March 4
Num 2:1-3:51 | PS 47:1-9 | Prov 10:24-25 | Mark 11:27-12:17
It is so easy to gloss over our reading in Numbers today filled with numbers and locations. One might see them as arbitrary. God in the tabernacle was in the center of the camp. The Levites were surrounding the tabernacle. The high priest, in this case Aaron, was located immediately east. Jesus is our High Priest. There were then three tribes extending in each direction. The tribe immediately east was the tribe of Judah. Jesus' lineage was from the tribe of Judah. The tribe, also facing east adjacent to Judah was Issachar. This Jezreel valley is located in future tribal allotment of Issachar where Jesus will come at the time of His second coming to fight the battle of Armageddon. Immediately adjacent to this tribe on the east is Naphthali in which the future tribal allotment is Nazareth where Jesus grew up at the time of His first coming. In addition, if you do the math, the tribes surrounding the tabernacle will have the longest allotment facing east which if one looked from above would form a cross with the base of the cross facing east. We are saved by the blood which flowed down from the cross. Nothing is by accident. Nothing is by coincidence.
Jesus did not declare Himself king until He came into Jerusalem shortly before His death on Palm Sunday. Jesus, riding on a donkey rode in from the Mount of Olives and entered Jerusalem through the East gate (there were eight major gates into Jerusalem at the time). We know from the prophecies of Ezekiel 10-11, that it was through the eastern gate that the glory of God departs from the temple just prior to it being destroyed by the Babylonians. We also know from Ezekiel 43:1-5, that the glory of the Lord will return to the temple via "the gate facing east". We also know from the prophecy in Zechariah 14, that it is on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, that Jesus will return at the time of His second coming.
In Luke 24:27, on the road to Emmaus, it is said, "And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself." Jesus is everywhere in Scripture. Everything in it is relevant and nothing is by coincidence.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: