Saturday, May 16, 2009

Today's Passage: Numbers 3

I appreciated Matt's commentary on the first two chapters of this book. If you have been following along or are about to pick up, Numbers can sometimes be a tedious read but it also has some interesting stories. After reading today's passage, it got me to thinking about God's precision in numbers and being sure that the names and numbers of the families were counted and recorded.

This chapter is particularly important because it records the sons of Aaron and gives some information about the duties of the Levites. While the names may seem insignificant at first glance, you may recall some of these names from the previous book (Leviticus). For instance, Nadab and Abihu had tried giving an unholy offering to the Lord and He took their life because of it. Which led me to my next thought which I'll share with you.

Have you ever wondered why God was maybe, "harsh" during the Old Testament times. I mean, at first it seems like God is being cruel to His people. But, we know that God told them exactly what they were to do and how they were do it (referring to the tabernacle/offerings). I believe it all comes back to God's holiness. We see in this very chapter the many times that it's recorded, "I AM the Lord." God was preparing and teaching His people that He is theirs and that He is a holy God!

I know that I have probably mentioned this in some of my previous posts, but it is a constant reminder to me when I read the Old Testament. God is very serious about His holiness.

God planned it to where He would use everyday, ordinary people for His purposes. This gives us the opportunity to do as the Lord commands, so that we might glorify Him! This same principle and standard of holiness has not changed.

So as we continue our perusal of the Old Testament, keep these truths in the back of your mind.