DAY 55

GETTING OUR BEARING

Numbers 7 & 8 and Mark 4:21-41

Maybe you are thinking, “We’ve been here before, didn’t Moses already consecrate the tabernacle?” Well yes he did in Exodus, but let us get our bearings:

·         The Book of Exodus covers about 360 years from the death of Joseph to the erecting of the tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai (Ex. 40:1 ff). We know that it records the Hebrews mass exit out of Egypt by the help of God and demonstrates God’s mercy and care for His people. Here is an important point to help you understand where we are in the Book of Numbers: note that at the end of Exodus, in chapter 40 verse 17 it says that it is the first month of the second year.

·         The Book of Numbers begins with the Lord speaking to Moses on the first day of the second month, in the second year. So we are now continuing the events at beginning of the second year after coming out of Egypt.

·         So what was Leviticus? The Book of Leviticus is really a continuation of Exodus and it believe it or not, it seems to cover a duration of only about 50 days (Exodus 40:17 & Numbers 10:11). It is almost like a law appendix of sorts.

Israel remained at Sinai until the 20^th day of the second month of the second year (cf. Numbers 10:11-13) which means Israel spent about 12 months at Sinai receiving instructions and laws (to shape them into a holy people). They are now about to set out.

Numbers chapter 7 therefore is a point in history where the tabernacle has been constructed and set up near Mount Sinai. The tabernacle (with all its furnishings), the priests, and people have been sanctified. The time for Israel’s departure from Mount Sinai to the Promise Land is drawing near.

The Chiefs of Israel, the heads of the tribes come to make voluntary offerings, a dedication, to God before they set out. It says at the end of verse 2 and beginning of 3 that “they approached and brought”. It does not seem to say God commanded. We then see God telling Moses what to do with it all. For 12 days the offerings are made.

I know it is a lot to read, but if you ponder the outline above I think you will see where we are, and draw the distinction between Moses consecrating the tabernacle, and the heads of the tribes making a dedication.

At the end, God speaks directly to Moses (v.84-89) which is always a cool thing! Chapter 8 brings us to more instructions for the Levites. Again, you may be feeling like you have had your fill of directions concerning Levites, but the situation is pretty straightforward – they have been preparing for a year, they are about to be on the move. Once they start there won’t be a lot of time for further instruction and training.

Mark 4:21-41 is series of quick hitting and rather amazing short pericopes (that is just a fancy word which indicates a set of verses that form a coherent unit). We have the “don’t hide your lamp under a basket”, a parable of a seed growing and yet we don’t really know how, a parable of yet another seed, the mustard seed and how it becomes the largest of plants, and we end with Jesus, after a long day of teaching resting in a boat amid a storm. The storm won’t wake him from his sleep, but rather panicked disciples. Jesus of course calms the storm.

I know I have been spending a lot of time writing about the Old Testament, in part because I have personally found it harder to grasp, and so I want to share the bit that I know in the hopes of helping it become more understandable for you. I think I could blog 500 to 1000 words about any one of these fast hitting “pericopes”, but I won’t.

Instead I’ll share with you the question they are posing to me: the first one, the lamp, says, share your faith and shine the Kingdom. The next two say, don’t worry about how it (the Kingdom) grows and don’t sweat it if you think your faith is too small because it will grow into the Kingdom, and then of course there is the test of faith while the disciples are in the storm with Jesus. “Being in the storm with Jesus”, think about that for a moment, the King is there, you are in the Kingdom…Jesus says, have faith! So maybe this is a “get hit over the head” with some large object moment  so I keep my bearings and...“keep the faith”.

Keep reading my friends, remember Jesus is with you.