Pastor’s Blog
Lead Me, Guide Me
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Blog for Thursday, March 19, 2020
For those of you who have been reading through the Bible with me this year, we finished the book of Deuteronomy yesterday. The final chapters record Moses preparing the Israelites for their new life in the Promised Land. Moses and God’s people had spent forty years wandering around in the Sinai wilderness. Forty years of dodging venomous snakes and scorpions. Forty years of scorching days and frigid nights. Those wilderness days seemed like they would never end.
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10
Mar '20
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Being Different….Is That A Bad Thing?
10
Mar '20
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The thirteenth chapter of Numbers records one of the few stories in this Old Testament book. The tale is told that Moses sent twelve spies into the land God had promised Israel. Indeed, the land was as God had told them‒‒a land flowing with “milk and honey.” The spies even brought back with them samplings of grapes, pomegranates, and figs.
However, ten of the spies gave a less than hopeful report. This pack of ten told Moses that the people who occupied the land were too numerous and strong to be evicted by the small Israelite army. Amongst other things, the ten spies said, “We saw there the Nephilim…” (Numbers 13:33, CEB). The Nephilim were a folkloric group of giants (see Genesis 6:1-4).
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05
Mar '20
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Don’t Shoot the Messenger!
05
Mar '20
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Reading from Numbers 22:21-34, ESV
Thousands of years ago lived a man who was so wise his name is recorded in several ancient history books. This person was said to have had the power to place curses on people or pronounce blessings upon people. His power was widely known throughout the Near East. His name was Balaam.
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26
Feb '20
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Got Questions? Look to God’s Grace
26
Feb '20
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I admit that reading through the book of Leviticus is a bit like walking through a time that long since has passed. Many of the 613 laws identified appear to no longer apply for living in the twenty-first century. For example, the prohibition to eat a steak cooked any less than medium well seems a bit too circumspect (Leviticus 17:10), let alone that the person who defies this law is to be cut off from the rest of society. On the other hand, treating and loving an immigrant who lives within the borders of one’s land as a citizen is a matter that is quite pertinent to life today (Leviticus 19:34).
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19
Feb '20
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We Need To Retell the Story!
19
Feb '20
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Last Sunday, I had a conversation with a couple that went something like this. “Wow, that reading from Leviticus is sure boring.” My response was candid: “I can’t disagree with you.”
From chapters one through nine, the author of Leviticus repeats the same set of ritualistic instructions twenty-two times. I became drowsy. So, I started reading the text aloud to stay alert and awake. Predictably, all three of my cats fell asleep.
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10
Feb '20
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You Belong Here
10
Feb '20
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As I was reading the better part of chapters twenty-four through thirty-one last week, I must admit that I was tempted to doze off. God methodically instructs Moses how to build the Tabernacle that would become God’s home among the people of Israel. The divine blueprint goes into meticulous detail. The dimensions are precise. The materials are carefully chosen. The furnishings are properly placed. No feature of the structure is overlooked.
But, why?
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