Creating, collecting, and sharing thoughts and ideas. And learning along the way.
“Mommy, I love when you work from home!”
LEVITICUS 27:14-NUMBERS 1:1-54 | MARK 11:1-26 | PSALM 46:1-11 | PROVERBS 10:23
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The Book of Leviticus ends on one last and important precept: the one concerning tithes, i.e., giving back to the Lord one-tenth of what is first obtained from the Lord. This is one remnant of the old Law that is to this day practiced by both Jew and Gentile. Whether the people made their tithes out of a sense of duty or love can only be surmised, however, in this day and age, the observance of this law for most people is one of freewill.
It takes a deep sense of understanding to realize that God is in no need of my wealth and resources, and if I were to never give a single iota of what is mine, God would not be affected, and the mission of furthering the Kingdom of God would continue unabated. And yet, under the new covenant that I now live in, there is no condemnation, and therefore no need to observe this. However, I choose to believe that there is a deep humility in the observance of this precept, and an underlying discipline that is honed over time. And besides this, in the words of Paul, God does love a cheerful giver.
We now commence the Book of Numbers, the fourth one in the Pentateuch authored by Moses. The first chapter begins and ends with a head-count of the entire people. Given that only young men over the age of twenty were included in the count, and the House of Levi was eliminated for the count, the actual number that would have included all men, women, and children would most likely have been over two million. That was a very large demographic in the desert led by Moses heading toward the land of milk and honey.
Next, continuing in the book of Mark, we see Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on a humble animal, a young colt. Jesus is welcomed not by trumpets and horns but by the poor and common folks that have been following him around and have witnessed the most incredible of events and miracles performed by him over the last three years.
There are two other quite interesting accounts within this chapter: the story of the fig tree and the clearing of the temple courts by Jesus. The fig tree stands as a metaphor for all things and persons that glitter and shine from their outward appearance, and yet do not have the substance and wherewithal from within to sustain oneself or another.
May it be that we might not be like the fig tree in its barrenness. May it be that there might be visible correlation between our seemingly flourishing exteriors to an equally vibrant and fruitful interior. May it be that when we are approached by another attracted to us for our pleasing exterior, we might produce an equally pleasant and sincere offering that comes from a deep and abundant well of goodness within.
Jesus goes on to offer a further encouragement to his disciples on the matter of faith. Impossible as it may seem, it would serve us well to pay heed to the same.
He says: 23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Next, our Psalm for the day is a wonderful one of encouragement. Many have been the times when verses from this very Psalm 46 have sprung to my mind in times of need. A few verses to reflect upon are:
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Finally, the hallmark of a fool is clearly presented by Solomon, the wise king of Israel. He says:
23 A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes,
but a person of understanding delights in wisdom.
May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word. Amen.
“Mommy, peacemaking is a full-time vocation that includes each member of God’s people.”
When Your ❤ Rises Up to Greet You
LEVITICUS 25:47-27:13 | MARK 10:32-52 | PSALM 45:1-17 | PROVERBS 10:22
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46 These are the decrees, the laws and the regulations that the LORD established on Mount Sinai between himself and the Israelites through Moses.“
And so ends Chapter 26 of the book of Leviticus.
The decrees, laws, and regulations are many in number and unambiguous in content. There is black and there is white. There are some shades of gray for which restitution is available and redemption is possible, but for the most part this is a no-nonsense law.
The two outstanding features of the law are those concerning the abhorrence of idolatry and the observance of the Sabbath. Graven and molten images made by hand were not to be worshiped. And setting aside one day of the week for rest and worship was the rule. How difficult could it be? But it was, as we see time and over again. If the reward for obedience was generous beyond expectation, the punishment for disobedience was equally opposite.
Turning next to our reading in the Book of Mark, we see that Jesus once again foretells his death and also his resurrection. As he talks with his disciples, there is an interesting interlude with James and John, two brothers who have big plans even for the afterlife.
They wish to have positions of prominence in being seated on either side of the Almighty, but Jesus says to them: 43…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The story of blind Bartimaeus receiving his sight is quite an extraordinary one. If there’s one thing this blind old man had, it was an abundance of faith. So great was his faith in this man he called ‘Son of David’ that he calls out to Jesus to have mercy on him. And Jesus turns to him and asks him what one might think to be the most redundant question: “What do you want me to do for you?”
Of course Jesus knows exactly what the man wanted, as did everyone else in the crowd. And yet, Jesus asks the question which bears the obvious answer. Might it be that the lesson from this is that Jesus wants us to articulate our exact need to him. Whatever it is that we might need, he wants to hear it. He cares about the details, all of them. May it be that we might also have Bartimaeus’ faith in what we ask.
Jesus’ response to Bartimaeus is plain and simple: 52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.”
Turning next to the Psalms, we find Psalm 45 to be a wonderfully mysterious song that ought to be studied at length.
Finally, the verse from Proverbs causes me to pause and ponder about it. Perhaps by corollary, the wealth that brings trouble is because it doesn’t come from the Lord. Or perhaps it is so because we add the trouble to it ourselves. Solomon, wise king of Israel says this:
22 The blessing of the LORD brings wealth,
and he adds no trouble to it.
May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word. Amen.
LEVITICUS 24:1-25:46 | MARK 10:13-31 | PSALM 44:9-26 | PROVERBS 10:20-21
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The instructions continue. There is oil and bread to be set before the Lord in the Tabernacle, a symbol of a lasting covenant; then, there are rules on observing a Sabbath year in the sowing and harvesting of crops; and still furthermore, there is a rule for a Jubilee year every fifty years where the clock would be reset on the Day of Atonement.
But most severe of all these rules was the one concerning blasphemy. Blasphemy is the act of taking the name of the Lord in vain. And what do you think the punishment/atonement for that might be? There was no atonement available because there was only one way to address such a grievous offense: death by stoning. That was it, and there were no two ways about it. And if that sends a chill up your spine, that was what it was meant to do.
This was a harsh Law. The concept of forgiveness was somewhat limited here; there was atonement available for certain types of offenses, and yet the overarching philosophy was ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’. You had to mind your eye and your tooth, or you may lose one or the other, or worse still, both.
Several thousand years later, a man by the name of Jesus arrives on the scene to dismantle many of the precepts of this very Law, nay, to replace it with a new one. A new Law that gives no thought to the “eye for an eye” principle and instead embraces the sinner, picks her up and asks her where her accusers are. What? There are none? Because there is no one without guile who may cast that first stone?
This was a new Law that commanded you to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul, and to love your neighbor as yourself. This was a Law that stated that the first would be last and the last would be first. What kind of Law was this? And who was this man proposing these outrageous things?
And what’s more, this very Jesus who proposes this new Law, doesn’t promise that it will be easy—if anything, he says there might be persecution for those that believe in him and follow him, but, he also says, there will be the gift of eternal life.
His words are: 29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.
We turn next to our reading of the Psalms, and find David petitioning the Lord God for help. He says:
23 Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
24 Why do you hide your face
and forget our misery and oppression?
25 We are brought down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up and help us;
rescue us because of your unfailing love.
Finally, a few verses from the Book of Proverbs authored by Solomon, wise king of Israel who speaks to the power of the tongue:
20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,
but the heart of the wicked is of little value.
21 The lips of the righteous nourish many,
but fools die for lack of sense.
May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word. Amen.
“What have you done with my Mommy?!”
