Today’s reading: Num 32:1–42, 1 Cor 14:26–15:11, Ps 27:1–14

Today’s theme: Harmony, peace and order

The thrust of today’s reading is that God desires unity around the truth for the church as we operate in harmony, peace and order. God does not want the church to be an unruly free for all, there should be order because God does not create confusion. We need to pay attention to the preached word of God and apply it to our lives instead of attending church to “do our thing” or “have our say”.

Numbers 32:1–42

Sin cannot be concealed from God

But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23 (ESV)

As stated in Galatians 6:7, what we sow we will also reap, we cannot pull wool over God’s eyes. Justice for your sin will ultimately come on the day of judgement, or was ultimately satisfied through Jesus on the cross.

Just because Jesus has paid the price for our sins, it does not mean we can live in sin, this is wickedness and foolishness and God will not be mocked in this way. We cannot hold God to ransom, He is not a man, He is God!

1 Corinthians 14:26–15:11

Harmony, peace and order

For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, 1 Corinthians 14:33 (ESV)

This is the main point for Paul, he was dealing with a very unruly church in Corinth where there was a lack of order in the service, with tongues and prophecies being said over each other which resulted in no one benefiting as everyone tried to say their piece. James 3:16-17 paints a picture of the problems in the church at Corinth.

Instead of this, our worship should reflect the nature of our God. Mayhem and confusion are not characteristics of God (but these were the traits of the false gods). God is not the author or cause of confusion in the church, the charge for this lays at our own feet, so we must abandon all self-centred behaviour.

God desires harmony, peace and order in His church, for the mutual benefit of its members and for His glory, so let us reflect Him in our worship.

We don’t need questions to prophecy

the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. 1 Corinthians 14:34–35 (ESV)

Understanding the background to the problems in the church at Corinth, will help us to put these statements from Paul into their proper context. In the Greek tradition, prophecy like the ones coming from the oracle at Delphi, required questions being asked to prompt the prophetic utterance. It is likely that some married Corinthian women in the church, who were likely prophetesses themselves and involved in the weighing of prophesies, were influenced by their surrounding culture and asked questions as part of the service.

Paul wanted to make the point that unlike the oracle at Delphi and other forms of prophecy from the ancient world, prophecy in the church did not require priming questions, instead it was completely dependent on the inspiration and direction of the Holy Spirit. Paul addresses these women in this context, suggesting that they ask questions at home and not to disrupt the service, therefore the theme of order within the service remains.

First importance, the Gospel

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:3–4 (ESV)

Paul made it clear that the thing of first or greatest importance is the Gospel message, which he summarises here.

Psalm 27:1–14

The Lord is beautiful

One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. Psalm 27:4 (ESV)

God is truly beautiful, just thinking about who God is as revealed in His word, is so wonderful. We should stop and savour God, His word and His presence. When we stop and look to God, we can ask Him questions and be confident that we will get answers.

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

Desiring God on 1 Corinthians 15

 

Today’s reading: Num 31:1–54, 1 Cor 14:1–25, Ps 26:1–12

Today’s theme: Build others up

For the past few days we have been reading about the body of Christ, how we are a many members body with varying gifts. Today Paul makes the point that whatever gifts we have, we should seek to use them to build up and nourish the body. The gift that questions had been asked about were tongues and prophecy and so Paul uses these in particular, to make his point and gives guidelines for public ministry.

Numbers 31:1–54

The teaching of Balam

Moses said to them, “Have you let all the women live? Behold, these, on Balaam’s advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the LORD. Numbers 31:15–16 (ESV)

In Revelation 2:14  we hear Jesus tell us, through John, that the church at Pergamum were in a dangerous place of compromise, by some holding on to the teaching of Balaam who taught the Midianites to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel in the form of sexual immorality and idolatry.

Jesus calls on the church to repent of the sins of compromise and appeasement with the world. Balaam represents false teaching, while the women guilty of enticement represent compromise and sin, we must kill both of these with impunity. John Owen said: “…be killing sin or sin be killing you”.

1 Corinthians 14:1–25

Build others up

Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up. 1 Corinthians 14:5 (ESV)

Paul’s main point in this section is to encourage the Corinthians who were fond of using the gift of tongues (the miraculous ability to speak unlearned human and angelic languages), to see the greater worth in prophesying (bringing a message from God under the direction of the Holy Spirit to the body of believers that is intelligible), as this builds up the body, which is one of his main points in the letter as a whole.

For the immature believer it seemed that the gift of tongues was one of the things leading to pride and a false sense of maturity. We should use our gifts to build up our fellow believers. Prophesying provides insight, warning, correction, and encouragement… tongues will do this too, only with interpretation.

Guidelines for public ministry

Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue. Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. 1 Corinthians 14:19–20 (ESV)

Paul made clear that he spoke in tongues more than everyone in the Corinthian church, but it seems he did this speaking in tongues “more than them all” in private.

Paul makes his point even clearer by saying that he would rather speak just 5 words that were intelligible whilst in the public assembly of the church, than 10,000 words in tongues which are not intelligible (without interpretation). So the point is made again that we should seek to build one another up, this should be the motivation behind the pursuit of and use of the gifts in the church.

God made our minds, not the devil. God wants our minds to be engaged and used for Him and His glory. In light of this, Paul calls the church to clear and mature thinking. As Christians we need to engage in the discipline of thinking, mediating on God’s word and using our God given intellectual faculties to build up and encourage one another in the Lord.

Psalm 26:1–12

Ask God to examine you

Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind. Psalm 26:2 (ESV)

We should walk with a pure heart before the Lord in integrity, then we can join David in this prayer asking God to examine us. The New Testament goes even further and reminds us to examine ourselves to see if we really are in the faith, see 2 Corinthians 13:5.

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

The Gospel Coalition on 1 Corinthians 14

Today’s reading: Num 30:1–16, 1 Cor 12:12–13:13, Ps 25:1–22

Today’s theme: A better way

The ‘better way’ that cuts to the heart of the controversy over varied gifts and the use of those gifts, is love. We could be very gifted both naturally and spiritually, but without love it is not worth anything. This should be the heart and driving force of the Christian’s life; love for God and love for others because when all the gifts lose their use in the coming kingdom, love will remain.

Numbers 30:1–16

God overrides our folly

But if, on the day that her husband comes to hear of it, he opposes her, then he makes void her vow that was on her, and the thoughtless utterance of her lips by which she bound herself. And the LORD will forgive her. Numbers 30:8 (ESV)

God is our Father and we are the Bride of Christ, so in this way, there is a spiritual lesson to learn. We may say or declare something which later becomes a prison or burden to us, but God can reverse the foolish things we declare in our folly and lack of knowledge, because His words and decrees are more powerful than ours and because we are in a relationship with Him. He is our covering, head and authority. Jesus told us to avoid foolish vows but to make our conversation plain by simply saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’, in Matthew 5:37.

1 Corinthians 12:12–13:13

People of the Spirit

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:13 (ESV)

All Christians are baptised and have the Holy Spirit living in them. We are by definition, spiritual people or people of the Spirit. The Spirit is what essentially distinguishes us from the unbelievers and marks the beginning of our lives in Christ (see Galatians 3:2–3).

The Holy Spirit above all is what makes a person a child of God, without the Holy Spirit we cannot be born again. This common source and entry into God’s kingdom should cause us to walk in unity, despite cultural and ethnic diversity. We are a new community in Christ.

Purpose and function in the body

But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 1 Corinthians 12:18 (ESV)

We should not be focused on position but on purpose and function in the body. We have the gifts and position that God has given to us, He has arranged the body and He knows what will be the greatest blessing for the body as a whole and for the sake of the glory of His name and kingdom. So, let us joyfully embrace the purpose that God has for us in the body.

Interdependence in the body

which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 1 Corinthians 12:24–26 (ESV)

We have interdependence to one another in the body, God has designed the body of Christ in this way so that we care for one another.

We are not all the same

Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 1 Corinthians 12:30 (ESV)

The answers to these rhetorical questions are ‘no’. We are not all prophets, we do not all work miracles or speak with or interpret tongues etc. This is Paul’s point, we all have different gifts, callings and positions in the diverse but unified body of Christ.

Love, the better way

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1–3 (ESV)

Paul is now outlining the better way, which is not to use our gifts to outdo each other, build ourselves up, or in a competitive spirit, but to use these gifts in love for our fellow believers and to build them up.

Paul begins this line of reasoning by using three hyperbolic (extreme) examples of the use of spiritual gifts and endeavours, he pitches them against love and concludes that without love, these great gifts are nothing.

The gifts should never be used aside from love, otherwise the gifts can be abused and lead the one using the gift, into a false sense of security and ultimate fruitlessness (I am nothing, I gain nothing). Love is essential.

What love is and is not

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4–7 (ESV)

Paul gives us a wonderful poetic description of love, stating what it is and what it is not. Try replacing the word love with our own name, it is a good exercise to help you meditate on the way Agape love functions in your life.

Love will never be surpassed

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 (ESV)

When the new heaven and earth come and we see God face to face, the gifts will be surpassed but love will never be surpassed. Love is eternal and is more important than anything else in the Christian life.

Psalm 25:1–22

Ask God to lead and teach you

Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. Psalm 25:4–5 (ESV)

This should be the humble and needy prayer of our hearts today, how deeply we need God to teach and instruct us. Thank God that we now have the Spirit of Truth to guide and lead us into all truth, in accordance with God’s word as Jesus tells us in John 14:15-17, John 15:26 and John 16:13.

Friends with the Lord

The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. Psalm 25:14 (ESV)

Only those who fear and obey the Lord can truly be called His friends. In John 15:15 Jesus said “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

Desiring God on 1 Corinthians 13

Today’s reading: Num 29:1–40, 1 Cor 11:17–12:11, Ps 24:1–10

Today’s theme: Gifted to serve

The spiritual gifts given to us by God the Holy Spirit, are not to build up or to serve ourselves, every gift has been given so that we can serve others with them, this way we build the body and bring glory to God. We should not use our gifts to show off or to compete with each other. We also see the messianic meaning of the feasts.

Numbers 29:1–40

The meaning of the feasts

“These you shall offer to the LORD at your appointed feasts, in addition to your vow offerings and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, and for your grain offerings, and for your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings.” Numbers 29:39 (ESV)

All the Feasts point to spiritual realities in the New Testament, the following is adapted from the New Bible commentary: 21st century edition… “Passover points to Jesus’ crucifixion. The Feast of Weeks or Pentecost (firstfruits) points to the sending of the Holy Spirit and the firstfruits of the gospel harvest (Acts 2). The Feast of Tabernacles points to Christ’s second coming at the close of the age, marking the end of the harvest.

The time between the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles was a busy period when Israel laboured for the harvest. Similarly, between Pentecost and the second coming labourers are sent to reap the harvest among the Gentiles (Mt 9:37–38; 13:30–39; Lk. 10:2; Jn. 4:35). At the end of the age, the harvest will be gathered in and the weeds thrown into the fire (Mt. 13:39; Mk. 4:29; Rev. 14:15)”.

1 Corinthians 11:17–12:11

God created order for men and women

But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. 1 Corinthians 11:3 (ESV)

This first half of 1 Corinthians 11, is a part of the New Testament that is the subject of much debate among biblical scholars. One thing we can certainly see in the issues dealt with before and after this section, is that Paul is concerned with proper Christian conduct within the church.

The point Paul is driving home is that there is order, rank and authority in God’s created order and even in the relationship between the Father and the Son. This should be reflected in creation and most clearly in the church.

A pressing point for Paul was to address the Corinthians’ tendency to allow male and female distinctions to become blurred (under the influence of the secular world around them at the time) – we have the same issues in today’s culture which is trying to make sexuality and creation roles so androgynous, so as to lose the distinction all together.

We must uphold the image of God within the church, men must dress and act as men and women as women, not in competition with each other but complementing one another.

God’s purpose in division

for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 1 Corinthians 11:19 (ESV)

The divisions in the Corinthian church were sometimes along social lines and betrayed the message of the Gospel, by giving preference to the rich. Paul summarises this activity as unbiblical and points to the divisions as a tool that God would use to weed out the church and to distinguish between those who were genuine and those in the flesh.

In Church history, division in the church has given rise to the firmer definition of  our doctrines, creed and confessions, just like germs in a body give rise to antibodies making the body stronger.

Self examination

Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 1 Corinthians 11:28 (ESV)

We are reminded of this at every Lord’s Supper and must take the command seriously, we really need to examine our hearts towards God and our fellow believers and if we have not been walking as we ought to, then we should refrain from taking the Lord’s supper until we have made things right. Self examination should be a daily Christian discipline.

A variety of gifts

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 1 Corinthians 12:4–6 (ESV)

This is such a wonderful passage, God has given a diverse variety of gifts to the Church through the members of the Church, we do not all have the same gift, all our gifts and callings are different. Another amazing thing about this passage is that the entire Trinity is involved in the distribution of the varied gifts to the Church. The Spirit, The Lord Jesus and God the Father.

Gifted to serve others

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 1 Corinthians 12:7 (ESV)

Our gifts are not for us but for the common good of our fellow believers, we are not supposed to use our gifts to build ourselves up or for our own advantage, but to lovingly serve the body of Christ.

Not everyone gets the same gifts

to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 1 Corinthians 12:10 (ESV)

Tongues and the interpretation of tongues, is a gift of the Spirit given to some rather than to all believers.

Some today say that a believer does not have the Holy Spirit unless they speak in tongues but this is a mistake as speaking in tongues is one of the list of possible gifts given to individuals, alongside prophecy, healing, words of wisdom etc.

As the final verse states, we cannot decide or dictate which gifts we are given, the Holy Spirit apportions to each person individually, according to His own will.

Psalm 24:1–10

The King of Glory

Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle! Psalm 24:8 (ESV)

Hallelujah, Jesus is the King of Glory!

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

Desiring God on 1 Corinthians 12

Today’s reading: Num 28:1–31, 1 Cor 10:23–11:16, Ps 23:1–6

Today’s theme: Free to serve

We have been made free in Christ, but that freedom itself is a test of our standing and heart in Christ. How will we use it, to serve ourselves or to serve others? We should of course do the latter, we have been freed to lovingly serve and build others up in the body of Christ.

Numbers 28:1–31

Daily dedication and devotion

And you shall say to them, This is the food offering that you shall offer to the LORD: two male lambs a year old without blemish, day by day, as a regular offering. Numbers 28:3 (ESV)

All these sacrifices find their ultimate fulfilment in Jesus, with the different types of sacrifices pointing towards various aspects of Jesus’ atoning work on the cross.

In this case we can also see a message for us directly. We should dedicate ourselves to consistent, daily, repeated (within each day, possibly the morning and the evening), times of prayer and reading the Bible (studying it and thinking it over). See Romans 12:1 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18

1 Corinthians 10:23–11:16

Use freedom to serve others

“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 1 Corinthians 10:23–24 (ESV)

The Corinthians were very much concerned with their rights and their freedom to do what they wanted to do and what pleased them. Paul reverses this and explains to them and to us that, the freedom and rights we have in Christ are not for our own benefit but so that we can become servants of all (Mark 9:35), purposefully building up fellow believers.

Paul bases this thinking on the teaching and example given to us by Jesus in His sacrificial suffering and death on the cross. Let us lay down our rights, freedom and lives to serve and build others.

Will this bring glory to God?

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV)

Paul was dealing with a new question in the church about eating meat that had been used in pagan sacrifice, this seemed like a grey area to the Corinthians which is why they asked the questions and contended over the issue.

Paul gives us a great test for assessing all the things we are not sure about… we can ask ourselves this question: “Will this bring glory to God?” We need to ensure that this is the overarching motivation in our hearts for everything that we do. We cannot compartmentalise our life so that a part of it brings glory to God and the rest is for our own pleasure – our entire life should bring glory to God.

Will this lead to salvation?

just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. 1 Corinthians 10:33 (ESV)

Another guiding principle for our thinking and behaviour is the desire to see others saved.

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

Desiring God on 1 Corinthians 11