Scripture:

Numbers 3:11-13

11 The Lord also said to Moses, 12 “I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, 13 for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether human or animal. They are to be mine. I am the Lord.”

"Redeemed for Purpose"

The Levites had a special purpose: to "SERVE" the LORD.   They were set apart "Qadash," here as well as in Numbers 8, this verse is repeated, citing that through the firstborn of Egypt, God has redeemed the firstborn of Israel.  So, two things: redemption comes at a price, and redemption is meant for a purpose, to serve the Lord. In today's portion, it becomes clear that God never does something without purpose; it never comes without a cost.

You and I were redeemed at a great cost, the life of the only begotten Son of God, Jesus.  And we were redeemed to serve the Lord with our whole lives; the Levites were dedicated to the Lord for service for their whole lives. Our redemption comes at a cost; God does not just want part of our lives, He wants our whole heart, He wants us.   He redeemed you and I that we would "return" to Him, that we would be His children.   Let that simmer...

Lord, I praise you for your redeeming work. You redeemed me from slavery. I once was held captive by sin, but I have been set free, redeemed from my past, that I would have a future with you, that I would serve you all the days of my life, and that my life would be lived more abundantly with you, that I would live a life that was intended, my prayer is that we would not take lightly the redeeming working of your Son, that it would Redeem us with Purpose, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Numbers 2:2

2 “Everyone of the children of Israel shall camp by his own standard, beside the emblems of his father’s house; they shall camp some distance from the tabernacle of meeting.

"In His Presence"

In our portion today, the Lord instructs Moses to have the tribes encamp themselves strategically around the tabernacle, the "presence" of God. Think about this command: the Lord was saying He wanted them(us) to live in His presence, with our eyes set on Him. If what we look at gets into us, then that gets into our hearts, and that affects what we do. Then the greatest thing we could do is position ourselves with the Lord to pursue being in His presence.

The application is to position our lives, the place we live, to be in God's presence, where we seek the Lord in all the bits of our lives. To position lives with the Lord, everything we do, our homes, our families, our jobs, everything. Israel was to "LIVE" in the presence of the Lord, so should we. If we are Kingdom-Minded, then we won't live in the "Patterns" of the World.

Lord, help us to encamp our lives in your presence, to position ourselves, keeping our eyes on you, keeping our hearts invested in pursuit of you and the things of the Kingdom. Help us to be kingdom-minded so that we are not stuck in the patterns of the world, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Leviticus 26:3-10

3 ‘If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them,
4 then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5 Your threshing shall last till the time of vintage, and the vintage shall last till the time of sowing; you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.
6 I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid;
I will rid the land of evil[a] beasts, and the sword will not go through your land. 7 You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you. 8 Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you. 9 ‘For I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm My covenant with you. 10 You shall eat the old harvest, and clear out the old because of the new

"Blessing of Obedience"

I think we miss that there is a reward for being obedient when we seek to please the Lord, pursue Him in obedience.   You even see a provision in this chapter for when you fall short, how turning back, how repenting can restore you.  In 1 Samuel 15:22, we understand that God desires obedience more than sacrifice; this becomes evident in the contrast of blessing and cursing for obedience.  

Today I want to focus on the blessing of obedience.   If you and I walk with the Lord, we seek to please Him, to walk in His ways, obedience promises that we would not lack, that we would be kept under His provision, His protection, we would see victory over our enemies, we would be fruitful what we put our hands to would have success, what we build would be lasting.

• Abundant Provision: Rain in due season, with crops so plentiful that threshing lasts until the grape harvest.
• Safety and Security:Peace in the land, removing harmful animals, and protection from the sword.
• Military Success:A small number of Israelites would defeat a vast number of enemies.
• Fruitfulness:God promises to increase their population and keep His covenant with them.
• Sustained Resources: The harvest will be so great that they will need to remove old stored crops to make room for the new.

We must not only read the word, but as James says, we should do what it says (Jam 1:22). In our pursuit, and our obedience, we will see our lives changed, we will see life and life more abundant.   As we draw closer to the Lord with our hearts and not just our lips, we draw closer to His provision, and that touches every area of our lives. 

Lord, forgive us for any areas of disobedience, known, unknown, we set our hearts right with you, we ask for your work in our lives to be fruitful, that we would set ourselves to be obedient, to not just hear your word, but to put them into practice, that not only would we be blessed, but that we would be a blessing, changing the very world around us, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Leviticus 25:4

4 but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the Lord. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard.

"Everything Needs Rest"

To this day, many farmers practice crop rotation in the 7th year.   This allows the land to recover, to regain nutrients, reduce pests, and to produce better crops in the coming year.  This is a reminder of how vital the word of God is in our everyday lives, but it reminds us that everything under heaven needs rest.  I also love that God addresses the concern even before the people ask it. He tells them that in the 6th year, the land will produce enough for three years; isn't that amazing?  It tells me that when I am intentional about sabbath, God is able to produce more in my life, I can do more, produce more fruit in my obedience then if I never take sabbath.

I think it's in the title today, "Everything Needs Rest."   The application here for those who have busy lives to take rest, Sabbath, to realize that the work will still be there tomorrow and that God is able to make you more productive in the six days than you would be in seven.   That, like the soil, it produces better when it takes a Sabbath, its nutrients are replenished, the enemies  (pests) are reduced, its recovery time is critical... Application: TAKE REST.

Lord, thank you for your word that instructs me, the guides my life, that reminds me of what a loving Father you are, how you know the details of my life, what will bless me, what will not, how I should live and if I lean on you, on your word I will truely be blessed, and I will truely have life and life more abundent, so today I praise you in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Leviticus 16:2

and the LORD said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.

'Access to the Holy of Holies" 

Until Jesus' death on the cross, only one person and only once a year could access the Holy of Holies to atone for their sins and the sins of Israel.   Today, we are again reminded that God is Holy and that we should have complete reverence for Him, that having access to the Lord and His presence is a privilege, and it comes at a high price.  For you and I, it came at the price of Jesus' life; you and I have access to the Lord, uninhibited access, the veil has been torn, the very thing that separated us from this most holy place has been removed, and we have been granted access, let that sink in...    You and I we have the privilege, the honor of coming into the Holy Presence of God, to stand before the great I AM... that should hit you differently...

The application today begs the question, are you taking this truth seriously, are you claiming the benefits of Christ's sacrifice, to atone once and for all so that you and I can have direct access to Father God, to come into His Holy Presence?   The call to action here, the application is that we would take time to "Come Into His Presence," to stand in Awe of His Holiness, to understand the power of this access, to have access to Him who has no limits, means my life got so much more powerful... let that sink in...

Lord, thank you for your sacrifice, thank you that we can gain access to your Holy Presence, that we have access to your infinite power, your wisdom, your purpose, your promises for our lives, may we enter as often as we can into your Holy Presence, to be with you, to experience the freedom that comes in your presence, in Jesus' name, Amen!