Deuteronomy 15-18

God established the Passover as a reminder to the Jews what God had done for them when he miraculously rescued them from captivity. They sacrificed the Passover in the evening, when the sun went down, on the anniversary of their departure from Egypt. God wanted them to do this every year on the anniversary so no generation of Jews would ever forget what God had done for them.

Observing the Passover was the last thing Jesus did with his disciples before he went to the cross. I wonder what it was like to sit down to the Passover feast with the One who established it, the One who had led them out of Egypt in the first place?

But Jesus changed it up a little that night with his disciples. As he served them the bread and the cup he proclaimed that they were his body and blood given for them. And he asked them to remember Him every time they ate and drank in this manner.

Easter is just around the corner. It’s the Christian’s version of Passover… when we remember our own miraculous rescue from captivity. It’s the time of year when we stop and recall what Jesus did when he died on the cross, the sacrifice for our sin.

It’s my favorite holiday of the year. No other religion can say this about their gods:

Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, would die for me?

Deuteronomy 3:12-5:33

The Bible is truly God’s love letter to us. Did you hear him tell you how much he loves you as you read Moses’ words to the Israelites? Remember that the flesh and blood nation of Israel is a beautiful picture of the church and what God said to them thousands of years ago he says to us today.

Here is what I hear him say this morning:

4:7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him.

4:29,30 But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.

4:31 For the Lord your God is a merciful God.

5:29 Oh that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever.

I don’t know. I see throughout the pages of God’s written word a repetitive theme. God loves people. God wants to bless people. God is interested in keeping us close.

May you go about your day’s activities aware that you are loved by the God of creation… by the God who is near when we pray, who wants to be found, who is merciful, and who wants to bless us forever.

Numbers 27-29

Whenever I read accounts like that of Zelophehad’s daughters I pay special attention. Zelophehad had no sons. He had five daughters. And he and Mrs Zelophehad named their girls with names that all ended in “ah”.

For those of you who know me, you know my parents had no sons, either. They had five daughters and all of us have names that end with the “ee” sound. (No spiritual lesson here. Just some useless points of interest)

What I did learn from today’s reading is that God honors women. Yes, this was a male dominated society and much of the Bible is addressed to men. But I take no offense in that. If I look beyond the pronouns I see a God who loves people, who died for men and women, and who is not willing that any should perish. I see a God who prompted Paul to write there is no difference between Jews and Greeks, male and female. I see a God who demands obedience of all of us.

Ladies, let’s not get our feelings hurt by the use of words like “mankind” or try to feminize God by eliminating the masculine pronouns. I believe that’s one of the ways Satan tries to take our focus off what’s really important.

Father, I thank you for the masculine picture you painted that speaks of your relationship to your people. And I thank you that you are a Father who loves his children equally, that you died for all of us, that gender makes no difference in your kingdom. Help us to keep our eyes on the real message of your Word and forgive us when we make issues of things that really aren’t all that important.