Transcript
A (0:00)
Foreign. Hey, it is Shelby and Scott. Here we are in numbers 28 through 30. So the past few chapters have been a little all over the place. We had Balaam, we had the Israelites rebelling against God. Now we're getting into some laws, like what's. Oh, and the census. I forgot about the census. We had that thrown in there, too. That was important.
B (0:26)
Don't forget the numbers of the census.
A (0:27)
Maybe I'm trying to block that out of my mind. I don't know. But, Scott, what's happening, happening in these chapters? How do they play into numbers to.
B (0:35)
Kind of get back up, give a big picture from 26 on through the rest of the Book of Numbers? The whole book is really about preparation at this point. So final preparations for entering the land, preparations for how they're supposed to live once they settle in there. And in chapters 28 and 29, those speak to what worship should look like in the regular rhythms of their lives once they get into the land of Canaan. And I appreciate the study day pointing out how these different sacrifices are. They're listed out in order of daily, weekly, monthly, and then yearly sacrifices.
A (1:11)
So, okay, as Christians under the New Covenant, these laws do not apply to us in the same way. Correct, sure. So what do we take away from this?
B (1:24)
Yeah, that's a great question. You know, even though we're not required to participate in these specific rituals as they're laid out here, I do think we are still called to remind ourselves of many of the same truths that these rituals were meant to remind Israel of.
A (1:41)
Okay, I'm listening. What does that. What does that look like?
B (1:43)
Yeah, so we've got, like, the celebration of the Passover and then of the Feast of Unleavened Bread in these chapters. And these are very closely related feasts. They're observed annually, and they reminded the Israelites to celebrate God's salvation, His deliverance of them from slavery in Egypt, and, you know, just how he redeemed them with a mighty hand. And then you had the Festival of Weeks, which is also known as Pentecost, where the Israelites would celebrate the many ways God had provided for them and remind themselves that God could be trusted to give them what they need. And, you know, with the Feast of Tabernacles, you have reminders of both of these things that God had saved them and that he provides for them. And, you know, just thinking about that, those are reminders we need as Christians too. Like, and I think we need to look at the rhythms and habits of our lives and see if we are also like they were called to regularly reminding ourselves of these truths. Like, you know, I think the question is, what are the daily and the weekly and the monthly and even the yearly practices that place truths like these at the front and center of our minds and our hearts? You know, several examples of this being in God's Word regularly. Daily is a big one. Gathering with our church body is a weekly rhythm that is meant to bring these truths to the forefront of our mind. Taking the Lord's Supper is an important way. I mean, annually, you think about Christmas, Easter times. We remember the Incarnation and Jesus's crucifixion on our behalf. And all these things which, you know, vary in frequency, contribute ultimately to our formation, to our, you know, our growth. And, you know, just one final thought on that. Like, I think these chapters, something they remind me of is that spiritual formation takes time. All these habits for the Israelites, all the habits I just mentioned that, you know, we should be involved in, they shape us. Like, the daily, weekly, yearly practices that remind us of God's faithfulness will have an effect on us. It's often slow and perceptible maybe, but it is forming us over time. And we are being shaped by being in God's word. We are being shaped when we gather with our church family. Even if we can't always see how. I think we can take comfort knowing that God is shaping us through rhythms like these.