Thursday, February 23, 2017

Who, among us, belongs to God?

Tuesday 2-21-17, Modesto, California
Today we read Num 8 – 9 and Acts 28
S = Scripture,  O = Observation,  A = Application,  P = Prayer,  SOAP for the soul.


S. Num 8:14 In this way, you will set the Levites apart from the rest of the people of Israel, and the Levites will belong to me. NLT

O. Moses and Aaron were brothers of the tribe of Levi. Jewish Priests were only selected from the tribe of Levi and those Levites that were not chosen to be priests were all involved in things related to the worship of God and the maintenance of the tabernacle.  However, this did not exclude the other eleven tribes from worship. David was of the tribe of Judah, and he wrote many of the psalms and sang them to God, accompanied by the music of his harp. We know his fingers worked wonders on that harp, since King Saul hired him to give him a background of sweet melodies to calm his troubled soul. We are not informed as to the tribal background of the apostles chosen by our Lord to carry His message throughout the world. It is most likely that Matthew (Levi) was a Levite. We know that Paul was from the tribe of Benjamin. Obviously, Jesus was not choosing one from each tribe, since there were two sets of brothers among the original twelve.

A. So today who are the ones that “belong to God”? Jesus showed us a new day when many would be chosen for specific tasks related to His Church, and that any and all of His followers really belong to Him. The Apostle Paul admonishes us to flee sexual impurity saying, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” 1 Cor 6:19-20 NIV. I am not my own, to do whatever I please. I have been bought with a price… and what a price! … the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God on that cruel cross. I belong to God from the top of my head to the sole of my feet.**

P. Lord Jesus: May I never forget the price You paid to redeem me from the depths of sin! If the Levites were a chosen people in the days of Moses, today we have each been chosen to belong to You. You care about me. You watch how things are going for me. Like a son born into Your family, Praise God! I belong to You! Amen.

Ralph
1 Peter 2:9-10 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. NIV





No comments:

Post a Comment