The Census, Ex.30:11-16.

God's command to Moses to number the men of Israel. 

The first Census after coming out of Egypt, in the wilderness of Sinai-Num.1:1-3.

Every male over 20 years old had to be numbered- the men able to go to war. God's army.

The Census was called by God. When David called a Census against the wishes of his commanders a plague broke out with devastating results: 2 Samuel 24:15.

Any unauthorized Census would bring a a plague upon the people of God. God alone calls for service, it is God's doing. There is a curse upon those who shun God's call and service. Every man numbered had to pay an equal amount of money, whether rich or poor. It speaks of equality in the House of God. It was called the Atonement money. However it was not to buy their Salvation, neither can we do such a thing, for God paid for that at Calvary with His precious blood. Salvation is free.

Why then the half shekel? 

Dedicated for the service of the Tabernacle, for its upkeep. We are told "so that a plague shall not break out" like the case when David called a Census. Man's pride may be aroused by any unauthorized census and had to be curbed. God, by calling a Census, called out an army ready for war. Only Israelites could be counted who paid the Atonement Money. People who are not washed by the blood of the Lamb cannot enlist in Gods army nor can they fight God's battles. We do not hear of any complainants from the men enlisted about the Atonement Money or call out: Jer 48:10.

What are the parallels in today's Church? 

Just as God called out  His army we are called out to serve our God, clothed with Gods power and protection because we face a powerful enemy Eph. 6:11-12.

We also have an obligation: the Atonement money paid for the upkeep of God House. Our tithes and

offerings. It is not an option but our duty.

There is a life of discomfort and hardship for the soldiers of the Lord but at the end there is Glory

waiting for the faithful ones.

The first army that was raised marched to destruction. They perished in the wilderness. Now the army of the Lord marches victoriously because of the work of its Leader the Lord Jesus Christ. We start from a point of Victory and fight the battles that come our way. We are not a defeated army, though Satan tries to give us this impression.

Cleansing
Jer.48:11 'Moab has not been emptied from....'
Here the figure is taken from the process of wine making. This process is used to refine wine and clean it from its lees/sediment, a method used since ancient times.
It is assumed that the distilled wine is in its vessel with its lees at the bottom. But for wine to lose its taste of the sediment a refining process is necessary: that of emptying from vessel to vessel. In this way the wine is refined to be left in its fine taste and quality. This process speaks of patience and skill. Look at Jer.18:1-6.
It is the process that our Heavenly Father puts us through in our lives to shape us in Christ's image and prepare us for Heaven. The taste of the world within us has to be eradicated if we are to be of pure quality and value.
What are the Lees? The sediment,the impurities when wine is produced and left in a vessel. If left to stand for a length of time the wine will acquire the taste of its sediment and thus be of impure taste.
In the same way our lives will be affected by the impurities of the world and sin, after Salvation. There will not be any purity of life and character, thus affecting us and producing a low quality of Christian life-1 Cor.5:6-7.
What are the vessels? Bottles of various shapes and kinds the winemaker uses for the refining process. We are the wine not the bottle in this case. Similarly God uses various methods and ways to shape us and purify us through trials and temptations. His skillful hand watches carefully over us all the way-Matt.28:19-20.

 Reflections

Cultured  or Converted?

We come into the Kingdom of God not through evolution but by revolution. There are some who feel that they can become part of the Kingdom by exposing themselves week by week to the activities of

the Christian Church and its teaching- salvation by osmosis. A friend of mine who is a vicar in a nearby Church  calls such people cultured Christians. They have all the appearance of being genuine

children of God but they have never personally undergone the life-changing experience which the Bible calls conversion. Why is it that many struggle against Christ's assistance to repentance as being

the first prerequisite to the Kingdom of God? It is not that the first instinctive reaction of the human heart is to raise up barriers against an intruder? Christ demands to be admitted on His own terms into our lives and this of course, runs diametrically opposite to the self-centred instinct which runs deep within our beings. We struggle to preserve our ego intact and avoid anything that challenges the pride  principle that has entwined about our nature. We fear that having Him we have naught else beside.

Let there be no doubt about it-the only way into the Kingdom of God is when we repent our sins and 

allow God to bring us into His Kingdom by the miracle of conversion. And what is Conversion? Someone has defined it as the change, sudden or gradual by which we pass from the kingdom of self

into the Kingdom of God. ' May I sincerely ask whether this has happened to you?

Πνευματικη Ζωη
Ο Χριστος το κλειδι.
Αν ενας απιστος καθοταν και ερευνουσε το δρομο προς την εσωτερικη ειρηνη και ευτυχια θα
κατεληγε τελικα στον Ιησου Χριστο. Στην αρχη ο Θεος σχεδιασε τη ζωη με κεντρο τον Χριστο
και εξω απ' Αυτον η ζωη δεν εχει πραγματικο νοημα η σκοπο. Με αλλα λογια σχεδιαστηκαμε με προορισμο να ειμαστε γνησιοι Χριστιανοι. Αυτο δεν ειναι μονο γραμμενο στην Αγια Γραφη αλλα ειναι χαραγμενο μεσα στο ιδιο το συμπαν. Ακριβως οπως το ιδιο το συμπαν διατηρει τη ταξη του λογω της κεντρικης κυριαρχιας του Χριστου ετσι και η ζωη αποκταει νοημα μονο οταν ο Χριστος ειναι το κεντρο της.
Επιστημονες που πειραματηστηκαν με εξημερομενα ποντικια ανακαλυψαν οτι μπορουσαν να τα τατευθυνουν σε μια προκαθορισμενη διαδρομη, αν στις αλλες διαδρομες προκαλουσαν ηλεκροσοκ. Τα ποντικια συντομα αντιληφθηκαν οτι μονο μια διαδρομη χωρις ηλεκροσοκ υπηρχε και περιοριστηκαν σ' αυτη τη διαδρομη καθ'ολη τη διαρκεια του πειραματος. Τα σοκ
βοηθησαν τα ποντικια να κινηθουν προς τη σωστη κατευθυνση.
Γιατι η ζωη ειναι τοσο γεματη απο προβληματα ρωτησε καποτε μια νεα γυναικα. Δεν υπηρχε ιχνος σπινθηροβολιας στη προσωπικοτητα της γιατι εξω απο τον Χριστο δεν υπαρχει σιγουρη απαντηση στα βαθεια μυστηρια της ζωης. Η ζωη ειναι τοσο ξεθωριασμενη μου ειπε ενας αλλος
νεος που προφανως το βαθυ κοκκινο αιμα της εσωτερικης σιγουριας δεν κυκλοφορουσε στο ειναι του.
Διχως τον Χριστο τα χρωματα της ζωης τρεχουν και ξεθωριαζουν σ'ενα αρρωστημενο γκριζο
μεσα στις μπορες των απογοητευσεων. Αντρες και γυναικες αμακαλυπτουν μετα απο κοπους οτι μονο ενας δρομος υπαρχει χωρις ηλεκτροσοκ και ο δρομος αυτος ειναι ο Χριστος. Καθε προσπαθεια να ζησουμε διχως Αυτον θα μας αφησει εκτεθειμενους στα σοκ της εσωτερικης διαμαχης, της ενοχης και του φοβου. Καποιος που πιστεψε προσφατα ειπε με φωτεινο χαμογελο, ανακαλυψα οτι τωρα η ζωη εχει νοημα γιατι ο Χριστος ειναι το κλειδι.

Reflections

Treatment for Depression.
At some time or another most of us have been hit by Depression. No one is immune to it, not even a Christian. Some people experience it on a shallow level, whilst others plunge to the depths of despair.
The first clinical description of depression was made by Hippocrates in the fourth century B.C.
He said, a depressed person has feelings of pessimism, discouragement and  dejection. This is an area that Satan delights to work on for he often finds little or no resistance for his attacks
as the person concerned is unable to fight back or to even consider fighting back. Elijah had this problem and the ways in which God treated Elijah's depression might be helpful to you in applying to yourself, or assisting someone you know and love who bears this burden.
The first phase of God's treatment with Elijah was physical. Elijah asked for death, but God gave him the essentials of life. Bread and water were delivered by an angel. The provision here was a proper diet and sufficient sleep. Indeed proper food and rest are essential to psychological health. The second part of God's treatment was psychological. Elijah was given the opportunity by God to get everything off his chest. A depressed person needs to be listened and to talk out the feelings that lie submerged under the depression. God then gently councelled
him to see that Israel wasn't trying to kill him. Jezebel was the only one. In a quiet, definite, but positive way God put all the facts into perspective and changed his whole view of the situation.