In our busy society, few people have tolerance for anything they perceive to be a waste of their time. The Scriptures do teach us to make the most of our time (Ephesians 5:16), so we should strive to do this in all things. When it comes to our periods of Bible study, how can we be sure our time is spent profitably? This will depend on actions and attitudes.
Let us notice some factors that will help determine the profitability of our Bible studies.
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Numbers 14-15; Psalm 90.
“As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10).
In this psalm attributed to Moses, we are reminded of the brevity of life. We will not live forever here on the earth. Although seventy or eighty years may seem like a long time from a certain perspective, it is really a short period of time.
James writes, “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away” (James 4:14). The Hebrew writer notes, “It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Numbers 11-13.
“The rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, ‘Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna’” (Numbers 11:4-6).
The complaints of the children of Israel were a frequent occurrence in the wilderness. It is amazing that those who had seen the power of God first-hand would so quickly lose faith in Him.
Yet we see something about human nature here. Many people want someone to regularly provide for them, even if there are strings attached. They want consistency in their lives, even if their circumstances are not ideal. They do not desire true freedom, for this requires contentment, diligence, personal responsibility, and a trust in the providence of God.
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Numbers 8-10.
When the time came for the Israelites to observe the Passover, a few of them were unable to observe it. They questioned Moses as to what they could do:
“But there were some men who were unclean because of the dead person, so that they could not observe Passover on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. Those men said to him, ‘Though we are unclean because of the dead person, why are we restrained from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?’ Moses therefore said to them, ‘Wait, and I will listen to what the Lord will command concerning you’” (Numbers 9:6-8).
The Lord then revealed to Moses a provision for those who were unable to observe the Passover at the appointed time (Numbers 9:9-12). This was not to be used as a loophole for those were able to observe but neglected it (Numbers 9:13). But God made an exception for those who were unclean or away on a journey.
What I want us to notice here is not the exception, but Moses’ reply to these men when they questioned him about what they could do in this situation.
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Numbers 7.
When the tabernacle was finished, the leaders of Israel brought an offering consisting of six carts and twelve oxen (Numbers 7:1-3). The Lord then gave Moses instructions about what to do with them:
“‘Accept these things from them, that they may be used in the service of the tent of meeting, and you shall give them to the Levites, to each man according to his service.’ So Moses took the carts and the oxen and gave them to the Levites. Two carts and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service, and four carts and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service… But he did not give any to the sons of Kohath because theirs was the service of the holy objects, which they carried on their shoulders” (Numbers 7:5-9).
Among the Levites there were three groups: the sons of Gershon, the sons of Merari, and the sons of Kohath. It may have seemed logical to divide the offerings between the three groups – two carts and four oxen each – but this was not the Lord’s will.
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Numbers 5-6.
When the Law was first handed down to Moses, adultery was explicitly condemned (Exodus 20:14). If this command was violated, God revealed the punishment for this sin – “If there is a man who commits adultery with another man’s wife… the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death” (Levitucus 20:10).
What if there was only a suspicion of adultery? What if one was all but certain his wife had committed adultery with another man, but he had no evidence to prove she was guilty? The Law addressed this:
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Thought from today’s Bible reading from Numbers 3-4.
In the previous reading, we noticed that the men of Israel, “from twenty years old and upward, whoever is able to go out to war” (Numbers 1:3), were to be numbered. The exception to this was the tribe of Levi because they had a special duty to perform for the Lord (Numbers 1:49-50).
However, when we get to chapter 3, we find instructions given regarding the numbering of the Levites:
“Number the sons of Levi by their fathers’ households, by their families; every male from a month old and upward you shall number” (Numbers 3:15).
Instead of numbering the males who were twenty years old and upward, as was done with the rest of the tribes, the Lord wanted the Levites to be counted beginning at one month old.
Furthermore, instead of being counted for war, the Levites were set apart and counted for a spiritual work.
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What does “propitiation” mean? How is “justification” connected to salvation? What does “sanctification” look like in our day-to-day lives? The Bible uses some powerful words to describe God’s plan to save mankind. However, these words are not always easy to understand, especially when they are not part of our everyday vocabulary. This book explores key Bible terms that unlock the message of the gospel.
Big Words in the Bible examines five important words – Propitiation, Reconciliation, Sanctification, Justification, and Resurrection – using plain language to see how the Scriptures describe these concepts and how the apostle Paul employs them in his letter to the Romans. This book also contains an appendix with eleven additional articles to explore these topics further.
Whether you are new to the Bible and want to grow in your understanding or want a simple way to explain these core gospel doctrines to others, this book will be helpful. With a focus on the Scriptures, Big Words in the Bible helps break down these fundamental topics to shed light on the life-changing message of the gospel and the salvation found in it.
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