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Numbers 1:1

The Wilderness Experience

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
November 19, 2022

The opening verse of the book of Numbers says, “The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt.” Numbers is the fourth installment of the larger work called the “Pentateuch.” The first five books of the Bible are just one main work. The Jews called in “The Law.” It is a continual narrative from book to book. Each of the five books contributes to the whole story. Duguid says, “the book of Numbers wants you to know that it never existed as an independent narrative: it is itself a continuation of the story of God’s dealings with his people already begun in Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus.”[1] The name of the book of Numbers in the Hebrew Bible is “The Lord Spoke.” That represents the first phrase in the book. Each of the five books in the Pentateuch is named after the opening word or phrase of the book in the Jewish Old Testament. This makes sense when you see that they are not independent books but parts of a greater whole. The Septuagint, however, separates the five into their individual accounts and attempts to name them according to their content. Genesis begins God’s work in the world. Exodus explains the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. Leviticus records the instructions to the Levites regarding the sacrificial system and Numbers reflects the census that God told Moses to take of all the men of fighting age as they prepare to enter the promised land.

The speaker in the opening verse is the personal name for God: YHWH, Yahweh. The expression, the Lord spoke, occurs almost one hundred times in Numbers alone and shows God’s special direction of Moses as Israel’s authorized leader.”[2] It’s interesting to notice that the account of Numbers begins in the wilderness and finishes in the wilderness. The notable thing about the book is the lack of progress in the story of Redemption. Progress won’t actually be picked up until after God reviews the Law again in Deuteronomy and then Joshua takes over for the mobilization of the army numbered in the wilderness.

A blogger writes, “A ‘wilderness experience’ is usually thought of as a tough time in which a believer endures discomfort and trials. The pleasant things of life are unable to be enjoyed, or they may be absent altogether, and one feels a lack of encouragement. A ‘wilderness experience’ is often a time of intensified temptation and spiritual attack. It can involve a spiritual, financial, or emotional drought. Having a ‘wilderness experience’ is not necessarily a sign that a believer is sinning; rather, it is a time of God-ordained testing.”[3] Jesus had his wilderness experience after his Baptism. Israel was in the wilderness for 40 years during which time it experienced hunger and thirst and temptation. Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days. He too experienced hunger and thirst and was tempted. God had a purpose for the wilderness experiences of Israel. He had a purpose for the wilderness experiences of Jesus. He has a purpose for ours as well.

[1] Duguid, Iain M., and R. Kent Hughes. 2006. Numbers: God’s Presence in the Wilderness. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

[2] Woods, Clyde M., and Justin Rogers. 2006. Leviticus–Numbers. The College Press NIV Commentary. Joplin, MO: College Press Pub. Co.

[3] https://www.gotquestions.org/wilderness-experience.html

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Leviticus 1:1, John 1:14

The Lord Called

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
November 18, 2022

The name of the book of Leviticus in the Hebrew Bible is “The Lord Called.” Like Genesis and Exodus, the Hebrews named these books after the first word or phrase in the book. The instructions that God is about to give Moses concern the performance of the complete sacrificial system that was predominantly carried out by the Levites. Thus, our English Bibles follow the Septuagint in naming the book after them. God called Moses in the book to give him instructions to pass on to the Levites. Leviticus 1:1 says, “The Lord called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting…” The last three verses of the book of Exodus sets the stage for God’s call in Leviticus. It speaks of the cloud in the daytime and the fire at night that represents the presence of the Lord with the children on their exodus from Egypt. The cloud and the fire accompanied the tabernacle.

The writers of the Translator’s Handbook for Leviticus do not like the phrase “tent of meeting.” They argue that it does not adequately convey the full meaning of the Hebrew expression. “It is the portable sanctuary of the people of Israel, described in which God meets with Moses to communicate to him the divine will.” They like a more liquid translation of “Today’s English Version” which calls it the Tent of the Lord’s Presence. Better they say is, “the tent where the LORD is,” or “the place where the LORD appears.”[1]

In John’s Gospel, John 1:14, he uses the term “tabernacled” to describe Jesus coming to earth in the flesh. As Leviticus is going to tell us about the details of the sacrificial system by which God will make atonement for the sins of the people, John makes it clear, as do other writers of the New Testament that “Jesus is not only the revelation of God but the fulfillment of the Old Testament sacrificial system that foreshadowed his sacrifice that would remove sins once and for all. The tabernacle as the special place of God’s presence is a type of the incarnation of Christ, who ‘made his dwelling’ (tabernacled) among us. Eichrodt speaks of the significance of the tabernacle and its New Testament reality in Christ: The concept of the distant God who yet condescends to be really present in the midst of his people and enables them to participate in the divine life, lives on in the symbolic language of the New Testament, which uses the image of the ‘tabernacling’ to tell of the dwelling of the eternal God among men.”[2]

[1] Péter-Contesse, René, and John Ellington. 1992. A Handbook on Leviticus. UBS Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies.

[2] Rooker, Mark F. 2000. Leviticus. Vol. 3A. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

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Exodus 1:1

A Story of Deliverance

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
November 17, 2022

Genesis concluded with the family of Jacob all reunited in Egypt with Joseph being the second in command and most likely the most powerful man in Egypt. Jacob died and his body was carried back to the promised land for burial. Then Joseph died after blessing his sons and making the family promise to take his bones back to Israel as well. The children of Israel remained in Egypt for 400 years. Then the book of Exodus begins by reviewing the tribes of Israel. Exodus 1:1 says, “These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household…”

The name of this book of the Bible in the Hebrew Bible is “These are the names.” That’s the first phrase in the book. In the Hebrew Bible the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch, are all named by their first word or phrase. The first word in Genesis is “In the Beginning.” That’s the name of the book in the Hebrew Bible. The same practice holds for Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. But when the book of Exodus was translated around 200 BC from Hebrew to Greek it was named “Exodus.” That’s the Greek word that means “going out.” It was chosen because it seemed to capture the main event of the book. Our English Bibles kept the Greek word “Exodus” as the title and simply transliterated the Greek word into English letters.

Exodus 1 acts as a bridge between the events of Genesis and the story of God’s redemption in history. It is a reminder that the story is continuing: the promises of salvation from Genesis are now worked out in the events which follow.[1] Phillip Ryken introduces the study of Exodus by saying, “Exodus is an epic tale of fire, sand, wind, and water. The adventure takes place under the hot desert sun, just beyond the shadow of the Great Pyramids. There are two mighty nations—Israel and Egypt—led by two great men—Moses the liberating hero and Pharaoh the enslaving villain. Almost every scene is a masterpiece: the baby in the basket; the burning bush; the river of blood and the other plagues; the angel of death; the crossing of the Red Sea; the manna in the wilderness; the water from the rock; the thunder and lightning on the mountain; the Ten Commandments; the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night; the golden calf; the glory in the tabernacle.”

He continues, “Once heard, the story is never forgotten. For Jews it is the story that defines their very existence, the rescue that made them God’s people. For Christians it is the gospel of the Old Testament, God’s first great act of redemption. We return to the exodus again and again, sensing that somehow it holds significance for the entire human race. It is the story that gives every captive the hope of freedom. Thus it was only natural for African-American slaves—many of whom were Christians—to understand their captivity as a bondage in Egypt and to long for the day when they would be “free at last.” The exodus shows that there is a God who saves, who delivers his people from bondage.”[2]

[1] Campbell, Iain D. 2006. Opening up Exodus. Opening Up Commentary. Leominster: Day One Publications.

[2] Ryken, Philip Graham, and R. Kent Hughes. 2005. Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

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Jeremiah 7:12

No Substitute for Faith in the Living God

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
November 16, 2022

The religious leaders of Judah taught that God would never desert them. God was on their side in every conflict. They proclaimed security and safety from all their enemies as long as the Temple and its sacrifices and rituals continued. Jeremiah’s long boney finger pointing at them warned that this was false. He urged the people of Judah not to listen to the lies of these religious leaders. To drive his point home Jeremiah reminded the people of what happened to them at Shiloh. In Jeremiah 7:12, he says, “Go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I made my name dwell at first, and see what I did to it because of the evil of my people Israel.” He allowed the Philistines to take the ark of the covenant from the Israelites. Psalm 78:60-62 recounts this episode. It says, “He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among mankind,  and delivered his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe.  He gave his people over to the sword and vented his wrath on his heritage.”

Feinberg tells us the story in some detail. “At Shiloh, Israel went into idolatry (1 Sam 4:1–11); so the ark was captured by the Philistines at the Battle of Ebenezer. The Bible gives no historical account of the destruction of Shiloh. Jeremiah’s references to its destruction (cf. also 26:6, 9) have been confirmed by excavations of the site, which revealed a city destroyed by the Philistines about 1050 b.c., probably after the Battle of Ebenezer. The dig was carried out by the Danish Palestine Expedition. Their findings confirmed Psalm 78:60–64. Shiloh was to the judges what Jerusalem was to the kings. Jeremiah was a descendant of the Eli family; so the tragedy had personal implications for him. The destruction of Shiloh did not necessarily mean the demolition of the tabernacle, because it was still in existence at Gibeon in David’s time (cf. 1 Chronicles 21:29), at the commencement of Solomon’s reign. The sanctuary at Shiloh proved the falsity of the claim that the Lord was unalterably committed to an earthly temple and its preservation regardless of the moral state of the people.”[1]

Pointing out to the men of Judah the destruction that befell Shiloh in spite of the presence of the tabernacle had to have been offensive to the religious leaders of the Southern Kingdom that Jeremiah was addressing. By the time Jeremiah addresses the men of Judah, the Northern Kingdom of Israel with its capital in Samaria, was destroyed by Syria years before. They were destroyed because they deserved it. Not us! It was the cry of the southern kingdom at the time of Jeremiah. But in connecting the fate of Shiloh with the future of Judah and the temple in Jerusalem, Jeremiah wanted to illustrate that “God is thus shown to be independent of any given locality and uncommitted to a specific cultic object. However valuable as an aid to spirituality such things might be, they can never be acceptable substitutes for implicit faith in the living God. This affirmation must have seemed the worst kind of heresy to Jeremiah’s superstitious hearers.”[2]

[1] Feinberg, Charles L. 1986. “Jeremiah.” In The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein, 6:429. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

[2] Harrison, R. K. 1973. Jeremiah and Lamentations: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 21. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

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Jeremiah 7:11, Matthew 21:13, John 2:16-17

Doctrine is important

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
November 15, 2022

The Prophet Jeremiah pointed his finger at the religious leaders of Judah and accused them of empty rituals that serve to disguise the actual depth of their sinfulness. He has specifically addressed their insistence on preaching that the ritual sacrifices and practices associated with the temple are how the people can be right with God.  The cry of the men of Judah in Jeremiah 7:4 was “The Temple of the Lord. The Temple of the Lord. The Temple of the Lord.” Their religion had become a superstition by which they were guaranteed God’s acceptance and protection. But the priests and Levites corrupted these practices surrounding the Temple in Jeremiah’s day to be how they coerced money from the people. He addresses this abuse directly in Jeremiah 7:11. He says to those running the Temple rituals, “Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the Lord.” This verse should make all our ears perk up! Where do we know this from?

In Matthew 21:13, Jesus quotes this verse, “He said to them, ‘It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers.’” We mostly know about the cleansing of the temple by Jesus. He drove out the money changers and turned over their tables. John’s Gospel says in 2:16-17, “And he told those who sold the pigeons, ‘Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.’ His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’” This action by Jesus was foretold some five hundred years earlier by Jeremiah. It seems that the sin that the religious leaders committed in Jeremiah’s day continued to the time of Jesus.

Are we not in danger of the same sins today? Whole systems of theology can become the idols we hide behind and use for our protection. We use Jesus’s words, “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” as applying to our theological framework. Cranfield said, “If we imagine that every denominational tradition and every ecclesiastical vested interest and every bit of ecclesiastical pomp and circumstance are entitled to luxuriate behind the promise that ‘the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it,’ we are like those who fondly repeated, ‘The Temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these.’”[1] Dearman is right, “Theology does matter, not because God insists on a rigid intellectual system, but because unless we understand who God is, we will be in basic error about everything else that is ultimately important. The church will not save anyone (nor did the temple or animal sacrifice); it is a means to a goal, not the end itself. Understood correctly it is a means to know God and be rightly related to him.”[2]

[1] Walker, Larry L., Elmer A. Martens. 2005. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, & Lamentations. Vol. 8. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

[2] Dearman, J. Andrew. 2002. Jeremiah and Lamentations. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

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Jeremiah 7:9-10

A Matter of the Heart

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
November 14, 2022

Jeremiah argues that the men of Judah have bought into the lie that religious ritual is all that God wants from them and that once they bring their sacrifices and buy their plenary indulgence, they can proceed with living their sinful lives. But what God wants is the heart of his people. They don’t want to love God; they want to barter with God. God will have none of that! Jeremiah points his long finger at them and condemns them for the expectation that ritual in the temple will save them.  In Jeremiah 7:9-10, He says, “Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known,  and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations?”

The Temple itself is not the key to a relationship with God. It represented God’s presence with his people, but it was not the “thing” but what the thing represented. At the time of Isaiah, the nation had exchanged a personal connection with God for the rituals observed at the Temple. Isaiah, says, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me? Or where will My place of repose be?’” He’s more than any building, even the Temple in Israel. In the first two verses of Mark Chapter 13, we read, “And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.’” This is precisely what happened in 70 AD when General Titus with his Roman soldiers burnt it to the ground and scattered the rubble so it could not be rebuilt.

All the offenses named in Jeremiah 7:9-10 are violations of the ten commandments. Thou shall not steal. Thou shall not kill. Thou shall not commit adultery; Thou shall not bear false witness. Thou shall not have other gods before me. Other condemnations by Jeremiah fill out the entire list of the Ten Commandments. It is essential to notice that when Jesus confronted the religious leaders in his day, he confronted their strict adherence to the letter of this law, yet their hearts were far from God. The commandments can become bricks we use to create temples that we mistakenly worship rather than loving God. Jesus addressed these religious leaders by explaining that the laws are deeper than behavior. He told them that lusting in the heart was the same as adultery. He said hatred made one guilty of murder. It is the issue of the heart that God is addressing. Dearman gets this when he writes, “Behavior matters are a powerful indicator that reveals the allegiances of the heart.”[1] Jeremiah will speak of getting a new heart under the new covenant. When Jesus presided over the last supper, he identified the bread as symbolic of his body, which would be offered for the sins of the world. He pointed out that the wine symbolizes the New Covenant in which faith in Him will bring a new heart.

[1] Dearman, J. Andrew. 2002. Jeremiah and Lamentations. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

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Jeremiah 7:8

We Need a New Heart!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
November 14, 2022

In verse 8 of Jeremiah Chapter 7, he continues his condemnation of the men of Judah for believing lies, “Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail.” The lie his addressing is again the one mentioned and repeated three times in verse 4, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.”  As Ryken observes, “The first thing to understand about Jeremiah’s message is that it was delivered to a religiously observant people. Jeremiah was preaching to people who were on their way to the temple to offer sacrifices to God. The people he told to mend their ways were devout. They were ‘churchgoers.’ They wore their Passover best and had their scrolls tucked under their arms.”[1] It seemed at this time that the building had taken the place of God in their lives. As long as they participated in the activities of the Temple, they considered themselves right with God. They believed that the temple itself would keep them safe, going to church would be enough!

Ryken summarizes it well, “The problem was that God’s people thought God’s promise about the temple gave them the freedom to be immoral. The temple had become a superstition. They assumed that as long as they fulfilled their religious obligations, they could do whatever they wanted with the rest of their lives.” The deceptive words of the priests and other leaders of Judah might be compared to selling indulgences. Fall in line with the religious practices of the group, bring your sacrifices, pay your tithes, show up for meetings and you need not worry about how you live. This is the same thing that Martin Luther raved against when Tetzel came to Germany selling plenary indulgences in the Pope’s name to raise funds to build Saint Peter’s Cathedral in Rome. You can buy an “indulgence” that will exempt you or your loved ones from the consequences of any sin.

This kind of religion is more of a business proposition. If I do this, God will respond in a certain way. This is so much of what our world is based on. We all live in the world of agreements and contracts that are satisfied through deeds to do and duties to keep. But God is never satisfied with our external performance. He wants our hearts. Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel speak about the New Covenant where God will remove our hearts of stone and replace them with hearts of flesh. This is the message of the Gospel. We need new hearts because our hearts are deceitful. Jeremiah will tell us later in the book that they are deceitful above all things. But God offers a new clean, true, tender, and warm heart. Paul tells us that as we come to faith in Jesus, all things will become new. This is especially true concerning the heart.

[1] Ryken, Philip Graham. 2001. Jeremiah and Lamentations: From Sorrow to Hope. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

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Genesis 6:22

The Ark and the Church

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
November 12, 2022

The writer of Genesis steps back in verse 22 of Genesis chapter 6 to observe Noah’s response to God’s instructions regarding the building of the ark and the rescuing and caring for all the animals. It simply says, “Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him. But Kissling rightly observes, “Literally this reads, ‘Then Noah did according to all that God commanded him. Thus he did.’ This is a sort of Janus parallelism (the same thought repeated in reverse order): Noah did according to all that God commanded him. According to all that God commanded him, thus he did.”[1] We sing a song about Father Abraham sometimes, “Father Abraham had many sons, Many sons had Father Abraham.” It’s the same kind of construction and represents an emphatic statement. The Jewish commentator, Cassuto, says, “The words form a solemn conclusion to the second paragraph, and also indicate a pause in the course of events, leaving Noah at work fulfilling God’s command. This verse, which states, and reiterates that Noah did all that he was commanded, provides us with a graphic picture of Noah working devotedly, with complete faith in all that the Almighty had told him, and in absolute obedience to the word of his Creator.”[2]

John Calvin praises Noah at great length in his commentary on Genesis. He says, “Let the reader reflect on the multitude of trees to be felled, the great labor of conveying them, and the difficulty of joining them together.” He seems to have worked on the ark for over a hundred years. How many of us could persevere on such a daunting task? Those around him most likely challenged him for claiming deliverance from God’s judgement while they would face God’s judgment. The “building an asylum for himself virtually doomed them all to destruction.” How many times over that period do you think Noah asked himself if all or any of this was really true? Do you think he worried about how he would collect all the animals? Did he worry about feeding them all? Was he concerned about how he would teach the lion to lay down with the lamb? How was he going to deal with all the animal waste? The smell would be horrendous! “But the obedience of Noah is celebrated on this account, that it was entire, not partial; so that he omitted none of those things which God had commanded.”[3]

Like the ark, the assembly of believers in Jesus (The true church) has only one door. Jesus claimed to be the only door to salvation. Just as the means of salvation was cut from trees, so is the instrument of our salvation cut from trees upon which Christ died for our sins. There was only one ark into which one could enter to escape God’s judgment. There is also only one Christ through which our faith in Him keeps us from perishing. One last thought is that God closed the door and sealed, secured, the salvation of all who came aboard. The Greek Translation of the Hebrew Old Testament (The Septuagint) adds the phrase “from the outside” when explaining how God closed in Noah and his family. If God closes it, no one else can open it. One cannot even open it from the inside. We are sealed to eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ and are assured an eternal destiny.

[1] Kissling, Paul J. 2004–. Genesis. The College Press NIV Commentary. Joplin, MO: College Press Pub. Co.

[2] Cassuto, U. 1997. A Commentary on the Book of Genesis: Part II, From Noah to Abraham. Translated by Israel Abrahams. Jerusalem: The Magnes Press, The Hebrew University.

[3] Calvin, John, and John King. 2010. Commentary on the First Book of Moses Called Genesis. Vol. 1. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

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