Don’t you just love a day of rest!!!! Ahhh, to sit back and just relax in the blessings of the Lord. Yep, those are the days I really enjoy. In God’s pattern of things, not only is a weekly day of rest necessary for healthy living; a year of rest is even better! That would certainly keep His people from experiencing burn out! Today’s society would do well to take a second look at the Creator’s rules and regulations. The farther we get from them, the more problems we have. Stress, depression, burn out, anxieties, mid-life crisis; how much of this would be done away with if we just took God’s perscribed time out to rest and contemplate the goodness of the God we serve. You don’t have to feel like I’m preaching to you. I’m too busy preaching to myself to focus on anyone else!
The Sabbatical year would certainly exercise our faith! God promised that if they were obedient and followed His ways, the crop of the sixth year would be enough to last for the next three years – the year it was planted, the year the land was to sit dormant, and the year they started planting again and had to wait for the produce to come in. God’s love may be unconditional, but God’s blessings are not! They reqire obedience that stems out of our trust in God.
As we look at the year of Jubilee, I am reminded of something I read. Psychiatrists and psychologists say that a man can endure anything if he knows that there is an end to it. The year of Jubilee was certainly a year of hope! So many of their values hinged on this year of expentancy. Property prices were determined by it. The value of a life was regulated by it. It gave many hope when they had no hope. People who could never make enough to redeem their ancestrial land could look forward with expectancy to the year of Jubilee when all would be restored. God knows the power of hope and He gave the Israelites heaps of it.
As we near the end of our journey through the Land of Leviticus, we are informed of the punishments of disobedience. We learn that God’s judgment comes in stages. With each stage, God’s hope is that His people will repent so that He does not have to carry out the next degree of punishment. Perhaps, if we contemplate the five degrees of punishment, we can look at our own countries, or our world at large and see which stage we are in. I know that in the United States, we have seen one disaster after another. Talk show hosts such as Jay Leno and David Letterman have joked that God must really be angry with us. Strange how we will use humor in such a way that to keep us from looking seriously at the issues.
Wednesday we cross the border into the Land of Numbers. The first few times I traversed its pages, I can’t say that I found it great joy. But once I began to see the treasures in it, I am always pleased to come back to it. The message in its text is all about preparation for warfare. When God gave them the instructions for setting up the camp, He ordered them to set it up in a military fashion. A military camp always set the king’s tent in the middle of it. The king’s guard camped surrounding his tent. Then there were four army divisions with one division in each direction of the compass. As you read through the setup of the camp, it may help to lay it out. (For those who are registered, we will send you a simple diagram of the camp and you can add the names. ) I began to question why God had ordered the tribes as He did. Obviously, He saw that there greatest strength was accomplished when they were coupled together in this specific order. Why did He place the army divison of Judah to the east? And why was Ephraim to the west? What are the tribes God had fight under Judah’s banner and why? What were the names of the other three divisions and which tribes comprised them?
The Levitical orders made up the king’s guard and camped around his tent. Who made up each division and what were their duties? So many questions!!! But before we can begin to see the hidden treasures, we must first understand the order. Personally, I believe I will grasp but a fraction of its wealth in my lifetime! But at least we can begin to see the pattern. We live near an airforce base and it is always exciting to watch the jet fighters fly overhead in formation. If we are outdoors, we will stand up and take note of the powerful sight. Let’s take a moment to see this amazing formation that God ordered. You may even find the Land of Numbers to be an exciting place!
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TRAIL STOPS
Monday
1. When did the year of Jubilee begin?
2. What differed in the laws of a house within a city?
3. What differed in the laws of the Levitical cities?
Tuesday
What are the five degrees of God punishment?
Wednesday
Who was not counted in the census for the armies?
Thursday
What did each army division carry?
Friday
1. Who could take a Nazrite vow?
2. When were the silver trumpets blown
Below is a template for the layout of the camp. I've left some areas blank so that you can fill in the name of the three tribes that make up each army division. Also, fill in the duties of each priestly division.
1 comment:
Mon 1. On the 50th year
2. You could buy it back within a year, but if you didn't it would not be returned it would permanently belong to the new owner.
3. The Levites could buy their house back and if they didn't it had to be returned at the year of jubilee.
Tues 1. Sudden terrors will come upon you, wasting diseases and burning fevers.
2.Your enemies will eat your crops.
3. God will turn against you, your enemies will defeat you.
4. Those who hate you will rule over you
5. You will run even when no one is chasing you.
Wed The Levites
Thurs Their family banner.
Fri A man or woman could take the nazrite vow.
The silver trumpets were blown for the breaking of camp, for the leaders to assemble, to assemble the people at the entrance to the Tabernacle, to signal each tribe to move on, in times of gladness, at festivals and over burnt and peace offerings.
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