Would
you like to dig for diamonds you can keep?!
Diamonds
come in many different sizes, shapes, colors etc. One thing for
certain about them all – there is no substance tougher. They are
the best at cutting and polishing all other materials.
We
want here to see some diamonds that are the best at shaping and
polishing people – their characters, that is.
The Old Testament of God's Word is a 39 book case history of how God treats those who love, trust, and obey Him... and those who don't; largely focusing on His chosen Jewish nation. We (Gentiles) are to honor, learn from, and pray for the Jewish Nation.
A
WARNING!
BUT
WE MUST BE VERY CAREFUL that we don't make fun of, the
chastisement God has and is putting on the Jews. The Ammonite Nation
learned that lesson terribly, in Ezekiel 25:1-4.
The
OT is chuck full of guides on medicine, archaeology poetry,
nutrition, parenting – and that just starts the list. Reading
(actually feeding) through each (and every) chapter uncovers diamonds
you get to keep and use.
But
all those begats!! YUCH!
Just
to show some fun you can have with a friend - did you know that Noah
was a woman?! It's true – no tricks – no spoof.
There
are listed in scripture two people named Noah. One was a preacher
boat builder. The other was Hoglah's sister as noted in Numbers 26:
33.
“ Uzzia
the Ashterathite, Shama and Jehiel the sons of Hothan the Aroerite,”
Why
should I care about these names in 1Chronicles 11:44? I can't
pronounce them, I don't know what they did, where they lived, or
when. And furthermore, I won't remember their names five minutes from
now. Why bother reading through these names, anyhow?
Well,
my answer is...
What
I do know is this text was inspired and protected by God with all the
power and purpose as the genealogy contained in “For God so loved
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” -
our beloved John 3:16.
Struggling
through these long-ago genealogies, without grumbling trains us to
obey God – love His Word – All of it – and trust He has a great
purpose in us doing so. We might call it the patience of the pen (in
us).
All
those 'endless' genealogies in scripture serve some very important
purposes – for you and I. First they provide some of our 'extended'
family roots.
IT'S
IN THE NUMBERS
In
the 4th book of the Old Testament, called Numbers is some
very surprising scripture – though at first it look like some 'very
boring' genealogies In the first chapter, God gives Moses orders to
number the nation of Israel's army. The special instructions were to
number them in groups by each of the 12 families.
With
Aaron's help, he does it. It will help to know that a 'score' is
equal to 20. Now what's really neat is in verse 46. He gives the
total. To me the diamond is that the total actually equals all the
sums of the family groups. Have you ever made a little mistake in
some boring job you've had to do? I sure have. But in God's precious
word, we can trust every page and paragraph.
Now
that's only half the story.
In
chapter 2 the tribes are arranged around the tabernacle (their
portable church) with 3 tribes on each of the 4 sides. So each of the
4 sides are added noted. Just like happened in chapter 1, the total
is given in verse 32. The total is correct, right? Now if that wasn't
enough to get you excited, look again. Compare the total in chapter 1
with the total in chapter 2.
The
tribes were added up in two different ways and still came up with the
same answer.
This
is much like my grandpa use to check his 'summing'... he called it
Cross-Foot math.”
What
starts out looking like 'boring scripture' turns out to be diamonds
that show us the hard truths of trusting in God's word – the Bible
– all of it.
Old Testament is
Computer Conscious!
This
blockbuster principle is a thrill to share with others, as it comes
from the Bible. What makes it even juicier is that it’s a computing
principle found in the OLD TESTAMENT. More than that, it involves
what many believe to be boring rules for the Jews.
To
see one of my favorite diamonds, turn to the third book of the Bible,
called Leviticus. Then open to chapter 11 verse 2. It's not tough to
see these words are telling the Jewish people what God is allowing
them to eat and what to stay away from. First God talks about the
animals on the earth, then the fish in the water, and then the birds
in the air. But there's something a bit strange about God's
description of all these menu items. In the descriptions, the words
'and' and 'not' are used often.
Well,
in the 1800’s George Boole ‘invented’ written logic “so
called Boolean Logic” – or so he thought.
This
written logic used the words 'and' and 'not' like we use plus (+) and
(-) signs.
The
following CHAPTERS teach grouping principles than technology will
never approach.
In
Leviticus chapter 13, we see that 'and' and 'not' logic used in
diagnosing leprosy.
We
use Boolean searches at the library and on Google and other search
engines...
Is
there a child or adult in your sight, missing a shoelace or shiney
shoes? Maybe just below the surface
is a
heart begging God for someone like you to care… just as they are.
With anyone with a caring heart, a missing shoelace can be a diamond
for you to search out.
