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May 08, 2023 06:00am

The Bible Recap: Days 50-56

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(The following are reflections from the writer’s personal journey through The Bible Recap by Tara-Leigh Cobble – a Bible reading plan to read the Bible chronologically in one year. To learn more about The Bible Recap, visit thebiblerecap.com.)

Day 50: Read Leviticus Chapters 19-21

My Takeaways:

Amid God establishing boundaries for His people, it was so insightful to hear Tara-Leigh break those laws down into 3 types:

Civil
Ceremonial
Moral

That the moral laws still very much apply to us today because they reflect God’s character. That it’s not just the action, it’s the heart behind the action itself. It’s always about the heart!

Here are a few of His laws that stood out to me:

love your neighbor as yourself
leave the gleanings of your harvest for the poor
don’t turn to mediums or spiritists (these are very popular today!)

We were never meant to look like other people, other nations—we were always meant to stand out as different. It was about loving God so much, they followed Him and His laws. God needed His people different than the pagan nations around them—but as we follow their story, we see them struggle with being drawn to the world more than they are drawn to God.

The same can happen for us today, too. He sets us apart, too. In the way we talk. In the way we act. In the types of things we do. If our lives are a testimony to others who don’t know Him, there should be something different about us. People are always watching…God wants His people to stand out with their love. Love for Him. Love for others.

It’s the heart of the matter.

Day 51: Read Leviticus Chapters 22-23

My Takeaways:

It’s all about reminders being clean and how to get clean. Like Tara-Leigh said, it’s about celebration and remembrance for their feasts. And it’s all about God accepting only the best sacrifice. Jews had to bring an animal that was unblemished, not because God expects us to be perfect – that is impossible! We are a broken people. God is holy and sets His bar high so that we can see that we will always fall short. So, in the New Testament, God provided the perfect sacrifice—Jesus—on our behalf.

Jesus is that perfect sacrifice for us. When it’s hard for me to see beyond the rules and laws, I love the symbolism of Jesus all throughout this book!

Day 52: Read Leviticus Chapters 24-25

My Takeaways:

You guys, we are almost done with Leviticus! If you have hung in there, good job! It hasn’t been easy. If you pushed pause, give yourself some grace and join us in Numbers!

Today felt like a change of pace in our reading! To me, there were two themes: fear the Lord and redemption.

Fearing the Lord was implying that the Israelites were to respect Him. Respect His name and respect others because they are all in God’s family.

The Year of Jubilee offered the Israelites redemption—redemption if they were working for others (as servants, not slaves) and redemption for land or homes they had sold. They are not to cheat each other in selling back these homes and lands.

To me, my God Shot was focused on relationship: loving God and loving others. This means they showed that love in their words and actions. It was about showing respect to those they loved.

Day 53: Read Leviticus Chapters 26-27

My Takeaways:

Today is our last reading in Leviticus! We made it!

And Chapter 26 was a good one. It was all about blessings and consequences. God offers many beautiful promises to His people by keep their covenant, and He offers many intimidating consequences if they break covenant—consequences that appear to be sequential: If this doesn’t get your attention, then I will do ____.

But, in spite of these consequences, God said if they would humble their hearts and repent, He would remember their covenant. Repentance is the key to relationship with God.

My favorite part was when God said this: “I will place my residence among you, and I will not reject you. I will walk among you and be your God and you will be my people.”

It was about loving God and obeying God. It was about humbling themselves and returning to God when they strayed. God is always after the heart—and our heart drives our obedience. And, respecting God and His rules would lead to the biggest blessings of their lives.

Friends, God hasn’t changed. He is still after hearts that are fully His and that obey His Word. And He is after hearts that are repentant when they have sinned. There are blessings for obedience and consequences.

This wasn’t the last chapter Leviticus ends on, but to me, it was a great one to focus on as we wrap up this book of living and laws.

Day 54: Read Numbers Chapters 1-2

My Takeaways:

We are starting our 4th book of the Bible!

Today is all about numbers—which is why our book is called Numbers. As God’s people move through the wilderness, God establishes order with how they are to move and in what order they set out. He and His tabernacle are at the center with the Levites in charge of the moving and the keeping of all its articles.

My God Shot was short and sweet: at the end of this reading, it said, “The Israelites did everything the Lord commanded Moses…”

Right now, they are obeying….but stay tuned! It’s about to change in dramatic ways.

Day 55: Read Numbers Chapters 3-4

My Takeaways:

Not much action today—but God is having Moses do some census taking…so, more numbers!

We see God giving the tribe of Levi duties in caring for the tabernacle.
We see God claiming the Levites saying “The Levites belong to me, I am the Lord.”
We see God redeeming the firstborns of Israel with the Levites—where each family is represented with a Levite. The numbers are off, and there are families who aren’t represented, so they are to give an offering that covers them. Now, everyone is covered and redeemed.

My God Shot is that God is a God of redemption. He breaks cultural norm by honoring the second born males in families. He honors the tribe of Levi—named after a murderer. He had the tribe of Judah next to the tabernacle—named after a man who betrayed Joseph and impregnated his future daughter-in-law. He honors Aaron—a man who led the Israelites in idol worship.

I love how God shows us our mistakes don’t define us! When you feel lost in all the numbers, pan out and look at the bigger picture: no matter what birth order you are, no matter what your family is known for, no matter what sins you have committed, He can not only redeem you, but He gives us a new identity and new purpose. In fact, He repurposes us!

Day 56: Read Numbers Chapters 5-6

My Takeaways:

Oh friends, I am not going to lie—I am on the struggle bus with the readings. I find myself reading and re-reading these sections, not having a whole lot to share with you. I love stories. I love connecting to the people in the stories. All these laws and rules for living are challenging me when my eyes start to swim.

Today is one of those times. The reading on jealously was heavy, but Tara-Leigh’s comments on this helped! And, the reading on the Nazarite vow always makes me think of Samson.

But, nothing stood out to me until I got to one of my favorite passages in the Bible: Numbers 6:24-26.

“May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord show you his kindness and have mercy on you.

May the Lord watch over you and give you peace.”

I love this blessing and I want it.

And when the readings challenge me, I have to pan out and see the bigger picture: No matter whether it’s Old Testament or New Testament times, our Lord has boundaries for His people. That’s what Leviticus was all about. I think we forget that we have a holy God and He has rules about His presence and our purity. He reinforces those rules in Numbers. And He reminds them: “Be holy because I am holy. Be set apart because I am set apart.” When we look at the world, we lower our bar. But, when we read God’s word, He raises it. He calls us to live differently…not because we “have to” but because we want to. Our love for Him compels us to keep trying no matter how many times we fail.

That’s what these books are about. And when my eyes swim, I gotta remind myself of this.