Today's Readings and Stuff -- Wednesday, 03 February, 2021

Starting this while sitting in another doctor's office: Wife's pulmonologist.  Her chronic asthma - first diagnosed just 8 hours after her birth - has been really bad for some time.  But the lock down stuff blamed on the Chinese flu thing, has made it difficult to be seen.  So we had to drive down towards the lower quarter of the county south of us.  NOT a straight line either.  So we shall see.  Having your Beloved having trouble just breathing is a very scary thing.

Her nephew has been tested as "positive" for the COVID-19 thing.  Seems he was at some drunken party with his biker buddies.  Now, EVERYONE who was there has tested positive.  I guess that includes his wife who is currently 1/4 through the radiation treatments for her aggressive and rarely survivable breast cancer.  So their kids are in quarantine as well.  All for the "fun" of heavy drinking.  Whee!!

The more I see of this world, the less  like it.

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Exodus 31 - 33

Ever notice how some things in the Bible "rhyme"?  Just interesting themes.  Moses was on the mountain for 40 days.  Noah in the ark.  Jesus in the wilderness.  Jonah.  We're embarking on the season of Lent quite soon, again, 40 days.  Probably more examples.  What it all means I don't know, but it's an interesting pattern.

The people, rescued by the Lord, sustained and protected by Him, couldn’t (wouldn't) wait just 40 days.  Am I any better??

EXODUS 31

God’s Provision of the Skilled Workers

1The Lord also spoke to Moses: 2“Look, I have appointed by name Bezalel  son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3I have filled him with God’s Spirit, with wisdom, understanding, and ability in every craft  4to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze, 5to cut gemstones for mounting, and to carve wood for work in every craft. 6I have also selected Oholiab  son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be with him. I have placed wisdom within every skilled craftsman  in order to make all that I have commanded you: 7the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, the mercy seat that is on top of it, and all the other furnishings of the tent  — 8the table with its utensils, the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, 9the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, the basin with its stand — 10the specially woven  garments, both the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons to serve as priests, 11the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense for the sanctuary. They must make them according to all that I have commanded you.” 

Observing the Sabbath

12The Lord said to Moses: 13“Tell the Israelites: You must observe My Sabbaths, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, so that you will know that I am Yahweh who sets you apart.  14Observe the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Whoever profanes it must be put to death. If anyone does work on it, that person must be cut off from his people.  15Work may be done for six days, but on the seventh day there must be a Sabbath of complete rest,  dedicated to the Lord. Anyone who does work on the Sabbath day must be put to death. 16The Israelites must observe the Sabbath, celebrating it throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17It is a sign forever between Me and the Israelites, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, but on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.”

The Two Stone Tablets

18When He finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the testimony, stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God. 

EXODUS 32

The Gold Calf

1When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god  who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt — we don’t know what has happened to him! ” 

2Then Aaron replied to them, “Take off the gold rings  that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them to me.” 3So all the people took off the gold rings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4He took the gold from their hands, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it into an image of a calf.

Then they said, “Israel, this is your God,  who brought you up from the land of Egypt! ” 

5When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; then he made an announcement: “There will be a festival  to the Lord tomorrow.” 6Early the next morning they arose, offered burnt offerings, and presented fellowship offerings. The people sat down to eat and drink, then got up to play. 

7The Lord spoke to Moses: “Go down at once! For your people you brought up from the land of Egypt have acted corruptly.  8They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them; they have made for themselves an image of a calf. They have bowed down to it, sacrificed to it, and said, ‘Israel, this is your God,  who brought you up from the land of Egypt.’ ”  9The Lord also said to Moses: “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked  people. 10Now leave Me alone, so that My anger can burn against them and I can destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” 

11But Moses interceded with the Lord his God: “Lord, why does Your anger burn against Your people You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand? 12Why should the Egyptians say, ‘He brought them out with an evil intent to kill them in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from Your great anger and relent concerning this disaster planned for Your people.  13Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel — You swore to them by Your very self  and declared, ‘I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and will give your offspring all this land that I have promised, and they will inherit it forever.’ ”  14So the Lord relented  concerning the disaster He said He would bring on His people.

15Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides — inscribed front and back. 16The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was God’s writing, engraved on the tablets. 

17When Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a sound of war in the camp.”

18But Moses replied:

It’s not the sound of a victory cry

and not the sound of a cry of defeat;

I hear the sound of singing!

19As he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses became enraged and threw the tablets out of his hands, smashing them at the base of the mountain. 20Then he took the calf they had made, burned it up, and ground it to powder. He scattered the powder over the surface of the water and forced the Israelites to drink the water.

21Then Moses asked Aaron, “What did these people do to you that you have led them into such a grave sin? ”

22“Don’t be enraged, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know that the people are intent on evil.  23They said to me, ‘Make us a god  who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt — we don’t know what has happened to him! ’ 24So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off,’ and they gave it to me. When I threw it into the fire, out came this calf! ”

25Moses saw that the people were out of control, for Aaron had let them get out of control, resulting in weakness before their enemies.  26And Moses stood at the camp’s entrance and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him. 27He told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Every man fasten his sword to his side; go back and forth through the camp from entrance to entrance, and each of you kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’ ”  28The Levites did as Moses commanded, and about 3,000 men fell dead that day among the people. 29Afterward Moses said, “Today you have been dedicated  to the Lord, since each man went against his son and his brother. Therefore you have brought a blessing on yourselves today.” 

30The following day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a grave sin. Now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I will be able to atone for your sin.” 

31So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, these people have committed a grave sin; they have made a god of gold for themselves.  32Now if You would only forgive their sin. But if not, please erase me from the book You have written.” 

33The Lord replied to Moses: “I will erase whoever has sinned against Me from My book.  34Now go, lead the people to the place I told you about; see, My angel will go before you. But on the day I settle accounts, I will hold them accountable for their sin.”  35And the Lord inflicted a plague on the people for what they did with the calf Aaron had made.

EXODUS 33

The Tent Outside the Camp

1The Lord spoke to Moses: “Go, leave here, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying: I will give it to your offspring.  2I will send an angel ahead of you and will drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites,  Hivites, and Jebusites.  3Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you because you are a stiff-necked people; otherwise, I might destroy you on the way.”  4When the people heard this bad news, they mourned and didn’t put on their jewelry. 

5For the Lord said to Moses: “Tell the Israelites: You are a stiff-necked people. If I went with you for a single moment, I would destroy you. Now take off your jewelry, and I will decide what to do with you.” 6So the Israelites remained stripped of their jewelry from Mount Horeb onward.

7Now Moses took a tent and set it up outside the camp, far away from the camp; he called it the tent of meeting. Anyone who wanted to consult the Lord would go to the tent of meeting that was outside the camp.  8Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would stand up, each one at the door of his tent, and they would watch Moses until he entered the tent. 9When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and remain at the entrance to the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses.  10As all the people saw the pillar of cloud remaining at the entrance to the tent, they would stand up, then bow in worship, each one at the door of his tent. 11The Lord spoke with Moses face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his assistant, the young man Joshua son of Nun, would not leave the inside of the tent. 

The Lord’s Glory

12Moses said to the Lord, “Look, You have told me, ‘Lead this people up,’ but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. You said, ‘I know you by name,  and you have also found favor in My sight.’ 13Now if I have indeed found favor in Your sight, please teach me Your ways,  and I will know You and find favor in Your sight. Now consider that this nation is Your people.” 

14Then He replied, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 

15“If Your presence does not go,” Moses responded to Him, “don’t make us go up from here. 16How will it be known that I and Your people have found favor in Your sight unless You go with us? I and Your people will be distinguished by this from all the other people on the face of the earth.” 

17The Lord answered Moses, “I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name.”

18Then Moses said, “Please, let me see Your glory.” 

19He said, “I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim the name Yahweh before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”  20But He answered, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see  Me and live.” 21The Lord said, “Here is a place near Me. You are to stand on the rock, 22and when My glory passes by, I will put you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.  23Then I will take My hand away, and you will see My back, but My face will not be seen.”

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might want to read this with Psalm 110 in mind as well

MATTHEW 22  

The Sadducees and the Resurrection

23The same day some Sadducees,  who say there is no resurrection, came up to Him and questioned Him:  24“Teacher, Moses said, if a man dies, having no children, his brother is to marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.   25Now there were seven brothers among us. The first got married and died. Having no offspring, he left his wife to his brother. 26The same happened to the second also, and the third, and so to all seven.  27Then last of all the woman died. 28In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will she be of the seven? For they all had married her.” 

29Jesus answered them, “You are deceived, because you don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God. 30For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like  angels in heaven.  31Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what was spoken to you by God: 32I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob?   He  is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

33And when the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

The Primary Commands

34When  the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. 35And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test Him:  36“Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest? ” 

37He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.   38This is the greatest and most important  command. 39The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.   40All the Law and the Prophets depend  on these two commands.” 

The Question about the Messiah

41While the Pharisees were together, Jesus questioned them,  42“What do you think about the Messiah? Whose Son is He? ”

“David’s,” they told Him.

43He asked them, “How is it then that David, inspired by the Spirit,  calls Him ‘Lord’ :

44The Lord declared to my Lord,

‘Sit at My right hand

until I put Your enemies under Your feet’?   

45“If David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how then can the Messiah be his Son? ” 46No one was able to answer Him at all,  and from that day no one dared to question Him anymore.