Are you Kohathite?

But Moses did not give any to the Kohathites, because they were to carry on their shoulders the holy things, for which they were responsible. Numbers 7:9

This is the work of the Kohathites in the Tent of Meeting: the care of the most holy things. ….. After Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy articles, and when the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites are to come to do the carrying. Numbers 4:4 and 15

Kohath is the second son of Levi, and ancestor of Moses and Aaron (Genesis 46:11; Exodus 6:16-20; Numbers 3:17; 1 Chronicles 6:1, etc.). The Kohathites consisted of four families, the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites (Numbers 3:19,27, etc.). Their special charge was "the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the screen, and all the service thereof" (Numbers 3:31; compare Numbers 7:9). After the conquest 23 cities were assigned them by lot (Joshua 21:4,5). In David's time and after, Heman, a Kohathite, and his family had a prominent place in the service of the music of the sanctuary (1 Chronicles 6:33; 16:41; 25:1); David likewise divided the Levites into courses (the Kohathites, 1 Chronicles 23:12-20; 24:20-25). We read of the Kohathites in the reign of Jehoshaphat at Engedi (2 Chronicles 20:19), and in connection with the cleansing of the temple under Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29:12,14)

Kohathites were subject to service for work relating to the Tent of Meeting. They camped along the south side of the Tabernacle and were in charge of the most sacred objects, the Ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the sacred utensils, and the screen, all of which they carried on their shoulders. The sons of Kohath were granted a privilege greater than that awarded to the other clans of the Levites, the Gershonites and the Merarites, in that they bore their burden on staves, unlike others who carried them on ox wagons (Num. 3:29, 31; 4:2, 7:8–9).

Those descended from Aaron received 13 towns within the tribal territories of Judah, Simon, and Benjamin. The remaining Kohathites received ten additional towns from the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and half of Manasseh. Their allotted lands were thus mainly in the southern and central parts of the country. The details about the allotted settlements of the Kohathites are given in Joshua (21:4–5, 9–26) and I Chronicles (6:39–46).

Kohathites did not receive anything when Moses was commanded by God to Give to the Levites as each man's work requires. They had to use what God have already given them – their shoulders. In the wilderness they did not have anything that they claim its theirs except their own self, their body, their talent, their energy, their strength. They were not suppose to look for any other support, or instrument to do God's work, they gave themselves as an instrument. Its a great privileged. 

Likewise in the new testament there are kohathites who are called by Jesus to carry God's holy things to the lost world. But now to be kohatite needs to be called by Jesus and it needs a great deal of decision to accept that call. 

Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him.Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Matthew 4:19-22

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family."Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." Luke 57-62

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? ..." Matthew 16:24-26

Being kohat in the new testamentt era doesn't mean we should have traces of blood from one specific tribe, but needs to be covered by the blood of Jesus, being Kohat in newtestamentt means doesn't only not to look for some material things to get but also requires to sell allpossessionss that we have, 

Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Matthew 19:21, In this statement, the word “perfect” refers to “goal” or “end”. (Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.-Romans 10:4)

Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?"

And being Kohatite doesn't guarantee us to get the best while we are in the world, but assured us we will stand at the right side of Jesus and get the 100 fold reward from our King. 

...For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."Matthew 16:27-28

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. Matthew 19:28-29

Are you a soldier?

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12 

Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 2:3

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?Ester 4:14

Knowing the fighting strategy is important, Knowledge of God's word. 

Hosea 4:6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:10-18

• Do not underestimate satan's power but do not forget that his power is way far below Jesus.
• Do not afraid him but be wise, he is an expert in cheating.
• Do not forget that he has defeated but also do not forget that he does not lose hope yet.
• When you are tempted or on trail do not say that God forgets me, do not forget that as long as you are a child of God, devil do not have a right to touch you, unless he gets a permission form God. Job 1:6-12
• Most important thing, when you are in trial do not focus only on the pain but search for a revelation, a new dimension that God wants to teach and show you, the quick you grasp it the shorter the period of your trial is.
• And do expect more challenging trail when you passed one trail, your faith is grown like that, be ready to see greater things than before.
• Please do not forget to praise in any circumstances.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. James 1:2-8

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.1 Peter 1:6-9

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" Act 16:28

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7

"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:19-20

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

What's your blue cord tassel?

The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your God.' " Numbers 15:37-4

What is it that help you to remember the commands of God and protects you from going after your own hearts and eyes? In the old testament time God gave Moses a rule that help the Israelites to remember His commands as they are repeatedly follow their own hearts instead of fulfilling the commands that God gave to them. God wants His people to follow His heart. The Bible says that all of us have gone astray like sheep when each of us follow his own way (Isa . 53:6). Our own way do not help us to inherit the promise land that God prepared for us. Hence we have to follow His commands. In our era, we should remember God's command by sticking into the Word of God and studying and meditating it throughout our day.

In Psalms 119, the well known chapter in the book of Psalms which is passionately devoted to the word of God as a word of life, the author highlights two aspects of the word (1) God's directives for life - It starts by explaining that those who follow the law of the Lord are blameless. Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. (v1) Let us see few verses in this devotional : How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word (v9), I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees(v48). If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction (v92), Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path (v105), The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple (v130). (2) God's promises – (for obedience and for faith). I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word. My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises (v147-148), Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life (v49-50). My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word (v81).

God wants all of us to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1Tim 2:4). The knowledge of the word of God helps us to remember the commands of the Lord, protect us from sin, it gives us victory over temptations so that we can ashamed devil, it helps us to stand on our feet if we fail, and it corrects us if we deceived. In order to exhibit the fruits of the spirit, as we are now under the law of the Spirit of life through Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:2), we should know what those fruits are and how we can develop them. In the old testament era God gave to the Israelites written rules in order to fulfill them so that they can be accepted by God to inherit the promise land. When they were in Egypt they were fulfilling the will of Pharaohs, as we were doing the will of the devil when we were in the world(Eph. 2:2), but after the Israelites went out of Egypt the main thing that tempted them was their own will (Num 15:39), as we get salvation through Jesus Christ we claim to put off our old self and put on the new self to live as children of light(Eph. 4:17-24). As the Israelites did in the old testament we shouldn't follow our own wills in the walk of our day to day life, hence we need to remember the will of God so that we can walk always in the light and think as a children of light. Peter in his epistles urge us to remind the word of God in all our activities. So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, ….. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things(2 Peter 5:12,13 & 15).

Lets look more deep whats is mentioned in the Bible about knowing and spending time with the word of God.

Proverbs 4:4-27 our father gives an instruction to his sons and daughters, verse 4 says "Lay hold of my words with all your heart;        keep my commands and you will live." and continues to tell us how His word will guide and protect us, at verse 13 again it says "Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life." what an amazing advise for those who listen.

John 15:10 Jesus himself said that "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love." He himself obeys God's command.

Luke 4: 1-13 When Jesus is tempted by devil all his answered started with "For it is written", written on God's word the Bible.

1 Timothy 4:13 Paul advise the young man to devote his time on reading the scriptures "Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching."

Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.

Daniel 9 On this Chapter daniel mentioned on verse 2 that when he read the scriptures he understand that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years, which was given by the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet. 

Act 18:24-28 On this part of Act 18 Apollos was described as "a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures." and on this same section on verse 28 its stated "he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ." What a wonderful description for a man of God.

There are lot more mentioned about the importance of the knowledge of God's word in the Bible.

To summarise this note I will add one more point from the Bible,

Hosea 4:6   my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. 

                      "Because you have rejected knowledge,       

                       I also reject you as my priests;       

                       because you have ignored the law of your God,       

                       I also will ignore your children.

Lets not be rejected by God by ignoring His word. Let us make His word our blue cord tassel to be protected from the plan of the enemy, from going after our own heart and eye.

May God help us to focus on His word, Amen!