LEVITICUS & NUMBERS

Today is Wednesday and I'm excited about teaching Through the Bible on Wednesday evenings all year long.  I believe it will be a blessing to our people.  Tonight I will speak about the main characters and events of Genesis.  I finished up Leviticus this morning and three chapters into Numbers.  Here are some thoughts: 1) MORE DETAILS CONCERNING GOD'S LAWS- As I mentioned yesterday, Leviticus gives us the details of the law in every facet of life and shares the details.  Today is the same. Chapter 21 tells how the Levites should deal with their dead (don't touch), and who among the Levites can serve in the Tabernacle (only those with no blemishes).  Chapter 22 deals with laws about which Levites can eat of the holy things (sacrifices of the people), and the laws about the sacrifices themselves.  Chapter 23 teaches about the Sabbaths, those every seven days, and the special Sabbaths that make up Feast days for the people.  Chapter 24 deals with the holy Oil that lights the lamps, how to deal with someone who curses God, and the laws concerning killing man or animals.  Chapter 25 deals with the Sabbath for the land (every 7 years the land is to rest), and the year of Jubilee (once every fifty years, and again, the land rests; but now for two years 49th regular Sabbath year, and the 50th is a special Sabbath year.  But, in the 48th year, God gives them a harvest big enough for three years!  25:21), the chapter goes on to teach about the year of Jubilee concerning buying and selling of houses, and servants.  Israelite servants are not bondslaves, and can only be treated as employees, but cause they are already servants to God.  Lev. 25:55 "For unto me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt:  I am the LORD your God."  Chapter 26 teaches about idols (don't have them), and the Blessings and Cursings of God.  (In cursings, God says that if they don't honor the year of Sabbath every seven years, then He would send them in captivity so the land could rest.  When the Israelites went into Babylonian captivity for 70 years, it was because they had not honored the Sabbath year for 490 years!  So, God let the land rest for 70 years before He brought them back to the land.) Chapter 27 deals with our vows and our tithes.  So... that is Leviticus... details about the law. 2) Numbers is keeping the count.  603,550 is the number of males in Israel that goes into the wilderness out of Egypt from 20 years old and upwards, not counting the Levites.  Chapter two deals with how they are camping.  Levites around the tabernacle, and then four camps around the tabernacle.  They are each numbered and told to camp East, South, West, and North.  Proportionately, they form a cross each time they camp.  Christ in the midst, and they didn't even know it!  Chapter three is the numbering of the firstborn of the Israelites and the number of the Levite males.  Every first born male belongs to God, and instead of taking each one, God took a tribe... the Levites to be his people!  Numbers 3:12,13 tells us this.   Well, just some information today.  I could share some other good truths, but my time is gone.  Hope this helps you understand these books better.  Have a blessed day.  Pastor Mike Mutchler