One Year Bible Readings and Commentary for Thursday, March 3rd
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Today we finish the book of Leviticus. Some of you may be happy, as it has been some "tough sledding". But there are some themes to remember.
1. God is a God of fairness. The reason there is so much focus on the valuation of property, animals, crops and even human beings was that God wanted to be fair and just. This is the same sense in which God demands justice from us when we disobey him and violate the laws he has given us. Fortunately the demands of the law were met by Jesus, when he redeemed us (bought us back) by his death on the cross. Note the word "redeemed" is repeated several times in these last chapters. Ultimately when Jesus bought us back, he showed us our ultimate value was worth his death on the cross.
2. Today's text brings up the principle of "tithing", or giving God a tenth of anything that came from the land and also a tenth of the animals. It was an acknowledgement that everything came from the Lord. So it might be more properly called "returning to God what has always been his". I.e. We get to keep 90% of what God has given us.
So is the tithe still relevant today? The answer is "yes" and "no". It is "yes" because the principle of giving God back of our first fruits is still valid. We don't give God leftovers. We give to God first and give thanks for what remains. But it is no because the key principle as Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians is "generosity". God loves a generous and cheerful giver. Therefore for one person giving 10% of their income is not necessarily generous, whereas for another person to give 5% is incredibly generous. Most important God looks at our heart. What is our motive for giving and how does it reflect our trust in God!
Today we start in the book of Numbers, the fourth out of five books in the Law of Moses, also called the "Torah" or "Pentateuch".
"The name of the book comes from the two censuses taken of the Israelites. umbers begins at Mount Sinai, where the Israelites have received their laws and covenant from God and God has taken up residence among them in the sanctuary. The task before them is to take possession of the Promised Land. The people are counted and preparations are made for resuming their march." (Wikipedia)
The tribes were counted by the twelve tribes of Israel through the heads of each family. They were counted by the number of men 20 and older, who could serve in the army. The total number was 603,550.
"Based on having 603,550 available soldiers, some estimate the total population of Israel at this time to be between two million and two-and-a-half million people, counting women, children, and others unable to fight." (Guzik)
“What an astonishing increase from seventy souls that went down into Egypt, Genesis 46:27, about 215 years before, where latterly they had endured the greatest hardships! But God’s promise cannot fail, (Genesis 16:5) and who can resist his will, and bring to naught his counsel?” (Clarke)
As Jesus enters Jerusalem, he sends his disciples ahead of him to find a young donkey that no one had ever ridden. They were to say to its owner, "The Lord has need of it." It is interesting that the bystanders that saw them doing this confronted them. And when they told them what Jesus told them, they permitted them to do it.
"Apparently, Jesus had pre-arranged this with the colt owner, and the disciples were just instructed to say, “It’s for Jesus,” if they were questioned. They did as Jesus said, and it was fine." Guzik
When the people saw Jesus, they put their garments on the road as a way to welcome him like royalty.
"On this day, they lavished attention and honor on Jesus. They used their clothes as a saddle for Jesus and as a red carpet for the colt He rode on. Considering the expense and value of clothing in that day, this was generous praise." (Guzik)
They also shouted, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord", and they shouted "Hosanna". These statements came from Psalm 118, which as we have said are prophetic and Messianic. We also know Jesus was a king from the line of David, so these shouts were fitting.
The fig tree looked on the outside that it was healthy, but it bore no fruit. "It wasn’t that the fig tree didn’t have figs because it wasn’t supposed to. The problem is that it had leaves but didn’t have figs. The leaves said, “There are figs here,” but the figs weren’t there." (Guzik)
When often think of Jesus as a "nice person" and, of course, he was kind and compassionate. But we see another side of Jesus today in the temple. When he sees the people buying and selling animals, and the moneychangers trying to make a profit off of their sales, he angrily overturned the tables and drove out the cattle. He rebuked them saying,
‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” Mark 11:17
As Jesus entered Jerusalem and the temple area, the religious leaders all challenged him asking him by what authority was he was doing the things he was doing. Instead of reacting to their questions he asked them a question, "Where did John the Baptist get his authority to do what he did?"
The religious leaders were in a bind. If they said John's authority wasn't from God, they would have a riot on their hands, because the people believed John was a prophet. If they said his authority came from God, it would point to Jesus' authority, as John said, "I must must decrease, and Jesus must increase".
What Now Study Questions
The priests inspected the donations of the people to judge their quality. Are you giving your best to God or are you just giving Him your leftovers?
Relying on the strength of God, we need not worry about quaking mountains or raging seas. The Psalmist reminds us that God's power is greater than any act of nature.
This verse has one of my favorite verses in the bible, "Be still and know that I am God!" 46:10
This is a verse you can repeat over and over if you anxious, and a verse to meditate on the words.
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