What is your plan for your daily Bible
reading? There are many to guide and
direct and so make it a daily habit. And
what do you do with first Chronicles, for instance, with all its ‘begats’? [Or, like so many, you sort of tend to skim them lightly?]
The question came up in a Sunday morning
Bible class, “Pastor, why do we have such lists in the bible? Is it simply for
discipline, or why”?
So we looked at what is considered by
many the most boring chapter in the bible. It’s Numbers chapter 7. Take a look
at it.
It’s a long chapter, 89 verses in
total. And 12 sets of verses say exactly the same thing. The chapter deals with
the gifts the twelve tribes bring as an
offering for the dedication of the Tabernacle. The offerings are exactly the same,
and they are reported in exactly the same way, and no matter how many are in
each tribe – and the numbers vary widely – each tribe brings the very same
offering.
Now, since “all Scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for correction for reproof,
for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly
furnished unto all good work.” 2 Tim 3, 16.17.
What lesson is there for us?
The one that sticks out for me is that
before God we are all equal. God does not ask the larger tribes to bring more,
or the smaller tribes to bring less. Their gifts, listed in total, are exactly
the same.
` So the chapter, instead of boring and
even neglected for that reason, stands high in telling me that you and I, wherever
we may be living and working and serving him, are equal in His sight. And the
sentence we learned early in our Christian life, “For God so loved the world”, takes on
fresh meaning.
May God bless the learning.
GPD 3/26/14
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