King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Friday, March 03, 2023
Chapters: NUMBERS 18-19
Study: Wash Each Others Feet
Hello My Brother/Sister/Friend,
My body is feeling better than normal after suffering with a sinus infection that seemed to last forever. I am convinced that the only reason I am feeling better is because a few of days ago I decided that I was going to disinfect my bedroom because I noticed that my sinuses got worse in there. So, here I was in the middle of the night spraying it down, the bed, the curtains, the dressers, the desk, in fact, everything that was exposed got a douse of disinfectant. And here we are three days later and I feel like a new person, and that got me thinking that perhaps God was onto something with this three day thing. I am pretty sure that it was three days and three nights that Jesus was in the tomb and then He arose, [Luke 24:5-7 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, 7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.]
Let me tell you, when we first get saved we immediately feel that cleansing power as we feel the weight of every sin lifted from off our soul. Then we feel that cleansing power even more when we follow it with believers baptism. Even though we are saved, we do tend to become dirty with life throwing its mud at us. This is why we go to church, read our Bible, pray, and confess our sins, it is what Jesus calls washing our feet, [John 13:10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.]
Church really is the backbone of our faith, it is where we go for fellowship, healing, direction, correction, reconciliation, and to make peace with God. Never underestimate the power of the Church, and I am not talking about a building, but the Church, Christ’s Church in fact. In order for Christ’s Church to function well it needs a good staff to help in the upkeep, and it is God who appoints each and every duty. And as we continue in the reading of Numbers, after the rebellion and death of so many Israelites since being told they could not go into the promised land for forty years, God, reconfirmed Aaron’s authority and his sons as priests, plus gave the responsibilities that the rest of the Levites would have.
[Numbers 18:1-3,7 And the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father’s house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood. 2 And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness. 3 And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die. 7 Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest’s office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest’s office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. ]
[that they may be joined unto thee,] Christ’s Church is made up of more than just preachers, deacons, and teachers, it is a body of saved, born again believers serving wherever Jesus needs them to be. And let me tell you, when we are willing accept the job offer that Jesus gives to us we are well compensated for. God, goes on to tell Aaron how he, his sons, their families, and the Levites will receive compensation for their service.
[Numbers 18:8,10-12 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge of mine heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, by an ordinance for ever. 10 In the most holy place shalt thou eat it; every male shall eat it: it shall be holy unto thee. 11 And this is thine; the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel: I have given them unto thee, and to thy sons and to thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: every one that is clean in thy house shall eat of it. 12 All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the firstfruits of them which they shall offer unto the LORD, them have I given thee.]
[All the best of the oil,] Do you see that? God gives His employees the very best. Why do you think that some of the smallest churches have the most valuable land on the planet? Christ’s servants are worth of their hire, [Luke 10:7-9 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. 8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: 9 And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.]
When God chose the Levites to be the tribe to serve Him in His ministry, He did not chose them because they were more righteous, He choose them simply because Levi was the third in line according to birthright of the sons of Jacob. Think about it, Reuben and Simeon lost their birthright, making Levi the next in line, which is why God reminded them that all the firstborn belong to Him, but He took it up a notch, He was giving all the first born, man or beast, to them.
[Numbers 18:15-18 Every thing that openeth the matrix in all flesh, which they bring unto the LORD, whether it be of men or beasts, shall be thine: nevertheless the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem. 16 And those that are to be redeemed from a month old shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. 17 But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem; they are holy: thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and shalt burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savour unto the LORD. 18 And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine.]
[But the firstling of a cow,] These were considered holy because they were set apart for God and therefore not to be used in common by men and solely for the Levites use. The priests were to be wholly devoted to their ministry, not diverted from it, or disturbed in it by worldly cares. They were to be examples of living by faith, not only in God’s Word, but deed as well. All who receive Christ as their Saviour are spiritual priests, and God has promised to take care of them through their faithfulness, [Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.]
When we decide that we want to serve God in the church it is not something that we just think of our own, Jesus has already chosen us for the job. And let me tell you, it can be exhausting, especially if you are a teacher or preacher because it takes a lot of planning and studying of His Word outside of the church. However, our labor is never in vain, we will reap the benefits, if not in this life, it will be in the one awaiting us. Now, here is what may seem to be the strangest part, God’s employees do not get an earthly inheritance. Watch how God explains why the Levites will not inherit any of the land once they get to the promised land.
[Numbers 18:20-24 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. 21 And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. 22 Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die. 23 But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance. 24 But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.]
[I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.] Do you see that? God was their inheritance. Think about it, when we accept Christ as our Saviour we belong to Him, and yet He belongs to us. Praise God! Out of all the things we can inherit, there is nothing better then Jesus Himself, [John 17:20-24 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.]
Yes, that was Jesus praying to our Father for His believers and this is why I believe that no true believer will ever turn away from their faith. Once you belong to Jesus nothing will separate us from Him, but that does not mean that we cannot distance ourselves from Him through sin. As we walk this earth many things will defile our flesh, which is why we need to be cleansed spiritually every day. While God allowed ordinary fresh water as a means to cleanse the flesh of it’s impurities, sometimes just water was not enough, He introduces a special water in addition to the normal offerings that had to be used to cleanse the soul of any person who became defiled, it was called the water of separation and it all started with a red cow.
[Numbers 19:2-7 This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke: 3 And ye shall give her unto Eleazar the priest, that he may bring her forth without the camp, and one shall slay her before his face: 4 And Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times: 5 And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn: 6 And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer. 7 Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even.]
[and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer.] The cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet all played a part in the purification that Jesus represents today, the cedar wood, a picture of the cross, the hyssop, a picture or rather a sweet smelling odor of the sacrifice, and the scarlet, of course, is a picture of His blood and how His being wholly offered on the cross purified all who receive Him from their sin, [2 Corinthians 2:14-17 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. 15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: 16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.]
[and the priest shall be unclean until the even.] This is why Jesus tells us that we need to wash our feet, and I am pretty sure He meant daily. Being separated from the world does not prevent us from becoming defiled by the elements of it and therefore we need a good foot washing, but watch what else Jesus says that we need to do in addition to washing our feet, [John 13:13-16 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. 16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.]
[ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.] In other words, all saved and born again believers need to help each other out, not tear each other apart. It was important that a man who was clean gather the ashes of the heifer, but that actually defiled him and therefore, he too had to wash himself and separate himself from the people for the rest of the day.
[Numbers 19:10-13 And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute for ever. 11 He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days. 12 He shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean. 13 Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him.]
[then the seventh day he shall not be clean.] This is why salvation must be now, we cannot delay in our receiving Christ as our Saviour as we never know when our last breath on this earth will be, [James 4:8-10,13-14 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. 13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.]
[Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead,] This is not a typo in the Bible, anyone who’s soul is not saved is a dead body, meaning their soul is not alive. In other words, this is not a dead body that has died physically, it is one that does not have the Spirit of God in it. Before Christ’s passion, the water of separation had to be applied to anyone who even went near a grave, but thank God that Jesus is our permanent water of separation that keeps our soul alive, even when our body has given up and is as Jesus puts it, sleeping until He returns and we unite with our new glorified bodies,
[1 Corinthians 15:51-54 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for Your Word that teaches us everything about You. We do not need a special degree to understand You, we just need first, to have faith in You, second, to have faith in Your Son, and third, receive Him as our Saviour. As we know that faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by Your Word, let us meditate upon Your Word so that we are able to know how to handle the evils of this world. You are truly the One who meets all our needs as there is nothing we lack when we commit our faith and trust in You and obey Your commands. Lord, lead us and guide us, keep our hearts open so that we may follow Your will, and receive all that You have for us. Let us not become engulfed in the elements of the world, rather keep washing our feet to keep ourselves clean. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/ready-to-follow-jesus/
Receive The KJB Daily Devotions In Your Email: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Missed A Message: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
Visit I’m Following Jesus: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/welcome/
Read Today’s Bible Reading: http://kingjamesbible.imfollowingjesus.com/
I’m Following Jesus On Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/readytofollowJesus/
Copyright © 2023 I’m Following Jesus, All rights reserved.