Reflections: 12-13-2007

All Scripture citations are taken from New Living Translation, Second Edition (NLT).

Bible Reading Reflections:

• Leviticus 25
  

  It is here that God commanded the Israelites to observe the regulations of the Sabbatical year. Basically, people must not till their farmlands during this year, and anything growing in these lands must be taken as food. And also they are also commanded to observe the Year of the Jubilee, where everything owned and acquired will be released to be reacquired or will be returned to their original owners. Regulations for slave and debt release are outlined here.
  

  
  

• Leviticus 26
  

  In this chapter, God gave promises to bless those who are obedient and faithful to Him. Conversely, He also made known the consequences of disobeying Him, seeing that He is also the God of justice and holiness. But God gave provisions of restoring those who come back to Him to truly repent, as His mercies are ever abundant.
  

  
  

  • I will live among you, and I will not despise you. I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people. (vv. 11-12)
    
    • To summarize the various blessings outlined in the earlier verses for obeying God, He will live among them by making them feel His presence among them, not that He has really left them.
      

    
    

  • Yes, I myself will devastate your land, and your enemies who come to occupy it will be appalled at what they see. I will scatter you among the nations and bring out my sword against you. Your land will become desolate, and your cities will lie in ruins. (vv. 32-33)
    
    • This is one of the punishments God will strike to Israel for their disobedience. Indeed this had happened, as He was sending tragedies and defeats to the Israelites. The Jews are the exception to the rule that a conquered nation will dissolve to their conquerors. (Greeks exhibited a similar exception but their culture was adopted by their captors, the Romans.)
      

    
    

  • But despite this all this, I will not utterly reject or despise them while they are in exile in the land of their enemies. I will not cancel my covenant with them by wiping them out, for I am the LORD their God. For their sakes I will remember my ancient covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of all the nations, that I might be their God. I am the LORD. (vv. 44-45)
    
    • Despite everything that Israel has done, God will not completely reject them. He has His will for them and the role that they will be doing throughout history. One must notice that, considering how much conquerors they have been through, their identity as Jews has not been dissolved. This should be a miracle by itself, considering that God had made this promise to them even they had undergone rebellions before.
      
    • Having said that, look at the current world events and see how modern day Israel came to fulfil God's promises for them.
      

  
  

• Luke 6
  

  In this chapter, further discussions regarding the regulation for Sabbath was discussed here, as He also healed a man with a deformed right hand at this day. Jesus had selected 12 among His disciples to be His apostles. Jesus imparted who are those that are blessed in what we have come to call as the Beatitudes. He also imparted His thoughts regarding judging others but lacking in introspection.
  

  
  

  • One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be his apostles. (vv. 12-13)
    
    • Before Jesus Christ made an important decision, He goes up to a mountain to pray alone. And He did that throughout the whole night. Although fasting is not mentioned here, I think this should not discount as fasting is complimentary to praying. After much prayer, He chose who among His disciples 12 who will become His apostles.
      
    • We must learn something about prayer and how to do it, as shown here by Jesus Christ Himself.