LEVITICUS & NUMBERS

It's Sunday!  Yeah!  I love Sundays.  I know that it is overcast outside, but I'm still expecting God to meet with us inside.  It is going to be a great day in the Lord.  I'm looking at Leviticus and Numbers, and here are a few thoughts: 1) THE WHO, WHAT, WHY, & THE RESPONSE- Lev. 11:45 says:  "For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God:  ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy."  The Who (I am the LORD); What (that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt); Why (to be your God); & The Response (ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.)  God saves us for a purpose.... His purpose.  It is not about us, it is about Him!  We loose our perspective when we have a self-centered Christianity, instead of a Christ-centered Christianity!  Let us decide that our focus will always be Christ and then obey His directives for our lives. 2) TATOOS- Very popular in this culture, but what does the Bible say?  Lev. 19:28 says: "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD."  Now the cuttings refer to identifying with someone dead, but the printing of any marks upon you, will refer to tatoos.  Follow culture.... or follow Christ.  Your pick. 3) REDEEMING THE TITHE- Lev. 27: 31 says: "And if a man will at all redeem aught of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof."  In other words, if you owe "back tithes", you should pay 20% more.  God says we owe it and we need to be "caught up" on our tithes and offerings!  In the Philippines, in one church, there was on the tithing envelope a line that said "Back Tithes".  Too bad we Americans don't follow the Scriptures that closely, it would get many of our people up to date with God if they would follow it.  We use "grace" to excuse our disobedience to the Word, but grace is not to excuse our sin, but to avoid sin and it's terrible consequences. 4) COUNT AND RECOUNT- Numbers has a count of the children of Israel, and later, a recount.  First before they get to Kadesh-Barnea and the ten spies put fear into God's people, and then after the forty years of wandering and dying in the wilderness!  Here is a telling verse in the recount of Numbers 26:64 - "But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai."  vs. 65 says:  "And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua, the son of Nun."  They had all died off, and their are fewer in the recount than the earlier count, because the older men and women are gone... they have died!  Let us be willing to be counted with Christ when we get saved, and when we get older as well.  Let us be faithful and be in that recount!!  (in Christ's Service, not Salvation)   Pastor Mike Mutchler