Bible Readings for June 1st Deuteronomy 5 | Psalm 88 | Isaiah 33 | Revelation 3 In Deuteronomy 5, Moses does not simply repeat the Ten Commandments, but he also reminds Israel of what their response had been at the time when Yahweh had given them the Ten Commandments: fear and reverence. When Yahweh appeared at Mount Sinai to give his law, Israel was terrified that they would be struck down by Yahweh’s holiness for their sinfulness, so they pleaded for a mediator (Deut. 5:24–27). Yahweh, for his part, is pleased with the response of his people: “I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. Oh that they had such a mind as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!” (Deut. 5:28–29). Notice the first thing that Yahweh approves of in Israel’s response: that they feared him when he revealed his law to them. We might think that fear of the Lord is a bad thing. Shouldn’t the goal be to love God and to feel close to him? Doesn’t God want to make us feel good rather than bad? Not at all—or, at least, not at first.  Eugene Peterson offers a helpful insight into what it means to speak of the fear of the Lord in his book Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: [Fear-of-the-Lord] means far more and other than simply being scared. But, and here’s the thing, it includes all the emotions that accompany being scared—the disorientation, the not-knowing what is going to happen to me, the realization that there is far more here than I had any idea of. And the “more and other” is God. When that happens, we begin to get in on the fear-of-the-Lord.1 This story in Deuteronomy 5 is such a remarkable picture of how the gospel works in our lives. When God, through his Spirit, brings us to recognize the full extent of our guilt before his holiness, we are undone—disoriented, not knowing what will happen to us, and realizing that we have spent our lives trifling with something far greater than we had ever imagined. And only once we are at that point, undone in the presence of Yahweh’s holiness, will Yahweh’s Spirit cast light on our mediator—a better mediator than even Moses had been. Then, the Spirit urges us to flee to Christ for refuge, trusting in his shed blood to atone for our sins and for his righteousness to cover us so that we might escape the wrath to come (Matt. 3:7). Today, lift your head from the distractions of this world to gaze upon the terrifying holiness of God—not so that you may simply become scared, but so that you may plead for the perfect mediation of Jesus Christ. 1 Eugene Peterson, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2005), 122.  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for June 1st</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/deut5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Deuteronomy 5</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/psalm88" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Psalm 88</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/isa33" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Isaiah 33</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/rev3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Revelation 3</a> In Deuteronomy 5, Moses does not simply repeat the Ten Commandments, but he also reminds Israel of what their response had been at the time when Yahweh had given them the Ten Commandments: fear and reverence. When Yahweh appeared at Mount Sinai to give his law, Israel was terrified that they would be struck down by Yahweh’s holiness for their sinfulness, so they pleaded for a mediator (Deut. 5:24–27). Yahweh, for his part, is pleased with the response of his people: “I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. Oh that they had such a mind as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!” (Deut. 5:28–29). Notice the first thing that Yahweh approves of in Israel’s response: that they feared him when he revealed his law to them. We might think that fear of the Lord is a bad thing. Shouldn’t the goal be to love God and to feel close to him? Doesn’t God want to make us feel good rather than bad? Not at all—or, at least, not at first. Eugene Peterson offers a helpful insight into what it means to speak of the fear of the Lord in his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802862977/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0802862977&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=19baskets-20&amp;linkId=X3VNBG4C5UABVXEJ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places</a>: <blockquote>[Fear-of-the-Lord] means far more and other than simply being scared. But, and here’s the thing, it includes all the emotions that accompany being scared—the disorientation, the not-knowing what is going to happen to me, the realization that there is far more here than I had any idea of. And the “more and other” is God. When that happens, we begin to get in on the fear-of-the-Lord.<a href="#sdfootnote1sym" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a></blockquote> This story in Deuteronomy 5 is such a remarkable picture of how the gospel works in our lives. When God, through his Spirit, brings us to recognize the full extent of our guilt before his holiness, we are undone—disoriented, not knowing what will happen to us, and realizing that we have spent our lives trifling with something far greater than we had ever imagined. And only once we are at that point, undone in the presence of Yahweh’s holiness, will Yahweh’s Spirit cast light on our mediator—a better mediator than even Moses had been. Then, the Spirit urges us to flee to Christ for refuge, trusting in his shed blood to atone for our sins and for his righteousness to cover us so that we might escape the wrath to come (Matt. 3:7). Today, lift your head from the distractions of this world to gaze upon the terrifying holiness of God—not so that you may simply become scared, but so that you may plead for the perfect mediation of Jesus Christ. <a href="#sdfootnote1anc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> Eugene Peterson, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802862977/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0802862977&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=19baskets-20&amp;linkId=X3VNBG4C5UABVXEJ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology</a> (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2005), 122. <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

June 1st: Bible Meditation for Deuteronomy 5

Bible Readings for May 31st Deuteronomy 4 | Psalms 86–87 | Isaiah 32 | Revelation 2 The phrase “scandal of particularity” describes the shock of realizing that Yahweh chose to save the world through a particular person in a particular place at a particular time. Jesus, of course, is the greatest example of the scandal of particularity, since he was born to a poor Jewish teenage girl from the tiny, out of the way town of Nazareth, during a period when Israel lived under the shameful oppression of the Roman occupation. Why should the Savior of the world, the eternally begotten Son of the Father, be born there? To her? But the scandal of particularity in salvation history stretches all the way back to the point that Yahweh singled out one man from all the world—an idolator (Josh. 24:2)—to bless the entire world through his offspring, even when that man’s offspring did not yet exist at the time. God chose to save the world through Abram? In Deuteronomy 4:32–40, Moses brings this scandal into clearer focus. He challenges them to inquire from all the peoples of the whole earth: has any other people ever heard a god speaking, as Israel has (Deut. 4:33)? Has any god ever redeemed one nation out of their captivity to another nation by all manner of supernatural power, as Yahweh redeemed Israel out of Egypt (Deut. 4:34)? And what other nation can boast the covenantal love of Yahweh, the true God of heaven above and earth beneath? Who else has seen his fire and heard his words? Remember, then, that we are speaking about Israel. This is a ragtag, unimpressive, small, weak nation. In the Promised Land alone there were seven larger, stronger nations than Israel (Deut. 7:1), not including the mighty empire of Egypt, from whom Israel had just escaped. Yahweh chose Israel? Simply so that Israel would know that Yahweh alone is God and that beside him there is no other god (Deut. 4:35)? Purely out of his free love for their forefathers (Deut. 4:37)? And, to bring this into the New Testament teaching about election, we read in Ephesians 1:3–10 (and elsewhere) that the Father chose us in Christ from eternity past. This is a radical, shocking scandal, but we do not think often enough about it in this light because the story has largely become routine and pedestrian to us. Of course, Yahweh chose Israel. Obviously, Jesus is the Son of God, born as a human being to his mother Mary. Unquestionably, Yahweh loves me. But if we stopped long enough to recognize how bizarre it is for the creator of the whole universe to speak to us, to go to war for us, even to die for us, the only proper response is faith, love, worship, and ultimately obedience. When was the last time you were genuinely surprised by your realization of the lavish grace of God toward you?  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for May 31st</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/deut4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Deuteronomy 4</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/psalm86" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Psalms 86</a>–<a href="http://esv.to/psalm87" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">87</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/isa32" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Isaiah 32</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/rev2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Revelation 2</a> The phrase “scandal of particularity” describes the shock of realizing that Yahweh chose to save the world through a particular person in a particular place at a particular time. Jesus, of course, is the greatest example of the scandal of particularity, since he was born to a poor Jewish teenage girl from the tiny, out of the way town of Nazareth, during a period when Israel lived under the shameful oppression of the Roman occupation. Why should the Savior of the world, the eternally begotten Son of the Father, be born there? To her? But the scandal of particularity in salvation history stretches all the way back to the point that Yahweh singled out one man from all the world—an idolator (Josh. 24:2)—to bless the entire world through his offspring, even when that man’s offspring did not yet exist at the time. God chose to save the world through Abram? In Deuteronomy 4:32–40, Moses brings this scandal into clearer focus. He challenges them to inquire from all the peoples of the whole earth: has any other people ever heard a god speaking, as Israel has (Deut. 4:33)? Has any god ever redeemed one nation out of their captivity to another nation by all manner of supernatural power, as Yahweh redeemed Israel out of Egypt (Deut. 4:34)? And what other nation can boast the covenantal love of Yahweh, the true God of heaven above and earth beneath? Who else has seen his fire and heard his words? Remember, then, that we are speaking about Israel. This is a ragtag, unimpressive, small, weak nation. In the Promised Land alone there were seven larger, stronger nations than Israel (Deut. 7:1), not including the mighty empire of Egypt, from whom Israel had just escaped. Yahweh chose Israel? Simply so that Israel would know that Yahweh alone is God and that beside him there is no other god (Deut. 4:35)? Purely out of his free love for their forefathers (Deut. 4:37)? And, to bring this into the New Testament teaching about election, we read in Ephesians 1:3–10 (and elsewhere) that the Father chose us in Christ from eternity past. This is a radical, shocking scandal, but we do not think often enough about it in this light because the story has largely become routine and pedestrian to us. Of course, Yahweh chose Israel. Obviously, Jesus is the Son of God, born as a human being to his mother Mary. Unquestionably, Yahweh loves me. But if we stopped long enough to recognize how bizarre it is for the creator of the whole universe to speak to us, to go to war for us, even to die for us, the only proper response is faith, love, worship, and ultimately obedience. When was the last time you were genuinely surprised by your realization of the lavish grace of God toward you? <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

May 31st: Bible Meditation for Deuteronomy 4

Bible Readings for May 30th Deuteronomy 3 | Psalm 85 | Isaiah 31 | Revelation 1 If it is tragic to read Moses’s prayer that Yahweh would grant him the right to enter into the Promised Land in Deuteronomy 3:23–25, then it is terrifying to read Yahweh’s flat refusal of Moses’s request: “But the LORD was angry with me because of you and would not listen to me. And the LORD said to me, Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again’” (Deut. 3:26). What are we to take from this passage to learn about how Yahweh responds to our own desperate prayers? First, we should recognize that sin has consequences. Although God assures us of the perfect power of the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ to forgive us of our sins, sin can still destroy relationships or disqualify us from specific opportunities for ministry. In Moses’s failure, we should see a call to remain vigilant against the destructive lure of sin in our lives. Second, we should not overlook the grace that Yahweh extends to Moses to see the Promised Land before he dies. In Deuteronomy 3:27, we read that Yahweh has graciously instructed Moses to look upon the Promised Land from the top of Pisgah. Although our heavenly Father may discipline us in the same way that all fathers discipline their children (Heb. 12:3–17), we should not overlook his grace toward us when we fail. Third, we should remember that none of us is a mission-critical cog in God’s larger plan. Yahweh is not dependent upon even the great Moses to bring Israel into the Promised Land. Rather, Yahweh instructs Moses to prepare Israel for their next leader: “Charge Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he shall go over at the head of this people, and he shall put them in possession of the land that you shall see” (Deut. 3:28). The call on our life is not to take center stage in God’s plan but to point to the glory of Jesus. He must increase, and we must decrease (John 3:30). When we pray with the wrong assumptions, we would do well to remember Robert Law’s insight: “The marvellous and supernatural power of prayer consists, not in bringing God’s Will down to us, but in lifting our will up to His.”1 We can pray in faith, knowing that “if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him” (1 John 5:14–15). So, we ought to pray boldly and confidently—as the author of Hebrews instructs us, by lifting our drooping hands and strengthening our weak knees (Heb. 12:12)—but we must do so with the recognition that God is God, and we are not. For what are you wrestling with God in prayer today? 1 Robert Law, The Tests of Life: A Study of the First Epistle of St. John, 2nd ed. (Edinburgh: T. &amp; T. Clark, 1909), 301.  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for May 30th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/deut3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Deuteronomy 3</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/psalm85" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Psalm 85</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/isa31" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Isaiah 31</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/rev1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Revelation 1</a> If it is tragic to read Moses’s prayer that Yahweh would grant him the right to enter into the Promised Land in Deuteronomy 3:23–25, then it is terrifying to read Yahweh’s flat refusal of Moses’s request: “But the LORD was angry with me because of you and would not listen to me. And the LORD said to me, Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again’” (Deut. 3:26). What are we to take from this passage to learn about how Yahweh responds to our own desperate prayers? First, we should recognize that sin has consequences. Although God assures us of the perfect power of the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ to forgive us of our sins, sin can still destroy relationships or disqualify us from specific opportunities for ministry. In Moses’s failure, we should see a call to remain vigilant against the destructive lure of sin in our lives. Second, we should not overlook the grace that Yahweh extends to Moses to see the Promised Land before he dies. In Deuteronomy 3:27, we read that Yahweh has graciously instructed Moses to look upon the Promised Land from the top of Pisgah. Although our heavenly Father may discipline us in the same way that all fathers discipline their children (Heb. 12:3–17), we should not overlook his grace toward us when we fail. Third, we should remember that none of us is a mission-critical cog in God’s larger plan. Yahweh is not dependent upon even the great Moses to bring Israel into the Promised Land. Rather, Yahweh instructs Moses to prepare Israel for their next leader: “Charge Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he shall go over at the head of this people, and he shall put them in possession of the land that you shall see” (Deut. 3:28). The call on our life is not to take center stage in God’s plan but to point to the glory of Jesus. He must increase, and we must decrease (John 3:30). When we pray with the wrong assumptions, we would do well to remember Robert Law’s insight: “The marvellous and supernatural power of prayer consists, not in bringing God’s Will down to us, but in lifting our will up to His.”<a href="#sdfootnote1sym" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> We can pray in faith, knowing that “if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him” (1 John 5:14–15). So, we ought to pray boldly and confidently—as the author of Hebrews instructs us, by lifting our drooping hands and strengthening our weak knees (Heb. 12:12)—but we must do so with the recognition that God is God, and we are not. For what are you wrestling with God in prayer today? <a href="#sdfootnote1anc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> Robert Law, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00972SS0Q/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B00972SS0Q&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=19baskets-20&amp;linkId=7BMYVRYY7CBD74FW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Tests of Life: A Study of the First Epistle of St. John</a>, 2nd ed. (Edinburgh: T. &amp; T. Clark, 1909), 301. <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

May 30th: Bible Meditation for Deuteronomy 3

Bible Readings for May 29th Deuteronomy 2 | Psalms 83–84 | Isaiah 30 | Jude 1 As we discussed yesterday, Deuteronomy gives us Moses’s final sermon before his death. It may seem strange, then, that Deuteronomy, the “second law,” does not begin with the law at all. Instead, Deuteronomy opens with a lengthy retelling of Israel’s history, beginning from the point that Israel left Mount Sinai in the land of Horeb (Deut. 1:6). Then, Moses retells the story of Israel’s refusal to enter into the Promised Land (Deut. 1:19–46), their wanderings through the wilderness (Deut. 2:1–25), and their victories over King Sihon (Deut. 2:26–37) and King Og (Deut. 3:1–22). Finally, Moses recounts his own, desperate prayer for mercy to enter the Promised Land (Deut. 3:23–29), which we will look at in more detail in tomorrow’s meditation. So, why would Moses start with a story? If this is to be an exhortation for the people of Israel to keep the law, why not segue immediately into the Ten Commandments, which don’t come up until Deuteronomy 5? To begin, these stories remind us again that Yahweh’s relationship with Israel begins with grace, not law. Yahweh did not offer the law as a means for his people to gain his favor as though the law were a qualification exam. Instead, from the beginning Yahweh had specifically chosen Abraham out of all peoples on the face of the earth, and he had redeemed Abraham’s offspring from their bondage in Egypt. The stories we see here, then, underscore the fact that Yahweh has continued to remain faithful to his people, even during their time in the wilderness. The first story we encounter tells us about Israel’s failure to trust Yahweh to enter into the Promised Land and about Yahweh’s punishment for their sin by dooming that generation to die in the wilderness. But then, Moses reminds Israel that Yahweh still provided for all of their needs, so they “lacked nothing” (Deut. 2:7). And more than that, Moses reminds them of the great military victories Yahweh gave them over King Sihon and King Og, by which Israel received the firstfruits of their inheritance in the land east of the Jordan.1 Even though Deuteronomy seems, at first, to be the “second law” for Israel, make no mistake—Deuteronomy is about Yahweh’s grace to his people. Yahweh does not call his people to be their taskmaster, but to be their God—and even their husband. In the law, rather, Yahweh graciously reveals what he wants from his people, that they would love him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength and that they would love their neighbor as themselves. In the same way, Jesus demands that we obey his commandments (e.g., John 14:15), but he gives his commandments to those whom he has already chosen in love (John 15:16). God’s grace transcends the law, running behind, in front, beneath, and above it. 1 See the May 23rd meditation from Numbers 32.  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for May 29th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/deut2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Deuteronomy 2</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/psalm83" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Psalms 83</a>–<a href="http://esv.to/psalm84" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">84</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/isa30" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Isaiah 30</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/jude1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jude 1</a> As we discussed yesterday, Deuteronomy gives us Moses’s final sermon before his death. It may seem strange, then, that Deuteronomy, the “second law,” does not begin with the law at all. Instead, Deuteronomy opens with a lengthy retelling of Israel’s history, beginning from the point that Israel left Mount Sinai in the land of Horeb (Deut. 1:6). Then, Moses retells the story of Israel’s refusal to enter into the Promised Land (Deut. 1:19–46), their wanderings through the wilderness (Deut. 2:1–25), and their victories over King Sihon (Deut. 2:26–37) and King Og (Deut. 3:1–22). Finally, Moses recounts his own, desperate prayer for mercy to enter the Promised Land (Deut. 3:23–29), which we will look at in more detail in tomorrow’s meditation. So, why would Moses start with a story? If this is to be an exhortation for the people of Israel to keep the law, why not segue immediately into the Ten Commandments, which don’t come up until Deuteronomy 5? To begin, these stories remind us again that Yahweh’s relationship with Israel begins with grace, not law. Yahweh did not offer the law as a means for his people to gain his favor as though the law were a qualification exam. Instead, from the beginning Yahweh had specifically chosen Abraham out of all peoples on the face of the earth, and he had redeemed Abraham’s offspring from their bondage in Egypt. The stories we see here, then, underscore the fact that Yahweh has continued to remain faithful to his people, even during their time in the wilderness. The first story we encounter tells us about Israel’s failure to trust Yahweh to enter into the Promised Land and about Yahweh’s punishment for their sin by dooming that generation to die in the wilderness. But then, Moses reminds Israel that Yahweh still provided for all of their needs, so they “lacked nothing” (Deut. 2:7). And more than that, Moses reminds them of the great military victories Yahweh gave them over King Sihon and King Og, by which Israel received the firstfruits of their inheritance in the land east of the Jordan.<a href="#sdfootnote1sym" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> Even though Deuteronomy seems, at first, to be the “second law” for Israel, make no mistake—Deuteronomy is about Yahweh’s grace to his people. Yahweh does not call his people to be their taskmaster, but to be their God—and even their husband. In the law, rather, Yahweh graciously reveals what he wants from his people, that they would love him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength and that they would love their neighbor as themselves. In the same way, Jesus demands that we obey his commandments (e.g., John 14:15), but he gives his commandments to those whom he has already chosen in love (John 15:16). God’s grace transcends the law, running behind, in front, beneath, and above it. <a href="#sdfootnote1anc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> See the <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/may-23rd-bible-meditation-for-numbers-32/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">May 23rd meditation from Numbers 32</a>. <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

May 29th: Bible Meditation for Deuteronomy 2

Bible Readings for May 28th Deuteronomy 1 | Psalms 81–82 | Isaiah 29 | 3 John 1 Although Deuteronomy is one of the longer books in the Old Testament, with thirty-four chapters, it does not represent the passage of much time. In Deuteronomy, we do not read new narratives of Israel’s journey through the wilderness, nor of new battles Israel fights, nor even of new ways that Yahweh provides for his people. For the most part, Deuteronomy includes only one speech—the final words of Moses before he dies, immediately before God’s people enter into the Promised Land under the new leadership of Joshua. Through this speech, Moses renews Yahweh’s covenant with Israel one final time before his death. Since Yahweh’s covenant is one in which Yahweh makes promises to Israel and also commands Israel to obey his law,1 the focus in Deuteronomy is on words—the words that Moses preaches, but even more so the word of Yahweh as revealed through his law. Even the Hebrew name for this book, ’elleh haddebarim, means “these are the words.”2 Deuteronomy—the English name—comes from a Greek translation of Deuteronomy 17:18, where the phrase “copy of the law” was translated as “a second law” (deuteronomion).3 But, it is important to recognize that Deuteronomy does not contain new legislation from Yahweh. In Deuteronomy, Moses is instead expounding, clarifying, and applying the law to the people of Israel—not simply repeating it, but offering a commentary on the whole law that Israel had received at Mount Sinai.4 Still, these are not the dry, intellectual final thoughts of an aloof scholar—Deuteronomy is Moses’s final plea for Israel to obey the word of Yahweh after Moses’s death, as Peter Craigie notes in his commentary: “The style is hortatory, that of an orator addressing his congregation with words designed to move them to obedience and commitment to the Lord of the covenant.”5 It would be far more accurate, then, to say that Deuteronomy really represents Moses’s final sermon before his death, which is what we read in Deuteronomy 1:5: “Moses undertook to explain this law.” Deuteronomy is the glory of Moses’s ministry. In this book, Moses reminds Israel of how Yahweh had intervened to save them, calling Israel to be his people out of free grace and now demanding that his people walk in his laws and statutes. Deuteronomy represents the best that Moses has to offer. But in Deuteronomy, we will also see that the glory of Moses’s ministry is already fading. Not only will Joshua replace Moses as Israel’s leader in the short term, but Moses himself will testify to the coming of a much greater leader for God’s people in the long term—one who would come as a king (Deut. 17:14–20) and who would qualify as a greater prophet than even Moses (Deut. 18:15–22). As we study Deuteronomy, pay attention to the way the shadow of Jesus Christ grows larger and larger. 1 P. C. Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy, NICOT (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1976), 89. 2 Ibid., 17. 3 John H. Sailhamer, The Pentateuch as Narrative: A Biblical-Theological Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992), 423. 4 Ibid. 5 Craigie, Deuteronomy, 17.  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for May 28th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/deut1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Deuteronomy 1</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/psalm81" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Psalms 81</a>–<a href="http://esv.to/psalm82" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">82</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/isa29" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Isaiah 29</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/3john1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">3 John 1</a> Although Deuteronomy is one of the longer books in the Old Testament, with thirty-four chapters, it does not represent the passage of much time. In Deuteronomy, we do not read new narratives of Israel’s journey through the wilderness, nor of new battles Israel fights, nor even of new ways that Yahweh provides for his people. For the most part, Deuteronomy includes only one speech—the final words of Moses before he dies, immediately before God’s people enter into the Promised Land under the new leadership of Joshua. Through this speech, Moses renews Yahweh’s covenant with Israel one final time before his death. Since Yahweh’s covenant is one in which Yahweh makes promises to Israel and also commands Israel to obey his law,<a href="#sdfootnote1sym" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> the focus in Deuteronomy is on words—the words that Moses preaches, but even more so the word of Yahweh as revealed through his law. Even the Hebrew name for this book, ’elleh haddebarim, means “these are the words.”<a href="#sdfootnote2sym" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2</a> Deuteronomy—the English name—comes from a Greek translation of Deuteronomy 17:18, where the phrase “copy of the law” was translated as “a second law” (deuteronomion).<a href="#sdfootnote3sym" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">3</a> But, it is important to recognize that Deuteronomy does not contain new legislation from Yahweh. In Deuteronomy, Moses is instead expounding, clarifying, and applying the law to the people of Israel—not simply repeating it, but offering a commentary on the whole law that Israel had received at Mount Sinai.<a href="#sdfootnote4sym" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">4</a> Still, these are not the dry, intellectual final thoughts of an aloof scholar—Deuteronomy is Moses’s final plea for Israel to obey the word of Yahweh after Moses’s death, as Peter Craigie notes in his commentary: “The style is hortatory, that of an orator addressing his congregation with words designed to move them to obedience and commitment to the Lord of the covenant.”<a href="#sdfootnote5sym" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">5</a> It would be far more accurate, then, to say that Deuteronomy really represents Moses’s final sermon before his death, which is what we read in Deuteronomy 1:5: “Moses undertook to explain this law.” Deuteronomy is the glory of Moses’s ministry. In this book, Moses reminds Israel of how Yahweh had intervened to save them, calling Israel to be his people out of free grace and now demanding that his people walk in his laws and statutes. Deuteronomy represents the best that Moses has to offer. But in Deuteronomy, we will also see that the glory of Moses’s ministry is already fading. Not only will Joshua replace Moses as Israel’s leader in the short term, but Moses himself will testify to the coming of a much greater leader for God’s people in the long term—one who would come as a king (Deut. 17:14–20) and who would qualify as a greater prophet than even Moses (Deut. 18:15–22). As we study Deuteronomy, pay attention to the way the shadow of Jesus Christ grows larger and larger. <a href="#sdfootnote1anc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> P. C. Craigie, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802825249/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0802825249&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=19baskets-20&amp;linkId=3XBS2SBB5G22U3TC" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Book of Deuteronomy, NICOT</a> (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1976), 89. <a href="#sdfootnote2anc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2</a> Ibid., 17. <a href="#sdfootnote3anc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">3</a> John H. Sailhamer, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0310574218/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0310574218&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=19baskets-20&amp;linkId=YV5O7XXLOUFZHBEY" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Pentateuch as Narrative: A Biblical-Theological Commentary</a> (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992), 423. <a href="#sdfootnote4anc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">4</a> Ibid. <a href="#sdfootnote5anc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">5</a> Craigie, Deuteronomy, 17. <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

May 28th: Bible Meditation for Deuteronomy 1

Bible Readings for May 27th Numbers 36 | Psalm 80 | Isaiah 28 | 2 John 1 Numbers 36 continues the story that we read back in Numbers 27, when the daughters of Zelophehad petitioned Moses to receive the inheritance that had belonged to their father, since he had died without a male heir to carry on the family’s place in Israel. It seems that, as time has gone on, the people discovered another technicality that affected the long-term possession of the land within the half-tribe of Manasseh. The issue is this: while Yahweh did command that the daughters of Zelophehad should possess their father’s inheritance in the absence of a male heir (Num. 27:5–11), the heads of Manasseh realized that if the daughters of Zelophehad married men from other tribes, their inheritance would legitimately and permanently pass to those tribes. Furthermore, during the Year of Jubilee, their inheritance would be restored to those other tribes, since the jubilee only restored property that had been sold temporarily to pay off debts (Num. 36:1–4). To resolve this issue, Yahweh offered a fairly simple solution: the daughters of Zelophehad could marry whomever they wanted to, so long as those men were from the same clan (Num. 36:5–8). That way, their inheritance would stay within the clan, rather than passing to another tribe altogether. In these final chapters of the book of Numbers, we have read multiple stories about the preparations that Moses took with Israel to ready them for taking claim to their inheritance. Why was the issue of inheritance so critical to require this much space in the Scriptures? And why is this story the final word in the whole book of Numbers? Put simply, the inheritance Yahweh was giving his people was the means by which he would give his people himself. The Promised Land was the place where Yahweh would dwell with his people, so the land was the means by which Israel would be Yahweh’s people and Yahweh would be Israel’s God. For the same reason, the final word of the New Testament is the story of the new Jerusalem in which we will dwell with God in Revelation 21–22. The important part of those passages isn’t the precious jewels out of which God will build his holy city but rather the fact that, as the loud voice from the throne announces, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (Rev. 21:3). Christian, as strange as these discussions of the particularities of the inheritance within the clans of Israel may strike you, pay attention and do not miss the point—this is your hope. You stand to inherit Christ so that you may dwell with him forever, and “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:2).  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for May 27th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/num36" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Numbers 36</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/psalm80" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Psalm 80</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/isa28" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Isaiah 28</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/2john1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2 John 1</a> Numbers 36 continues the story that we read back in Numbers 27, when the daughters of Zelophehad petitioned Moses to receive the inheritance that had belonged to their father, since he had died without a male heir to carry on the family’s place in Israel. It seems that, as time has gone on, the people discovered another technicality that affected the long-term possession of the land within the half-tribe of Manasseh. The issue is this: while Yahweh did command that the daughters of Zelophehad should possess their father’s inheritance in the absence of a male heir (Num. 27:5–11), the heads of Manasseh realized that if the daughters of Zelophehad married men from other tribes, their inheritance would legitimately and permanently pass to those tribes. Furthermore, during the Year of Jubilee, their inheritance would be restored to those other tribes, since the jubilee only restored property that had been sold temporarily to pay off debts (Num. 36:1–4). To resolve this issue, Yahweh offered a fairly simple solution: the daughters of Zelophehad could marry whomever they wanted to, so long as those men were from the same clan (Num. 36:5–8). That way, their inheritance would stay within the clan, rather than passing to another tribe altogether. In these final chapters of the book of Numbers, we have read multiple stories about the preparations that Moses took with Israel to ready them for taking claim to their inheritance. Why was the issue of inheritance so critical to require this much space in the Scriptures? And why is this story the final word in the whole book of Numbers? Put simply, the inheritance Yahweh was giving his people was the means by which he would give his people himself. The Promised Land was the place where Yahweh would dwell with his people, so the land was the means by which Israel would be Yahweh’s people and Yahweh would be Israel’s God. For the same reason, the final word of the New Testament is the story of the new Jerusalem in which we will dwell with God in Revelation 21–22. The important part of those passages isn’t the precious jewels out of which God will build his holy city but rather the fact that, as the loud voice from the throne announces, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (Rev. 21:3). Christian, as strange as these discussions of the particularities of the inheritance within the clans of Israel may strike you, pay attention and do not miss the point—this is your hope. You stand to inherit Christ so that you may dwell with him forever, and “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:2). <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

May 27th: Bible Meditation for Numbers 36

Bible Readings for May 26th Numbers 35 | Psalm 79 | Isaiah 27 | 1 John 5 In Numbers 35, Yahweh lays out a plan for creating cities of refuge—six of the forty-eight cities that the Levites would inhabit (Num. 35:6–7). These cities of refuge were a place for a person to flee until he could stand trial if he brought about the death of another person unintentionally (Num. 35:11–12). In those days, the closest relative of a murder victim would avenge his relative’s death. So, in cases where someone killed another person with a stone, iron, or wooden tool or where that person had been lying in wait to attack their enemy, that person was considered a murderer, and the proper punishment for murder was the death penalty (Num. 35:16–21). Such a murderer had attacked a human being made in the image of God, and the law had required the death penalty for murderers ever since the covenant with Noah (Gen. 9:5–6). No ransom was permitted to stop the murderer’s execution, since shedding human blood through murder defiled the holy land that Yahweh was giving to his people (Num. 35:30–34). But there were other cases where someone accidentally caused another’s death, either by striking him in such a way that would not normally cause death and without lying in wait (Num. 35:22–23) or, for example, by dropping something without seeing the other person (Num. 35:23). In those cases, the manslayer could flee to the city of refuge and receive the protection of Levites from the avenger of blood. But even if the manslayer was found innocent of murder at his trial by the congregation of Israel, he would remain in the city of refuge all the days of his life until the death of the high priest (Num. 35:25). If the avenger of blood discovered the manslayer outside the walls of the city of refuge before the high priest had died, the avenger could execute the manslayer without guilt (Num. 35:27). This provision obviously served a practical purpose in the nation of Israel, but it also foreshadowed the reason why Jesus had to die. Jesus taught that anyone who has even been angry with his brother in his heart is guilty of murder (Matt. 5:21–22), so that not a single one of us stands innocent of blood—and our avenger of blood is none other than Yahweh himself. But rather than pursuing our death, Yahweh graciously sent his own Son to be our great high priest, whose death meant that we could go free, without fear of Yahweh’s wrath against us. The gospel is first and foremost the story of how Jesus exhausted the wrath of his Father against wicked sinners like you and me, making peace for us through his death on the cross. Rejoice—you may go free, because your high priest has died for you.  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for May 26th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/num35" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Numbers 35</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/psalm79" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Psalm 79</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/isa27" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Isaiah 27</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/1john5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1 John 5</a> In Numbers 35, Yahweh lays out a plan for creating cities of refuge—six of the forty-eight cities that the Levites would inhabit (Num. 35:6–7). These cities of refuge were a place for a person to flee until he could stand trial if he brought about the death of another person unintentionally (Num. 35:11–12). In those days, the closest relative of a murder victim would avenge his relative’s death. So, in cases where someone killed another person with a stone, iron, or wooden tool or where that person had been lying in wait to attack their enemy, that person was considered a murderer, and the proper punishment for murder was the death penalty (Num. 35:16–21). Such a murderer had attacked a human being made in the image of God, and the law had required the death penalty for murderers ever since the covenant with Noah (Gen. 9:5–6). No ransom was permitted to stop the murderer’s execution, since shedding human blood through murder defiled the holy land that Yahweh was giving to his people (Num. 35:30–34). But there were other cases where someone accidentally caused another’s death, either by striking him in such a way that would not normally cause death and without lying in wait (Num. 35:22–23) or, for example, by dropping something without seeing the other person (Num. 35:23). In those cases, the manslayer could flee to the city of refuge and receive the protection of Levites from the avenger of blood. But even if the manslayer was found innocent of murder at his trial by the congregation of Israel, he would remain in the city of refuge all the days of his life until the death of the high priest (Num. 35:25). If the avenger of blood discovered the manslayer outside the walls of the city of refuge before the high priest had died, the avenger could execute the manslayer without guilt (Num. 35:27). This provision obviously served a practical purpose in the nation of Israel, but it also foreshadowed the reason why Jesus had to die. Jesus taught that anyone who has even been angry with his brother in his heart is guilty of murder (Matt. 5:21–22), so that not a single one of us stands innocent of blood—and our avenger of blood is none other than Yahweh himself. But rather than pursuing our death, Yahweh graciously sent his own Son to be our great high priest, whose death meant that we could go free, without fear of Yahweh’s wrath against us. The gospel is first and foremost the story of how Jesus exhausted the wrath of his Father against wicked sinners like you and me, making peace for us through his death on the cross. Rejoice—you may go free, because your high priest has died for you. <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

May 26th: Bible Meditation for Numbers 35

Bible Readings for May 25th Numbers 34 | Psalm 78:38–72 | Isaiah 26 | 1 John 4 In Numbers 34, Yahweh commands Moses to prepare Israel in two ways to enter into the Promised Land—first, by spelling out the boundaries of the land that Israel would inhabit and, second, by appointing a new set of tribal chiefs for Israel. The time is drawing nearer when Moses would die and also when Israel would take possession of the land that God had promised to give them as an inheritance. These two topics, however, are closely tied together. The whole point for appointing chiefs among each of the tribes of Israel is to identify the men “who shall divide the land to you for inheritance” (Num. 34:17). So, Yahweh first identifies the two new leaders over the entire nation: Eleazar the priest and Joshua, the son of Nun. Then, Yahweh identifies leaders for each of the tribes of Israel except for the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, who have already identified their inheritance east of the Jordan (Num. 34:13–15). Dividing the land for Israel’s inheritance is a fascinating rationale for appointing tribal chiefs, since it is different from the reason given in Numbers 1:4–5, 44 for appointing chiefs in the previous generation. At that time, Yahweh told Moses to appoint chiefs among each of the tribes of Israel to help with the census—and remember that the purpose of the census was to help identify all the men among Israel who were able to go to war (Num. 1:3, 26:2). So, the tribal chiefs were appointed specifically for helping to raise up Israel’s army. While the people of Israel have fought a few battles during their wilderness wanderings in the book of Numbers (14:39–45; 21:1–3, 21–30, 31–35; 25:16–18; 31:1–12), the real warfare will not begin until they enter the Promised Land. And yet, the focus has already shifted to the inheritance that lay beyond the fighting. Yahweh had promised to give them an inheritance, and, although they would need to drive the Canaanites out of the Promised Land, Yahweh sets their eyes on the prize before them—and not on the fighting. We find an echo of this principle in the book of Ephesians, where Paul opens his letter by speaking not of our spiritual warfare but of the inheritance that we have already obtained in Christ, guaranteed by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:11–14). Jesus Christ himself has won the decisive victory at the cross, so Paul details neither the spiritual nature of our struggle nor our armor until the very end of the letter. We must fight, but our victory in Christ is a foregone conclusion. Let us set our eyes, then, not on the struggle but on the prize set before us in Jesus Christ.  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for May 25th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/num34" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Numbers 34</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/psalm78" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Psalm 78:38–72</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/isa26" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Isaiah 26</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/1john4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1 John 4</a> In Numbers 34, Yahweh commands Moses to prepare Israel in two ways to enter into the Promised Land—first, by spelling out the boundaries of the land that Israel would inhabit and, second, by appointing a new set of tribal chiefs for Israel. The time is drawing nearer when Moses would die and also when Israel would take possession of the land that God had promised to give them as an inheritance. These two topics, however, are closely tied together. The whole point for appointing chiefs among each of the tribes of Israel is to identify the men “who shall divide the land to you for inheritance” (Num. 34:17). So, Yahweh first identifies the two new leaders over the entire nation: Eleazar the priest and Joshua, the son of Nun. Then, Yahweh identifies leaders for each of the tribes of Israel except for the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, who have already identified their inheritance east of the Jordan (Num. 34:13–15). Dividing the land for Israel’s inheritance is a fascinating rationale for appointing tribal chiefs, since it is different from the reason given in Numbers 1:4–5, 44 for appointing chiefs in the previous generation. At that time, Yahweh told Moses to appoint chiefs among each of the tribes of Israel to help with the census—and remember that the purpose of the census was to help identify all the men among Israel who were able to go to war (Num. 1:3, 26:2). So, the tribal chiefs were appointed specifically for helping to raise up Israel’s army. While the people of Israel have fought a few battles during their wilderness wanderings in the book of Numbers (14:39–45; 21:1–3, 21–30, 31–35; 25:16–18; 31:1–12), the real warfare will not begin until they enter the Promised Land. And yet, the focus has already shifted to the inheritance that lay beyond the fighting. Yahweh had promised to give them an inheritance, and, although they would need to drive the Canaanites out of the Promised Land, Yahweh sets their eyes on the prize before them—and not on the fighting. We find an echo of this principle in the book of Ephesians, where Paul opens his letter by speaking not of our spiritual warfare but of the inheritance that we have already obtained in Christ, guaranteed by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:11–14). Jesus Christ himself has won the decisive victory at the cross, so Paul details neither the spiritual nature of our struggle nor our armor until the very end of the letter. We must fight, but our victory in Christ is a foregone conclusion. Let us set our eyes, then, not on the struggle but on the prize set before us in Jesus Christ. <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

May 25th: Bible Meditation for Numbers 34

Bible Readings for May 24th Numbers 33 | Psalm 78:1–37 | Isaiah 25 | 1 John 3 In Numbers 33, we see the whole story of Yahweh’s covenant with his people laid out in brief, recounting every event from the day of their redemption out of the hand of Egypt (Num. 33:3) all the way through the mission that Yahweh was giving his people on the brink of the Jordan River (Num. 33:49) as they prepared to enter into the Promised Land. By this story, Moses reminds Israel of Yahweh’s faithfulness to them through their forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Then, Yahweh instructs Moses to charge Israel with their mission in Canaan: Israel was to drive out the inhabitants and destroy entirely the remnants of false worship from the land (Num. 33:50–52). After they took possession of the land, they would then receive their inheritance according to the size of their tribes (Num. 33:53–54). But Yahweh closes this passage with a warning: if his people fail to drive out the inhabitants of the land, those inhabitants would be a thorn in the side of Israel, and Yahweh even goes so far as to say this: “And I will do to you as I thought to do to them” (Num. 33:56)—that is, Yahweh would drive Israel out of the Promised Land. The reason that Yahweh is deadly serious about all this is that he knows just how quickly Israel could be led astray from following him if they do not expel from the land the foreign people and their false gods. And, as we continue to read this story, we find that Yahweh was absolutely accurate in his warnings—the people would fail to drive the inhabitants completely out of the land (Judg. 1:27–2:5), initiating a cycle within Israel of idolatrous apostasy, subjugation to foreign powers, redemption as Yahweh raises up new leaders to save his people, and then back into apostasy after those leaders died. It was only after Israel had been entirely crushed, conquered completely, and under the boot of Rome that God would send his Son into the world—not to be just one more charismatic leader who would save God’s people for a season, but to lay down his life in order to save his people for all eternity. If you are in Christ, this is your story. This is your redemption, when Yahweh brought you out of your bondage to sin and death, and this is the inheritance that he offers you—nothing less than eternal union with the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Preach this story again and again to remind yourself of God’s faithfulness to you through his Son, not only to stay vigilant in putting to death the last vestiges of sin in your life (Rom. 8:13), but also to renew yourself with hope that Yahweh will be faithful to complete the good work he began in you (Phil. 1:6).  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for May 24th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/num33" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Numbers 33</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/psalm78" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Psalm 78:1–37</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/isa25" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Isaiah 25</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/1john3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1 John 3</a> In Numbers 33, we see the whole story of Yahweh’s covenant with his people laid out in brief, recounting every event from the day of their redemption out of the hand of Egypt (Num. 33:3) all the way through the mission that Yahweh was giving his people on the brink of the Jordan River (Num. 33:49) as they prepared to enter into the Promised Land. By this story, Moses reminds Israel of Yahweh’s faithfulness to them through their forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Then, Yahweh instructs Moses to charge Israel with their mission in Canaan: Israel was to drive out the inhabitants and destroy entirely the remnants of false worship from the land (Num. 33:50–52). After they took possession of the land, they would then receive their inheritance according to the size of their tribes (Num. 33:53–54). But Yahweh closes this passage with a warning: if his people fail to drive out the inhabitants of the land, those inhabitants would be a thorn in the side of Israel, and Yahweh even goes so far as to say this: “And I will do to you as I thought to do to them” (Num. 33:56)—that is, Yahweh would drive Israel out of the Promised Land. The reason that Yahweh is deadly serious about all this is that he knows just how quickly Israel could be led astray from following him if they do not expel from the land the foreign people and their false gods. And, as we continue to read this story, we find that Yahweh was absolutely accurate in his warnings—the people would fail to drive the inhabitants completely out of the land (Judg. 1:27–2:5), initiating a cycle within Israel of idolatrous apostasy, subjugation to foreign powers, redemption as Yahweh raises up new leaders to save his people, and then back into apostasy after those leaders died. It was only after Israel had been entirely crushed, conquered completely, and under the boot of Rome that God would send his Son into the world—not to be just one more charismatic leader who would save God’s people for a season, but to lay down his life in order to save his people for all eternity. If you are in Christ, this is your story. This is your redemption, when Yahweh brought you out of your bondage to sin and death, and this is the inheritance that he offers you—nothing less than eternal union with the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Preach this story again and again to remind yourself of God’s faithfulness to you through his Son, not only to stay vigilant in putting to death the last vestiges of sin in your life (Rom. 8:13), but also to renew yourself with hope that Yahweh will be faithful to complete the good work he began in you (Phil. 1:6). <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

May 24th: Bible Meditation for Numbers 33

Bible Readings for May 23rd Numbers 32 | Psalm 77 | Isaiah 24 | 1 John 2 The story in Numbers 32 is more important than we might realize at first. In fact, we will continue to hear echoes of the settling of Reuben and Gad in Gilead, the land east of the Jordan, through the rest of the Bible. We should pay close attention to the agreement that Moses makes with the people of Reuben and Gad. Those tribes would gain the land of Gilead as their inheritance since it was good land for their livestock (Num. 32:1), but only if they agreed to assist their brothers in the conquest of the Promised Land (Num. 32:16–27). Intriguingly, we learn here that this land of Gilead is the land that formerly belonged to Sihon, king of the Amorites, and to Og, king of Bashan (Num. 32:33). Curiously, these two kings are later mentioned by name twice in the Psalms as the kings whom Yahweh struck down to give their land as a heritage to his people forever (Ps. 135:10–12, 136:17–22). Why, then, don’t the psalmists sing about Yahweh’s victories over the kings of Jericho or Ai or even of Adoni-zedek, the king of Jerusalem (Josh. 10:1) instead of Sihon and Og? Simply put, the lands of Sihon and Og represent the firstfruits of the Promised Land. In literature, this is called a synecdoche, when a part of something represents the whole. By writing about these victories, they mean us to think of all the victories in the Promised Land. Gilead itself becomes an important location in the Bible. For example, the prophet Elijah was from the city of Tishbe in Gilead (1 Kgs. 17:1). But even more, the prophet Jeremiah asks a haunting question to illustrate the failure of Israel as God’s people: “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?” (Jer. 8:22). Again, Gilead is used as a synecdoche for all of Israel—to ask why there is no balm in Gilead is to ask why there is no health for all God’s people. But the prophet Jeremiah also foretold a day when the balm of Gilead would again heal—and not only Israel but all the nations: “Go up to Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt! In vain you have used many medicines; there is no healing for you” (Jer. 45:11). Gilead is a symbol not only of the victories that Yahweh had provided for his people in the past but also of their future hope that Yahweh would one day raise up out of his people a Great Physician with the power to heal—which is why Jesus said explicitly that he had come to heal the sick (Mark 2:17). There is balm in Gilead, and he heals even the sickest of sinners.  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for May 23rd</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/num32" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Numbers 32</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/psalm77" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Psalm 77</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/isa24" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Isaiah 24</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/1john2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1 John 2</a> The story in Numbers 32 is more important than we might realize at first. In fact, we will continue to hear echoes of the settling of Reuben and Gad in Gilead, the land east of the Jordan, through the rest of the Bible. We should pay close attention to the agreement that Moses makes with the people of Reuben and Gad. Those tribes would gain the land of Gilead as their inheritance since it was good land for their livestock (Num. 32:1), but only if they agreed to assist their brothers in the conquest of the Promised Land (Num. 32:16–27). Intriguingly, we learn here that this land of Gilead is the land that formerly belonged to Sihon, king of the Amorites, and to Og, king of Bashan (Num. 32:33). Curiously, these two kings are later mentioned by name twice in the Psalms as the kings whom Yahweh struck down to give their land as a heritage to his people forever (Ps. 135:10–12, 136:17–22). Why, then, don’t the psalmists sing about Yahweh’s victories over the kings of Jericho or Ai or even of Adoni-zedek, the king of Jerusalem (Josh. 10:1) instead of Sihon and Og? Simply put, the lands of Sihon and Og represent the firstfruits of the Promised Land. In literature, this is called a synecdoche, when a part of something represents the whole. By writing about these victories, they mean us to think of all the victories in the Promised Land. Gilead itself becomes an important location in the Bible. For example, the prophet Elijah was from the city of Tishbe in Gilead (1 Kgs. 17:1). But even more, the prophet Jeremiah asks a haunting question to illustrate the failure of Israel as God’s people: “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?” (Jer. 8:22). Again, Gilead is used as a synecdoche for all of Israel—to ask why there is no balm in Gilead is to ask why there is no health for all God’s people. But the prophet Jeremiah also foretold a day when the balm of Gilead would again heal—and not only Israel but all the nations: “Go up to Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt! In vain you have used many medicines; there is no healing for you” (Jer. 45:11). Gilead is a symbol not only of the victories that Yahweh had provided for his people in the past but also of their future hope that Yahweh would one day raise up out of his people a Great Physician with the power to heal—which is why Jesus said explicitly that he had come to heal the sick (Mark 2:17). There is balm in Gilead, and he heals even the sickest of sinners. <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

May 23rd: Bible Meditation for Numbers 32

A Daily Journey Through the Unfolding Story of the Bible Based on the M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Bible Readings for May 22nd Numbers 31 | Psalm 75–76 | Isaiah 23 | 1 John 1 The text of Numbers 31 raises many difficult questions about subjects like warfare, genocide, plundering, and slavery. Yahweh instructs Moses to “avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites” (Num. 31:2) for two major events. First, the Midianites were involved along with the Moabites in hiring Balaam, the son of Beor, for the purpose of cursing Israel (Num. 22:7). Second, the Moabites and the Midianites had led the people of Israel astray to worship the Baal of Peor (Num. 25:1–3, 6, 17–18; 31:16). For these crimes, Yahweh commands that they be destroyed—including not only the adult males whom they met in battle (Num. 31:7) but also every male child and every woman who was not a virgin (Num. 31:17). The virgin girls who were captured were available as slaves or as wives (Num. 31:18). Then, the spoils of war were divided into two parts, one part for the people of Israel generally and the other part for those who had gone out into battle (Num. 31:27). This is not an easy passage to read, and many people would point to passages like this as evidence that the God of the Bible is not righteous in all that he commands. What, then, should we make of this? First, we should recognize that attempting to curse Israel and leading them into the worship of a false god represented reprehensible wickedness. Yahweh had called Israel to be his special possession in all the earth, so leading them into apostasy was a horrific crime. This helps us to see that God is not a genocidal maniac. Rather, he commanded this vengeance against Midian and the destruction of all the peoples in the Promised Land for the same reason: justice. In fact, Yahweh had told Abraham all the way back in Genesis 15:16 that Israel would not receive the Promised Land until the wickedness of the people living there reached a tipping point. We see in these stories not unrestrained violence but the kingdom of God breaking into this world, punishing evildoers and preserving the people of God through grace. These scenes are not given to us for imitation today, since all vengeance belongs to Yahweh alone (Rom. 12:19). Rather, these stories announce in advance what King Jesus will do when he returns. He came once in peace as a meek, suffering servant, but he will come again as a mighty warrior king to execute justice among the nations. And as we approach that day, let us heed the words of the psalmist: “Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear; and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Ps. 2:10–12).  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for May 22nd</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/num31" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Numbers 31</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/psalm75" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Psalm 75</a>–<a href="http://esv.to/psalm76" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">76</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/isa23" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Isaiah 23</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/1john1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1 John 1</a> The text of Numbers 31 raises many difficult questions about subjects like warfare, genocide, plundering, and slavery. Yahweh instructs Moses to “avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites” (Num. 31:2) for two major events. First, the Midianites were involved along with the Moabites in hiring Balaam, the son of Beor, for the purpose of cursing Israel (Num. 22:7). Second, the Moabites and the Midianites had led the people of Israel astray to worship the Baal of Peor (Num. 25:1–3, 6, 17–18; 31:16). For these crimes, Yahweh commands that they be destroyed—including not only the adult males whom they met in battle (Num. 31:7) but also every male child and every woman who was not a virgin (Num. 31:17). The virgin girls who were captured were available as slaves or as wives (Num. 31:18). Then, the spoils of war were divided into two parts, one part for the people of Israel generally and the other part for those who had gone out into battle (Num. 31:27). This is not an easy passage to read, and many people would point to passages like this as evidence that the God of the Bible is not righteous in all that he commands. What, then, should we make of this? First, we should recognize that attempting to curse Israel and leading them into the worship of a false god represented reprehensible wickedness. Yahweh had called Israel to be his special possession in all the earth, so leading them into apostasy was a horrific crime. This helps us to see that God is not a genocidal maniac. Rather, he commanded this vengeance against Midian and the destruction of all the peoples in the Promised Land for the same reason: justice. In fact, Yahweh had told Abraham all the way back in Genesis 15:16 that Israel would not receive the Promised Land until the wickedness of the people living there reached a tipping point. We see in these stories not unrestrained violence but the kingdom of God breaking into this world, punishing evildoers and preserving the people of God through grace. These scenes are not given to us for imitation today, since all vengeance belongs to Yahweh alone (Rom. 12:19). Rather, these stories announce in advance what King Jesus will do when he returns. He came once in peace as a meek, suffering servant, but he will come again as a mighty warrior king to execute justice among the nations. And as we approach that day, let us heed the words of the psalmist: “Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear; and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Ps. 2:10–12). <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

May 22nd: Bible Meditation for Numbers 31

Bible Readings for May 21st Numbers 30 | Psalm 74 | Isaiah 22 | 2 Peter 3 In Numbers 30, Yahweh insists that his people keep their vows. The basic principle is simple: if you make a promise, keep it. Or, as Yahweh himself puts it, anyone who makes a vow or swears an oath or binds himself with a pledge “shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth” (Num. 30:2). Now, the rules for how men should keep vows had no loopholes whatsoever. Therefore, most of Numbers 30 focuses on the subject of the vows and promises that women made. So, a young woman’s father could invalidate a vow the woman made if she remained in her father’s house (Num. 30:3–4). Or, if the woman was married, her husband could invalidate the vow (Num. 30:8, 12, 13, 15)—but in both cases, the father or the husband had to void the vow immediately upon hearing that the woman had made the vow, or the vow would stand (Num. 30:4, 7, 11, 14). Alternately, if a woman was a widow or divorced, then every vow she made was binding upon herself (Num. 30:9). Although it is the case that women were not here given complete authority over themselves, this was not a one-sided law. In Numbers 30:15, we read this: “But if he [the woman’s husband] makes them null and void after he has heard of them, then he shall bear her iniquity.” The phrase “after he has heard of them” probably suggests a longer period of time than on the same day that he hears about it, and in such cases, any guilt the woman would incur for failing to keep her vows would fall on the woman’s husband, and not on the woman herself.1 The husband was the covenantal head of his wife, and so he bore his wife’s iniquity for faithlessness if he did not properly intervene. The reason that Yahweh insists that his people keep their vows to each other is simple: Yahweh has called Israel to reflect his own glory, and Yahweh’s glory is tied to his covenantal faithfulness. Yahweh is a faithful, covenant-keeping God, so his people must also be faithful to keep their vows. But Yahweh reveals something else in these laws—namely, the principle that guilt for faithlessness may be transferred from a wife to her husband (Num. 30:15). It is on this principle that Yahweh sent his Son into this world—not only to bear his people’s iniquity for their unfaithfulness to him, but to do so as his people’s bridegroom. To his bride, the church, Jesus announces forever that your iniquity is wiped away. Jesus, who knew no sin, was made sin for you, bearing your iniquity and covenantal faithlessness upon himself so that you might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21) and so that Jesus could take you as his wife forever. 1 Timothy R. Ashley, The Book of Numbers, NICOT (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1993), 581–82.  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for May 21st</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/num30" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Numbers 30</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/psalm74" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Psalm 74</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/isa22" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Isaiah 22</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/2pet3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2 Peter 3</a> In Numbers 30, Yahweh insists that his people keep their vows. The basic principle is simple: if you make a promise, keep it. Or, as Yahweh himself puts it, anyone who makes a vow or swears an oath or binds himself with a pledge “shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth” (Num. 30:2). Now, the rules for how men should keep vows had no loopholes whatsoever. Therefore, most of Numbers 30 focuses on the subject of the vows and promises that women made. So, a young woman’s father could invalidate a vow the woman made if she remained in her father’s house (Num. 30:3–4). Or, if the woman was married, her husband could invalidate the vow (Num. 30:8, 12, 13, 15)—but in both cases, the father or the husband had to void the vow immediately upon hearing that the woman had made the vow, or the vow would stand (Num. 30:4, 7, 11, 14). Alternately, if a woman was a widow or divorced, then every vow she made was binding upon herself (Num. 30:9). Although it is the case that women were not here given complete authority over themselves, this was not a one-sided law. In Numbers 30:15, we read this: “But if he [the woman’s husband] makes them null and void after he has heard of them, then he shall bear her iniquity.” The phrase “after he has heard of them” probably suggests a longer period of time than on the same day that he hears about it, and in such cases, any guilt the woman would incur for failing to keep her vows would fall on the woman’s husband, and not on the woman herself.<a href="#sdfootnote1sym" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> The husband was the covenantal head of his wife, and so he bore his wife’s iniquity for faithlessness if he did not properly intervene. The reason that Yahweh insists that his people keep their vows to each other is simple: Yahweh has called Israel to reflect his own glory, and Yahweh’s glory is tied to his covenantal faithfulness. Yahweh is a faithful, covenant-keeping God, so his people must also be faithful to keep their vows. But Yahweh reveals something else in these laws—namely, the principle that guilt for faithlessness may be transferred from a wife to her husband (Num. 30:15). It is on this principle that Yahweh sent his Son into this world—not only to bear his people’s iniquity for their unfaithfulness to him, but to do so as his people’s bridegroom. To his bride, the church, Jesus announces forever that your iniquity is wiped away. Jesus, who knew no sin, was made sin for you, bearing your iniquity and covenantal faithlessness upon himself so that you might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21) and so that Jesus could take you as his wife forever. <a href="#sdfootnote1anc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> Timothy R. Ashley, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802825230/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0802825230&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=19baskets-20&amp;linkId=T6CWZTJDQH3AKP42" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Book of Numbers, NICOT</a> (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1993), 581–82. <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

May 21st: Bible Meditation for Numbers 30

Bible Readings for May 20th Numbers 29 | Psalm 73 | Isaiah 21 | 2 Peter 2 It is difficult to overstate the significance of the calendar of worship that Yahweh gave for his people. Every year, Yahweh commanded the people of Israel to appear before him during three major sets of feasts (Ex. 23:17, 34:23; Deut. 16:16) on top of all the other sacrifices required monthly, weekly, and daily. How does all this apply to those of us living under the new covenant today? First, the calendar of worship in the old covenant managed the time of Israel, just as the regulations about distance and boundaries managed the space of Israel. This goes all the way back to creation: just as Yahweh sanctified a holy place in the Garden of Eden, so he also sanctified time by setting apart the seventh day—the Sabbath—as a holy day of rest (Gen. 2:3). The principle of Sabbath rest, then, formed the theological foundation on which all the other calendar events rested. As Allen Ross observes, “All the feasts were supposed to be observed as complete Sabbath rests even though they might not fall on the Sabbath.”1 So, we see in Numbers 28–29 the repetition of the command that “You shall not do any ordinary work” (Num. 28:18, 25, 26; 29:1, 7, 12, 35)—and we shouldn’t miss the fact that Yahweh uses this phrase seven times in this passage. Second, the regulations for time in Israel served the same purpose as the regulations for space surrounding the tabernacle: to point forward to Jesus Christ. In the most explicit New Testament reference to the old covenant calendar, Paul writes this: “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are the shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (Col. 2:16–17). What substance, then, did Christ bring? The author of the book of Hebrews tells us: “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his” (Heb. 4:9–10). Jesus came to usher in a new creation, declaring his work finished on the sixth day (John 19:30), resting in the grave on the seventh day, and bringing in the firstfruits of a new creation through his resurrection on the eighth day (1 Cor. 15:20). So, under the new covenant, God has stripped down all the many festivities back to only the one primary, overarching theological principle: Sabbath rest. We gather weekly on the new Sabbath during the first day of the week to celebrate the victory of Jesus Christ, looking forward to the day that Jesus Christ will come again to establish his perfect Sabbath rest forever. Maranatha (1 Cor. 16:22). Come quickly, Lord Jesus (Rev. 22:20)! 1 Allen P. Ross, Holiness to the LORD: A Guide to the Exposition of the Book of Leviticus (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 396–97.  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for May 20th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/num29" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Numbers 29</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/psalm73" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Psalm 73</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/isa21" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Isaiah 21</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/2pet2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2 Peter 2</a> It is difficult to overstate the significance of the calendar of worship that Yahweh gave for his people. Every year, Yahweh commanded the people of Israel to appear before him during three major sets of feasts (Ex. 23:17, 34:23; Deut. 16:16) on top of all the other sacrifices required monthly, weekly, and daily. How does all this apply to those of us living under the new covenant today? First, the calendar of worship in the old covenant managed the time of Israel, just as the regulations about distance and boundaries managed the space of Israel. This goes all the way back to creation: just as Yahweh sanctified a holy place in the Garden of Eden, so he also sanctified time by setting apart the seventh day—the Sabbath—as a holy day of rest (Gen. 2:3). The principle of Sabbath rest, then, formed the theological foundation on which all the other calendar events rested. As Allen Ross observes, “All the feasts were supposed to be observed as complete Sabbath rests even though they might not fall on the Sabbath.”<a href="#sdfootnote1sym" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> So, we see in Numbers 28–29 the repetition of the command that “You shall not do any ordinary work” (Num. 28:18, 25, 26; 29:1, 7, 12, 35)—and we shouldn’t miss the fact that Yahweh uses this phrase seven times in this passage. Second, the regulations for time in Israel served the same purpose as the regulations for space surrounding the tabernacle: to point forward to Jesus Christ. In the most explicit New Testament reference to the old covenant calendar, Paul writes this: “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are the shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (Col. 2:16–17). What substance, then, did Christ bring? The author of the book of Hebrews tells us: “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his” (Heb. 4:9–10). Jesus came to usher in a new creation, declaring his work finished on the sixth day (John 19:30), resting in the grave on the seventh day, and bringing in the firstfruits of a new creation through his resurrection on the eighth day (1 Cor. 15:20). So, under the new covenant, God has stripped down all the many festivities back to only the one primary, overarching theological principle: Sabbath rest. We gather weekly on the new Sabbath during the first day of the week to celebrate the victory of Jesus Christ, looking forward to the day that Jesus Christ will come again to establish his perfect Sabbath rest forever. Maranatha (1 Cor. 16:22). Come quickly, Lord Jesus (Rev. 22:20)! <a href="#sdfootnote1anc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> Allen P. Ross, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0801031346/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0801031346&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=19baskets-20&amp;linkId=MHKCK7KM6AEMUZ2L" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Holiness to the LORD: A Guide to the Exposition of the Book of Leviticus</a> (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 396–97. <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

May 20th: Bible Meditation for Numbers 29

Bible Readings for May 19th Numbers 28 | Psalm 72 | Isaiah 19–20 | 2 Peter 1 It is staggering to consider the sheer volume of sacrifices that were offered on the altar of Israel. When we think of sacrifices, we might imagine an occasional sacrifice here or there, but in fact, the worship of the old covenant was built on perpetual sacrifices. Every day, once in the morning and once at twilight, the priests would offer a male lamb (two lambs each day) as a burnt offering along with an ephah of fine flour with oil for a grain offering (Num. 28:3–6, 8). Additionally, they would pour out a drink offering of strong drink to Yahweh in the Holy Place (Num. 28:7). Then, every Sabbath, the priests would offer two additional lambs, more flour, more oil, and more strong drink, “besides the regular burnt offering and its drink offering” (Num. 28:10). More than that, at the beginning of every month, the priests would offer two bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs as burnt offerings, as well as more flour and more oil as grain offerings, along with more drink offerings—in addition to another male goat as a sin offering (Num. 28:11–15). And don’t forget the festivals, either. At Passover (Num. 28:16–25), at the Feast of Weeks (Num. 28:26–31), at the Feast of Trumpets (Num. 29:1–6), at the Day of Atonement (Num. 29:7–11), and at the Feast of Booths (Num. 29:12–39), the Israelites would offer entirely different sets of sacrifices on top of their daily, Sabbath, and monthly sacrifices. Numbers 28 gives us some idea of just how unimaginably bloody old covenant worship must have been. There would have been blood everywhere, flowing all the time, and the smoke of the sacrifices would have hung ceaselessly in the air. Accordingly, it must have been quite a shock to see these regular sacrifices come to a grinding halt when the early Jewish Christians instead pointed to the single sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The commandments in Numbers 28 form the backdrop to the letter to the Hebrews, which is a plea to those who were formerly blood-drenched in old covenant worship not to return to it. Why? Because “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Heb. 10:4). Instead, we need a much better sacrifice, so the author of Hebrews reminds Jewish Christians of how much better the blood of Jesus is: “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Heb. 10:14). Does your confidence rest today in the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus or in your own daily offerings to God (whatever they may be)? If the sacrificial system of Israel could not take away sins, then what makes you think that your good works can purify you before God?  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for May 19th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/num28" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Numbers 28</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/psalm72" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Psalm 72</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/isa19" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Isaiah 19</a>–<a href="http://esv.to/isa20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">20</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/2pet1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2 Peter 1</a> It is staggering to consider the sheer volume of sacrifices that were offered on the altar of Israel. When we think of sacrifices, we might imagine an occasional sacrifice here or there, but in fact, the worship of the old covenant was built on perpetual sacrifices. Every day, once in the morning and once at twilight, the priests would offer a male lamb (two lambs each day) as a burnt offering along with an ephah of fine flour with oil for a grain offering (Num. 28:3–6, 8). Additionally, they would pour out a drink offering of strong drink to Yahweh in the Holy Place (Num. 28:7). Then, every Sabbath, the priests would offer two additional lambs, more flour, more oil, and more strong drink, “besides the regular burnt offering and its drink offering” (Num. 28:10). More than that, at the beginning of every month, the priests would offer two bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs as burnt offerings, as well as more flour and more oil as grain offerings, along with more drink offerings—in addition to another male goat as a sin offering (Num. 28:11–15). And don’t forget the festivals, either. At Passover (Num. 28:16–25), at the Feast of Weeks (Num. 28:26–31), at the Feast of Trumpets (Num. 29:1–6), at the Day of Atonement (Num. 29:7–11), and at the Feast of Booths (Num. 29:12–39), the Israelites would offer entirely different sets of sacrifices on top of their daily, Sabbath, and monthly sacrifices. Numbers 28 gives us some idea of just how unimaginably bloody old covenant worship must have been. There would have been blood everywhere, flowing all the time, and the smoke of the sacrifices would have hung ceaselessly in the air. Accordingly, it must have been quite a shock to see these regular sacrifices come to a grinding halt when the early Jewish Christians instead pointed to the single sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The commandments in Numbers 28 form the backdrop to the letter to the Hebrews, which is a plea to those who were formerly blood-drenched in old covenant worship not to return to it. Why? Because “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Heb. 10:4). Instead, we need a much better sacrifice, so the author of Hebrews reminds Jewish Christians of how much better the blood of Jesus is: “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Heb. 10:14). Does your confidence rest today in the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus or in your own daily offerings to God (whatever they may be)? If the sacrificial system of Israel could not take away sins, then what makes you think that your good works can purify you before God? <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

May 19th: Bible Meditation for Numbers 28

Bible Readings for May 18th Numbers 27 | Psalms 70–71 | Isaiah 17–18 | 1 Peter 5 Because Moses will not remain with Israel forever, we find Moses making more and more preparations for his looming absence as we continue to read through the end of the Pentateuch. Here in Numbers 27, we find Moses making preparations for his departure in two important ways. First, in Numbers 27:1–11, Moses clarifies the inheritance rights of the daughters of Zelophehad, who had died without any sons to whom he could leave his inheritance. According to the standard law, their father’s name and their family’s heritage would be blotted out from Israel without any inheritance to pass down, unless Yahweh made a different provision. Moses, then, inquires about the case with Yahweh, who makes what would have been an extraordinary decree according to the customs of the day: Yahweh commands that if a man dies without a son, his daughters should receive his inheritance (Num. 27:8)—and if there are no daughters, then the inheritance should pass to the man’s brothers or to his father’s brothers or to his nearest kin (Num. 27:9–11). This law provides some of the background to the story of Ruth, who seeks Boaz as her kinsman redeemer when Ruth’s husband dies along with his brother and his father, leaving behind only the women: Ruth, Ruth’s sister-in-law, Orpah, and Ruth’s mother-in-law, Naomi (Ruth 1:1–5). Second, Yahweh commands Moses to commission Joshua to take over the leadership of Israel after he is gone, investing Joshua with the same authority that Moses has held so that the entire nation of Israel would obey him (Num. 27:18–20). To commission Joshua for leadership, Moses lays his hands on Joshua, a ritual that carries into the New Testament practice for ordaining both deacons (Acts 6:6) and elders (1 Tim. 4:14, 5:22; 2 Tim. 1:6). Sometimes, we think about Christian leadership in terms of the indispensability of the leader. So, when a leader in the church dies and the ministry falls apart, we draw the conclusion that the leader must have been extraordinarily special. While the Bible does acknowledge the tragedy of seeing great leaders die (cf. Deut. 34:8–12), it also teaches that part of Christian leadership means preparing for the next generation. The Apostle Peter wrote specifically about this point. He writes this: “And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things” (2 Pet. 1:15). When his time grew short, he sought to prepare the next generation for following Christ. In your ministry, are you seeking to make yourself indispensable or do you labor with the humility to exalt Christ above yourself? Meditate on the words of John the Baptist, the final and greatest prophet of the old covenant (Matt. 11:11): “[Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for May 18th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/num27" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Numbers 27</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/psalm70" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Psalms 70</a>–<a href="http://esv.to/psalm71" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">71</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/isa17" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Isaiah 17</a>–<a href="http://esv.to/isa18" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">18</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/1pet5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1 Peter 5</a> Because Moses will not remain with Israel forever, we find Moses making more and more preparations for his looming absence as we continue to read through the end of the Pentateuch. Here in Numbers 27, we find Moses making preparations for his departure in two important ways. First, in Numbers 27:1–11, Moses clarifies the inheritance rights of the daughters of Zelophehad, who had died without any sons to whom he could leave his inheritance. According to the standard law, their father’s name and their family’s heritage would be blotted out from Israel without any inheritance to pass down, unless Yahweh made a different provision. Moses, then, inquires about the case with Yahweh, who makes what would have been an extraordinary decree according to the customs of the day: Yahweh commands that if a man dies without a son, his daughters should receive his inheritance (Num. 27:8)—and if there are no daughters, then the inheritance should pass to the man’s brothers or to his father’s brothers or to his nearest kin (Num. 27:9–11). This law provides some of the background to the story of Ruth, who seeks Boaz as her kinsman redeemer when Ruth’s husband dies along with his brother and his father, leaving behind only the women: Ruth, Ruth’s sister-in-law, Orpah, and Ruth’s mother-in-law, Naomi (Ruth 1:1–5). Second, Yahweh commands Moses to commission Joshua to take over the leadership of Israel after he is gone, investing Joshua with the same authority that Moses has held so that the entire nation of Israel would obey him (Num. 27:18–20). To commission Joshua for leadership, Moses lays his hands on Joshua, a ritual that carries into the New Testament practice for ordaining both deacons (Acts 6:6) and elders (1 Tim. 4:14, 5:22; 2 Tim. 1:6). Sometimes, we think about Christian leadership in terms of the indispensability of the leader. So, when a leader in the church dies and the ministry falls apart, we draw the conclusion that the leader must have been extraordinarily special. While the Bible does acknowledge the tragedy of seeing great leaders die (cf. Deut. 34:8–12), it also teaches that part of Christian leadership means preparing for the next generation. The Apostle Peter wrote specifically about this point. He writes this: “And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things” (2 Pet. 1:15). When his time grew short, he sought to prepare the next generation for following Christ. In your ministry, are you seeking to make yourself indispensable or do you labor with the humility to exalt Christ above yourself? Meditate on the words of John the Baptist, the final and greatest prophet of the old covenant (Matt. 11:11): “[Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

May 18th: Bible Meditation for Numbers 27

Bible Readings for May 17th Numbers 26 | Psalm 69 | Isaiah 16 | 1 Peter 4 The reason our English Bibles call this the book of “Numbers” is that two national censuses are taken—one in the first chapter and another here: “Among these the land shall be divided for inheritance according to the number of names. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance; every tribe shall be given its inheritance in proportion to its list” (Num. 26:53–54). Even though the people of Israel had not yet begun to enter into the Promised Land, Yahweh begins to prepare them for taking their inheritance. Now, the people are not quite ready to enter into the Promised Land. Still, there are two important observations we should make at this point, before Israel begins the conquest for their inheritance. First, the Israelites have not flourished during their wilderness wanderings, but in fact have shrunk. The original census numbered the people of Israel at 603,550 (Num. 2:32), but this census discovers only 601,730 people within Israel’s ranks. Yahweh has been gracious to Israel, but they have brought harsh consequences on themselves through their sin so that all those who rebelled against entering into the Promised Land have died in the wilderness (Num. 26:64–65). Second, do not miss the fact that this census is given to number the people who were able to go to war (Num. 26:2). God will give Israel miraculous victory as they enter into the Promised Land, but the people will be required to fight, following Yahweh into battle by faith. It is interesting, then, to see that the New Testament also speaks of a census and an inheritance. We read about a book of life, in which the names of God’s people are written for judgment on the last day (Rev. 20:12–15). Also, we are promised that we will inherit salvation if we believe on Christ, who is the heir of all things (Rom. 8:17; Heb. 1:2, 14). But we are also warned that the inheritance we have obtained through Christ (Eph. 1:11) will come by battle—not by warfare against flesh and blood, but against the cosmic powers of evil in this present darkness (Eph. 6:10–20). God has promised us victory in Jesus Christ, but we should not be surprised that being numbered among the people of God—that is, having our names written in the book of life—is less like receiving a pass to avoid suffering and struggle and more like being drafted into the army of the Lamb. Brothers and sisters, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God and stand firm against Satan and his schemes (Eph. 6:10–11). Why? Because we stand to inherit Christ himself and all of creation with him through the gospel.  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for May 17th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/num26" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Numbers 26</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/psalm69" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Psalm 69</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/isa16" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Isaiah 16</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/1pet4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1 Peter 4</a> The reason our English Bibles call this the book of “Numbers” is that two national censuses are taken—one in the first chapter and another here: “Among these the land shall be divided for inheritance according to the number of names. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance; every tribe shall be given its inheritance in proportion to its list” (Num. 26:53–54). Even though the people of Israel had not yet begun to enter into the Promised Land, Yahweh begins to prepare them for taking their inheritance. Now, the people are not quite ready to enter into the Promised Land. Still, there are two important observations we should make at this point, before Israel begins the conquest for their inheritance. First, the Israelites have not flourished during their wilderness wanderings, but in fact have shrunk. The original census numbered the people of Israel at 603,550 (Num. 2:32), but this census discovers only 601,730 people within Israel’s ranks. Yahweh has been gracious to Israel, but they have brought harsh consequences on themselves through their sin so that all those who rebelled against entering into the Promised Land have died in the wilderness (Num. 26:64–65). Second, do not miss the fact that this census is given to number the people who were able to go to war (Num. 26:2). God will give Israel miraculous victory as they enter into the Promised Land, but the people will be required to fight, following Yahweh into battle by faith. It is interesting, then, to see that the New Testament also speaks of a census and an inheritance. We read about a book of life, in which the names of God’s people are written for judgment on the last day (Rev. 20:12–15). Also, we are promised that we will inherit salvation if we believe on Christ, who is the heir of all things (Rom. 8:17; Heb. 1:2, 14). But we are also warned that the inheritance we have obtained through Christ (Eph. 1:11) will come by battle—not by warfare against flesh and blood, but against the cosmic powers of evil in this present darkness (Eph. 6:10–20). God has promised us victory in Jesus Christ, but we should not be surprised that being numbered among the people of God—that is, having our names written in the book of life—is less like receiving a pass to avoid suffering and struggle and more like being drafted into the army of the Lamb. Brothers and sisters, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God and stand firm against Satan and his schemes (Eph. 6:10–11). Why? Because we stand to inherit Christ himself and all of creation with him through the gospel. <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

May 17th: Bible Meditation for Numbers 26

Bible Readings for May 16th Numbers 25 | Psalm 68 | Isaiah 15 | 1 Peter 3 As we discussed in our meditation for Numbers 22, the book of Numbers describes Israel’s descent. In the beginning of Numbers, we see the perfect system Israel received that made it possible for Yahweh to dwell in their midst, but then the rest of the book traces Israel’s fall all the way down to extremely dark places of rebellion. Here, in Numbers 25, things continue to get worse as Israel begins to worship the gods of the Moabites and the Midianites. Numbers 25:3 is the tragic statement of the passage: “So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor.” 1 This is the nightmare of the golden calf all over again, with Yahweh’s people worshiping false gods. But just as Yahweh gave the order for Israel’s judges to go through the camp and slaughter any men who had begun to worship the Baal of Peor (Num. 25:5), an Israelite brought a Midianite woman into his tent. Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, rose up, took a spear, and pierced the man and his whore (Num. 25:1) through their bellies, and Yahweh relented from his wrath against Israel (Num. 25:7–8). Yahweh was pleased that Phinehas had been jealous for Yahweh, and he blessed all Israel because of what Phinehas did. It is fascinating, though, that when Jesus Christ came, he did not come to punish evil-doers and the worshipers of false gods. We do not find Jesus piercing sinners to wipe away the sins of Israel; instead, we see Jesus submitting to being pierced in order to take upon himself the wrath of God against our sin. Ultimately, the work of Phinehas addressed one problem at one time in Israel’s history. When Jesus Christ gave up his life as a sacrifice on the cross, however, he offered himself up as a once-for-all sacrifice for the people of God. Therefore, in Numbers 25, we can almost hear God hinting at the great work of his Son, saying that the Lord Jesus Christ “has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy. Therefore, say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel’” (Num. 25:11–13). Today, do not be yoked with the false gods of this world (2 Cor. 6:14), but instead, remember the words of your kind Savior who was pierced for you: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:29–30). 1 This is not likely the same Baal whom the prophet Elijah confronts later in Israel’s history. The word Baal simply means “Lord,” and it was a general word used as a title for many gods—including Yahweh, at times (e.g., Hos. 2:16).  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for May 16th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/num25" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Numbers 25</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/psalm68" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Psalm 68</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/isa15" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Isaiah 15</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/1pet3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1 Peter 3</a> As we discussed in our meditation for Numbers 22, the book of Numbers describes Israel’s descent. In the beginning of Numbers, we see the perfect system Israel received that made it possible for Yahweh to dwell in their midst, but then the rest of the book traces Israel’s fall all the way down to extremely dark places of rebellion. Here, in Numbers 25, things continue to get worse as Israel begins to worship the gods of the Moabites and the Midianites. Numbers 25:3 is the tragic statement of the passage: “So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor.” <a href="#sdfootnote1sym" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> This is the nightmare of the golden calf all over again, with Yahweh’s people worshiping false gods. But just as Yahweh gave the order for Israel’s judges to go through the camp and slaughter any men who had begun to worship the Baal of Peor (Num. 25:5), an Israelite brought a Midianite woman into his tent. Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, rose up, took a spear, and pierced the man and his whore (Num. 25:1) through their bellies, and Yahweh relented from his wrath against Israel (Num. 25:7–8). Yahweh was pleased that Phinehas had been jealous for Yahweh, and he blessed all Israel because of what Phinehas did. It is fascinating, though, that when Jesus Christ came, he did not come to punish evil-doers and the worshipers of false gods. We do not find Jesus piercing sinners to wipe away the sins of Israel; instead, we see Jesus submitting to being pierced in order to take upon himself the wrath of God against our sin. Ultimately, the work of Phinehas addressed one problem at one time in Israel’s history. When Jesus Christ gave up his life as a sacrifice on the cross, however, he offered himself up as a once-for-all sacrifice for the people of God. Therefore, in Numbers 25, we can almost hear God hinting at the great work of his Son, saying that the Lord Jesus Christ “has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy. Therefore, say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel’” (Num. 25:11–13). Today, do not be yoked with the false gods of this world (2 Cor. 6:14), but instead, remember the words of your kind Savior who was pierced for you: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:29–30). <a href="#sdfootnote1anc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> This is not likely the same Baal whom the prophet Elijah confronts later in Israel’s history. The word Baal simply means “Lord,” and it was a general word used as a title for many gods—including Yahweh, at times (e.g., Hos. 2:16). <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

May 16th: Bible Meditation for Numbers 25

Bible Readings for May 15th Numbers 24 | Psalms 66–67 | Isaiah 14 | 1 Peter 2 Numbers 24 contains the final two of Balaam’s four prophetic oracles, and they take us from the beginning of the Bible all the way to the end, tying together the whole story at once. In his third oracle, in Numbers 24:5–6, notice that Balaam describes Israel in terms of a garden: “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! Like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the LORD has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters.” We have discussed many times that Yahweh is establishing the tabernacle to be the new Garden of Eden where he can dwell with his people on the earth, but Balaam helps us to see the true significance of Yahweh’s arrangement with his people—by dwelling in their midst, Yahweh wants to make Israel the new, flourishing Garden of Eden.1 See also the phrase that Israel is “like cedar trees beside the waters.” This is a loaded phrase, as it comes up again in the Psalms to describe the blessed man: “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (Ps. 1:3). Ultimately, this image shows up in the New Jerusalem: “also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Rev. 22:2). This is the reason, then, why Balaam reiterates the blessing that Yahweh had promised to Abraham back in Genesis 12:3: “Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you” (Num. 24:9). Balaam recognized that God was raising up Israel to heal the nations in order to fulfill his promise. And remarkably, Yahweh uses Balaam to announce that he would not do this through the collective righteousness of the nation but through a single figure who would rise up out of Israel. In Numbers 24:17, Balaam prophesies this: “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.” Yahweh had called Israel to be a light to the nations, but like Adam, they failed in the task that they were given. Israel’s failure, however, did not catch Yahweh off guard—as we discussed yesterday, the disobedience of Israel was apparent even by this point in history. In fact, Yahweh had planned from the  beginning to raise a single star out of Israel—his own, beloved Son—who would give his people eternal healing in the New Jerusalem. Blessed is the one whose delight is in the Son of the Lord. 1 For more information on the links between Balaam’s prophetic oracle and Israel’s temple as the new Garden of Eden, see G. K. Beale, The Temple and the Church’s Mission (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2004), 124–26, 162, 243.  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for May 15th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/num24" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Numbers 24</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/psalm66" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Psalms 66</a>–<a href="http://esv.to/psalm67" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">67</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/isa14" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Isaiah 14</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/1pet2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1 Peter 2</a> Numbers 24 contains the final two of Balaam’s four prophetic oracles, and they take us from the beginning of the Bible all the way to the end, tying together the whole story at once. In his third oracle, in Numbers 24:5–6, notice that Balaam describes Israel in terms of a garden: “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! Like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the LORD has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters.” We have discussed many times that Yahweh is establishing the tabernacle to be the new Garden of Eden where he can dwell with his people on the earth, but Balaam helps us to see the true significance of Yahweh’s arrangement with his people—by dwelling in their midst, Yahweh wants to make Israel the new, flourishing Garden of Eden.<a href="#sdfootnote1sym" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> See also the phrase that Israel is “like cedar trees beside the waters.” This is a loaded phrase, as it comes up again in the Psalms to describe the blessed man: “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (Ps. 1:3). Ultimately, this image shows up in the New Jerusalem: “also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Rev. 22:2). This is the reason, then, why Balaam reiterates the blessing that Yahweh had promised to Abraham back in Genesis 12:3: “Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you” (Num. 24:9). Balaam recognized that God was raising up Israel to heal the nations in order to fulfill his promise. And remarkably, Yahweh uses Balaam to announce that he would not do this through the collective righteousness of the nation but through a single figure who would rise up out of Israel. In Numbers 24:17, Balaam prophesies this: “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.” Yahweh had called Israel to be a light to the nations, but like Adam, they failed in the task that they were given. Israel’s failure, however, did not catch Yahweh off guard—as we discussed yesterday, the disobedience of Israel was apparent even by this point in history. In fact, Yahweh had planned from the beginning to raise a single star out of Israel—his own, beloved Son—who would give his people eternal healing in the New Jerusalem. Blessed is the one whose delight is in the Son of the Lord. <a href="#sdfootnote1anc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> For more information on the links between Balaam’s prophetic oracle and Israel’s temple as the new Garden of Eden, see G. K. Beale, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0830826181/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0830826181&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=19baskets-20&amp;linkId=MUHNGQ72OZJOZYP4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Temple and the Church’s Mission</a> (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2004), 124–26, 162, 243. <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

May 15th: Bible Meditation for Numbers 24

Bible Readings for May 14th Numbers 23 | Psalms 64–65 | Isaiah 13 | 1 Peter 1 In the mind of Balak, the arrangement he was making with Balaam was simple. Balaam would prophetically curse Israel, and Balak would make Balaam rich as a reward. Balak’s mistake is understandable, although certainly not excusable. He genuinely thought about prophets like Balaam in the way that we might think of a gifted salesperson—that a skilled prophet could convince the gods to do whatever he asked of them. Balaam, for his part, is not innocent in this matter. Yahweh did give him permission to go with Balak in Numbers 22, but with a strict condition: “If the men have come to call you, rise, go with them; but only do what I tell you” (Num. 22:20). Apparently, Balaam immediately violated Yahweh’s commandment in some way, since Yahweh’s anger was kindled against him as he went (Num. 22:22), leading to the scene where Balaam’s donkey speaks to him after refusing to pass beyond an angel with a drawn sword—an image reminiscent of the cherubim guarding the entrance to the Garden of Eden with a flaming sword. In the New Testament, we read that Balaam abandoned himself “for the sake of gain” (Jude 1:11). In other words, Balaam must have conspired in his heart to do whatever was necessary to gain the large reward that Balak was promising to him. What both of these men fail to recognize is that Yahweh is a real person, with his own thoughts, his own intentions, and his own desires. What’s more, Yahweh’s thoughts, intentions, and desires are governed not by some desperate attempt to gain something that he needs, but rather they are the outflow of his own infinite, eternal resources. So, as Balaam begins to prophesy on behalf of Yahweh, the oracles he receives cut through both Balak’s desperation and Balaam’s greed by insisting that “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind” (Num. 23:19). We deeply need to hear this message in our culture today. As the Bible has slipped from its once-central place in the church as the authoritative word of God, we have felt a false freedom to rewrite what God has spoken. When we find his thoughts objectionable, we simply ignore what he says, or we find ways to raise the same question that the serpent did in the Garden: “Did God actually say…?” (Gen. 3:1). Whether we do this because we feel that God threatens our lifestyles or because we see an opportunity for greedy personal gain, we fail to recognize that God is not impressed by our ability to squirm out from under his word any more than he was impressed with the foolishness of Balak and Balaam. When God speaks—especially in the final word he has provided in his Son (Heb. 1:1–2)—do you listen?  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for May 14th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/num23" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Numbers 23</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/psalm64" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Psalms 64</a>–<a href="http://esv.to/psalm65" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">65</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/isa13" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Isaiah 13</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/1pet1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1 Peter 1</a> In the mind of Balak, the arrangement he was making with Balaam was simple. Balaam would prophetically curse Israel, and Balak would make Balaam rich as a reward. Balak’s mistake is understandable, although certainly not excusable. He genuinely thought about prophets like Balaam in the way that we might think of a gifted salesperson—that a skilled prophet could convince the gods to do whatever he asked of them. Balaam, for his part, is not innocent in this matter. Yahweh did give him permission to go with Balak in Numbers 22, but with a strict condition: “If the men have come to call you, rise, go with them; but only do what I tell you” (Num. 22:20). Apparently, Balaam immediately violated Yahweh’s commandment in some way, since Yahweh’s anger was kindled against him as he went (Num. 22:22), leading to the scene where Balaam’s donkey speaks to him after refusing to pass beyond an angel with a drawn sword—an image reminiscent of the cherubim guarding the entrance to the Garden of Eden with a flaming sword. In the New Testament, we read that Balaam abandoned himself “for the sake of gain” (Jude 1:11). In other words, Balaam must have conspired in his heart to do whatever was necessary to gain the large reward that Balak was promising to him. What both of these men fail to recognize is that Yahweh is a real person, with his own thoughts, his own intentions, and his own desires. What’s more, Yahweh’s thoughts, intentions, and desires are governed not by some desperate attempt to gain something that he needs, but rather they are the outflow of his own infinite, eternal resources. So, as Balaam begins to prophesy on behalf of Yahweh, the oracles he receives cut through both Balak’s desperation and Balaam’s greed by insisting that “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind” (Num. 23:19). We deeply need to hear this message in our culture today. As the Bible has slipped from its once-central place in the church as the authoritative word of God, we have felt a false freedom to rewrite what God has spoken. When we find his thoughts objectionable, we simply ignore what he says, or we find ways to raise the same question that the serpent did in the Garden: “Did God actually say…?” (Gen. 3:1). Whether we do this because we feel that God threatens our lifestyles or because we see an opportunity for greedy personal gain, we fail to recognize that God is not impressed by our ability to squirm out from under his word any more than he was impressed with the foolishness of Balak and Balaam. When God speaks—especially in the final word he has provided in his Son (Heb. 1:1–2)—do you listen? <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

May 14th: Bible Meditation for Numbers 23

Bible Readings for May 13th Numbers 22 | Psalms 62–63 | Isaiah 11–12 | James 5 The book of Numbers begins with a system—a perfect system that Yahweh gave to his people to regulate how they conducted themselves in his presence so that he could live in their midst. Yahweh had set precise boundaries, with promises of blessing for obedience and warnings that whoever transgressed the space of Yahweh’s holiness would be put to death. But as the book of Numbers progresses, the themes change significantly. No longer is there any suggestion that Israel might keep the law and thereby maintain their standing before Yahweh. Rather than grow in obedience, the people of Israel falter in many ways: frequent complaints about their provisions (e.g., Num. 11:1–15), the opposition of Miriam and Aaron against Moses (Num. 12), the bad report of the cowardly spies and the faithlessness of the people (Num. 13:25–14:12), the capital crime of the Sabbathbreaker (Num. 15:32–36), Korah’s rebellion (Num. 16), Moses’s failure to uphold Yahweh as holy in the eyes of the people (Num. 20:10–13), and even more complaining that prompted Yahweh to send fiery serpents into the midst of his people (Num. 21:4–9). The introduction of Yahweh’s perfect law has not reformed Israel; rather, Israel seems to be growing progressively worse. The big theological question that hangs in the background of Numbers 22, then, is this: Given the chance, will Yahweh turn away from his people? They have completely failed, from the least of them all the way up to the great Moses himself. So, will Yahweh curse them, abandon them, and raise up a new people to start over? There is real drama when the messengers of Balak come to Balaam, a prophet, asking him to curse the people of Israel—at this point, Yahweh would have legitimate reasons for listening to Balaam and taking this opportunity to reject his people once and for all. But as though to mark his absolute, unbreakable, covenantal resolve to protect his people, Yahweh moves heaven and earth to prevent the curse of his people. The story of Balaam’s donkey speaking in Numbers 22:22–41 is not a cute embellishment given for the purpose of entertaining children on flannelgraph boards in Sunday School classrooms; instead, it is intended to underscore that fact that Yahweh will not abandon his people, no matter how far they have fallen. We will explore more of the story of Balaam and Balak over the next few days, but meditate on the character of Yahweh as revealed in this passage. If even here we see Yahweh refusing to abandon his people, what better assurance do we have that he will be faithful to us in Jesus Christ? Reflect on Romans 5:10: “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for May 13th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/num22" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Numbers 22</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/psalm62" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Psalms 62</a>–<a href="http://esv.to/psalm63" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">63</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/isa11" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Isaiah 11</a>–<a href="http://esv.to/isa12" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">12</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/james5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">James 5</a> The book of Numbers begins with a system—a perfect system that Yahweh gave to his people to regulate how they conducted themselves in his presence so that he could live in their midst. Yahweh had set precise boundaries, with promises of blessing for obedience and warnings that whoever transgressed the space of Yahweh’s holiness would be put to death. But as the book of Numbers progresses, the themes change significantly. No longer is there any suggestion that Israel might keep the law and thereby maintain their standing before Yahweh. Rather than grow in obedience, the people of Israel falter in many ways: frequent complaints about their provisions (e.g., Num. 11:1–15), the opposition of Miriam and Aaron against Moses (Num. 12), the bad report of the cowardly spies and the faithlessness of the people (Num. 13:25–14:12), the capital crime of the Sabbathbreaker (Num. 15:32–36), Korah’s rebellion (Num. 16), Moses’s failure to uphold Yahweh as holy in the eyes of the people (Num. 20:10–13), and even more complaining that prompted Yahweh to send fiery serpents into the midst of his people (Num. 21:4–9). The introduction of Yahweh’s perfect law has not reformed Israel; rather, Israel seems to be growing progressively worse. The big theological question that hangs in the background of Numbers 22, then, is this: Given the chance, will Yahweh turn away from his people? They have completely failed, from the least of them all the way up to the great Moses himself. So, will Yahweh curse them, abandon them, and raise up a new people to start over? There is real drama when the messengers of Balak come to Balaam, a prophet, asking him to curse the people of Israel—at this point, Yahweh would have legitimate reasons for listening to Balaam and taking this opportunity to reject his people once and for all. But as though to mark his absolute, unbreakable, covenantal resolve to protect his people, Yahweh moves heaven and earth to prevent the curse of his people. The story of Balaam’s donkey speaking in Numbers 22:22–41 is not a cute embellishment given for the purpose of entertaining children on flannelgraph boards in Sunday School classrooms; instead, it is intended to underscore that fact that Yahweh will not abandon his people, no matter how far they have fallen. We will explore more of the story of Balaam and Balak over the next few days, but meditate on the character of Yahweh as revealed in this passage. If even here we see Yahweh refusing to abandon his people, what better assurance do we have that he will be faithful to us in Jesus Christ? Reflect on Romans 5:10: “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

May 13th: Bible Meditation for Numbers 22

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Bible Readings for March 3rd Exodus 14 | Luke 17 | Job 32 | 2 Corinthians 2 Although we might have thought Israel was finished forever with Egypt, neither Yahweh nor the Egyptians are done fighting over the possession of Israel. Yahweh again hardens Pharaoh’s heart (Ex. 14:4) so that Pharaoh and his servants wonder how they could have been so foolish as to let the Israelites go (Ex. 14:5). Accordingly, Pharaoh decides to send all his chariots and armies in pursuit of Israel to get their slaves back (Ex. 14:6–9). Exodus 14 is a magnificent study in the foolishness of humanity. On the one side of the pillar of God’s cloud are the Egyptians, pridefully overconfident in the power of their war machinery to conquer Israel once again, but on the other side of the pillar of cloud are the Israelites, who aren’t much better. The people of Israel, certain they will be killed, are suddenly claiming that what they had really wanted all along was to remain in Egypt as slaves to avoid dying in the wilderness (Ex. 14:11–12). So, pursued closely by the mightiest army on the planet and in the face of severe criticism from his own people, Moses must encourage the people by pointing them back to Yahweh and his power: “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” (Ex. 14:13–14). The right response to the situation was to fixate not on the power of Egypt nor on the powerlessness of Israel but on the promise of Yahweh to fight for his people. Without fail, Yahweh acts mightily to deliver his people by nothing less than parting the Red Sea and allowing Israel to walk across the sea bed on dry land. Then, when Pharaoh’s armies attempt to pursue, Yahweh causes their wheels to stick in the mud, and after Israel has safely crossed through the sea, God brings the sea crashing down upon their heads, killing the entire army in a single blow. Yahweh fought for his people, and Israel had only to be silent. Today, the message of salvation remains the same: Yahweh has fought for you in Jesus Christ, and you have only to be silent. Your abilities, your accomplishments, and your resources count for nothing. You have only to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ—the one who battled for you to overcome sin, death, and the devil through his life, death, and resurrection—and you will be saved. Fear not, stand firm, and look upon the salvation of Yahweh in Jesus Christ. Even when you find yourself pursued by all the powers of hell, remember that Jesus Christ—the Lion of the Tribe of Judah—has conquered. Fear him and believe upon him, and you will be saved.  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for March 3rd</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/ex14" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Exodus 14</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/luke17" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Luke 17</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/job32" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Job 32</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/2cor2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2 Corinthians 2</a> Although we might have thought Israel was finished forever with Egypt, neither Yahweh nor the Egyptians are done fighting over the possession of Israel. Yahweh again hardens Pharaoh’s heart (Ex. 14:4) so that Pharaoh and his servants wonder how they could have been so foolish as to let the Israelites go (Ex. 14:5). Accordingly, Pharaoh decides to send all his chariots and armies in pursuit of Israel to get their slaves back (Ex. 14:6–9). Exodus 14 is a magnificent study in the foolishness of humanity. On the one side of the pillar of God’s cloud are the Egyptians, pridefully overconfident in the power of their war machinery to conquer Israel once again, but on the other side of the pillar of cloud are the Israelites, who aren’t much better. The people of Israel, certain they will be killed, are suddenly claiming that what they had really wanted all along was to remain in Egypt as slaves to avoid dying in the wilderness (Ex. 14:11–12). So, pursued closely by the mightiest army on the planet and in the face of severe criticism from his own people, Moses must encourage the people by pointing them back to Yahweh and his power: “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” (Ex. 14:13–14). The right response to the situation was to fixate not on the power of Egypt nor on the powerlessness of Israel but on the promise of Yahweh to fight for his people. Without fail, Yahweh acts mightily to deliver his people by nothing less than parting the Red Sea and allowing Israel to walk across the sea bed on dry land. Then, when Pharaoh’s armies attempt to pursue, Yahweh causes their wheels to stick in the mud, and after Israel has safely crossed through the sea, God brings the sea crashing down upon their heads, killing the entire army in a single blow. Yahweh fought for his people, and Israel had only to be silent. Today, the message of salvation remains the same: Yahweh has fought for you in Jesus Christ, and you have only to be silent. Your abilities, your accomplishments, and your resources count for nothing. You have only to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ—the one who battled for you to overcome sin, death, and the devil through his life, death, and resurrection—and you will be saved. Fear not, stand firm, and look upon the salvation of Yahweh in Jesus Christ. Even when you find yourself pursued by all the powers of hell, remember that Jesus Christ—the Lion of the Tribe of Judah—has conquered. Fear him and believe upon him, and you will be saved. <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

March 3rd: Bible Meditation for Exodus 14

Bible Readings for March 15th Exodus 26 | John 5 | Proverbs 2 | Galatians 1 In Exodus 26, Yahweh describes the two different places in the tabernacle where his holiness would dwell most fully on earth: the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. Those two places would be separated only by a veil made out of blue, purple, and scarlet fabrics, with figures of cherubim skillfully embroidered into it, with the mercy seat and the ark of the covenant alone residing inside the Most Holy Place (Ex. 26:33–34). Other furniture—furniture that Yahweh described in Exodus 25 and that we will read more about in Exodus 37—would remain in the Holy Place, just outside of the Most Holy Place. All the tabernacle is holy, but still we see that certain areas within the tabernacle are more holy than others. So, even the priests who will regularly minister in the Holy Place are nevertheless forbidden from entering the Most Holy Place. Only the high priest may enter, and even he may enter only once a year for the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16). Protecting these boundaries is so important that Yahweh appoints guards to keep the wrong people from encroaching on his holiness beyond their clearance. This is why figures of cherubim are embroidered into the veil between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, since it was the cherubim who were stationed as guards outside the entrance to the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve were expelled (Gen. 3:24). In the book of Numbers, we will also see that the nonpriestly Levites will be similarly appointed as guards to keep the rest of Israel from coming too near to the tabernacle (e.g., Num. 3:5–10). In fact, Yahweh solemnly charges the Levites multiple times to execute any “outsider”—that is, an unauthorized person—who comes too near to the tabernacle (Num. 1:51, 3:10, 3:38, 18:7), and even the nonpriestly Levites were threatened with death if they themselves transgressed Yahweh’s boundaries (Num. 4:15, 19–20). Taken together, these instructions help us understand the serious nature of Yahweh’s holiness. Yahweh is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29) whose holiness would destroy us if we came near to him without being cleansed from the impurities of the sin and death that cling to us in the world—or even if we came near to him without an appropriate invitation. The gospel of Jesus, then, announces shockingly good news: We have been brought near to God in his holiness by the blood of Christ (Eph. 2:13). Through the cleansing, purifying power of Jesus’ blood, God calls us to draw near to God in the splendor of his holy places with confidence, in the full assurance of faith (Heb. 10:19–22). For those covered by the blood of Jesus, the holiness of God is no longer a threat; rather, it is the source of our blessing, inheritance, and hope.  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for March 15th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/ex26" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Exodus 26</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/john5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John 5</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/prov2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Proverbs 2</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/gal1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Galatians 1</a> In Exodus 26, Yahweh describes the two different places in the tabernacle where his holiness would dwell most fully on earth: the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. Those two places would be separated only by a veil made out of blue, purple, and scarlet fabrics, with figures of cherubim skillfully embroidered into it, with the mercy seat and the ark of the covenant alone residing inside the Most Holy Place (Ex. 26:33–34). Other furniture—furniture that Yahweh described in Exodus 25 and that we will read more about in Exodus 37—would remain in the Holy Place, just outside of the Most Holy Place. All the tabernacle is holy, but still we see that certain areas within the tabernacle are more holy than others. So, even the priests who will regularly minister in the Holy Place are nevertheless forbidden from entering the Most Holy Place. Only the high priest may enter, and even he may enter only once a year for the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16). Protecting these boundaries is so important that Yahweh appoints guards to keep the wrong people from encroaching on his holiness beyond their clearance. This is why figures of cherubim are embroidered into the veil between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, since it was the cherubim who were stationed as guards outside the entrance to the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve were expelled (Gen. 3:24). In the book of Numbers, we will also see that the nonpriestly Levites will be similarly appointed as guards to keep the rest of Israel from coming too near to the tabernacle (e.g., Num. 3:5–10). In fact, Yahweh solemnly charges the Levites multiple times to execute any “outsider”—that is, an unauthorized person—who comes too near to the tabernacle (Num. 1:51, 3:10, 3:38, 18:7), and even the nonpriestly Levites were threatened with death if they themselves transgressed Yahweh’s boundaries (Num. 4:15, 19–20). Taken together, these instructions help us understand the serious nature of Yahweh’s holiness. Yahweh is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29) whose holiness would destroy us if we came near to him without being cleansed from the impurities of the sin and death that cling to us in the world—or even if we came near to him without an appropriate invitation. The gospel of Jesus, then, announces shockingly good news: We have been brought near to God in his holiness by the blood of Christ (Eph. 2:13). Through the cleansing, purifying power of Jesus’ blood, God calls us to draw near to God in the splendor of his holy places with confidence, in the full assurance of faith (Heb. 10:19–22). For those covered by the blood of Jesus, the holiness of God is no longer a threat; rather, it is the source of our blessing, inheritance, and hope. <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

March 15th: Bible Meditation for Exodus 26

Bible Readings for March 20th Exodus 31 | John 10 | Proverbs 7 | Galatians 6 In Exodus 31, we find some of the clearest teaching in all the Bible about the purpose and importance of the Sabbath. In recent history, the fourth commandment to keep the Sabbath holy has been largely forgotten among Christians. A lot of this is not willful disobedience but instead has to do with confusion surrounding the nature of the Sabbath under the new covenant. Jesus often corrected the Pharisees for their misguided views about the Sabbath, but what can we glean today from the Old Testament that is still applicable for the New Testament Christian? In this context, Exodus 31:13 is so refreshing: “Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you.” In today’s meditation, we will look at (1) what it means that the Sabbath is a sign, and (2) what the sign of Sabbath teaches us about the relationship of Yahweh to his people. A sign is a symbol that points to another reality. So, when Yahweh says that his Sabbath is a sign between Israel and him throughout their generations, he is saying that the Sabbath points to something bigger than just the Sabbath. Every time Israel keeps the Sabbath, their behavior is pointing to the fact that their lives are governed by the covenant relationship that they enjoy with Yahweh, the living God of heaven and earth. But more specifically, Yahweh gives the exact meaning of his sign: “that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you.” The word sanctify literally means “to make holy.” In other words, the purpose of keeping the Sabbath was to teach Israel that Yahweh alone would make his people holy. There was nothing that they could do, no work that they could perform or duty they could keep to sanctify themselves. Rather, they were to rest from all their work on the seventh day as a perpetual reminder that only Yahweh could make them holy. This is why Jesus criticized what the Pharisees did on the Sabbath—they turned Sabbath-keeping into a work that would make themselves holy, which is the exact opposite of Yahweh’s intention for Sabbath-keeping. Seen this way, Christians have good reason to rest from their work on Sunday, the Lord’s Day. Jesus finished his work on the cross on Good Friday, and on Saturday (the Sabbath) he rested from his work, lying dead in the grave. Then, on Sunday, he rose from the dead as the fulfillment of God’s Sabbath promise to make his people holy. So, resting from our work on Sunday isn’t a legalistic rule we keep to make ourselves holy. It is a perpetual reminder that only Yahweh can make us holy and that he did make us holy through the life, death, and resurrection of his Son Jesus Christ.  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for March 20th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/ex31" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Exodus 31</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/john10" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John 10</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/prov7" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Proverbs 7</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/gal6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Galatians 6</a> In Exodus 31, we find some of the clearest teaching in all the Bible about the purpose and importance of the Sabbath. In recent history, the fourth commandment to keep the Sabbath holy has been largely forgotten among Christians. A lot of this is not willful disobedience but instead has to do with confusion surrounding the nature of the Sabbath under the new covenant. Jesus often corrected the Pharisees for their misguided views about the Sabbath, but what can we glean today from the Old Testament that is still applicable for the New Testament Christian? In this context, Exodus 31:13 is so refreshing: “Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you.” In today’s meditation, we will look at (1) what it means that the Sabbath is a sign, and (2) what the sign of Sabbath teaches us about the relationship of Yahweh to his people. A sign is a symbol that points to another reality. So, when Yahweh says that his Sabbath is a sign between Israel and him throughout their generations, he is saying that the Sabbath points to something bigger than just the Sabbath. Every time Israel keeps the Sabbath, their behavior is pointing to the fact that their lives are governed by the covenant relationship that they enjoy with Yahweh, the living God of heaven and earth. But more specifically, Yahweh gives the exact meaning of his sign: “that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you.” The word sanctify literally means “to make holy.” In other words, the purpose of keeping the Sabbath was to teach Israel that Yahweh alone would make his people holy. There was nothing that they could do, no work that they could perform or duty they could keep to sanctify themselves. Rather, they were to rest from all their work on the seventh day as a perpetual reminder that only Yahweh could make them holy. This is why Jesus criticized what the Pharisees did on the Sabbath—they turned Sabbath-keeping into a work that would make themselves holy, which is the exact opposite of Yahweh’s intention for Sabbath-keeping. Seen this way, Christians have good reason to rest from their work on Sunday, the Lord’s Day. Jesus finished his work on the cross on Good Friday, and on Saturday (the Sabbath) he rested from his work, lying dead in the grave. Then, on Sunday, he rose from the dead as the fulfillment of God’s Sabbath promise to make his people holy. So, resting from our work on Sunday isn’t a legalistic rule we keep to make ourselves holy. It is a perpetual reminder that only Yahweh can make us holy and that he did make us holy through the life, death, and resurrection of his Son Jesus Christ. <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

March 20th: Bible Meditation for Exodus 31

Bible Readings for March 18th Exodus 29 | John 8 | Proverbs 5 | Galatians 4 In Exodus 29, we read about three distinct processes to prepare priests to be set apart for ministry, each with a unique and important theological value. The priests were to be washed with water (Ex. 29:4), anointed with oil (Ex. 29:7), and sprinkled with the blood of a sacrifice (Ex. 29:21). To start, the washing of water signified cleansing from all worldly defilement,1 a process that underlies the theology of baptism in the New Testament. Peter is the most explicit about this, suggesting in 1 Peter 3:21 that baptism symbolizes the washing away of spiritual dirt: “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Next, it is important to keep in mind that anointing with oil was not limited to the priests only but was something that also happened to prophets (e.g., 1 Kgs. 19:16) and kings (e.g., 1 Sam. 10:1) as well. Anointing with oil was a symbol for the ministry of the Holy Spirit—see, for example, what happened immediately after David was anointed with oil as king: “the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward” (1 Sam. 16:13). For the priests to be anointed with oil meant the Holy Spirit himself would be actively involved in sanctifying their ministry. In the New Testament, we are told that we too have the anointing of the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:20, 27). Our anointing (chrisma), however, is connected to the anointing of the ultimate Anointed One, the christos—that is, “the Christ,” who is the final Prophet, Priest, and King. Finally, the priests were to be sprinkled with the blood of an animal sacrifice. Specifically, the blood of the ordination ram was to be smeared on the priest’s right ear, the thumb on his right hand, and the big toe of his right foot. Before the priests could atone for the sins of Israel, their own sins had to be covered by the blood of a sacrifice. Of course, the author of Hebrews points to this as a besetting problem of the Old Covenant sacrificial system: as long as priests must remain so busy offering their own sacrifices—not to mention washing themselves with water and anointing themselves with oil—they can never offer a final, once-for-all sacrifice to purify God’s people. For this reason (among many others), we see that the priesthood of Jesus Christ is enacted on better promises: “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God….For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Heb. 10:12, 14). While the old covenant priesthood was glorious, the glory of Jesus is much, much better. 1 Allen P. Ross, Recalling the Hope of Glory: Biblical Worship from the Garden to the New Creation (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2006), 211.  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for March 18th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/ex29" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Exodus 29</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/john8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John 8</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/prov5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Proverbs 5</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/gal4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Galatians 4</a> In Exodus 29, we read about three distinct processes to prepare priests to be set apart for ministry, each with a unique and important theological value. The priests were to be washed with water (Ex. 29:4), anointed with oil (Ex. 29:7), and sprinkled with the blood of a sacrifice (Ex. 29:21). To start, the washing of water signified cleansing from all worldly defilement,<a href="#sdfootnote1sym" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> a process that underlies the theology of baptism in the New Testament. Peter is the most explicit about this, suggesting in 1 Peter 3:21 that baptism symbolizes the washing away of spiritual dirt: “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Next, it is important to keep in mind that anointing with oil was not limited to the priests only but was something that also happened to prophets (e.g., 1 Kgs. 19:16) and kings (e.g., 1 Sam. 10:1) as well. Anointing with oil was a symbol for the ministry of the Holy Spirit—see, for example, what happened immediately after David was anointed with oil as king: “the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward” (1 Sam. 16:13). For the priests to be anointed with oil meant the Holy Spirit himself would be actively involved in sanctifying their ministry. In the New Testament, we are told that we too have the anointing of the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:20, 27). Our anointing (chrisma), however, is connected to the anointing of the ultimate Anointed One, the christos—that is, “the Christ,” who is the final Prophet, Priest, and King. Finally, the priests were to be sprinkled with the blood of an animal sacrifice. Specifically, the blood of the ordination ram was to be smeared on the priest’s right ear, the thumb on his right hand, and the big toe of his right foot. Before the priests could atone for the sins of Israel, their own sins had to be covered by the blood of a sacrifice. Of course, the author of Hebrews points to this as a besetting problem of the Old Covenant sacrificial system: as long as priests must remain so busy offering their own sacrifices—not to mention washing themselves with water and anointing themselves with oil—they can never offer a final, once-for-all sacrifice to purify God’s people. For this reason (among many others), we see that the priesthood of Jesus Christ is enacted on better promises: “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God….For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Heb. 10:12, 14). While the old covenant priesthood was glorious, the glory of Jesus is much, much better. <a href="#sdfootnote1anc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> Allen P. Ross, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0825435781/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0825435781&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=19baskets-20&amp;linkId=3I63HZJSVYGQGDNA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Recalling the Hope of Glory: Biblical Worship from the Garden to the New Creation</a> (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2006), 211. <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

March 18th: Bible Meditation for Exodus 29

Bible Readings for March 26th Exodus 37 | John 16 | Proverbs 13 | Ephesians 6 In Exodus 37, we read about the construction of four pieces of furniture for the tabernacle: the ark of the covenant, the table, the lampstand, and the altar of incense. Today, we will explore the significance of the first three of these pieces of furniture. (For more on the altar of incense, see the meditation from Exodus 30.) The ark of the covenant featured a cover called the mercy seat (Ex. 37:6) on which two golden cherubim sat. For this reason, the ark of the covenant was the place where Yahweh was “enthroned upon the cherubim” (Ps. 80:1, 99:1) in his throne room on earth, the Holy of Holies. Allen Ross points out that the ark of the covenant is both the place where the blood of sacrificial death was sprinkled on the lid to propitiate for the sins of Israel (Lev. 16:14) and also a symbol of life, since we read in Hebrews 9:3–4 that the ark contained tablets of the law (the way of life), a container of manna (God’s provision of life in the wilderness), and Aaron’s budded staff (a symbol of new life).1 So, Ross writes, “In the New Testament fulfillment of these things, Paul declares that God sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins, so that through faith in his blood we might have the remission of sins (Rom. 3:25) and new life in him (5:17–19).”2 The table was the place where the priests would regularly place the bread of the Presence before Yahweh (Ex. 25:30), and it functions similarly to the lampstand, which was also to be lit regularly (Lev. 24:3). By laying out the showbread every Sabbath day (Lev. 24:8), the people of Israel acknowledged that God was the source of their physical (and spiritual) provision, and by lighting the lampstand regularly, Israel acknowledged that God was their source of light (and truth). Jesus very deliberately, then, claims to be both the bread of God sent down from heaven (John 6:22–59) as well as the true light who has come into the world (John 1:9, 8:12). We come together to worship each week, recognizing that only Jesus can satisfy our hunger and quench our thirst. Furthermore, we listen intently to his word, recognizing that Jesus is the truth of God in the world (John 14:6). The worship of the old covenant was true and good, but it was temporary and incomplete. None of the furniture of the tabernacle was sufficiently powerful to save anyone, but it accomplished a critical function by pointing forward to the One who would be powerful in himself to save the world. Our study of the tabernacle should both deepen our worship of Jesus and make us all the more thankful that Jesus accomplished for us what the tabernacle could not. 1 Allen P. Ross, Recalling the Hope of Glory: Biblical Worship from the Garden to the New Creation (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2006), 195. 2 Ibid.  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for March 26th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/ex37" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Exodus 37</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/john16" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John 16</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/prov13" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Proverbs 13</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/eph6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ephesians 6</a> In Exodus 37, we read about the construction of four pieces of furniture for the tabernacle: the ark of the covenant, the table, the lampstand, and the altar of incense. Today, we will explore the significance of the first three of these pieces of furniture. (For more on the altar of incense, see the meditation from Exodus 30.) The ark of the covenant featured a cover called the mercy seat (Ex. 37:6) on which two golden cherubim sat. For this reason, the ark of the covenant was the place where Yahweh was “enthroned upon the cherubim” (Ps. 80:1, 99:1) in his throne room on earth, the Holy of Holies. Allen Ross points out that the ark of the covenant is both the place where the blood of sacrificial death was sprinkled on the lid to propitiate for the sins of Israel (Lev. 16:14) and also a symbol of life, since we read in Hebrews 9:3–4 that the ark contained tablets of the law (the way of life), a container of manna (God’s provision of life in the wilderness), and Aaron’s budded staff (a symbol of new life).<a href="#sdfootnote1sym" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> So, Ross writes, “In the New Testament fulfillment of these things, Paul declares that God sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins, so that through faith in his blood we might have the remission of sins (Rom. 3:25) and new life in him (5:17–19).”<a href="#sdfootnote2sym" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2</a> The table was the place where the priests would regularly place the bread of the Presence before Yahweh (Ex. 25:30), and it functions similarly to the lampstand, which was also to be lit regularly (Lev. 24:3). By laying out the showbread every Sabbath day (Lev. 24:8), the people of Israel acknowledged that God was the source of their physical (and spiritual) provision, and by lighting the lampstand regularly, Israel acknowledged that God was their source of light (and truth). Jesus very deliberately, then, claims to be both the bread of God sent down from heaven (John 6:22–59) as well as the true light who has come into the world (John 1:9, 8:12). We come together to worship each week, recognizing that only Jesus can satisfy our hunger and quench our thirst. Furthermore, we listen intently to his word, recognizing that Jesus is the truth of God in the world (John 14:6). The worship of the old covenant was true and good, but it was temporary and incomplete. None of the furniture of the tabernacle was sufficiently powerful to save anyone, but it accomplished a critical function by pointing forward to the One who would be powerful in himself to save the world. Our study of the tabernacle should both deepen our worship of Jesus and make us all the more thankful that Jesus accomplished for us what the tabernacle could not. <a href="#sdfootnote1anc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> Allen P. Ross, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0825435781/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0825435781&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=19baskets-20&amp;linkId=3I63HZJSVYGQGDNA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Recalling the Hope of Glory: Biblical Worship from the Garden to the New Creation</a> (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2006), 195. <a href="#sdfootnote2anc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2</a> Ibid. <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

March 26th: Bible Meditation for Exodus 37

Bible Readings for March 17th Exodus 28 | John 7 | Proverbs 4 | Galatians 3 The garments described in Exodus 28 are holy garments (Ex. 28:2) for a holy priesthood, even down to the plate that they wore on their turbans with the inscription “Holy to the LORD” (Ex. 28:36). The purpose of these garments was “for glory and for beauty” (Ex. 28:2, 40)—that is, they were created to reveal something about the glory and beauty of Yahweh and also of his covenant relationship to his people. First, these garments reveal that the priests served as the representatives of Israel before Yahweh. So, their ephods contained two onyx stones with each tribe of Israel engraved on them (Ex. 28:9–12), and their breastpieces included twelve precious stones with the names of the tribes of Israel (Ex. 28:15–21). Additionally, the Urim and Thummim, which Aaron would carry on his heart inside the breastpiece, represented the judgment of the people of Israel when Aaron entered into ministry before Yahweh (Ex. 28:30). Second, these garments were designed to reveal that the priests served as the representatives of Yahweh before Israel. Part of this relationship is mediated through the Urim and Thummim, which would be used to cast lots to determine Yahweh’s direction and guidance for his people. But another part of how the priests would represent Yahweh to the people of Israel is by giving Israelites a glimpse of life lived out in the beauty of Yahweh’s glory. Priestly ministry represented the work that Adam had been given in the Garden of Eden, when he had been commanded to “to work it (‘abad) and keep it (shamar)” (Gen. 3:15), words that are used constantly in the Pentateuch to describe priestly duties.1 So, the pomegranates embroidered on the priestly garments (Ex. 28:33–34) recalled the Garden of Eden. The tabernacle was built to recreate Eden, with the priests picking up the priestly (gardening!) duties that Adam himself failed to complete. But the priestly garments didn’t simply look backward to Eden—they also look forward to the New Jerusalem that we read about in Revelation 21. The same precious stones used in the breastpiece to represent the twelve tribes of Israel we see adorning the foundations of the wall of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:19–20.2 The reason for this is simple: Yahweh designed the priestly garments to tell us not only something about the old covenant ministry that he was entrusting to the priests but also about the New Covenant ministry that he would inaugurate in our Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the one who represented Israel before Yahweh, offering himself up as a once-for-all sacrifice, and Jesus is the one who represented God to us when he took on flesh and dwelt in our midst. The entire tabernacle—right down to the priestly garments—points us to the ultimate “Holy to the LORD” priest, our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 G. K. Beale, The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic: 2004), 81. 2 Ibid., 39.  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for March 17th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/ex28" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Exodus 28</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/john7" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John 7</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/prov4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Proverbs 4</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/gal3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Galatians 3</a> The garments described in Exodus 28 are holy garments (Ex. 28:2) for a holy priesthood, even down to the plate that they wore on their turbans with the inscription “Holy to the LORD” (Ex. 28:36). The purpose of these garments was “for glory and for beauty” (Ex. 28:2, 40)—that is, they were created to reveal something about the glory and beauty of Yahweh and also of his covenant relationship to his people. First, these garments reveal that the priests served as the representatives of Israel before Yahweh. So, their ephods contained two onyx stones with each tribe of Israel engraved on them (Ex. 28:9–12), and their breastpieces included twelve precious stones with the names of the tribes of Israel (Ex. 28:15–21). Additionally, the Urim and Thummim, which Aaron would carry on his heart inside the breastpiece, represented the judgment of the people of Israel when Aaron entered into ministry before Yahweh (Ex. 28:30). Second, these garments were designed to reveal that the priests served as the representatives of Yahweh before Israel. Part of this relationship is mediated through the Urim and Thummim, which would be used to cast lots to determine Yahweh’s direction and guidance for his people. But another part of how the priests would represent Yahweh to the people of Israel is by giving Israelites a glimpse of life lived out in the beauty of Yahweh’s glory. Priestly ministry represented the work that Adam had been given in the Garden of Eden, when he had been commanded to “to work it (‘abad) and keep it (shamar)” (Gen. 3:15), words that are used constantly in the Pentateuch to describe priestly duties.<a href="#sdfootnote1sym" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> So, the pomegranates embroidered on the priestly garments (Ex. 28:33–34) recalled the Garden of Eden. The tabernacle was built to recreate Eden, with the priests picking up the priestly (gardening!) duties that Adam himself failed to complete. But the priestly garments didn’t simply look backward to Eden—they also look forward to the New Jerusalem that we read about in Revelation 21. The same precious stones used in the breastpiece to represent the twelve tribes of Israel we see adorning the foundations of the wall of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:19–20.<a href="#sdfootnote2sym" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2</a> The reason for this is simple: Yahweh designed the priestly garments to tell us not only something about the old covenant ministry that he was entrusting to the priests but also about the New Covenant ministry that he would inaugurate in our Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the one who represented Israel before Yahweh, offering himself up as a once-for-all sacrifice, and Jesus is the one who represented God to us when he took on flesh and dwelt in our midst. The entire tabernacle—right down to the priestly garments—points us to the ultimate “Holy to the LORD” priest, our Lord Jesus Christ. <a href="#sdfootnote1anc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> G. K. Beale, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0830826181/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0830826181&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=19baskets-20&amp;linkId=MUHNGQ72OZJOZYP4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God</a> (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic: 2004), 81. <a href="#sdfootnote2anc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2</a> Ibid., 39. <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

March 17th: Bible Meditation for Exodus 28

Bible Readings for March 13th Exodus 24 | John 3 | Job 42 | 2 Corinthians 12 Exodus 24 is a covenant renewal worship ceremony. Because we also meet weekly on the Lord’s Day to renew the one new covenant that Jesus himself inaugurated through his life, death, resurrection, and ascension—and not to inaugurate new covenants each week—Exodus 24 is uniquely valuable to serve as a pattern for us. Here, we see three principles that ought to shape our own weekly worship. First, the word of Yahweh must be at the center of our corporate worship. Notice how Moses read and proclaimed all the words and rules of Yahweh from the Book of the Covenant (Ex. 24:3, 7). In response, the people vow to obey: “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient” (Ex. 24:3, 7). In the same way, we ought to hear God’s word read, read his word out loud, sing his words in our songs, and listen to his word preached. Christian worship is word-based. Second, corporate worship requires sacrificial blood. After Moses reads all the words of Yahweh and after the people vow their obedience, Moses throws half of the sacrificial blood on the altar (Ex. 24:6) and half of it on the people (Ex. 24:8). Importantly, Moses offers two kinds of sacrifices: burnt offerings and peace offerings. Burnt offerings made atonement for the sins of the people (Lev. 1:4), and so this blood ritually cleanses them from sin. Christian worship also requires sacrificial blood—not the blood of bulls, lambs, and goats, but the better sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ, shed once for all. Christian worship must exalt Jesus Christ and him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2) as we gather together. Third, the goal of corporate worship is to enjoy communion with God by eating and drinking with him. Peace offerings, the other sacrifice that Moses makes, celebrated communion with Yahweh. The whole congregation would eat the peace offering as a great communal feast (Lev. 7:11–18). It is the peace offering that the elders of Israel eat with God without fear in Exodus 24:9–11.1 What a privilege for them to eat in the presence of God—and astonishingly, this is a privilege we share today. Just like for them, the height of Christian worship is to eat and drink with Jesus Christ at the Lord’s Table. At the beginning of creation, God’s people ate and drank with him freely in the Garden of Eden, and our eternal rest in glory will be marked by a feast at the wedding supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:6–9). Until then, we gather weekly to listen to the word of the Lord, to proclaim salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and to eat and drink with Jesus at his table, just like we see in the pattern laid out for us in Exodus 24. 1 Allen P. Ross, Recalling the Hope of Glory: Biblical Worship from the Garden to the New Creation (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2006), 180.  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for March 13th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/ex24" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Exodus 24</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/john3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John 3</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/job42" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Job 42</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/2cor12" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2 Corinthians 12</a> Exodus 24 is a covenant renewal worship ceremony. Because we also meet weekly on the Lord’s Day to renew the one new covenant that Jesus himself inaugurated through his life, death, resurrection, and ascension—and not to inaugurate new covenants each week—Exodus 24 is uniquely valuable to serve as a pattern for us. Here, we see three principles that ought to shape our own weekly worship. First, the word of Yahweh must be at the center of our corporate worship. Notice how Moses read and proclaimed all the words and rules of Yahweh from the Book of the Covenant (Ex. 24:3, 7). In response, the people vow to obey: “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient” (Ex. 24:3, 7). In the same way, we ought to hear God’s word read, read his word out loud, sing his words in our songs, and listen to his word preached. Christian worship is word-based. Second, corporate worship requires sacrificial blood. After Moses reads all the words of Yahweh and after the people vow their obedience, Moses throws half of the sacrificial blood on the altar (Ex. 24:6) and half of it on the people (Ex. 24:8). Importantly, Moses offers two kinds of sacrifices: burnt offerings and peace offerings. Burnt offerings made atonement for the sins of the people (Lev. 1:4), and so this blood ritually cleanses them from sin. Christian worship also requires sacrificial blood—not the blood of bulls, lambs, and goats, but the better sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ, shed once for all. Christian worship must exalt Jesus Christ and him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2) as we gather together. Third, the goal of corporate worship is to enjoy communion with God by eating and drinking with him. Peace offerings, the other sacrifice that Moses makes, celebrated communion with Yahweh. The whole congregation would eat the peace offering as a great communal feast (Lev. 7:11–18). It is the peace offering that the elders of Israel eat with God without fear in Exodus 24:9–11.<a href="#sdfootnote1sym" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> What a privilege for them to eat in the presence of God—and astonishingly, this is a privilege we share today. Just like for them, the height of Christian worship is to eat and drink with Jesus Christ at the Lord’s Table. At the beginning of creation, God’s people ate and drank with him freely in the Garden of Eden, and our eternal rest in glory will be marked by a feast at the wedding supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:6–9). Until then, we gather weekly to listen to the word of the Lord, to proclaim salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and to eat and drink with Jesus at his table, just like we see in the pattern laid out for us in Exodus 24. <a href="#sdfootnote1anc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> Allen P. Ross, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0825435781/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0825435781&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=19baskets-20&amp;linkId=3I63HZJSVYGQGDNA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Recalling the Hope of Glory: Biblical Worship from the Garden to the New Creation</a> (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2006), 180. <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

March 13th: Bible Meditation for Exodus 24

Bible Readings for March 2nd Exodus 13 | Luke 16 | Job 31 | 2 Corinthians 1 It is important to recognize that Yahweh liberates Israel not to give them total freedom but so that Israel could be Yahweh’s people and so that Yahweh could be Israel’s God. In other words, Yahweh redeemed Israel. The word redeem means to purchase something back for oneself, and Yahweh had acted to reclaim Israel from Egypt’s unlawful possession of them. In Exodus 13, then, Yahweh instructs Israel to consecrate all their firstborn, whether human or animal (Ex. 13:2). Israel would sacrifice to Yahweh every firstborn male animal, but for every firstborn human being, Israel would offer a sacrifice to redeem back the life of that person. In this way, Israel would regularly remind themselves about how Yahweh had redeemed them out of Israel: “For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem” (Ex. 13:15). But Yahweh isn’t creating mere busywork for Israel, formalities to be observed for every firstborn. Yahweh’s larger concern is much greater than that—he wants to communicate the nature of his relationship to them. Yahweh’s intention was to take a people to himself (Ex. 6:7) so that they would be his people and he would be their God. This language is marital language: just as a man “takes” a woman to be his wife, so also Yahweh has “taken” Israel to be his bride through covenant. The regular redemption of the firstborn is not the only way Yahweh communicates his covenant relationship with Israel, though. Yahweh also starts to communicate the nature of his covenant intimacy with Israel at the end of Exodus 13, when he begins to dwell near to Israel, leading them as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Ex. 13:21–22). During this time, Yahweh’s presence never departed from his people. Remember that, in the beginning, Yahweh dwelt in the midst of his people in the Garden of Eden until sin fractured that perfect relationship. Here, Yahweh is working toward re-establishing that intimacy. But what comes to the forefront in Exodus 13 is that covenant intimacy always comes with a price. Just as the blood of the lamb had to be shed for Yahweh’s judgment to pass over Israel’s firstborn sons on the night of the tenth plague in Egypt, so now Yahweh continues to require sacrificial blood to redeem every new firstborn son in Israel. And when Yahweh sends his own firstborn Son into the world, the Lord Jesus Christ will shed his own blood so that we can enjoy covenant intimacy with God, dwelling with him forever in the new heavens and the new earth.  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for March 2nd</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/ex13" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Exodus 13</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/luke16" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Luke 16</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/job31" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Job 31</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/2cor1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2 Corinthians 1</a> It is important to recognize that Yahweh liberates Israel not to give them total freedom but so that Israel could be Yahweh’s people and so that Yahweh could be Israel’s God. In other words, Yahweh redeemed Israel. The word redeem means to purchase something back for oneself, and Yahweh had acted to reclaim Israel from Egypt’s unlawful possession of them. In Exodus 13, then, Yahweh instructs Israel to consecrate all their firstborn, whether human or animal (Ex. 13:2). Israel would sacrifice to Yahweh every firstborn male animal, but for every firstborn human being, Israel would offer a sacrifice to redeem back the life of that person. In this way, Israel would regularly remind themselves about how Yahweh had redeemed them out of Israel: “For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem” (Ex. 13:15). But Yahweh isn’t creating mere busywork for Israel, formalities to be observed for every firstborn. Yahweh’s larger concern is much greater than that—he wants to communicate the nature of his relationship to them. Yahweh’s intention was to take a people to himself (Ex. 6:7) so that they would be his people and he would be their God. This language is marital language: just as a man “takes” a woman to be his wife, so also Yahweh has “taken” Israel to be his bride through covenant. The regular redemption of the firstborn is not the only way Yahweh communicates his covenant relationship with Israel, though. Yahweh also starts to communicate the nature of his covenant intimacy with Israel at the end of Exodus 13, when he begins to dwell near to Israel, leading them as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Ex. 13:21–22). During this time, Yahweh’s presence never departed from his people. Remember that, in the beginning, Yahweh dwelt in the midst of his people in the Garden of Eden until sin fractured that perfect relationship. Here, Yahweh is working toward re-establishing that intimacy. But what comes to the forefront in Exodus 13 is that covenant intimacy always comes with a price. Just as the blood of the lamb had to be shed for Yahweh’s judgment to pass over Israel’s firstborn sons on the night of the tenth plague in Egypt, so now Yahweh continues to require sacrificial blood to redeem every new firstborn son in Israel. And when Yahweh sends his own firstborn Son into the world, the Lord Jesus Christ will shed his own blood so that we can enjoy covenant intimacy with God, dwelling with him forever in the new heavens and the new earth. <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

March 2nd: Bible Meditation for Exodus 13

Bible Readings for March 10th Exodus 21 | Luke 24 | Job 39 | 2 Corinthians 9 Our society may not have a more intellectually lazy cliché than “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.” The phrase itself is clever, vividly portraying one eye put out after another in an unending, bloodthirsty, universal quest. But is unrestrained vengeance really how the law teaches us to love our neighbor as ourself? Not in the least. In fact, unlimited vengeance is exactly what the “eye for an eye” laws forbid. Before these laws, people would retaliate for crimes committed against them however they saw fit, which typically caused a back-and-forth escalation as each party tried to do something worse than what was done to him. Laws like the ones in Exodus 21:23–25 actually placed limitations on the kind of vengeance someone could inflict for a crime committed against him: “But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” The point was that if someone knocked out your tooth, you weren’t allowed to kill him, and if he burnt your hand, you weren’t allowed to cut off his foot. For punishments to be just, they had to be proportionate responses to the crime. So, this law demands that we avoid plotting revenge against our neighbor who has wronged us in some way. Or, it means we need to think carefully before entering into a lawsuit and asking for a disproportionate amount of compensation for our “damages.” Ultimately, this law should lead us to recognize our own limitations in seeking justice for ourselves. But didn’t Jesus challenge the “eye for an eye” law in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:38–42? Yes he did, but to understand what Jesus was saying, we need to keep two ideas in mind. First, Jesus was talking about how we should not retaliate against those who harm us. He was not addressing how governments ought to govern their citizens. Paul clarifies this well, explaining in Romans 13:1–6 that God himself put the sword in the hands of civil governments to protect those who do good and to execute God’s own vengeance against wrongdoers. Second, Jesus wasn’t abolishing the “eye for an eye” law; in fact, he was intensifying it. All of his “You have heard it said” statements in the Sermon on the Mount were strengthening statements, taking the laws against murder, lust, divorce, false oaths, or loving our neighbors and pushing them to a new degree. With “eye for an eye,” Jesus was acknowledging and increasing the limitation on retaliation by telling us to turn our other cheek rather than seeking vengeance. Which neighbors do you need to love as yourself by abandoning your desires for taking revenge against them?  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for March 10th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/ex21" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Exodus 21</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/luke24" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Luke 24</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/job39" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Job 39</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/2cor9" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2 Corinthians 9</a> Our society may not have a more intellectually lazy cliché than “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.” The phrase itself is clever, vividly portraying one eye put out after another in an unending, bloodthirsty, universal quest. But is unrestrained vengeance really how the law teaches us to love our neighbor as ourself? Not in the least. In fact, unlimited vengeance is exactly what the “eye for an eye” laws forbid. Before these laws, people would retaliate for crimes committed against them however they saw fit, which typically caused a back-and-forth escalation as each party tried to do something worse than what was done to him. Laws like the ones in Exodus 21:23–25 actually placed limitations on the kind of vengeance someone could inflict for a crime committed against him: “But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” The point was that if someone knocked out your tooth, you weren’t allowed to kill him, and if he burnt your hand, you weren’t allowed to cut off his foot. For punishments to be just, they had to be proportionate responses to the crime. So, this law demands that we avoid plotting revenge against our neighbor who has wronged us in some way. Or, it means we need to think carefully before entering into a lawsuit and asking for a disproportionate amount of compensation for our “damages.” Ultimately, this law should lead us to recognize our own limitations in seeking justice for ourselves. But didn’t Jesus challenge the “eye for an eye” law in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:38–42? Yes he did, but to understand what Jesus was saying, we need to keep two ideas in mind. First, Jesus was talking about how we should not retaliate against those who harm us. He was not addressing how governments ought to govern their citizens. Paul clarifies this well, explaining in Romans 13:1–6 that God himself put the sword in the hands of civil governments to protect those who do good and to execute God’s own vengeance against wrongdoers. Second, Jesus wasn’t abolishing the “eye for an eye” law; in fact, he was intensifying it. All of his “You have heard it said” statements in the Sermon on the Mount were strengthening statements, taking the laws against murder, lust, divorce, false oaths, or loving our neighbors and pushing them to a new degree. With “eye for an eye,” Jesus was acknowledging and increasing the limitation on retaliation by telling us to turn our other cheek rather than seeking vengeance. Which neighbors do you need to love as yourself by abandoning your desires for taking revenge against them? <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

March 10th: Bible Meditation for Exodus 21

Bible Readings for March 28th Exodus 39 | John 18 | Proverbs 15 | Philippians 2 With the construction of the priestly garments, all the plans Yahweh gave Moses were brought to completion. Yahweh had established a tabernacle in the midst of Israel where he could dwell. In Exodus 39:32–43, we read a final survey of all that was built and constructed, recording that the work was totally complete, just as Yahweh himself had commanded. What we are supposed to recognize at this point is that Yahweh has given Israel a thorough and complete set of instructions for establishing pure worship. Yahweh wants his people to approach him through worship, and he has laid out comprehensive plans to ensure that they have a way to approach him without being consumed by the blazing fire of his holiness. This is a perfect system of worship in every way. In every way, that is, except to accomplish lasting purification and lasting heart change. Sometimes, Christians incorrectly suggest that everything under the old covenant was bad and misleading, as though God had attempted a massive experiment by giving the law but had failed miserably. That isn’t, however, what the New Testament teaches us at all. Jesus himself said that he came not to abolish the law but to fulfill every last bit of it, crossing every ‘t’ and dotting every ‘i’ along the way (Matt. 5:17–20). Then, Paul tells us explicitly in 2 Corinthians 3:7 that the old covenant had a very real glory—it was good and righteous and holy. The problem was that its glory was the fading glory of a ministry of condemnation, not the glory of a ministry that could lastingly make people righteous (2 Cor. 3:9). So, the correct Christian view of the old covenant is to hold it in the highest regard as a holy arrangement God made with his people. But, it is also correct to see the new covenant as so far superior to the old covenant that “what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it” (2 Cor. 3:10)—a new ministry of righteousness, by the Spirit, through Christ, that has a lasting, permanent glory. This new covenant is a better covenant, enacted on better promises (Heb. 8:6). Again, this isn’t to say that the old covenant was bad but that it was simply incomplete. The ministry of the old covenant announced everything necessary for God’s people to be reconciled to him, but it wasn’t powerful enough to actually accomplish that goal. Everything we have read here has profound implications for Christian theology, since Yahweh uses this part of his revelation to us to give us deeper insight into the work of Jesus Christ. Let us give thanks, then, that God has not only given us the shadows but that he has also given us the substance of his reconciling ministry through his own Son Jesus Christ (Col. 2:17).  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for March 28th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/ex39" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Exodus 39</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/john18" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John 18</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/prov15" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Proverbs 15</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/phil2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Philippians 2</a> With the construction of the priestly garments, all the plans Yahweh gave Moses were brought to completion. Yahweh had established a tabernacle in the midst of Israel where he could dwell. In Exodus 39:32–43, we read a final survey of all that was built and constructed, recording that the work was totally complete, just as Yahweh himself had commanded. What we are supposed to recognize at this point is that Yahweh has given Israel a thorough and complete set of instructions for establishing pure worship. Yahweh wants his people to approach him through worship, and he has laid out comprehensive plans to ensure that they have a way to approach him without being consumed by the blazing fire of his holiness. This is a perfect system of worship in every way. In every way, that is, except to accomplish lasting purification and lasting heart change. Sometimes, Christians incorrectly suggest that everything under the old covenant was bad and misleading, as though God had attempted a massive experiment by giving the law but had failed miserably. That isn’t, however, what the New Testament teaches us at all. Jesus himself said that he came not to abolish the law but to fulfill every last bit of it, crossing every ‘t’ and dotting every ‘i’ along the way (Matt. 5:17–20). Then, Paul tells us explicitly in 2 Corinthians 3:7 that the old covenant had a very real glory—it was good and righteous and holy. The problem was that its glory was the fading glory of a ministry of condemnation, not the glory of a ministry that could lastingly make people righteous (2 Cor. 3:9). So, the correct Christian view of the old covenant is to hold it in the highest regard as a holy arrangement God made with his people. But, it is also correct to see the new covenant as so far superior to the old covenant that “what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it” (2 Cor. 3:10)—a new ministry of righteousness, by the Spirit, through Christ, that has a lasting, permanent glory. This new covenant is a better covenant, enacted on better promises (Heb. 8:6). Again, this isn’t to say that the old covenant was bad but that it was simply incomplete. The ministry of the old covenant announced everything necessary for God’s people to be reconciled to him, but it wasn’t powerful enough to actually accomplish that goal. Everything we have read here has profound implications for Christian theology, since Yahweh uses this part of his revelation to us to give us deeper insight into the work of Jesus Christ. Let us give thanks, then, that God has not only given us the shadows but that he has also given us the substance of his reconciling ministry through his own Son Jesus Christ (Col. 2:17). <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

March 28th: Bible Meditation for Exodus 39

Bible Readings for February 26th Exodus 9 | Luke 12 | Job 27 | 1 Corinthians 13 As the plagues keep coming in Exodus 9, Moses continues to preach the word of Yahweh to Pharaoh. Every time they meet, Moses gives a bit more of Yahweh’s word, and in Exodus 9 we come upon one of the more interesting speeches that Yahweh makes through Moses when he explains why he is sending the plagues: “For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” (Ex. 9:15–16) We looked briefly at verse 16 in our meditation for Exodus 7, but there are a few other points to which we should focus our attention. First, God raised Pharaoh up specifically to display his power through him. All the power and wealth that God gave to Pharaoh—which Pharaoh misunderstood as evidence of his own glory and not as the gracious generosity of God—served only to underscore God’s defeat of Pharaoh. If not even the most powerful king in all the earth can stand against Yahweh, who possibly could? Second, even though God’s purpose was to exalt himself over Pharaoh, he nevertheless displayed a significant amount of grace toward Pharaoh. God explains that if he had wanted to, he could have already cut off all Egypt from the earth. Yes, God is bringing judgment against arrogant Pharaoh, but there is nevertheless a significant amount of grace in prolonging that judgment and in preaching to Pharaoh his need for repentance before Yahweh. Third, we should recognize that God’s judgment and his grace are not opposed to each other. It isn’t that God has dualistic sides to his personality, so that the “grace” side is constantly battling with the “judgment” side and that each side gets its victories from time to time. Not at all—in fact, we should recognize that God is bringing judgment on Pharaoh precisely because he wants to extend grace to the whole world. You see, the purpose behind God’s bringing judgment on Pharaoh is “so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth” (Ex. 9:16). In other words, the purpose behind God’s judgment is to glorify himself so that the world may come to believe in him for salvation. And in this, we see a shadow of the purpose behind God’s pouring out his righteous judgment and wrath for our sin on the head of Jesus Christ, his beloved Son. God did not send judgment for judgment’s sake, but rather he sent judgment for the sake of extending grace to the world, so that all who repent of their sins (unlike Pharaoh) and believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved.  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for February 26th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/ex9" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Exodus 9</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/luke12" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Luke 12</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/job27" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Job 27</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/1cor13" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1 Corinthians 13</a> As the plagues keep coming in Exodus 9, Moses continues to preach the word of Yahweh to Pharaoh. Every time they meet, Moses gives a bit more of Yahweh’s word, and in Exodus 9 we come upon one of the more interesting speeches that Yahweh makes through Moses when he explains why he is sending the plagues: <blockquote>“For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” (Ex. 9:15–16)</blockquote> We looked briefly at verse 16 in our meditation for Exodus 7, but there are a few other points to which we should focus our attention. First, God raised Pharaoh up specifically to display his power through him. All the power and wealth that God gave to Pharaoh—which Pharaoh misunderstood as evidence of his own glory and not as the gracious generosity of God—served only to underscore God’s defeat of Pharaoh. If not even the most powerful king in all the earth can stand against Yahweh, who possibly could? Second, even though God’s purpose was to exalt himself over Pharaoh, he nevertheless displayed a significant amount of grace toward Pharaoh. God explains that if he had wanted to, he could have already cut off all Egypt from the earth. Yes, God is bringing judgment against arrogant Pharaoh, but there is nevertheless a significant amount of grace in prolonging that judgment and in preaching to Pharaoh his need for repentance before Yahweh. Third, we should recognize that God’s judgment and his grace are not opposed to each other. It isn’t that God has dualistic sides to his personality, so that the “grace” side is constantly battling with the “judgment” side and that each side gets its victories from time to time. Not at all—in fact, we should recognize that God is bringing judgment on Pharaoh precisely because he wants to extend grace to the whole world. You see, the purpose behind God’s bringing judgment on Pharaoh is “so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth” (Ex. 9:16). In other words, the purpose behind God’s judgment is to glorify himself so that the world may come to believe in him for salvation. And in this, we see a shadow of the purpose behind God’s pouring out his righteous judgment and wrath for our sin on the head of Jesus Christ, his beloved Son. God did not send judgment for judgment’s sake, but rather he sent judgment for the sake of extending grace to the world, so that all who repent of their sins (unlike Pharaoh) and believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved. <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

February 26th: Bible Meditation for Exodus 9

Bible Readings for March 23rd Exodus 34 | John 13 | Proverbs 10 | Ephesians 3 At the very end of Exodus 33, Moses had gone for broke. In the face of Yahweh’s threat to abandon Israel by withdrawing his own personal presence from their midst, Moses pleaded for Yahweh to go up to the Promised Land with them, and Yahweh had granted Moses’s request (Ex. 33:17). But then, Moses made another, greater request: “Please show me your glory” (Ex. 33:18). While Yahweh told Moses that no man could see his face and live, he nevertheless granted Moses’s request in part, agreeing to place Moses in the crevice of a rock to see the trailing part of his glory as Yahweh passed before him (Ex. 33:20–23). So, what does the glory of Yahweh, the living God who created the heavens and the earth, look like? Fascinatingly, the description we are given of what Yahweh looks like isn’t visual, but creedal. Moses sees what Yahweh proclaims about his own character: “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation” (Ex. 34:6–7). What Moses saw was more than a really bright light—it was a description of the full, glorious character of Yahweh. Two results came from this vision of Yahweh. First, the reward of revealing his glory to Moses came as a confirmation of the fact that God had heard Moses’s prayer, relented from his wrath, and decided to renew his covenant with Israel. Second, this encounter with the glory of Yahweh transformed Moses personally, so that his face shone, causing fear among the people of Israel. From that point, Moses wore a veil that he only removed when he went to speak with Yahweh in the Tent of Meeting, a precursor of the Tabernacle (Ex. 34:29–34; cf. 33:7–11). But as great a mediator as Moses was in interceding to ask Yahweh to renew his covenant with Israel and remain in their midst, Moses was still not able to bring other Israelites with him into the Tent of Meeting. Today, we too have a mediator who speaks face-to-face with God the Father, interceding on our behalf in the heavenly temple—the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:34). Our mediator, however, has entered into the presence of his Father behind the veil, and by doing so he promises us that we too can enter into the holy places of God along with him. Meditate on Hebrews 10:19, 22: “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus…let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.”  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for March 23rd</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/ex34" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Exodus 34</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/john13" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John 13</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/prov10" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Proverbs 10</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/eph3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ephesians 3</a> At the very end of Exodus 33, Moses had gone for broke. In the face of Yahweh’s threat to abandon Israel by withdrawing his own personal presence from their midst, Moses pleaded for Yahweh to go up to the Promised Land with them, and Yahweh had granted Moses’s request (Ex. 33:17). But then, Moses made another, greater request: “Please show me your glory” (Ex. 33:18). While Yahweh told Moses that no man could see his face and live, he nevertheless granted Moses’s request in part, agreeing to place Moses in the crevice of a rock to see the trailing part of his glory as Yahweh passed before him (Ex. 33:20–23). So, what does the glory of Yahweh, the living God who created the heavens and the earth, look like? Fascinatingly, the description we are given of what Yahweh looks like isn’t visual, but creedal. Moses sees what Yahweh proclaims about his own character: “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation” (Ex. 34:6–7). What Moses saw was more than a really bright light—it was a description of the full, glorious character of Yahweh. Two results came from this vision of Yahweh. First, the reward of revealing his glory to Moses came as a confirmation of the fact that God had heard Moses’s prayer, relented from his wrath, and decided to renew his covenant with Israel. Second, this encounter with the glory of Yahweh transformed Moses personally, so that his face shone, causing fear among the people of Israel. From that point, Moses wore a veil that he only removed when he went to speak with Yahweh in the Tent of Meeting, a precursor of the Tabernacle (Ex. 34:29–34; cf. 33:7–11). But as great a mediator as Moses was in interceding to ask Yahweh to renew his covenant with Israel and remain in their midst, Moses was still not able to bring other Israelites with him into the Tent of Meeting. Today, we too have a mediator who speaks face-to-face with God the Father, interceding on our behalf in the heavenly temple—the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:34). Our mediator, however, has entered into the presence of his Father behind the veil, and by doing so he promises us that we too can enter into the holy places of God along with him. Meditate on Hebrews 10:19, 22: “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus…let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

March 23rd: Bible Meditation for Exodus 34

Bible Readings for March 5th Exodus 16 | Luke 19 | Job 34 | 2 Corinthians 4 Obviously, providing for the basic needs of Israel in the wilderness would be no small task, yet the entire Exodus would be for nothing if God’s people did not survive long enough to enter into their inheritance. So, God provided water for his people to drink in Exodus 15, and in Exodus 16, God begins to provide food for his people to eat. Out of sheer grace toward the Israelites, who had grumbled and complained and wished out loud that they had instead died in Egypt (Ex. 16:3), God generously provides bread and meat for Israel to eat every day, except on the Sabbath. Nearly fifteen hundred years later during the ministry of Jesus, the Jews pointed back to this story from the Old Testament and demanded that Jesus perform a sign to demonstrate that he himself was on the same level as Moses, who had fed the people of Israel in the wilderness. They asked, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness” (John 6:30–31). Although it is valid to ask a prophet to prove that he is, in reality, sent by God, the demand that the people made of Jesus was wrong in two ways. First, on the day that the Jews asked Jesus to replicate the miracle of feeding Israel in the wilderness, they ignored the fact that Jesus had literally fed Israelites in the wilderness by multiplying fish and bread to feed five thousand people on the shores of the Sea of Galilee (John 6:1–15). Their question is not fueled by a genuine desire to protect the glory of God from false prophets—their question is fueled, rather, by a  gluttonous desire for another free lunch. Second, even though the Israelites did eat manna every day under Moses for forty years (Ex. 16:35), when the Jews ask Jesus to feed them again, they are failing to recognize that the food Moses had fed to Israel never satisfied them (John 6:27). Even more, they don’t think through the implications of the fact that Moses fed Israel bread for forty years and yet those Israelites still died (John 6:49). Jesus, on the other hand, came to feed his people bread that would satisfy all their hunger and thirst (John 6:35), because Jesus came to give himself to his people. When Moses fed Israel bread in  the wilderness, he did so to foreshadow the leader of God’s people who would not merely feed Israel more manna, but who would himself become the bread of life for his people by this promise: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).1 1 I rely heavily for this meditation on the sermons of John Piper from John 6: &lt;http://www.desiringgod.org/sermons/by-scripture/john/6&gt;  Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

<h2>Bible Readings for March 5th</h2> <a href="http://esv.to/ex16" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Exodus 16</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/luke19" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Luke 19</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/job34" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Job 34</a> | <a href="http://esv.to/2cor4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2 Corinthians 4</a> Obviously, providing for the basic needs of Israel in the wilderness would be no small task, yet the entire Exodus would be for nothing if God’s people did not survive long enough to enter into their inheritance. So, God provided water for his people to drink in Exodus 15, and in Exodus 16, God begins to provide food for his people to eat. Out of sheer grace toward the Israelites, who had grumbled and complained and wished out loud that they had instead died in Egypt (Ex. 16:3), God generously provides bread and meat for Israel to eat every day, except on the Sabbath. Nearly fifteen hundred years later during the ministry of Jesus, the Jews pointed back to this story from the Old Testament and demanded that Jesus perform a sign to demonstrate that he himself was on the same level as Moses, who had fed the people of Israel in the wilderness. They asked, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness” (John 6:30–31). Although it is valid to ask a prophet to prove that he is, in reality, sent by God, the demand that the people made of Jesus was wrong in two ways. First, on the day that the Jews asked Jesus to replicate the miracle of feeding Israel in the wilderness, they ignored the fact that Jesus had literally fed Israelites in the wilderness by multiplying fish and bread to feed five thousand people on the shores of the Sea of Galilee (John 6:1–15). Their question is not fueled by a genuine desire to protect the glory of God from false prophets—their question is fueled, rather, by a gluttonous desire for another free lunch. Second, even though the Israelites did eat manna every day under Moses for forty years (Ex. 16:35), when the Jews ask Jesus to feed them again, they are failing to recognize that the food Moses had fed to Israel never satisfied them (John 6:27). Even more, they don’t think through the implications of the fact that Moses fed Israel bread for forty years and yet those Israelites still died (John 6:49). Jesus, on the other hand, came to feed his people bread that would satisfy all their hunger and thirst (John 6:35), because Jesus came to give himself to his people. When Moses fed Israel bread in the wilderness, he did so to foreshadow the leader of God’s people who would not merely feed Israel more manna, but who would himself become the bread of life for his people by this promise: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).<a href="#sdfootnote1sym" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> <a href="#sdfootnote1anc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a> I rely heavily for this meditation on the sermons of John Piper from John 6: &lt;<a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/sermons/by-scripture/john/6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.desiringgod.org/sermons/by-scripture/john/6</a>&gt; <a href="https://freedailybiblestudy.com/subscribe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

March 5th: Bible Meditation for Exodus 16

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