Today's Readings and Stuff -- Saturday, 08 February 2020

Another quiet day here.  We're still mostly in recovery mode, I'm pretty well "there" and she seems to be headed in that direction.  So we shall see.  I guess.
Lots of thoughts and meditations on the state of the world, the state of our area, and, our own conditions and direction.  Not all of it is terribly encouraging.

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I put this here using the Holman CSB version, primarily because of its use of dimensional terms familiar to most readers: few of us measure in cubits for example.  Note the very specific directions given.  These constructions were to be performed precisely as directed, not any which way, no room for "creative approaches".


Exodus 27

The Altar of Burnt Offering

1“You  are to construct the altar of acacia wood. The altar must be square, 7 1/2 feet long, and 7 1/2 feet wide;  it must be 4 1/2 feet high.  2Make horns for it on its four corners; the horns are to be of one piece.  Overlay it with bronze.  3Make its pots for removing ashes, and its shovels, basins, meat forks, and firepans; make all its utensils of bronze. 4Construct a grate for it of bronze mesh, and make four bronze rings on the mesh at its four corners. 5Set it below, under the altar’s ledge,  so that the mesh comes halfway up  the altar. 6Then make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. 7The poles are to be inserted into the rings so that the poles are on two sides of the altar when it is carried. 8Construct the altar with boards so that it is hollow. They are to make it just as it was shown to you on the mountain. 

The Courtyard

9“You  are to make the courtyard for the tabernacle. Make the hangings on the south of the courtyard out of finely spun linen, 150 feet  long on that side. 10There are to be 20 posts and 20 bronze bases. The hooks and bands  of the posts must be silver. 11Then make the hangings on the north side 150 feet  long. There are to be 20 posts and 20 bronze bases. The hooks and bands  of the posts must be silver. 12Make the hangings of the courtyard on the west side 75 feet  long, including their 10 posts and 10 bases. 13Make the hangings of the courtyard on the east side toward the sunrise 75 feet.  14Make the hangings on one side of the gate 22 1/2 feet,  including their three posts and their three bases. 15And make the hangings on the other side 22 1/2 feet,  including their three posts and their three bases. 16The gate of the courtyard is to have a thirty-foot  screen  embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. It is to have four posts including their four bases.

17“All the posts around the courtyard are to be banded with silver and have silver hooks and bronze bases. 18The length of the courtyard is to be 150 feet, the width 75 feet at each end, and the height 7 1/2 feet,  all of it made of finely spun linen. The bases of the posts must be bronze. 19All the tools of the tabernacle for every use and all its tent pegs as well as all the tent pegs of the courtyard are to be made of bronze.

The Lampstand Oil

20“You are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil from crushed olives for the light, in order to keep the lamp burning continually. 21In the tent of meeting outside the veil that is in front of the testimony,  Aaron and his sons are to tend the lamp  from evening until morning before the Lord. This is to be a permanent statute  for the Israelites throughout their generations.

Exodus 28

The Priestly Garments

1“Have your brother Aaron, with his sons, come to you from the Israelites to serve Me as priest — Aaron, his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.  2Make holy garments  for your brother Aaron, for glory and beauty. 3You are to instruct all the skilled craftsmen,   whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, to make Aaron’s garments for consecrating him to serve Me as priest. 4These are the garments that they must make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a specially woven tunic,  a turban, and a sash. They are to make holy garments for your brother Aaron and his sons so that they may serve Me as priests. 5They should use  gold; blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; and fine linen.

The Ephod

6“They  are to make the ephod of finely spun linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. 7It must have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges so that it can be joined together. 8The artistically woven waistband that is on the ephod  must be of one piece,  according to the same workmanship of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely spun linen.

9“Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of Israel’s sons: 10six of their names on the first stone and the remaining six names on the second stone, in the order of their birth. 11Engrave the two stones with the names of Israel’s sons as a gem cutter engraves a seal. Mount them, surrounded with gold filigree settings. 12Fasten both stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the Israelites. Aaron will carry their names on his two shoulders before the Lord as a reminder.  13Fashion gold filigree settings 14and two chains of pure gold; you will make them of braided cord work, and attach the cord chains to the settings.

The Breastpiece

15“You  are to make an embroidered breastpiece for making decisions.  Make it with the same workmanship as the ephod; make it of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely spun linen. 16It must be square and folded double, nine inches long and nine inches wide.  17Place a setting of gemstones  on it, four rows of stones:

The first row should be a row of carnelian, topaz, and emerald; 

18the second row, a turquoise,  a sapphire,  and a diamond; 

19the third row, a jacinth,  an agate, and an amethyst;

20and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper.

They should be adorned with gold filigree in their settings. 21The 12 stones are to correspond to the names of Israel’s sons. Each stone must be engraved like a seal, with one of the names of the 12 tribes.

22“You are to make braided chains  of pure gold cord work for the breastpiece. 23Fashion two gold rings for the breastpiece and attach them to its two corners. 24Then attach the two gold cords to the two gold rings at the corners of the breastpiece. 25Attach the other ends of the two cords to the two filigree settings, and in this way attach them to the ephod’s shoulder pieces in the front. 26Make two other gold rings and put them at the two other corners of the breastpiece on the edge that is next to the inner border of the ephod. 27Make two more gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the ephod’s two shoulder pieces on its front, close to its seam,  and above the ephod’s woven waistband. 28The craftsmen are to tie the breastpiece from its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece is above the ephod’s waistband and does not come loose from the ephod.

29“Whenever he enters the sanctuary, Aaron is to carry the names of Israel’s sons over his heart on the breastpiece for decisions, as a continual reminder before the Lord. 30Place the Urim and Thummim  in the breastpiece for decisions, so that they will also be over Aaron’s heart whenever he comes before the Lord. Aaron will continually carry the means of decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.

The Robe

31“You  are to make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue yarn. 32There should be an opening at its top in the center of it. Around the opening, there should be a woven collar with an opening like that of body armor  so that it does not tear. 33Make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn  on its lower hem and all around it. Put gold bells between them all the way around, 34so that gold bells and pomegranates alternate around the lower hem of the robe. 35The robe must be worn by Aaron whenever he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he enters the sanctuary before the Lord and when he exits, so that he does not die.

The Turban

36“You are to make a pure gold medallion and engrave it, like the engraving of a seal: 

HOLY TO THE LORD.

37Fasten it to a cord of blue yarn so it can be placed on the turban; the medallion is to be on the front of the turban. 38It will be on Aaron’s forehead so that Aaron may bear the guilt  connected with the holy offerings that the Israelites consecrate as all their holy gifts. It is always to be on his forehead, so that they may find acceptance with the Lord.

Other Priestly Garments

39“You are to weave the tunic from fine linen, make a turban of fine linen, and make an embroidered sash. 40Make tunics, sashes, and headbands for Aaron’s sons to give them glory and beauty.  41Put these on your brother Aaron and his sons; then anoint,  ordain,  and consecrate  them, so that they may serve Me as priests. 42Make them linen undergarments  to cover their naked bodies; they must extend from the waist  to the thighs. 43These must be worn by Aaron and his sons whenever they enter the tent of meeting or approach the altar to minister in the sanctuary area, so that they do not incur guilt  and die. This is to be a permanent statute  for Aaron and for his future descendants.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 07 February 2020

Another "stay in where it's warm" sort of day.  The "settled science" weathercasters had, a few days ago, been predicting warmer temps, like pushing 40° or so for today, a bit nicer tomorrow and Sunday.  Wrong!  Been snowing all day, hanging pretty closely to the freezing point and we have a Winter Weather advisory extending will into tomorrow morning.  So much for putting full faith int he experts.
So I've done some around-the-house chores and generally been quiet.  Wife. even more so.  We shall see what the morrow brings.  We spent much of yesterday "sitting" the great-nephew, a VERY active 2-1/2-year-old, which we enjoy, Wife especially so, but it wears her out also.   The Little Guy has a bad case of "cabin fever", so do the the rest of us, but the conditions outside weren't conducive to his being out.  When Spring comes, it'll  be hard to keep him, or us, inside.  C'mon spring!


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this is here in the CSB version, which makes the dimensions more understandable

Exodus 25

Offerings to Build the Tabernacle

1The Lord spoke to Moses: 2“Tell the Israelites to take an offering for Me. You are to take My offering from everyone who is willing to give.  3This is the offering you are to receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze; 4blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine linen and goat hair; 5ram skins dyed red  and manatee skins;  acacia wood; 6oil  for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 7and onyx  along with other gemstones for mounting on the ephod and breastpiece.  

8“They are to make a sanctuary  for so that I may dwell  among them. 9You must make it according to all that I show you — the pattern  of the tabernacle as well as the pattern of all its furnishings.

The Ark

10“They are to make an ark  of acacia wood, 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high.  11Overlay it with pure gold; overlay it both inside and out. Also make a gold molding all around it. 12Cast four gold rings for it and place them on its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other side. 13Make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark in order to carry the ark with them. 15The poles are to remain in the rings of the ark; they must not be removed from it. 16Put the tablets of the testimony that I will give you into the ark.  17Make a mercy seat  of pure gold, 45 inches long and 27 inches wide.  18Make two cherubim of gold; make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end. At its two ends, make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat. 20The cherubim are to have wings spread out above, covering  the mercy seat with their wings, and are to face one another. The faces of the cherubim should be toward the mercy seat. 21Set the mercy seat on top of the ark and put the testimony that I will give you into the ark.  22I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim  that are over the ark of the testimony; I will speak with you from there about all that I command you regarding the Israelites.

The Table

23“You are to construct a table  of acacia wood, 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high.  24Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding all around it. 25Make a three-inch  frame all around it and make a gold molding for it all around its frame. 26Make four gold rings for it, and attach the rings to the four corners at its four legs. 27The rings should be next to the frame as holders for the poles to carry the table. 28Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, and the table can be carried by them. 29You are also to make its plates  and cups, as well as its pitchers and bowls for pouring drink offerings. Make them out of pure gold. 30Put the bread of the Presence  on the table before Me at all times.

The Lampstand

31“You  are to make a lampstand  out of pure, hammered gold. It is to be made of one piece: its base and shaft, its ornamental cups, and its calyxes  and petals. 32Six branches are to extend from its sides, three branches of the lampstand from one side and three branches of the lampstand from the other side. 33There are to be three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with a calyx and petals, on the first branch, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with a calyx and petals, on the next branch. It is to be this way for the six branches that extend from the lampstand. 34There are to be four cups shaped like almond blossoms on the lampstand shaft along with its calyxes and petals. 35For the six branches that extend from the lampstand, a calyx must be under the first pair of branches from it, a calyx under the second pair of branches from it, and a calyx under the third pair of branches from it. 36Their calyxes and branches are to be of one piece.  All of it is to be a single hammered piece of pure gold.

37“Make seven lamps  on it. Its lamps are to be set up so they illuminate the area in front of it. 38Its snuffers and firepans must be of pure gold. 39The lampstand  with all these utensils is to be made from 75 pounds  of pure gold. 40Be careful to make them according to the pattern  you have been shown on the mountain.

Exodus 26

The Tabernacle

1“You  are to construct the tabernacle itself with 10 curtains. You must make them of finely spun linen, and blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, with a design of cherubim worked into them. 2The length of each curtain should be 42 feet,  and the width of each curtain six feet;  all the curtains are to have the same measurements. 3Five of the curtains should be joined together, and the other five curtains joined together. 4Make loops of blue yarn on the edge of the last curtain  in the first set, and do the same on the edge of the outermost curtain in the second set. 5Make 50 loops on the one curtain and make 50 loops on the edge of the curtain in the second set, so that the loops line up together. 6Also make 50 gold clasps and join the curtains together with the clasps, so that the tabernacle may be a single unit.

7“You are to make curtains of goat hair for a tent over the tabernacle; make 11 of these curtains. 8The length of each curtain should be 45 feet  and the width of each curtain six feet.  All 11 curtains are to have the same measurements. 9Join five of the curtains by themselves, and the other six curtains by themselves. Then fold the sixth curtain double at the front of the tent. 10Make 50 loops on the edge of the one curtain, the outermost in the first set, and make 50 loops on the edge of the corresponding curtain of the second set. 11Make 50 bronze clasps; put the clasps through the loops and join the tent together so that it is a single unit. 12As for the flap that is left over from the tent curtains, the leftover half curtain is to hang down over the back of the tabernacle. 13The half yard  on one side and the half yard  on the other of what is left over along the length of the tent curtains should be hanging down over the sides of the tabernacle on either side to cover it. 14Make a covering for the tent from ram skins dyed red  and a covering of manatee skins  on top of that.

15“You are to make upright planks  of acacia wood  for the tabernacle. 16The length of each plank is to be 15 feet,  and the width of each plank 27 inches.  17Each plank must be connected together with two tenons. Do the same for all the planks of the tabernacle. 18Make the planks for the tabernacle as follows: 20 planks for the south side, 19and make 40 silver bases under the 20 planks, two bases under the first plank for its two tenons, and two bases under the next plank for its two tenons; 2020 planks for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, 21along with their 40 silver bases, two bases under the first plank and two bases under each plank; 22and make six planks for the west side of the tabernacle. 23Make two additional planks for the two back corners of the tabernacle. 24They are to be paired at the bottom, and joined together  at the top in a single ring. So it should be for both of them; they will serve as the two corners. 25There are to be eight planks with their silver bases: 16 bases; two bases under the first plank and two bases under each plank.

26“You are to make five crossbars of acacia wood for the planks on one side of the tabernacle, 27five crossbars for the planks on the other side of the tabernacle, and five crossbars for the planks of the back side of the tabernacle on the west. 28The central crossbar is to run through the middle of the planks from one end to the other. 29Then overlay the planks with gold, and make their rings of gold as the holders for the crossbars. Also overlay the crossbars with gold. 30You are to set up the tabernacle according to the plan for it that you have been shown on the mountain. 

31“You are to make a veil of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen with a design of cherubim worked into it.  32Hang it on four gold-plated posts of acacia wood that have gold hooks and that stand on four silver bases. 33Hang the veil under the clasps  and bring the ark of the testimony there behind the veil, so the veil will make a separation for you between the holy place  and the most holy place. 34Put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.  35Place the table outside the veil and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle, opposite the table; put the table on the north side. 

36“For the entrance to the tent you are to make a screen embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. 37Make five posts of acacia wood for the screen and overlay them with gold; their hooks are to be gold, and you are to cast five bronze bases for them.

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Psalm 28

A Psalm of David.

1Unto thee will I cry, O Lord my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.

2Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.

3Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.

4Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.

5Because they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.

6Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.

7The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

8The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.

9Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.

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Matthew 28

1In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

2And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

3His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

4And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

5And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

6He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

7And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

8And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

9And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.

10Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.

11Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.

12And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,

13Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.

14And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.

15So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

16Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

17And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.