Old Testament reading: Numbers 1-2
This book lives up to its name with the numbering of the men of Israel from age 20 and upward who are able to go to war (1:3). The total was 603,550. This would imply that a number well in excess of one million people left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea. Thinking about this age of twenty, it seems to arise repeatedly in the laws of Israel. A man was required to pay the shekel ransom beginning at age 20 (Ex 30:13, 38:26). The “valuation tax,” of which we read yesterday, differentiated both men and women beginning at age 20 (Lev 27:3-5). The cut off for those who were not condemned to die in the wilderness was 20 years of age (Num 14:29, 32:11). With this in mind, I wonder if we are baptizing our children far too early in life. If God did not hold young people accountable as being adults until they were 20 years old, why are we baptizing as accountable souls children who are less than 10 years old? All baptized believers are subject to the same laws of personal holiness and responsibility, including evangelism and marking those who teach error. They would also of necessity be subject to church discipline. Who is prepared to withdraw from a ten year old?
New Testament reading: Acts 3-4
This text would be devastating to modern day fake healers and their followers, if they would only read it. The text focuses on the healing of a man who had absolutely no faith in Jesus or the apostles and the response of the people and the Jewish leaders. When modern “healers” fail, they invariably blame the infirmed saying “you don’t have enough faith.” What shall they do with this man in Acts 3? He did not ask to be healed, and the text is clear that he was instead expecting to receive money from the hands of the apostles. In addition to a faithless man being healed, Acts 4:16 also serves to refute all modern day fake healers. Note to Benny Hinn, Rod Parsley, Pat Robertson (and others) and those who follow them: according to Acts 4:16, a true miracle is NOTABLE, MANIFEST TO ALL & UNDENIABLE. Even the unbelieving Jews had to admit a miracle had taken place! No man today can perform miracles, neither like those found in Scripture nor greater ones promised by our Lord (cf John 14:12).
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