February 12, 2022: Day 33 – Numbers 6-10 and Jude

Just when we thought we had moved away from the rules and the regulations we find ourselves knee deep in rules and regulations.  Chapter 6 gives us the rules for how the Nazarites are to be prepared for the service of the Lord.  I hope you noticed a primary role that they served was to replace the required offering of the oldest to the Lord for his time to do service to the Lord.  Remember how Samuel was presented to the Lord because he was the oldest in the family?  Well this was supposed to happen with each family, and also each livestock, but of you look at 8:17-18 you’ll see this explanation.

Do not miss what is called the Aaronic blessing in 6:24-26 which is probably the best known Scripture in all that we will be reading for today.  It is powerful, and if you have young children it is something you can say over them as they are falling asleep.  Chapter 7 gives us the offerings of all 12 of the families of the tribe of Jacob, or Israel.  Chapter 8 carries on the theme of the Nazarites being set apart.  Did you see at what age they are to retire?  Look at 8:25.  Shees, I’m putting in overtime!

Chapter 9 speaks to the mandatory celebration of the Passover and chapter 10 gives us the marching orders for the Israelites and how they are to break down and move within the wilderness as they make their way to the promised land.  

Then we get to Jude.  Not the nicest letter in the Bible, but one that speaks to being wary of perversions that might infiltrate into the church and considering sin as a normal course of action within the church.  That is never the case, the church should never be a party to sin no matter what form it takes.  Today this lesson makes me think of how many wars could have been prevented if the church had risen up with their counterparts in the countries where there are feuds and said enough, we will not allow this to happen.  If the church had done that in Germany, there would have been no slaughter of the Jews and no war, but it remained silent, or worse yet, it was complicit.  It is not too late for the church to rise up to spare war from happening in the Ukraine.  Churches are present and could be involved if they so wished.