What a disaster! Apparently Jim Packer and Carl Trueman are the only people who got it right about British evangelicalism!
Just in case I want to put my hands on it in the future, Carl Trueman has some thoughts about the "Spirit of '66". They may be right, they may be wrong, but they are certainly stimulating.
Yes, I'm blogging again. The reason why I haven't been is because I've been very busy and the internet was taking up too much of my life. I think it's good for me though, and you never know it may be appreciated by others as well.
But I'm going to determinedly keep all posts as short as possible, which I'm sure any readers will be thankful of as well. This means there will be a lot of unexplored thoughts.
And after that the Levites shall go in to serve at the tent of meeting, when you have cleansed them and offered them as a wave offering. For they are wholly given to me from among the people of Israel. Instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the people of Israel, I have taken them for myself. (Numbers 8:15-16)
'Wave offering' is a poor translation. As usual the NRSV has it better with 'elevation offering'. This can be defined a "ritual [that] marked a change in ownership of the sacrifice from the offerer to God".
Although offered by Israel though the Levites are already God's following the passover.
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am the Lord.” (Numbers 3:11-13)
Similarly the church offers the sacrifice of their bodies (Romans 12:1). Although they are already God's possession.
You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
There is freedom here though (1 Corinthians 7:22-23).
The people of Israel shall pitch their tents by their companies, each man in his own camp and each man by his own standard. But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the people of Israel. And the Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the testimony.” (Numbers 1:52-53)
The Israelite camp was like concentric circles. At the centre was the Ark and this was surrounded by the Tabernacle itself. The Levites surrounded the Tabernacle and the rest of Israel surrounded them. Each circle protected the next from God's wrath at the unclean entering God's holy presence. Israel is protecting the rest of the world in the way it camps. Israel have their priests, but they are also priests to the rest of the world.
I wonder if it is significant that when the Ark precedes the rest of Israel it is usually (maybe always, I don't know) when they are confronting the world.
the Lord has made Zion forget festival and Sabbath, and in his fierce indignation has spurned king and priest. The Lord has scorned his altar, disowned his sanctuary;(Lamentations 2:6b-7a)
Festivals, sabbath days and the temple were a gift from God and not something he needed. How often do we make God's gifts our gifts to him?
