ESV Chronological Plan, Day 60 | Numbers 31-33

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Numbers 31:1-33:56

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

According to the outline laid out on Day #52, we are in the section of Numbers that I've called "The Balaam Conspiracy" (Numbers 22-31).

The End of the Balaam Conspiracy. In Numbers 31 the conspiracy of Balaam is finally put down, as Balaam is killed with the sword (Numbers 31:8). The Moabites and Midianites "on Balaam's advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the LORD" (Numbers 31:15). Balaam was the kind of figure who Israel would come to know quite well in the future: a seemingly pious and God-honoring individual who, drawn away after bribes and dishonest gain, would become perfectly willing to corrupt justice and lead the people of God astray. The dangerous plan that Balaam suggested to defeat Israel would also become a familiar theme: in the wilderness, Balaam's conspiracy showed the people of God that the most significant danger would not come from experiencing conflict with the world, but rather through experiencing their acceptance along with the pressure to integrate with worldly ways of life, their values, the things that they worship, and the moral system to which they hold. The same is still true today! So before Israel could actually settle the land that they had won back in Numbers 21, they had to walk through the events of the Balaam Conspiracy to learn this lesson. If they had fully learned it, the Promised Land would never have been lost, and the Jewish people would never have been spread among the nations.

End of the Wilderness Journey. Starting in Numbers 32, Israel finally settles in the land and they recount their wilderness journey (implying, accurately enough, that it is over). Israel has learned all the lessons of the wilderness--40 years of God's direct instruction has brought them to the point where they are ready to enter in.

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? These are just a few scrambled thoughts--each day, I am conscious that I am only ever touching on a tiny sliver of what could be said about the assigned readings. In our worship we can see the faithfulness of God to have brought Israel through its wilderness journey to the point where they were ready to enter the Promised Land. In our attitude we should be willing to do whatever it takes to focus ourselves completely on God and resist the pull of the world. This is the last thing that Israel had to learn before they could enter into the Promised Land. In our actions we can spend time in reflection as we read our Bibles, asking if we are ready to follow God even when he asks us difficult things, and spending extra time where we might feel most uncomfortable or the most resistant--often those "pressure points" reveal a place where God wants to transform us and bring us into greater fruitfulness and joy.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US CLOSER TO GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "I ask you, God, to give me a willing heart to follow you wherever you lead. Don't allow me to get pulled into a comfortable, acceptable life in a land whose people do not know you. Give me the courage to stand out--not by being foolish or brash, but just through following a steady, principled desire to do what you call me to do through your Word. Help me to be one of the ones who finds rest in the land of your promise on the other side of the wilderness."

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 58 | Numbers 25-27

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Numbers 25:1-27:23

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

According to the outline laid out on Day #52, we are in the section of Numbers that I've called "The Balaam Conspiracy" (Numbers 22-31).

Falling apart at the finish line. Numbers 25 starts by mentioning that the following bit took place "While Israel lived in Shittim." This was right next to the Jordan, in fact it's the place from which Joshua would have the camp set out from the wilderness to enter into the Promised Land (Joshua 3:1). And it is here, within reach of the end of the journey, where the Moabites "invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods" (Numbers 25:2). How often have we fallen apart spiritually, personally, right when God was just beginning to bring blessing into our lives? So we should always be on guard so that we don't fall. Just because we're doing well now, or life is going good, doesn't mean that we should relax our discipline or casually neglect our walk with God. It is possible to fall apart at the finish line.

A provoked fall is still a fall. To be fair--it's not as if Israel sinned without being provoked. The Midianites led them into it. Or, wait, the Moabites led them into it. Wait--if the Moabites are the ones leading Israel astray in Numbers 25:2, why is there all of a sudden a Midianite woman in the camp in Numbers 25:6? And not just any woman--but a Midianite princess, the daughter of the chief of Midian (Numbers 25:16)? The last time that we saw the Midianites and the Moabites together, weren't they heading out to hire Balaam to lay a curse upon Israel (Numbers 22:7)? And now they've partnered together to lie down with the enemy? Something doesn't add up. I won't keep you in suspense for as long as the book does, though: Numbers 31:16 says "these, on Balaam's advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of Peor... so the plague came upon the congregation of the LORD." Having failed to curse the people of Israel, Balaam conspired to have the people remove themselves from God's blessing. It's like he took a page straight out of Satan's playbook. This incident was an attack on the people of Israel. But it's one that was still Israel's responsibility. Sometimes when we stumble and fall, we blame other people. But the truth is that, even if we were provoked or tricked to act that way, our actions are still our own responsibility. No one can make us think, or do, anything. We are completely responsible for ourselves.

Sometimes God's judgment is to let people wander over a cliff. You have to wonder at the mindset of the people who grumbled in the midst of God's provision, or joined in Korah's rebellion, or hooked themselves up with Moab and Midian right when they were in sight of the Promised Land. Couldn't they see the pillar of cloud and fire watching over the camp, and look at the manna provided in the wilderness, and see that something amazing was going on here? In each of these cases, the people involved thought they knew best and that others were being strange or restrictive or unfair by holding them to account. But their actions invited God's judgment, and they were wiped out in several waves over many years--due to the consequences of their own actions (though they didn't see anything wrong with them). In Numbers 26:64, after counting all the people who were left of Israel after the latest incident, it says "among these there was not one of those listed by Moses and Aaron.... in the wilderness of Sinai... except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun." God's passive judgment was to allow these people to have their grumbling hearts, their short-sightedness, their pigheaded determination to do what they want to do, and their sense that they know how things should be done, all leading them to stop listening and to rebel. And God gave them over to the consequences, so that after 40 years of this he could bring in a new generation who he could lead into the place of God's promise. We should pray that God would reveal to us where we are hard-hearted -not whether we are hard-hearted- so that we could be convicted and respond and be transformed. This is God's grace. There will always be places where sin is crouched at the door of our hearts, waiting to rise up and take its opportunity (Genesis 4:7). The first thing that we need to do is to acknowledge that this is a reality: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). Then as God reveals bits and pieces to us, we can ask for his help to grow and change.

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? These are just a few scrambled thoughts--each day, I am conscious that I am only ever touching on a tiny sliver of what could be said about the assigned readings. In our worship I think we should be reminded that God is to be revered--we are dealing with the holy, completely other, Creator of the universe who in his graciousness has decided to concern himself with us and is therefore active in human history. Whenever even the angels appear before people in the Bible, people fall down before them in fear as if dead, so they have to keep saying to them, "fear not." That isn't because that's a common saying on the streets of New Jerusalem ("Hey Michael, fear not!" "Gabriel, great to see you, fear not.")--they're saying it because even to be in the presence of an angel is terrifying; how much more so to be in the presence of God? In our attitude we should be on high alert for signs of a hard heart before God. We should be like detectives, tracking down the sinful motivations and rebelliousness of our own hearts (not the hearts of others). This will cause us to be kinder and gentler people, and more softened to the leading of God in our lives.  In our actions both of these last two items can be accomplished through our time in prayer, even as we are out on a walk or driving in the car. We should always be working these things out. We never get past the need to repent and get a picture of God's holiness in our lives--we either grow in our awareness of that need, or we become less aware.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US CLOSER TO GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "Father God, bring me to an awareness of where you want to work on my heart in this season. I know that you are slowly allowing me to circle around, increasingly leaning on your grace, relying on your spiritual provision, in this life before you lead me into the Promised Land. Do not allow my heart to be hardened on the journey. Holy Spirit, come into my life and convict me of sinful thoughts or attitudes or actions, and make me more aware of your awesomeness and holiness. And Jesus, please graciously intercede for me, and be the appearance of God to me, covering me in your kindness and grace--so that I might one day cross over the Jordan to look upon the face of God."

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 57 | Numbers 22-24

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Numbers 22:1-24:25

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

According to the outline laid out on Day #52, we are in the section of Numbers that I've called "The Balaam Conspiracy" (Numbers 22-31). Israel has won their first bit of land (in chapter 21), but they have to wait through this section of the book before they can finally start settling in it and portioning it out in chapter 32. There's a mysterious figure named Balaam who arises, who three times tries to curse Israel--and then finds a new strategy to bring misfortune on the people, which actually succeeds. In this section, Balaam appears to be one way but really is another. Even when we don't see him, he's in the background. And only with the defeat of Balaam are the people of Israel finally able to move forward into the Promised Land.

Balaam son of Beor in Archaeology. We have, not only proof of Balaam's existence, but also an independent (pagan) prophecy of his that has been discovered through archaeology.

Echoes of the Promised Deliverer from Genesis 49. Balaam's prophecy, for the first time since Genesis 49, brings up the subject of the Promised Deliverer of the Old Testament, the one who will come through the line of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah to restore humankind to the peace with God that we enjoyed in the Garden of Eden. This is the one who will crush the head of the serpent, be slain in the process, and yet go on to rule eternally over a worldwide kingdom without end. Jacob prophesied over the descendant, the Messiah, who would come through Judah: "Judah is a young lion... He crouches; he lies down like a lion or a lioness--who dares to rouse him?" (Genesis 49:9). Balaam says of him, "He crouches, he lies down like a lion or a lioness--who dares to rouse him?" (Numbers 24:9). Jacob had said "The scepter will not depart from Judah or the staff from between his feet until He comes to whom it belongs* and the obedience of the peoples belongs to Him" (Genesis 49:10). Balaam says of Him, "a scepter will arise from Israel" (Numbers 24:17).

*A note on the text in Genesis 49:10 - This is taken from a sermon manuscript that I wrote on this passage: 'Now depending on what different translations you have with you this morning, they might say different things [in Genesis 49:10]. And what they’re trying to do is they’re trying to make sense of what the word ‘Shiloh’ means—maybe it’s a town called Shiloh, maybe it’s a word that means “that which belongs to him” or “to whom it belongs.” Just to run through these all really quickly and get them all out of the way; the town Shiloh and this word here are spelled differently, so that’s not it. A tribute in the sense of, the scepter won’t depart from him until he gets shiloh, “that which belongs to him,” doesn’t make much sense. His scepter belongs to him. It wouldn’t depart from him once he got what belonged to him; the scepter is his. So that’s not it either. The last option is the one that most translations side with now, which is “the ruler’s staff will not depart from between [Judah’s] feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come.” That’s a prediction of the Promised Deliverer. There is one final king from the line of Judah, and the scepter of royal authority truly belongs to him. And he will hold it forever—He is truly the Promised Deliverer; the coming King. The Jewish people who lived before and after Jesus interpreted this passage the same way. So one ancient Jewish translation in Aramaic [Targum Pseudo-Jonathan] puts it, “the ruler’s staff will not depart… until the King Messiah shall come.” A group of ancient documents found in Judea called The Dead Sea Scrolls, they say, “until the coming of the Messiah of righteousness.” So we’ve seen that this is a king, and we’ve seen that this is a specific king, and we’ve seen that he comes from the line of Judah, and we see that he holds an eternal throne. And then the last line says, “to him shall be the obedience of the nations.” So this is a future king of Israel, from the line of Judah, who will be king over not just Israel but all the nations of the earth.'

Pushing for God to support our desires. Balaam puts a godly-sounding spin on it, but the truth is that he continues to try to push after God has said no. If this doesn't sound like a bad thing, then you've never had to go shopping with a toddler at a grocery store. But the truth is that we continue to do this all the time. We ask that God would make some sort of way for us to abandon our responsibilities, chase after what is foolish, skirt the limits of what we know is right, and then we ask for blessing instead of brokenness to be the result of that. But God's rules aren't there to be shackles for us. They're there because the alternative to following them is brokenness. We are free to go our own way but we will only find ourselves running face-first into the brick wall of how God created the world to function--when we go astray, we don't so much break God's commandments as we break ourselves against them. (In fact, if you want a more immediate physical experience of how this works, try going up to your second story window some time, and try to break the law of gravity.) The truth is that God's "no" is often a grace to us. We don't always have to understand it, but it is better to trust him.

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

On this last one about Balaam pushing for his plan, I think, I often believe that I see the big picture better than I really do. I believe that if all of my plans were carried out, everything would be in good shape. But sometimes God puts a block in place and I can't go forward. If this is situational, I can pray for God to remove the barrier, even if being a follower of Christ means I can't do anything to solve the problem on my own (Example: if I want to go on a nice vacation, but the cost of fixing a sudden breakdown in my car prevents it, I can ask God to provide some side-work to make up for the cost, but I can't go and go and rob a bank). If this is related to God's commands, then I just need to accept that there are responsibilities on my life that I can't abandon, and courses of action that God tells me are dead ends, and I have to actively trust him and walk forward. I can tell you, out of 20 years of being a Christian, that to the extent that I have followed him, he's never failed me yet (and He's not going to). So when when we get a "no" from God, let's trust that it comes from a place of love.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US CLOSER TO GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "God, give me the patience to wait for you, and the sensitivity to discern what you are saying to me right now. I want to trust you--not just that you exist, but that you are good and that you would not withhold even one thing from me except for that you care about my joy. So help me to respond to you as a trusting child. If you say not today, I'll wait. If you say no, I will be fine with that. If you say go, God I will go where you lead. Because I know that my joy is in you."

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 56 | Numbers 19-21

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Numbers 19:1-21:35

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

According to the outline laid out on Day #52, we are just finishing up the "wandering" section (Numbers 16-21) of the book.

Numbers 19 seems out of place at first, but remember that this is paired together with chapter 18--it reaffirms the partnership of Aaron's sons and the Levites after Korah's rebellion in yesterday's reading. This is God rebuilding an understanding between them.

Numbers 20 shows a series of losses among the senior leadership of Israel. Miriam and Aaron both die, Moses disqualifies himself from entering the Promised Land out of frustration with his people, and to make things worse Edom (a people descended from Jacob's brother Esau) refuses to let Israel pass along the standard travel route in the area called The King's Highway--the same route which was used by the Kings of the North in Genesis 14, during the episode where Abram rescued his nephew Lot.

Numbers 21 contains a few stories of God's grace. Israel begins to conquer land starting with Arad, and then the land of King Sihon of the Amorites, and then there is a "mini-Conquest" complete with spies being sent out, a military victory, and the possession of land. The actual Promised Land still lies over the Jordan. But for the first time in human history, Israel is a country that has its own land. It's a taste of what's to come. Also: note, the episode with the bronze snake in this chapter points forward to Jesus. Jesus himself said in John 3:14-16, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

- Look to Jesus, like Israel looked to the bronze serpent in the wilderness. Whoever puts their trust in him is rescued! Our eyes tend to drift from time to time, so we must focus them again.

- It is possible to be provoked into doing the wrong thing, as Moses was in Numbers 20, and yet still be guilty. If someone "makes you" lose your temper, it's still important to own up to it.

- Setbacks don't mean that hope is lost. Israel encounters a series of important setbacks in Numbers 20, and yet this causes them to go down a path that God ultimately uses to give Israel the first taste of possession of the Promised Land in Numbers 21. I have often seen that the biggest breakthroughs come after persevering through the biggest setbacks. So let's persevere.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US CLOSER TO GOD?

Rather than write a scripted prayer, I think it might be good to pray in general terms for God to lead us through difficult circumstances like Israel encountered in Numbers 20. And, to show us amazing new opportunities like we see in Numbers 21. And to help us look to Jesus, who was the fulfillment of the sign of the bronze serpent in Numbers 21 as well.

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 55 | Numbers 15-18

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Numbers 15:1-18:32

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Don't skip over the sacrifices in Numbers 15. The first two verses of Numbers 15 include the line, "When you come into the land you are to inhabit...". This is a promise. Despite all of the complaining, and rebelling, and failing to follow God where he was telling them to go, and despite the sentence to wander for 40 years, God still means to bring Israel to its intended destination. God has not abandoned his people. They are still reconciled to him, and their sins are laid upon a substitute -the sacrifices of Numbers 15- instead. They are instructed at the end of the chapter to carry around a physical reminder of their identity: blue tassels on their garment that remind them that they are holy to the Lord.

Korah's rebellion. What I said yesterday about the rebellion against Moses carries over here as well. It's always other leaders trying to carve out a bigger position for themselves, casting themselves as representatives of the people, who come after Moses. So they cast Moses as a bit of an elite, and themselves as men of the people: "They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, 'You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?" (Numbers 16:3). Moses' response is a model to follow, where he leaves it to God to show who is really the humble servant, and who is really out to expand their influence (Numbers 16:4-5). But he also calls it like he sees it, naming their real motivation: "You have gone too far, sons of Levi... is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself... would you seek the priesthood also?" (Numbers 16:7-10). The rest of the account is interesting, and incredibly cinematic, with flames of fire, and the ground opening up to swallow the rebels, and a race against time to put out a plague--barely restrained by an atonement made for the people (think of Jesus when you see sacrifice being the only thing that saves the people). It's gripping stuff.

Don't skip over the duties of the priests and Levites. After the priest-led rebellion of Korah in the previous chapters, Leviticus 18 opens with an instructions of reconciliation to keep peace: "the LORD said to Aaron... with you bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you and minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. They shall keep guard over you... They shall join you... behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the people of Israel. They are a gift to you..." (Numbers 18:1-6). It would be too easy to hold on to a history of conflict after an episode like what we saw. But God comes in, in this seemingly out-of-place section about duties of priests and Levites, and what he's really doing is restoring peace and reaffirming brotherhood. It's an important chapter to keep in mind when we experience conflict with others. We will all sin against each other over time. The important question is, what do we do after that?

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

What stands out to me is the need to restore the bonds of peace, and to restore relationship. Numbers 15 is an olive branch from God to the people after the events of the previous chapters; Numbers 16-17 is the priests' fight with Moses and Aaron; and Numbers 18 is God mediating peace between them after everything has been concluded. God is going to get us -every group of us- to the Promised Land together. Is there a restored relationship that you need to work for?

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US CLOSER TO GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "God, you know the differences that I've had with people. You know where I feel hurt, betrayed, ignored, and upset. You also know that there are some people who have felt that way about me. When I think about you, I remember how hard you worked to restore relationship with me and with the rest of humanity: you sent your own Son to die on the cross so that we might be reconciled. A relationship with us was that important to you. So God, give me the awareness and the strength necessary to pursue wholeness of relationship with others, as you have done to me."

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 54 | Numbers 11-14

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Numbers 11:1-14:45

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

And the people complained. Complaining and grumbling are where most of our self-defeating behaviors and sins against God start. Before human beings first sinned, Satan's way of drawing Eve in was to get her to feel ungrateful: he didn't tell her to focus on all the fruits of the garden that she was able to partake of, but instead he focused her attention on the fruit of the one tree that she wasn't. Here's how I put it in a previous sermon: "Satan tries to take Eve's eyes off of what God’s already given her and get her to focus on the one thing that he said ‘No’ to. See, you can’t tempt someone by letting them feel thankful. You have to make them feel like they’ve been wronged or denied first. That’s what Satan does here. He says to Eve, basically, 'You know this garden of Eden is a lie. You think it’s all good here, but you’re really a victim. You’re being held back. You shouldn’t put up with this.'" When our stories are filled with ways we've been wronged but nothing that we've actually done that contributed to keeping that going, then we are often deceiving ourselves. Whether it's a person, or a church, or a group of people--if their story is mostly about the misfortune that has happened to them (and as the Israelites show, blaming God is not out of the question), the most likely explanation is that they are in need of some help after all: they need help coming to a place of repentance.

And they spoke against Moses. Having come to a place where they could not directly complain against God, they decided to take the more godly route, and direct their grumbling and criticism against their leader instead. So they become overly critical of details of his personal life ("he had married a Cushite -not an Israelite!- woman," Num. 12:1). They insist that he's trying to be a one-man show ("Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?," Num. 12:2). They ignore positive aspects of his character (Num. 12:3). And, with the people and the leadership united, they probably would have been done with Moses then and there, except that God intervened and said "Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting..." (Num. 12:4ff). This is not an isolated phenomenon. In most churches that I have gone to, especially the small ones, there are usually some instances where the church would find the blessing of God again if only they would apologize to a former pastor (or a few), and deal with the unhealth now that resulted in mistreatment then. In one previous church that I was at, when we brought our former youth pastor back to give him a public apology, it was like a spiritual weight was lifted. The church instantly grew, and reportedly has not stopped growing since.

Failure to launch. In chapters 13-14, God had told the Israelites to go into the land of Canaan. This was a clear issue of obedience. But they didn't, because they considered many of the logistical issues and found it impractical to do right now: "the people who dwell in the land are strong... the cities are fortified... we saw the descendants of Anak [a tall people] there" (Num. 13:28). We might always find reasons why it's not practical, right now, to do what God has called us to do. We must do it anyway--because 40 years in the wilderness is a long time, and we do not want to be part of the generation that must die out before God can bring the rest of his people into the Land of Promise.

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

In this reading, the people find lots of reasons to divide themselves against God, or at least those who are trying to tell them about God, or at least the practicality of following his commandments right now. Here's the solution: to spend time in the presence of God, looking upon God, trusting God, uniting together to carry out the will of God, and going where he calls us to go. We would do so well to stop trying to control things, and instead to just simply walk forward and do what the Bible says. What amazing things could we be part of if we just said, "I want to see things that happened in the Bible happen today," and then we just went out in faith that God would do that? In many ways, following God is simple; we make it complicated.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US CLOSER TO GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "God, help me not to complicate the path ahead by wishing for the details to be different or wanting more control over the process or finding fault with bits of the journey. Help me to be one of the ones who march on straight to the Promised Land! Bring me into the place where I am peacefully united with you, and where I see you at work, and where I experience the faithfulness and joy of the Lord."

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 53 | Numbers 8-10

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Numbers 8:1-10:36

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Still doing good... So far, in this section of the book, signs seem hopeful. There are many summary statements about Israel's willing obedience all over this section. The Levites are obeying the Lord (Num. 8:22), the people are celebrating the Passover according to God's instructions (Num. 9:4-5), the whole camp is willing to pick up and go, or stay, when they are instructed (Num. 9:18-19), they listen to Moses (Num. 9:23), and one year after they had originally set out into the wilderness, they are finally ready to move on from Mount Sinai to enter the Promised Land (Num. 10:11-13). Looks like everything is going well and the book must be just about over! Wait, if everything's going along well, why is there a whole 26 more chapters left in Numbers?

By the blood of the lamb. God intentionally kept the people of Israel in the wilderness for a year before commanding them to set out from Sinai. He arranged it so that the people left Egypt after celebrating the Passover in Exodus 15, then they set from Sinai after celebrating the Passover in Numbers 9, and then they entered the Promised Land by celebrating a Passover in Joshua 5. There's an old song that says "we shall overcome, by the blood of the Lamb and the word of his testimony." That's essentially the pattern shown here. The people are freed from their oppression by the blood of the Passover Lamb. They set out from the wilderness by the blood of the Lamb. They enter into the land of God's promise by the blood of the Lamb. It all foreshadows Jesus--of whom John the Baptist said when he saw him, "behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29).

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

We are in the best possible position when we are trusting (a posture of waiting) and obeying (a posture of acting) towards the Lord, and when we're focused on where he is taking us. If Israel had maintained this obedient posture before the Lord, they would have been fine. I wonder, if we heard God's trumpet call (Num. 10), would we pull up the stakes on what we've got going on in life to set out in the direction that he's called us to? Or would we try to hold on? Would we wait in the middle of the heat and discomfort of our own personal wilderness, not knowing how long it will last, if God told us to? It seems so often like our hearts are inclined to passively "wait on God to move" when God has told us to get up and go, only to then anxiously move out on our own when God has told us to be patient. What are you in right now--a season of responding to God by trusting and waiting, or a season of responding to God by active obedience?

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US CLOSER TO GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "God, I am willing to follow you. I want to see you do great things. Tell me what you want me to do, and where you want me to go, and I will do it. Give me great faith so that I can step out into the unknown. Give me patience so that if you want me to learn here in the wilderness, I can do that with gladness as well. Draw me close to you through the work of your Son. Help me to remember that whatever else you bring into my life, He is all that I need."

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 52 | Numbers 5-7

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Numbers 5:1-7:89

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The Structure of Numbers. To get the most out of reading Numbers, you have to know how the book is built. There is a lot of disagreement on that subject (so I wrote a paper about it in Seminary), but I'll share with you how I understand it. The book of Numbers is broken down into: First, "Hope" (Numbers 1:1-10:11 or 35). In this section Israel is preparing to enter into the Promised Land and there are no signs of trouble, and we finish off with Israel setting out from the land of Sinai for the first time in over a year. Second, "Loss" (Numbers 10:11 or 35-15:41). In this section we see the grumbling of Israel, leading up to Israel's sentence to wander the desert for 40 years. Third, "Wandering" (Numbers 16-21). In this section we see the rebellion of Korah, the deaths of Miriam and Aaron, the account of the bronze serpent, and then -finally- a "mini-conquest" where spies are sent into the land of Jazer to capture it, giving Israel their own land for the first time in history: a big moment! Fourth, "The Balaam Conspiracy" (Numbers 22-31), which is the best bit of the book and I won't spoil it here. And Fifth, "Redemption" (Numbers 32-36), where Israel is finally permitted to settle the land they captured back in the third section and where a new generation is counted and prepared to enter the Promised Land.

All good so far...? Things seemed to be in trouble after the incident with the golden calf in Exodus 32. But then there was restoration: Moses stood in the gap, and interceded for the people, and the covenant was reaffirmed. The tabernacle was built. The glory of God descended on the tent. And in this section things seem to continue going well: "as the LORD said to Moses, so the people of Israel did" (Number 5:4). The people are given laws here, which is a big deal because a set of laws are what sets apart a nation as its own thing--by giving Israel laws, he's making them a legitimate nation before they enter into the Promised Land. God is giving his people something like the prestigious Code of Hammurabi, which at that time in history was already a legendarily important marker of Babylonian wisdom. And God is giving them something that is in many ways superior as wisdom from God; parts of the Law of Moses can actually be considered a response to and elevation above the Code of Hammurabi. So we see this, and the willingness of the people to serve God in their offerings (Numbers 7), as good signs of what's to come. The section closes off by noting the presence of God in the midst of the people: "And when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice... above the mercy seat... the ark of the testimony... between the two cherubim; and it spoke to him" (Numbers 7:89).

The priestly blessing in the oldest-ever Bible manuscript. The Ketef Hinnom "silver scrolls," date to before the time of the exile, and before King Nebuchadnezzar, during what is generally called The First Temple Period. These scrolls were carried around by some faithful Jewish person during the time of the Kings of Judah. These are the oldest currently known manuscripts of Bible passages, more than 500 years older than the Dead Sea Scrolls, and they contain passages from both Deuteronomy and from the Aaronic blessing in Numbers 6:24-25.

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

Because I've spoiled the flow of the story for you -but it's not really a spoiler if the book is nearly 3500 years old!- we know that the promising start of Israel in these passages falls apart pretty quickly, through mistrust and grumbling and fear and complaining. I wonder what kind of blessing God wants to bring into our lives, but we lose out on it because we have a bad attitude or we're trying to get things done on our terms and ours alone. I hope that in our attitudes, this would cause us to soften up in the areas where we need to, and to deal with those areas where we are like the Israelites. And, because they seem to be doing well so far, let's take this as a warning: just because we're doing well now doesn't mean we can't slip later. We have to keep up our vigilance: "Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12). The journey of faith is taken one step, one day, at a time. We might be keeping up a pretty good pace, but until we reach The Celestial City (a Pilgrim's Progress reference) we're not there yet.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US CLOSER TO GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "God, thank you for calling me into the place of Promise. Thank you for being by my side, walking with me, and guiding me. Help me not to get too overconfident in my own performance as a follower of God, so that I end up focusing on how well I'm doing and take my eyes off of you. Please rid me of any attitude of grumbling, or pride, or fear that you won't come through, or wanting to do things my own way. Give me a humble heart to know you each day."

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 51 | Numbers 1-4

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Numbers 1:1-4:49

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The most exciting book of the Torah. Like the books of Chronicles and Matthew, it doesn't seem like Numbers gets off to a very exciting start. It's just a bunch of lists! And then there's the name of the book: Numbers. It doesn't seem like gripping reading. After the latter part of Exodus, and the miscellaneous details of Leviticus, it might seem like Numbers is the final book of the Bible where well-meaning Bible In a Year reading plans go to die. But wait. Look again, and Numbers is actually the place where the narrative picks back up. Its Hebrew title is Bemidbar, and it translates to In the Wilderness. This is the book where Israel fights battles, and sends spies into the Promised Land, and experiences an insurrection, and overcomes an international plot to destroy them from within. This is the one where the ground opens up beneath the camp in cinematic fashion and swallows a group of rebels alive. This is the book where Israel finally takes the first parts of the Promised Land, on the other side of the Jordan, before they entered into Jericho, from two Amorite kings, one of which was the legendarily large King Og of Bashan. There hasn't yet been a movie made about the book of Numbers, but there should be. It would be a movie of battles and betrayal and intrigue and loss, buoyed by hope and grit. I look forward to jumping into it with you. We're about to go for a ride together.

Take a look at Judah. We haven't seen much about what God is doing through Judah ever since Genesis 49, when God promised to bring his Promised Deliverer through Judah's line. At this point in history the leaders were all from the line of Levi (Moses and Aaron). Furthermore, the leader who was studying under Moses to replace him was Joshua son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim. Nothing notable seems to be happening with Judah. We might be wondering, has God forgotten Judah? But look again--in the details, you'll see how God is blessing Judah's line. God has not forgotten his promise to bring a Deliverer through that tribe. So we see signs of God's favor on the tribe of Judah in these chapters. By now they are already the largest tribe by a fair bit (Numbers 1:27). And when the camp is organized around the Tabernacle, Judah gets pride of place, with Issachar and Zebulun under its banner, stationed "toward the sunrise" so that the sun shines on the tribe of Judah first each morning (Number 2:3).

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

In our worship, I think this can cause us to trust God. He is always working in the background, or in the details, even when we can't see the full picture. In our attitudes, if you'll stick in there with me, I think we'll see that it's worth holding on through the drudgery of the "boring" bits of the Bible (and of life) in anticipation of the excitement that God has in store. And in our actions, I think we just keep going in the right direction and march on--at the end of the wilderness, we've got the Promised Land. (Maybe that's a literary feature of this stretch of the Torah--there's so many details and lists and numbers and statistics that by the time Israel starts moving out of the wilderness and things pick up, we feel like we're moving out of the wilderness too. Maybe we're meant to feel like we're part of this story. If that's the case, it's genius storytelling.)

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US CLOSER TO GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "God, help me to stick with it through the hard or the dry bits of life. That's where you want to teach me. I know that you are preparing me for the glory that lies ahead. So give the the grit and stick-to-it-iveness to patiently see things through, so that like Joshua and Caleb I too can see the fruit of my own personal long journey."

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 50 | Leviticus 26-27

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Leviticus 26:1-27:34

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

A prompt to back up and look again. Today's reading seems to end in a weird place. We would expect the book to conclude with the words of Leviticus 26, with a recounting of blessings and curses, along with a promise to restore the people. But then Leviticus 27 seems to be a strange case of "business as usual." It's almost as if the writer had a great conclusion and then remembered a couple of important items right at the end that he had forgotten to address. But the organization of these books is often very clear, and very intentional. When we see a passage that doesn't make sense as far as how it relates to what came right before or right after, often the picture becomes much more clear when we back up and take a wide-angled view of the whole section or book. The book of Leviticus is not organized beginning --> middle --> end. Instead the book is organized as outer --> inner --> middle.

The Structure of Leviticus. As we head into this book, it will be important to keep the structure of the book in mind. As we sometimes see in other parts of the Bible (ex. Micah, Isaiah 56-66), Leviticus has a structure that works from the outer edges of the book inwards, towards the middle. So on the outer edges in Leviticus 1-7 and 23-27, we see laws related to ritual ceremonies involving offerings, festivals, and things related to the sanctuary. These all point forward to Christ as the offering on our behalf who cleanses us from sin and restores fellowship between us and God; or as the fulfillment of the theme of each feast, or the ultimate fulfillment of all the promises and warnings given to God's people. A little further in, in Leviticus 8-10 and 21-22, we have chapters devoted to the work of the priests. Jesus is, of course, our great High Priest. Towards the middle in Leviticus 11-15 and 17-20 we have laws related to personal ceremonial cleanliness and holiness, with the first section mostly dedicated to ceremonial cleanliness which had to do with one's acceptability in relation to coming to the sanctuary. The second part of this near-middle section (Leviticus 17-20) is related mostly to ethical holiness, most of which still carries over to believers today. Then right at the center in Leviticus 16 there are the instructions for the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. This is the center, the crescendo, of the book of Leviticus, which prefigures Christ as the true sacrifice of all Israel. Just as all the offerings every year merely participate in the sacrifice of the Day of Atonement, so also the Day of Atonement leads up to a true and better sacrifice given once for all of time.

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

It might seem like we are skipping over something important by backing up and looking at the big picture (and, we did look at the big picture at the beginning of our time in Leviticus as well). But this is an important point to make! The books of the Bible are books, and not just a haphazard collection of bits and pieces of stories and wisdom sayings. When something is placed somewhere, it's there for a reason. This is also why it's healthy to alternate how we approach the Bible: one year a Bible-in-a-year plan might be a great way to get a good broad look at Scripture. The next, though, it might be important to choose one or two books of the Bible and really take your time--focus on the structure, look at the background, dive in and then back up and dive in again, and look around from different angles. The following year it might be good to go through the whole Bible again, but with a different plan (I have one for 2026 that I am excited about going through). There's not just one way to do it. Maybe a good summary application would be this: to make time to back up and try to look at the big picture -of the Bible, or of our lives, or the world- from God's perspective.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US CLOSER TO GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "God, help me to take time to back up and reflect when things don't seem clear to me. There is so much that is amazing about how you have designed the world, and how you are leading me, and how you are working, that I will miss if just get stuck in random details. Cause me to back up and to reevaluate things so that I can see things more from your perspective."

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 49 | Leviticus 23-25

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Leviticus 23:1-25:55

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Today's reading mostly -except for chapter 24- focuses on the appointed feasts and seasons of God's people, each of which points forward to and is fulfilled by Jesus.

The Sabbath (Leviticus 23:3). The letter to the Hebrews, which is inserted after the Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy) in some yearly Bible reading plans, has an extended argument in chapters 4-5 on how only Jesus provides a true Sabbath rest. Near the conclusion of that section the author says to his readers, "So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God... Let us therefore strive to enter that rest... Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession" (Hebrews 4:9, 11, 14).

The Passover. If you read any account of the Last Supper, which was a Passover meal (Luke 22:13), you might notice that one very important part of the meal is missing in each of the Gospels: the Passover lamb. Now, Jesus and his disciples certainly ate that part of the meal. But why is that not recounted? Because Jesus is the true Passover lamb. 1 Corinthians 5:7 says "Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." 

The Feast of Firstfruits. GotQuestions.org has a great write-up on this. It says, "The Feast of Firstfruits was celebrated on the sixteenth day of the Jewish month Nisan [Sean: I have to go and look again, but I believe this falls on the day of Jesus' resurrection]... like the other Jewish feasts in the Old Testament, the Feast of Firstfruits prophetically foreshadowed the coming Messiah and His ministry. In 1 Corinthians 15:20, Paul refers to Christ and His resurrection as 'the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.' Just as the first portion of the harvest in the Old Testament anticipated the full harvest still to come, Jesus’ resurrection anticipated the full resurrection to come for all those who are in Christ. His resurrection signals the very beginning of a brand-new creation promised in the Old Testament (Isaiah 43:18–19; 65:17). Similarly, in Romans 8:23, Paul says that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the 'firstfruits' of the redemption God will bring to His creation."

The Feast of Pentecost (or Weeks). This festival happened 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits. All Jewish males were required to travel to Jerusalem to attend (Deut. 16:16). This meant that fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus, and only ten days after Jesus had been with his disciples for 40 days following the resurrection, most Jewish people were assembled in Jerusalem where they could hear the Gospel. When the Holy Spirit filled his church, Peter was able to proclaim to crowds of people from all over the Roman world all at one time about what Jesus had done. In many churches, this is the only Jewish festival that is still regularly kept and remembered, as an anniversary of the outpouring of God's Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.

The Feast of Trumpets/Day of Atonement/Feast of Booths. The seventh month in Israel was the holiest of all the months, and was filled with multiple different celebrations to set it aside as a special time. The first day of the month was a mandatory day of rest from all work whether or not it fell on a Sabbath. The tenth day was the Day of Atonement, and in the post on Leviticus 16 we covered how this day points forward to the sacrifice of Jesus. Then from the fifteenth to the twenty-second day of the month there was a special Feast of Booth (or Tents, or Tabernacles). This feast points forward to Jesus, who "tabernacled" with us as the presence of God in our midst.

The Year of Jubilee. In the year of Jubilee, outlined in Leviticus 25, all debts were forgiven, all things were reset, a season of rest was announced--a once-in-a-generation event that only happened every 49 years. This season of rest, and forgiveness, and freedom points forward to the work of Jesus. When Jesus went to Nazareth and opened the scroll of Isaiah, the Gospel of Luke records, “Jesus unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.' And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, 'Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.'" (Luke 4:18-21). The year of the Lord's favor is a reference to the description of the Year of Jubilee, which Leviticus 25 says would start on the day of atonement (Leviticus 25:8-9). Jesus' crucifixion kicked off a permanent Year of Jubilee for us, where all records of our debt of sin are erased, our freedom has been won, and we are granted rest.

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

God filled the year of the Jewish calendar with events that would draw the people together and point them forward to the Messiah. Maybe we could pursue some means of having regular observances in our own lives and homes that would do the same.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US CLOSER TO GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "God, thank you for calling us to celebrate. It is amazing what you have done. Keep us in regular remembrance of how you have shown yourself in the past--and cause us to eagerly anticipate what is to come."

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 48 | Leviticus 20-22

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Leviticus 20:1-22:33

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Like people, like priest. In many cultures across the world, throughout Church history, there has been a sharp division between the "holy" religious officials and the regular people. In many places a priest or bishop or monk claims a sort of special status or connection with God. But that's not the pattern that we find in the Bible. Yes, the priests and Levites in the Old Testament have special duties involving the sacred things of God, or later on to teach the people. But, in Leviticus 20:26 God says to the people "You shall be holy to me," and in Leviticus 21:7 he says to the priests "the priest is holy to his God." Both are holy to God -set apart, sacred- not just one or the other. In fact, back in Exodus 19:6, Israel as a whole was called to be "a kingdom of priests." This pattern carries on to the New Testament. Of the qualifications for Elders listed in Titus 1, all are either repeated or echoed in the instructions for various groups of believers in Titus 2. This even includes the instruction to be sound in faith and to teach others: the older men are to be sound in the faith (Titus 2:2), and older women are to teach and train younger women (Titus 2:3-4). This doesn't lessen the expectations of Elders or put an unfair burden on the backs of regular Christians; instead it calls all people from every walk of life to grow in their relationship with God, their knowledge of God's Word, and their witness to others.

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

As a culture, we are fairly egalitarian--so this word would not be as much of a shock to us as it would be to other cultures or generations. (In fact I've experienced a much more status-conscious culture before: I once served as an interim pastor at a baptist church where an older Filipino man would only call me "pastor"--never my first name. At the same time, I mispronounced his first name the first time he told it to me, and he never corrected me. So for nearly six months I called him by, and he happily answered to, the wrong first name, because I was the pastor and he didn't want to correct me.) But still, today's reading is a good reminder that we are all on the same level at the foot of the cross. No one can claim a special status above others. And no one can, as is the case specifically in some African cultures, try to "bless the man of God" as a substitute for living a holy life on one's own (see Samuel Ngewa, 1 Timothy and Titus). We can apply today's reading by humbly coming before Jesus and realizing that our own faith, and our faith only, is the basis for our relationship with him.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US CLOSER TO GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "God, thank you for calling me to a special relationship with you, and for making me holy in your sight. Help me to depend on you, and to grow in my walk with you."

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 47 | Leviticus 17-19

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Leviticus 17:1-19:37

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Do these laws apply to us? There are different views in the Church, throughout history, about whether the Old Testament laws carry over to believers today. Generally there are two solutions here: (1) There is no requirement for Christians to follow the Old Testament laws, except for what is repeated in the New Testament by the inspired apostles. (2) There is continuity between both testaments, and while Jesus fulfills the ceremonial laws having to do with sacrifices and ritual purity, and Israelite civil laws have no bearing on a mixed Jewish-Gentile church, there is a requirement for modern believers to follow the law's ethical laws of right and wrong. So, which solution should we adopt?

In this section of Leviticus, we see some laws which are not repeated in the New Testament, but which almost all modern believers would still believe are binding on us today:

• The law against bestiality: Leviticus 18 gives a command against lying with "an animal" (Leviticus 18:23). This command is not repeated in the New Testament. The laws against physical unions between close relatives, given here, are also not repeated in the New Testament.

• You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in the way of the blind. These commands, given in Leviticus 19:14, are also not explicitly repeated in the New Testament.

• A woman must not wear men's clothing, and a man must not wear women's clothing. The law against cross-dressing or transvestism is not clearly repeated in the New Testament (there is a possible case of gender-specific commands regarding lengths of hair in 1 Corinthians 11, but these are tied up with cultural expectations of authority and whether women can pray in church--a separate discussion for another time.

Because of these examples, and the historic teaching of the church in all times and places throughout history, as well as the unchanging character of God, I believe that while the first solution listed above is a nice and simple starting place for new Christians (where we can say to them, "You know what, most of what you need right now, you can find in this little New Testament"), in reality we need the Old Testament for a fully-developed ethical system. And I believe the New Testament writers expected that we would still be making use of the commands of the Old Testament: Paul wrote to Timothy that "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). When this was written, Paul would have mostly been referring to the Old Testament.

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

Where some modern-day teachers like Andy Stanley claim that we need to "unhitch ourselves from the Old Testament," I don't believe this is possible without falling into very dramatic error. We can apply a better understanding by simply doing what we are doing right now: reading the Old Testament and applying it to our lives.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US CLOSER TO GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "God, thank you for your Word, for laws which benefit those who follow them, and for the grace to trust you when we don't understand why you ask us to do something. Help us to see how the Old Testament encourages us with examples of faith, with predictions of Christ, with foreshadowings of the work of Jesus, with examples of your wisdom, and with commands which lead to our joy. You are the great law-giver whose precepts are good and in whose law we find life."

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 46 | Leviticus 15-16

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Leviticus 15:1-16:34

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

 (A) Chapter 15 really could be included in the thoughts for yesterday's reading. Jewish laws kept the people who followed them some of the healthiest people in the world.

(B) Chapter 16 is really the center of the book: The Day of Atonement (or, Yom Kippur). Here is a good quote on the significance of this ritual for Christians [although; just one note to make before I provide the quote: an interesting fact is that Samaritans to this day still perform these rituals on Mt. Gerizim, so it is possible to witness Old Testament-style sacrifices being offered in the present day--I even own an English translation of the Samaritan version of the first five books of the Bible, available here]: "The Day of Atonement, as outlined in Leviticus 16, serves as a profound typification of the redemptive work of Christ in the New Testament. In Leviticus 16, the high priest was instructed to enter the Holy of Holies once a year, on this solemn day, to make atonement for the sins of the people through the sacrifice of animals, particularly a goat for the sins of the community. This ritual symbolized the temporary covering of sin until the ultimate sacrifice would be made. The New Testament elucidates this typology, revealing Jesus as the ultimate High Priest who enters into the heavenly sanctuary, not with the blood of goats or calves, but with His own blood, offering eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:11-14). Furthermore, the scapegoat, carrying the sins of the people into the wilderness, mirrors Christ's role as the sin-bearer, taking upon Himself the sins of humanity, thereby granting forgiveness and reconciliation with God (Isaiah 53:4-6; 1 Peter 2:24). Thus, the Day of Atonement foreshadows the sacrificial work of Christ, providing a profound glimpse into the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan through His Son."

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

Because Jesus is our High Priest, our scapegoat, and our sacrifice of atonement, we can approach God boldly with confidence in his grace and mercy. Our sin has been taken away; it's out in the distance. It's been put to death on the cross. It's been washed away. "The chastisement that was upon him has given us peace" (Isaiah 53). This is what gives us greater ability to approach God in worship, with an attitude of humbleness and freedom, extending some measure of the grace that God has shown us to others in our actions. That's the foundation for everything in our lives as Christians--discipleship begins when we are able to say "Oh, can it be that I should gain // an interest in the Savior's blood? // Died he for me who caused him pain // For me, who him to death pursued? // Amazing love! How can it be // That Thou, my God, should die for me!"

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US CLOSER TO GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "Father, I come to you by your Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus your son. Thank you that in some incredible way that defies understanding, you simultaneously sent your son to die on the cross in my place; and at the same time you, the one immortal God, were the one who came down and died in my place for me as the man Jesus Christ. Your work defies all comprehension, for in that moment you were both God and man; both High Priest and sacrificial offering; both judge and the one being judged; both innocent, and yet you took on guilt; both claimed by death, and yet upholding all things by your powerful Word. Help me to worship as that begins to sink in--that you are powerful; mysterious; and personal. You are the God of all physics and time and space; and you are also the God of bedouin shepherds who walk in the wilderness: you are amazing, and awe-inspiring, and full of grace."

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 45 | Leviticus 13-14

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Leviticus 13:1-14:57

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Millennia ahead of their time. I'm not going to pretend that today's section is gripping reading, but when you think about the time that they were written in, these instructions were groundbreaking. Up until fairly recently in history there wasn't an awareness of how diseases spread or what would promote real biological health. There was no germ theory. The laws outlined in Leviticus, though ancient, remarkably exhibit a forward-thinking approach towards promoting health and hygiene. Among these directives are regulations concerning cleanliness, dietary restrictions, and disease prevention. Prohibitions against consuming certain animals and meticulous instructions on food preparation reflect an understanding of the potential health risks associated with certain foods. Moreover, rules mandating quarantine for individuals with contagious diseases demonstrate an early recognition of the importance of isolation in preventing the spread of illness. The emphasis on cleanliness, such as frequent washing and sanitation practices, not only adhered to religious rituals but also served as effective measures in combating the transmission of pathogens. These laws, millennia ahead of their time, underscore a profound understanding of health principles that have endured through the ages, laying the groundwork for modern public health practices.

Jesus cleansed the lepers. Jesus' act of cleansing lepers (for example by touching one in Matthew 8:1-4) unveils the spiritual essence underlying the laws concerning leprosy in Leviticus. While Leviticus prescribed strict regulations for isolating and managing those afflicted with leprosy, Jesus' actions emphasize compassion, healing, and inclusion. His willingness to touch and heal lepers transcended conventional understanding and societal taboos, illustrating the transformative power of love and grace. In touching lepers and healing them, without becoming defiled himself, Jesus not only demonstrated his authority over disease but also exemplified the deeper spiritual message embedded within the Levitical laws – the restoration of wholeness, both physically and spiritually, and the eradication of social and spiritual stigma through acts of mercy and compassion. Thus, Jesus' actions reveal him as the embodiment of love, power, and grace, offering hope and redemption to all who seek him.

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

In our thoughts and attitudes, I think the remarkably current nature of the laws of Leviticus should give us greater confidence in God's Word. There's a sense in which, even if there were no external proofs for Scripture (and there are many), the wisdom of God's Word itself in cases like this would compel us to acknowledge it as such. Because, of course the God who created the world would know how diseases work at a time when most cultures were still reduced to sacrificing human beings in order to superstitiously ward off the spirit of leprosy--God's Word shows itself to have been given by a Higher Intelligence here. That, and Jesus' willingness to touch lepers and cleanse them without himself becoming infected, should result in another reason to be drawn into worship. And in our actions, we should know that God cares about the health of our bodies. It's not a sin to hit up McDonalds and eat fast food or anything. But God cares about all of you--your spirit, mind, and body. Maybe these laws might be showing us that, even as believers under the New Covenant, we should still treat our bodies with respect.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US CLOSER TO GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "Jesus, I come before you with a humble heart--I'm grateful for the cleansing that you have bestowed upon me from the spiritual leprosy that once burdened me! Your touch has healed me. Your grace has restored me. And, your love is transforming me! Like the leper all those years ago, I come before you with everything that weighs me down, saying to you 'If you will, you can make me clean.' Lord, please respond to me as you responded to him, saying: 'I will; be clean.'  Thank you for seeing beyond my flaws and embracing me with compassion. Help me to live each day in the light of your mercy. In you, I find true healing and wholeness."

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 44 | Leviticus 11-12

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Leviticus 11:1-12:8

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Bacon is the most Christian food. When I was a youth pastor and was trying to figure out a way to get kids into appreciating the Old Testament, I used to tell them that bacon is the most Christian food. "I love bacon," they would say. "Please tell me how eating bacon helps me love Jesus." And I would respond with the following: (1) In the Old Testament, according to Leviticus 11, we could not eat bacon. It was forbidden to God's people. (2) When Jesus came, he set aside many of the Old Testament laws. He became our sacrifice, so we no longer needed to offer sacrifices. He replaced the temple, so we no longer needed the ceremonial cleanliness laws related to coming to the temple. He removed the dividing wall between Gentile and Israelite, and "made us both one" (Ephesians 2:11-14), so many of the markers meant to divide Israelites and Gentiles in their looks, dress, and food were no longer required of us. (3) Of the laws that Jesus set aside, fulfilling them in himself, were the laws about unclean foods--including bacon! (4) Therefore, we can now eat bacon, because of Jesus. (5) Therefore when we eat bacon, this food in particular should draw us into thankfulness towards, and love of, Jesus. And you know what--the kids loved the argument. And our Old Testament study. And bacon. And Jesus.

A law for every part of life. The laws of Leviticus were not experienced, and are not experienced, by Jews as a terrible burden that God has unjustly placed upon them. Instead David wrote "Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD" (Psalm 119:1). When I read through Leviticus in my 20's during a season tree planting in British Columbia, I remember coming away with the thought that in many ways the weirdest laws in the book all added up together would have been strangely comforting. Imagine--everything in your life, from the food you eat, to the materials of the clothing you wear, to the way that you cut (or don't cut) your hair, the way that you harvest crops from your field, to the customs that you observe after having children--all of these things across every part of your day are a continual reminder to you that you belong to God and are one of His chosen people. Every part of your life looks different because God loves you. Whether or not a modern believer chooses to observe these laws (as Messianic Jews -who in my experience, most of them tend to be Gentiles from birth- choose to do), surely we should be able to say the same, especially in the current cultural climate. We might ask, "Why does my life look so different from the lives of those around me?" The answer is, "Because God has loved me and chosen me to belong to Him."

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

When we see Old Testament laws that no longer apply to Christians directly, we should ask how they still might apply spiritually. God, who gave these laws to Israel, has a character that never changes. So if the law itself was temporary, what might have been the spiritual truth that He was teaching them through these laws? Here are a couple of possibilities, with application: "Through the dietary laws, we're reminded of the importance of discernment in what we consume, not just physically but also spiritually, ensuring that what we intake aligns with God's standards for holy living. Additionally, the purification rituals underscore the significance of spiritual cleanliness and renewal, urging us to seek purification and restoration in God's presence after seasons of life's transitions."

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US CLOSER TO GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "God, you possess all wisdom, and you freely offer to give guidance to those who seek your wisdom (James 1:5). As your law in the Old Testament taught Israel to discern between foods, help me to discern what is pleasing to you in all aspects of my life, whether in what I consume spiritually or how I live. Give me the strength to pursue holiness; to seek you in every part of my life. Cause my life to clearly demonstrate that I belong to you. Lead me by your Spirit and cause my life to reflect your glory."