For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page.
Rom. 11
What does this chapter (and the two before) say about the sovereignty of God? About the free will of humans? Paul wrote Romans in an effort to resolve the conflict between the believing Jews and the believing Gentiles in Rome. At the heart of his effort is the truth that neither side can point fingers of condemnation at the other. The Jews thought the Gentiles should subject themselves to their Mosaic Law, or at least to parts of it. Paul went to great lengths to show the fallacy of that thinking.
I don’t know what the attitude of the Gentiles was toward their fellow Jewish believers. Knowing what I do of human nature, however, I can feel the smugness welling up in them as they read Paul’s letter to this point. The Jews were wrong in their thinking. Those who did not believe in Jesus were hard of heart and stubborn in their pride. And, as Paul just pointed out, those who did believe were wrongly clinging to the works-based law rather than fully relying on faith. The Gentiles, on the other hand, had received the gospel of faith with open hearts. Paul must have seen the potential for this attitude as well, because he did his best to preempt it.
First, Paul made it clear that it was only because of the Jews’ rejection of the gospel that God brought it to the Gentiles in the first place. Of course, this was God’s plan from the start, which further meant that the Jews, in the error of their ways, were being used by God. And finally, the Jews were and are still God’s firstfruits. As such, they were and are holy to Him. “If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.” (Rom. 11:16). So we Gentiles need to understand that it is through the Jews that we are both offered salvation and made holy to God.
In the end, it matters not if you are Jew or Gentile or any other label you can hang on yourself. Salvation comes from God through faith in Jesus, His gift of grace to all of us who believe. Period. It has nothing to do with us. As Paul said at the end, God is so far above and beyond all of us. He needs nothing from us and owes nothing to us. “For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.” (Rom. 11:36).
Num. 7-8
Why do you think the holy things were to be carried on the shoulders of the Kohathites and not on a cart (see v. 9)? The Kohathites were in charge of the most holy things. These were all of the things that represented who Jesus is to us – the light, the bread, the sacrifice, and even God’s presence with us. Because they were holy to God, they needed different treatment. God set up a specific transportation method for these items both to keep them undefiled and to protect the people from the consequences of mishandling them. Still, I wonder if there is any significance to the specific way they were to be carried.
This passage gave me a couple other things to wonder about as well. For one, I feel like Numbers 7 could have been a lot shorter. Instead, the exact same paragraph was repeated twelve times, once for each leader from each of the twelve tribes, as they each brought the exact same offerings on their designated days. This leaves me wondering if there is a purpose in that. And I also couldn’t help but wonder if there is any correlation between the requirement for Levites to retire from their regular service at the age of 50 and the year of Jubilee.
Ps. 27
Think of what makes you afraid, then pray this psalm over your fears. “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LROD.” (Ps. 27:14). Waiting is the hardest part, isn’t it? But it is in the waiting that our true character is both formed and revealed. Instant gratification requires no trust! We seem to equate strength and courage with action. While that is true to a point, it is not entirely accurate. I think it is better to say that we manifest strength and courage through obedience to God. And God often tells us to simply wait.