The Nurse Theologian

Mark 9 Jesus said that some of the disciples would see the kingdom of God come with power. Peter, James and John saw Jesus transfigured into his glorified state and were told by the Father to listen to him before Moses and the prophets. Jesus commanded that they tell no one what that had seen until he rose from the dead. Jesus healed an epileptic boy but more than that, he helped a doubting father have faith. Jesus prepared his disciples for his death at the hands of men and his bodily resurrection on the third day. Jesus taught his disciples that the greatest in the kingdom of God is the one considered last among men because he is servant of all.  Jesus taught his disciples to not be particular regarding persons who think differently but love Jesus Christ and the followers of Christ. Jesus warned his disciples to not be the cause of a weak believers stumbling because stumbling leads to hell. Jesus commanded his disciples to have a purifying influence and be at peace with one another. 
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Numbers 36 The son of Machir of the tribe of Manasseh came to Moses with a concern regarding the land given to the daughters of Zelophehad. (cf. Num 27:5-7) He was concerned that if they married outside of the tribe, the inheritance would be transferred to another tribe and made permanent in the year of jubilee. Moses said, “Let them marry whom they wish; only they must marry within the family of the tribe of their father.” No inheritance shall pass from one tribe to another and if a daughter receives an inheritance she must marry within her own tribe. Thus the daughters of Zelophehad did as the Lord had commanded Moses, they married within the tribe of Manasseh and their inheritance remained in that tribe. The book concludes the commandments and ordinances of the Lord through Moses, given on the plains of Moab by the Jordan. 
The Lord had promised to give the land of Canaan to the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (Gen 35:12) The Lord changed Jacob’s name to Israel (Gen 35:10) and made…

Numbers 35 The Lord commanded through Moses, that the Sons of Israel give to the Levites cities to live in and pasture lands around the cities. There shall be forty-eight Levitical cities spread throughout all of Israel, of which, six shall be cities of refuge for the man-slayer to flee. The cities of refuge are for a man who has killed without intention to flee too until he stands trial before the congregation. The man who has killed by malice of forethought is a murder and shall be put to death by the avenger of the one murdered. If he is found innocent of murder by the congregation he is to be protected from the avenger in the city of refuge but cannot leave that city until the high priest dies. The murder is to be put to death but the one who killed without malice is to live in the city of refuge and no one shall take a bribe but make righteous judgment.
The Levites belong to the Lord as representatives for all the first born sons, whom the Lord passed over, when he took the lives o…

Numbers 34 The Lord commanded Moses to give the sons of Israel instructions for apportioning the land of Canaan. He gave them instructions on the boarders. He appointed Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun as the leaders responsible for apportioning the land among the tribes. The Lord through Moses appointed leaders for each tribe. 
Aaron had already died and his son Eleazar had taken over as high priest. Moses would die before the sons of Israel entered the promise land and Joshua would take over from Moses. Caleb was one of the spies who forty years prior spied out the land of Canaan. Caleb and Jacob were the only two remaining from that generation. Joshua was to take over from Moses and Caleb was to be the leader for Judah, but all other tribes had new leadership.
The Lord is the one who was giving them the land and expelling the inhabitance of the land. Therefore, the Lord decides the borders and appoints the leadership. Eleazar and Joshua are the main leaders appointed by the Lo…

Numbers 32 Moses recorded every place from which they the started and camped during the forty year journey in the wilderness. The journey began at Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; the day after the Passover, in the sight of all the Egyptians, while the Egyptians were burying their first born, whom the Lord had struck down. The Lord had also executed judgement on the Egyptian’s gods. There were many places that they camped at on the way but the stages of the journey include: Egypt to the wilderness of Sinai (vv. 5–15)From the wilderness to Ezion Geber (vv. 16–35)Ezion Geber to Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin (v. 36)Kadesh to Moab (vv. 37–49).  The forty years of wondering had ended at Moab. On the plains of Moab, the sons of Israel were poised to cross the Jordan and enter into the promise land but the leaders that led them for forty years (Moses and Aaron) would not enter with them. Thus, the Lord gave it to Moses to give one last bit of instruction to…

Numbers 32
The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad came to Moses and stated their plan to make live east of the Jordan and not the land of Canaan. This displeased Moses because he saw their plan as rebellion against the Lord. Forty years prior, spies were sent into the land of Canaan; one spy from each tribe. Caleb who represented the tribe of Judah and Joshua who represented the tribe of Ephraim came back with a positive report but the other ten spies gave a negative report. Caleb and Joshua were focused on the promise but the other spies were focused on the strength of the people who occupied the land. The congregation listened to fear rather than the promise, thus they rebelled against the Lord and were sentenced to wander in the wilderness for forty years, until that generation died. Now a new generation camped east of the Jordan, ready to cross the Jordan and enter the promise land. When the leaders of Rueben and the leaders of Gad came to Moses, he made the assumption that they we…

Numbers 31
Though Balaam, on three occasions, blessed the sons of Israel, though Balaak called him to curse; (Numbers 22, 23, 24) Balaam advised the Midianite kings to send women into the camp. (Num 31:16) The sons of Israel layed with these women and worshiped Baal at Peor. (Num 25) This lead to a plague in Israel and many deaths. 
The Lord commanded Moses to take vengeance for the sons of Israel. After this, Moses would himself die. The sons of Israel went to war against Midian to execute the Lord’s vengeance on Midian. They put to death the kings of Midian and Balaam with the sword. They took the booty, which included the women and children but Moses and Eleazar the priest advised that they put to death all the boys and women who had been intimate with a man but keep the young girls. 
The booty was divided between the men of war and the congregation; also a tax was levied on the booty. One five-hundredth of the men of war portion went to the priests as an offering to the Lord and one-…

Numbers 30Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of Israel, saying: If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or takes an oath to bind himself, he shall not violate his word. In other words, he is bound to do according to all that proceeded from his mouth. However, this is not the same concerning a woman. A man is bound to keep his oath but the oath of a woman could be forbidden by the man who is her head. For a woman, not yet married, her father is her head, but a married woman’s head is her husband. The man who is her head has the right to decide if the oath stands. If a woman’s father or husband forbids her to keep the vow, then she is not obligated to keep it, but if he allows it, she is bound to do according to all that proceed from her mouth. Silence from a woman’s father or husband was considered affirmation. There are two things that we can focus on in this text. The first being the making of an oath and keeping a vow. The second being that the man is the head of the woman. Not that a…

November 29thThe seventh month was the most holy month of all in the Hebrew calendar year. Even more so, than the first month, the month of the Passover and the feast of unleavened bread. In the seventh month, atonement was made before and on the mercy seat and the sins of the people were put on the scapegoat and taken away. The feast began with the blowing of trumpets on the first day (new moon) of the seventh month and went on for ten days. The feast of the trumpets began with a holy convocation and sacrifices and concludes with the day of atonement on the seventh-day. (see Lev 16:29-34) The autumn feast began just five days later on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. It was a seven day feast, which concluded with a special sabbatical rest, not on the seventh-day but on the eighth day. The apostle Paul related Jesus death, burial and resurrection to the day of atonement. (see Romans 3:21-26) Isn’t interesting that following the day of atonement was a feast that lasted seven day…

Numbers 28 To the sons of Israel, a day ended at twilight and seven twilights completed a week. The seventh day, from twilight on the sixth day to twilight on the seventh day was a special day of rest, to honor the Lord who created all things in six days and rested on the seventh day. A day was based on the setting of the sun but a month was based on moon cycles. A new month began with a new moon and twelve new moons meant a year. The first month of the year was special because on the fourteenth day of the first month, at twilight, a lamb was slain and eaten in remembrance of the Lord’s Passover. On the fifteenth day, the feast of unleavened bread began and was celebrated for seven days in remembrance of the exodus from Egypt. Based on these periods of times, the Lord commanded regular sacrifices: daily, sabbath, new moon (month), passover, and seventh day of unleavened bread. Every day was special and there were days considered most holy. Also seasons were celebrated but this was base…

Numbers 27 The Four daughters of Zelophehad, who was of Manasseh, came to Moses about an inheritance for their father’s house. Their father died in the wilderness and did not have any sons. Moses inquired of the Lord and the law concerning property rights to the next of kin was given. After this, Joshua was commissioned to lead the sons of Israel across the Jordan river. Moses would die east of the Jordan because he disobeyed the word of the Lord and did not sanctify his name before the congregation, at the waters of Meribah.
The Lord Jesus Christ has promised eternal life to all who believe in him. When Joshua was commissioned, some of Moses’s authority was given to him. One would come later, who is greater than Moses, but all of the leaders between Moses and Messiah would be less than. The name Joshua means, “the LORD is salvation,” and this is the name given to the Messiah. Pronounced Yehoshua in Hebrew and translated Iēsous into Greek. Yehoshua is translated into English Joshua and …

The Lord commanded that Moses and Eleazar the priest take a census of the sons of Israel, men who were twenty years old and upward, by their fathers households, whoever is able to go to war. The sons of Israel numbered 601,730 able men. The inheritance in the land was given by lot and the larger tribes received a larger portion. The tribe of Levi numbered 23,000 but they were given no inheritance. This was a new census because none of the men (except Caleb and Joshua) remained who were numbered in the wilderness of Sinai. 
The sons of Israel returned to the border about to enter into the promised land. None of the elders remained. They all died during the forty years of wondering in the wilderness. Of those who were twenty years old and upward, none remained but Caleb and Joshua. Even Moses would perish before they entered into the promised land. It is the children who would receive the inheritance of the Lord.
We who follow the Lord Jesus Christ are promised eternal life in the world t…

Numbers 25
As they camped near Moab, the sons of Israel began became interested in the Midianite women. The men were sleeping with these women and sacrificing to their gods. The Lord was jealous for his people. Moses and the elders put to death the men who had joined themselves to Baal of Peor. Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, put to death a son of Israel, while he was in his tent with a Midianite woman. This subsided the Lord’s anger against the sons of Israel.
The Lord did not want the sons of Israel to join with the Midianites because he knew that they would lead them astray, to worship other gods. The first of the Ten Commandments, in Mosaic covenant: “You shall have no other gods before me.” Lust led to their putting other gods before the one true God. 
Repentance means turning away from the lusts of the flesh and the mind. (Eph 2:3) Do not indulge the desires of the flesh and the mind. Serve the one true God and do all that he commands. Live according to th…

Numbers 24
To the dismay of Balak, Balaam gives two oracles: In the first, he blessed Israel and this made Balak angry. Balak sought Balaam to do his bidding. He wanted Balaam to curse Israel but he blessed Israel. At the end of the first oracle, he said of Israel, “Blessed is everyone who blesses you, and cursed is everyone who curses you.” This saying was part of the covenant that the Lord gave to Abraham (Gen 12:3) and is part of the blessing that Isaac conferred on his son Jacob. (Gen 27:29)
For his second oracle, Balaam spoke of a future star coming from Jacob. This brings us back to the seed of Abraham but even further back than that, to the seed of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent. (Gen 3:15) Balaam spoke of this future star as a scepter who would rise from Israel and crush through the forehead of Moab and tear down all the sons of Sheth. This was a Messianic prophecy, relating to a future Messiah.
We know that the Messiah came from the tribe of Judah and the fami…

Numbers 23
Three times Balak requested that Balaam curse the sons of Israel and three times Balaam told Balak to build seven altars and prepare seven bulls and seven rams as a burnt sacrifice to the Lord. Each time, Balaam told Balak to stand by his sacrifice while he stepped away to speak with the Lord. On all three occasions, Balaam did not curse but blessed the sons of Israel.
Jesus said to love our enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. (Lk 6:27-28) Jesus said, do not resist an evil person. If they slap you, then let them. If they want to sue you, then let them. If they force you to work, then let them. If they ask of you, then give. (Mt. 5:39-42) 
Balaam came to Balak because he repeatedly requested it of him but he did what the Lord commanded and not what Balak wanted. Balak wanted Balaam to curse the sons of Israel but Balaam blessed them because he did what the Lord commanded him to do.
When he dwelt among men, our Lord …

The Lord God is the creator and he is sovereign. We must keep his word. Anything else is sin. If the Lord should command it, thus we shall do it and if he forbid it, we shall not do it. 
Sometimes we find ourselves on the wrong path and the Lord puts obstacles in our way to get our attention. There are two types of people in this world. The elect of the Lord and the cursed. Sometimes it is hard to distinguish because people look alike. Sometimes the elect appear to be cursed but it is the Lord’s doing and way of guiding his elect who stray from his will. We cannot speak except what the Lord puts in our mouths. Anything else is sin. The Lord will get the attention of his elect and will use the things of this world and hardships to get our attention. 
We are justified, as a gift, by the grace of God alone, through faith alone, in the Son of God, Jesus Christ alone, for the glory of God alone, as it is written in Scripture alone. All other ways are contrary to the will and word of God. Jes…

Numbers Twenty One
The Lord delivered the Canaanites and the Ammonites into the hands of Israel but they journeyed around Edom. The people did what they had been doing since the exodus from Egypt. They complained against God and Moses. They were never satisfied with the manna that God provided from heaven and were never satisfied with the leadership that Moses gave to them. The Lord God would cause a problem for them, so they would repent and turn to him through Moses. During one of these times, the Lord sent serpents into the camp that bit the people. When they repented of their complaining and asked Moses to intercede on their behalf before the Lord, the Lord commanded Moses to make a bronze serpent and raise it up, so that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it will live. During his conversation with the Pharisee Nicodemus, Jesus related this to his crucifixion on a Roman cross.  As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that …

What does it say? Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, died in the wilderness of Zin. The people complained because it was a hard place and they had no water to drink. The Lord commanded Moses and Aaron to take the rod (Aaron’s rod) and assemble the congregation and speak to the rock, that it may yield water before their eyes. However, Moses stuck the rock twice with the rod; therefore, the Lord was angry with Moses and Aaron and would not allow them to lead the people into the land which the Lord was giving them. Moses sent messengers to the king of Edom, asking for his blessing, that the sons of Israel may pass through Edom. Edom refused the sons of Israel. Eleazar, the son of Aaron, was made high priest and Aaron died on Mount Hor, by the border of Edom, because he and Moses rebelled against the Lord’s command at the waters of Meribah.
What does it mean? Life in this broken world is difficult. There is no promise of an easy and happy life in this world, but there is in the world to …

What does it say? The Lord commanded that an unblemished red heifer be given to Eleazar the priest and slaughtered outside of the camp. He is to take some of the blood with his finger and sprinkle some toward the tent of meeting. Next, the red heifer is to be burned in his sight and the priest shall cast cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet material into the midst of the burning heifer. The ashes of the heifer are used for purification of persons and dwellings that are unclean because of contact with a dead person. A clean person is to take the ashes, which is called water and sprinkle them on the unclean, on the third day and the seventh day. If they do this ritual, they will be considered clean and received back on the seventh day, but if they do not, they will be cut off from the congregation.
What does it mean? Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (Jn 14:6) The Lord God is holy and we are not; therefore, we must be made holy or…

What does it say? Only Aaron and his sons are to be priest before the Lord and only the Levites are to tend to the tent of meeting as the Lord’s servants. Every sacrifice and offering brought to the sanctuary of the Lord he gives to Aaron, his sons and the members of his household. The first born of man and unclean beast are to be redeemed but the clean animals are holy to the Lord. The priest shall have no portion of the land, for the Lord is their portion. The Levites shall have no inheritance either but are to be supported with the tithe. No son of Israel shall come near to the tent of meeting, only the Levites shall perform the service of the tent of meeting. The Levites are to give a tithe of the tithe to Aaron and his sons.
What does it mean? This chapter is about honor and dependence. Aaron and his sons received the highest of honor, approaching the Lord and the holy articles, but they received no inheritance in the land. The Levies are honored servants of the Lord, but they recei…

What does it say? The Lord told Moses to get a rod from the leaders of every tribe. One rod representing the leader of each tribe, twelve rods in all. In addition, a rod representing Levi, is to be added with Aaron’s name on the rod. The twelve rods, with the names of the leaders of each tribe written on them and Aaron’s rod. Moses deposited the rods before the Lord in the tent of the testimony. The following day, Aaron’s rod for the house of Levi had sprouted buds and produced (fruit) almonds. Each man took back his rod but Moses put Aaron’s rod back before the testimony as a sign against those who had rebelled, so that they will not die.
What does it mean? The Lord mediated an end to the rebellion. The Lord chose Aaron as priest and the tribe of Levi as his servants. The other tribes, with the leaders of those tribes had nothing else to say, because the Lord made known to all his elect. Aaron and his sons were the only ones allowed to come before the Lord and the Levites were given to …

What does it say? Korah a Levite, Dathan and Abiram who were Reubenites, with two hundred and fifty others rose up against the leadership of Moses and Aaron. Moses questioned why Korah was dissatisfied with the honor that the Lord had given to him and all the sons of Levi. The glory of the Lord appeared to the men who had assembled at the doorway of the tent of meeting. Moses pleaded with the Lord to not destroy the whole congregation because of the sins of these men. Moses prophesied to the congregation, that the ground would open up and swallow the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. When Moses finished speaking this happened just as Moses had said and fire came forth from the Lord to consume the two hundred and fifty men. The bronze censors of the two hundred and fifty were made into a plate for the altar, as a reminder that no layman should come near to burn incense before the Lord. The congregation blamed Moses and Aaron for the death of these men, so the Lord sent a plague int…

What does it say? When the sons of Israel enter into the promised land, they were to not offer a burnt offering to fulfill a special vow or make a peace offering without including a grain offering  mixed with oil and drink offering of wine. There is one law for both the native son and the alien who lives with them. Throughout their generations, every first batch of dough from the harvest, a cake is to be lifted up to the Lord as an offering. If the people error and unknowingly sin with regard to any of the commandments given through Moses, the priest is to make atonement for them with a burnt offering, with its grain offering and drink offering, and with a sin offering. If a person sins unintentionally, a one your old female goat can be offered as a sin sacrifice but if he is defiant in his sin, he is to be cut off from the congregation. One day, a man was found gathering wood on the sabbath in defiance of the Lord’s command; therefore, the congregation stoned him to death, just as the…

What does it say? The people wanted to return to Egypt because they feared the report that they heard regarding the people in the land of Canaan. Caleb and Joshua who were of the twelve that spied out the land, pleaded with the people to fear the Lord but the people intended to stone them until the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting. The Lord questioned Moses, How long will the people spurn and not believe in the name of the Lord? Moses pleaded with the Lord to forgive the people and not destroy them. The Lord pardoned them per Moses’ request, but vowed that no one who has seen the signs and spurned the Lord will enter the promised land. The Lord sentenced the congregation to forty years of wondering in the desert and he vowed that no one, twenty years old and upward, except for Caleb and Joshua, will enter the promised land. The Lord destroyed the ten men who gave a bad report but spared Joshua and Caleb. After hearing the word of the Lord the congregation lamented; the…

What does it say? The Lord commanded Moses to send men into the land of Canaan to spy out the land. Moses picked one man from each tribe as representatives. Joseph was two tribes (Ephraim and Manasseh) and there was no representative for Levi because Levi was the Lord’s servant. So, there were twelve men in all sent to spy out the land of Canaan. They returned with a report that the land was fruitful and brought back some of the fruit of the land. However, they also reported that the people in the land were mighty, fearful and the cities were fortified. Caleb was one of the spies, he represented the tribe of Judah, and he said that the sons of Israel should take possession of the land but the others contradicted him and gave the sons of Israel a bad report. 
What does it mean? Your faith will be tested. Do you trust the word of the Lord? There was no reason for the Lord to send spies into the land of Canaan because the Lord is omniscient and omnipresent; he knows all and sees all. The Lo…

What does it say? Miriam and Aaron spoke against their brother Moses. They held animosity towards him because he had married a Cushite woman and they were jealous of his status as spokesmen for the Lord. The Lord heard what they were saying, so he commanded that the three of them come out to the tent of the meeting. The Lord exalted Moses before Miriam and Aaron because he was very humble. The Lord speaks to a prophet through visions and dreams but he spoke to Moses mouth to mouth and Moses saw the form of the Lord. The Lord was angry, therefore, he struck Miriam with leprosy. Aaron repented and turned to Moses for forgiveness. Moses asked the Lord to heal Miriam. The Lord healed her but she had to bear her shame outside the camp for seven days. When she was received back into the camp, the sons of Israel continued the journey. 
What does it mean? The secret to true happiness is contentment in whatever situation we find ourselves. (2 Cor 12:10) Jesus said: Matthew 11:28-30 (NASB) Come to …

What does it say? This chapter begins with the Lord’s anger burning against the people for complaining and ends with a plague for their greed. The people complained that all they had to eat was manna, which the made into cakes. They complained that they had such good things to eat in Egypt. The people wanted meat to eat. Moses went to the Lord and told him that the people were to much of a burden for him; therefore, the Lord put his Spirit on seventy others to assist Moses in leading the people. The Lord gave the people qual, which the greedily gathered and ate. It was reported to Moses that two of the seventy were prophesying in the camp. Moses was not jealous because he desired for the Lord to put his Spirit on all the people.
What does it mean? The Lord is compassionate, gracious and slow to anger; however, he will not keep his anger forever because he will not leave the guilty unpunished. Whenever we complain, we are complaining against the Lord. Whenever we act greedy, we are demons…

What does it say? The Lord command Moses to make two silver trumpets for use in the camp. The sound of one trumpet assembled the leaders but the sound of both trumpets assembled the congregation. The trumpets were also used to sound an alarm for the congregation. These trumpets were to be used differently when the sons of Israel came into their promise land. They were to blow them when an enemy attacks, that they may be remembered before the Lord God and be saved. They were to blow them at their appointed feasts, on the first days of the months and over their offerings, that they may be remembered before the Lord. The sons of Israel departed Egypt and arrived at the mount of the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai. They did not depart the mount of the Lord until one year, two months and twenty days had passed since the exodus. On that day, the cloud lifted from the tabernacle and the sons of Israel set out just as the Lord commanded them. The cloud settled next in the wilderness of Paran. …

What does it say? The people observed the passover feast, at twilight, on the fourteenth day, of the second year after the exodus from Egypt. There were some who could not observe the passover because of uncleanness from a dead body. Therefore, an exception was granted for uncleanness or being on a journey during the passover. For these persons, the passover could be observed one month later. All should observe the passover. On the day that the tabernacle was erected, the cloud of the Lord covered the tabernacle and appeared as fire by night. When they cloud lifted they followed and when the cloud settled they camped. Thus, the sons of Israel followed the Lord in the wilderness and were commanded through Moses. 
What does it mean? The Lord God is not unreasonable in his expectations of his people. He does not consider inability sin but considers unwillingness as sin. The Lord had taken the sons of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. He passed over the first born of Israel but not the first b…