January 30, 2010 10:15 AM
Sam wrote:
Dustin...the Levites were 'set aside' by God to take care of the 'priestly duties'...that is why they were not chosen/counted as part of the military-available crowd. For more on that, read the following passages: Exodus 32:26---shows the levite's dedication to God....probably the first time God 'set them apart' Exodus 38:21--shows the first time the Levites were directed to do something special for God, as a group. Numbers 1:50-54---shows the first time God set them apart from the other tribes, as far as duties are concerned.
But DO notice, that the Levites WERE counted (chapter 4). And compare that with America a few years ago when we had the draft (which was a GOOD thing--in MY opinion....maybe 4 years is too long for some, but Dustin, you have to admit, anyone under 22 is still a 'baby' and immature....men could use this military experience to learn how to lead, get discipline, GIVE discipline properly, etc...all great aspects of being a good father and husband....),,,the draft which excluded various groups of people because they had specific missions for their country....farmers, were one category...they were like the Levites for God as providers for their country. Yes, the draft was run unfairly, with too many excemptions for those with money, but it was still good for the country, and good for those drafted....again, in MY opinion.
Also, don't forget the entire book of Leviticus, which title means, 'relating to the Levites', or literally "he called", because God CALLED the Levites to a different mission. This book outlines the priestly duties set aside for the the Tribe of Levi, which was made up of Jacob's son and his sons and their sons, and so on.
Hope this helps some to understand why the Levites were not called to military action, they had plenty to do 'back home'!
And yes, I knew the Coast Guard was not a DoD agency, but the same values and leadership qualities are taught in that organization as in the 'other' military services.
Hope ya'll get up this morning and comment on chapters 5-10...that's coming up next from me..... Reply to this
January 30, 2010 10:44 AM
Sam wrote:
As I was reading the 'rules' for Nazirites in chapter 6, I suddenly remembered that Jesus was 'from Nazareth'--was He a Nazarite? Well, the answer is no...he was a Nazarene. There is a difference, even though most people will tell you differently (look at 'yahooanswers' for example). Anyone born in Nazareth, which includes the Apostle Paul, I believe, and may some of the original 12 Apostles, is a NazaRENE. A Nazarite is someone who have taken a vow of separation (as you are reading in ch 6). So as all black birds are birds, not all birds are black, the same goes for those of Nazareth...all Nazarenes are from Nazareth, but not all people from Nazareths are Nazarites. (If that makes any sense.) So, I answered my own question after more study....just thought I'd pass that along.
Chapter 5 is pretty interesting...all wives should read this! Pretty severe punishment for infidelity.
Hey, I like a portion of chapter 8...verse 24-25.....Levites could RETIRE at 50 and work no longer!!! I'm ten years past that....I guess this doesn't apply to me..... Oh well, maybe some day.
The last chapter today is very interesting. It tells how the Israelites followed a cloud all around the desert. It lifted, they travelled; it stayed, they camped. Pretty cool. At least it gave them some kind of direction. We don't have much today as far as telling us which direction to head into. I got a call this morning from a long time friend I have not heard from for a couple of years....Ricardo Giraldo. He came from Columbia (the country, not the city) with his wife about 10 years ago. They now have two boys. They used to go to church at the old ACOC, but stopped going after a while, and now are going to a Catholic church ('you can take the spanish outa the catholic church, but ya can't take the catholic church out of the spanish' (there ARE exceptions of course, my wife being one)). Anyway, he was working for Circuit City shortly after he arrived here, repairing TVs and the like. He has since gone back to college, STARTED HIS OWN BUSINESS (currently has 3 employees), and is doing great here in the Atlanta area, contracted with the Omni, CNN, Sam's Club and other companies to do warranty work on electronics. To speak to him, as his accent is still very heavy, you would not picture him as being one to start and run a business such as this. But he has done fantastic (BY HIMSELF). What direction did HE follow? It was not a cloud, but it was a dream. And he didn't put if off very long....he 'wandered around the desert' for awhile working for other companies, then decided to set his own goal and follow it. I admire Ricardo for his determination and success.
I wish I had direction other than just 'following a job'. Oh well, 'whereever the cloud leads me' I guess.
Have a great Saturday....'see' you tomorrow. Reply to this
January 31, 2010 10:34 AM
Tony wrote:
I wish I had your insight Mac. You see what others glaze over, you pull questions from scriptures that no one gives a second thought to. I would've never thought twice about Jesus being a nazarite since, like you said, He was from Nazareth. It would be nice to have some clear direction in life. Sometimes I think a lot of people live in a cloud. A cloud from the world, a cloud that says I need this , I need that, I deserve this and that. In reality we all, especially those of us who know better, deserve the same painful ,agonizing death that Jesus had. I am glad for Ricardo,he is a good guy, I like him. He had had several dreams and he follows them. Just comming to this country was one I think. Anything that is worth something takes hard work and perseverance. Take going to heaven for instance. Anyone can go to hell, its a widely paved, smooth, (compared to the heavenly road) well traveled road, with plenty of people to follow. One could say a cloud of people. We have something to follow, we have a direction to go. The question is, do we want to go down that path? It seems like everyone is going a different way, there must be something good over there, so most people follow. Even to a small degree, we follow. When our thoughts are not what they should be, (we think we are the only one who knows our thoughts when in reality we know better) when our actions are the same as those of the crowd. Some would say God knows our heart. I would say if that was truly our heart than we would act on it. The most that will happen is this country is to be mocked, from behind our backs. We should follow our cloud, the bible, and stop with the aimless wondering. According to my phone my comment has 0 characters, I hope it post. Reply to this
Dustin...the Levites were 'set aside' by God to take care of the 'priestly duties'...that is why they were not chosen/counted as part of the military-available crowd. For more on that, read the following passages:
Exodus 32:26---shows the levite's dedication to God....probably the first time God 'set them apart'
Exodus 38:21--shows the first time the Levites were directed to do something special for God, as a group.
Numbers 1:50-54---shows the first time God set them apart from the other tribes, as far as duties are concerned.
But DO notice, that the Levites WERE counted (chapter 4). And compare that with America a few years ago when we had the draft (which was a GOOD thing--in MY opinion....maybe 4 years is too long for some, but Dustin, you have to admit, anyone under 22 is still a 'baby' and immature....men could use this military experience to learn how to lead, get discipline, GIVE discipline properly, etc...all great aspects of being a good father and husband....),,,the draft which excluded various groups of people because they had specific missions for their country....farmers, were one category...they were like the Levites for God as providers for their country. Yes, the draft was run unfairly, with too many excemptions for those with money, but it was still good for the country, and good for those drafted....again, in MY opinion.
Also, don't forget the entire book of Leviticus, which title means, 'relating to the Levites', or literally "he called", because God CALLED the Levites to a different mission. This book outlines the priestly duties set aside for the the Tribe of Levi, which was made up of Jacob's son and his sons and their sons, and so on.
Hope this helps some to understand why the Levites were not called to military action, they had plenty to do 'back home'!
And yes, I knew the Coast Guard was not a DoD agency, but the same values and leadership qualities are taught in that organization as in the 'other' military services.
Hope ya'll get up this morning and comment on chapters 5-10...that's coming up next from me.....
Reply to this
As I was reading the 'rules' for Nazirites in chapter 6, I suddenly remembered that Jesus was 'from Nazareth'--was He a Nazarite? Well, the answer is no...he was a Nazarene. There is a difference, even though most people will tell you differently (look at 'yahooanswers' for example). Anyone born in Nazareth, which includes the Apostle Paul, I believe, and may some of the original 12 Apostles, is a NazaRENE. A Nazarite is someone who have taken a vow of separation (as you are reading in ch 6). So as all black birds are birds, not all birds are black, the same goes for those of Nazareth...all Nazarenes are from Nazareth, but not all people from Nazareths are Nazarites. (If that makes any sense.) So, I answered my own question after more study....just thought I'd pass that along.
Chapter 5 is pretty interesting...all wives should read this! Pretty severe punishment for infidelity.
Hey, I like a portion of chapter 8...verse 24-25.....Levites could RETIRE at 50 and work no longer!!! I'm ten years past that....I guess this doesn't apply to me.....
The last chapter today is very interesting. It tells how the Israelites followed a cloud all around the desert. It lifted, they travelled; it stayed, they camped. Pretty cool. At least it gave them some kind of direction. We don't have much today as far as telling us which direction to head into. I got a call this morning from a long time friend I have not heard from for a couple of years....Ricardo Giraldo. He came from Columbia (the country, not the city) with his wife about 10 years ago. They now have two boys. They used to go to church at the old ACOC, but stopped going after a while, and now are going to a Catholic church ('you can take the spanish outa the catholic church, but ya can't take the catholic church out of the spanish' (there ARE exceptions of course, my wife being one)). Anyway, he was working for Circuit City shortly after he arrived here, repairing TVs and the like. He has since gone back to college, STARTED HIS OWN BUSINESS (currently has 3 employees), and is doing great here in the Atlanta area, contracted with the Omni, CNN, Sam's Club and other companies to do warranty work on electronics. To speak to him, as his accent is still very heavy, you would not picture him as being one to start and run a business such as this. But he has done fantastic (BY HIMSELF). What direction did HE follow? It was not a cloud, but it was a dream. And he didn't put if off very long....he 'wandered around the desert' for awhile working for other companies, then decided to set his own goal and follow it. I admire Ricardo for his determination and success.
I wish I had direction other than just 'following a job'. Oh well, 'whereever the cloud leads me' I guess.
Have a great Saturday....'see' you tomorrow.
Reply to this
I wish I had your insight Mac. You see what others glaze over, you pull questions from scriptures that no one gives a second thought to. I would've never thought twice about Jesus being a nazarite since, like you said, He was from Nazareth. It would be nice to have some clear direction in life. Sometimes I think a lot of people live in a cloud. A cloud from the world, a cloud that says I need this , I need that, I deserve this and that. In reality we all, especially those of us who know better, deserve the same painful ,agonizing death that Jesus had. I am glad for Ricardo,he is a good guy, I like him. He had had several dreams and he follows them. Just comming to this country was one I think. Anything that is worth something takes hard work and perseverance. Take going to heaven for instance. Anyone can go to hell, its a widely paved, smooth, (compared to the heavenly road) well traveled road, with plenty of people to follow. One could say a cloud of people. We have something to follow, we have a direction to go. The question is, do we want to go down that path? It seems like everyone is going a different way, there must be something good over there, so most people follow. Even to a small degree, we follow. When our thoughts are not what they should be, (we think we are the only one who knows our thoughts when in reality we know better) when our actions are the same as those of the crowd. Some would say God knows our heart. I would say if that was truly our heart than we would act on it. The most that will happen is this country is to be mocked, from behind our backs. We should follow our cloud, the bible, and stop with the aimless wondering. According to my phone my comment has 0 characters, I hope it post.
Reply to this