Today's Reading and Stuff -- Saturday, 10 February 2018

Double digits on the date.  Progress!  39° here now, which is the "high" for the day.  But, we're now at 10 hours 26 minutes of "day", with tomorrow set to be 2 minutes 28 seconds longer.  Making more progress.  An 11 hour "day" in just a few weeks.   Trying to be positive.
38 days until Spring.

We were on schedule to go over to Wife's nephew's place this morning and "watch" their kids.  Mom and next-door niece are doing a craft show today, and he works weird hours so he needed to get some sleep.  Alarm went off around 06:00 and we started to get up and dressed, when we got a message from him.  He got off work early last night (home around 01:00) so he got some sleep and we didn't need to come.  So, we're staying in.    Yes, it's above freezing today (by about 7 degrees, for a little while) but it's not exactly June weather.  Wife's all congested and not exactly energized.
The boy cats are both still sick with something.  We stumbled on some antibiotics that are intended for pets, so now Wife is scheming a way to get them to take them.    I suggested a visit to the taxidermist but that was not viewed as an acceptable course of action.  Made sense to me.



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Today, Exodus 31 and 32

Check out what's being said in 31.  We sometimes pay lots of attention to the big names of the faith.  The Pauls, the DL Moodys, the Billy Grahams, and so forth.  They have been mighty for the Lord, and that's a good thing.
But in truth, so much of the Lord's work is being done in quiet corners.  The ones who reach out to the lonely and lost, the ones who toiled in back rooms translating Scripture into other languages.  Those who sit by the bedsides of the ill, and tell the families of the love of the Lord.  And a million more.  The Lord has a role for each one of us, and the mention here of Bezaleel reminds us that those who work with their hands, using the skills the Lord provided, are equally able to serve His purposes.  To quote the Bible Gateway, Bezaleel [Bēzăl'eel]— under god’s shadow. 1. The chief architect of the Tabernacle to whom was assigned the design and execution of its works of art.  He was faithful and skilled in his particular calling.  As we all should be.

Exodus 32 is also compelling.  How quickly we forget what the Lord has done, right before our eyes!  The same people who had seen the Lord's judgments against Egypt, who had been led out of slavery, who had crossed the sea on dry land, who had been provided manna for food and water from the rock in the desert, were willing, eager even, to forget the Lord and to follow their own follies.  Sadly, that sin did not die out with them.
And there is a contrast here.  Moses came down from the mountain, bringing the Law.  And the result was THREE THOUSAND dead!  A terrible thing.  The stench of the body of just one person is awful.  I know.  Three thousand in a limited space would be ghastly, an odor of sin and death.
Now contrast this with the account in Acts 2:41.  The Spirit fell upon the gathering.  And many were saved.  How many?  THREE THOUSAND.  Coincidence?  Remember 2nd Corinthians 3:4-6.  Yes, "the law killeth, but the Spirit giveth life".  True.

Exodus 31

 1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:

3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,

4 To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,

5 And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.

6 And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;

7 The tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle,furniture: Heb. vessels

8 And the table and his furniture, and the pure candlestick with all his furniture, and the altar of incense,furniture: Heb. vessels

9 And the altar of burnt offering with all his furniture, and the laver and his foot,furniture: Heb. vessels

10 And the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office,

11 And the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.

12 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.

14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.holy: Heb. holiness

16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.

17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

Exodus 32

 1  And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

2  And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.

3  And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.

4  And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

5  And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord.

6  And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

7  And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:

8  They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

9  And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:

10  Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.

11  And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?the Lord: Heb. the face of the Lord

12  Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.

13  Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.

14  And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

15  And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.

16  And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

17  And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.

18  And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.being…: Heb. weakness

19  And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.

20  And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.

21  And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?

22  And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.

23  For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

24  And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.

25  And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)their enemies: Heb. those that rose up against them

26  Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

27  And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.

28  And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.

29  For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the Lord, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day. 

30  And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the Lord; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.

31  And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.

32  Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin―; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.

33  And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

34  Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.

35  And the Lord plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

 

 

 

 

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 09 February 2018 with some addition

Happy Friday to all who stop by.

This is one of "those" days.  A drive halfway across the county (ok, not quite but is sure feels like it) to a hospital.  Wife has to have one of her periodic mammograms:  one of the by-products of her conditions is an increased potential for breast cancer.  Her last one was three years ago, at a different location (same network).  And, at the same time they've scheduled some "labs" for both of us.  They're checking me for cholesterol, A1C, etc.  Hers will be more extensive.  And, of course, it has to be "fasting blood work", so no food after 8 p.m. last evening.  Doesn't bother me, but bothers her a whole lot.  The second we get out of here she'll be wanting food now!
And, of course, this is in the midst of a particularly snowy and nasty northeast Ohio winter.  The roads were not really all that clear yesterday, though certainly far better than was the case on Wednesday. Not as bad this morning as I had feared. 
So, I am sitting in waiting area of the mammography department as they do their thing.  Could be worse.
I shouldn't gripe: I spent MANY years driving these roads this time of the year.  Now, that was 35 years ago too, which makes a difference.  At least we haven't -- yet -- got the pounding that is hitting Chicago now and tomorrow.  They're expecting a total of at least a 20 inches of new snow.  On top of the existing.  What was that about Catastrophic Global Warming and the end of snow??
And how does that jibe with tonight's cold?

Anyway, we're  doing the Thing.

+++  Update here +++++
We're home now, and have broke the fast that the "blood work" demanded.  Roads are not great (to say the least) and we did experience some ice.  But it's better than Wednesday was, the road trucks are out (at least in a few places).

While there, for some odd reason I can't explain, a song came to mind, one I'd not heard in a VERY long time.  Couldn't even remember the title, it took a bit of research to find it.  The title is "Children of the Heavenly Father".  It comes from Sweden, which is a bit odd to this "Dutch" (Deutsch) boy.  But it's an old favorite, and has been sung, and still is, in a lot of places, including the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (musically, they're great.  Theologically, no.).  And I sang it as a kid and teen.  Now, I miss it.
Note the pause, appropriately, before what I regard as the most important verse:  Though He giveth or He taketh, God His children ne'er forsaketh.  THAT is the phrase that kept running though my mind earlier, and still is.    If you have ever thought, somehow, that the Lord had closed His ears to your cries, that your prayers bounced off the closed gates to Heaven, that all was lost, this hits you.  I've been there.  Perhaps you been have as well.  Or will be.  

Children of the heav’nly Father
Safely in His bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in Heaven
Such a refuge e’er was given.

God His own doth tend and nourish;
In His holy courts they flourish;
From all evil things He spares them;
In His mighty arms He bears them.

Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth.

Though He giveth or He taketh,
God His children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy.

Lo, their very hairs He numbers,
And no daily care encumbers
Them that share His ev’ry blessing
And His help in woes distressing.

Praise the Lord in joyful numbers:
Your Protector never slumbers.
At the will of your Defender
Ev’ry foeman must surrender.

+++  Update ends here +++++


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Our day's reading in the Old Testament is chapters 29 and 30 in the Exodus.  Do not lose track of the recognition that these are the very words of the Lord, giving specific and detailed instructions for the methods, personnel, and patterns of worship to be followed. 

Exodus 29

29:1 And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish,

29:2 And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them.

29:3 And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams.

29:4 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water.

29:5 And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod:

29:6 And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre.

29:7 Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him.

29:8 And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them.

29:9 And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest's office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.

29:10 And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock.

29:11 And thou shalt kill the bullock before the LORD, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

29:12 And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.

29:13 And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar.

29:14 But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering.

29:15 Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.

29:16 And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar.

29:17 And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head.

29:18 And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto the LORD: it is a sweet savor, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

29:19 And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.

29:20 Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.

29:21 And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.

29:22 Also thou shalt take of the ram the fat and the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and the right shoulder; for it is a ram of consecration:

29:23 And one loaf of bread, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the basket of the unleavened bread that is before the LORD:

29:24 And thou shalt put all in the hands of Aaron, and in the hands of his sons; and shalt wave them for a wave offering before the LORD.

29:25 And thou shalt receive them of their hands, and burn them upon the altar for a burnt offering, for a sweet savor before the LORD: it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

29:26 And thou shalt take the breast of the ram of Aaron's consecration, and wave it for a wave offering before the LORD: and it shall be thy part.

29:27 And thou shalt sanctify the breast of the wave offering, and the shoulder of the heave offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of the consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons:

29:28 And it shall be Aaron's and his sons' by a statute for ever from the children of Israel: for it is an heave offering: and it shall be an heave offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifice of their peace offerings, even their heave offering unto the LORD.

29:29 And the holy garments of Aaron shall be his sons' after him, to be anointed therein, and to be consecrated in them.

29:30 And that son that is priest in his stead shall put them on seven days, when he cometh into the tabernacle of the congregation to minister in the holy place.

29:31 And thou shalt take the ram of the consecration, and seethe his flesh in the holy place.

29:32 And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

29:33 And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy.

29:34 And if ought of the flesh of the consecrations, or of the bread, remain unto the morning, then thou shalt burn the remainder with fire: it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.

29:35 And thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his sons, according to all things which I have commanded thee: seven days shalt thou consecrate them.

29:36 And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it.

29:37 Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.

29:38 Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually.

29:39 The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even:

29:40 And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering.

29:41 And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savor, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

29:42 This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.

29:43 And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.

29:44 And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest's office.

29:45 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.

29:46 And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God.

Exodus 30

30:1 And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it.

30:2 A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same.

30:3 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about.

30:4 And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal.

30:5 And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.

30:6 And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.

30:7 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.

30:8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.

30:9 Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.

30:10 And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.

30:11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

30:12 When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.

30:13 This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD.

30:14 Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD.

30:15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

30:16 And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

30:17 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

30:18 Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.

30:19 For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:

30:20 When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD:

30:21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.

30:22 Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

30:23 Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,

30:24 And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:

30:25 And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.

30:26 And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony,

30:27 And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense,

30:28 And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot.

30:29 And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.

30:30 And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.

30:31 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations.

30:32 Upon man's flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you.

30:33 Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people.

30:34 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight:

30:35 And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy:

30:36 And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.

30:37 And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD.

30:38 Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.



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The Poetry reading today is Psalm 30.

Psalm 30

30:1 I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.

30:2 O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.

30:3 O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

30:4 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

30:6 And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.

30:7 LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.

30:8 I cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication.

30:9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?

30:10 Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.

30:11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;

30:12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.




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The New Testament passage is chapter 2 in the Gospel of Mark.
The story in verses 2 through 12 remind me of a favorite song using this as the springboard.  My Name Is Lazarus.

Mark 2

2:1 And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.

2:2 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.

2:3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.

2:4 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.

2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

2:6 But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,

2:7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?

2:8 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?

2:9 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?

2:10 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,)

2:11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.

2:12 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.

2:13 And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.

2:14 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.

2:15 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.

2:16 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?

2:17 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.

2:18 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?

2:19 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.

2:20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

2:21 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.

2:22 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.

2:23 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.

2:24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?

2:25 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?

2:26 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?

2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

2:28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

 

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 08 February 2018

Another day closer to decent weather, I guess.  Yesterday was pretty nasty, and not just around here.  Our family (daughter and husband), friends, former neighbors and former co-workers in NW Arkansas, western Oklahoma, etc. got and are getting hit with ice storms and other lousy weather.  More "global warming" no doubt.  But we gain about another 2-1/2 minutes of "day" today, and a second or two more than that tomorrow.  So we are making some headway, at least by the astronomer's measure.  The weather people, not so much.  But I've seen this show before.  We'll get there, eventually.  But being down to around 11° last night means that the drain from the shower is frozen, so she got a quick one and I didn't get one at all.  So stay upwind from me, please.

Snowing right now, in fact.  Not heavily, but you can't see where I shoveled yesterday afternoon, so I "get" to do it again.  And, perhaps, brush off the vehicle.  We have to be halfway across the county at 08:00 tomorrow, and I would prefer to avoid needing to dig out out in the dark.  Not that I get a vote in that little matter either.

I can hear the weekly pickup from the garbage service outside right now.  They usually come through here right around now on Thursday.  I put our trash out last night, as I normally do.  Niece's husband next door usually puts theirs out around 07:00, just as he leaves for work.  But last week, the service came through at 06:40, so their can wasn't out there yet, which has led to some strange work-arounds all week.  Isn't it amazing how the little things that we generally don't even think of, can upset things in odd and unexpected ways?  It doesn't take much, does it?  Most people throw away far too much stuff as it is.  Packaging stuff mostly.  We don't toss much packaged stuff, we don't buy much packaged stuff anyway, it's too expensive for us and it's not like we have a tight schedule these days.  Tossing an empty bag that had flour in it doesn't take much space.

Been struggling with some thoughts that hit me after a song of the day the other day, CeCe Winan's "Alabaster Box".  Love the song anyway, but a line in the lyrics (well, several,actually) are pounding on me.
One is the line about "you don't know the cost of my praise".  Well, it's true.  Our praise is in part a recognition of the magnificence of the Lord, and no argument there.  But it's also in large part a recognition of how low we were, how enmeshed in sin and pain, how utterly hopeless we were.  And are, without Him.  The "cost of my praise" is a recognition of what it cost Him to bring us so far.  Yes, there is a sort of cost to us, a recognition of the pain and suffering and utter hopelessness He brings us from.  Our sin should make us sorrowful, and penitent.  It's a serious thing.  I for one have known people who were so entrenched in their life and character of sin that they fully expected Hell and damnation, and some of them have attained that.  I also know some who, and I'm one, were miraculously delivered. 
Another line from the song is "you were not there the night that Jesus found me".  And that is also true.  Each one of us has a story, a story and memory of hitting rock bottom.  And, given the option of life through Him, or despair and death, were granted life.  That's a song worth singing!


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more here today on the details of the Tabernacle and of the system of worship to be associated with it in the service of the Lord.  Detailed instructions, some of our "creative" types would probably chafe at it.

Exodus 27

27:1 And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits.

27:2 And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.

27:3 And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basins, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass.

27:4 And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brazen rings in the four corners thereof.

27:5 And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.

27:6 And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass.

27:7 And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it.

27:8 Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was showed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.

27:9 And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side:

27:10 And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.

27:11 And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.

27:12 And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.

27:13 And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.

27:14 The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.

27:15 And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.

27:16 And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four.

27:17 All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass.

27:18 The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.

27:19 All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.

27:20 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.

27:21 In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

Exodus 28

28:1 And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.

28:2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.

28:3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

28:4 And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

28:5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.

28:6 And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.

28:7 It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together.

28:8 And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.

28:9 And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel:

28:10 Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth.

28:11 With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold.

28:12 And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial.

28:13 And thou shalt make ouches of gold;

28:14 And two chains of pure gold at the ends; of wreathed work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathed chains to the ouches.

28:15 And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.

28:16 Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.

28:17 And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row.

28:18 And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.

28:19 And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.

28:20 And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.

28:21 And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.

28:22 And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathed work of pure gold.

28:23 And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.

28:24 And thou shalt put the two wreathed chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate.

28:25 And the other two ends of the two wreathed chains thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod before it.

28:26 And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which is in the side of the ephod inward.

28:27 And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.

28:28 And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod.

28:29 And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.

28:30 And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.

28:31 And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue.

28:32 And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent.

28:33 And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about:

28:34 A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.

28:35 And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not.

28:36 And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.

28:37 And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be.

28:38 And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.

28:39 And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needlework.

28:40 And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty.

28:41 And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.

28:42 And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:

28:43 And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.




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Psalm 29

29:1 Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.

29:2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

29:3 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.

29:4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.

29:5 The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.

29:6 He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.

29:7 The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.

29:8 The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.

29:9 The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.

29:10 The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.

29:11 The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.




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Our reading today in the New Testament has us beginning the Gospel of Mark.    So, chapter 1.  Mark gets down to business pretty quick.

Mark 1

1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

1:2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

1:3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

1:4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

1:5 And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.

1:6 And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;

1:7 And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.

1:8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

1:9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.

1:10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:

1:11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

1:12 And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness.

1:13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

1:16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

1:17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

1:18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.

1:19 And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.

1:20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.

1:21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.

1:22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

1:23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,

1:24 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.

1:25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.

1:26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.

1:27 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.

1:28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.

1:29 And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

1:30 But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her.

1:31 And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.

1:32 And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils.

1:33 And all the city was gathered together at the door.

1:34 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.

1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

1:36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him.

1:37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.

1:38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.

1:39 And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.

1:40 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.

1:41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.

1:42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.

1:43 And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;

1:44 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.

1:45 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.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Wednesday, 07 February 2018

Halfway through the week.  Seeing and very much feeling the results of this latest snow storm.  And today marks the 1/4 of the path through the month of February.  Woo hoo!  Our "day" is set to be 10 hours 18 minutes, which is 2 minutes 23 seconds longer than yesterday.  So we are  heading towards that 11 hour mark that we should be seeing in around two weeks' time.  And then be heading towards that 12 hour mark of the Vernal Equinox, the "official" first day of Spring.  Might be several actual blizzards after that, of course.  This is northeast Ohio after all and snow has often fallen after Easter Sunday.  But we live in hope.

I made that call last night to the cousin not seen in 49 years.  Too long.  I felt led to do so, wondering how such a voice from the past might be received.  But it went well, surprisingly so.  Perhaps he needed it.  Perhaps I did as well.  He lives a long way from here, eastern shore of Delaware in fact, but plans to visit the area during the warmer time of year.  Perhaps we can link up then. 
At this point in our lives, all of us have gone through some "stuff", all of us have some scars, some memories of things we wish we'd not seen or said or done, all of us have "been some places and seen some things".  Me too.  Yet, rather than hide them from others, perhaps it would be better for us to share how the Lord brought us through by His Spirit, for His purposes, motivated by His love and grace.  Certainly not our own.


Song:  "The Way of the Cross Leads Home"  Another of those that I woke up singing (silently, so as not to disturb Wife).  None of that "easy-beliefism" that has so damaged the church in the West.

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Our reading in the Old Testament today is chapters 25 and 26 of the Exodus.
The Tabernacle.
VERY specific and explicit instructions given by the Lord to Moses and the leadership for this.  Very.  In our time, there are those who want to "do their own thing" in the worship of the Lord.  I'm not a fan of regimentation myself, and fully understand the  chafing at the restrictions of Tradition, particularly those that are nothing but the traditions of men, and imposed by humans, fallible beings, as an overlay over the Lord's instructions.  I grew up with all too much of that, and it had at least a bit to do with my rejection of the faith:  sometimes it was all that I could see of that faith.
But the Lord knew well that, absent a detailed map, the overwhelming tendency of the people, despite whatever good intentions there might originally be, would be to model the patterns and system of worship of the True Lord to the patterns and systems that they'd seen in Egypt and in the people groups and nations that were around them during the Exodus and later in the Promised Land.  The Lord was quite right in this, of course,  We see the institutional church in America, Canada, Europe, etc. succumbing  to that pattern even today.  Examples are not hard to find, are they?

 Exodus 25

25:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

25:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.

25:3 And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,

25:4 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair,

25:5 And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood,

25:6 Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,

25:7 Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.

25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

25:9 According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.

25:10 And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.

25:11 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about.

25:12 And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it.

25:13 And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.

25:14 And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.

25:15 The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.

25:16 And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.

25:17 And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.

25:18 And thou shalt make two cherubim of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.

25:19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubim on the two ends thereof.

25:20 And the cherubim shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be.

25:21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.

25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

25:23 Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.

25:24 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about.

25:25 And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about.

25:26 And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof.

25:27 Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table.

25:28 And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them.

25:29 And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them.

25:30 And thou shalt set upon the table showbread before me always.

25:31 And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.

25:32 And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side:

25:33 Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick.

25:34 And in the candlesticks shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers.

25:35 And there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick.

25:36 Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold.

25:37 And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it.

25:38 And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold.

25:39 Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels.

25:40 And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was showed thee in the mount.

Exodus 26

 26:1 Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubim of cunning work shalt thou make them.

26:2 The length of one curtain shall be eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and every one of the curtains shall have one measure.

26:3 The five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and other five curtains shall be coupled one to another.

26:4 And thou shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make in the uttermost edge of another curtain, in the coupling of the second.

26:5 Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the coupling of the second; that the loops may take hold one of another.

26:6 And thou shalt make fifty taches of gold, and couple the curtains together with the taches: and it shall be one tabernacle.

26:7 And thou shalt make curtains of goats' hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make.

26:8 The length of one curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and the eleven curtains shall be all of one measure.

26:9 And thou shalt couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shalt double the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tabernacle.

26:10 And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that is outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops in the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second.

26:11 And thou shalt make fifty taches of brass, and put the taches into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one.

26:12 And the remnant that remaineth of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remaineth, shall hang over the backside of the tabernacle.

26:13 And a cubit on the one side, and a cubit on the other side of that which remaineth in the length of the curtains of the tent, it shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle on this side and on that side, to cover it.

26:14 And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers' skins.

26:15 And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up.

26:16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board.

26:17 Two tenons shall there be in one board, set in order one against another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the tabernacle.

26:18 And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward.

26:19 And thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons.

26:20 And for the second side of the tabernacle on the north side there shall be twenty boards:

26:21 And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.

26:22 And for the sides of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards.

26:23 And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides.

26:24 And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two corners.

26:25 And they shall be eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.

26:26 And thou shalt make bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,

26:27 And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the two sides westward.

26:28 And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end.

26:29 And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold for places for the bars: and thou shalt overlay the bars with gold.

26:30 And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which was showed thee in the mount.

26:31 And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubim shall it be made:

26:32 And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver.

26:33 And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.

26:34 And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.

26:35 And thou shalt set the table without the vail, and the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and thou shalt put the table on the north side.

26:36 And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework.

26:37 And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them.



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Our day's reading in the Poetry section today is Psalm 28

Psalm 28

 28:1 Unto 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.

28:2 Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.

28:3 Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.

28:4 Give 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.

28:5 Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.

28:6 Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.

28:7 The 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.

28:8 The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.

28:9 Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.




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The day's reading in the New Testament is chapter 28 in the Gospel of Matthew.
Yes, this was the week that changed the world.  Changed my life as well, and, I hope, yours too.
Sing Hallelujah with me.   And then, realize Then Came The Morning.

Matthew 28

28:1 In 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.

28:2 And, 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.

28:3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

28:4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

28:5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

28:6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

28:7 And 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.

28:8 And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

28:9 And 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.

28:10 Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.

28:11 Now 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.

28:12 And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,

28:13 Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.

28:14 And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.

28:15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

28:16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

28:17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

28:20 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.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Tuesday, 06 February 2018

Quiet here today.  Wife seems to be doing a bit better, which is a true blessing.  But now it seems that the cats, the boys anyway, have contracted colds.  I didn't know (not really being a "pet person") that cats CAN get a cold.  But apparently they can.  Earlier I had to clean up phlegm that the orange one had coughed up, right into the food bowl.  Now if I could get them to quit leaving a liquid reminder on the floors, chairs, bedsheets, etc., that would be great.  Probably a miracle as well.    I can remember living a good while without pets of any kind, certainly without the products of some "rescues", but I got  out-voted.

Planning some long overdue phone calls for later on.  And, yes, I've been putting them off.  One is to a somewhat distant cousin of mine.  His father was pastor at the church we attended when I was a kid.  I ran into him two years ago at his mother's funeral.  I was advised that he's living well out of the area but might be moving back upon retirement.  We'd been in school together as well as growing up in the same church, but lost all track after graduation and going our separate ways.  I'm told that he is divorced, has been, something that I'd not known and which would have been a terrible scandal at home.  Perhaps we can link up.  My one nephew and his wife are part of that "growing up" congregation, and she got his phone number from his dad.  Perhaps he needs to hear from someone from the Old Days.  He's been on my mind lately, perhaps that is an urge to do this.




 "Total Praise".  Means a lot to me, not least because I've been part of large choral groups that presented it.  A lot of meaning, truly.

And then there is this.  Alabaster Box.  You remember the account of the woman who brought an alabaster (VERY costly) box of COSTLY ointment to anoint the feet of Jesus.  I too have sinned, dreadfully.  Yet He called me, and loved me, despite it all.  She gave Him the best she had.  Can we do otherwise?


The room grew still as she made her way to Jesus
She stumbles through the tears that made her blind
She felt such pain
Some spoke in anger
Heard folks whisper "There's no place here for her kind"
Still on she came through the shame that flushed her face
Until at last she knelt before his feet
And though she spoke no words, everything she said was heard
As she poured her love for the master from her box of alabaster


And I've come to pour my praise on Him like oil
From Mary's alabaster box
Don't be angry if I wash his feet with my tears and I dry them with my hair
You weren't there the night he found me
You did not feel what I felt when he wrapped his love all aorund me
And you don't know the cost of the oil in my alabaster box


I can't forget the way life used to be
I was a prisoner to the sins that had me bound
I spent all my days
And poured my life without measure
Into a little treasure box I thought I found
Until the day when Jesus came to me
And healed my soul with the wonder of his touch
So now Im giving back to him all the praise he's worthy of
I've been forgiven and that's why I love him so much
And I 've come to pour my praise on him like oil
From Mary's alabaster box
Don't be angry if I wash his feet with my tears
And I dry them with my hair.......my hair
You weren't there
The night Jesus found me
You did not feel what I felt when he wrapped his loving arms around me
And you don't know the cost of the oil
oohhhhhhhhhhh
You don't know the cost of my praise
You don't know the cost of the oil in my alabaster box




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Exodus 23

 23:1 Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.

23:2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:

23:3 Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.

23:4 If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.

23:5 If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.

23:6 Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.

23:7 Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.

23:8 And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.

23:9 Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

23:10 And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof:

23:11 But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.

23:12 Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.

23:13 And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.

23:14 Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.

23:15 Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)

23:16 And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labors, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labors out of the field.

23:17 Three items in the year all thy males shall appear before the LORD God.

23:18 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain until the morning.

23:19 The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.

23:20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

23:21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.

23:22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.

23:23 For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.

23:24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.

23:25 And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.

23:26 There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.

23:27 I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.

23:28 And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.

23:29 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.

23:30 By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.

23:31 And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.

23:32 Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.

23:33 They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.

Exodus 24

24:1 And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.

24:2 And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him.

24:3 And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.

24:4 And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

24:5 And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD.

24:6 And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.

24:7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.

24:8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.

24:9 Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:

24:10 And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.

24:11 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.

24:12 And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.

24:13 And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.

24:14 And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.

24:15 And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.

24:16 And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.

24:17 And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.

24:18 And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.





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Psalm 27

27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

27:2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

27:3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

27:4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

27:5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

27:6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

27:7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

27:8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

27:9 Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

27:10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.

27:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

27:12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

27:13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.



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Matthew 27 

27:1 When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:

27:2 And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

27:3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

27:4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.

27:5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

27:6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.

27:7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.

27:8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.

27:9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;

27:10 And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.

27:11 And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.

27:12 And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.

27:13 Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?

27:14 And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.

27:15 Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.

27:16 And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.

27:17 Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?

27:18 For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.

27:19 When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.

27:20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.

27:21 The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas.

27:22 Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.

27:23 And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.

27:24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.

27:25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

27:26 Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

27:27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.

27:28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.

27:29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!

27:30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.

27:31 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.

27:32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.

27:33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,

27:34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.

27:35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.

27:36 And sitting down they watched him there;

27:37 And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

27:38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.

27:39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,

27:40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.

27:41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,

27:42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

27:43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

27:44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.

27:45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

27:47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.

27:48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.

27:49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.

27:50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.

27:51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

27:52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,

27:53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

27:54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

27:55 And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:

27:56 Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedees children.

27:57 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:

27:58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.

27:59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,

27:60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.

27:61 And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.

27:62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,

27:63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.

27:64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.

27:65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.

27:66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.