March 7- Standing in the Light

March 7, 2011

Scripture Readings:
Numbers 8:1-9:23; Mark 13:14-37;
Psalm 50:1-23; Proverbs 10:29-30

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.

Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Numbers 8:1-9:23

When I was very young, we lived in Oklahoma.  My memories are murky, but I think I remember that in the small house where we lived, if you got up in the middle of the night, were in the kitchen, and you turned on the light, all manner of bugs would scatter and run under the kitchen cabinets to get back into the dark.  Those bugs were not interested in being in the light.

Today God puts the Levites in the light and through a cleansing before the Israelites head out into the desert and towards the Promised Land.  In Numbers 8:1, the Lord commands Moses, "Tell Aaron that when he sets up the seven lamps in the lampstand, he is to place them so their light shines forward."  (NLT)  You may remember from our study of Exodus that the lampstand in the Tabernacle is a picture of Jesus Christ being filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit and being the Light of the world.  One thing that light does is expose flaws.  When you are in the light you can see the blemishes on your face.  When you are in the light of God's Word and the influence of the Holy Spirit you can see the blemishes in your life.  These are usually heart attitudes that need fixing.  Anyway, the Levites are positioned to stand in the light.  Are you standing in the light in your life?

The next portion of the passage is God giving them instructions for washing.  They needed to be sprinkled with water, needed to have their hair shaved off of their whole bodies, needed to have clothes washed in water, and needed to present a sin offering.  What picture is God presenting here?  These are all pictures of cleansing from sin and the work that Jesus has accomplished for us through his death.  Water represents the Holy Spirit sanctifying his people. Confession of sin allows Jesus to wash you.  The razors used to shave off the hair symbolize the sharp two-edged sword that the Word of God is in our lives.  Sin can be cut away when the Bible shows us where we are getting it wrong.  Washing clothing harkens to the white robes of righteousness that Christ gives us after salvation.  Our attitudes and habits should change over time.  Finally, the blood sacrifice of the sin offering pictures how Jesus actually accomplishes this for us.  Standing in the light and being cleansed is a beautiful picture of a spiritual reality.

Do you realize that before you go into the wildernesses of your life you need this cleansing process too?  No one should face a wilderness without Jesus Christ in their life. 

The final picture in today's reading as the Israelites begin their journey into the wilderness is the Shekinah glory of God in the form of a cloud that leads the way through the desert to the Promised Land.  Do you realize that even as you go through the wilderness, God is actually leading the way?  Does that change your perspective on the difficult times you have experienced in life?  He goes before you in suffering. Attaining the joyous Christian life (the Promised Land) is only achieved through following God's leading and enduring suffering like Christ in the wilderness of trials.

Mark 13: 14-37

Today Jesus continues to explain the end times to the disciples.  His list gets even more graphic and disturbing.  Here we go:

• The abomination of desolation in the Temple.  This is a reference to Daniel's prophecies in Daniel 9:27; 11:31; and 12:11.  This is some form of idol worship with the Antichrist declaring to be god. Vs. 14
• Unless the Lord shorten the days of this time, the entire human race will be destroyed. Vs. 20
• False messiahs and false prophets will rise up  Vs. 22
• The sun will be darkened, the moon will not give light, the stars will fall from the sky and the heavens will be shaken.  Vs. 24-25
• Everyone on earth will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds in power and glory.  Vs. 26
• He will send forth his angels to gather his chosen ones from across the world, both in heaven and in earth.  (reference to those who are still living on the earth).  Vs. 27
• There will be seasons of time and this will be one of the seasons of earth.  Vs. 28-30
• Everything on this old heaven and earth will eventually disappear.  The only thing that will remain constant is God's Word.  His Word remains forever.  Vs. 31
• Only God the Father knows when these things will take place.  Vs. 32
• We are to be busy doing the work God has given us on this earth until he returns.  Vs. 33-36

• Watch for His return. vs. 37

I just want to comment on Vs. 31 that says that the only thing that remains forever are His words.  If you have time, go back and read my post called Foundations on January 1, 2011.  In it, I mention that God created the universe from His Words.  His mind/logic/intelligence is what holds the universe together.  God assures us here that His Words, His Essence (personality) remains.  It is His Words which then form the new heaven and new earth promised in Revelation 21.  We are in the same position as the Old Testament saints with regards to truly understanding how the future will unfold.  Be wary of trying to figure this all out.  We really just need to go on faith.  Scripture teaches that the best thing we can do is just live our lives doing what we are called to do in faith. Jesus is shining a light on what we can expect in the future.

Psalm 50:1-23

In this psalm God clarifies that he doesn't need our sacrifices of bulls and goats.  The sacrifices will point to the sacrifice of Christ in the future. God wants obedience and faith in Christ's sacrifice.

Proverbs 10:29-30

The righteous/upright are protected. The wicked destroyed.   Got it.

What did you see today?

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal
Kathy Fullerton