First Baptist Church, Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Devotional: Titus 1:5-9

Today’s passage: Titus 1:5-9

Helpful thoughts:

  • Titus was given to serve churches in Crete, in part, through setting up leaders in every local church.  That leadership started with elders (pastors).
    • Notice, there were to be elders (plural) in every church.
    • The necessity we see through the New Testament was that a church first needed elders, then deacons came later when the need arose.
  • The use of the word “overseer” in verse 7 is not naming a separate office, but one of the functions/responsibilities of the elders.
  • A couple notes from verse 6:
    • “The husband of one wife” could be translate “the man of one woman” or a one-woman man.
      • This does indicate (Among other passages) that elders must be men.
      • This doesn’t necessarily forbid any man who has ever been divorced from being an elder.  More information would be needed (Such as the time, cause, response, attempts at reconciliation, to name a few).
    • The word “believers” could also be translated as “faithful.”  No man can guarantee his children are converted.  That is God’s work.  However, a faithful husband and father (Whether a pastor or not) should lead his family to know the Word of God, understand the gospel, and be involved in the church as long as they remain in the household.

Questions to consider:

  1. How many of these qualifications are good for all Christians to pursue?  How many for all Christian men, husbands, etc.?  What qualifications would be specific for the role of an elder?  What does this tell us about the ministry of an elder?  Is it only a teaching (Public speaking) position?
  2. If these churches were small and newly planted, what must we infer concerning the calling of at least 2 elders in every church?  Were they all scholars?  Were they all paid full-time salary?  Did they come from some seminary or other church far away?  How does 1 Timothy 5:17-18 add to our understanding here?
  3. How can this passage help you to pray for your pastor(s)/elder(s)?  How could the whole church’s pursuit of many of these areas of growth in character and conduct benefit the elders and everyone else?

Devotional: Titus 1:1-4

Today’s passage: Titus 1:1-4

Helpful thoughts:

  • The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to Titus, most likely, between his first and second imprisonments in the mid-60’s AD.  This would have been around the same time as the letter of 1 Timothy.
  • Paul’s calling as an apostle was a calling to be a servant of God, for the sake of those who would hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and believe.
  • True learning and knowledge of the truth produces godliness, change and growth in holiness.
  • What Paul preached/taught (And what we continue to preach/teach) happened in world history at certain points, but was promised by God before creation came into being.
    • What God wills, will be accomplished.
    • What God has accomplished gives us all the more assurance that what has not yet come, will certainly happen.

Questions to consider:

  1. Why isn’t simply holding to a good doctrinal statement the measure of spiritual maturity?  What does truly believing in good biblical doctrine produce in the life of a genuine believer?
  2. Paul is not the only servant in the church.  We are all servants of the Lord in different ways.  How have you been blessed to be able to serve others in the church?
  3. What are the gospel promises God has already fulfilled?  What are the promises yet to be fulfilled to which we look forward?

Devotional: Leviticus 27

Today’s passage: Leviticus 27

Helpful thoughts:

  • The final chapter of Leviticus speaks to the fulfillment and/or redemption of vows and dedications made to the Lord.
  • Whether a person vowed to offer themself or a member of their family for service in the temple, or land, or house, or other gifts, there was a way to redeem that offer (To recoup what was given).  It often required a 20% to the value.
    • It’s believed the values given to men and women could have been based on the rates for slaves.
  • Those that were firstborn could not be given to the Lord because they were already His (Exodus 13:2).

Questions to consider:

  1. What would the increase of 20% in value serve to teach the people concerning their vows and dedications?  Were they to be given flippantly?  Were the priests and the tabernacle to be treated as things that could be treated without respect or consideration?  What kind of giving is honorable before the Lord?
  2. What does the final verse remind us of concerning the timing of the writing and teaching of this book?  Where was Israel and at what stage were they in their history when all of this was given to them?
  3. What have been some themes or main ideas that have stuck out to you as we have worked our way through the book of Leviticus?  What have we learned about Israel?  The Lord?  Man’s ability to keep the law?  God’s redemption of man?

Devotional: Leviticus 26

Today’s passage: Leviticus 26

Helpful thoughts:

  • It might seem weird to see the Lord shift from idolatry in verses 1-2 to all the promises in verses 3-13.  But, all the things the Lord commits to giving Israel in 3-13 are all the things the surrounding nations worshipped other false gods in hopes to receive.  The Lord was their God.  He was their protector, provider and redeemer.  They had no need to worship any other.
  • If Israel chose to worship those false gods anyway (Which they did) not only would those false gods fail to provide what Israel wanted, but the Lord would ensure they didn’t receive the things for which they hoped.
  • The Lord had a right to a holy jealousy concerning Israel.  He had formed them as a people.  He had freed them from slavery.  They had formally entered into a covenant with Him.  He was going to give them a land to call their home.
    • In truth, the Lord has a right to a holy jealousy for all peoples…He is the one true God and the creator of all things.  He alone must be worshiped.  The people of the world in all places and at all times are either obediently worshipping Him, or they are in sin.

Questions to consider:

  1. Given the promises of Lord here (For good and for bad) what did Israel do?  What did/will the Lord do (2 Kings 6:24-31, 2 Kings 25:8-11, Ezra 1:1-4, Revelation 19:6-11)?
  2. From the perspective of man, who would be responsible for the good that came, or for the bad?  Who would the “newspapers” say caused the great harvests or the military victories and defeats?  Ultimately, who was responsible for it all?  What does this passage teach us about the providence of God?
  3. How can this passage appropriately cause us to “sit up straight” under the Lordship of Jesus Christ?  We joyfully rest in His grace, and it is right for us to obey Him in everything.  How can you be growing in following our Lord and Savior?

Devotional: Leviticus 25

Today’s passage: Leviticus 25

Helpful thoughts:

  • The people of Israel were to keep a Sabbath day every week on the seventh day.  The land of Israel was to keep a Sabbath year of rest every seventh year.
  • The forty-ninth year was a Sabbath year that brought in the Year of Jubilee (The fiftieth year).
    • The land would have rest for the duration of two years.
    • All people would go back to their ancestral lands.
    • All land ownership (Which was really more like a lease agreement) was returned to the original owners.
      • When the land was “sold” (leased) to others, the cost was to be calculated according the the years left before the next Jubilee to ensure a fair price.
    • Any Israelite who had become an indentured slave/servant was to be freed.
    • Houses in walled cities were exempt from the rule of Jubilee.  Once you sold it, you only had the first right to buy it back within a year of the sale.  After that, you had no claim to the house.
  • Whether a person was an Israelite or a foreigner (An immigrant), they were expected to keep the laws of Israel within the land.

Questions to consider:

  1. How does the law of the Year of Jubilee differ from our laws?  What did the Year of Jubilee do to change the concept of the ownership of land, the needs of the poor, etc.?
  2. What was the motivation to be to take people in and help them in their time of need (Verse 36)?  What actions/attitudes would have made it hard to fulfill this command?  What must those who were being helped be willing to do for those who were providing for them?
  3. In what ways is the slavery spoken of in this passage different than the slavery we often think of from the history of the United States?  How were the slaves to be treated according to Leviticus 25?  What were they actually providing?  Ultimately, who actually “owned” all the people in Israel (Verse 55)?

Devotional: Leviticus 24

Today’s passage: Leviticus 24

Helpful thoughts:

  • Today’s chapter could be divided in two halves:
    • Preparation in the tabernacle (The lamps and the bread).
    • An occasion for laws concerning punishment.
  • There were twelve loaves set out as “The Bread of the Presence.”  They symbolized the covenant between the Lord and the twelve tribes of Irsael.
  • The death penalty was given to the one who cursed and blasphemed.  Verses 16 and 22 make it clear, it had nothing to do with his Egyptian background (Not based on his ethnicity), and everything to do with his sin.  Should an Israelite do the same, the same punishment would have been warranted.
  • The judgments against crimes would not have to be the exact pain inflicted (Not a literal broken arm in exchange for a broken arm) but the phrase, “as he has done it shall be done to him” gave a limit to the punishment.  The punishment needed to fit the crime.

Questions to consider:

  1. To where did Moses turn when he needed wisdom in judgment?  To whom should we go when we need to learn what to do?  How does this evidence a humility in ourselves and a trust in the truth of God’s Word?
  2. How does this passage speak to the idea of justice in this world?  What is necessary for justice to be carried out?  What did Israel have to do with God’s command here?  What happens in a society when those in authority withhold justice?

Devotional: Leviticus 23

Today’s passage: Leviticus 23

Helpful thoughts:

  • Chapter 23 lists the special days and feasts throughout the year to be observed in Israel.
    • The Sabbath day (Weekly)
    • The Passover (Annual – In the spring/March-April)
      • The Feast of Unleavened Bread immediately follows Passover
    • Firstfruits (Annual – Also after Passover)
    • Weeks (Annual – 50 days after Passover)
      • Also called “Pentecost” (This was being celebrated when the events of Acts 2 occurred).
    • Trumpets (Annual – In the fall/September)
    • The Day of Atonement (Annual-Fall/September-October)
    • Booths/Tabernacles (Annual-Fall/September-October)

Questions to consider:

  1. What do you notice about the timing of all of these feasts/”holidays”?  What would the grouping of these occasions result in?
  2. If the spring was the first months for the Jews, how would that impact these celebrations?  What would be happening during or prior to the fall-time feasts?
  3. What would the faithful observance of these feasts do for the relationship of Israel (And Israelites and the Lord?  What would the faithful observance do for the bond and relationships of the people of Israel with each other?  How could this be compared with the gathering of the local church (Hebrews 10:23-25)?

Devotional: Leviticus 22

Today’s passage: Leviticus 22

Helpful thoughts:

  • Laws (And their explanations/exceptions) continue from chapter 21.
  • These laws were also beneficial to the people of Israel outside of the priesthood.  It ensured whatever they offered to the Lord would remain ceremonially “clean” and fit for use in the tabernacle.  The priests had a responsibility before the Lord and the people to do their work with excellence.
  • The priests were to be set apart and without blemish in their role, and so were the animals for sacrifice.  The Lord would only accept a sacrifice that was without blemish or defect.  Being without sin, Christ became our “sacrificial lamb.”

Questions to consider:

  1. As we come closer to the end of Leviticus, what themes have formed?  Even though there have been several different commands, what ideas/principles tie them all together?
  2. What reasons were given for the obedience of Israel in verses 31-33?  How might we state this for the people of God (The Church) today?  Why should we obey the Lord?
  3. How did we become the Lord’s?  How were we redeemed?  With what were we purchased to become His people?