Tues.’s Devo - We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit

Read: Numbers 4:1-5:31; Mark 12:18-37; Psalm 48:1-14; Proverbs 10:26 The Koathites were the Levitical division in charge of the most holy objects in the Tabernacle. The Levites only had to serve in the Tabernacle 20 years of their lives - from the age of 30-50. *** When it was time to tear down the Tabernacle and move, the Koathites first took down the curtain in front of the Holy of Holies and covered the Ark of the Covenant. Since they couldn’t look at the ark, I would think they took it down and walked with the curtain backwards covering the Ark much like Noah’s two sons did to cover his nakedness in Genesis 9:22-23. They then put goatskin leather and a blue cloth over the Ark. *** To understand this better, think of the goatskin as being our own flesh and the blue cloth standing for heaven and the scarlet cloth being the blood of Jesus. Moses was instructed to make the objects like the ones God’s showed him on the mountain that were in heaven. So the ones that had the blue cloth are also in heaven. The only one that had purple was the brazen altar because it stood for the cross. Since purple is made with blue and red mixed together it is special. Jesus came from heaven to earth to blend the two as one. He did this by dying on the cross. *** We are now the temple of the Holy Spirit so all of these objects are in us. We have access to the Father through prayer which is the table of incense. We enjoy fellowship as we eat his Word at the table of shewbread. We are illuminated with revelation by the light of the candlestick and we are invited into the presence of the Lord at the Ark of mercy. *** The only one that was covered with a scarlet cloth was the table of shewbread where we drink the wine of his blood. *** The Gershonites and the Merarites were responsible for carrying the items in the Tabernacle when they marched. *** People who had skin diseases that were contagious were to stay outside the camp. If anyone betrayed the Lord by doing wrong to another person must confess their sin and make full restitution and add 20 percent to it. If there is no one living to make restitution to, then the restitution money was to go to the priests. *** If a man suspected his wife of unfaithfulness, then the man was to bring his wife to the priest and he would do a jealousy test. The woman would stand before the Lord and unbind her hair. She was to place her hands on the offering that her husband brought. Then she was to drink the bitter water given to her by the priest and he would pronounce over her a curse if she is guilty. She would then drink the water and if she was guilty her abdomen would spasm and swell and she would be barren. If she was innocent she would experience no ill effects. In this way, the truth would be known and the guilty condemned or the innocent affirmed. *** In Mark, the Sadducees came to Jesus with a trick question to get his opinion about resurrection since they didn’t believe in the resurrection. Jesus proved through scripture that God was the god of life and resurrection. *** Then one of the men listening realized he had answered well and asked him his question. He asked which of all the commandments were the most important. Jesus answered to love God with all your heart then he told them that the second most important commandment was equally important which was to love your neighbor as yourself. By saying this he was condemning the religious leaders who prided themselves in doing the first but failed miserably at the second. *** The man who asked the question had a sincere heart. When he heard Jesus’ answer he said that to love the Lord and others was more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices required by the law. Jesus was impressed by this man’s understanding and told him that he was not far from he Kingdom of God. No one dared ask him another question. *** Later Jesus asked the crowd a question. He asked them why the teachers of religious claim that the Messiah is the son of David. They had wrongly taught that the Messiah would be the son of David. Jesus pointed out that David called the Messiah his Lord not his son. The people loved Jesus’ teaching which fed their souls. The teachers of the law hated Jesus for exposing them. *** Lord, help us to keep things in perspective. We choose to put you first and honor the people in our lives.