King James Daily Bible Study: The Light
Date: Wednesday February 16, 2011
Chapters: Numbers 8-9
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-february-16
Details of Today's Reading: The seven lamps of the sanctuary, the consecration of the Levites and their service, a special day to observe the Passover, and the cloud that dwelt over them.
Hello My Friend/Guest,
The word eternal is defined as without beginning or end, lasting forever, and always existing. God is without beginning or end, lasts forever, and always exists. The Bible says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not...That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not...And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” - John 1:1-5,9,10,14. God and His Word is eternal and in the person of Jesus Christ. All three are One and even though you can not see Him physically, when He shows up you know it. How? God gives eternal life to every person who believes in and accepts His Son, Jesus Christ. If Christ dwells in you, you have life in you, you shine, you no longer walk in darkness, but in the Light that shines through you.
God chose the Levites to be separate from the rest of the congregation in order to serve Him in the ministry. While the Tabernacle was set up it was to be lit up constantly. Seven lamps to be exact were to be lit day and night and in the center was a candlestick. It was Aaron's personal duty, as the servant of God, to light His house, which, being without windows, provided the necessary light needed.
“Speak unto Aaron and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick. And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the LORD commanded Moses. And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the LORD had shewed Moses, so he made the candlestick.” - Numbers 8:2-4.
The candlestick itself was made out of pure, solid gold, symbolizing the center of the Church, who is Jesus Christ. The lamps symbolize the seven Spirits of God, which represent the Church of Christ. “And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.” - Revelation 4:5. The work of ministers is to light these lamps, by expounding and applying the Word of God. Jesus Christ is the only Light of our dark, sinful world and by His atonement, by his word and the Holy Spirit, He diffuses His light through us. “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” - Matthew 5:14-16.
God builds His Church and sends forth His Spirit to dwell in it, to sanctify and cleanse it, through the people who He dwells in to show the world as His own workmanship. God required all who worked for Him to be consecrated, cleansed, every Levite was to be consecrated and ready to serve Him.
“Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them...For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me. For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself. And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel. And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary.” - Numbers 8:6,16-19.
According to the Law, any person who touched dead flesh, animal or human, was deemed unclean and had to distance himself from everyone for seven days until he was cleansed. There were certain men who were defiled by human corpses, probably in the form of a burial, and could not eat the Passover meal on the day appointed. So, these men approached Moses and asked why they had to be excluded from the observance since they were doing their duty.
“And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day: And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in his appointed season among the children of Israel? And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD. The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it.
” - Numbers 9:6-12.
A special day was given to allow them to observe the Passover, the Passover lamb is symbolic and a foreshadow of Christ dying on the cross. There were two other men along each side of Jesus when He was being crucified, in order to hurry the crucifixion along they broke the legs of the other two men, but when they came to Jesus they saw He had already died and did not break His legs. “Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:” - John 19:32,33. Any unclean person can go to Christ at any time to be cleansed by His blood. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.” - I Peter 1:18-21.
All Christians, and especially ministers, should cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord. The only way to cleanse ourselves is through Jesus Christ, we need Him first, and everything else will follow as the Light works its way through all the dark areas of our lives until we shine so bright that we are blinding to the world. “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - I John 1:5-9. Praise God!
Jesus Christ Revealed: Today Jesus is revealed through the Passover and the candlestick.
Thanks and God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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