King James Bible Study – [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. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Chapters: Numbers Chapters 8-9
Message: Jesus Is With Us Alway
Hello My Friend,
I always find it interesting that God chose to hover over clouds and speak through the elements of the clouds when there are no clouds or rain at all in heaven. Why do you think that was the case? I think it was just a reminder to us that one; God, is always with us, two; God, is always there for us, and three; we do not want to mess with God. Today, we do not need a cloud to remind us of those things, although I sure do see God through those raging thunderstorms, all we need is the Holy Spirit, who indwells all who receive Christ as their Saviour,
[1 John 4:4,13-15 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.]
How awesome is it that God tells us that we are His through our faith in His Son and that He lives within us? In fact, we become the very temple or tabernacle that He indwells here on earth, [1 Corinthians 6:19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.]
God, just had to throw that one in there too, since the Holy Spirit indwells every saved, born again Christian, that means that everything we do ought to give glory to God. Now, before Christ’s passion, the Holy Spirit was quite alive and led many willing and faithful servants in whatever God called them to do, but the Tabernacle itself was the one thing that people knew He was near. As we have been reading through Numbers we learned that God had set the Levites apart specifically for Him. Did they all want to serve God? Well, we will learn later on that they all did not, but at this point they were. Now, since the Tabernacle had no windows, so, it was imperative that the candles were lit in order for them to see what they were doing and where they were going. As we continue in the reading of Numbers, God, commands Aaron to light the candles.
[Numbers 8:2-4 Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick. 3 And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the LORD commanded Moses. 4 And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the LORD had shewed Moses, so he made the candlestick.]
[give light over against the candlestick.] There shall be seven lamps giving light on one candlestick, three on the west side, three on the east side, and one in the middle. The seven lamps gave light to that part of the holy place that was opposite to the candlestick, on the north part of it. Where the shew bread table was, the candlestick being in the south, gave the table of the Lord light to shine as their sat there before Him. Aaron, himself (the high priest) lighted the lamps and represents the light of the saved, born again Christian shining the Light of Christ in a dark place, [Matthew 5:14-16 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.]
[And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold,] Jesus Christ, is the only Light of our dark, sinful world, by His death, burial, and resurrection He shines the light of hope on every soul who seeks Him. It is the work of His ministers to give light by expounding and applying the Gospel to every creature, [Mark 16:15-16 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.]
Speaking of being baptized, now, that the Levites were given their instructions it was time for them to be able to minister to Aaron and the other priests. Since they were doing God’s work, even though they were not doing any work inside the Tabernacle they were ministers for Him and therefore needed to be cleansed. God, commands that Moses bring the Levites to the Tabernacle and cleanse them in front of the entire congregation.
[Numbers 8:6-11 Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. 7 And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean. 8 Then let them take a young bullock with his meat offering, even fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin offering. 9 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together: 10 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites: 11 And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD.]
[gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together:] This was like a public profession of their faith, and in a sense it was like they were being baptized before the assembly. Keep in mind that water baptism is not the same as a spiritual baptism, unless one receives Christ as their Saviour, a water baptism is just being dipped in water, [Romans 6:3-4 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.]
[that they may execute the service of the LORD.] It is not just the preachers, deacons, teachers, and singers of the Church who serve God, all those who are saved and born again serve Him in some way. However, all who serve God must know Christ as their Saviour, otherwise, He does not know them, [Luke 13:28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.]
There is no amount of work that we could do that God would recognize if we are not saved, it is all iniquity until we come to the knowledge of Christ and accept Him as our Saviour. God, reiterates why He chose the Levites, what their responsibilities were, and points out one important reason why He not only used them, but separated them from the rest of the congregation.
[Numbers 8:14-16,18-19 Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine. 15 And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering. 16 For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me. 18 And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel. 19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary.]
[that there be no plague among the children of Israel,] Do you see why it is imperative that all who serve in the Church be saved? Anyone who gets in the Church who is not a member and starts serving, even if it is under good intentions, brings death to themselves. Why? One; they are not saved and two; they do not know the rules, [Luke 13:26-27 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. 27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.]
We may not like it, but we are not all called to be preachers, teachers, or even choir members as there are specific duties for every church member. One example would be a nursery worker, could you imagine the liability of the church if someone who is not a member would abuse a child? Those who are not members who attempt to serve risk not only their own lives, but the members if the church as well. That is not a risk that God Himself wants to see a church take. Now, once the Levites were offered and cleansed, they were able to minister in the services of the Tabernacle and assist Aaron and the priests. Notice that God had given them a time frame in which they were to be employed as priests.
[Numbers 8:21-26 And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before the LORD; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them. 22 And after that went the Levites in to do their service in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aaron, and before his sons: as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they unto them. 23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 24 This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: 25 And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more: 26 But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge.]
[But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle] Anyone from the age of twenty-five and fifty would be employed for the service of all the Tabernacle, and after that they would retire. However, God did not dismiss them, they would go on to minister to those who were still employed, in other words, teach them how to do the job. There is no such thing as retirement when we serve God, He just gives us work that we are able to handle for our age, [2 Timothy 2:24-25 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;]
Wow! Serving God is truly a labor of love, especially in the Church, they are not judges or critics, they are ministers who tend to those who need help edifying the Church. This is actually why we need to go to church and also have holidays to observe what God has done for us just in case one needs that reminder and it also brings others to God as well. Now, God, instituted holy days as days of remembrance of what God had done for them. The very first holy day of the year was the Passover, it was not only a reminder of what happened in Egypt when God set them free, but also to reflect and cleanse themselves from anything that defiled them that year. Now, it has been two years since they left Egypt, it was time to keep the Passover.
[Numbers 9:1-4 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season. 3 In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it. 4 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover.]
[in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt,] Can you believe that it took two years for God to give Moses the Law, and for them to build and set up the Tabernacle? This is a reminder that God is patient and even when in comes to our salvation, has an appointed time for it, [Matthew 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.]
Now, once we are saved, the transformation begins as we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us, but no matter how hard we struggle at it, we must never give up and we must never forget where were before we knew Christ as our Saviour. That is the very purpose for Holy days (holidays) that remind of of Jesus and what He had done for us. According to the Law of Moses, any person who touched dead flesh, was deemed unclean and had to distance themselves from everyone for seven days until he was cleansed. During the Passover, there were some men who had defiled themselves when they buried a loved one. Moses, asked God want to do about it.
[Numbers 9:6-10 And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day: 7 And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in his appointed season among the children of Israel? 8 And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you. 9 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 10 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD.]
[Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you.] We must never assume that God is okay with something that we are not quite certain on. If we are not sure about something, then we need to either get in His Word or go to someone seasoned who can teach us what His Word says. Now, God, gives Moses an answer regarding the matter.
[Numbers 9:13-14 But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because he brought not the offering of the LORD in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin. 14 And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the LORD; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land.]
[he brought not the offering of the LORD in his appointed season,] Do you see what God did here? Anyone who was not defiled and did not observe the Passover would bear the burden of their own sin and not be forgiven of them, but those who were unclean and observed the Passover would be forgiven of their sin. How is this possible? Jesus explains it this way, [Matthew 20:15-16 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? 16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.]
[ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him] Jesus, who is our Passover, shed His own blood that anyone, regardless of being the firstborn, who applies His blood upon their soul will be saved from death and hell for that matter. We must admit that we are sinners and need Jesus to save us in order to be saved. Those who ignore the fact that they are sinners and think that their own righteousness will save them will bear the iniquity of their sin, [Romans 10:11-12 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.]
When we chose to serve Christ, He has already chosen us first, and by doing so we become one of His. And let me tell you, we are not perfect, we are going to mess up and even get ourselves into trouble at times, and yet He is long suffering to get us and send us packing. This is why He does not like us to stay in one spot for a long time. Now, God, was about to send Israel packing on their journey to the promised land, but how were they to know when and where to go? Remember the cloud that led them? [Exodus 13:21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:] Well, that cloud stood over the Tabernacle once it was set up and as long as it was there they stayed put, but as soon as it started to move, it was time to pack up and leave.
[Numbers 9:15-16,18-19,22 And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning. 16 So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 18 At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents. 19 And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD, and journeyed not. 22 Or whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not: but when it was taken up, they journeyed.]
[So it was alway:] Did you know that alway and always are not the same meaning? While always means all the time, alway means all the way. Jesus, went all the way to the cross when He promised salvation to all who believe in His Gospel. Likewise, we are to go all the way to the promise land by our faith in Christ, teach it to other and He promises to be with us alway, [Matthew 28:19-20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Numbers 8:19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary.]
Today’s Prayer: God, You prove time and time again that there is no stopping Your will, we may get diverted at times, but You always lead us right back to where we are supposed to be. It is not always easy to be set a part for You nevertheless, what we receive for our faithfulness far outweighs anything we miss out on. Lord, you promise to be with is alway, lead us and guide us, give us Your power, wisdom, mercy, grace, and protection to be faithful and honorable, performing at out utmost best, and to encourage all we come in contact with to follow us to the promised land. I ask this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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