[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 319-Acts 14-16; Matthew 6 summary!]
Numbers 28-29 record an extensive list of offerings the people of Israel were to present to the LORD. The first offering listed was the “daily” offering and was to be presented 365 days a year. All the other offerings were in addition to the daily offering. The Sabbath offering was to be presented each week. An additional offering was to be presented on the first day of each month. Then we are presented with a list of offerings for the various holy days of the Jews. These offerings include: animal sacrifices, grain, and drink offerings. The number of animals and quantity of grain and drink varied with the particular holy day or feast being celebrated, but the principle is clear: God is to be worshiped through the giving of offerings daily. While we no longer present such offerings to the LORD, the principle of daily offering or daily worship still applies to us. We speak often of presenting our time, talent, treasure and touch to the LORD as a response of gratitude for who He is and all He has done in our lives. The practice is not just for Sunday, or the weekend, but is to be carried out daily. As we become more and more generous with our time, talents, treasure and touch, we reflect the heart of God who is the most generous being in the universe. While the extent of the sacrifices God required of the Israelites, might seem significant to us, let’s remember every animal, quart of grain, or ounce of drink given and poured out as offerings to God were provided by God in the first place. The same is true for us. God created us, and God gives us every good and perfect gift we possess. That we are here to present our time, talents, treasure and touch in offering to the LORD and in service to others is a gift God has first given to us. All we give is merely a response of gratitude to Him, and a token of His great blessing to us.
Numbers 30 offers a restatement of laws concerning vows and pledges. The principles we learned in past chapters and books are the same: If a man made a vow, he was bound by it. If a woman made a vow and her father or husband didn’t object the day he heard of it, the vow stood. But the father or husband had the right to nullify the vow or pledge when he first heard of it. When Jesus came to earth, He would tell us not to make vows or pledges, but simply to say, “Yes,” or “No.” In Moses’ time, the vows and pledges people made demonstrated their commitment to the LORD. The LORD called them to honor those vows and pledges or suffer consequences for it. Once Jesus came and established the new covenant and gave each of us the Holy Spirit to empower us to carry out our commitments, He removed the requirement for the external vow or pledge to keep us to our commitments. That does not mean our yes’s, or no’s are not binding. It means we don’t need an external source of confirmation to make them binding.
John 12 marks the turning point in John’s gospel. From here to the end of it, Jesus moved toward His death and resurrection. The first significant sign of that transition was Mary’s anointing of Jesus at their home in Bethany. While some complained of the “waste” of the money, because the ointment could have been sold and the money given to the poor, Jesus affirmed Mary’s extravagance, and said she was preparing His body for burial. (As a side note, some religious leaders were in attendance at this event, and they decided not only to kill Jesus, but Lazarus as well, because Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead. Killing Lazarus would remove some of the evidence of Jesus’ miraculous power.)
The next significant moment in John 12 was the triumphal entry. While all four gospels record this event, only John tells us they put palm branches on the path before Jesus. This is where we get the term “Palm Sunday,” in reference to the day of the triumphal entry. In the remainder of the chapter, Jesus told the crowds of His impending death. They didn’t understand, because in their view the Christ or Messiah was to live forever. They couldn’t understand how Jesus could say He must be “lifted up” or crucified. As we remember from John 3, this method of death, was foretold by Jesus, and His cross would have the same saving effect eternally, that Moses’ bronze serpent had physically for the Israelites, when they were bitten by the poisonous snakes the LORD sent as punishment for their disobedience. The Jews continued their disbelief and unwillingness to trust Jesus as Messiah.
Day 319-Acts 14-16; Matthew 6
In Acts 14, we read of Paul and Barnabas’ continuing missionary journey. They went to places such as Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. Wherever they went, the people’s response was divided. Some believed, while others didn’t. In Lystra, Paul ministered to a crippled man, who received complete healing. As a result, the townspeople tried to worship Paul and Barnabas as “gods.” When Paul and Barnabas realized what was happening, they convinced the people to worship Jesus and not them. But no sooner had they quieted the crowd than folks came from the previous towns where they had ministered and convinced the people to stone Paul. They took him outside the city and stoned him. They left thinking he was dead, but after they left Paul got up and moved on to the next town. The challenge of facing such persecution everywhere they went didn’t stop Paul and Barnabas from carrying out their mission in Jesus’ name.
In Acts 15, we read of the first “council” of Jesus’ followers. It took place in Jerusalem, and focused on the growing division among the believers over whether a Gentile had to become a “Jew” before he or she could become a Christian. Some believed it necessary to follow all the laws of Jews, before becoming a Christian, but Paul, Barnabas and Peter, to name a few, believed Jesus had freed the Gentiles from such rules. After much discussion and debate, James, who presided over the meeting made a vital statement,
19“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.“Acts 15:19 (NIV) What a powerful statement! With that statement, the early church made it possible for Gentiles to follow Jesus without all the encumbrances of the Jewish law. After the meeting ended, Paul and Barnabas were ready to head back to the “mission field.” They had a problem, though. John Mark wanted to go with them. Paul didn’t want him to go, because he had deserted them on a previous journey. Barnabas wanted to give him a second chance. Finally, the disagreement became so heated that Barnabas took Mark, and Paul took Silas and they went their separate ways. This shows us that disagreements happened even among the closest of Jesus’ followers. The end result, though, was the churches were strengthened.
In Acts 16, Timothy joined Paul and Silas, and Paul’s mentoring relationship with Timothy began. It would eventually become so close, that Paul called Timothy his son. As the chapter continues, Paul has a vision of a man in Macedonia calling him to come and help him, which causes Paul to travel in that direction. While they were traveling, they came to Philippi, and there Lydia became a convert, because the Lord opened her heart to hear the message. In addition, Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned in Philippi. During the night, while they were singing praises to the Lord, the Lord sent an earthquake, which freed Paul and Silas from their imprisonment. The jailer, thinking all the prisoners had escaped was about to kill himself, because as a Roman jailer, he would have been responsible to take the punishment for any escaped prisoners. Paul called out to him not to harm himself, because everyone was there. The jailer found this to be true. He took Paul and Silas home and cared for their wounds, and then asked the most important question ever, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul and Silas led the entire family to the Jesus, and they were all baptized that night!
As we return to Matthew 6, we come to the portion of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus taught about giving, prayer, fasting, and living a worry-free life, through seeking first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness. This chapter offers us the Lord’s Prayer, as well as Jesus’ admonition not to store up treasures on earth, but in heaven. He also tells us that no one can serve two masters and boils it down to this: you cannot serve both God and money. Such a reminder is so vital for us who live in an era when many people believe money is the answer to all life’s problems. The truth is Jesus was, is, and will always be the only answer to all of life’s problems!