shinewriter

Chapters 3 and 4 talk a lot about the jobs of the various Levite families. It appears that there are three clans involved. They are :-
Kohath
Gershon
Merari

The Kohath family served in the meeting tent assisting the priests. Their other job was to do with the transportation of the altar, and everything that was associated with it.

The Gershon family had the responsibility of carting the cloth covering of the meeting tent.

The Merari were to carry the tent frame. It had steel and wooden parts.

Some years ago my wife an I were a part of a church planting team. We assisted a friend establish a church in a small country town called Temuka. It can be found on a map between Ashburton and Timaru. In those days I worked the sound desk.

We had a four piece band. At the beginning, one of the fold back speakers were the PA system at front of house. There were three microphones on stands and a keyboard, plus electric and acoustic guitars. At the end of the evening service it was time to pack up.

The mixer would drop down the side of a large, black wooden box on wheels. It was roughly 3 feet wide, 3 feet deep and 6 feet long. The box that is. The mike stands would fold up and lie down flat. On top of these miles of cables would sit with the snakes head on top.

A snakes head is a large box joined to a very thick cable that goes from the band to the mixer. All the instruments, mikes, keyboard plug into the box, the snakes head.

Often on Sunday nights we would push this box on wheels outside to a waiting trailer. Four strong men would pick it up and place it upon the trailer. I don’t know what their family names were but I do know that God blessed them.

I have heard in other churches that different families often took pieces of equipment home with them then brought them back the following Sunday. The interesting thing about all this, is nothing has really changed.

People are still needed to help out in the church. Whether your group rents a building or whether it is owned outright by the fellowship. There is always something to do and people are always needed to fill these gaps. If you are not on a helping roster, this could be the time to help out. And God pays wonderful wages.

In the thirteenth chapter, twelve spies are sent out to have a look see in the land of Canaan. Ten return with stories about giants and a whole lot of negative stuff.

Joshua and Caleb return and tell much the same. The difference with their report is that they encourage the assembly. They say no obstacle is too big for our God. Lets go take the promised land!

The assembly of people that have gathered to hear the reports go with the ten. They have already forgotten how God delivered them out of Egypt. They have forgotten how He fed them in the desert with mana and quail. They have even forgotten how He parted the Red Sea.

God is very angry with the children of Israel. He causes them to walk for forty years. That is until all that generation has died out. At the end of all of this only Moses, Joshua and Caleb are spared. Sadly only two of these survivors actually enter the promised land.

No matter what your situation is that you are facing today. God is bigger than your problem. He is bigger than giants. He can make a meal out of nothing and He can part the water of any sea.

Back in my younger days we used to sing a song in school. The first few lines go,

I love to go a wandering along the mountain track,
And as I go I love to sing,
My knapsack on my back.

I don’t think the children of Israel would have been singing. Their wandering was a punishment. They didn’t listen to God. Plus the fact that they had irked Him with their constant complaining. This group of people should have known better. Some of the gripes recorded are:-

Way 11:1-3
Food 11:4-6
Giants 13:33-14:2
Leadership 16:3
Divine judgement 16:41
Desert 20:2-5
Food again 21:5

This book is only one of a five part serial that is known as the Pentateuch. These five books were originally one volume with Moses being accepted as the author. Together these books give us a historical outlook of God’s chosen people. Here they are often referred to as the children of Israel.

This book covers laws that deal with common sense things, to serious issues of the day. Come to think about it some of these problems still exist. Only we have a more modern approach; or do we? I wonder which works best?

We need to understand that this book talks a lot about the ‘Old Testament’ way of doing things. It is therefore a historical outlook not so much a practical application.

The law had its place and quite rightly so. When Jesus turned up things changed, and if you go on and read the ‘New Testament’ this will become more evident. But for here and now Leviticus is a book written about the tribe of Levi; and their management of God’s people.

As we have learnt from previous posts, man has a sinful nature. We have inherited this from Adam’s and Eve’s fall in the garden of Eden. God had tried many ways to remedy this problem. It seemed to be perennial. That is it kept reoccurring with each generation.

God does care about His children. For this reason, He devised a set of Laws to help us. Whenever we sinned there is now a way that this can be put right.

Different types of sins had offerings of certain animals that were slaughtered, and then their blood was sprinkled upon the altar. The priests were the only ones set aside to do this and they were a specific family from within the tribe of Levi.

Today we no longer need a priest to intercede on our behalf. Neither do we need the blood of animals sprinkled. Instead, we can go directly to God ourselves.

It is quite simply a matter of asking God to forgive us. How can this be so? God’s son Jesus died on the cross as one supreme sacrifice for all humanity.

The book of Leviticus also teaches some aspects of clean living. We are taught about our relationships with close family. Cleanliness is a major issue and it is dealt with very severely. Whether it is a simple problem with mildew to outright sexual sin, or even being close to dead bodies. The book of Leviticus can offer advice.

Suppose a person accidentally committed an offence. God provided for this as well. He really does love His people. Nevertheless, the children of Israel really tried His patience.

Chapters 3 and 4 talk a lot about the jobs of the various Levite families. It appears that there are three clans involved. They are :-
Kohath
Gershon
Merari

The Kohath family served in the meeting tent assisting the priests. Their other job was to do with the transportation of the altar, and everything that was associated with it.

The Gershon family had the responsibility of carting the cloth covering of the meeting tent.

The Merari were to carry the tent frame. It had steel and wooden parts.

Some years ago my wife an I were a part of a church planting team. We assisted a friend to establish a church. It was a small country town called Temuka. It can be found on a map between Ashburton and Timaru. In those days I worked the sound desk.

We had a four piece band. At the beginning, one of the fold back speakers were the PA system at front of house. There were three microphones on stands and a keyboard, plus electric and acoustic guitars. At the end of the evening service it was time to pack up.

The mixer would drop down the side of a large, black wooden box on wheels. It was roughly 3 feet wide, 3 feet deep and 6 feet long. The box that is. The mike stands would fold up and lie down flat. On top of these miles of cables would sit with the snakes head on top. A snakes head is a large box joined to a very thick cable that goes from the band to the back and connects up to the mixer. All the instruments, mikes, keyboard plug into the box, the snakes head.

Often on Sunday nights we would push this box on wheels outside to a waiting trailer. Four strong men would pick it up and place it upon the trailer. I don’t know what their family names were but I do know that God blessed them.

I have heard in other churches that different families often took pieces of equipment home with them then brought them back the following Sunday. The interesting thing about all this, is nothing has really changed.

People are still needed to help out in the church. Whether your group rents a building or whether it is owned outright by the fellowship. There is always something to do and people are always needed to fill these gaps. If you are not on a helping roster, this could be the time to help out. And God pays wonderful wages.

As we have learnt previously from the book of Genesis, man has a sinful nature. We have inherited this from Adam’s and Eve’s fall in the garden of Eden. God had tried many ways to remedy this problem. It seemed to be perennial. That is it kept reoccurring with each generation.

God does care about His children. For this reason He devised a set of Laws to help them. Whenever they sinned there was now a way that this could be put right. But it would cost them.

Different types of sins had offerings of certain animals that would be slaughtered, then their blood was sprinkled upon the altar. The priests were the only ones set aside to do this and they were a specific family from within the tribe of Levi.

Today we no-longer need a priest to intercede on our behalf. Neither do we need the blood of animals sprinkled. Instead we can go directly to God ourselves.

It is quite simply a matter of asking God to forgive us. And how can this be so? God’s son Jesus died on the cross as one supreme sacrifice for all mankind.

The book of Leviticus teaches us some precepts of clean living. We are also taught about our relationships with close family. Cleanliness is a major issue and it is dealt with very severely. Whether it be a simple problem with mildew to outright sexual sin, or even being close to dead bodies. The book of Leviticus can offer advice.

Suppose a person accidentally committed an offence. God provided for this as well. He really does love His people. But at times the children of Israel really tried His patience as we will learn later on.

In the first 10 verses of chapter two we read about the story of a small baby. He is a male and his name is Moses. In the natural we have a small baby in a reed boat floating along the river. This small craft is drifting with the current.

What if this was a representation of a lost soul as they amble through life. Carried along only by the whim of their desires and emotions. Suppose the reeds growing along the river bank are like a wall that separates a sinner from the things of God.

Miriam is there. She is watching the craft as it glides along on the current. Can she be likened to a Christian, that sits idly by whilst sinners go to their doom. Who will warn them of their fate?

While she continues to observe, Pharaoh’s daughter comes out and takes charge of the baby. A babe that should really be adopted into God’s family. Not some pagan outfit. Unless it suits the purposes of God.

Whether we like it or not each of us is on a journey. What sets us apart is we are travelling to different addresses. Depending on our attitudes and beliefs is where we will end up. On their journey, the children of Israel were led by Moses who in turn got his orders from God. Who gives you yours?

Joseph and his brothers have now died. A new generation has risen up in the land of Goshen. A new Pharaoh is also on the throne. He knows nothing of Josephs contribution in the famine years. Neither does he care.

This King now sees the Israelites as more of a threat, than an asset. He turns them into slaves and the oppression begins. Like it or not, they find themselves becoming apart, of the Egyptian building programme.

Such were the Israelites, they out numbered the Egyptians. Pharaoh had ordered a cull. Every Hebrew male was to be killed at birth whilst females were allowed to live.

One male child was born with special qualities. No-one could bring themselves to hand him over. His mother hid him for three months. In the end she placed him in a reed boat. As it drifted down the Nile, Pharaoh’s daughter saw it.

She got her maid to fetch it. When they opened the basket they were captivated with the child’s beauty. Knowing full well where he came from she decided to raise the baby, naming him Moses.

As Moses grew he became more and more attracted to the Israeli camp. Eventually he found out who he really was. One day he saw an Egyptian harshly treating a Hebrew. Moses beat him to death and hid his body in the sand.

Much to his dismay everyone in the Hebrew camp knew about it. Moses left Egypt in a hurry. Whilst roaming around the desert he came to a place called Midian. Here he met up with Jethro and married one of his daughters.

Whilst out caring for the sheep he saw a burning bush that was not being consumed. As he got closer to it a voice spoke to him. “Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is Holy Ground.” Ex 3v5NIV

God gave him a commission to lead his people out of Egypt to the Promised Land. A place that flowed with milk and honey.

Moses returns to Egypt to secure the release of Gods people. Pharaoh refuses and so God goes about softening the Kings heart. Several plagues are cast upon Egypt. Only when the eldest male of every Egyptian household dies, does Pharaoh give in and let the Hebrew’s leave.

With such urgency they left right in the middle of the night. Pharaoh then changed his mind, he summoned his army and chased them to the Red Sea. Just as he thought he had them in his grasp, the waters of the sea opened and the children of Israel walked through.

Once the waters had closed behind them they had reached the point of no return. There would be no going back to Egypt. Ahead of them lay many adventures where God miraculously provided for them.

As they travelled to their new home God revealed to them how He wanted things done. In the midst of this ‘The Ten Commandments’, were given to man. The closing chapters deal with ordinances and other directions for His peoples conduct.

The story of Noah’s Ark is more than a floating zoo. It is about people who God chose to carry on with His great plan for mankind. Today there are some lessons for us as well. Some are obvious while a few maybe a little abstract. There will be more but I stopped at seven. Here they are below

It took 100 years to build the Ark. Good things take time.

It is safer to travel in pairs.

The Ark was built by an amateur, the Titanic by professionals.

No matter what storms you face in life, when you are with God there will always a rainbow waiting.

When God has a job to be done He always calls a man. Never a committee.

When under pressure, float awhile.

Speed does not come into God’s equation. Snails were called with Cheetahs.