NOTE: The bible passages we study today may not all be the same as those read in church. There several reasons for this. If you’re interested in knowing why, just ask me.
NUMBERS 6:22-27
THE BACKGROUND
The setting for this book is that Moses is leading God’s people through the Sinai wilderness. God speaks to Moses, who in turn relays the message to the people. In the book of Numbers, God spells out how He expects His people to conduct their lives. By doing these things, they will set themselves apart from the Canaanites who inhabit the Promised Land.
THE DETAIL
- God sends a message through Moses to Aaron and his staff. They are the Levite tribe, and are in charge of everything associated with worship. He dictates a blessing to them that He wants to give His people. (vv. 22-23)
- The blessing consists of several parts. When they say this, God will:
- Bless and keep them. In other words, He will shower them with His grace, care for their needs, and protect them. (v. 24)
- Make his face to shine upon them. Twice in Psalm 80 (verses 3 & 7) the prayer says “Lord, make your face shine upon us, and we will be saved. (v. 25a)
- And be gracious to you. I have been taught that God’s grace is his undying love for us, freely given. God is telling his priestly crew on earth to shower His people with His loving grace through this blessing. (v. 25b)
- Lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. A countenance is one’s face or facial expression. This is an interesting one, since people generally believed that if you saw the face of God, you would be struck dead! In this case, however, God’s face or facial expression will put their souls at rest. (v. 26)
- God concludes by saying that if they say the blessing in this way, His name shall be placed on His people. Everyone will know that they are His. (v. 27)
THE TAKEAWAY
One of the pastors I’ve had used one expression frequently. Somebody would share with him something that was troubling them. His answer would almost always include “Be at peace”. More often than not, it had a calming effect. We should remember that we are blessed by our Heavenly Father, His face shines upon us, and we should be at peace.
GALATIANS 4:4-7
THE BACKGROUND
In the verses preceding today’s passage, Paul speaks of the burden that living under the Laws of Moses imposes on us. IT’S HARD!!! It’s a hopeless endeavor, and we cannot save ourselves. It is like being a slave with no hope of freedom.
THE DETAIL
- BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE! At just the right time, God sent his son to us. He was “born of a woman”, so we would know that he was human. And he was born “under the law”, so he knew what it was like to be burdened with the law. (v. 4)
- Why did he do this? He did this to save us from the burden of the law, so that we could all be adopted as God’s children. (v. 5)
- Since we are his children, God is now our Father. We can even call Him “daddy”—that is what “Abba” means. The Holy Spirit can help us with this giant step. (v. 6)
- The last verse reminds us that we are no longer slaves to sin, but are free to be God’s children. In Paul’s day, slaves inherited nothing upon the death of their master. They were either sold off, or inherited by the master’s heirs. The children got everything. This is Paul’s point, and it is still true today. As children of God, we are free from the burden of sin, and inherit the kingdom! (v. 7)
THE TAKEAWAY
This is actually an assignment for you. In most Southern homes, the father is called “Daddy”, even by adult children. In other places like Michigan, where I’m from, we called our fathers “Dad”. The next time you pray, address God with whatever loving name you called your father. Ask the Holy Spirit to help, if it is difficult for you. But try it. This is the right way, after all, isn’t it?
MATTHEW 2:1-12
Okay, let’s face it. You know this story so well, that you could probably recite it by heart. Well, almost. Read through the story one more time. Now, it’s time for a pop quiz. The answers will be given below. More than one answer may (or may not) be possible with the multiple choice questions.
Question #1
Who were these men “from the East”? Were they:
- Kings
- Wise men
- Astrologers
- Magicians
Question #2
How many of them were there?
Question #3
What were their names?
Question #4
When did they see Jesus?
- The same night as the shepherds
- Later that same week
- The bible doesn’t say
Question #5
Where did they visit baby Jesus?
- In the stable, in his manger
- At his home in Nazareth
- At somebody’s house in Bethlehem
THE ANSWERS
- In the original Greek that Matthew wrote his gospel in, he used the word magi. In the Greek language, that word means either astrologers or magicians. Most translations, including the King James, use the phrase “wise men”. The main point that God is making by receiving these foreign visitors is that God’s gift of a son is not just limited to the Hebrew people. Jesus came for us all!
- The bible doesn’t say! A tradition has grown that if there were three gifts, there must be three wise men. Maybe, for the expensive gifts like the gold, a few of them chipped in. But we really don’t know.
- Again, the bible doesn’t say! Over the years, somebody decided to name them Gaspar, Balthazar, and Melchior. But we really don’t know, because the bible doesn’t say.
- The bible is not clear on this. We like to place them with the shepherds on the same night. But when Herod orders the slaughter of all the babies in Bethlehem, it is for all children aged two and under. Hmm…
- This one has a two-part answer. Herod sent them to Bethlehem, so they must have been there still. But verse 11 says that they entered a house. I guess Joseph must have gotten on his cell phone and called a relative or friend. However it happened, they were no longer in the stable, no matter what the nativity scenes in your neighborhood looked like.
THE TAKEAWAY
The answer to question #1 contains the takeaway from this passage. God’s loving grace is no longer for only for His chosen people, but is for the entire world. Thanks be to God!