19 February 2011

Today's Readings -- 19 February 2011

Saturday morning. Got home a little bit ago, Dear Wife made me some waffles while I filed my reports (don't ask). And now to stretch for a few hours. I am very weary.

This morning we begin the book of Numbers, chapters 1 and 2

1
And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
2
Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls;
3
From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.
4
And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers.
5
And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben; Elizur the son of Shedeur.
6
Of Simeon; Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
7
Of Judah; Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
8
Of Issachar; Nethaneel the son of Zuar.
9
Of Zebulun; Eliab the son of Helon.
10
Of the children of Joseph: of Ephraim; Elishama the son of Ammihud: of Manasseh; Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
11
Of Benjamin; Abidan the son of Gideoni.
12
Of Dan; Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
13
Of Asher; Pagiel the son of Ocran.
14
Of Gad; Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
15
Of Naphtali; Ahira the son of Enan.
16
These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel.
17
And Moses and Aaron took these men which are expressed by their names:
18
And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls.
19
As the LORD commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai.
20
And the children of Reuben, Israel's eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
21
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.
22
Of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
23
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.
24
Of the children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
25
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty.
26
Of the children of Judah, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
27
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Judah, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.
28
Of the children of Issachar, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
29
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred.
30
Of the children of Zebulun, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
31
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred.
32
Of the children of Joseph, namely, of the children of Ephraim, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
33
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred.
34
Of the children of Manasseh, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
35
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred.
36
Of the children of Benjamin, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
37
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred.
38
Of the children of Dan, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
39
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred.
40
Of the children of Asher, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
41
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Asher, were forty and one thousand and five hundred.
42
Of the children of Naphtali, throughout their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
43
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.
44
These are those that were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men: each one was for the house of his fathers.
45
So were all those that were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel;
46
Even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.
47
But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them.
48
For the LORD had spoken unto Moses, saying,
49
Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the children of Israel:
50
But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle.
51
And when the tabernacle setteth forward, the Levites shall take it down: and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
52
And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their hosts.
53
But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel: and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of testimony.
54
And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they.


1
And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
2
Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch.
3
And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies: and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the children of Judah.
4
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.
5
And those that do pitch next unto him shall be the tribe of Issachar: and Nethaneel the son of Zuar shall be captain of the children of Issachar.
6
And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred.
7
Then the tribe of Zebulun: and Eliab the son of Helon shall be captain of the children of Zebulun.
8
And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred.
9
All that were numbered in the camp of Judah were an hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, throughout their armies. These shall first set forth.
10
On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their armies: and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur.
11
And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.
12
And those which pitch by him shall be the tribe of Simeon: and the captain of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
13
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.
14
Then the tribe of Gad: and the captain of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel.
15
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and five thousand and six hundred and fifty.
16
All that were numbered in the camp of Reuben were an hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and fifty, throughout their armies. And they shall set forth in the second rank.
17
Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards.
18
On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies: and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud.
19
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty thousand and five hundred.
20
And by him shall be the tribe of Manasseh: and the captain of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
21
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred.
22
Then the tribe of Benjamin: and the captain of the sons of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni.
23
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred.
24
All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim were an hundred thousand and eight thousand and an hundred, throughout their armies. And they shall go forward in the third rank.
25
The standard of the camp of Dan shall be on the north side by their armies: and the captain of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
26
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred.
27
And those that encamp by him shall be the tribe of Asher: and the captain of the children of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ocran.
28
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and one thousand and five hundred.
29
Then the tribe of Naphtali: and the captain of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan.
30
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.
31
All they that were numbered in the camp of Dan were an hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred. They shall go hindmost with their standards.
32
These are those which were numbered of the children of Israel by the house of their fathers: all those that were numbered of the camps throughout their hosts were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.
33
But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses.
34
And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses: so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers.




This evening, verses 1-21 from chapter 3 of the Gospel of Mark.

Mark 3:1-21
1 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
7 But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea,
8 And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him.
9 And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him.
10 For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.
11 And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.
12 And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.
13 And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.
14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
16 And Simon he surnamed Peter;
17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:
18 And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,
19
And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.
20 And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.
21 And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.

18 February 2011

Today's Readings -- 18 February 2011

For most people, today is Friday, implying that some time later today, it will be FRIDAY!! The Weekend! R&R and all that. Not for me. Right now is more like Thursday night, I still have to work FRIDAY night. And then, to add insult., to work Saturday night as well. Originally to be an 8-hour tour, we heard last night it would be 10. So I work until some time after 05:00, drive home, file some reports, stretch for an hour (if I'm lucky) then off to church to lead a study out of 2nd Kings. Come home and DIE for a few hours, have dinner with Dear Wife, and tuck her into bed. Some weekend!

This morning, we complete the book of Leviticus, the 3rd book of the Pentateuch. I know much of it seems strange to us. But the Lord had His reasons.

1
Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.
2
Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.
3
If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;
4
Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
5
And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.
6
And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land.
7
And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.
8
And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.
9
For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you.
10
And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old because of the new.
11
And I set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.
12
And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.
13
I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.
14
But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments;
15
And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:
16
I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
17
And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.
18
And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.
19
And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:
20
And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits.
21
And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.
22
I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate.
23
And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me;
24
Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins.
25
And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.
26
And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied.
27
And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me;
28
Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.
29
And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.
30
And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcasses upon the carcasses of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.
31
And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savor of your sweet odors.
32
And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.
33
And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.
34
Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.
35
As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.
36
And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.
37
And they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a sword, when none pursueth: and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies.
38
And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up.
39
And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them.
40
If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me;
41
And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:
42
Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.
43
The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.
44
And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God.
45
But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.
46
These are the statutes and judgments and laws, which the LORD made between him and the children of Israel in mount Sinai by the hand of Moses.


1
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When a man shall make a singular vow, the persons shall be for the LORD by thy estimation.
3
And thy estimation shall be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary.
4
And if it be a female, then thy estimation shall be thirty shekels.
5
And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels.
6
And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver.
7
And if it be from sixty years old and above; if it be a male, then thy estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels.
8
But if he be poorer than thy estimation, then he shall present himself before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to his ability that vowed shall the priest value him.
9
And if it be a beast, whereof men bring an offering unto the LORD, all that any man giveth of such unto the LORD shall be holy.
10
He shall not alter it, nor change it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good: and if he shall at all change beast for beast, then it and the exchange thereof shall be holy.
11
And if it be any unclean beast, of which they do not offer a sacrifice unto the LORD, then he shall present the beast before the priest:
12
And the priest shall value it, whether it be good or bad: as thou valuest it, who art the priest, so shall it be.
13
But if he will at all redeem it, then he shall add a fifth part thereof unto thy estimation.
14
And when a man shall sanctify his house to be holy unto the LORD, then the priest shall estimate it, whether it be good or bad: as the priest shall estimate it, so shall it stand.
15
And if he that sanctified it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be his.
16
And if a man shall sanctify unto the LORD some part of a field of his possession, then thy estimation shall be according to the seed thereof: an homer of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver.
17
If he sanctify his field from the year of jubilee, according to thy estimation it shall stand.
18
But if he sanctify his field after the jubilee, then the priest shall reckon unto him the money according to the years that remain, even unto the year of the jubilee, and it shall be abated from thy estimation.
19
And if he that sanctified the field will in any wise redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be assured to him.
20
And if he will not redeem the field, or if he have sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more.
21
But the field, when it goeth out in the jubilee, shall be holy unto the LORD, as a field devoted; the possession thereof shall be the priest's.
22
And if a man sanctify unto the LORD a field which he hath bought, which is not of the fields of his possession;
23
Then the priest shall reckon unto him the worth of thy estimation, even unto the year of the jubilee: and he shall give thine estimation in that day, as a holy thing unto the LORD.
24
In the year of the jubilee the field shall return unto him of whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land did belong.
25
And all thy estimations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs shall be the shekel.
26
Only the firstling of the beasts, which should be the LORD's firstling, no man shall sanctify it; whether it be ox, or sheep: it is the LORD's.
27
And if it be of an unclean beast, then he shall redeem it according to thine estimation, and shall add a fifth part of it thereto: or if it be not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to thy estimation.
28
Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD.
29
None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; but shall surely be put to death.
30
And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD's: it is holy unto the LORD.
31
And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof.
32
And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.
33
He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.
34
These are the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai.




This evening, chapter 2 of the Gospel of Mark.

Mark 2
1 And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.
3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
6 But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
13 And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.
14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.
16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?
17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?
19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
21 No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.
22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.
23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.
24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?
25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?
26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?
27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

17 February 2011

Today's Readings -- 17 February 2011

Thursday morning. I am home from work, Dear Wife is off TO work, cats are fed. I get to get some snooze time before setting off again.
Some day I will understand.

This morning, Leviticus 24 and 25. I know some of this does not seem "relevant". And it is far removed from our daily life and there is not denying that. This was for a people and culture of the time, and yet, if we look closely, we see in these chapters a picture of the future. I believe that the whole Bible points towards Jesus and His work of atonement for our sin, yours and mine, and the future with Him. This is here for a purpose. I don't know all of it, but I do know that the Lord intended for us, today, to know about this. I think He knows what He's doing.

1
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2
Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually.
3
Without the vail of the testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the evening unto the morning before the LORD continually: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations.
4
He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before the LORD continually.
5
And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake.
6
And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD.
7
And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
8
Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.
9
And it shall be Aaron's and his sons'; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD made by fire by a perpetual statute.
10
And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel: and this son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp;
11
And the Israelitish woman's son blasphemed the name of the Lord, and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses: (and his mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan:)
12
And they put him in ward, that the mind of the LORD might be showed them.
13
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
14
Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him.
15
And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin.
16
And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to death.
17
And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death.
18
And he that killeth a beast shall make it good; beast for beast.
19
And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbor; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him;
20
Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again.
21
And he that killeth a beast, he shall restore it: and he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death.
22
Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the LORD your God.
23
And Moses spake to the children of Israel, that they should bring forth him that had cursed out of the camp, and stone him with stones. And the children of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses.


1
And the LORD spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying,
2
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD.
3
Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof;
4
But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.
5
That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.
6
And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee.
7
And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat.
8
And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.
9
Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.
10
And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.
11
A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed.
12
For it is the jubilee; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field.
13
In the year of this jubilee ye shall return every man unto his possession.
14
And if thou sell ought unto thy neighbor, or buyest ought of thy neighbor's hand, ye shall not oppress one another:
15
According to the number of years after the jubilee thou shalt buy of thy neighbor, and according unto the number of years of the fruits he shall sell unto thee:
16
According to the multitude of years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of years thou shalt diminish the price of it: for according to the number of the years of the fruits doth he sell unto thee.
17
Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the LORD your God.
18
Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety.
19
And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety.
20
And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase:
21
Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years.
22
And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store.
23
The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine, for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.
24
And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land.
25
If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.
26
And if the man have none to redeem it, and himself be able to redeem it;
27
Then let him count the years of the sale thereof, and restore the overplus unto the man to whom he sold it; that he may return unto his possession.
28
But if he be not able to restore it to him, then that which is sold shall remain in the hand of him that hath bought it until the year of jubilee: and in the jubilee it shall go out, and he shall return unto his possession.
29
And if a man sell a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full year may he redeem it.
30
And if it be not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be established for ever to him that bought it throughout his generations: it shall not go out in the jubilee.
31
But the houses of the villages which have no wall round about them shall be counted as the fields of the country: they may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the jubilee.
32
Notwithstanding the cities of the Levites, and the houses of the cities of their possession, may the Levites redeem at any time.
33
And if a man purchase of the Levites, then the house that was sold, and the city of his possession, shall go out in the year of jubilee: for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel.
34
But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold; for it is their perpetual possession.
35
And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee.
36
Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee.
37
Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase.
38
I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.
39
And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant:
40
But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubilee.
41
And then shall he depart from thee, both he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return.
42
For they are my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen.
43
Thou shalt not rule over him with rigor; but shalt fear thy God.
44
Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids.
45
Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession.
46
And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigor.
47
And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee, and thy brother that dwelleth by him wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger's family:
48
After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him:
49
Either his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be able, he may redeem himself.
50
And he shall reckon with him that bought him from the year that he was sold to him unto the year of jubilee: and the price of his sale shall be according unto the number of years, according to the time of an hired servant shall it be with him.
51
If there be yet many years behind, according unto them he shall give again the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for.
52
And if there remain but few years unto the year of jubilee, then he shall count with him, and according unto his years shall he give him again the price of his redemption.
53
And as a yearly hired servant shall he be with him: and the other shall not rule with rigor over him in thy sight.
54
And if he be not redeemed in these years, then he shall go out in the year of jubilee, both he, and his children with him.
55
For unto me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.




This evening, verses 23-45 from chapter 1 of the Gospel of Mark.

Mark 1:23-45
23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.
25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.
26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.
27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.
28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.
29 And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
30 But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her.
31 And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.
32 And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils.
33 And all the city was gathered together at the door.
34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.
35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him.
37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.
38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.
39 And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.
40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.
42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
43 And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;
44 And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
45 But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.