Using Young's Literal Translation Bible Readings 365 for serious Bible students
Temporada 1
por Sally Ann Jackson
Notice that the command from God regarding the rest that the people were to have on the first day of the month was from doing 'servile work'. The Jewish authorities over the years following had defined what kind of work this might mean, so that plucking heads of grain in order to eat and picking up your mat that had been your bed, because you were healed and could now walk, were forbidden, as also was healing on the Sabbath or freeing a person from demonic power, but if an ox had fallen into a pit, then the law allowed you to rescue it and animals that needed water could be led from the stall to water to drink. God defined servile work as trading, making money on the Sabbath or working with the intent to make money by producing goods to sell or working for harvest to sell, and these drew people away from God and from their Sabbath rest in Him, for we cannot serve both God and Mammon. "Hear this, you who are swallowing up the needy, to cause to cease the poor of the land, saying, When doth the new moon pass, And we sell ground corn? And the sabbath and we open out pure corn?" Amos 8: 4,5 It is good to have a day of rest each week and we should ensure that we have one day set aside for entering into God's rest where we do His work, which is doing good, and serving him, enjoying being in His presence and delighting with others to do His will. When we fast, Jesus did not say 'if ye fast' but 'when ye fast', we are humbling our souls before God, and we offer sacrifices to God, which are to set aside those other things which take our time and effort and mind and strength, and give these instead to God to worship Him, to do His work in obedience and reverence and joy. "For kindness I desired, and not sacrifice, And a knowledge of God above burnt-offerings." Hosea 6:6 Jesus taught the true meaning of the command, "Observe the sabbath day - to sanctify it, as Jehovah thy God hath commanded thee" Deut 5:12 Remember the day of the Sabbath, to consecrate it. Six days thou shalt work and do all thy service: and the seventh day the Sabbath to Jehovah thy God..." Exodus 20: 8-11 "Which of you shall an ass or ox fall into a pit and he will not immediately draw it up on the sabbath-day? "Then the Lord answered him and said, 'Hypocrite, doees not each of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall and lead them to water and this one, being a daughter of Abraham, who the Adversary bound, lo, eighteen years, did it not behove to be loosed from this ond on the sabbath-day?' The ten commandments are to keep our hearts right, centred on love, to love the Lord our God with all our heart and mind and soul and strength, and our neighbour as ourselves. "The sabbath for man was made and not man for the sabbath, so that the son of man is lord also of the sabbath" Mark 2:27,28. These special days are to bring us back into closeness to God, to remember Him, to listen to Him, to be taught by Him, to get back on track with Him for the day, for the week, for the month and for the year ahead, a sweet fragrance to God. But this is not to forget that every day we walk with God in close relationship to Him. "These ye prepare to Jehovah in your appointed seasons, apart from your vows, your free-will offerings, for your burnt-offerings, and for your presents and for your libations and for your peace-offerings." Numbers 29:39
When Moses is faced with a request or a question, his response, as ours should be, is to bring the cause before Jehovah. Jehovah alone is trustworthy to give the answer we need. No human reasoning can give us this. We do well to be humble before the Lord our God and express our need of Him. The daughters of Zelophehad, whose father had no sons, request to have a possession in the midst of the brethren of their father, Moses enquires of God and God replies: "Rightly are the daughters of Zelophehad speaking: thou dost certainly give them a possession of an inheritance in the midst of their father's brethren" and He further establishes rules of inheritance which we see working out much later in Boaz who redeemed the inheritance of Naomi's husband Ebimelech, as soon as a closer inheritor had decided not to redeem it himself. God is our wisdom in practical matters as also in guidance in our lives and choices. Our wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord, to stand in awe, reverence, humility and obedience before Him, desiring to know His truth and His ways. Moses also speaks to Jehovah to ask about a successor to him that the company of Jehovah is not as sheep which have no shepherd. Moses' love for his people, his care as a leader is rock solid. "God of the spirits of all flesh - appoint a man over the company, who goeth out before them and cometh in before them, and who taketh them out and who bringeth them in". To work for God as a leader should not be a matter of inheritance, by accident of birth, but as God chooses. God chooses a leader to be a judge not a King - to judge between right and wrong and to lead only in following God. Hebrews 6:1-2 gives the elementary teachings of Christ, the foundation to build on 'that unto the perfection we may advance.' The list of what these are is surprising: "Reformation from dead works and of faith on God, of the teaching of baptisms, of laying on also of hands, of rising again also of the dead and of judgment age-during." The laying on of hands is unusual as a foundational teaching, but God says it is a beginning teaching of the Christ. Jacob laid his right hand on Ephraim's head though he was the younger son, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, crossing his arms to do this while Joseph sought to correct him. Blessing and prophetic word to the sons of Joseph came through the laying on of hands. A person bringing a burnt offering of the herd is 'to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it hath been accepted for him to make atonement for him" Lev 1:4 "And Aaron hath laid his two hands on the head of the living goat and hath confessed over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in all their sins and hath put them on the head of the goat and hath sent it away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness." Lev. 16:21 Moses layeth his hands upon Joshua son of Nun as directed by God, "A man in whom is the Spirit and thou hast laid thine hand upon him and hast caused him to stand before Eleazar the priest, and before all the company and hast charged him before their eyes, and hast put thine honour upon him so that all the company of the sons of Israel do hearken." God appoints a successor through the laying on of hands. God speaks to Moses about the sons of Israel that they are to take heed to bring "My offering, My bread for the fire offerings, My sweet fragrance" Numbers 28: 2 The daily offerings and the monthly offerings on the first day of the month remind us that every day and every new month we are to offer ourselves to God, continually, that we might always remember to be in His presence, to give to God in repentance, in thankfulness, in joy before the Lord. We are a forgiven people. Alleluia.
The families of the sons of Israel are numbered by name. This astonishing record of people, 601,730, is a testament to God of how He knows and holds people in his heart, by name. "I have called you by name, you are mine" and also it is a marvel that such a record should be taken and kept: I know of no other from such a period of history, that has preserved records so precisely taken from such a large body of people. Surely God is awesome. David's song, having been delivered from the danger he was in with Achish King of Gath with whom he had sought refuge from King Saul but who had begun to suspect that David was not with him but against him and is about to act against David is witness to God's reality, that God is the only living, powerful and listening God and only He can deliver us from disaster even that brought on by ourselves and our own choices. He is God and there is no other. " I sought Jehovah and He answered me and from all my fears did deliver me" and "This poor one called and Jehovah heard, And from all his distresses saved him" Psalm 34 vs 4 and 6 How grateful we should be that God hears and God answers. He is not a deaf God nor a God whose arm is too short. Ascribe ye greatness to Jehovah with me, and we exalt HIs name together Psalm 34 v3. I have changed the word 'chosen' to the 'choice ones' in my reading of Mark 13, 21-37, because a misunderstanding has arisen among teachers of the Bible, false Christs, who have deceived many, that it is not our choice but God's which controls our destiny. This is a false teaching. The word that has been translated 'chosen' needs to be understood as describing a characteristic of the believer, a quality, a principled person who has chosen to follow Jesus - we are able to be chosen because we choose to follow, we choose to believe. To think otherwise is to remove all responsibility for our choices and also to deny our free will which God has freely given, because love cannot be made to happen, nor controlled, nor made mandatory in our lives. God does not control us. God offers us all good, life to the full, but we are free to reject him. Those who say God knows from the beginning, controls our destiny, has made His choice from the foundation of the world, are in error. If a man were to come upon a woman or a woman come upon a man that they do not know and say to them, "I know that you are going to marry me" would a reasonable person accept this as truth? It is a relationship in which love forms the bond that is the foundation of marriage, not a dictatorial announcement. God is a God of relationship and in no human relationship would coercion, a position of no choice whether for good or bad, be considered a blessing. God woos us to Himself with evidence of His goodness, His love, His faithfulness, for He says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" It is this knowledge which causes us to break into songs of praise and joy. And I will praise you Lord, yes I will praise you Lord for all that You have done - a lightness in my spirit and joy that knows no limit, here in the grace of God I stand. This is the relationship we are invited into. LOVE a poem by George Herbert Love bade me welcome yet my soul drew back, guilty of dust and sin, but quick-eyed love, observing me grow slack from my first entrance in, drew nearer me, sweetly questioning if I lacked anything - 'A guest,' I answered, 'worthy to be here'. Love said, 'You shall be he.' 'I the unkind, the ungrateful? Ah my dear, I cannot look on Thee.' Love took my hand and smiling did reply, 'Who made the eyes but I?' 'Truth, Lord; but I have marr'd them, let my shame go where it doth deserve.' ' And know you not' says Love, 'who bore the blame' 'My dear, then I will serve.' ' You must sit down,' says Love, ' and taste my meat.' So I did sit and eat.
Balaam as a prophet of God must only say those words which God says to him. "Go with these men; and only the word which I speak unto thee - thou dost speak." Balak, the King of Arad, the Canaanite, thinks that God can be demanded of to do as Balak requires Him to do. All he has to do is give sacrifices as Balaam instructed him to do. He is used to bribing, or demanding what he wants from people. With Baal likewise. But surely he is led astray, as the Sadduccees had been told by Jesus, by his lack of knowledge of the Scriptures and the power of God, as is the case of many rulers on this earth. Balaam speaking in the Spirit declares that the true and living God is not " a ,man - and lieth - And a son of man - and repenteth! Hath he said - And doth not do it? And spoken - and doth He not confirm it?' (Numbers 23:19) God's word is truth. It is a characteristic of unredeemed human beings that we lie. Isaiah when confronted by the glory of God, confesses "I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell among a people of unclean lips". The way of the world is the way of lying. Satan was a liar from the beginning and holds the world in his sway, but Jesus says, "Fear not! For I have overcome the world" We are to be discipled to know God and to have our minds renewed to think in line with God and not in opposition to Him. Can two go together except they agree? Then our speech should be as God intends if we give the throne of our hearts to His Holy Spirit that out of the fullness of the heart the mouth may speak, a fullness which is God not ourselves. Jesus also tells His disciples that when they are delivered up to to sanhedrims and synagogues and to governors and kings, they are not to be anxious beforehand what they "may speak, nor premeditate, but whatever may be given to you in that hour, that speak ye, for it is not ye who are speaking but the Holy Spirit." For the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophesy. Balaam says: "An affirmation of him who is hearing saying of God - And knowing knowledge of the Most High; a vision of the Almighty he seeth, Falling - and eyes uncovered: I see it, but not now; I behold it, but not near; A star hath proceeded from Jacob, And a sceptre hath risen from Israel, And hath smitten corners of Moab And hath destroyed the sons of Sheth." Numbers 24;17 Much folly is spoken about God through lack of knowledge of the Scriptures and the power of God. It is said by many that God is in control of all that happens on the earth and those who dwell on the earth live in God's control, that everything that happens within a human life is according to God's will. God is in control, they say. In this philosophy, which is false thinking, God can be blamed for every evil thing that happens. Those who think like this, when a terrible event happens in our lives, must either say: 'It is God's mysterious will - we cannot understand His ways" or condemn God who did not intervene and prevent this happening, for, they say, 'God is in control and intends all things which happen to us.' Not so! God indeed acts within history to bring about His will but with human beings it is not so. While He has had a plan of redemption in place from before the creation of the earth, in Jesus to provide a way of rescue, " A star hath arisen from Jacob, and a sceptre has risen from Israel," in our individual lives we choose according to the choices before us and if we know God, we can be guided in those choices, but if not, then the choices will be wayward as we are wayward. Walk in the light as He is in the light. 1 John 1:7
God is a God who covenants with HIs people and is faithful to keep His promise. In Numbers 21, a vow is made by Israel with God " 'If Thou dost certainly give this people into my hand then I have devoted their cities.' and Jehovah hearkeneth to the voice of Israel and giveth up the Canaanite (Numbers 21 v 2, 3) The Bible is not a history book or a sociology book or an economics book. Nor is it a book written by various different men as some suppose, but it is a book written by the Holy Spirit of God at the hand of these writers who were in fact prophets, communicating what God had spoken to them. It is not possible to understand the Bible without the Holy Spirit for who has known the mind of God but the Spirit of God. I Cor 2:11 Jesus tells us that the Scriptures are written by the Holy Spirit. "And Jesus answering said, teaching in the temple, 'How say the scribes that the Christ is son of David? for David himself said in the Holy Spirit, Sit thou on My right hand, till I place thine enemies - thy footstool: therefore David himself saith of him Lord and whence is he his son?" (Mark 12: 36) Paul says: -"We do give thanks to God continually, that, having received the word of hearing from us of God, ye accepted, not the word of man, but as it is truly, the word of God, who also doth work in you who believe. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 Jesus said to the Sadducees, when they were mockingly asking Him about the resurrection, "Are you not therefore mistaken because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?" Mark 12:24 "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2 This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel, after those days, saith the Lord, giving My laws into their mind, and upon their hearts I will write them, and I will be to them for a God and they shall be to Me for a people. Hebrews 8:10 If we understand the destruction of Canaan in the Old Testament in the Spirit, we must see that we cannot make an alliance with the world and also follow God. We cannot leave part of our old life intact and follow Jesus. We must give it all up, discard it utterly, destroy it completely and become a new creation in Jesus. "so that if any one is in Christ - he is a new creature: the old things did pass away, lo, become new have the all things." 2 Cor 5:17
Forgiveness of sin is costly: it costs the life of a living being in our place, which gives all its blood, its life, for us. This is not some strange god which we invent that needs to be appeased and to which a sacrifice has to be made, the life even of a child, a son or daughter, in order to bring rain or good harvest or victory or whatever reason our evil hearts imagine in this invented duty to a false god which does not speak or hear. The evidence of young children sacrificed to the gods of the Aztecs have been found with the evidence of the unspeakable terror that the child went through. We are utterly depraved without God to teach us, lead us, to show us the way of righteousness and to cleave to Him throughout our lives, for sin is at the door, knocking, seeking whom it may devour, seeking who it can lord it over, if we choose to be ruled over as Cain did in rejection of God and against God's warning. Our wrong doing separates us from God for ever. It costs our life with God to one in estrangement from Him. If thy foot cause thee to stumble, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into the life lame, than having the two feet to be cast to the gehenna, to the fire - the unquenchable - where their worm is not dying and the fire is not being quenched. (Mark 9: 45-46) We need to know and remember that our sin is serious in how it severs us from God; that we cannot treat it lightly nor consider it a light matter. We need to face the unholiness in our mind, body and soul, in what we do which is evil and in what we fail to do which would be right to do, and we need to know that the only way to restore our close walk with God is through a saviour, to bring us back to our God and back into relationship with Him where there is peace and fulness of life. Our sin is costly. Another's life given in our place is the cost. May we never forget this or brush it aside or hold it as a slight matter. We need to face the full guilt and grief of the pain we have caused to another and to God and not harden our hearts against him and treat it as nought, of no significance or importance, as Cain did. The Holy Spirit is sent to convict of sin and of righteousness and of judgement. How easy it is to ignore Him and once we reject His conviction of us once, we make a callous and with more rejection our hearts become impregnable, hardened against our God and His voice. Do not harden your hearts as in the day of Meribah. Complaining against God, demanding of God, not trusting God, insulting God, scorning God, reviling God, not wanting to know or be with God, all these and the acts we do separate us from God, but I am convinced that there is nothing in heaven nor earth nor under the earth that is able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus - He continually pours His love towards us, but we are free to turn from it and from Him
Sin separates us from God. David says in Psalm 32: "Oh the happiness of a man, to whom Jehovah imputeth not iniquity. And in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I have kept silence, become old have my bones, Through my roaring all the day." When we roar against others, the plank in our own eye too great to see our own sin; when we are sharp to look for fault in an other, yet are silent about our own sin, then our bones become old. And the roaring is also in us, convicting us by the Holy Spirit of sin and of judgement and of righteousness, but as we keep silent before God, our bones become old, we dry up inside as in a summer drought when the land dries and cracks. No one is persuaded by roaring. But we do not have to live like this. We have a way to forgiveness. In times past, we could bring a sacrifice which we gave to the priest, recognising and acknowledging our sin openly and with sorrow, seeking God's forgiveness. " Oh the happiness of him whose transgression is forgiven , whose sin is covered." These sacrifices were fulfilled in Jesus, once and for all, for we have a great high priest, Jesus Christ the righteous, who, when we confess our sin, is righteous and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Through Him, we are forgiven by God, we have reconciliation and peace with God. We are in a restored relationship with Him and the roaring within us ceases and we do not roar at the world or at any other or at ourselves any more. We should not roar in telling others and ourselves our wrong - we must pray and persuade and reason and present truth to bring others and ourselves to a knowledge of the truth, so that we are convicted from within and call out, 'What must we do?' Korah, and the company of people who followed him, challenges Moses as the leader of God's people, accusing Moses of setting himself up and giving himself the position of prominence among the people of Israel, but Moses, as Paul and the disciples called by Jesus, and Jesus facing the same accusation, is one called, appointed and set apart by God to be an apostle, one sent by God to do as God commands. The accusers bring censers, the words which go up to God, which should be the sweet fragrance of prayer, but, as Aaron's eldest two sons, bearing this strange fire, which will not be accepted, they and the censers they bring are destroyed. There is terrible judgement, the earth opens up and takes Korah and all he has alive into Sheol, a place of permanent separation from God. The sacrifice we bring to God is a sweet fragrance to God, for our sin separates us from God but our acknowledging and being sorry for our sin, brings us into sweet friendship with Him once again. We can readily misunderstand why the sacrifice we bring should be a sweet fragrance to God, but restored friendship is sweet, to go forward together instead of apart, 'Can two go together except they agree ?' as Amos in the spirit says (Amos 3:3) Confess literally means to agree with someone. In the Greek 'homologeo' meaning literally 'same word". If God points out your sin to you, you can rail against this and keep silent and roar within against it, but when we accept that God is right, that we are in the wrong and can agree with God about that, then we can be sorry, agree with Him, come back to Him and do as He asks instead. "My sin I have caused you to know and mine iniquity I have not covered. I have said, 'I confess concerning my transgressions to Jehovah' and Thou - Thou hast taken away, the iniquity of my sin. Selah."
Numbers 13:1-14:45 When we read the Bible, the Holy Spirit will often highlight, or draw to our particular attention something we are reading. Moses was told to choose as the spies, princes, leaders of the people, "one man for the tribe of his fathers ye do send, every one a prince among them". They were not chosen for their skill in spying, for their age or ability, but as "every one a prince". This was task for those who were raised to leadership, because they were intended to bring a good report which would have authority in its being related to the people. They were to be in a position of honour and power for this task. Choice men, princes were to go. Each one is named. Marvel at the way that records have been kept and written down, at such a time, so long ago. And still with us now. Thus God protects His word and sustains it through the ages. Two contrasting understandings and knowledge of God are shown in the spies who return for spying out the land of Canaan: Caleb who is filled with energy and positivity and excitement in having seen the land and knowing that God has promised this land to His people; the ten other spies, while admiring the fruit and plentifulness of the land, surely it is a land of milk and honey, - the first fruits of the grapes is such a quantity that the cluster they cut down must be carried on a staff by two men, promising a prolific harvest, - but immediately overwhelmed by their thoughts of the people who dwell in the land, numerous and strong and men of stature, ' we are in our own eyes as grasshoppers and so we were in their eyes' Two points about distrusting God come from this episode: if we concentrate on what we see with our eyes and then what our minds tell us about what we see, including imagination for they could not know what the people who dwelt in the land thought of them, then we will be afraid - Peter saw the wind and was afraid, and beginning to sink, cried out to Jesus, save me - and Jesus immediately saved him and responded, ;oh ye of little faith why did you doubt?' What is the antithesis of this distrusting way of living? Caleb: "Let us certainly go up - and we have possessed it, for we are thoroughly able for it" Speak life, speak certainty, speak with commanding invitation to go with God into the future he holds for us" Psalm 31:19-24 David relates of himself: I have said in my haste, "I have been cut off from before Thine eyes." But Thou hast heard the voice of my supplications, in my crying unto Thee. Just as Peter cried out in his haste and Jesus immediately reached out and helped him, so we may also cry out before we remember that God is " keeping the faithful" and God will reach out to prove Himself our saviour and redeemer. In Mark: 10:32 The disciples were amazed that Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, and "following, they were afraid." Jesus continues with his face set like flint to make his way steadfastly towards Jerusalem, where he knows that he will be delivered to the chief priests and to the scribes and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the nations and they shall mock him and scourge him and spit on him and kill him and the third day he shall rise again. Three times he tells his disciples this in the gospel of Mark. He sets his face to go to Jerusalem in full knowledge of what is to come. If we are afraid, how do we face the future? We have to know that God will take us through it, whatever befalls us, and we can strengthen our hearts in that knowledge. We do as the Father commands us, for the joy set before us, that if we do His will, He is with us and we will not be overcome by our circumstances.
It is vitally important that the way in which the Passover is carried out is exactly as God commanded, for in every detail Jesus will fulfil what happens in this event. Between the evening of the 14th day and the evening of the 15th day, "between the evenings" the sons of Israel prepare the passover, "according to all that Jehovah hath commanded Moses, so have the sons of Israel done." This obedience of the people, "according to all that Jehovah had commanded Moses" is so right and so good to read, but how quickly the people turn from obedience to doubt and murmuring and rebellion and opposition to Jehovah and to Moses. But at this time, the people listen to God speaking at the hand of Moses and when a problem arises they bring it to him. What should the person do who is unclean and cannot partake of the passover, but it is a command that they must, for if his offering is not brought near, then he bears his sin still and is cut off from his people - and Moses tells them: "Stand ye and I hear what Jehovah hath commanded concerning you." How wise it would be if a leader who knows the Lord, didn't try to answer from their own knowledge, experience or judgement but takes it before God to hear what God's answer is. Only God can say what is acceptable to Him in our actions. God gives His answer and Moses tells the people. The chain of command is in rightful order. So also with Jesus, who says, I do not speak on my own. What I hear the Father speak, I speak. How often a person under authority, when they do not know how they should deal with a situation, will take it upon themselves to act and not seek the advice or guidance of the one they are under, often leading to a need to rectify, remedy or retract what has been said or done by them. Notice also that there is to be "one statute is to you, even to a sojourner and to a native of the land." There is to be an equality of people when they dwell together with the children of Israel. In the wilderness, God leads His people by the going up of the cloud which is over the tabernacle by day, and in the place where the cloud tabernacles over the tabernacle, there they encamp. "By the command of Jehovah, they encamp and by the command of Jehovah they journey." Every day we should be seeking the Lord, to tell us when to speak and when to keep silent, when to interact with others and when to stand apart and pray, and always in the Spirit, the words that I speak are not my own but those of Him who sent me. The trumpets are to be blown to call God's people to assemble, and together with a shout when they are to journey, and "when ye go into battle in your land against the adversary who is distressing you, then ye have shouted with the trumpets and ye have been remembered before Jehovah your God and ye have been saved from your enemies." When we are distressed by adversity, remember to, as it were, shout to the Lord in prayer with loud declarations of His truth in our heart, that Jehovah our God will hear us and save us from our spiritual enemies, for they are many. Shout to the Lord all the earth, Let us sing power and majesty, praise to the King, mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of your name.
There is something about the identical repetitions of the giving by the 12 tribes to God for the Levites in their service of the tabernacle and their offerings for the dedication of the altar that is powerfully important. Repetition is always important in the Scriptures but the repetitions here underline that no tribe is different, that all are equally significant and important to God, that their identical giving doesn't put one ahead and another behind. Money or giving can so readily separate people and give status to the one who has much and a loss of status to the one who has little but Jesus clearly indicates that the measurement is according to our ability to give so that the woman who gave all that she had to live on gave much more than the rich who gave out of their surfeit. It is also remarkable that the Scriptures repeat the exact words 12 times rather than summarising or using an expression like ' the others gave likewise'. The effect of this is that the one that might be named in such a case would have precedence over the others who were not named, whereas by repeating for each tribe individually and identically there can be no differentiation. It is appropriate that the book called Numbers is concerned not with numbers so much as with individuals: even the census is to be about individuals who are all to be counted. Every hair on your head is counted. The seven lights of the candlestick are to light in front of the candlestick: for the light is not to benefit who follows or is behind but to be a light for our feet, for us to see the way ahead. The candlestick represents or symbolises our minds, our intellect, which is fed by the oil of the Holy Spirit, the wisdom from above, and enables us to see the right way to go. The Levites are cleansed and then waved before God "and thou hast brought near the Levites before Jehovah and the sons of Israel have laid their hands on the Levites and Aaron hath waved the Levites - a wave offering before Jehovah, from the sons of Israel, and they have been - for the doing the service of Jehovah" In turn the Levites lay their hands on the head of the bullocks and in the sin offering and the burnt offering to Jehovah are atoned for. The Levites are given to God in place of the first born of the tribes of Israel. God says " For they are certainly given to Me out of the midst of the sons of Israle, instead of him who openeth any womb - the first-born of all - from the sons of Israle I have taken them to Myself." Understand the significance of all this. The holiness of the priests, separated from the midst of the sons of Israel, points to the future time when those Jesus judges worthy at the judgement of believers, the first resurrection, will be given authority and power on earth under Him, "Worthy art thou to take the scroll and to open the seals of it, because thou wast slain and didst redeem us to God in thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation, and and didst make us to our God kings and priests and we shall reign upon the earth" Rev 5:10 Even in this life, all believers are to live as God's priests, serving Him and the seriousness and responsibility and holiness that is demanded must be known and lived by.