God Reveals Himself Throughout History
Reading: Numbers 28 -32
My Verse: "These you shall offer to the Lord at your appointed feasts, besides the offerings you have vowed and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, cereal offerings, drink offerings, and peace offerings. And Moses told the Israelites all that the LORD commanded him" (Numbers 29:39, 40).
I have always had a difficult time reading these passages on the detailed descriptions of the offerings the Israelites were to bring before You, LORD God. They seemed so burdensome. I have had trouble seeing the meaning of it all. But I am learning that You, LORD God do nothing that is burdensome or meaningless. You do what is needed for us. You know our needs more than we do ourselves and so You provide for us. Here You are simply revealing Yourself to the Israelites in a way that they can understand.
The Israelites lived in a time when the religions around them were very ritualistic. So You, LORD God provided them their own rituals with which they were to use to worship You. You knew their state of mind and the need they had to do an actual physical act in their worship of You. They needed prescribed, regular activities - rituals! You provided them these rituals in precise detail.
It is interesting that I am reading about this very thing in McDermott's God's Rivals. Irenaeus(145-202 AD) a very early Christian teacher taught that "all human beings have from the beginning of the world been given revelation or knowledge of God sufficient for salvation." He, Irenaeus believed that You, LORD God provided revelation to mankind through Jesus "in different ways at different times." McDermott quotes Iranaeus "by a great variety of ways, [God] lead the human race to salvation . . .the Word passing through all these men . . . drew up a code adapted to every condition of life" (AH 4.14.2).
McDermott goes on to explain this quote in this way.
"When the natural law implanted in human hearts failed to restrain people from idolatry, God turned to a written code. Later came the prophets, whose messages were first oral and then later put into writing. Only later did the Word become flesh, to instantiate what was previously shown in other ways. He instructed the Jews in the desert with a detailed sacrificial system, which was later eclipsed by the perfect sacrifice of the Son of God himself"
"In other words, to a nation of slow learners, God used many different teaching methods over thousands of years to communicate the truth. It was the same truth, but it came through different methods and modes because of different hearts and capacities to learn" (McDermott, p. 114).
I never fail to be amazed LORD God at how you bring us Your Truth -how You bring us to an understanding of Your Truth. And You know just when we are ready for it and how we need to receive it! The Israelites needed these ritualistic sacrifices at this time in their lives. Throughout history You have changed how we are to do things. It is so wonderful that You are not static! There is constant change - constant upgrading! We need to be so careful that we don't become stick-in-the-mud, dogmatic followers of You. At the same time we need to be careful that we are true to Your Word, which alone is Truth.
I pray for the church today, LORD God. I pray that we are sensitive to this need to change with the times, with the cultural changes to meet and bring Your message to those around us that do not know You. It is also vitally important to remember as Iranaeus said, that the gospel message itself never changes.
"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
Reading: Numbers 28 -32
My Verse: "These you shall offer to the Lord at your appointed feasts, besides the offerings you have vowed and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, cereal offerings, drink offerings, and peace offerings. And Moses told the Israelites all that the LORD commanded him" (Numbers 29:39, 40).
I have always had a difficult time reading these passages on the detailed descriptions of the offerings the Israelites were to bring before You, LORD God. They seemed so burdensome. I have had trouble seeing the meaning of it all. But I am learning that You, LORD God do nothing that is burdensome or meaningless. You do what is needed for us. You know our needs more than we do ourselves and so You provide for us. Here You are simply revealing Yourself to the Israelites in a way that they can understand.
The Israelites lived in a time when the religions around them were very ritualistic. So You, LORD God provided them their own rituals with which they were to use to worship You. You knew their state of mind and the need they had to do an actual physical act in their worship of You. They needed prescribed, regular activities - rituals! You provided them these rituals in precise detail.
It is interesting that I am reading about this very thing in McDermott's God's Rivals. Irenaeus(145-202 AD) a very early Christian teacher taught that "all human beings have from the beginning of the world been given revelation or knowledge of God sufficient for salvation." He, Irenaeus believed that You, LORD God provided revelation to mankind through Jesus "in different ways at different times." McDermott quotes Iranaeus "by a great variety of ways, [God] lead the human race to salvation . . .the Word passing through all these men . . . drew up a code adapted to every condition of life" (AH 4.14.2).
McDermott goes on to explain this quote in this way.
"When the natural law implanted in human hearts failed to restrain people from idolatry, God turned to a written code. Later came the prophets, whose messages were first oral and then later put into writing. Only later did the Word become flesh, to instantiate what was previously shown in other ways. He instructed the Jews in the desert with a detailed sacrificial system, which was later eclipsed by the perfect sacrifice of the Son of God himself"
"In other words, to a nation of slow learners, God used many different teaching methods over thousands of years to communicate the truth. It was the same truth, but it came through different methods and modes because of different hearts and capacities to learn" (McDermott, p. 114).
I never fail to be amazed LORD God at how you bring us Your Truth -how You bring us to an understanding of Your Truth. And You know just when we are ready for it and how we need to receive it! The Israelites needed these ritualistic sacrifices at this time in their lives. Throughout history You have changed how we are to do things. It is so wonderful that You are not static! There is constant change - constant upgrading! We need to be so careful that we don't become stick-in-the-mud, dogmatic followers of You. At the same time we need to be careful that we are true to Your Word, which alone is Truth.
I pray for the church today, LORD God. I pray that we are sensitive to this need to change with the times, with the cultural changes to meet and bring Your message to those around us that do not know You. It is also vitally important to remember as Iranaeus said, that the gospel message itself never changes.
"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
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