God’s plan is huge and involves you
Every day we're reading or listening to part of the Bible together and sharing thoughts with you. Today it’s Bern Leckie:
What did I like about today’s passage?
Right now, this seems like a hard book to get excited about in the details. (Just wait though, there are some amazing story details coming later…) What strikes me most in this opening is the scale at which God had been working with Israel, followed by his involving design.
It all began with one man’s obedient response to God, and it’s grown to a national movement counting over 600,000 men of military service age, so probably millions in total.
I love that everyone has a role, and no-one is left out. The placement of tribal camps forming an order of battle reminds me of God's creation work in Genesis - structured, methodical, purposeful. I wondered why God needs help to count people - doesn't he already know? - but I think the point is that just as God involved Adam in his work, God is calling Moses and the leaders of families into his kingdom building project.
Central to this kingdom is the ability for people to meet with the King - God himself. There is a structure which enables them to do this at huge scale, and it relies on the faithfulness of a chosen people (the Levites) within their nation. Funny that, because the nation's historic role will be as a people chosen to enable the world to know God. They might not know it yet, but God is training them for this by example.
What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?
Many strange sounding rules emphasise God's specialness and show what holiness means. This was no mere survival camp. We know this because life is ordered around more than health and purity. God wants his people how to grow relationally, trust and rely on each other and know how to put things right when they go wrong. By living like this, God’s people can make his values and long-term plan for humanity recognisable to others.
What am I going to do differently as a result?
Too often I think about faith in God as mainly about me and people immediately around me. I know his kingdom is much, much bigger, but it’s hard to see. Sometimes I might confuse it with generally being nice and doing our best, rather than something God is running.
So with this picture of God’s people in mind, I’m going to remember that even while we are lockdown, God has ordered us. Each of us belongs and has a role – it’s for us to discover and respect what this is. I want to spend more time helping people to find and use the gifts God has given them which reveal his character, personally and in things we must do together.
Who am I going to share this with?
We’re due for a reunion chat about “The SHAPE of you” course soon, which went into these areas. I’ll share with people who have done that course and others who might like to.