Lights and Lamps

O. T. #312  "Lights and Lamps"
June 30, 2014
Numbers 8-Part 1
The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to Aaron and say to him, 'When you set up the seven lamps, they are to light the area in front of the lampstand.' " Numbers 8:1-2 NIV

LET IT GLOW

My mother purchased a chandelier for the kitchen of our farmhouse whenever my parents remodeled it back in the 70's. To me, it seems out of place with the decor of my country look. I realize that the chandelier does not give off light for the room, but it is the light bulbs and electricity which does. So it was in the Tabernacle. The lampstand held the lamps with oil which lit up the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. This is discussed in the beginning of chapter 8.

J.V. McGee writes, "This chapter surprises us by beginning with instructions for lighting the lampstand in the Holy Place. At first it seems that the lampstand is out of place-that it belongs back in Exodus where instruction were given for the Tabernacle."

As you read in the chapter, you see it is appropriate, the setting up of the lamps, then with the verses 5-22 the setting apart of the Levites.

The spiritual orders suggest the divine illumination must precede Christian dedication. It's like a parallel to Leviticus 8 and Numbers 3:5-13. (Falwell)

The lampstand was described and made in Exodus 25:31-40,  but the lampstand by itself could give no light. It had to have lamps placed upon it that gave light. All the lampstand could do was make the light more visible. The lampstands were fueled by oil; and would need to be continually filled with oil to provide constant light. Workmanship of the lampstand was hammered gold; from its shaft to its flowers it was hammered work.  (David Guzik)

LET IT GROW

Revelation 1:20 makes the lampstand a picture of the church; the church itself does not light the world, but it performs a "platform" for Jesus' light to be seen. (Guzik)

The candlestick itself was an emblem of Christ's church; the oil, of the graces and gifts of the Spirit of God; and the light, of those gifts and graces in action among men. God builds His Church and sends forth His Spirit to dwell in it, to sanctify and cleanse it, that it may be shown unto the world as His own workmanship. A candlestick or lamp without oil is of no use; oil not burning is of no use. so a Church without the influence of the Holy Ghost are dead while they have a name to live; and if they have a measure of this light, and do not let it shine by purity of living and holy Zeal before men, their religion is neither useful to themselves nor to others. (Clarke)

When we allow the Holy Spirit control of our life, to indwell us, then Jesus's light shines through to into the world. Are we giving Him control or are we in control of our thoughts, words, actions? For whom are we living-ourselves our Savior? Is our purpose to honor Christ or ourselves?

LET IT GO

Surrender my life unto the Lord Jesus.

Obey His Word.

Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Let His light shine in and through me.

Serving the Lord

O. T. #311  "Serving the Lord"
June 27, 2014
Numbers 7
And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him.  Numbers 7:89

LET IT GLOW

Throughout the last thirty some years, I have served in the church in various ways. I have been Sunday School director, children's director, children's church director and teacher, teacher of all ages of children and youth, women's teacher, missions director, vacation bible school director and teacher, janitor, typed the bulletin, and the wife of a deacon and a pastor. However, it does not matter what position we hold, but that we are doing our best and faithfully serving where the Lord wants us.

With the completion of the tabernacle, the Lord communicated His Word to Moses from the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies (Lev. 1:1, Num. 1:1). (MacArthur)

In the Experiencing God study, Blackaby and King say the fact that God spoke is far more important than how He spoke. Those he spoke to knew He was God, and they understood what He was saying.

When God spoke:

• the experience was usually unique to that individual;
• the person was sure God was speaking;
• the person knew what God said;
• that was an encounter with God.
• Today God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.

Do you hear God speaking to you? What is your reaction? Are you like Samuel or Jonah?

LET IT GROW

Falwell tells us that this chapter chronologically belongs after Leviticus 8 and before the book of Numbers.

Irving Jensen says, "But it is placed here because it included the bringing of supplies necessary for transporting the tabernacle, which is one of the subjects under consideration in this first part of Numbers. The arrangement of much of Numbers is logical, rather than chronological."

Did you know that this is the second longest chapter in the Bible? Psalm 119 is the longest.

We read that the twelve princes of Israel  brought identical gifts and offerings for the dedication of the altar on twelve successive days. Although the offerings of the princes wee identical, each is separately recorded by inspiration. (New Scofield Bible)

This fact of God's personal concern is seen also in the New Testament through the widow's mite episode (Luke 21:1-4) and the identical sevenfold message of Christ to His seven churches in Asia Minor (Rev. 2-3).

What is our attitude when we serve the Lord week after week, doing the same things? Are we refreshed or is it mundane to us?


LET IT GO

Serve the Lord with gladness.

Sing His praises and give thanks.

Stay faithful in what tasks He calls me to do.

Blessings

O. T. #310  "Blessings"
June 26, 2014
Numbers 6-Part 2
The Lord bless and keep thee.  Numbers 6:24

LET IT GLOW

Who doesn't want the blessings of the Lord? Yet there are responsibilities that go along with receiving those blessings. Are we willing to be faithfully sold out to God? The Israelites were given the choice.

Previously we discussed the Nazarite vow which the Israelites could choose to commit to the Lord. We read in verses 22-27 a beautiful benediction. If Israel was obedient, organized and consecrated to the Lord , they would be recipient of God's blessings (His favor) pronounced by the priests.

The Lord's blessing is described as God shining His face upon His people (verse 25), and His looking at them (verse 26).

The result of God's blessings were:

• His preservation of Israel (keep),
• His kindness toward her (be gracious, verse 25),
• her total well-being (peace, verse 26).

The name of the Lord represented His person and character. The priests were to call for God to dwell among His people and meet all their needs.


LET IT GROW

This was probably the blessing the people were waiting to hear the priest Zechariah utter (Luke 1:21-22) when he was struck mute by the angel Gabriel. (Falwell)

Clarke's Commentary says this about the prayer:

• May God speak good unto thee, by giving thee His excellent promises! May He preserve thee from all evil.
• May the Holy Trinity illuminate thy heart, pardoning thy sins.
• May God commune with thee and prosper thee.

Christians are to be separated from the world, dedicated solely to the service of God. We are to live a life of self-denial, obedient to the Holy Spirit, denounce the sinful lusts of the flesh, and walk in the same all the days of our life.

Are we that committed? How much do we want the blessings of God?


LET IT GO

Follow the Lord Jesus and His teachings.

Keep any vows made unto the Lord.

Thank and bless the Lord for all He has done for me.

Vows

O. T. #309  "Vows"
June 25, 2014
Numbers 6
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD...
Numbers 6:2


LET IT GLOW

Are you keeping your wedding vows? Did you dedicate your children unto the Lord? Is there a vow you promised to fulfill unto the Lord Jesus? We find out more about taking vows in this chapter.

We read the last chapter which dealt with the cleansing of the camp by dealing with the unclean and sinful. In this chapter, we read about the consecration to the Lord was possible for all Israelites.

Although only the family of Aaron could be priests, any man or woman could be "priestly" (dedicated to God's service) for a time (from a month to a lifetime) by means of the vow of a Nazarite. Such a vow was made by people usually devout toward God and dedicated to His service.
(MacArthur)

In verse 2, the first vow, nadir (pronounced naw-dar') in Hebrew, means to promise (to do something to God); make a vow.
The second vow, neder (pronounced nay'-der) in Hebrew, means a promise (to God), also a thing promised.
It sounds like the difference between the two words is that the first one is a verb and the second is a noun.

According to The MacArthur Bible Commentary, the word Nazarite transliterates a Hebrew term meaning dedication by separation.
The Nazarite separated himself to the Lord by separating himself from:

1. grape products (verses 3,4)
2. the cutting of one's hair (6:5)
3. contact with a dead body (verses 6,7).

The priest was also forbidden:

1. to drink wine while serving in the tabernacle (Lev. 10:9) and
2. to touch dead bodies (Lev. 21:11).

Both the high priest's crown (Ex.29:6) and the Nazarite's head (verses 9,18) are referred to by the same Hebrew word. The Nazarite's hair was like the high priest's crown. Like the high priest, the Nazarite was holy to the Lord (verse 8) all the days (verses 4-6,8) of his vow. (MacArthur)


LET IT GROW

Liberty Bible Commentary explains the meanings of those three prohibitions in the Nazarite vow:

1. He was prohibited from drinking any fruit of the vine (verse 3). Wine was the symbol for joy (Ps. 104:15), but the Nazarite was to receive his joy from God alone.
2. He was not to cut his hair (verse 5). In the New Testament (1 Cor.11:14) Paul states that long hair for a man was a shame and disgrace. It may be that by this method the Nazarite male could both understand and demonstrate the reproach of the Lord.
3. He was not to come into contact with a dead body (verse 6). Physical death, of course, was a direct result of Adam's rebellion against God (Gen. 2:17). The Nazarite vow was so binding that one could not attend the funeral even of a loved family member.

Verses 9-12 give instructions on what the Nazarite was to do if he broke his vow. Verses 13-21 discuss the procedures to be followed by the Nazarite upon completion of his vow.

There were several well-known biblical Nazarites. Samson is, perhaps, the most famous (Judges 13:5,7; 16:17). It would appear the prophet Samuel also became one (1 Sam. 1:11-28). In the New Testament,  John the Baptist immediately comes to mind (Luke 1:15), and the Apostle Paul (Acts 18:18).

Is there something that we consider such a serious thing, so important that we would take the Nazarite vow for a given time? God would bless our commitment. We will find out tomorrow about it.
Do we take seriously our vows which we hold make unto the Lord?

Deuteronomy 23:21 states, when thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.


LET IT GO

Keep the vows I make unto the Lord God.

Follow the Holy Spirit's leading and obey.

Look for His blessings.

Silly Things

O. T. #308  "Silly Things"
June 24, 2014
Numbers 5
Abstain from all appearance of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:22

LET IT GLOW

I like to do silly things. When pictures are taken of me, I realize people everywhere can possibly see them. I have posed in a swinging tree vine, on a toy motorcycle, a cardboard roller coaster, and riding on a luggage cart. However, I am careful not to compromise my Christian testimony.
Just a warning to you and me, there are folks out there who take joy in a Christian falling into a sinful lifestyle. There are people who want to tempt us to sin. There are others who wait to spread gossip about us. Some even make up lies to spread. So keep your radar up, eyes open. Be careful where you walk and with whom you walk. We should always honor the Lord Jesus with our life.

Cleansing, consecration, and commission are covered in chapters 5-10. In this chapter, we read about the purity to be established in the camp of the Israelites. They were told to "be holy for God is holy" over a dozen times in the previous book of Leviticus. Now this admonition is put into effect. There were three types of individuals who were to be put out of the camp in order to assure the purity of the people:

1. the leper, which pictures the awfulness and ugliness of sin;
2. the one with a running issue, reminded the people of sin unhealed and taking its toll;
3. the one defiled by the dead, was a reminder of the ultimate result of sin, eternal death.

[Resources: Liberty Bible Commentary, Irving Jensen's Journey to God's Rest-Land]

The first four verses deal with the outward, visible defects, the leper, discharge, and corpse. All of these prohibitions had sensible health benefits as well as serving to illustrate the need for moral cleanliness when approaching God. god's holy presence in the cloud in the tabernacle demanded cleanness. Therefore, all the unclean were barred from the encampment of Israel.

The next six verses, deal with personal sins, which are not as outwardly visible as the uncleanness in the previous four verses. A sin committed against God's people was considered a sin committed against God Himself. There was a need for confession and restitution in addition to the trespass offering (Lev. 5:14-6:7). (MacArthur)

LET IT GROW

The sin of adultery and jealousy due to suspicion of such is dealt with in these verses. Both the man and woman involved in adultery were to be put to death, according to Leviticus 20:10. However, when there was no proof of such happening, the woman was to be tested to reveal her guilt or innocence. Could this be the first lie detector test?

If the woman's belly swelled after drinking the holy water mixed with dust from the tabernacle floor, the woman was proven guilty of adultery. Both the man and woman's names were blotted out of the priest's book which was written of curses and offenders.

1 Thessalonians 5:22 says, Abstain from all appearance of evil.

Does this chapter not show us the importance of our actions? Even the appearance of evil or sin is to be avoided. We should always be on guard for what others might think of us or what we are doing, so it does not hurt our reputation. People are watching us. Some want to point fingers in judgment. Others scheme to cause us to fall into sin. Beware!

 LET IT GO

Watch what I say and do, so it does not appear to be sin, and dishonor my Lord Jesus.

Beware of traps to cause me to sin.

June 23, 2014

Good morning Friends,

Thank you for your prayers, dear friends. We are back home, safe and sound after spending a week on a mission trip in the Dominican Republic. However, due to a lightning storm Friday in Miami, we missed our flight and had to spend the night in the airport in Chicago. So I am still trying to catch up on my sleep and laundry. I will post a lesson on Tuesday.

So here is a summation of our trip:

• I taught 22 children in Sunday School and my husband preached the morning worship service.
• Monday-Wednesday mornings, I taught Vacation Bible School to 43 children each morning.
• There were 10 children saved.
• We had preschool, children, and youth classes.
• In the afternoons, our team made reading glasses for the adults at the church.
• There were 11 adults saved.
• After 2 attempts, we showed the "Jesus" film on a basketball court to the community.
• The little church was packed for Wed. night commencement with parents and children. 
• The people and children were very receptive of us this year. Last year was our first time to be in Monte Christi, so they were skeptical.
• On Wed. afternoon, we got to spend some time at the beautiful beach, r and r.
• Three of us flew back home, while the husband of one joined the team for one more week of the same mission work in another town 3 hours away.

Please pray for our mission team this week. Most of the were sick last week, but continued to serve. The weather there is very hot. Please pray for rain in the D.R. It has been months since they had any.

 Also, remember (Daniel)'s father who is very ill. They are our contact in the D.R.. Daniel serves as Hispanic missionary in our association. It is very difficult for them to leave family to serve the Lord in the USA.

I tried to send a picture while there, but it must have gotten lost. You can see me on Facebook.

Return tomorrow as we pick up in Numbers.

In His Service,
Linda Robins

Friends,
Please pray for us this week. We fly out early this morning to the Dominican Republic on a mission trip. We are returning to the same city as last year. I will be teaching the children's Sunday School class and then VBS Monday -Wednesday mornings.

Our team will be preaching in worship services, making glasses to give away, and showing the Jesus film in evenings. We will be sharing the gospel every day.

My husband and I will be returning next Friday, but the rest of the team will go to another city to minister the gospel for that week.
I especially need your prayers for my health during this time.

Thanks so much, sweet ones.

In His Service,
Linda