Responsibilities and Privileges

For the tithe of the people of Israel, which they present as a contribution to the Lord, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance. Therefore I have said of them that they shall have no inheritance among the people of Israel.” And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Moreover, you shall speak and say to the Levites, ‘When you take from the people of Israel the tithe that I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present a contribution from it to the Lord, a tithe of the tithe. And your contribution shall be counted to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress. So you shall also present a contribution to the Lord from all your tithes, which you receive from the people of Israel. And from it you shall give the Lord’s contribution to Aaron the priest. Out of all the gifts to you, you shall present every contribution due to the Lord; from each its best part is to be dedicated.’ Therefore you shall say to them, ‘When you have offered from it the best of it, then the rest shall be counted to the Levites as produce of the threshing floor, and as produce of the winepress. And you may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is your reward in return for your service in the tent of meeting. And you shall bear no sin by reason of it, when you have contributed the best of it. But you shall not profane the holy things of the people of Israel, lest you die.’ ” (Numbers 18:24–32)

This is a difficult passage. I read a few ideas from others about its significance then and implications for God's people today. These are important attitudes and actions for me.

First, when all that I have, including time, money, talents, opportunities, and influence is dedicated to serving the Lord, I can enjoy life with glad of heart. I may not have all that others have, but joy is not about possessions but about being filled with the Spirit and committed to loving Jesus.

Even though I have no worldly inheritance, Jesus is mine and I am His. I have many things to enjoy, but they are not mine but only entrusted to me for a time and for my stewardship. I may hold these blessing yet only on condition of giving any or all up at once, without complaint or astonishment, if called to do so. Yet I am not poor though having nothing; but rich beyond compare, having Jesus and in Him I have all things.

So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. (1 Corinthians 3:21–23)

Some of the Levites might have wished to be landowners rather than Levites yet they had the great privilege of serving the Lord. They were not forgotten but received houses, gardens, pasture lands and were commended to the care of the nation. In today’s family of God, those called to serve are provided for in every way. Those who hear that call to be pastors, evangelists, or missionaries have every reason to obey it. Such full-time service may have many trials and heart-aches yet God’s Word promises: “Them that honor me I will honor.” This means preferring God without the land to the land without God, and having no fear that God will fail His commitment. He wants me, regardless of what He asks of me, to commit my soul entirely to Him and have no “second portion” to fall back upon if anythings seems to not work out as I hoped. Of this, I need not fear. I have accepted God’s offer to be His and can say: 

… I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, (or whatever He asks of me) which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. (2 Timothy 1:11–12)

Jesus, I realize that the vital responsibilities of the Levites have their parallel in the entire consecration You ask of me. Shrinking from my responsibilities is less of a temptation as You remind me of my privileges, even in a much lesser role than those listed above. I’m thankful that You promise safety and sufficiency. You are my portion and security, even made me Your inheritance. I am Your child, and I have all that I need.

Respect God's Decisions

Now Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men. And they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men. 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?” When Moses heard it, he fell on his face, and he said to Korah and all his company, “In the morning the Lord will show who is his, and who is holy, and will bring him near to him. The one whom he chooses he will bring near to him. Do this: take censers, Korah and all his company; put fire in them and put incense on them before the Lord tomorrow, and the man whom the Lord chooses shall be the holy one. You have gone too far, sons of Levi!” And Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you 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, to do service in the tabernacle of the Lord and to stand before the congregation to minister to them, and that he has brought you near him, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? And would you seek the priesthood also? Therefore it is against the Lord that you and all your company have gathered together. (Numbers 16:1-11)

It happens these days; a congregation decides the leaders God appointed did everything wrong and they wanted to be treated as leaders themselves. Reading the rest of the story shows what God thinks of such behavior. He was angry, separated those who grumbled from the rest, then opened up the earth and swallowed the whole works, including their wives and children.

I’ve known of a church where the congregation was so difficult that their pastor committed suicide. Some leaders are dismissed, kindly or otherwise. Some just leave. The above passage says that the rebellion was actually against God's choice. Moses was not teaching false doctrine, or taking advantage of anyone. The problem was not with their leader but their desire to rule their own lives.

I know how that feels when trouble hits. Impatience wants it fixed, now. Yet God gave me two verses as a new Christian and these thoughts have made a difference. He will not let me forget His plans for me:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28–29)

After moving many times and attending many churches, I’ve seen that the Lord can use even poor preachers to teach me something. His goal is transformation — and Jesus never rebelled against anything that others would want fixed. Instead, He died for our sins.

The OT rebelled against God and He had every right to destroy them. He could do that to me also, but instead He sent Jesus who was swallowed up by death that I might live, that I might experience “all things” including the tough stuff so He could replicate Himself in me.

Jesus, how important to respect and learn from Your choices. I could complain — and be swallowed up by worldly and sinful values. I could grumble about a lot of things, complaining and demanding their removal. Doing that would totally miss the point of why You bring challenges into my life. Thank You for reminding me again to be thankful and trust You, no matter what. 

Crave Freedom

Then a wind from the Lord sprang up, and it brought quail from the sea and let them fall beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, around the camp, and about two cubits above the ground. And the people rose all that day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail. Those who gathered least gathered ten homers. And they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck down the people with a very great plague. Therefore the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had the craving. (Numbers 11:31–34)

The people wanted meat like they had before He rescued them from bondage in Egypt. So God gave them meat, but with it came His anger at their desire for that which represented sin. In their consumption, this ‘meat’ meant judgment and death. The place where they died was called Kibroth-hattaavah, meaning graves of craving.

This event points to what happens if I let my sinful desires become so important that I cry out to God to do for me what I want rather than be thankful for all that He provides. My spiritual life is damaged. In their case, it was a physical death. In mine, it is a separation from God and just as deadly. I cannot function when filled with sinful selfishness.

Yesterday I talked with someone who professes faith in Christ but is off on a tangent over worldly matters. Some of it reminded me of this NT warning:

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. (1 Timothy 6:10)

It was not that person who was caught up in a love of money, but he is listening to several people who seem to be and they have clouded his judgment. This reminds me of another truth:

Let God be true though every one were a liar. . . .  (Romans 3:4)

How do we know that our human sources are telling truth? The Lord calls Satan a liar and the father of lies, and says he can disguise himself as an angel of light. That means we need to listen to the One who says “I am the truth” lest we are deceived.

Going back to that event in Numbers, the root of their sin was a craving for the perks of their old life. They seemed to forget the bondage and focused only on what they were missing, at least for a time. As I listened to the views of the person I talked with yesterday, it came out that his views were rooted in wanting a prosperity rather than seeing the dangers of craving and the consequences of insisting his views were truth. (Long story for this short space.)

For me, the bottom line is: How do I know if something is truth? Jesus said if I know the truth, it will set me free, free to trust Him, free from anxiety about events and the way other humans behave, free from trying to figure out the ‘whys’ of life and free to let God take care of those who live contrary to His will. Truth is found in Christ and in His Word. People who are duped need prayer and His light because they cannot see it without the Holy Spirit opening their eyes. 

By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. (1 John 4:2–6)

Jesus, I know I can fall for lies too. That is why I run to You every day. You never lie to me. I might get it wrong, but eventually You sort it out and keep me listening to You. The main truth is Your incredible faithfulness to keep Your people from being overpowered by that Liar. 

Be careful what you pray for. . . .

And say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was better for us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?” ’ ” But Moses said, “The people among whom I am number six hundred thousand on foot, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month!’ Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, and be enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, and be enough for them?” And the Lord said to Moses, “Is the Lord’s hand shortened? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.” (Numbers 11:18–23)

Just after Christmas I prayed asking the Lord to help me lose some weight. Shortly after that, I became ill and didn’t feel like eating for days on end. This affected my sweet tooth also, and I didn’t even want the 59 chocolates that had been gifted to me. Of course I lost weight. Also, a month off sweets seemed to kill that addiction. I’ve laughed and told my friends to be careful what they pray for…

The people of Israel liked the food they had in Egypt, even though they were in bondage there. When they whined about missing that food and were sick of eating simple manna, God gave them the meat they craved to the point of being sick of it.

I’m thinking of the parallel to Christian life. Those who follow Jesus sometimes get caught up in wanting stuff that does not fit with our profession of faith or the principles of living as God’s family. It might be an obsession to collect stuff, from salt shakers to luxury cars. It might be having the best and latest stereo or computer equipment. It could be a hobby or a sport. Not that these things are sinful (certainly eating meat is not necessarily a sin) but if they draw me or any of God’s people away from faith or away what God wants for us, it is a problem. He may correct it in a surprising manner!

Over-eating, whether it is sweets or just too much food,  is not good for my health. God desires to bless me with good health and has done so for many years. Bad habits in that or any other issue is not from Him.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22-24)

If I am filled with the Spirit, not filled with a pile of “I-wants” then God is at work in me and His life shows up. No self-control reveals that I have put Him aside and living as if my desires are more important that His will. Not only that, the other ‘fruit’ is missing, including love, joy, and peace.

Jesus, it bothers me when I see a brother or sister in Christ moping or suffering or complaining, as if God has forgotten them even though the opposite is usually the explanation. Selfishness can rob me from Your goodness. You can overcome that and sometimes do it by letting me have my way only to find out that it is not at all going to be a blessing. I thank You that You know exactly how to deal with my fleshy ways so that I don’t crave anything but being in a right relationship with You.

My stuff isn’t really mine

That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of itself nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines. For it is a jubilee. It shall be holy to you. You may eat the produce of the field. “In this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his property. And if you make a sale to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another. You shall pay your neighbor according to the number of years after the jubilee, and he shall sell to you according to the number of years for crops. If the years are many, you shall increase the price, and if the years are few, you shall reduce the price, for it is the number of the crops that he is selling to you. You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God, for I am the Lord your God. “Therefore you shall do my statutes and keep my rules and perform them, and then you will dwell in the land securely. The land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and dwell in it securely. And if you say, ‘What shall we eat in the seventh year, if we may not sow or gather in our crop?’ I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years. When you sow in the eighth year, you will be eating some of the old crop; you shall eat the old until the ninth year, when its crop arrives. (Leviticus 25:11–22)

In a sermon series on generosity, our pastors have made it clear that I do not own anything but am a steward of what belongs to God. That is, He is the owner and I am a steward who He entrusts what He gives me to care for it according to His will.

For some time, I’ve thought of my fabric stash that way and that I have a responsibility to use it wisely and generously. However, that translated to using it up before I die. Then along came a friend who is moving and decided to downsize her stash. She gave me a large bag of lovely quilt fabrics, so large that she could not carry it. I could have said no, but didn’t. After a few weeks of letting it sit out of sight, I decided to sort everything as a good steward should. This verse was like a shot between the eyes:

But all things should be done decently and in order. (1 Corinthians 14:40)

It is now in order and with that the sad realization that in my lifetime, I cannot use it all. This made me think more deeply about stewardship.

Two more things happened. One was a lady who advertised her expensive sewing machine and furniture and other connected items for about a tenth or less of their retail value. It was quickly snapped up but she had some longarm accessories that she gave to me. One still had a price tag of a couple hundred dollars. When I asked her motivation, she said, “I just want all this to go to someone who will make quilts for needy people.”

The other event was a time with some quilters who talked about needing just a bit of this or that — and realizing how I could supply those needs, that I don’t have to use all my fabric stash myself, but give it to those who can. My anxiety about failing as a steward vanished. People need quilts, but quilters need bits of this and that to finish projects. God was giving me another way to be a good manager of my stuff.

Reading Leviticus and these rules for living also is a prompt to think the way He thinks. His people are in this together, needing to think of one another with goodness and in fairness. We don’t own what we have and if someone else needs it, God can ask us to give it to them. As my sister always said, if we need it, He can just as easily return more of the same back to us.

Jesus, Your way of doing things takes a burden off me. I can trust You to help me be a good steward and give me innovative ways to be generous to others as You are generous to me. It is so simple that I am sorry for not ‘getting it’ a long time ago. Thank You again!

God has reasons for saying NO…

 “You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them. But I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples. You shall therefore separate the clean beast from the unclean, and the unclean bird from the clean. You shall not make yourselves detestable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground crawls, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean. You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine. “A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.” (Leviticus 20:22–27)

Some find this OT book a boring read, but if read with the will of God and godly principles in mind, it changes my thinking and my life. For instance, this passage points to two very different areas of life; the food I eat, and the way I seek spiritual truth.

The food issue has not been thoroughly studied, but I know one thing — what God forbids is generally not healthy. In those days, pork was prone to have parasites and other bacteria. While these dangers have been reduced now, back then people died from eating pork. I don’t know much about other forbidden foods, but trust God who knows what is dangerous to my well-being.

As for mediums and others involved in summoning the spirits of the dead, this is in the realm of demonic activity. Even if a sincere truth seeker in this area can open themself to dark and evil forces. Jesus called the devil a liar and the source of lies. If I go that direction, I would be setting myself up for disaster, even destruction. 

All of this seems obvious to me now, but not all Christians are aware of these dangers. Some mess with horoscopes or eat forbidden food as if it were a delicacy, not realizing that God is not being a rule-maker without reason. While keeping these laws does not make me a redeemed person, paying attention to them marks me as someone who pays attention to God, trusting Him to know what is good for me and what is dangerous. It is faith in Him that makes the difference between trust and obey, or living by rules.

Jesus, we have been to restaurants that offer strange stuff on the menu that You say is unclean. We also have events in our city that feature mediums and others who tell fortunes and act as if they have knowledge of the spirit world, luring others to trust and even pay them to tell their futures or explain their problems. These and many other ‘forbidden things’ are not only a danger to true godliness, they insult You as if You are not Lord of all. Keep me alert and avoiding these lures that could destroy me. I’m so glad to know and trust You.

His life is in His blood…

 “If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood. “Any one also of the people of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth. For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off. And every person who eats what dies of itself or what is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or a sojourner, shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening; then he shall be clean. But if he does not wash them or bathe his flesh, he shall bear his iniquity.” (Leviticus 17:10–16)

This passage was never explained to me until today. I looked in a commentary for the significance of this command and discovered the following. It is from Leviticus. The Pulpit Commentary, edited by Spence-Jones, H. D. M., and published in 1910. While these thoughts are from the book, I put them in my words:

The reason why blood may not be eaten is that the life of the flesh is its blood so eating the blood was the same thing as eating the life of the animal. Therefore his Jewish listeners would understand what Jesus meant meant by the words, “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:54)

Simply put, those who become a partaker of His life, would thereby become a possessor of His eternal life, and, possessing that, would share in its privileges — resurrection and immortality. 

There is an eating and drinking of Christ’s flesh and blood, that is a partaking of His life and Spirit, which may be accomplished without any outward act whatever; but no doubt a special method of performing this mysterious act was instituted when Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and He “took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:27–28)

In the OT, the point of life in the blood was made so that in the NT the life of Christ would be realized as the life of all who put their faith in Him. 

Jesus, this is such a deep and profound truth that occupied my mind almost all day. Tomorrow we take communion at our church. It will affect my emotions in a way never before just as it has today. Oh my Lord, what a wonder You are.