

Matthew 5:38-42 We learn from God that we are to be abundantly COMPASSIONATE rather than vengeful.

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

John 8:1-11 We are not meant to be violent; we are meant to be just and humble. We are imperfect (all of us, without exception) and we are not meant to condemn or label others. Our individual lives are God's business. Unless someone is harming an innocent, we are not meant to be the executioners of punishment. It is not our right to determine a person's worthiness. 

1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught  in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 23

Leviticus 23:1-44

23:1 The following verses cover the Feats of the Lord. Christ came as the embodiment of these celebrations (therefore: those who believe in the New Testament have replaced these practices with Jesus, 1 Corinthians 5:7.

23:2-44 Essentially these feasts are meant to inspire faith and remembrance of God. They are of particular importance to the Jewish faith however Christians have replaced them with Christ.

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 22

Leviticus 22:1-33

22:1-3 God is bringing a new concept to the earth and humanity: compassionate societal order. It is a grand idea but an even more beautiful truth. It is important that the children of Israel are able to separate earthly things from God Himself. Without the separation, they kept falling into the practice of polytheism and idol worship of inanimate objects.

22:4-9 Here is a reiteration of the health and cleanliness laws (an introduction to germ theory!).

22:10-16 A continuation of the separation between what is holy and what is earthly. As a species, we need(ed) to grasp this concept of separation between earth and spiritual. These were the elementary stages of that understanding.

22:17-33 Sacrificial offerings are now a God-proclaimed defunct practice: Isaiah 1:11 and Hosea 6:6. The offerings we now make to God are actions of compassion. We offer Him our time and our effort. Our heart and soul. On behalf of Him and through Him, we bring love and justice into the world instead of focusing on selfish lifestyles.

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 21

Leviticus 21:1-24

21:1-9 We have insight that those during the context of Leviticus' writing did not have. We have the insight of Jesus and the New Testament. We know of the conduct God calls us to have... all of us, not just teachers of the faith. We have been called and invited by God to each be participants and propellants of this faith, 1 Corinthians 3:9.

We are called by God to love Him and to love others, to represent Him: 2 Corinthians 10:5. We are called to sync our thoughts, words and actions. Our behavior must reflect our values because we are all examples to others. It is important that we are just and compassionate in every aspect of our lives: who we choose to marry, how we raise our children, how we interact with strangers and friends.  We are to teach respect by being respectful individuals.

21:10-15 As representations of God, we are to be beautiful in our simple nature. We do not need design or celebrity to stand out or to be productive in Him. Our ancestors in these books of the Bible are not unlike we are: they too become entangled in prejudice and judgement at times. God loves all people... in fact, He gravitates toward the "lowly" because He knows they (maybe we!) need Him most, Mark 2:17. Nobody is tainted by mistakes in their past. With God, through God, we are each a clean slate... every single time we come to Him, 1 John 1:9.

21:16-24 God loves the meek. The humble. The prejudices and character flaws of the people of this time (not entirely dissimilar to us) leak through here (yet remember how Jesus deals with the people despised by society: John 8:1-11. Remember that Moses himself has a speech impediment and yet God chose him as His spokesperson! Remember that God loves each child and the disabled especially have purpose divined by Him: John 9:1-3. Through humility we enter into His grace! When we allow our faith to disintegrate all of the ways we are arrogant, cruel or ignorant, we make space for miracles to come through us from God.

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 20

Leviticus 20:1-27

Moses gave these commandments from God to the children of Israel because they had no law or order. They were in disarray: spiritually, morally, socially. We now have established systems of government (our job is to keep them just). 

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 19

Leviticus 19:1-37

The following are an reminder of God's commandments: be just, be clean, eat healthily, treat the disabled with compassion!

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 18

Leviticus 18:1-30

This chapter covers sexual morality (No incest! No bestiality!)

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 17

Leviticus 17:1-16

Abstain from eating blood! Easy enough, right?

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 16

Leviticus 16:1-34

Sacrifice is now a defunct practice, therefore this chapter need not be studied (Isaiah 1:11, Hosea 6:6).

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 15

Leviticus 15:1-31

As humans have made massive advancements in health, this chapter (which seeks to promote cleanliness) need not be studied.

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 14

Leviticus 14:1-54

Leprosy is now a curable illness (Hallelujah! Thanks God!) Therefore it is unnecessary to dissect this chapter which meant to prohibit the spread of the illness. Sacrifice is also a defunct practice (Hosea 6:6, Isaiah 1:11).

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 13

Leviticus 13:1-59

Leprosy is now a curable illness (Hallelujah! Thanks God!) Therefore it is unnecessary to dissect this chapter which meant to prohibit the spread of the illness.

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 12

Leviticus 12:1-8

12:1-5 Childbirth guidelines are given (to protect health of mother and child) but again, our society has this fairly well-covered at this point.

12:6-8 Sacrifice is now defunct! Isaiah 1:11 “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” Says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats."

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 11

Leviticus 11:1-47

11:1 Moses delivers God's commandments concerning animals. These commandments are given in regard to the health of the human body.

11:2-8 Humans should only consume animals with divided hooves and which "chew the cud" (specific way of chewing and swallowing). Yet from that group, the following animals are deemed unhealthy: camel, rock hyrax, hare, and swine.

11:9-12 Safe water animals to eat: whatever has fins and scales (rivers or sea). Anything without fins and scales is unhealthy.

11:13-19 Birds which should not be consumed: eagle, vulture, buzzard, kite, falcon, raven, ostrich, short-eared owl, seagull, hawk, little owl, fisher owl, screech owl, white owl, jackdaw, carrion vulture, stork, heron, hoopoe and the bat.

11:20-23 All flying insects that walk in four limbs should not be eaten, except: "those which have jointed legs above their feet with which to leap on the earth, locust, cricket, grasshopper. (Most of us do not need any encouragement abstain from eating insects).

11:24-28 Humans are not to touch the carcasses of these animals. Added clarification: no animals divided feet.

11:29-38 Do not eat: mole, mouse, lizard, gecko, sand reptile, sand lizard, chameleon. Moses also encourages humans not to contaminate water with these animals.

11:39-40 Clean self after exposure to carcasses! Our health system is well advanced (we, thankfully, know these things).

11:41-45 Do not eat: anything that crawls on its belly (gladly listen to that one!) God iterates His wisdom: everything He tells us or gives to us is for our benefit. 

11:46-47 Moses proclaims this law of animals and birds (land and water) which should not be consumed.

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 10

Leviticus 10:1-20

10:1-2 Nadab and Abihu make the mistake of profaning the faith. Since we know that the extend of God's mercy is boundless for His faithful children, we can deduce that Nadab and Abihu's mistake was in opposition to God.

10:3 Moses asks God about Aaron's sons and God replies that all of His children and partakers of His faith must respect Who He is: justice, compassion, selflessness.

10:4-7 Moses calls Mishael and Elzaphan, family of Aaron's, to him. Moses gives them the tabernacle requirements and insists that they must adhere to God' will. In order for this faith to flourish, God needed a body of faithful people willing to follow His will. We know how easily distracted humans can be (even, maybe especially, in our own generation) and therefore we can understand the importance of God's strict establishment of this faith as it began.

10:8 The Lord speaks to Aaron and delivers the conduct which must be followed by teachers of His faith: no alcohol in the tabernacle. We are encouraged away from alcohol throughout the Bible, for example: Proverbs 20:1.

10:9-10-11 In abstaining from alcohol, humans are better able to distinguish truth from deception, justice from injustice, right from wrong. God knows that a sober and focused mind is more beneficially productive and effective.

10:12-20 The ability to follow these routines is important in establishing solidity in faith. Humanity needs to start small and work their way up to a more existential understanding of God. In our own time, we have graduated from these rudimentary principles and therefore we will not spend much time on them.

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 9

Leviticus 9:1-24

Aaron and his sons undergo the antiquated process of becoming teachers of the faith.

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 8

Leviticus 8:1-36

Aaron and his sons are consecrated as teachers of the faith.

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 7

Leviticus 7:1-38

7:1-10 The Law of the Trespass Offering is given. Again, these instructions are irrelevant to us. God abolished the practice of sacrifice, Hosea 6:6.

7:11-21 The Law of Peace offerings, also defunct.

7:22-27 Health laws are given (it is bad for humans to consume blood and fat of animals).

7:28-38 Aaron and his sons were the first established teachers of the faith.

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 6

Leviticus 6:1-30

6:1-7 These first 7 verses of this chapter are about restoration. We are each guilty of some level of destruction; intentionally or unintentionally, our clumsiness causes us to make errors. Leviticus 6 explains to us how to deal with the intentional destruction we cause: when we lie, manipulate or steal. In order to have the benefits of redemption, it is required that we restore what we took, tainted or dishonored with untruths. 

In the  context of the writing of Leviticus, people reached God through others... but we have no such limitation. Our access to God is direct. Our redemptive work instantly received by God. We are urged not only to restore but to add value to that which we ruined. We are given to by our God in exact manner: gifts from Him exceed our past circumstances.

Ultimately, we are called to be like Him.

6:8-13 The Law of the Burnt Offering is covered but is irrelevant to us now: God does not want our burnt offerings, Hosea 6:6. He wants us to be merciful souls. He wants us to inherently crave restoration over destruction.

6:14-23 The Law of the Grain offering is covered here. What we need to understand about the nature of offerings to God is that they are meant to keep us fixed on Him. For when we remember that He is our source, we discontinue sourcing from corrupt places and people. We offer Him the only thing we have: that which He has already given to us.

We reserve some of the best of what He has given us when we acknowledge its value. We show our gratitude for it when we offer it. And what is the most direct way to offer to Him? Offers to others, Matthew 25:31-46. Our ability and willingness to give back to Him exemplifies to Him that we trust Him to restore our supply. We do not need to hoard anything because He continues to fill our basket. The more readily we empty it out in service of Him and others, the more plentifully He fills the basket.

6:24-30 The law of Sin Offering is covered here. We are called to acknowledge the ways and times in which we are intentionally cruel or unjust or untruthful. Until we own our mistakes, we are enslaved by ignorance. We must examine our actions and identify our motives. If we do not acknowledge our flaw, we cannot ever correct it.

These offerings were meant to be sobering moments: to remind the participants of the value and fragility of life. They were meant to display the cruelty and seriousness of disregarding life. God wants us to know that selfish cruelty is a direct threat and extinguisher of life.

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 5

Leviticus 5:1-19

5:1 A person, if they know and have witnessed the truth, must always speak it.

5:2-3 These are health laws: people are not meant to touch unclean things, human or animal.

5:4 People are meant to take their oaths seriously. When we make a promise or a commitment, we must keep it.

5:5-6 We must take responsibility for our actions. We must also take action toward correcting our mistakes and growing from them (atonement).

5:7-13 Specifics of offerings are given. These are defunct for us: Hosea 6:6 God explains that He does not want out "burnt offerings."

5:14-16 When we make mistakes unintentionally, we must still acknowledge them in order to grow from them.

17:-19 Even when a person does not realize they are breaking commandments, they are still responsible for the destruction caused. The good news it, God helps us to rebuild! 

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 4

Leviticus 4:1-35

4:1-35 The instructions for a sin-offering are given.

We now combat our transgressions through repentance. We do not require a physical symbol of our sin; we are able to speak directly and honestly with God about our mistakes. Repentance is a promise and also a gentle mercy from God. Not only is the opportunity a blessing, but so is the reason and the outcome. God offers repentance because He wants to help us. It hurts Him to see us broken, living broken and breaking others.

The process of repentance is God love illuminating our lives. Through time spent with Him, He sends revelations. He teaches us about ourselves, about the world, communities and homes and circumstances we live in. He broadens our perspective and then gives us the perception to understand and interpret. He reveals our brokenness and then offers to heal. 

The process of sin-offering was a primitive step to doing the aforementioned. God has always created ways for us to reach Him and to receive His mercy and wisdom. The same thing is required for both: our willingness and our faith. God does not require us to repent because He wants to punish... no, God wants to HEAL and healing happens through compassionate discipline. Instruction. 

When we present our mistakes to Him, He is able to see all sides of it. All of the areas that need healing and caused harm. It then becomes a mutual effort: God gives us the knowledge and the opportunity to improve. Participating is repentance. To become an actively-participant student of His is to repent. 

When we give God our trust, we make this declaration: I do not know better. In fact, maybe I know nothing at all. But you do God. You know all things; you are willing to teach. I present myself to You as a student. I want to learn. I want to work. I want to participate in my own growth led by You.

Our declaration is an iteration of something a man named John said once before in John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease. We must give God the room to fill the spaces we have crowded with our own misguided desires. We must never let His blessings become blocked by resistance. Sometimes we do not even realize that any resistance exists: we cram our hearts with desires we think we want and think we need but are actually bad for us. We cram our thoughts and motivate our actions in pursuit of things that might not necessarily be bad but are not as good as God wants to give.

Stop blocking blessings with unworthy things. Decrease. Drain those desires. Make space for Him. Clear your heart and soul and mind and allow Him to pour in. His love and wisdom and blessing is a cleansing. It all It all starts with making the declaration.

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 3

Leviticus 3:1-17

3:1-17 The procedure for peace offering is explained (remember this animal sacrifice is now defunct, Hosea 6:6 and Matthew 9:13). God's intention is to teach the children of Israel the cost of corruption. They must learn that amends must be made after committing crimes. They must learn the value of and the way to peace.

We now understand where our peace comes from without sacrifice:

Colossians 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Hebrews 12:14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

We now understand that the way to peace is God. Furthermore, we understand that through manifesting peace we receive it:

James 3:18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

The reason why we are able to understand this concept is because of the preliminary work God does with the children of Israel in these first books of the Bible. He brought this concept to humanity. Through His arduous work and care, we developed the consciousness to understand. Humanity in its infancy was not ready to mentally tackle existentialism as we now do. God helped us get here.

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 2

Leviticus 2:1-16

2:1-16 The procedure for grain offerings is explained.

We give to Him our best in grateful service, in response to all that He freely gives. For He gives us the best of Him. How do we make offerings to God in our current day? The answer is given in the New Testament:

Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus teaches us that we make offerings to Him when we make offerings to those in need:

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ 

41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ 

44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The most profound offering we can make to God is a live lived for, by and through Him. He's shown us the way. We learnof His preliminary work through these Old Testament chapters but He ties it all together for us. Then and now His mission is the same: to lead and love His children in righteousness, light and life.

OT: The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 1

Leviticus 1:1-17

The Book of Leviticus is God's attempt to create a bridge between Himself and humanity. It is the very beginning of a long and evolutionary process. Many of the instructions God gives to the children of Israel are antiquated now but were pertinent to the development of faith and understanding of God in the time and context of their lives.

1:1 God calls to Moses with further instructions for the children of Israel. Although they have repeatedly pledged themselves to God, the children of Israel lived in a much different world than we do. The world was even more corrupt than it is now, law and order barely existed. People did not have the somewhat socially-reinforced moral compass that we have now. Up until this point, God had dealt with individual families. He is now ready to expand. This massive group is soon to become a nation (the fulfillment of a promise God made to Abraham in Genesis) and in order for that to happen, God needs to prepare this people.

1:2 The most important first step to becoming a nation (literally, or a figurative, powerful self) is to establish a sturdy foundation in God. God needed the children of Israel to understand sin and atonement. In a more faithfully-primitive world, sacrifice was the method which enabled people to understand the price of their corruption. 

In Hosea 6:6 and Matthew 9:13 God declares His true intention in regard to sacrifice:

• Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
• Matthew 9:13 ...I desire mercy and not sacrifice...

1:3-14 Because animal sacrifice is now defunct, it is unnecessary to study in-depth the process. However verses 3-14 do contain the instructions for the children of Israel. 

OT: The Book of Exodus, Chapter 40

Exodus 40:1-38

40:1-33 Moses arranges the contents of the tabernacle as God planned.

40:34-38 God filled the space which would be the place for worship, blessing it. The children of Israel used the presence of the Lord (symbolized by a cloud above the tabernacle) to determine when to journey and when to stay. God gives us direction throughout night and day when we are willing to trust Him.

OT: The Book of Exodus, Chapter 39

Exodus 39:1-43

39:1-7 Ephod: Elaborate garment worn by the high priest. Details of the Ephod are given.

39:8-21 Details of the Breast-piece are given.

39:22-31 Details of the Priestly garments are given.

39:32-41 Details of the Tabernacle are given.

39:42-43 The children of Israel complete building according to God's exact specifications. Moses finishes inspecting the work, approves, and blesses them.

OT: The Book of Exodus, Chapter 38

Exodus 38:1-31

38:1-7 Details of the Altar of Burnt-Offerings are given.

• Burnt-offering practices are now defunct, Hosea 6:6.

38:8 Details of the Basin for Washing are given.

38:9-17 Details of the Courtyard are given.

38:18-20 The materials used are listed.

OT: The Book of Exodus, Chapter 37

Exodus 37:1-29

Specifications for the following are listed.

37:1-9 The Ark of the Testimony

37:10-16 The Table for the Show-bread

37:17-24 The Gold Lamp-stand

37:25-28 The Altar of Incense

37:29 The Anointing Oil and Incense

OT: The Book of Exodus, Chapter 36

Exodus 36:1-38

36:1 When we establish our purpose with God, He then builds us. He tailors us to our purpose; from Him we receive the wisdom and understanding we need to accomplish our works as artisans. Our gifts from God vary because there are multitudes of ways an individual can bring His beauty into the world. Yet no matter what our "art" is, if we make Him our muse and source of inspiration and material, what we do becomes a masterpiece. 

36:2-5 The artists, these humans gifted by God, are so awed and grateful for His gifts that they begin to offer to Him more than was suggested. They are pouring their gratitude out to Him.

36:6-7 There was so much material offered that very quickly, the artists had everything they needed to fulfill God's instructions for the building of the tabernacle. This is how God provides. Abundantly and without delay. The brilliance and strength of His love inspires His children to be like Him: readily generous. When they set out on a task in His name, it is done with exuberance. 

36:8-37 Listed are the details of the tabernacle.

OT: The Book of Exodus, Chapter 35

Exodus 35:1-35

35:1 Moses gathers everyone together, he's ready to pass onto them all of the instruction he has been receiving from God on their behalf.

35:2-3 God's first instruction is for His followers to reserve the seventh day of working as a holy day, "a Sabbath of rest to the Lord." God is serious about this commandment. Consider that this faith is new to the earth. The children of Israel are surrounded by polytheism (belief in multiple gods) and corruption. God needs this group of people to be focused and faithful in developing its traditions. The foundation of this faith is being established; it is imperative that its followers stop abandoning it so frequently.

35:4-9 The next commandment is for the children of Israel to make offerings to the Lord of the things that are most earthly-valuable to them. This practice would produce true faith inside of them. By giving to God the treasures of this world, they will actively show that He is the true treasure. They only thing they will not give away.

It sounds easy right? When is the last time any of us emptied our house of everything monetarily valuable just to show God the He is what we need and want? These practices enable us to grow and strengthen our faith. They are a proclamation to God that we understand and agree with Him.

35:10-19 Moses calls back all of the gifted artisans. Remember that God specifically gifted them for the divinely-appointed task of building the tabernacle. God created an artist for every detail of the tabernacle: from the clothing of the priests to the lights, utensils and altar... and more. God continues to administer gifts and opportunities for us to use them, 1 Corinthians 12.

35:20-21 The people move into active faith: "Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing,..." God's word reaches the ears, eyes and hearts of His compassionate children. We hear His truth and our hearts are stirred to follow Him. Our spirits are willing! We listen and follow Him because we trust Him and are inspired by Him. We live as His fellow workers, 1 Corinthians 3:9, because we want to.

35:22-29 Every willing heart, according to their gift, begins to do the work God appointed them for. This productive, mutual, faithful effort is evidence of God's goodness. His love and guidance inspires, draws the best out of us.

35:30-35 Moses points out the artisans appointed by God. He explains that they are filled with the Holy Spirit. So are you! 

Romans 8 is devoted to explaining the advocacy the Holy Spirit does on your behalf.

• 8:26 In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us when we are weak. We don’t know what we should pray for. But the Spirit himself prays for us.

We also receive this blessing in Ephesians 1:13-14

• 13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

OT: The Book of Exodus, Chapter 34

Exodus 34:1-35

34:1-3 God makes a plan to reestablish His law with Moses. He instructs Moses to cut two tablets out of stone, similar to the first, and to climb Mount Sinai to meet Him there. Moses is instructed to climb up to the mountain alone.

Never forget that you have the gift of this one-on-one time with God; something many generations of humans did not realize they could have.Moses' faith paved the way for our direct, clear, and constant communication with God.

34:4 Moses follows God's instructions exactly, and that is the key to all of Moses' and others prophets success. Moses rises early in the morning and gets to work, faith-work. He does not procrastinate or grumble. He is steadfastly passionate about following God's word. Moses understands that everything God speaks is for our benefit. The sooner we listen to Him, the sooner we walk into our blessings.

34:5 The presence of God meets Moses on the mountain and He declares Himself. God is honest and straight-forward with Moses: He wants Moses to know exactly who he has chosen to follow.

34:6-7 This is how the Lord proclaims Himself to be: merciful and gracious, long-suffering (able to endure and persevere), abounding in goodness and truth, a keeper of mercy for multitudes, forgiving, eternally and dutifully just. Let's unpack that in order to realize how fortunate we are to have a God who values and possesses the above-mentioned qualities:

• Merciful: As fallible and feeble humans, we should be especially grateful for this particular trait. God is merciful toward us even when we might not deserve it. He's always present and willing to support us and advocate for us. He will go beyond the distance to ensure that we receive the compassion He wants us to have.
• Gracious: Our Father is kind. He has respect for our lives even though His is so much mightier. He genuinely cares about our thoughts and feelings and with our permission, protects the sphere around us. This gives us time to heal and learn and  grow. 
• Long-Suffering: How fortunate for us that God is a divine-mixture of patience and strength! He endures so much of our mess. Generation after generation. Day after day. Although we make Him sad and even angry, He remains committed to us and our cause. He never quits out of frustration. He can bear it. He can bear us and all of the trouble we tend to bring to the table.
• Abounding in Goodness: God's sole intention is to promote, bring and ensure goodness. He has so much of it; goodness flows out of Him. Creative goodness. When good gives a good gift, it abounds. Like a tree, it continues to produce leaves and fruit. More and more can always be derived from Him. A blessing for one person leads to a blessing for another... for others. He has a comprehensive view and it enables Him to take care of all of us.
• Abounding in Truth: God is wisdom. We never have to worry about Him deceiving us. His plans are always honest. His intentions are always honest. He always reveals what is in His mind. He pours wisdom into us, as much as we ask for. Throughout the bible He scolds and thwarts deceivers. He shames deception. He passionately teaches that deception harms us.
• Keeper of Mercy for Multitudes: God includes every soul ever created. He expands His arms, His home, to every child who will accept Him. His mercy is more than abundant, it is boundless.
• Forgiving: We understand how hard it can be to forgive... which is why it is so beautiful that God constantly does forgive. Every time we go to Him in an earnest effort to be better, He helps us to grow. In wisdom, in character, in faith.
• Eternally + Dutifully Just: God is consistently focused on the restoration of justice. Every life, every soul is intricately loved by Him and He therefore seeks justice on our behalf. When we allow Him into our lives, justice comes through both blessing and discipline. For sometimes we are the ones obstructing justice... and sometimes we are the ones needing it.

34:8 Moses instantly bows. Of course he would, our spiritual-Father deserves our deference. How could we do anything but worship in the presence of such wisdom and kindness?

34:9 Moses' request is so beautiful: “If now I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray, go among us, even though we are a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance.”

Moses plea to God is for Him to continue to love and lead us even though we frequently do not deserve it. Moses does not deny that humans are flawed. He admits it. He claims the sin and the iniquity, he bears his raw self before God. Moses asks God to claim this people on behalf of his faith.

Moses acknowledges God. Moses believes God. Moses trusts God. Moses humbles himself before God. He is the living example of the formula that enables us to receive God's blessings. 

34:10 God's gentle nature pours out: "Behold, I make a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord. For it is an awesome thing that I will do with you." This covenant is alive and strong even today. It was made for you. Know what God has offered you; He has claimed you, claim Him.

It is an awesome thing that He will do with you! Awe-some, the wonders that God will do for and with you will draw awe and wonder out of you and everyone around you. He is so generous. So creative. So able to work wonders.

34:11-12 As He always does, God outlines the plan. His plan is to rescue the children of Israel from their enemies. His warning is for them to remain separate from the people and ways of life that oppose Him. God cautions us not to be ensnared by people and ideas that tempt us away from God and goodness. Humans can be easily distracted; remember that the children of Israel had already abandoned God for the golden cow. Soon they will be surrounded by people who have different ideologies and they will need strong faith to remain separate. It is a symbol for life in this world: we are frequently surrounded by things, people and ideas that oppose our faith and values. If we are not vigilant, they weaken our faith little by little until we are lost.

34:13-17 God reminds and implores the children of Israel to stop worshiping idols! We have our own idols in this generation: money, control, fame, power. We value possessions and status. Our idols are people rather than God. God stresses the importance of keeping our faith pure: we must not join in activities and families that are corrupt.

34:18-20 God reminds and implore the children of Israel to keep the traditions which represent to the ways in which God entered the lives of humanity and blessed them. He knows how forgetful we are. If the children of Israel are not persistent in faith, their children will have no relationship with God and the covenant will wither. 

34:21 We must take the time to contemplate and meditate on faith. We need the space and time to focus on our faith in order for it to develop. If we are not firmly rooted, every day, in faith, we slip away. Every day in God's word strengthens the knot that keeps us moored to Him. Every day out of God's word loosens it.

34:22 This feast of the first-fruits is a reminder to God's children that He gives His best. He does not provide us with scraps or leftovers or incompleteness... from Him we receive His best. By gathering our first-fruit, we realize the generosity of God. We realize the strength and compassion required to give to another the best of what we have.

34:23 God instructs the children of Israel to meet with Him at a minimum of three times per year in complete meditation. He knows how distracted we get. We stray from Him; He knows that we need to do consistent maintenance on our faith in order to keep it and ensure its health.

34:24 If our faith is healthy, God is able to provide. For the children of Israel, this meant enlarged borders and protection from covetous enemies. When we communicate with Him, He is able to inform us of, and prepare us for, His plan. If we block Him out, how can He reach us?

34:25-26 Worship and sacrifice (no longer animal, Hosea 6:6) is meant to be focused and complete. Pure and traditional; God knows what is good for our faith and our health.

34:27 God instructs Moses to write His words, this covenant. God is bold and willing: He does not hesitate to make massive promises. He knows that He can and will fulfill His promises. He makes promises no man or thing could ever even hope to fulfill. Yet He makes them with ease and joy.

34:28 Moses remained and subsisted on God for forty days and forty nights. God's provisions supersede our biological needs; Moses experienced that. We are meant to understand that in a figurative sense. When are with Him spiritual, we will see its literal truth.

34:29-30 Moses returns from Mount Sinai to Aaron and the children of Israel. Moses has just spent quite some time solely focused on God and faith and receiving the promises of covenant that will last even through our generation. Having come out of deep solitude with God, Moses does not realize any changes in his appearance. His face is shining. God's love and impact is pouring out of Moses and because they have never experienced such a circumstance before, the people around Moses are shocked into timidity.

34:31-32 Moses immediately turns to his mission, his purpose ordained by God: he is there to relate God's message to the children of Israel. Everyone comes near Moses to listen and learn; Moses gives them the commandments from God. Remember that the commandments are given for our benefit. The commandments are guidelines on how to live a full, joyful and purposeful life through faith.

34:33-35 Moses continues to climb Mount Sinai to converse and receive instruction from God. Moses ensures that he is always raw and honest before God (literally and figuratively lifting every veil before appearing before Him). He always replaces the veil when he departs from Mount Sinai, however. Moses returns to the children of Israel with the veil on: its important that the children of Israel never mistake Moses for God or a god. He is a dutiful prophet but not a god. Moreover, Moses does not want to distract the children of Israel from God's message. He wants them (us) to focus on God rather than him.

OT: The Book of Exodus, Chapter 33

Exodus 33:1-23

33:1 The Lord tells Moses to depart and begin his journey with the children of Israel. In continuing to protect and guide their journey, God remembers His promise to Abraham, Isaac and  Jacob. 

33:2 God also appoints an angel to be with them on their journey. The angel, a worker for and with God, will be enabled by Him with the ability to force enemies away from the group.

33:3 God directs Moses to go up to the promised land: a fertile land complete with everything the group will need to thrive. After directing Moses, God explains that He will no longer follow the group. Although He has loved them, protected them and provided for them, He makes his way to leave. His reason is that the group are a stiff-necked people. 

God's love and generosity is fierce here. The children of Israel have hurt Him: they only love Him in the moments they are receiving tangible gifts. They continue to neglect His constant love and presence. They turn to doubt far too quickly and abandon Him and their faith entirely. Even though He has been hurt by them, God still takes care of them. 

We want to be careful not to be this type of person in faith or character. We should show our appreciation and acknowledgement of the people (and God) in our lives at all times, not just when we want something. God is present in the sweet and joyful moments as well. He is alive in the laughter and the awe. He's traveled the distance with us, we should never leave Him. We do not always understand His plan and we almost constantly have needs and hopes and desires... even though we might not be able to see Him, He's constantly working to bring those things into our lives. Remember Joseph's life: he waited years for fulfillment of his dreams but God filled Him throughout the wait.

33:4 The people are ashamed. They realize that their behavior toward God has not only been unfair but selfish as well. This experience gives them the opportunity to acknowledge the entity not just the gifts. Moses loves God for who He is rather than what He gives. It's time for the group to develop the same type of authentic love for Him. 

The children of Israel had been ready to celebrate and journey but this news of God's departure causes them to lament by Mount Horeb. This time they are being authentic: even though they already know they are about to receive God's blessings... the blessings are not enough without God beside them. 

33:5-6 God has an authentic emotional exchange with the children of Israel. They leave off and take off all of their decoration, all of the distraction and look to God in their most natural and raw state. 

God is requesting the same from each of us: Take off the facade. Be real with me. Our love with God is personalized. He is familiar with us, intricately so. His heart hopes for the same love to be returned. Know Him. Love our spiritual entity for all that He/It is. We are so... beyond words... fortunate for our generous and wise creator. Get to know His character, knowing Him will refresh and fulfill you.

33:7-9 Moses creates a makeshift tabernacle from which to meditate with God. Moses is still focused on repairing the damaged relationship between God and the children of Israel. He spends much of his time receiving instruction from God but also expressing his love and allegiance.

33:10-11 This time, the children of Israel are focused on God as well. They take comfort in God's presence and use the opportunity of his nearness for worship. They keep their distance, still -- something we (you) never have to do anymore. God speaks to Moses as a friend because that is the nature of God's love. John 15:15 is a verse in which Jesus explains the relationship between divinity and humans: "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." You have the benefit of a personal relationship with God; you are like Moses: you can receive God's counsel directly.

Faithful as ever, Joshua never leaves his post at the tabernacle. He is always focused on God, always vigilant to ensure that His will is enabled.

33:12 From the beginning, Moses has always doubted himself. Moses does not doubt God's plan, but he doubts his own ability to carry it out. Moses knows that God has told him to lead the people but he does not feel capable and therefore asks God for help.

How many times have we experienced the same internal conflict? Sometimes our faith wavers and sometimes our belief in self wavers. Moses' faith is strong but he is seriously lacking in self-confidence. For Moses, these feelings are humility in complete raw, innocence and infancy. Moses is a great and faithful man without question... and yet he questions.

33:13 Moses prays for God's grace to gift him with more understanding. Moses asks God to take ownership of this group because Moses does not feel capable of being their leader without Him.

13:14 As promised, God is strongest when we are weak and call to Him for strength, 2 Corinthians 12:10. God answers Moses beautifully. God answers you the same way. When you ask Him for help, when you ask Him to take control over that which you feel you cannot handle, this is how he responds:

"My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

This is not the first time God has made this promised declaration. He awaits your requests; He wants and hopes to bless you:

• Remember Matthew 7:7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

• Remember John 14:13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

13:15 Moses needs God's reassurance: he does not believe in himself, he needs God and he is not ashamed to show it. Moses tells God, if You are not journeying with us then please do not even let us leave. Moses will not take a single step without God. And for that, Moses is one of the most wise humans to ever live. For that, because of his love and faith in God, Moses will lead humanity through the beginning of their journey on earth. We are still journeying today because of his faith.

13:16 Moses explains to God that if God follows him and the group, he will know that God has forgiven and loves His children despite their flaws and betrayal. Moses prays to be separate. There are two sides in life: allegiance to God and opposition to God. Moses prays for God to gather Him and this group onto His side.

13:17 The Lord grants Moses' request and fulfills His promise to answer His children's prayers. Be the child God has raised and inspired and hoped for you to be and you will hear the same words from Him: "I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name."

Allow God to know you by name. Establish familiarity with Him. Develop your relationship. It thrills Him to provide for you.

13:18 Moses craves God. Perhaps you have experienced the same need. Our love for Him can be so overwhelming... in the best of ways it overfills our hearts and our sole desire becomes the desire to be with Him. To see Him. For we can see His hand in everything. We can see His wisdom and generosity. But our souls still long to be with Him in the most profound way.

13:19 God's response is a promise: "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."

13:20 God makes the vow to do everything He can for us... which is everything we will ever need.  He promises to be gracious and compassionate. But we cannot see God until we are in spirit with Him. The biology of our bodies simply cannot comprehend or withstand that which is spiritual.

13:22-23 God's promise is to be skillfully with us in every way He is able. He is able to be with us in a way that fills our every need and strives to manifest our every hope and dream. He protects us with His hands, covers us with His body but tells us to await the revelation of His image for the life after this one.

OT: The Book of Exodus, Chapter 32

Exodus 32:1-35

32:1 This Exodus continues to be an analogy of faith: because of wavering faith, the children of Israel become distracted. Their doubt festers and turns into opposition against God. Moses continues to remain under God's counsel on the mountain for so long that the children of Israel come to believe he will never return.

To replace Moses (and the God he is a spokesperson for) the children of Israel request an idol to worship. They have gotten used to being led by God and make the mistake of believing that a god can replace The God. This idea seems absurd to us but actually humanity continues to make the same mistake over and over again, generation after generation. We replace God with things we admire and desire to have. We pin our happiness to inanimate objects and people instead of to our God. We neglect His immediate presence because we are too distracted by doubt to realize His constancy. 

32:2-4 To appease the dissatisfied crowd, Aaron comes up with the disastrous idea of creating a golden idol for the people to worship. He collects all of the gold possessions of the children of Israel and creates a golden calf. God had already displayed to them and the Egyptians that false idols were useless -- none were able to manipulate weather, water and insect the way that the true God could. Despite that no idol had power over God, the children of Israel return to idolatry.

We must ask ourselves how many times we become partakers in that same cycle of believing, faltering, crashing... over and over again. God can be most divinely productive in our lives when we are consistent with Him. He gives us endless changes to learn from a mistake but the more time we waste on learning one thing is the more time we lose for learning new, bigger, better things.

The children of Israel quickly attribute all of their blessings to this golden calf. They rob God of His glory and generosity. They are fervent in their worship of this idol, placing a more solidified faith in it than they even did with God.

32:5-6 Aaron and the children of Israel abandon God so swiftly. Our Father is often accused of abandoning humanity but the truth is that, if He isn't dwelling within us at all times, it is only because we pushed Him out. As humans, we get distracted. Distracted by doubt, distracting by things, people and ideas... but if we are not steadfast in God, we swirl into chaos. Inevitably. It is not a punishment. It is a subsequent occurrence of uprooted ourselves from His soil.

32:7-9 God is vigilant. He notices as soon as we begin to push Him away and He worries. His worry is not because He needs us, it is because we need Him. He worries because although He doesn't need us, He loves us and wants us. He wants to take care of us. God notices that the children of Israel are departing from faith in Him and He immediately informs Moses. God directs Moses to descend the mountain and return to his people and rectify the situation. They desperately need his guidance.

32:10 God is angry... but God is also our parent. A loving, attentive and disciplinary parent would naturally feel wrath when a child has make an idiotic, hurtful and ruinous decision. The fuel for His anger comes out of His emphatic love. He can see that the children of Israel have derailed from the safe and progressive path He has created for them. He can see that they are headed rapidly toward disaster. He's angry because He can see the children of Israel headed toward harm, directly out of His protection. 

32:11 Moses pleads to the Lord on behalf of the wayward group. We read of intercessory prayer before when Abraham prayed for Lot. God listens to intercessory prayer, it is His most tender spot. Remember that our commandment from God in both testaments is to love one another as He loves us, John 13:34. Intercessory prayer is that command in action.

32:12-13 Although God does not need reminding of His promises, Moses prays and pleads to God on behalf of humanity. The prayer is a reminder to God that although we are a profoundly flawed species, we are His profoundly flawed people. Moses's compassionate and courage on behalf of the children of Israel is a reminder to God of our beauty, too. How when we love others deeply and bravely, we come extraordinarily close to perfect.

32:14 God relents on His disciplinary response... and yet He did not entirely disable it. Remember that God is omniscient. He knows that faith can be weak and needs experience to endure and strengthen. Moses is not on the mountain for so long for no reason. The circumstance gives humanity, through Moses and the children of Israel, a chance to grow spiritually.

32:15-16 Moses begins to descend the mountains with the two tablets. On the tablets, the testimony of God is written. 

32:17 Moses meets with Joshua, who has been waiting faithfully on the mountain for Moses to be returned by God. Joshua has heard the commotion come from the camp.

32:18 Although Joshua thinks the commotion is because of an impending war, Moses knows better. The children of Israel are not shouting in victory. They are not crying because of defeat. Instead, they are worshiping the golden calf!

32:19 Moses is furious at the sight of the worship of the idol. His immediate reaction is the throw everything in his arms to the ground... the tablets are broken. The symbol here is that the children of Israel are broken of faith.

32:20 Moses tosses the calf in fire and burns it into powder. He pours the ashes into water and has the children of Israel ingest it. This action forces the children of Israel to realize that their "god" is nothing more than waste, detritus leaving the body.

32:21 Moses then turns his anger to Aaron, who Moses expected to know better.

32:22-24 Aaron's explanation is that some of the children were set on idol worship. In the absence of Moses, they grew desperate and even evil. This experience serves as a winnowing: who is truly faithful and who is a fraud. Aaron faces a mob. In fear, he gave them what they wanted even though he knew it was wrong.

We must not worship idols. Or gold. We must not turn out attention from our true God, even when the world temps us away from Him. Why? For our own benefit.

32:25 Moses notices that the trouble-makers, the evil ones, the people insistent on abandoning God still had freedom in the camp. They are making enemies within the group, meaning that they are being cruel and unjust.

32:26 Moses calls to the people: "Whoever is on the Lord's side-come to me!" All the sons of Levi (the priest-line) gather with Moses.

32:27 When everyone chooses a side, Moses commands that the opposition be killed. Evil needed to be weeded out, as it always does. The commandment is that no matter the relation to the person, if they are evil,  they must be removed.

32:28 The sons of Levi carry out Moses' word and about 3,000 men are killed. Fortunately, this is no where near the majority of the group. Most people want to love and follow God. We see that God's fury was particularly focused on these evil men who tried to corrupt the innocents.

God has a promise for the people who's evil works distract His innocent children:

Jeremiah 23:1-6

1“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” says the Lord. 2 Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings,” says the Lord.

God also has a promise for His children who are harmed by evil:

3 "But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. 4 I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says the Lord.

God has promised and fulfilled the coming of our beautiful messiah, YHVH, Jesus Emmanuel (God with us).

5 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. 6 In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called:

THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

32:29 Moses instructs the rest of the group to consecrate themselves, to declare their divine purpose. To concentrate on their God. Our participation in faith is necessary. We must consistently maintain and strengthen our faith. We must make a constant declaration to God that we are a compassionate purposeful soul through and by Him. If you are with Him, declare that to Him. Let that declaration become your protection from chaos, distraction and evil.

32:30 Moses, ever faithful, declares that he will return to God in seek of atonement on their behalf. This is a selfless and faithful purpose. Moses' faith, compassion and courage is steadfast in God. Moses always turns to our God. For atonement. For love. For leadership. For protection. For reassurance. For joy. Moses' faith allows God to completely pour those blessings into his life. We each have the same opportunity.

32:31 Moses is ashamed and distraught. He loves God. It is so disheartening for him to see people turn away from our generous and loving God. Moses is apologetic and hurt on God's behalf... so much so that he offers his own life in exchange for the children of Israel.

32:32 We know that intercessory prayer always forcibly nudges our Father's compassion, but Moses is serious. He earnestly offers to give himself in order to save these people who have betrayed him. Even though they are flawed, Moses believes they are worth their trouble. Moses does everything he can to convince God to save these people.

Moses is loving these people as God has loved us: selflessly, completely, compassionately. When we follow that commandment, we cannot lose! God would never exchange a life as precious as Moses'... as precious as yours. You receive the answer to your prayer and in addition to that... gifts of blessings in your life for being exactly who God called you to be.

32:33 The only people who are blotted out by God are the evil. Notice God does not say burned in eternal hell-fire... he says blotted out. They're gone. Not even worth the effort. They are a non-issue. Nonexistent. As if they never even lived. All the ways they damaged people are gone, erased out of our hearts.

32:34 Calmly, lovingly, God encourages Moses to return to leading his people toward God's promise land. The leadership of the Angel is restored. Complete forgiveness. Bold love. God resets and refreshes the children of Israel. The promises continue to flow into their lives. In your life. No matter how many times we need Him to refocus us, the moment we ask for Him to realign us on His path... He does it. The leadership of angels returns. The path toward the promise land is restored. He never took them away... we pushed them away, we diverted from Him and His blessings and promises. But even though we did that, He forgives us. Divine generosity. Divine love.

All of it was able to flow through Moses following God's commandment: love one another as I have loved you. Was Moses a pushover? No. Was he weak? No. Did he allow people to walk over him? No. Did he allow people to harm him? No. Did he allow people to harm the people he cared about? No.

We are not weak! Love does not make us weak. Love is sometimes getting angry and demanding the people you care about most to stop acting ridiculously. Love is confronting your enemies and your opposition just as Moses did. Love is challenging the evil that is harming people. We are God's children, we are not weak, we are strong. We have His strength within us. Moses is bold, fierce, passionate, and committed to his beliefs.

When God calls us to love others as He has loved us, we must review how He has loved us. Does He get angry with us? Yes, when we hurt others or ourselves. Does He get frustrated by us? Yes, when we neglect or reject our significance, our purpose. Does any of that stop Him from protecting us? No. Does any of the prevent Him from loving us? No. Does it discourage Him from pursuing what is in our best interest? No.

God loves us with strength. His love emboldens Him to be the most powerful entity in all of creation. His love enables Him to be both creation and the Hand behind it. God, the most loving entity in the world has no weakness. Because of His love, He destroys evil. When He implores us to love others as He has loved us we must review how He loves. Our love does not render us doormats. Our love empowers us.

Moses loves as God loves and because of that, he and the children of Israel are deftly restored by God. Take note, take heart, the same promises apply to you.

32:35 God initiates tough love because we need it to grow. If He didn't, the children of Israel (and we) would continue to divert from Him. His every effort is the strengthen us -- is to enable us to be strong enough to grip onto Him, steadfastly, all our lives.