Nathan Whitley's Blog, page 23

Daily Readings in the Bible Numbers 3-4

The first two chapters of Numbers give a census of all the capable men of war in each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The census did not include women, children, or the elderly. Some scholars estimate there were at least two million Hebrews in the wilderness. With so many people, you’d think it would be utter chaos. But God is a God of order. As we read in the accounts of Noah’s ark, and the Tabernacle, God is into the details. Numbers 1-4 gives the blueprint of how the tribes of...

Daily Readings in the Bible Number 1-2

Numbers, if you’re like me, sounds like a book about, well, numbers. That doesn’t seem to be very inviting, does it? The Hebrew name for the fourth book of the Bible is in fact “Be-mider” meaning “in the wilderness” which comes from the first sentence of the book (Num. 1:1). The Alexandrian Jews in the third century (B.C.), who translated the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, entitled this fourth book “Arithmetic” which was translated into English as “Numbers.” I’m not...

Daily Readings in the Bible Leviticus 26-27

Leviticus concludes with God presenting Israel with a choice. The choice was either delight or despise God’s Law. If Israel would obey God’s Law then He would bless them. If, on the other hand, Israel disobeyed God’s Law then He would curse them. There were big implications with that little word “if.”

If Israel obeyed God’s Law then they would be blessed. Israel’s obedience would produce plenty of harvest (26:3-5). Peace and protection from surrounding nations depended upon their compliance...

Daily Readings in the Bible Leviticus 24-25

Leviticus chapter 23 focused on the seasonal festivities of the Israelites. Chapter 24 is a reminder of the daily requirements. The children of Israel were to regularly provide olive oil for the Golden Lampstand in the Holy Place. For the twelve loaves of bread set on the table in the Holy Place, the people were to contribute fine flour.

The Lampstand was made of hammered gold. It had three branches on each side of a center shaft. The lamp was fueled by beaten olive oil. It was the priest’s...

The Plague, the Priest, and the Prescription

When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests (Leviticus 13:2).

The book of Leviticus yields a theme of holiness and purity. The key verse of Leviticus is “ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” (Lev. 11:45). Leviticus is about holiness. A holy God. A holy people. Holy food. A holy sanctuary with holy...

Daily Readings in the Bible Leviticus 22-23

The Feasts of Israel commemorated what the Lord had done for them in their history, and anticipated what He was going to do for them in the future. New Testament believers may feel these feasts are irrelevant to Christian life. However, these feasts are teeming with spiritual truths that are relevant for the modern Christian.

The Passover. The Passover commemorated God’s deliverance of Israel out of Egypt. This feast comes first because its representative of that which comes first in...

Daily Readings in the Bible Leviticus 19-21

Holiness isn’t limited to our relationship with God. Holiness includes our relationship with others. Believing that holiness is only about loving God, and not about loving our neighbors is faulty thinking. Too little is said about God’s people loving each other. Often the love of God gets all of the attention and little emphasis is given on how we should treat each other.

Leviticus 19 gives certain laws concerning how Israel was to treat each other, the poor, servants, and strangers. The...

Daily Readings in the Bible Leviticus 16-18

I witnessed to a man several years ago, and after several meetings he said, “I’d like to come to church, but there’s just so much talk about blood.” My attempts to explain Scripture’s emphasis on blood seemed to fall on deaf ears.

Leviticus 17:11 says, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” When an animal was given as a sacrifice and its blood was...

Daily Readings in the Bible Leviticus 13-15

Leviticus 13 and 14 describe the awful disease of leprosy and the remedy if one were to contract this affliction. Leprosy wasn’t just an issue in the Old Testament, it was also the scourge of Israel in the days of Jesus. Leprosy was and is still the foulest of diseases.

Today leprosy is known as Hansen’s disease, named after the man who discovered the causative agent of leprosy in 1873. Leprosy would cause spongy tumor-like swellings to grow on the face and body, and eventually effect the...

Daily Readings in the Bible Leviticus 11-12

We’ve come to another example of separation in the Bible. Think back to what we’ve already covered in our daily readings. In creation, God separated the light from the darkness; the day from the night; the waters from the heavens; the land from the sea; and humans from animals. Next, God called Abraham and had him separate from his family and hometown. In Exodus God delivered Israel from Egypt to make them a distinct people for God’s purpose. The principle of separation continued in Israel’s...