Congratulations for making it through the first five books of the Torah so far! And remember, if you have not been following the Read Scripture program meticulously since January, don't worry about it - just start where we are this coming week. Our focus is on progressing through the Bible this year and not being unduly pressured to be perfect in the reading schedule. The key is progress, not perfection! As we cap off the reading the of the first five books from Genesis to Deuteronomy, I plan to organize an online "fireside chat" event with Pastor John Sittema to discuss on a few possible topics. However, we would like this to be an audience-driven event i.e. we will only organize if there is a demand for it. The demand will be measured by the number of questions we receive arising from your reading schedule thus far (from the Genesis to Deuteronomy). As long as your questions are linked to these books, you can fire away from any angle!  Click here to submit your quest...

Prov 4:23 states - "Keep your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. Despite the first five books of the Bible being full of statutes, ordinances, and God's commandment, this final book of the Torah - Deuteronomy - has a consistent focus on what is internal, not just concerning external conformance but on matters of the heart. In fact, the word heart appears 46 times in the book of Deuteronomy. Furthermore, as this book constitutes Moses' farewell discourse and instructions to the Israelites, the writings reveal a more heartfelt approach - appealing for conviction and not mere conformance. As you read through Numbers 31 to Deuteronomy 12 this week, whenever you come across the word "heart", mark it down. You may be surprised at the highly relational nature of the Torah. Furthermore, there is also a passing on of the leadership mantle from Aaron to Eleazar and from Moses to Joshua. In coming to the end of the 40 wandering wilderness years,...

This section of Numbers is a challenging portion to read - not only in terms of its literary features but also in terms of the literal frustrations depicted! After the year long boot camp at Mount Sinai, you would think that the sons of Israel would be all pumped-up to march on to claim and conquer the promised land but they end up being conquered instead - not by external enemies but by internal opposition . The worst type of threat any leadership can face is that which comes from within because a house divided against itself will not be able to stand (Mark 3:25).  As you read through Numbers 11-30 this week, be on the lookout for the "twin test" of leadership challenges faced by Moses in the form of complaining followers and comparing rivals. You can almost feel Moses being "sandwiched" between the people he leads and the people leading together with him. The burden of leadership was so heavy that Yahweh summoned 70 elders to share this leadership load with Moses...

It is noteworthy that Yahweh did not rush the sons of Israel from Mount Sinai to the promised land in Canaan after the miraculous deliverance from Egypt. There were certain preparatory phases required - the rituals, sacrifices, festivals, upkeep of the tabernacle, the appointment of priestly roles, and various regulations. In other words, establishing right traditions is a needful development in Israel's identity as a nation, as a people belonging to Yahweh. The phrase "I am the Lord your God" is proclaimed 21 times in Leviticus, highlighting the deeply relational intent of these traditions. The meticulous nature of these events spell out Yahweh's desire to create a distinct people set apart for Himself (Lev 20:24-25). At the heart of it, these traditions indicate a mark of divine ownership.  As you move from Leviticus to Numbers, it is useful to bear in mind the physical location of the Israelites and their psychological state of mind. Often, we make the mistake of...