As we read about the Levites being set apart to serve God, it’s worth reminding ourselves that we have all been called to be part of a royal priesthood.

Sometimes people feel the need to especially dedicate themselves to God for a time. The nazirite vow is one of the ways to accomplish that.

Chapter 5 has rules for maintaining the purity of the camp.

The Levites serve as an offering to God, taking the place of the firstborn male of each woman.

The position of the Tabernacle at the center of the camp was practical to allow access to all and also symbolic of God’s central place in the community.

Numbers begins with a census…much like the birth narrative in the Gospel of Luke. Both remind us that these events took place in history, real events lived by real people.

Leviticus closes with rules about redeeming persons who have been dedicated to the Lord, reminding us that we, too, have been redeemed.

We rejoice when God blesses the righteous, but do not want to confuse that with a belief that our actions can manipulate God

The Old Testament presents economic principles very different from our modern systems. That might be a good thing.

From now through early January it seems there is some kind of holiday or observance almost every week. It is the things we remember as a community that shape us.