Daily Bible Devotionals

“The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: ‘The Israelites are to camp under their respective banners beside the flags of their ancestral houses. They are to camp around the tent of meeting, at a distance from it:” Numbers 2:1-2 (HCSB)

As we learned in Leviticus, God is very concerned with order. The Lord wants things separate, set apart, and holy. Also, He is as interested in FORM as He is FUNCTION. The “way” Israel worshipped was as important as the fact that they were worshipping at all.  

This idea of “form” is somewhat lost on our generation. Ours is the generation that rejects formality. (perhaps, rightly so in some cases) Our parents and grandparents lived in a culture where women wore white gloves and hats, and men almost always wore suits and ties. We live in a generation where people wear T-shirts, jeans & sandals to church.

For many folks from the older generation, dressing up for church became more important than why they were attending church in the first place. The formality of religion trumped a personal relationship with God in many instances. It was dry and stiff, especially compared to the “If it feels good, do it!” mantra of the Hippie movement. Eventually, their children rebelled.

Today, I sometimes wonder if the pendulum hasn’t swung too far toward the casual. In its efforts to create a comfortable, laid-back environment, has today’s church lost too much of its reverence? Is there a level of formality that is essential? Where is that balance between reverence and relevance? Know this: The balance can only be found in the Bible.

As for Israel, God wanted to maintain the individuality of each tribal family while at the same time maintaining the unity of the nation. How was that accomplished, and what could we do to foster that balance of individuality and corporate unity in our congregations today?

Paramount, at the center of Israel’s national life, was the ark of God’s covenant. Inside the ark were the tablets containing the Ten Commandments. Above the ark, God Himself met with Moses. Promise, Precepts, and Presence constituted His relationship with His people.

Believers in Messiah Jesus may congregate as varied denominations, expressing their worship and gratitude in different ways. Yet, unity exists among ALL true believers as long as they share the same central focus: salvation through faith in Jesus alone and the authority of His Word to govern our intents and actions. Unity exists when we share the Promise of His Covenant, the Presence of His Spirit, and the Guidance of His Precepts, the Bible.

“Take a census of the entire Israelite community by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of every male one by one. You and Aaron are to register those who are 20 years old or more by their military divisions – everyone who can serve in Israel’s army. A man from each tribe is to be with you, each from his ancestral house. These are the names of the men who are to assist you...” Numbers 1:2-5a (HCSB)

One month after the erection of the Tabernacle, Moses is commanded to muster all the men of military age, i.e., those twenty years of age and upwards. It’s time for war! Can you imagine the spiritual and national inertia that had built to this moment?  

Let’s refresh: Creation, the fall of man, the flood, Abraham, the “Covenant,” Isaac, Jacob, Joseph sold into slavery, the redemption of his kinsmen, Egyptian captivity, Moses, the plagues, the Ten Commandments…plus 603 more commandments.  

This entire time, everything has pointed to God’s promise to the patriarchs that Israel WILL inherit the land. “Numbers” begins with a military census. Israel’s forceful acquisition of Canaan looks imminent; excitement is in the air!

That’s a lot of backstories leading up to this moment, but a greater story is told here in Numbers, chapter 1. It is the story of World history, from The Creation to The Revelation. “Where?” you may ask.

It’s in the NAMES. Every Hebrew name has a meaning, and when we combine the meanings of Israel’s tribal leaders (and their fathers) in their recorded order, we see not only the history of Israel but the history and hope of the World. Check it out...

Elizur: God is my rock – Shedeur: Shaddai is light – Shelumiel: At peace with God – God is my friend; Zurishaddai: My rock is Shaddai – Nashon: serpent, God inspires; Amminidab: The divine Kinsman is generous; Nethanel: God hath given; Eliab - God is our Father; Helon: God perseveres; Ephriam - God multiplies;  Elishama: God hath heard; Ammihud: The Divine Kinsman is glorious; Gamaliel: God is my reward – Pedahzur: The Rock has redeemed; Abidan: The Father has judged; Gideoni: God is a warrior; Ahiezer: The Divine Brother is a help; Ammishaddai: The People of Shaddai – The lot (or fate) of God – Given By God – God hath added – God is a friend – The Divine Brother is a friend.

Victory in Canaan was assured if the men whom God assembled would march out in faith, living up to the characters of the NAMES they had inherited. How well are YOU living up to the character of the Name YOU have inherited, having been adopted as a co-inheritor with Messiah?

“These are the commands the Lord gave Moses for the Israelites on Mount Sinai.” Leviticus 27:34 (HCSB)

Many years ago, when I read the Torah (the first 5 books of the Old Testament) for the first time, I was shocked to learn that God gave Moses more than 10 commandments. He gave 613, to be exact. These are not the commands of men but from God Himself.

The “Ten Commandments” act as overriding principles, while the remaining 603 commands act as practical situational guides, teaching Israel how to honor God by living out the Ten Commandments in day-to-day life.

In religious (Orthodox) Judaism, several literary sources are drawn from. First, there is the Torah and the Haftorah. (The Law and the Prophets) aka: the Tanakh, or “Old Testament.” These are the Divinely-inspired Scriptures.

In His sermon on the mount, Jesus said, “Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For I assure you: Until Heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. Therefore, everyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches people to do so will be called the ‘least’ in the kingdom of Heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commandments will be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.”  Matthew 5:17-19 (HCSB)

In addition to the Tanakh, there are other Jewish literary sources: Talmud, Mishna, and Kabbala. These are volumes of rabbinical teachings and interpretations of the Tanakh. Imagine all the great Christian teachers, Moody, Spurgeon, Wesley, etc. Imagine all the greats, every sermon, compiled throughout the ages. Well, that’s basically what these extra-Biblical volumes are: rabbinic commentaries.

The problem rabbinic Judaism faces is that so much of its religious practice is based on the teachings of men. Most rabbis spend the majority of their studies buried in the commentaries instead of the Torah!  

I have challenged you (and myself) to aggressively read the Bible because the Church tends to have the same problem as the Orthodox (non-Messianic) Jewish community. Christians tend to elevate teachers above the Scriptures. Paul addressed this problem, even in the early Church. (1 Corinthians 1:10-17)

We should study the Bible so that we can weigh the value of Bible teachers instead of the other way around...studying Bible teachers to weigh the value of the Bible.

“Yet in spite of this, while they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject or abhor them, so as to destroy them and break my covenant with them, since I am the Lord their God.  For their sake, I will remember the covenant with their fathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God; I am the Lord.”  Leviticus 26:44-45 (HCSB)

Recently, I was asked this question by some friends in Hawaii who receive our daily devotions: Do the Jews believe in the same God as Christians?

The question stems from a great theological debate that suggests that since “Non-believing” Jews have rejected Jesus (Yeshua), they are not accepting the “wholeness of God.” Thus, the God whom non-believing Jews accept is not the same as the God Christians believe in. By not receiving the Tri-unity of God, they definitely do not understand Him as they should, i.e., as He designates for all people to know Him.

The New Testament, speaking of Jesus, informs us that there is “no other name under Heaven by which men must be saved.” Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the Life, and no man comes to the Father except through me.” Whether Jew or Gentile, accepting Messiah Jesus is the essential component of Salvation. The first chapter of John speaks clearly of Jesus’ deity. In that sense, knowing Who Jesus is brings the essential understanding of Who God is.

But since Jesus is a member of the Trinity (God’s existence as three “Persons”), wasn’t He present when God spoke these (above) words to Moses?

The “Christian” understanding of Israel’s understanding of God takes a back seat to God’s understanding of His plan for the redemption of Israel (and the redemption of the nations, as well). This was the basis for Paul’s message to the Roman Messianic (Christian) congregation.

“I ask, then, have they (Israel) stumbled so as to fall? Absolutely not! On the contrary, by their stumbling, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous. Now if their stumbling brings riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full number bring? Now I am speaking to you, Gentiles.  In view of the fact that I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my own ministry, if I can somehow make my own people jealous and save some of them. For if their being rejected is world reconciliation, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?”  Romans 11:11-15

God’s covenant with Israel is with those who, by faith, believe. His faithfulness is the foundation for the security of our salvation. Perhaps a more important question than, “Do Jews believe in the same God as the Christians?” is the question: Does the God of all creation keep His covenants, and did He fulfill His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through Messiah Jesus? Scripture testifies that He did.

“If your brother becomes destitute and cannot sustain himself among you, you are to support him as a foreigner or temporary resident, so that he can continue to live among you. Don’t profit or take interest from him, but fear your God and let your brother live among you. You are not to lend him your silver with interest or sell him your food for profit. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.”  Leviticus 25:35-38 (HCSB)

Interdependence:  1) Unable to exist or survive without each other  2) Relying on mutual assistance, support, cooperation, or interaction among constituent elements or members.

Much of our modern culture has been built on the idea of “independence.”  In American society, people who are “dependent” are generally frowned upon as weak. Children are taught to be independent, not needing anything from anyone. Growing up, I was taught that taking a handout or charitable assistance was shameful.  

Interestingly, I was also taught that if a person was needy, they were probably lazy. There was a stigma of sin attached to poverty. We were led to believe that if we gave someone charity, we were perhaps enabling them to continue in their laziness. We were taught that people should work hard, and money was our reward for keeping for ourselves.

That’s the theory I was taught. Then, one day, I needed charity...

I’ve searched the Scriptures, and someone corrects me if I’m wrong, but I have yet to find an instance where God honors independence.  

God’s design for society is that men would completely depend on Him. He designed for His “dependants” to live interdependently among each other in the community. The purpose of community is to make our weaknesses ineffective. When someone covers your weakness, it frees you to operate in the strengths God has endowed you with.

Nobody is an island, self-sustaining and all-comprehensive unto themselves. Hard times will fall on everyone. God doesn’t just provide spiritual (internal) peace; He also offers physical and emotional comfort through the community of believers. He primarily provides for His people through the generosity of other people.

Lesson: Don’t be too ashamed to receive charity, and don’t be too self-absorbed to withhold it from others in need. As in everything, our rule should be: As the Lord leads.

“Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father was among the Israelites. A fight broke out in the camp between the Israelite woman’s son and an Israelite man. Her son cursed and blasphemed the Name, and they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith, a daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan.) They put him in custody until the Lord’s decision could be made clear to them. Then the Lord spoke to Moses: Bring the one who has cursed to the outside of the camp and have all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then have the whole community stone him.” Leviticus 24:10-14 (HCSB)

The sole aim of the Book of Leviticus is to communicate the importance of being sanctified set apart. Sanctification is stressed for both the community and the individual. Therefore, when anyone presumes to desecrate the Lord’s Name, the penalty must be ruthless.

It is common knowledge that a “mixed multitude” left Egypt along with the Israelites. The mixed multitude represented two spiritual realities: 1) Many in Egypt, apart from the Hebrews, believed in God and desired to follow Him, and 2) Just because Israel left the land of Egypt doesn’t mean they left their intimacy with the ways of Egypt. This “half-breed” son was emblematic of Israel’s love affair with Egypt and foreshadowed Israel’s problems with spiritual infidelity.

To “blaspheme” the Lord’s Name meant to treat it with contempt and dishonor. Orthodox (non-Messianic) rabbinic commentators remark that this man’s genealogy is recorded to impress upon the Israelites that a man’s life is not alone to do with as he pleases. His disgrace is also that of his parents, tribe, and people. Sin bears collateral damage. We have lost much of this sense of “community” in our Christian culture. In seeking to stress the rights of the individual, our society runs the risk of sacrificing accountability, which is necessary to protect itself.

The Torah ordained, “Thou shalt not revile God” (Exodus 22:27). But no penalty had been mentioned in that connection. Now, the Lord has spoken: The offender was to be stoned.

Notice how those who were direct recipients of the blasphemy were to literally have hands-on participation in executing the Lord’s judgment. Again, people were called to be personally concerned about the offense because the blasphemous words had fallen upon their ears. They were, therefore, discharging their duty by bringing the culprit to justice.

We live in a church culture that seems preoccupied with “not offending” people. My observation is that many pulpits would rather preach on the virtues of reconciliation and ignore the fact that there are times when conflict is necessary, especially in cases where sin is so blatant that it must be confronted to protect the community of believers.

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Leviticus 23. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“You are to keep My commands and do them; I am the Lord. You must not profane My holy Name; I must be treated as holy among the Israelites. I am the Lord Who sets you apart, the One Who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the Lord.” Leviticus 22:31-33 (HCSB)

A few years ago, my wife and I were visiting New Orleans. I recall passing by one of the T-shirt stores and seeing a shirt with this logo: “Jesus is coming. Everybody look busy!”  It seemed funny, like the “Jesus is my homeboy” apparel. But it begged the question: How well do we rate (as both individuals and our Church culture) when it comes to revering the NAME of the Holy God of all creation?

Although spoken about the priests as the appointed guardians of the Sanctuary, this commandment (both in its positive and negative forms) was applied to the whole of Israel. We should be exceedingly guarded in our actions so that we do not tarnish or degrade in any way the Name of the Lord.

In some of the rabbinic writings of Orthodox Judaism, the faithful observer is warned against any misdeeds against a non-Jew as an unpardonable sin because it gives a false impression of the moral standard of Judaism. In short, wrongdoing against anyone tarnishes God’s Name. The idea is that every Jew holds the honor of his God, his faith, and the entire Jewish community in his own hands.

God chose to LOVE us through Messiah Jesus, even while we were yet sinners. But His affiliation with us does not make Him any less Holy. His desire to be close to His created people only heightens our understanding of an aspect of His Holiness, and it causes us to worship Him with tremendous gratitude and respect.    

Today, I don’t want to drone on & on. I simply want to ask you to consider the question:  How well are you doing in 1) Regarding the Lord as Holy, to the extent that it changes how you live according to His Word and 2) As a co-inheritor with Jesus, how well are you representing the Family, the NAME you have inherited by Messiah’s atonement?

“The Lord spoke to Moses: ‘Tell Aaron: None of your descendants throughout your generations who has a physical defect is to come near: no man who is blind, lame, facially disfigured or deformed….” Leviticus 21:16-18 (HCSB)

Jesus healed. That is a Biblical fact, accepted even by many unbelievers.

Before John the Baptist was beheaded, he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the “One” or if they should look for another messiah. Jesus answered that people were healed. That was the evidence He gave of being Messiah: healing.

I never really considered much why Jesus healed people. I figured He had compassion for people, so He made them well. But could there have been other reasons Jesus healed beyond the well-being of the person needing healing?    

I have had terrible eyesight since I was in grade school. Many times, I have prayed that God would heal me. As a young man, I often wondered why Jesus would heal some people and not others. In the end, I leave healing up to His wisdom and surrender my will to His choices for me because He always chooses rightly. After all, He has given me eyeglasses that enable me to see 20/20.    

It is easy to see how healing benefits the recipient, but what does that have to do with Jesus being the Messiah? The Old Testament tells how the Messiah will heal the iniquities of His people, so I understand how Jesus’ healing fulfills prophecy.  

“‘Here is your God; vengeance is coming. God’s retribution is coming; He will save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy, for water will gush in the wilderness and streams in the desert; the parched ground will become a pool of water, and the thirsty land springs of water.” Isaiah 35:4b-7a (HCSB)

Considering today’s passage, for the Jewish people who were declared unworthy to serve, Jesus’ healing also allowed them to enter into corporate worship and minister to others. On the one hand, people might be offended that God would exclude people from serving simply because of physical defects. But they must consider that God can also heal, thus making it possible for anyone to serve if He so chooses.

When Jesus healed, it was as if He said, “You can’t serve because you’re blind? You can’t serve because you’re lame or deformed? Well, I can fix that!”  Our sin has separated us from God. By paying our sin debt, Jesus has made us clean. He atones for our sin as if we have never sinned. He completes what is lacking on every level and restores us to a right relationship with God, regardless of any prior limitation. And He has a plan for you, as His “priest.” (1 Peter 2:9)  He has fulfilled all your requirements and offers forgiveness, free of charge. So, do you WANT to be healed?