B. A. D. (Be A Disciple) Student Ministries

God Sets the Israelites Apart There are a number of things I'd like to talk about from this reading. I had questions, and there were verses that really spoke to me, that I was really drawn to.  Unfortunately, the craziness of life has me all sorts of scatter-brained right now, so I'm just going to state what I personally got out of this reading, and then list some of my favorite parts. God wants us to be good people. He wants us to be holy. He wants us to believe in Him and fiercely defend our beliefs.  He wanted the Israelites to realize that it was none of their actions that caused them to be favored by God. It was the wickedness of the other nations that caused them to be driven out. It was not because the Israelites had anything special, it was because the other nations were devastatingly corrupt. (Deuteronomy 9:1-6) Some verses I liked (and highlighted) (and would like to hear others' opinions): Deuteronomy 8:2-3 Deuteronomy 8:10 Deuteronom...

Beginning the Book of Deuteronomy  A New Perspective In today's reading, we finished up the book of Numbers and marched on into Deuteronomy. Conveniently, Numbers 33 summed up quite a bit of the Israelite's travels on their journey to the promised land, so much for me summing that up myself!  Numbers finishes up by listing the boundaries the Israelites are to obey when they're in the promised land, some of the laws they are to follow, and by God stating "Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the Lord, dwell among the Israelites," in Numbers 35:34. After a follow-up of Zelophehad's daughters, we are led into the book of Deuteronomy.  Was this book as refreshing of a perspective for you all as it was for me?? Hearing a recap from Moses's perspective in the first person made it feel more like history was being told to me, and less like I  was reading from a thousands-of-years-old book. I found it made it much more ...

Being Zealous for God  Victories, Talking Donkeys, and another Census. Our reading begins today with two victories by the Israelites as they continue their journey. God says to Moses that he should not be afraid of these nations or their leaders, because God gave them to the Israelites, with the armies and the lands. So the Israelites struck them down.  The King of Moab, the city the Israelites were going to next, sent for a man named Balaam to come and curse the Israelites before they got to Moab. Balaam does not go with them, saying that even the King's palace filled with silver and gold would not be enough to convince him to go. On the way to Moab, Balaam's donkey sees an angel of the Lord and runs away or tries to avoid it. This happens three times. Then, God opens the donkey's mouth and states "What have I done to be beaten three times." Balaam tells the donkey that it's made him look like a fool, and then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, so he...

The Land of Milk and Honey A glimpse into the promised land.  In today's reading we've finally come to the promised land! (Sort of) A lot of the content from Numbers 8-Numbers 21 revolved around the Israelites complaining because they didn't have something, then asking why they were brought out of Israel, and questioning Moses, Aaron, and ultimately--the Lord. Then, the Lord provides for their needs--even though they consistently question Him. In Chapter 13, they Israelites arrive near the Promised Land (Canaan), and send in scouts to check it out. When they return 40 days later, they return to tell the Israelites that it is as abundant as the Lord had promised, but it was inhabited by powerful people who would overpower the Israelites if they tried to invade. They Israelites doubt God, His promises, and His plan for them--and again ask why they were ever brought out of Egypt. Because of  their contempt, their lack of gratitude, and their disbelief, God says ...

Beginning the Book of Numbers  Proof of a promise fulfilled We've finished the third book of the Bible already! That's crazy!  The book of Number is interesting, for a variety of reasons. However, it can be very repetitive--so I'll just give a very brief summary for today's post. The book of numbers begins by God commanding Moses to begin taking a census of all the Israelites. In total, there were 603,550 males over the age of twenty. 603,550 adult males descended from Jacob (aka Israel).  God had fulfilled his promise! Time after time we have heard God say how numerous the descendants will be. And I would say 603,550 is pretty numerous. God then sets the Levites apart from the other tribes of descendants. I believe this is because in Exodus 32, the Levites were the tribe who defended God, when the rest of the Israelites began worshiping the golden calf. While the other tribes were to work around the tabernacle, the Levites were commanded to ...

Facing Controversy Head-On  Tackling some of the largest issues Christians are faced with. Today's reading includes Leviticus 18 and 19, the laws God gave to the Israelites. The topics of incest, homosexuality, tattoos, and various other controversial "can you be a Christian if..." verses are covered. I will be touching on these to the extent that I am comfortable with an interpretation I am completely and totally at peace with. If you have a varying opinion, please leave it in the comments. I am not always right and I am very open-minded. I'd love to hear your thoughts! With that, let's get to it!  We begin with some conclusions as to how to clean mold and mildew in the home. Like I said yesterday, this is not a law you are obligated and required to follow. Please have a professional remove mold and mildew from your home! In chapter 16, we see the origin of the phrase "Scapegoat." Biblically speaking, a scapegoat is a goat sent into...

Our journey continues into Leviticus, God continues to show the Israelites how to live as holy people. There isn't much to summarize from today's reading. Unfortunately, much of it is how and when they are to sacrifice burnt offerings to the Lord, the priests' duties, what to eat, how to purify oneself after childbirth, and how to prevent disease from spreading.  Essentially, our reading breaks down like this: Ch 1-7: Holy practices, Ch 8-10: Holy priesthood, and Ch 9-14/15: Holy people.  Chapters 1-7 are all about offerings. Whether it be to atone for sin, or guilt, or as an act of praise, burnt offerings were very important in the Old Testament. However, a sacrifice had to be a sacrifice .  God takes time to specify that if you are to do an animal sacrifice, it must be a male with no defects. It must be something that you will be difficult for you to give up, but you do anyway.  Please note that we, as Christians, are in no way asked or requi...