Live the Word Bible Studies

Welcome to Live the Word

I am happy you have visited this site, where my goal since 2001 has been to help people all over the world understand and then apply the word of God in their lives. If you look on the right hand side of this blog site, you will see the name of each book in the New Testament, where you will find what I call a devotional commentary for every verse in those books. My goal was not to do a technical study, but rather a practical one that presented not only insights, but also questions and recommendations to help you apply or live the word. I have now published those studies in book form, but it's time to expand my work with something new (pictured here are two of my commentary covers, and they are all available in paper or Kindle format from Amazon).

For several years, I have had the idea to develop a Purpose Study Bible, similar to others on the market like The Spirit-Filled Bible, The Leadership Bible, The African Bible, and The Student Bible. Each one of those incorporates insights about a particular topic right in the Bible itself, like an easy-to-use commentary. I have been teaching on the topics of purpose, creativity, goal setting, time management, and faith since 1991, and have gained insight and often taught about or written about those topics from a biblical perspective. For the remainder of my days, I want to share what I have learned with my readers on these five topics I have labeled the five Gold Mine Principles, and this format seems like an economical way to do so (since I am not ready to undertake publishing a Bible). This particular study will begin in Genesis and move on in an orderly fashion through the rest of the Old Testament. Should God prolong my days, I will then move into the New Testament.

I also want to learn from my readers, so I invite you to post comments to supplement, adjust, or augment what I have written. My goal, however, is not to make us all experts on what the Bible has to say about purpose or creativity, but rather to help us become people of purpose, for as Jesus said, "Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them" (John 13:17). That is why my commentaries are called Live the Word, for that is what we are expected to do.

I hope you enjoy reading these studies as much as I enjoy writing them, and I hope you will be an active participant by sharing your own insight and testimonies. Thank you, and may the Lord bless the study and reading of His word!

Purpose Study Bible 120: Futility

Leviticus can be a difficult book to read because it includes so many tedious details that eventually cause us to skip over those chapters to the "good parts" that are more interesting. Chapters 13 and 14 are long chapters that are devoted to what to do in the event of a skin disease, mold, or bodily discharges. For example, here is a portion of the instruction for someone with a skin disease:

The Lord said to Moses, “These are the regulations for any diseased person at the time of their ceremonial cleansing, when they are brought to the priest: The priest is to go outside the camp and examine them. If they have been healed of their defiling skin disease . . . The person to be cleansed must wash their clothes, shave off all their hair and bathe with water; then they will be ceremonially clean. After this they may come into the camp, but they must stay outside their tent for seven days. On the seventh day they must shave off all their hair; they must shave their head, their beard, their eyebrows and the rest of their hair. They must wash their clothes and bathe themselves with water, and they will be clean" (Leviticus 14:1-4, 8-9).

Again, our purpose is not to examine the meaning or symbolism in what is written but to discover lessons that can make us more purposeful and creative. In this case, we should be grateful that Christ set us free from having to pay attention to and being consumed by rules and regulations that could never satisfy God or be good enough for our freedom or cleansing. Peter summed it up succinctly when he wrote,

" . . . knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot" (1 Peter 1:18-19, ESV emphasis added).

We have been set free from a futile lifestyle and worship not so we can do as we please, but to invest our time in purposeful activities instead of religious ones. In his second letter, Peter wrote, "For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:8). Simply stated, God expects you to be productive in your freedom in Him. Are you productive and effective in your knowledge of Him? What fruit can you point to that proves you are productive? What can you do to bear even more fruit now that you are free to serve and express who you are?

Purpose Study Bible 119: The Living and the Clean

In Leviticus 11, the Lord laid out the guidelines for clean and unclean food and what to do when touching a dead body:

“‘If an animal that you are allowed to eat dies, anyone who touches its carcass will be unclean till evening. Anyone who eats some of its carcass must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening. Anyone who picks up the carcass must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening'" (Leviticus 11:39-40).

The rationale behind these laws has been debated and written about for centuries but for this study, we are looking for clues and guidelines to help us be more purposeful and creative. How does Leviticus 11 relate to our study? It would seem that the Lord wanted the people to be ever conscious and meticulous concerning the clean and unclean, the living and the dead. Is there any correlation to a New Testament principle? Perhaps we could find that in what Jesus said in Mark 7:15: "Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” We are to be as conscious and meticulous today concerning what is in us as the Jews were according to their dietary laws. God wants clean and living things to come out of us, things that will edify others and glorify Him.

Are you around things that for you are clean and bring life? Are you then producing things that "come out of you" that are also clean and life-giving? Do you see now why it is so important to attend to your words and actions for as James wrote, "Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water" (James 3:12)? You must keep your springs fresh and good tasting so you produce the same in accordance with the gifts and purpose God has assigned you. Therefore, don't devote yourself to things that are below your high calling as a creator and servant of the Most High.

Purpose Study Bible 118: Stay Sober

Last week, we examined a warning to Aaron that he was not to mourn the loss of his sons who offered "strange fire" before the Lord and were consumed by that same fire. The Lord then gave Aaron further instructions:

“You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, so that you can distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean, and so you can teach the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them through Moses" (Leviticus 10:8-11).

This stipulation is similar to someone who voluntarily entered into what was called a Nazirite vow, which we will discuss later in this series. A Nazirite was not to cut their hair, drink wine, or partake of any grape products whatsoever. Why this restriction?

Wine could be used to deaden one's senses or pain, and certainly Aaron was in pain over the loss of two children. Wine can also be used during celebrations to enhance one's mood of joy and the Israelites were commanded to partake of wine and "strong drink" during their festivals (no, this was not to cross over into drunkenness). Jesus advised His listeners not to put new wine into old wineskins, and He was using wine to represent the new covenant He had come to establish.

We could spend more time on wine and what it represents, but in the context of this story, it would seem that Aaron was not to do anything that would help him cope with the current situation except to do the work and be the representative God had chosen him to be. Perhaps it could be likened today to the many ways people try to deaden their pain or escape their responsibilities with such activities like binge watching TV, shopping, eating, family drama, or other activities that in and of themselves are not evil or wrong unless they are used as a means to avoid the realities one's human experience and current situation.

God is to be the source of your help in times of trouble and temptation. Are you pressing into Him during difficult times? Are you embracing your call or frittering away your time on empty diversions? Is your creativity all it can be or do you keep yourself occupied with lesser things to keep yourself from disappointment or failure? Read what Peter wrote, keeping in mind that his exhortation to "sobriety" was not to avoid alcohol but a directive that you are to keep your wits and spiritual perspective at all times:

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings (1 Peter 5:8-10).

Purpose Study Bible 117: Focus

There is an account in Leviticus 10 that is one of the stories that makes the Old Testament for some so scary and foreboding:

Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord (Leviticus 10:1-2).

One denomination uses these verses as a warning that we are not to use musical instruments in worship for they are not mentioned in the New Testament and are thus "strange fire" before the Lord. Others look at it as example of God's holiness that is not to be trifled with in any way, shape, or form. Let's skip over trying to figure out exactly why this happened and look at the instructions that followed:

Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair become unkempt and do not tear your clothes, or you will die and the Lord will be angry with the whole community. But your relatives, all the Israelites, may mourn for those the Lord has destroyed by fire. Do not leave the entrance to the tent of meeting or you will die, because the Lord’s anointing oil is on you" (Leviticus 10:6-11).

Aaron, the dead men's father, was not permitted to mourn as the other relatives. He was to keep his focus as a leader and priest because "the Lord's anointing oil" was upon him and his sons. The same is true for you. This isn't to insinuate that you cannot have family relationships or feel what they feel. However, even Jesus was quite clear that nothing, not even family, was to interfere or, perhaps better to say, be a higher priority than God's purpose in your life: “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me" (Matthew 10:37-39). You have work to do and God will help you do it if you stay diligent and disciplined.

On what part of your life is God's anointing oil most evident? Are you focused on your purpose and creativity, or do you put them off until in your mind all the conditions of your life are conducive to doing them? Where do you need to be more focused and structured? Don't take God's anointing for granted or make light of its importance in your life and in God's plan.

Purpose Study Bible 116: Guidance

When Leviticus completed the instructions for the sacrifices in chapter 7, it moved on to the ordination of the priesthood. First, it described the garments the priests were to wear, including this obscure reference to something called the Urim and Thummim:

"He placed the breastpiece on him and put the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece" (Leviticus 8:8).

What exactly were the Urim and Thummim? We aren't quite sure but it seems they were precious stones embedded in the portion of the priest's garment that was over his heart. These stones served as a source of guidance for the nation at critical junctures in their history. How did they operate? We aren't sure, but conjecture is that they glowed or somehow reflected light or energy that would indicate God's will when they were consulted. There are less than a dozen references to the Urim and Thummim in the Old Testament and we don't really know how often they were consulted or why they seemed to disappear from existence and use.

One thought is that the people did not have a history of going to their spiritual leaders for advice and they certainly did not have any Scriptures to consult. They were learning how to follow the Lord and trust the fact that He communicated to His people through His designated leaders. As Israel grew and matured, perhaps there was less need for such a means of communication. The main point is that God was ready to guide His people whenever they asked for it. He led them by a cloud and pillar of fire as to where they should go and how long they should stay. Then He provided these stones in the priests' garments for specific requests.

If that is what God was willing to do "back then," what is He capable of doing today through His Word, His spiritual leaders, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit that dwells in each believer? What's more, do you trust Him to lead you or are afraid that somehow even when you ask, the answer might get garbled in transmission? Keep in mind what James wrote:

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do (James 1:5-8).

You can have confidence that God will answer your cries for guidance with specific feedback that will enable and empower you to do His will on every occasion. Are you asking? Are you trusting in His response? Are you acting on what you hear?

Purpose Study Bible 115: A Wave Offering

Leviticus established the guidelines for a variety of offerings, one of which was the peace or fellowship offering. This was a freewill offering in that it was not prescribed as a sacrifice for sin, but as an expression of thanksgiving or when upon the fulfillment of a voluntary vow at the giver's discretion. We read,

The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘Anyone who brings a fellowship offering to the Lord is to bring part of it as their sacrifice to the Lord. With their own hands they are to present the food offering to the Lord; they are to bring the fat, together with the breast, and wave the breast before the Lord as a wave offering" (Leviticus 7:28-30).

The worshiper was to "wave the breast before the Lord as a wave offering." What happens when you wave to someone? You are drawing their attention to you, in essence saying, "Hello, I'm here. I send you greetings. I acknowledge your presence is within eyesight of my presence and I welcome it. Please respond and welcome me." The wave offering was designed to say, "God, I see You and I hope You see me. Here I am, thanking You for your goodness and mercy. I hope you acknowledge my presence!" Then the rest of the offering was to be shared with others to eat and enjoy.

This offering counters the oft-heard exhortation that it must be all about the Lord while you do nothing to draw attention to yourself. The fellowship offering does the opposite. It's an expression of who you are, given when you choose to do so, and is for no other reason than to say to God, "Hi! I'm here and I know You are, too." That means you can wave your gift of poetry, business, teaching, mercy, missions, generosity, humor, or any other talent before the Lord and draw His attention to what you're doing as a means of worship and thanksgiving that He made you who you are. Then you can share who you are and what you do with others as another means of giving thanks.

What do you have that you can wave before the Lord? What do you have or do that you can share with others as part of your wave offering? What do you do that when the focus centers on you, you can then redirect the attention on Him, the One who gave you the gift or talent in the first place? The point is that God doesn't have to initiate everything you do so you can use your free will and decide to give out of the abundance of who you are to God and others as often as you like.

Purpose Study Bible 114: Tailor-Made

Let's look at the regulations for what's called the fellowship offering in this week's study:

These are the regulations for the fellowship offering anyone may present to the Lord: . . . "If they offer it as an expression of thankfulness, then along with this thank offering they are to offer thick loaves made without yeast and with olive oil mixed in, thin loaves made without yeast and brushed with oil, and thick loaves of the finest flour well-kneaded and with oil mixed in. Along with their fellowship offering of thanksgiving they are to present an offering with thick loaves of bread made with yeast. They are to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the Lord; it belongs to the priest who splashes the blood of the fellowship offering against the altar. The meat of their fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; they must leave none of it till morning" (Leviticus 7:1, 12-15).

Be honest. In all probability, you skip over reading passages like this and perhaps skip over the book of Leviticus altogether. Why? Because it gives too much detail that seems to be irrelevant for your life today. Yet Moses wrote this with great care because it was consistent with who he was. Moses was not a man given to inspiration, he was more in tune with the details. God gave him Ten Commandments and he spent the rest of His life explaining the implications of those commandments to the people, which produced the first five books of the Bible.

The point is that God will give you tasks tailor-made for who He created you to be, just like He did for Moses and others. Peter could inspire large crowds, Nehemiah organized large tasks, David composed moving poetry, and Lydia in Acts built a successful multinational business. What can you do better than most people? Are you fighting who you are, trying to be someone else? Do you accept that you can't do or be it all, instead trying to be the best you that you can be? What changes do you need to make that will position you to do work best suited to who He made you to be, just like Moses as he wrote his tedious-to-read worship manual in Leviticus?

Purpose Study Bible 113: The Burnt Offering

The Lord gave instructions for six specific offerings that the priests were to make on behalf of the people:

". . . the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering and the fellowship offering" (Leviticus 7:38).

Instructions for the burnt offering were given first and it was the only offering that was not to be eaten by the priests. It was to be totally consumed on the altar:

“Give Aaron and his sons this command: 'These are the regulations for the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar'" (Leviticus 6:9).

Why wasn't the burnt offering to be consumed? It was the only offering that was for God and God alone. It was specifically to restore the people's fellowship and relationship with God because He was to be the first priority in the hearts and minds of the people. The same is true for believers today.

As you carry out your purpose and express your creativity, you will do what you do for the benefit of others. Yet your motivation for what you do must not be for the people. First and foremost, it must be for the Lord because it is His will and will please Him. That means when people ignore, disrespect, misuse, abuse, or take advantage of your good deeds, as they often do, you are to continue to do the good and purposeful things you have been assigned to do for the Lord and for Him only.

Remember, Jesus was sent to His own but rejected by His own, yet He continued in His mission because it was a burnt offering—He did it primarily because it was the Father's will, which Jesus willingly chose to do. You follow in His footsteps when you pick up your cross and do the same.

Are you doing what you do for the Lord and not for others? Where have people problems caused you to back off doing what only you can do? Are you angry or hurt over the lack of gratitude or recognition from those you work for or serve? Do you see that your fire must not go out and that you must do what you do for Him regardless of the response (or lack of it) from others?

Purpose Study Bible 112: Priestly Fire

Leviticus is all about the priest, his duties and purpose in the nation's life. In fact, the priest is mentioned 143 times in Leviticus. Here are a few of those mentions:

The Lord said to Moses: “Give Aaron and his sons this command: ‘These are the regulations for the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar. The priest shall then put on his linen clothes, with linen undergarments next to his body, and shall remove the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed on the altar and place them beside the altar. Then he is to take off these clothes and put on others, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that is ceremonially clean. The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out (Leviticus 6:8-13).

Notice that the priest had to wear "linen undergarments" for he always had to carry out his job in a way that was dignified and formal. Then they all had the duty to ensure that the fire on the altar never went out, for he was always on duty on behalf of the people as their mediator before God.

Now we are "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation" (1 Peter 2:9) and have no need for the sacrificial fire but we do need the fire of the Holy Spirit and the best way to never allow that fire to go out is to keep doing what we love to do. In other words, you can keep the fire of God by flowing in your purpose and expressing your creativity, things you love to do that energize you. In a sense, you are like the burning bush in your purpose: you burn brightly but are never consumed.

Do you take your priestly duties seriously? Are you wearing your linen undergarments, carrying out your priestly, royal duties with dignity and grace? Has the fire gone out on your altar? Do you burn brightly, on duty at all times to be who God made you to be? What can you do to stoke the flames and keep them burning?

Purpose Study Bible 111: Sin Offering

Some of the priest's offerings were to restore fellowship, and others were to honor God, but most were to deal with the sins of the people, both intentional and unintentional:

“If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, when they realize their guilt and the sin they committed becomes known, the assembly must bring a young bull as a sin offering and present it before the tent of meeting . . . When a leader sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the commands of the Lord his God, when he realizes his guilt and the sin he has committed becomes known, he must bring as his offering a male goat without defect . . . If any member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, when they realize their guilt and the sin they have committed becomes known, they must bring as their offering for the sin they committed a female goat without defect" (Leviticus 4:13-14; 22-23; 27-28).

The community, leaders, and people were to be conscious of sins they committed even when they were unaware and only later became aware. If you are like most people, when you read this, you think of sins that were committed, labeled in theology sins of commission. But what about the sins of omission, those being the good things you could have done but did not do? Is sin only the "bad" things you do and not also the "good" things you don't do, whether intentional or not?

When you don't learn the language, don't the people who know that language miss hearing what you have to say? What about the book you don't write? Aren't potential readers deprived of your testimony or insight? What happens when you don't take the missions trip? Don't the people with whom you could build a relationship miss out on your gifts and love?

The point is that the sacrifices were instituted to sensitize the people to the concept of sin, but keep in mind that sin isn't just what you do, it's what you don't do that you could do but refused or neglected to do. Determine to be all you can be and do all you are capable of doing, and if you become aware that you have ceased doing either, then you need to repent and get back on track to lead a fruitful and productive life.