Old Testament
1. The People rebel
- The generation that had stood at the entrance of Canaan threw away the promised Land.
- Stunned by the choice Israel is making, Moses and Aaron, "fell face down on the ground before the whole community of Israel" and Caleb and Joshua tore their clothing (an action indicating great depth of feeling). They spoke for moving forward, and coucelled against rebelling against the Lord. And what response do they get from the crowd? "But the whole community began to talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb."
-Then God appears. The LOrd visibly intervenes. Their action alone justified their total destruction. But Moses prayed and appealed to God's grace, and the people were pardoned. But they do not escape unscathed..."Then the Lord said, “I will pardon them as you have requested. But as surely as I live, and as surely as the earth is filled with the Lord’s glory, not one of these people will ever enter that land. They have all seen my glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and again they have tested me by refusing to listen to my voice. They will never even see the land I swore to give their ancestors. None of those who have treated me with contempt will ever see it."
- Only Caleb and Joshua were exempted, because they had responded to God with trust. The rest would be led out again into the wilderness, to wander there for 38 years.
- So a journey that should have taken 40 days will now take 40 years.
- Moses tells the people God's judgement and they mourned greatly. And, the next morning they jump up- and mount an attack on the land they had been unwilling to approach. But this was after God had expressly commanded them to turn back to the wilderness! Doesn't this sound like something you would go through with your children? Only a lot more is at stake here.
- They were defeated and pursued.
- The people had once again demonstrated that they simply would not listen to God or respond to Him. Over and over the failure of Israel to be obedient led them into disaster. Yet they refused to be responsible.
- The lesson here is for all of us. and it is a lesson that still has to be learned...over and over again. Until it is learned, the people (we) would know only tragic consequences of disobedience with each wrong choice.
- One generation had lost its opportunity to know rest, to enter the Promised Land, but their children would make a different choice. So, Numbers 15 begins with ..."When you finally settle in the land I am giving you..."
New Testament
2. Jesus on trial before Annas, the high priest.
- Annas was the high priest emeritus, and was the father-in-law of the current high priest, Caiaphas. He is still referred to as high priest because of the influence he has.
3. Jesus on trial before Caiaphas
- We have false testimony given against jesus, but they can't seem to get their stories right.
- Finally the high priest asked Jesus bluntly,"Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?" Jesus answered,"I am."
- To the leaders this was blasphemy. Jesus had claimed to be God Himself! And the punishment for blasphemy was death.
- This had been more of a hearing than a real trial. So Jesus had not been condemned, yet. But, many of these men would subsequently act as judges when the trial started.
4. Peter denies Jesus.
- Christ had not only predicted, but had anticipated Peter's betrayal. Unfortunately, Peter had not. "And he broke down and wept." Christ knows us and our hearts better than we know ourselves.
Psalm
5. "Only fools say in their hearts,“There is no God.”
Proverbs
6. "Riches won’t help on the day of judgment,but right living can save you from death."
- Wow, nothing I can add to that...
See you next post...
Showing posts with label Messiah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Messiah. Show all posts
Monday, March 10, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
Exodus 39-40:38; Mark 1:1-28; Psalm 35:1-16; Proverbs 9:11-12 (New Living Translation)
Old Testament
1. The bible gives a lot of detai about the making of the Ark, Tabernacle, Tent, and clothing the priests.
- For many people this ranks right up there with reading the geneologies. I think we have so many specifics because God is establishing a culture with the children of Israel. And learning the details can lead us to understand the specifics of the will of God. For us Gentiles, these specific items and ornamentaions don't mean a lot. They are not part of our culture. But it's the ideas behind them that should strike a cord with us.
2. Each of the items mentioned has a specific meaning...for instance, pomegranates. Jewish tradition teaches that the pomegranate is a symbol for righteousness, because it is said to have 613 seeds which corresponds with the 613 commandments of the Torah. However, the actual number of seeds varies with individual fruits. The pomegranate is one of the few images which appear on ancient coins of Judea as a holy symbol, and today many Torah scrolls are stored while not in use with a pair of decorative hollow silver "pomegranates " For the same reason, pomegranates are a motif found in Christian religious decoration. They are often woven into the fabric on vestments and liturgical hangings or wrought in metalwork.
3. The work is finished. Moses inspects it, and blesses the people.
4. The tabernacle is set up. And the Glory of the Lord fills it!
5. And the Lord led them---a cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night.
New Testament
6. We have finished the Gospel of Matthew, and begin the Gospel of Mark today.
7. The Gospel of Mark, is anonympous, but was attributed to Mark, a disciple of Peter.
8. Overview of Mark - It narrates the life of Jesus from John the Baptist to the Ascension. It concentrates particularly on the last week of his life. It very quickly describes Jesus as a heroic man of action, an exorcist, a healer and miracle worker. It calls him the Christ (the Greek translation of Messiah), the Son of Man, and the Son of God.
9. Mark begins with John, the Baptist (or baptizer). John had strange habits camel hair clothes, eating honey and locusts, living and preaching in the wilderness.
10. Interestingly, John is regarded as a preacher and ascetic regarded as a prophet by four religions: Christianity, Islam, Mandaeanism and the Bahá'í Faith.
11. John is the messenger (or forerunner, or precursor) of Jesus' coming.
12. John recognizes Jesus, and states his unworthiness. He baptises Jesus nonetheless.
13. The Holy Spirit escends on Jesus and compels Him to go into the wilderness, where He is tempted by the devil for 40 days. The wild animals and angels took care of Him.
14. John gets arrseted.
15. Jesus calls His first disciples...Simon, and his brother Andrew...the brother James and John. (Remember James and John's mother from Matthew...trying to get them seats next to Jesus.)
16. Jesus casts out evil spirits. Amazingly, the evil spirits recognize jesus as "the Holy One sent from God," but the rest of the audience doesn't know who He is. This is, according to Mark, the beginning of Jesus' fame.
Psalm
17. “Lord, who can compare with you? Who else rescues the helpless from the strong? Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?”
Proverbs
18. "Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life."
See you next post...
1. The bible gives a lot of detai about the making of the Ark, Tabernacle, Tent, and clothing the priests.
- For many people this ranks right up there with reading the geneologies. I think we have so many specifics because God is establishing a culture with the children of Israel. And learning the details can lead us to understand the specifics of the will of God. For us Gentiles, these specific items and ornamentaions don't mean a lot. They are not part of our culture. But it's the ideas behind them that should strike a cord with us.
2. Each of the items mentioned has a specific meaning...for instance, pomegranates. Jewish tradition teaches that the pomegranate is a symbol for righteousness, because it is said to have 613 seeds which corresponds with the 613 commandments of the Torah. However, the actual number of seeds varies with individual fruits. The pomegranate is one of the few images which appear on ancient coins of Judea as a holy symbol, and today many Torah scrolls are stored while not in use with a pair of decorative hollow silver "pomegranates " For the same reason, pomegranates are a motif found in Christian religious decoration. They are often woven into the fabric on vestments and liturgical hangings or wrought in metalwork.
3. The work is finished. Moses inspects it, and blesses the people.
4. The tabernacle is set up. And the Glory of the Lord fills it!
5. And the Lord led them---a cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night.
New Testament
6. We have finished the Gospel of Matthew, and begin the Gospel of Mark today.
7. The Gospel of Mark, is anonympous, but was attributed to Mark, a disciple of Peter.
8. Overview of Mark - It narrates the life of Jesus from John the Baptist to the Ascension. It concentrates particularly on the last week of his life. It very quickly describes Jesus as a heroic man of action, an exorcist, a healer and miracle worker. It calls him the Christ (the Greek translation of Messiah), the Son of Man, and the Son of God.
9. Mark begins with John, the Baptist (or baptizer). John had strange habits camel hair clothes, eating honey and locusts, living and preaching in the wilderness.
10. Interestingly, John is regarded as a preacher and ascetic regarded as a prophet by four religions: Christianity, Islam, Mandaeanism and the Bahá'í Faith.
11. John is the messenger (or forerunner, or precursor) of Jesus' coming.
12. John recognizes Jesus, and states his unworthiness. He baptises Jesus nonetheless.
13. The Holy Spirit escends on Jesus and compels Him to go into the wilderness, where He is tempted by the devil for 40 days. The wild animals and angels took care of Him.
14. John gets arrseted.
15. Jesus calls His first disciples...Simon, and his brother Andrew...the brother James and John. (Remember James and John's mother from Matthew...trying to get them seats next to Jesus.)
16. Jesus casts out evil spirits. Amazingly, the evil spirits recognize jesus as "the Holy One sent from God," but the rest of the audience doesn't know who He is. This is, according to Mark, the beginning of Jesus' fame.
Psalm
17. “Lord, who can compare with you? Who else rescues the helpless from the strong? Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?”
Proverbs
18. "Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life."
See you next post...
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Exodus 34-35:9; Matthew 27:15-31; Psalm 33:12-22; Proverbs 9:1-6 (New Living Translation)
Old Testament
1. The tablets have been destroyed by Moses in a fit of anger, now he has to make new ones for the Word of God.
2. Moses pleads once again for the Lord to stay with them.
3. He makes the Mosaic covenent. Remember, we have only had the Abrahamic covenant until now.
4. He repeats Himself about the feasts and the Ten commandments. He tells them not to mix with the other races. Kind of like a parent going over the same ground again.
5. Moses remained on the mountain 40 days. When he returns his face is so radian that he hs to wear a veil when he is around other people. This is the radiance which should be sprining from our hearts. Overflowing with the good news of the whole bible!
6. Keep the sabbath!
New Testament
7. The crowd is given a choice. Release Jesus, called the Messiah or Barrabas, accused of muder. We all know this story, they choose Barabbas...they understand "his kind" better.
8. When asked what to do with jesus, the crowd cries," Crucify Him!"
9. Pilate washes his hands of this whole mess. Does that act exonerate him? Free his conscious...or his soul?
10. The soldiers mock Jesus; he was flogged (scourged) and led off for crucifixion.
Psalm
11...."the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love." His love is unfailing...and His mercy endures!
12. "We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield." He is our sheild!
Proverbs
13. Wisdom says, "...learn to use good judgment."
See you next post...
1. The tablets have been destroyed by Moses in a fit of anger, now he has to make new ones for the Word of God.
2. Moses pleads once again for the Lord to stay with them.
3. He makes the Mosaic covenent. Remember, we have only had the Abrahamic covenant until now.
4. He repeats Himself about the feasts and the Ten commandments. He tells them not to mix with the other races. Kind of like a parent going over the same ground again.
5. Moses remained on the mountain 40 days. When he returns his face is so radian that he hs to wear a veil when he is around other people. This is the radiance which should be sprining from our hearts. Overflowing with the good news of the whole bible!
6. Keep the sabbath!
New Testament
7. The crowd is given a choice. Release Jesus, called the Messiah or Barrabas, accused of muder. We all know this story, they choose Barabbas...they understand "his kind" better.
8. When asked what to do with jesus, the crowd cries," Crucify Him!"
9. Pilate washes his hands of this whole mess. Does that act exonerate him? Free his conscious...or his soul?
10. The soldiers mock Jesus; he was flogged (scourged) and led off for crucifixion.
Psalm
11...."the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love." His love is unfailing...and His mercy endures!
12. "We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield." He is our sheild!
Proverbs
13. Wisdom says, "...learn to use good judgment."
See you next post...
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