by Darrell | Jun 5, 2026 | Articles
In Numbers 33:50-56, there are instructions regarding the conquest of the promised land. They are told to drive out the inhabitants, destroy items associated with their pagan worship, and don’t let even a remnant of them to remain in the land with them. It sounds like a straightforward “battle plan” of conquest, but it is much more.
First, the inhabitants have been judged by God. It was not arbitrary that this was the land that was promised. This is important to notice so that we do not think of God as being unjust. He has acted righteously in taking away the land from this pagan people and giving it to His people.
Second, they were to expel ALL the inhabitants. If they leave any, they will be “barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell.” We are looking backward in history and see that very thing happen. They didn’t follow all of God’s instructions, leaving some of the inhabitants and the result was they learned their pagan practices, intermarried with foreigners, and compromised themselves spiritually in so doing. (take some time to consider Psalm 106:43-49 and 1 Kings 11:1-8)
We are not of the Hebrews who were conquering the promised land, but we are a spiritual people of God and there’s lessons to be learned from these commands and their actions in following (or not following) them. The biggest one is to understand the need to rid our lives of impure influences. We may think something is small and poses no threat, but over time, influences can creep in. Our attitudes can change, we no longer hold the line of faith as we once did, or we slowly adopt practices that may be questionable at best. The culture around is always going to be used by our adversary to create conflict and try to convince us to compromise the truth. We need clarity in moral decisions and an unwavering consistency in following God. Paul said:
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Cor 6:14–18)
The Israelites didn’t follow God’s commands completely, They absorbed some of the impurity of the peoples God had already judged, and it was to their detriment. We must value purity and holiness as people of God, not allowing ourselves to be influenced, but rather for us to be an influence for good in the world we live. We need to be the salt and light in the world and not lose our savor! (Matt 5:13-16)
by Darrell | May 28, 2026 | Articles
In Mark 12:28-34 (the parallel passage being found in Matthew 22), Jesus is asked by a scribe (one who was expected to be an expert in the law) what the greatest commandment is. Jesus responds by quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and adds the second greatest commandment as well. It was not new. It comes from Leviticus 19:18. The scribe didn’t ask about the second greatest commandment, but Jesus added it anyway because it is “like it.” These 2 commandments “depend all the Law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40). The scribe agrees with him, but is that enough? Jesus says he is “not far from the kingdom of God.” No, it wasn’t quite enough. We know that one must believe in Jesus (John 8:24) and obey Him (John 14:15; 15:10). The scribe’s understanding of these commandments was a good start, but he needed to go a little farther. Many people will believe a great many things Jesus taught and still stop short of full commitment. I would hope that the scribe did indeed go the whole way to being saved, but it is not revealed to us.
Loving God fully is not just a warm, fuzzy feeling. It is a commitment, a prioritization of God in our lives. We are called to give the full measure of ourselves — heart, soul, mind and strength. Nothing held back or reserved. We are seeking Him and desiring to align ourselves with His will.
Loving our neighbors as ourselves is also a high calling for the Christian. Before the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, the question was asked of Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” It was asked in order to justify himself. Loving your neighbor is easy when it’s someone who looks like me, talks like me, believes like me, etc. It’s much more challenging when it goes outside those boundaries. The Jews had been told not to associate with Gentiles to the point that they didn’t think they were their neighbors at all. The parable of the good Samaritan revealed that thinking as flawed.
What do we want for ourselves? Good things, of course. We want the necessities of life, but we want more than that. Ultimately, we want salvation as well, so we should want this for our neighbors. We should be actively looking for and sharing the answer for that need! And we should be doing it in love (Ephesians 4:15).
Jesus’ simple answer to the scribe’s question has a lot of implications. We would do well to meditate on not only the meaning of those 2 commandments, but also whether we are actively working to fulfill those commandments in our lives.
by Darrell | May 1, 2026 | Articles
Leviticus 25 outlines the Year of Jubilee. It’s an interesting subject to think about. Consider that every 7 days was a Sabbath. Every 7 years was a sabbatical year and after 7 cycles of this (49 years) came the year of Jubilee on the 50th year. The sabbatical year was a rest for the land. They were not to cultivate crops that year, but allow it to rest and they could harvest what grew naturally. This same restriction applied for the Year of Jubilee as well, but it was also much more. It added 2 more things regarding debts and land. If someone sold a piece of land, it was to be returned to them in the year of Jubilee. Also, if someone had indentured themselves, they were to be freed and any remaining debt was to be forgiven. It was like a fresh start for everyone. I think there are some similarities to that which we have in Christ that are worthy of some consideration.
The Year of Jubilee represented freedom and liberation. For one who had been indentured or had sold their land and had nothing at this time, it was a renewal and a chance at a “new” life. In Christ, we hear the good news proclaimed and realize that we are in bondage to sin and the outcome of that bondage is death (Rom 6:23). The good news reveals a liberation from this bondage (see Luke 4:18-19). We can be free to live for Christ. It is a new start and a new walk. We are renewed to a clean state, just as when we were innocent, as children. We embrace this new life and work to never go back to that bondage to sin.
Both the sabbatical year and the Year of Jubilee required a trust in God. The Israelites went from sowing and reaping on their land, to just letting it rest and waiting for what grew to sustain them. There were practical applications here in regards to productivity in the land, but this trust was even more important. The Israelites struggled with trusting God as He wanted them to. They would grumble and complain instead of trust and wait. Sometimes that even led to rebellion. Letting the land rest and trusting that God would sustain them was an act of faith. Likewise, we must act in faith. We must trust the Lord. Over and over in the Psalms, statements of trusting in God are expressed. Do we trust Him at all times, even the uncertain times?
The Year of Jubilee was important. It’s worthy of our consideration even though we do not live under the Old Law. Trust in the Lord and find freedom from sin and death in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior!
by Darrell | May 1, 2026 | Articles
Mark 2:1-13
We have finished Matthew and have begun the gospel account of Mark. In chapter 2, we read of Jesus healing a paralytic. Jesus is at Capernaum and people are gathering in a large enough number that there is no more room at all. Jesus is preaching the word and people are listening. Four men arrive carrying the paralytic. I can’t imagine carrying someone a significant distance but it would certainly slow them down and they arrive to see there is no more room to enter. This doesn’t deter them! That tells me 2 things – they were good friends and they had faith in Jesus power to do something for their friend.
These men carrying the paralytic are good friends. Friends that care. I was thinking about this in terms of drawing an application to ourselves. We need friends that will see our needs and work to help us with them. But we also need to BE friends that see needs and help with them. Not just physical things, but spiritual needs. What greater need does anyone have than to be brought to the Savior and have their sins forgiven?
Jesus looks at this paralytic and says, “Your sins are forgiven.” Perhaps everyone expected Him to heal the man and for them to see him get up and walk, but Jesus saw a bigger need than walking (and a teaching moment). Jesus forgave the man’s sins and He had every right to do so. He is the son of God. But in order to prove His authority to forgive sins, He also heals the man. The miracle proved it. This miracle was the witness to who Jesus is.
We need to understand and remember who Jesus is. The lamb of God. the Son of God. The Great Physician. The Good Shepherd. The Savior. The High Priest. And we could keep going. Jesus is of paramount importance. We need to be at His feet and we need to bring others to His feet!
by Darrell | May 1, 2026 | Articles
In our reading from Leviticus 8, Aaron and his sons are given instructions regarding their consecration for service as priests. They were the beginning of the line of priests beginning with Aaron and this was an important event. As I read this, I was thinking about Peter’s description of us as priests under the new covenant (1 Peter 2), and thinking about parallels between this chapter and us.
In the beginning of the chapter, they are to take the garments and oil, as well as a sin offering, rams, and unleavened bread while everyone is assembled together. They are then washed and clothed as they begin their service. We, as priests today, do not serve in the same way and do not wear specific garments like they did, but we are to be pure and righteous, cleansed of sin. We are set apart as believers in God, who will serve Him each day. We must seek to be clean and righteous in His sight always.
As Aaron and his sons are prepared for the service of God, even the tabernacle and all that was in it was consecrated for service. The priests and the items were all set apart for service to God. We, as Christians, are set apart to be useful to the Lord, called out of darkness into His marvelous light.
“Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.” (2 Timothy 2:21)
Towards the end of the chapter, beginning in verse 30, Moses emphasizes that all of this is done according to the commands of the Lord. Atonement was made and they were consecrated. Likewise, we are expected to follow the commands of the Lord. We are set apart for the Lord’s service, seeking to bring glory to God. Our obedience is twofold. Verse 35 contained a warning about obedience “so that you do not die.” We obey in order to avoid condemnation, but that is not the limit of obedience. We also obey because we have come to love God (John 14:15), leading us to obey, and we desire to bring glory to Him (1 Corinthians 10:31). Note also, that it is chapter 10 that records Nadab and Abihu being killed because they did not obey the Lord and offered something He had not commanded (unauthorized fire). The warning from verse 35 was not heeded and they did lose their lives. We ourselves do not want to be turned away on the day of judgment so that we are condemned to eternal suffering and death. We desire to have life eternal with our God.
So then let us embrace our role as priests in the spiritual house of God, seeking to be pure, following His commands, and bringing glory to God!
