The Ark of the Covenant, Am I inherently Good or Bad or Both?

The Bible can appear confusing at times. God instructing Moses on how to build a tabernacle and the ark to hold the testimony that he will be giving to Moses. For me it was a flashback to Noah and the ark from Genesis. Did Moses build an ark too? I get confused easily and it usually generates a laugh on my part and frustration to others.

There’s Noah’s Ark. the large boat built by Noah in which he saved himself, his family, and a pair of every kind of creature during the Flood.

And then there is the “ark of the covenant,  a chest or box containing the two stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, carried by the Israelites in their wanderings in the desert after the Exodus: the most sacred object of the tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem, where it was kept in the holy of holies according to Dictionary.com.

I become clear when I read Scripture and have a conversation with God about the meaning of His Word and the correct application to my life.

“Restore me please oh my God and release me from the excesses of my human nature and natural instincts,”—Andy

Am I inherently good or bad or both?

If you look closely you will realize that the God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament. It is only us that are changed by Jesus and The Holy Spirit coming into us and the world.

God said “If he cry to me, I will hear him, because I am compassionate.”

My God is accepting, loving and compassionate, forgiving, merciful, grace giving and loving and He was in both the Old and New Testaments. And so was I as a sinner before and after I am enlightened by the Good News.

“Thou shalt not molest a stranger, nor afflict him: for yourselves also were strangers in the land of Egypt,” said God.

Basically the Golden Rule reiterated here.

“Thou shalt not receive the voice of a lie: neither shalt thou join thy hand to bear false witness for a wicked person.”

“Six years thou shalt sow thy ground.., but the seventh year thou shalt let it alone, and suffer it to rest.”

“Six days thou shalt work: the seventh day thou shalt cease.”

Like the ground we need to rest to replenish, to be restored, to be renewed by God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit.

Three times every year you shall celebrate feasts to me: feast of the unleavened bread; feast of the harvest of the firstfruits of thy work; and feast at the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in all thy corn out of the field. Thrice a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God.

Rest, be thankful and celebrate our good fate in life and beyond.

With TROML—I try to celebrate Christmas, Easter & Thanksgiving every day of the year! Why wait for the holiday when if you look you will find the evidence of the spirit of these holy—days, these Hol—i—days, every day of your life! Remember the ‘y’ becomes an ‘I.’

“Behold I will send my angel, who shall go before thee, and keep thee in thy journey, and bring thee into the place that I have prepared. I will be an enemy to thy enemies, and will afflict them that afflict thee. I will fill the number of thy days,” says the Lord.

“By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, till thou be increased, and dost possess the land,” was God’s strategy for finding a homeland for the Israelites.

We can apply the same strategy for exorcising the evil from ourselves and our lives.

“We will do all the words of the Lord, which he hath spoken. We will be obedient’” said the descendants of Jacob, as God spoke through Moses to them about the book of the covenant.

They saw the God of Israel. They saw God.

“Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and the law, and the commandments which I have written: that thou mayst teach them. And Moses, entering into the midst of the cloud, went up into the mountain: and he was there forty days, and forty nights.”

And then he built another ark but not like the one Noah built.

Am I inherently good or bad or both?

Day 27: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; The Ark of the Covenant, Am I inherently Good or Bad or Both?

Read and inspired by the Old Testament, The Book of Exodus Chapters 22-27

Bible Notes:

This Book of Exodus is so called from the Greek word exodus, which means going out.

It recounts the persecution of the Jews in Egypt, the call of Moses, the ten plagues, the Jewish departure from Egypt, and the giving of the Mosaic Law on Mount Sinai.

The Book of Exodus closes with the consecration of the Tabernacle.

 

Exodus Chapter 22: Punishment for theft; Punishment for damage to crops; Laws of trustees; Seduction, wizardry, bestiality, and idolatry; Protection of strangers, widows and orphans; Laws concerning lending;; Law against blasphemy and cursing; Laws of first fruits and first born; Laws of eating flesh.

He shall restore five oxen for one; to make restitution; he shall restore double; he shall restore the best of whatsoever he had; he shall restore double; he shall restore double; to make restitution; he shall not make restitution; borrow; re shall be obliged to make restitution; he shall not make restitution.

If a man seduce a virgin not yet espoused, and lie with her: he shall endow her, and have her to wife.

Wizards thou shalt not suffer to live.

Whosoever copulateth with a beast shall be put to death.

Thou shalt not molest a stranger, nor afflict him: for yourselves also were strangers in the land of Egypt.

If he cry to me, I will hear him, because I am compassionate.

The eighth day thou shalt give it to me.

Exodus Chapter 23: Laws against slander and false witness; Laws of judging; Laws of mercy; Law against bribery; Law concerning strangers; Law of the year of rest; Law of the Sabbath; Law against idolatry; Three feasts; Laws of sacrifice; Promise of an angel; Boundaries of the new land.

Thou shalt not receive the voice of a lie: neither shalt thou join thy hand to bear false witness for a wicked person.

Six years thou shalt sow thy ground.., but the seventh year thou shalt let it alone, and suffer it to rest…

Six days thou shalt work: the seventh day thou shalt cease.

Three times every year you shall celebrate feasts to me: feast of the unleavened bread; feast of the harvest of the firstfruits of thy work; and feast at the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in all thy corn out of the field. Thrice a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God.

Behold I will send my angel, who shall go before thee, and keep thee in thy journey, and bring thee into the place that I have prepared.

I will be an enemy to thy enemies, and will afflict them that afflict thee.

I will fill the number of thy days.

By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, till thou be increased, and dost possess the land.

Exodus Chapter 24: Moses writes the words of the Lord; Moses and the leaders see God; Aaron and Hur placed in command; Moses spends fort days in the mountain.

And He said to Moses: Come up to the Lord, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abiu, and seventy of the ancients of Israel, and you shall adore afar off.

We will do all the words of the Lord, which he hath spoken. We will be obedient.

The book of the covenant.

They saw the God of Israel. They saw God.

Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and the law, and the commandments which I have written: that thou mayst teach them.

And Moses, entering into the midst of the cloud, went up into the mountain: and he was there forty days, and forty nights.

Exodus Chapter 25: Offerings for making the tabernacle; Description of the ark; The propitiatory; Table for loaves of proposition. The golden candlestick.

That they bring firstfruits to me.

And they shall make me a sanctuary, and I will dwell in the midst of them.

Ephod—a richly embroidered, apronlike vestment having two shoulder straps and ornamental attachments for securing the breastplate, worn with a waistband by the high priest. Ex. 28:6, 7, 25 – 28.

Rational—embroidered work.

And thou shalt put in the ark the testimony which I will give thee.

Propitiatory—the mercy seat.

Let one cherub be on one side, and the other on the other.

Look and make it according to the pattern, that was shown thee in the mount.

Exodus Chapter 26: Curtains for the tabernacle; Boards of setim wood for the tabernacle; Bars for the boards of the tabernacle; Veils for the Holy of Holies; Arrangement of furnishings of the tabernacle.

Setim wood

The tabernacle that looketh to the north.

Where did they get the gold and silver? Took from the Egyptians?

And within it thou shalt put the ark of the testimony, and the sanctuary, and the holy of holies shall be divided with it.

And thou shalt set the propitiatory (the mercy seat) upon the ark of the testimony in the holy of holies.

Exodus Chapter 27: The altar; Court of the tabernacle; Oil for the lamp of the tabernacle.

An altar of setim wood.

And a grate of brass in manner of a net…

The purest oil of the olives.

That a lamp may burn always in the tabernacle of the testimony.

That it may give light before the Lord until the morning. It shall be a perpetual observance throughout their successions among the children of Israel.

Agony in the Garden, Again… Eden, Gethsemani but God’s Plan Prevails!

Looks like we are on a one chapter a day pace for Matthew in the New Testament but with only two more chapters of Matthew’s Gospel we are getting towards the end of Jesus’ message to us.

Here we go again! God, our Father, patient, loving and persistent trying to get a point across to us—that life isn’t all about what we want but that we should want to be the part of God’s kingdom he has planned for us.

Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden didn’t work out so well—sin was introduced into the world.

Now Jesus and His disciples are in the Garden of Gethsemani and things aren’t working out very well again—our devotion to Jesus is paper thin and quite lacking.

Signs ahead of time, fore-shadowing and fore-illuminating our lives.

But do we see the signs?

Is our life getting darker or brighter from the inside-out?

A focus on education, discipline and perseverance led me to a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and an M.B.A. and a successful career.

Despite much love, many blessings, and sincere attempts by both people, there were earlier signs that my marriage would end in divorce.

There were earlier signs, reading the Scriptures in church, much prayer and turning to God in good and bad times throughout my life that He would lead me down this spiritual path to TROML and Splendid Spiritual Self.

What signs are there currently in your life?

Out of denial, justification, and rationalization into peace, joy and freedom, The Ultimate Love of God, self, and others in life.

“Why do you trouble the woman, Jesus asked? She has done me a good turn. For the poor you have always with you, but you do not always have me. For in putting this ointment on my body, she has done it for my burial. Amen I say to you, wherever in the whole world this gospel is preached, this also that she has done shall be told in memory of her.”

Using the term “my burial,” was a pretty good sign that Jesus was to die and not be the King of the World that his disciples knew.

Where are you on your path to dominate the world, to leave a lasting legacy?

Will it be a lasting legacy of love or a betrayal of God’s plan for you?

“What are you willing to give me for delivering Him to you, the Judas in all of us asked our Lord every day?”

Isn’t it God’s will for us to feel superior to His other lowly children?

Aren’t we blessed and special beyond everyone else?

“Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me, Jesus confided to us.”

God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit know our routine before we come up with that good idea to put us first in the world. They have been through it literally a billion other times with the billion people who have lived on this earth before us.

“Is it I Lord?”

Of course it is, you are human just like me.

“The Son of Man indeed goes his way, as it is written of him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It were better for that man if he had not been born.”

And Judas who betrayed him answered and said, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “Thou hast said it.”

“For this is my blood of the new covenant, which is being shed for many unto the forgiveness of sins.”

And after reciting a hymn, Jesus began to be saddened and exceedingly troubled. “My soul is sad, even unto death. Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; yet not as I will, but as thou willest.”

Jesus was human just like us except that he was not a sinner just like every one of us.

He felt deep emotions and did not over-drink, over-eat, or do any one of a million other human addictions to self-medicate Himself away from what God’s plan was for His life.

Three times he asked His Father to change the story, to have it not end the way he knew it had to end.

Jesus was taken away to Caiphas, the high priest and all the disciples left him and fled. Peter denied Him three times even though he promised not to.

We didn’t stand up for our friend and inspiration in life. We provided false witness against Jesus, so that they might put him to death.

But now knowing the facts, we can choose our own ending.

Yes, it is better for that man, who abandons Jesus, if he had not been born.”

But that and our lives, in of themselves, provide us an opportunity to admit our human death while still living on spiritually with Christ.

Don’t deny Jesus a fourth time, come home to the Lord and be at peace, feel joy and be free to live again accepting this sinful world as it is but not yourself as you appear.

Ask Jesus to come into your heart this very moment and your life will change forever and ever. Amen.

 

Day 28: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; Agony in the Garden, Again… Eden, Gethsemani but God’s Plan Prevails!

Read and inspired by the New Testament, The Gospel of Saint Matthew Chapter 26.

Bible Notes:

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew

Saint Matthew, also known as Levi, was a Galilean by birth.

Tax Collector at Capharnaum

Christ called him to become a disciple, and later an Apostle

After the Holy Ghost came down on the Apostles on Pentecost, Matthew preached the Gospel in Judea.

He wrote his Gospel to prove to his readers that Christ was the Messiah foretold by God in the Old Testament

 

Matthew Chapter 26: Passion foretold; The council; The anointing at Bethany; Jesus defends the woman; The betrayal; Preparation; The betrayer; The Holy Eucharist; Peter’s denials predicted; The agony in the garden; The sleeping disciples; Jesus arrested; Peter draws his sword; Jesus speaks; Jesus claims to be the Christ; Jesus charged with blasphemy; Peter’s denial.

“You know that after two days the Passover will be here; and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

In the court of the high priest Caiphas… and they took counsel together how they might seize Jesus by stealth and put him to death.

“Why do you trouble the woman? She has done me a good turn. For the poor you have always with you, but you do not always have me. For in putting this ointment on my body, she has done it for my burial. Amen I say to you, wherever in the whole world this gospel is preached, this also that she has done shall be told in memory of her.”

Using the term “my burial,” was a pretty good sign that Jesus was to die and not be the King of the World that his disciples knew.

“What are you willing to give me for delivering him to you?”

“Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”

“Is it I Lord?”

“The Son of Man indeed goes his way, as it is written of him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It were better for that man if he had not been born.”

And Judas who betrayed him answered and said, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “Thou hast said it.”

“For this is my blood of the new covenant, which is being shed for many unto the forgiveness of sins.”

And after reciting a hymn…

“Even though all shall be scandalized because of thee, I will never be scandalized.” Jesus said to him, “Amen I say to thee, this very night, before a cock crows, thou wilt deny me three times.” Peter said to him, “Even if I should have to die with thee, I will not deny thee!” And all the disciples said the same thing.

And he began to be saddened and exceedingly troubled…

“My soul is sad, even unto death.”

“Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; yet not as I will, but as thou willest.”

“Could you not, then, watch one hour with me? Watch and pray, that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Again a second time he went away and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass away unless I drink it, thy will be done.”

And leaving them sleeping (a second time), he went back again, and prayed a third time, saying the same words over.

“Sleep on now and take your rest.”

“Whomever I kiss, that is he; lay hold of him.”

“Friend, for what purpose hast thou come?”

“Put back thy sword into its place; for those who take the sword will perish by the sword.”

“How then are the Scriptures to be fulfilled, that thus it must take place.”

“I sat daily in the temple teaching, and you did not lay hands on me.”

Then all the disciples left him and fled.

Now those who had taken Jesus led him away to Caiphas, the high priest…

Were seeking false witness against Jesus, that they might put him to death.

“This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it after three days.’”

“Thou hast said it. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming upon the clouds of heaven.”

“He has blasphemed, what further need have we of witnesses?”

“Thou also was with Jesus the Galilean.”

“This man also was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

“Surely thou also art one of them, for even thy speech betrays thee.”

And at that moment a cock crowed… and he went out and wept bitterly.

How to Gird Oneself for a Life with Christ

I have to say, that after reading these recent chapters of The book of Exodus, I will look much more closely at the details of a church and the garments worn by the priest.

It seems to me that this is where Christ begins His Church with the children of Israel, on their exodus from Egypt, while sharing His laws of the Old Testament and instilling an attitude of gratefulness.

“And thou shalt consecrate the hands of them all, and shalt sanctify them, that they may do the office of the priesthood unto me, said God to Moses in reference to him and Aaron.

The first signs in the world of nepotism did not happen in business or politics but in religion! Not that there is anything wrong with that!

Another detail I had overlooked in previous readings of the Bible—not all of the entire animal that were sacrificed were burnt on the altar.

“Thou shalt take also al the fat… and shalt offer a burnt offering upon the altar… but the flesh of the calf and the hide and the dung, thou shalt burn abroad, without the camp, because it is for sin.”

Makes sense as fat, like wax would produce a flame like a candle? Not sure since the only burnt offerings I have witnessed is the burning of incense to bless me and others and at times Easter baskets!

“And thou shalt offer the whole ram for a burnt offering upon the altar: it is an oblation to the Lord, a most sweet savor of the victim of the Lord.”

Oops, need to update that—split burnt offering for calves; whole burnt offering on the altar for rams in the Old Testament way of worshipping our God, Savior and Spirit!

“…and shall boil the flesh thereof in the holy place, and Aaron and his sons shall eat it.”

I did not know that some of the ram of consecration was eaten by the priests.

“Where I will speak to thee…” That is what building the altar and sacrificing animals is all about—speaking, having a conversation with God, Old Testament-style. The New Testament, our new covenant with God encourages that a conversation with God take place anywhere, at any time. The only requirement is that our heart is open to Jesus and we do so in a humble, willing, and meaningful manner.

“Neither shall you offer libations,” as this is a sober, clear and present conversation with God. Abstinent, with no current since separating us and God. If only for the moment of connection.

It shall be most holy to the Lord.

Every one of them shall give a price for their souls to the Lord. He that is counted in the number from twenty years and upwards, shall give the price. The rich man shall not add a half a sicle, and the poor man shall diminish nothing.

Sounds like the price was fixed regardless of one’s financial ability not like today’s tithing of 10% of income.

So things were going along nicely in the design phase of the tabernacle. Workers were called by God and filled with the spirit of God, and with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge in all manner of the work to be done.

Then all you know what broke loose. With Moses still up on Mount Sinai with God and actually in the process of receiving the two-sided tables of testimony, written with the finger of God.

Then Aaron, who would have thought, makes a molten golden calf, which the children of Israel idolize. God tells Moses he better get back down there for thy people hath sinned. God wanted to destroy them but Moses was able to appease Him from doing so.

Moses came down, heard the voice of singers, everyone was naked and when he saw the golden calf idol he threw the tables out of his hand and broke them. Then he destroyed the golden calf idol.

And he said to Aaron, what has this people done to thee, that thou shouldst bring upon them a most heinous sin?

Aaron’s answer was “let not my lord be offended: for thou knowest this people, that they are prone to evil.”

Yes we are.

Then Moses did one of those “you are either with us or against us,” if any man be on the Lord’s side let him join with me. All the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him and they slain by sword that day about three and twenty thousand men.

Think things are barbaric in our world today?

And the concept of ‘guilt’ was introduced.

The Lord therefore struck the people for the guilt on occasion of the calf which Aaron had made.

Forgive and forget? Not!

How to gird Oneself for a Life with Christ? I am not sure but will continue to read the Bible for further clarification.

Day 29: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; How to Gird Oneself for a Life with Christ.

Read and inspired by the Old Testament, The Book of Exodus Chapters 28-32

Bible Notes:

This Book of Exodus is so called from the Greek word exodus, which means going out.

It recounts the persecution of the Jews in Egypt, the call of Moses, the ten plagues, the Jewish departure from Egypt, and the giving of the Mosaic Law on Mount Sinai.

The Book of Exodus closes with the consecration of the Tabernacle.

 

Exodus Chapter 28: Vestments for the priests; The ephod; The rational of judgment; Tunic of the ephod; Plate of the miter; Other priestly vestments.

Take unto thee also Aaron thy brother with his sons, from among the children of Israel, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office.

…for glory and for beauty

And thou shalt speak to all the wise of heart, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom…

In which he being consecrated may minister to me…

Consecrate—to make or declare sacred; set apart or dedicate to the service of a deity: to consecrate a new church building; to make (something) an object of honor or veneration; hallow: a custom consecrated by time; to devote or dedicate to some purpose: a life consecrated to science; to admit or ordain to a sacred office, especially to the episcopate; to change (bread and wine) into the Eucharist.

…that they may do the office of priesthood unto me.

The names of the children of Israel according to the order of their birth

A memorial for the children of Israel

For a remembrance

The rational of judgment

The sanctuary, a memorial before the Lord forever.

A golden bell and pomegranate

Wherein thou shalt grave with engraver’s work, Holy to the Lord

And thou shalt consecrate the hands of them all, and shalt sanctify them, that they may do the office of the priesthood unto me.

Exodus Chapter 29: Consecration of priests; Sacrifice of the calf; Sacrifice of two rams; Vesture of Aaron shall descend to his sons; Food for the priests; Daily sacrifice of two lambs; God’s promise to the children of Israel.

Nepotism—patronage bestowed or favoritism shown on the basis of family relationship, as in business and politics: She was accused of nepotism when she made her nephew an officer of the firm.

Without blemish

Without leaven

Which thou shalt gird with the girdle

Gird—to encircle or bind with a belt or band; to surround; enclose; hem in; to prepare (oneself) for action: He girded himself for the trial ahead; to provide, equip, or invest, as with power or strength.

And by this rite shall be consecrated

And they shall be priests to me by a perpetual ordinance.

The tabernacle of testimony.

Thou shalt take also al the fat… and shalt offer a burnt offering upon the altar… but the flesh of the calf and the hide and the dung, thou shalt burn abroad, without the camp, because it is for sin.

And thou shalt offer the whole ram for a burnt offering upon the altar: it is an oblation to the Lord, a most sweet savor of the victim of the Lord.

Oblation—the offering to God of the elements of bread and wine in the Eucharist; the whole office of the Eucharist; the act of making an offering, especially to a deity; any offering for religious or charitable uses.

Oil of unction

Unction—an act of anointing, especially as a medical treatment or religious rite; an unguent or ointment; salve; something soothing or comforting; an excessive, affected, sometimes cloying earnestness or fervor in manner, especially in speaking; Religion.  a. the oil used in religious rites, as in anointing the sick or dying; b. the shedding of a divine or spiritual influence upon a person; c. the influence shed; d. extreme unction; the manifestation of spiritual or religious inspiration.

A most sweet savor in the sight of the Lord, because it is his oblation.

And it shall fall to thy share.

And shall boil the flesh thereof in the holy place, and Aaron and his sons shall eat it.

That it may be an atoning sacrifice

Atoning—to make amends or reparation, as for an offense or a crime, or for an offender (usually followed by for): to atone for one’s sins; to make up, as for errors or deficiencies (usually followed by for): to atone for one’s failings; Obsolete. to become reconciled; agree.

A stranger shall not eat of them, because they are holy.

Every one that shall touch it shall be holy.

And I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel, and will be their God, and they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who have brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might abide among them, I the Lord their God

Exodus Chapter 30: altar of incense; Offering for souls; The brazen laver; The holy oil of unction; Composition of incense.

… before the ark of testimony before the propitiatory wherewith the testimony is covered, where I will speak to thee.

You shall not offer upon it incense of another composition nor oblation, and victim, neither shall you offer libations.

Neither shall you offer libations.

Every one of them shall give a price for their souls to the Lord. He that is counted in the number from twenty years and upwards, shall give the price. The rich man shall not add a half a sicle, and the poor man shall diminish nothing.

Exodus Chapter 31: Workers called to make the tabernacle; Law of the Sabbath repeated; The stone tables of testimony.

I have filled him with the spirit of God, with wisdom and understanding, and knowledge in all manner of work.

I have put wisdom in the heart of every skillful man, that they may make all the things which I have commanded.

See that thou keep my Sabbath: because it is a sign between me and you in your generations: that you may know that I am the Lord, who sanctify you.

Six days shall you do work: in the seventh day is the Sabbath, the rest holy to the Lord.

It is an everlasting covenant between me and the children of Israel, and a perpetual sign.

And the Lord, when he had ended these words in mount Sinai, gave to Moses two stone tables of testimony, written with the finger of God.

Exodus Chapter 32: Aaron makes a molten calf; God sees the idolatry of the people; Moses intercedes with God; Moses returns from the mount; Moses breaks the tables and destroys the idol; Many idolaters are slain; Moses prays for the people; The lord tells Moses to lead the people into their new land.

We knew not what has befallen him.

And made of them a molten calf.

Get thee down, thy people hath sinned.

And the Lord was appeased from doing the evil which he had spoken against the people.

Written on both sides

But I hear the voice of singers

He saw the calf

He threw the tables out of his hand, and broke them at the foot of the mount.

And he said to Aaron, that thou shouldst bring upon them a most heinous sin?

Let not my lord be offended: for thou knowest this people, that they are prone to evil.

And when Moses saw that the people were naked.

If any man be on the Lord’s side let him join with me.

And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

And there were slain that day about three and twenty thousand men (320,000).

If by any means I may be able to entreat him for your crime

Strike me out of the book which thou hast written.

He that hath sinned against me, him will I strike out of my book.

The Lord therefore struck the people for the guilt on occasion of the calf which Aaron had made.

Life was a Rollercoaster Back Then Too!

The disciples were ‘UP’ on Palm Sunday when Jesus made his triumphant return to Jerusalem. They thought he was going to be the King of the Kingdom on Earth. They were wrong and were ‘DOWN’ when he was crucified and died on Good Friday.

Surely Judas was a disciple, one of the twelve called by Jesus, destined to be an Apostle and a Saint like the others. This was not the case. He betrayed Jesus, then repented and took his own life.

Surely the crowd would call for the release of Jesus, a just man, and not the release of Barabbas, a notorious prisoner. They did not.

Surely God would save Jesus from the humiliation, pain and suffering of the crucifixion but He did not.

Haven’t all our lives been a rollercoaster to some degree? Up and down and all over the place! Our relationships too! Sometimes jumping the track yet never fully crashing, somehow, some way, we seem to always get back on track. At least until the next peak, downfall and turn in the road. That’s life—unpredictable, unyielding and certainly uncontrollable although we try to perfect it, control it and live it to the fullest while we have the opportunity.

Our spiritual journey in life straightens the track, smooths out the ups and downs to a gradual incline to heaven, our eventual destination. For me this spiritual journey has been guided by TROML the last sixteen and one half years of my life. All the personal investigation, development and celebration has culminated in my Splendid Spiritual Self (SSS). A place within me where I can go and be fortified through God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit and come with faith and strength to others and the world from the inside-out.

We can’t dwell on the past or what might have been. We have to celebrate our past, extract the inspiration of the experience, forgive ourselves and others, if and when needed, for real or imagined missteps and move on in life.

We do this best by moving on with Jesus Christ in our hearts. Jesus frees us from fears, resentments, untruths, and most importantly from our self, our ego and our pride. We come out of denial, justifications, and rationalizations to find our True Self and Trusting Ego. We become childlike in our love affair with Christ and receive His love and the love of others in a different, more meaningful way. We find peace, joy and freedom to live our lives uniquely as ourselves.

The passion is the passion. Jesus’ resurrection is true, a historical fact, living in our hearts as He lives in us and we live in Him.

Do not be afraid!

Matthew, the tax collector was afraid at times. So too are we but not overwhelmingly so.

Matthew converted and changed his life and that of his descendants forever.

So too can we.

These were the last two chapters of The Gospel of Saint Matthew.  Apostle Matthew wrote his Gospel to prove to his readers that Christ was the Messiah foretold by God in the Old Testament. There are several references to prophets of the Old Testament and how their revelations became reality in Jesus’ time. Such as that what was spoken through Jeremias the prophet was fulfilled. “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him who was priced, upon whom the children of Israel set a price; and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”

Can you become a prophet of your own life?

Can you foresee and foretell your own future?

I believe that if you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and become intimate with His word that your destiny will be divine for the rest of your life here on earth and more than divine in the afterlife in heaven.

Be consummated with Jesus and His last words in Matthew’s Gospel:

“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and behold, I am with you all days, even into the consummation of the world.”

Peace, joy and freedom to you!

Day 30: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; Life was a Rollercoaster Back Then Too!

Read and inspired by the New Testament, The Gospel of Saint Matthew Chapters 27-28.

Bible Notes:

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew

Saint Matthew, also known as Levi, was a Galilean by birth.

Tax Collector at Capharnaum

Christ called him to become a disciple, and later an Apostle

After the Holy Ghost came down on the Apostles on Pentecost, Matthew preached the Gospel in Judea.

He wrote his Gospel to prove to his readers that Christ was the Messiah foretold by God in the Old Testament

 

Matthew Chapter 27:  Jesus led to Pilate; The end of Judas; The thirty pieces of silver; Jesus before Pilate; Crowd chooses Barabbas; Pilate washes his hands; The scourging and crowning; The way of the cross; The crucifixion; The two thieves; The death of Jesus; The effects of the passion; The burial; Precautions of the chief priests.

Took counsel together against Jesus in order to put him to death.

Delivered him to Pontius Pilate

Judas repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver, “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to it thyself.” Withdrew and went away and hanged himself with a halter.

Then what was spoken through Jeremias the prophet was fulfilled. “and they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him who was priced, upon whom the children of Israel set a price; and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”

Art thou the King of the Jews?

“Thou sayest it.”

So that the procurator wondered exceedingly.

Whom do you wish that I release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?

For he knew that they had delivered hi up out of envy.

Have nothing to do with that just man, for I have suffered many things in a dream today because of him.

Which of the two do you wish that I release to you?

Barabbas

What then am I to do with Jesus who is called Christ?

Let Him be crucified.

Why, what evil has he done?

Let Him be crucified!

I am innocent of the blood of this just man; see to it yourselves.

His blood be on us and on our children.

Then he released to them Barabbas; but Jesus he scourged and delivered to them to be crucified.

Scourged—to whip with a scourge; lash; to punish, chastise, or criticize severely.

Scourge—a whip or lash, especially for the infliction of punishment or torture.

The way of the cross.

Now as they went out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon; him they forced to take up the cross. And they came to the place called Golgotha, that is, the Place of the Skull.

To fulfill what was spoken through the prophet, “They divided my garments among them, and upon my vesture they cast lots.”

This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on His right hand and one on his left.

Thou destroyed the temple, and in three days buildest it up again, save thyself! If thou art the Son of God, come down from the cross!

He saved others, himself he cannot save!

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

“Eli, Eli, lema sabactthani,” that is, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

But Jesus again cried out with a loud voice, and gave up his spirit.

Many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep arose

Truly He was the Son of God

Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

There came a certain rich man of Arimathea, Joseph by name, who was himself a disciple of Jesus.

And laid it in his new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock

Sepulchre—a tomb, grave, or burial place; a structure or a recess in some old churches in which the Eucharist was deposited with due ceremonies on Good Friday and taken out at Easter in commemoration of Christ’s entombment and Resurrection.

Sir, remember how that deceiver said… and the last imposture will be worse than the first.

So they went and made the sepulcher secure, sealing the stone, and setting the guard.

Matthew Chapter 28:  The woman at the grave; The guards and the chief priests. Commission of the Apostles.

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary

An angel of the Lord came down from heaven, and drawing back the stone, and sat on it.

“Do not be afraid; He has risen; go quickly, tell His disciples; He goes before you into Galilee; there you shall see Him.”

“Hail, Do not be afraid; go, take word to my brethren that they are to set out for Galilee; there they shall see me.”

But the eleven disciples went into Galilee and when they saw Him they worshipped Him.

“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and behold, I am with you all days, even into the consummation of the world.”

Consummation—the act of consummating; completion; the state of being consummated; perfection; fulfillment.

Second Chances; If I Surrender to His Will…

It was a difficult time for the children of Israel having been freed from Egypt but transitioning to a new homeland but not yet there.

Fortunately they got a “redo” from Moses and God.

“I will make a covenant in sight of all. Adore not any strange god. The Lord his name is Jealous, he is a jealous God. Thou shall not make thyself any molten gods.”

“Write thee these words by which I have made a covenant both with thee and with Israel. And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water, and he wrote upon the tables the ten words of the covenant.”

Moses did another 40-day-and-night stint up on Mount Sinai and God reissued the tablets.

All the children of Israel dedicated voluntary offerings to the Lord.

And hath filled him with the spirit of God, with wisdom and understanding and knowledge and all learning.

Whatsoever can be devised artificially, he hath given in his heart.

The tabernacle was to be built finally!

Talk about second chances!

We know not God’s ways or his timing. Another forty years is a lot to us, little to Him.

We, of course, have a limited lifespan. God does not.

This earth does not.

We control a lot less than we think.

We need to control a lot more than we think of our mind and emotions, coming from the inside-out to a spiritual solution for what we call life.

The end is near?

We do not live forever.

God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And wisdom to know the difference.

 

Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did, this sinful world

As it is, not as I would have it;

 

Trusting that He will make all things right

If I surrender to His Will;

So that I may be reasonably happy in this life

And supremely happy with Him

Forever and ever in the next.

Amen.

Reference: the Serenity Prayer (Full Version, Reinhold Neibuhr, early 1940s)

Day 31: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; Second Chances; If I Surrender to His Will…

Read and inspired by the Old Testament, The Book of Exodus Chapters 33-37

Bible Notes:

This Book of Exodus is so called from the Greek word exodus, which means going out.

It recounts the persecution of the Jews in Egypt, the call of Moses, the ten plagues, the Jewish departure from Egypt, and the giving of the Mosaic Law on Mount Sinai.

The Book of Exodus closes with the consecration of the Tabernacle.

 

Exodus Chapter 33: God threatens to withdraw His grace; The people mourn for their sin; Moses places the tabernacle outside the camp; The Lord talks familiarly with Moses; Moses asks to see God’s glory.

For I will not go up with thee, because thou art a stiffnecked people: less I destroy thee in the way.

And the people hearing these very bad tidings, mourned: and no man put on his ornaments according to custom.

The tabernacle of the covenant, outside of camp.

And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man is wont to speak to his friend.

I know thee by name, and thou hast found favor in my sight.

And may find grace before thy eyes

And I will give thee rest

Thou canst not see my face: for man shall not see me and live.

Exodus Chapter 34: Moses renews the tables; Moses asks God to forgive the people; Friendship with idolaters forbidden; Feast of unleavened bread; Law of firstborn males; Sabbath day and feasts; The tables are rewritten; Moses’ face is horned with rays of light.

Then he cut two tables of stone, such as had been before.

O the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, patient and of much compassion, and true, who keepest Mercy unto thousands; who takest away iniquity, and wickedness, and sin, and no man of himself is innocent before thee.

I will make a covenant in sight of all. Adore not any strange god. The Lord his name is Jealous, he is a jealous God. Thou shall not make thyself any molten gods.

Molten—produced by melting and casting: a molten image.

Thou shalt keep the feast of the unleavened bread.

Neither shalt thou appear before me empty.

Write thee these words by which I have made a covenant both with thee and with Israel. And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water, and he wrote upon the tables the ten words of the covenant.

And he knew not that his face was horned from the conversation of the Lord

And he gave them in commandment all that he had heard of the Lord in Mount Sinai.

And they saw that the face of Moses when he came out was horned, but he covered his face again, if at any time he spoke to them.

Exodus Chapter 35: The Sabbath; Offerings for making the tabernacle; Skillful workers called to build the tabernacle; Gifts to the Lord; Beseleel and Ooliab called to the work.

There are the things which the Lord hath commanded to be done.

Set aside your firstfruits to the Lord. Let every one that is willing and hath a ready heart…

Whosoever of you is wise, let him come, and make that which the Lord hath command…

… the vesture of Aaron the high priest, and of his sons, to do the office of priesthood to me.

… offered firstfruits to the Lord with a most ready and devout mind…

All the children of Israel dedicated voluntary offerings to the Lord.

And hath filled him with the spirit of God, with wisdom and understanding and knowledge and all learning.

Whatsoever can be devised artificially, he hath given in his heart.

Exodus Chapter 36: Offerings are delivered to the workmen; Ten curtains; Coverings for the tabernacle; Boards of the tabernacle; Bars for boards of the tabernacle; The veil; Hanging for the door of the tabernacle.

The people offered more than is necessary.

And all the men that were wise of heart…

Exodus Chapter 37: The ark; The propitiatory; Table and vessels; The candlestick; Altar of incense; Oil of sanctification and incense.

The propitiatory, that is the oracle,…

Setin wood.

Wherein the libations are to be offered.

Temptation, Repentance, Faith & Belief in the Gospel

I am excited to start the second gospel in the Bible—The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark. He was not a disciple of Christ like Matthew was but somewhere along the way, Peter, the disciple and apostle of Christ, encountered Mark and took him as travel companion and interpreter. Mark the Evangelist wrote down the sermons of Peter, thus composing this Gospel according to Mark.

I am interested to see how Mark’s Gospel differs from that of Matthew and later on in my studies of Luke, and John.

The central theme of the Gospels is that Christ was born, blessed, performed miracles, died and rose from the dead on the third day! He died for our sins and through His resurrection we have eternal life if only we believe and turn from our sins.

This Gospel begins with John the Baptist and then his baptism of Jesus

As it is written in Isaias the prophet: “Behold, I send my messenger before thee, who shall prepare thy way, the voice of one crying in the desert, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’”

“One mightier than I is coming after me,” John proclaims, “the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And the Spirit, as a dove, descending and remaining upon him:

“Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased, God shared with us.”

I remember how good it was when my mother or father praised me growing up. It was not that often and often quite subtle but I knew I was loved. Just think how Jesus felt, as he started His ministry, as God proclaimed his love for him and pleasure in what a great job Jesus was doing to the whole narrow world at that moment in time. Jesus was simply following His Will as a human being just like us, but in a more perfect, divine and sinless manner.

Then Jesus went out to the desert for forty days and forty nights to be tempted by the devil. When he came back he started calling disciples and started exorcising devils by declaring “Hold thy peace, and go out of the man.”

And rising up long before daybreak he told His disciples: “Let us go into the neighboring villages and towns, that there I may also preach. For this is why I have come.”

Long before daybreak… I am trying to get on an early to bed, early to rise schedule to enjoy the quiet time of a morning and the day of sunshine.

Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but remained outside in desert places. And they kept coming to him from every direction.

Why? To learn about temptation and repentance and how faith and belief in The Bible, including the Gospels, can dramatically change one’s life for now and all of eternity!

Day 32: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; Temptation, Repentance, Faith & Belief in the Gospel

Read and inspired by the New Testament, The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark, Chapters 1.

Bible Notes:

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark

Saint Mark, a convert of Saint Peter, was the son of a certain Mary, whose house in Jerusalem was a gathering place for Christians.

His Gospel, based on Saint Peter’s preaching, aims to prove to the Gentiles the divinity of Christ, be recounting His numerous miracles and examples of His power over devils.

Mark Chapter 1:  John the Baptist; The baptism of Jesus; The temptation; In Galilee; The first disciples called; In Capharnaum; The cure of a demoniac; Peter’s mother-in-law; Other miracles; Jesus’ preaching; A leper.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God

As it is written in Isaias the prophet:

“behold, I send my messenger before thee, who shall prepare thy way, the voice of one crying in the desert, ‘Make ready the  way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’”

Baptizing and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

They were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

“One mightier than I is coming after me, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

And the Spirit, as a dove, descending and remaining upon him.

“Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased.”

And immediately the Spirit drove him forth into the desert. And he was in the desert forty days and forty nights, being tempted the while by Satan…

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.”

Simon and his brother Andrew (fisherman): “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

James, the son of Zebedee and his brother John; left their father in the boat with hired men and followed Jesus.

Capharnaum; synagogue; and they were astonished at his teaching; for he was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the Scribes.

Here was a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out…

“Hold thy peace, and go out of the man.”

What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.

Came to the house of Simon and Andrew…

Simon’s mother-in-law was keeping her bed sick with a fever… he took her hand and raised her up; and the fever left her at once, and she began to wait on them.

They brought him to all that were ill and who were possessed.

Cast out many devils; and he did not permit them to speak, because they knew him.

And rising up long before daybreak…

“Let us go into the neighboring villages and towns, that there I may also preach. For this is why I have come.

If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

And Jesus, having compassion on him… “I will; be thou made clean.”

“See thou tell no one; but go, show thyself to the high priest, and offer for thy purification the things that Moses commanded, for a witness to them.”

Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but remained outside in desert places. And they kept coming to him from every direction.

The Old & The New; What’s in Your Heart Today?

All this talk of gold to build the Tabernacle to worship God in the days of Moses near Mount Sinai.

One estimate is that it costed $52 million in today’s dollar to build that Tabernacle.

That’s almost one hundred dollars in today’s currency and probably an insurmountable amount on an individual basis for those in the desert with Moses way back when.

What was the source of this wealth for the nomadic Israelites at the time? What they took from the Egyptians when they left Egypt?

I have to remember that this is Old Testament, the Old Covenant between God and the people living at that time. Only some of the hundred billion people that have lived on the earth. All trying or have tried to make sense of this thing we call life.

The New Testament, the New Covenant between God and us is to have Jesus in our hearts and try the best we can to be like him in our thoughts, words and behavior.

Yes, that can lead to a life of worldly prosperity but what is more important is whether or not God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit is the focus of our lives today.

Would you give yesterday’s hundred dollar equivalent in today’s value which is likely in the millions of dollars to build your own personal Tabernacle to God?

If you didn’t have millions of dollars to give, what does that say about you, God and the world we live in today?

What about our relationships?

Are they built on trust, honesty, and commitment?

Or success, control, and manipulation?

Are we at peace with joy in our hearts knowing that in God’s World we are truly free?

Is there love in your hearts right now as defined by 1 Corinthians 13:4?

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

 

The Tabernacle is built, it is finished and we have finished reading The Book of Exodus!

The Old & The New; What’s in Your Heart Today?

Day 33: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; The Old & The New; What’s in Your Heart Today?

Read and inspired by the Old Testament, The Book of Exodus Chapters 38-40

Bible Notes:

This Book of Exodus is so called from the Greek word exodus, which means going out.

It recounts the persecution of the Jews in Egypt, the call of Moses, the ten plagues, the Jewish departure from Egypt, and the giving of the Mosaic Law on Mount Sinai.

The Book of Exodus closes with the consecration of the Tabernacle.

 

Exodus Chapter 38   Altar of holocaust; The laver of brass; The court with its pillars and hangings; The value of the offerings.

Laver of brass

Laver—Old Testament. a large basin upon a foot or pedestal in the court of the Hebrew tabernacle and subsequently in the temple, containing water for the ablutions of the priests and for the washing of the sacrifices in the temple service; Ecclesiastical. the font or water of baptism; any spiritually cleansing agency.

The instruments of the tabernacle of testimony, which were counted according to the commandment of Moses, in the ceremonies of the Levites…

All the gold that was spent in the work of the sanctuary, and that was offered in gifts was nine and twenty talents, and seven hundred and thirty sicles according to the standard of the sanctuary.

And it was offered by them that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upwards, of six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty men able to bear arms.

Some authorities say that the talent typically weighed about 33 kg (75 lb) varying from 20 to 40 kg. In February, 2016, the international price of gold was about US$1190 per troy ounce. One gram costs about $38. At this price, a talent (33 kg) would be worth about $1.25 million.

So 29 times $1.25 million is $36.25 million divided by 603,550 men is about $60 from each person—a little bit from a lot is a lot!

A hundred talents of silver.

In modern values a talent of silver would be reckoned at $6,606.00 and a talent of gold at $385,350.00 (versus $1.25 million above).

Seventy-two thousand talents of brass.

In my Google searches, I came across another fellow doing the same thing:

What would it cost to build the Tabernacle described in Exodus?

It would be a sacrifice for me to buy even an ounce of gold let alone the amounts that we are talking about here. A quick conversation from pounds to ounces:

35,276.73 Ounces of Gold X $1382.96 = $48,786,306.52

3,594,982.60 Ounces of Silver X $29.80 = $3,594,982.60

90,445.90 Ounces of Copper X $0.28 = $25,324.85

Total = $52,406,613.97

Now that was just for the metals. Now the next item of consideration is the amount of textiles used in the construction of the tabernacle cover.

Acacia wood must cost around the same as oak I imagine. Current price on the best stuff is $5.24 per board foot. Just accounting for the walls of the tabernacle and not the wood used in all the furniture and such – we would probably spend about $5000. Although this is already processed lumber – theirs would not have been.

Lastly there is the labor.

So by my estimates if the tabernacle were constructed today it would cost in the neighborhood of:

$57 Million Dollars. That is $57,000,000.00

Should we even stop to consider the relative cost 3000-4000 years ago? What is the inflation rate over 4 millennium? Probably astronomical.

I’m not sure if anyone else will find this interesting or not, but I spent the past 3 hours typing this up – I have to share it with someone.

LOL, back to Andy…

Exodus Chapter 39   Vestments for the priests; The ephod; Jewels for the ephod; The rational;

So all the work of the tabernacle and of the roof of the testimony was finished: and the children of Israel did all things which the Lord had commanded Moses.

Nothing was wanting of the vessels, that were commanded to be made for the ministry of the tabernacle, and for the roof of the covenant.

And when Moses saw all things finished, he blessed them.

Exodus Chapter 40   Moses commanded to set up the tabernacle; Command to anoint the tabernacle; Command to anoint Aaron and his sons; Moses sets up and arranges the tabernacle; The glory of the Lord fills the tabernacle.

And thou shalt take the oil of unction and anoint the tabernacle with its vessels, that they may be sanctified…

That they (Aaron and his sons) may minister to me, and that the unction of them may prosper to an everlasting priesthood.

After all things were perfected, the cloud covered the tabernacle of the testimony, and the glory of the Lord filled it.

For the cloud of the Lord hung over the tabernacle by day, and a fire by night, in the sight of all the children of Israel throughout their mansions.

Mansions– Oriental and Medieval Astronomy. Each of 28 divisions of the ecliptic occupied by the moon on successive days; Archaic. an abode or dwelling place.

Saint Mark, a convert of Saint Peter, is just beginning to capture Saint Peter’s preaching in his gospel. This is all really good food for thought!

And again he entered the synagogue. “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do evil? To save a life or destroy it?” And being grieved at the blindness of their hearts. “Stretch forth thy hand” And he stretched it forth, and his hand was restored. But the Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might do away with him.

Is it a sin to do a miracle on the Sabbath?

Which I think is sundown Friday to sundown Saturday for Jewish folks and Sunday for us Catholics or maybe Saturday evening or even now late afternoon for vigil masses? Seems all a bit confusing, aren’t we all just Christians?

Some of the Old Laws of the Old Testament didn’t make sense to Jesus. In fact, he was a law breaker, a bit of a rebel but a rebel with a heart.

I connected with Jesus grieving because of the “blindness of the heart” of the Pharisees.

The times in my past which I am most sad and regrettable about are those times when my heart was blinded, overcome by fear, resentments, untruths and my big selfish silly ego. I don’t want to be dead inside. I want to connect with other people in a real, meaningful, heartfelt way. I want to come completely out of denial, justification and rationalization. I want to be the true me, my Splendid Spiritual Self!

“The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

And as Jesus was passing along, he saw Levi, the son of Alpheus, sitting in the tax-collector’s place, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he arose and followed him.

“It is not the healthy who need a physician, but they who are sick. For I have not come to call the just, but sinners.”

Aren’t we all sinners? Isn’t Levi’s real name Matthew the Disciple and Apostle who wrote the first gospel of the New Testament of The Bible?

Probably not, my bad as Mark goes on to say that Jesus called The Twelve—Peter, brothers James and John—the son of Zebedee, Andrew, Phillip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, Thaddeus, Simon and Judas.

Back in Matthew (C4:18), he stated that Simon, who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew… think there were two sets of brothers among the Twelve Disciples.

As I am meandering a bit today I will meander a bit more through these two chapters of Mark:

“How can Satan cast out Satan?”

“And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”

“But whosoever blasphemes against The Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but will be guilty of an everlasting sin.”

“Who are my mother and my brethren? Behold my mother and my brethren. For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

We can’t stand alone in this world, without God or a spouse or family or friends or other believers who do the will of God. Evil can’t get rid of evil. One addiction cannot be substituted for another addiction. Only God The Father, Jesus His Son and The Holy Spirit can do that!

Old Laws or our new heart?

What is the Destiny of Our Lives!

Day 34: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; Old Laws or New Heart? The Destiny of Our Lives!

Read and inspired by the New Testament, The Gospel of Saint Mark Chapters 2-3.

Bible Notes:

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark

Saint Mark, a convert of Saint Peter, was the son of a certain Mary, whose house in Jerusalem was a gathering place for Christians.

His Gospel, based on Saint Peter’s preaching, aims to prove to the Gentiles the divinity of Christ, be recounting His numerous miracles and examples of His power over devils.

 

Matthew Chapter 2:  Jesus forgives the sins of a paralytic; He cures the paralytic; The call of Levi; The question of fasting; The disciples pluck grain on the Sabbath.

He again entered Capharuaum and it was reported that he was at home.

And he spoke the word to them.

Paralytic—a person affected with paralysis; a loss or impairment of voluntary movement in a body part, caused by injury or disease of the nerves, brain, or spinal cord.

They stripped off the roof where he was, and having made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying.

And Jesus , seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Son, thy sins are forgiven thee.”

Why does this man speak thus? He blasphemes. Who can forgive sins, but only God?

Why are you arguing these things in your hearts?

“But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.”

“I say to thee, arise, take up thy pallet, and go to thy house.”

Never did we see the like!

And as he was passing along, he saw Levi, the son of Alpheus, sitting in the tax-collector’s place, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he arose and followed him.

“It is not the healthy who need a physician, but they who are sick. For I have not come to call the just, but sinners.”

“As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.”

Behold, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?

“The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.

Matthew Chapter 3:  A man with a withered hand; The mercy of Jesus; The choice of the Twelve; Blasphemy of the Scribes; Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit; Jesus and His brethren.

And again he entered the synagogue

“Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do evil? To save a life or destroy it?”

And being grieved at the blindness of their hearts

“Stretch forth thy hand” And he stretched it forth, and his hand was restored.

But the Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might do away with him.

And Jesus with his disciples withdrew to the sea…

A large crowd, hearing what he was doing, came to him…

And he appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them forth to preach. To them he gave power to cure sickness and to cast out devils.

There were Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter, and James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (these he surnamed Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); and  Andrew, and Phillip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot, he who betrayed him.

The Twelve—Peter, brothers James and John—the son of Zebedee, Andrew, Phillip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, Thaddeus, Simon and Judas.

Matthew C4:18 stated that Simon, who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew…

He has gone mad.

He has Beelzebub.

Beelzebub—is a name derived from a Philistine god, formerly worshipped in Ekron, and later adopted by Abrahamic religions as a given name to a supposed winged demon. The name Beelzebub is sometimes associated with the Canaanite god Baal.

In theological sources, predominately Christian, Beelzebub is another name for the devil similar to Satan. He is known by believers as one of the seven princes of Hell, according to Catholic views in terms of demonology. The Dictionnaire Infernal describes Beelzebub as a demonic fly, known as the “Lord of the Flies”.

“How can Satan cast out Satan?”

“And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”

“But whosoever blasphemes against The Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but will be guilty of an everlasting sin.”

“Who are my mother and my brethren? Behold my mother and my brethren. For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

Imagine going to mass, service or whatever your church, congregation calls it way back when during the time of Moses. Right there at the first Tabernacle near Mount Sinai on the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. The Tabernacle was the portable earthly meeting place of God with the children of Israel from the time of the Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan.

I never knew that about the tabernacle being portable. I wonder what happened to it eventually when they arrived in Canaan? I also wonder if reading the Bible will help me understand all the issues in the Middle East. It seems to me that people and their descendants who have been in a place a long time with good spiritual principles would have figured our peace and prosperity for all by now. Easy for an American to say as we were the ultimate example of a geographical cure—find a new place and build it from the ground up the way it needs to be built. We have our challenges in life too for sure.

Getting back to going to mass at the Tabernacle way back when with fire on the altar and burnt offerings and holocausts. Before Christ, the oblation was the act of making an offering, not the Eucharist, of herds, flocks, and fowl. I guess everything gets modernized, translated or what have you. It’s a big deal today if communion is a piece of real bread instead of the wafer. The wafer which did not taste good to me as a young boy. I would do the prayer with hands over the face and slip the soggy wafer out of my mouth and hide it under the pew. Bad sin I know. I often wondered if anybody wondered why there were dried out wafers under my seat.

Peace offerings to God so that they would be favored in future battles with their enemies? First make peace with God, then yourself and others. Peace, in the Scripture language, signifies happiness, welfare, or prosperity in a word, all kinds of blessings. I am surprised the word ‘happiness’ is used instead of ‘joy.’ Peace, joy and freedom, freedom from hurts, habits and hang-ups, freedom from addictions, freedom to wake up in the morning and say “this is the best day of my life, absolutely, positively, without a doubt, and they go live that one day in a clear, present, open-minded, open-hearted way—The Ultimate Love of God, Self, Others & Life!

Peace be with you, God and myself.

Sinners all are we!

The soul that sinneth through ignorance, and doth any thing concerning any of the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded not to be done.

And afterwards shall understand their sin; and afterwards shall come to know his sin

Sin, but know your sin; come out of denial, justification and rationalization. Come out of perfectionism, control, all-or-nothing thinking and judgmentalism. Speak to the Lord and confess your sins. Recommit to Jesus in your heart and live to be better for the next day.

Sinners all are we–the priest that is anointed; all the multitude of Israel; a prince; and a common person.

Yes even way back when the Bible was written in Chapter 4 of Leviticus, God’s Word accounted for the sins of a priest. Nobody, nobody on earth, of all the one hundred billion that have lived to date, except Jesus, was or is perfect. Get over yourself!

The priest shall pray for him and for his sin, and it shall be forgiven him. We are only as sick as our darkest secrets. Tell a priest, your rabbi, reverend or tell a trusted friend but first be honest with yourself and tell God. We can all come out of the shame, isolation and abandonment of dysfunctional childhoods. We are all valuable children of God.

Consecration of Aaron and his sons. This is the oblation of Aaron, and of his sons, which they must offer to the Lord, in the day of their anointing. And you shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle for seven days, until the day wherein the time of your consecration shall be expired.

And when the eighth day was come, Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the ancients of Israel… for today the Lord will appear to you. This is the word, which the Lord hath commanded: do it, and his glory will appear to you.

And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of testimony, and afterwards came forth and blessed the people. And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the multitude… and behold a fire, coming forth from the Lord… which when the multitude saw, they praised the Lord, falling on their faces.

Well that was an awesome eight days… A Portable Tabernacle; God, Sinners and Priests!

Day 35: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; A Portable Tabernacle; God, Sinners and Priests.

Read and inspired by the Old Testament, The Book of Leviticus Chapters 1-9.

Bible Notes:

This Book of Leviticus is so called, because it treats chiefly of divine worship for which God had chosen the tribe of Levi.

After describing the ordination of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood, it records the Mosaic laws of sacrifice, of legal purity, of holiness, of vows, and of tithes.

 

Leviticus Chapter 1: Holocausts of the herds; Holocausts of the flocks; Holocausts of fowl.

And the Lord called Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of the testimony, saying:

He shall offer a make without blemish, at the door of the testimony, to make the Lord favorable to him…

Expiation—the means by which atonement or reparation is made; the act of expiating; to atone for; make amends or reparation for: to expiate one’s crimes.

Immolate—to sacrifice; to kill as a sacrificial victim, as by fire; offer in sacrifice; to destroy by fire.

And shall put fire on the altar

And the priest shall burn them upon the altar for a holocaust, and a sweet savor to the Lord.

Savor—the quality in a substance that affects the sense of taste or of smell; a particular taste or smell.

And all that cleave to the liver.

Herds, flocks and fowl

Oblation—the offering to God of the elements of bread and wine in the Eucharist; the whole office of the Eucharist; the act of making an offering, especially to a deity.

Leviticus Chapter 2: Offerings of flour; Offerings of firstfruits.

His offering should be of fine flour

Shall put it a memorial upon the altar for a most sweet savor to the Lord

Aaron’s and his sons’ holy of holies of the offerings of the Lord.

Every oblation that is offered to the Lord shall be made without leaven

Leviticus Chapter 3: Peace offering of the herd; Peace offering of a lamb; Peace offering of a goat.

The sacrifice of peace offerings

They shall take of it for the food of the Lord’s fire

Peace, in the Scripture language signifies happiness, welfare, or prosperity in a word, all kinds of blessings.

Leviticus Chapter 4: Offerings for priests who sin; Offering for the multitude that sins; Offering for a prince who sins; Offering for a common person who sins.

The soul that sinneth through ignorance, and doth any thing concerning any of the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded not to be done.

If the priest that is anointed shall sin

And the dung

Shall be ignorant, and through ignorance shall do that which is against the commandment of the Lord, and afterwards shall understand their sin

All the multitude of Israel

Shall sin and through ignorance do any one of the things that the law of the Lord forbiddeth, and afterwards shall come to know his sin

A prince

Shall sin through ignorance, doing any of those things that by the law of the Lord are forbidden, and offending, and shall come to know his sin.

Common person

Leviticus Chapter 5: Offerings for various sins; Offering for the sin of sacrilege; Offering for violating the commandments.

If any one sin, and hear the voice of one swearing, and is a witness either because he himself hath seen, or is privy to it: if he do not utter it, he shall bear his iniquity.

Iniquity—gross injustice or wickedness; a violation of right or duty; wicked act; sin.

Whosoever toucheth any unclean thing

And having forgotten it, come afterwards to know it, he shall be guilty of an offence

The priest shall pray for him and for his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.

One for sin, and the other for a holocaust.

If any one shall sin through mistake, transgressing the ceremonies in those things that are sanctified to the Lord.

And the priest shall pray for him, because he did it ignorantly: and it shall be forgiven him because by mistake he trespassed against the Lord.

Leviticus Chapter 6: Atonement for sins of injustice; Law of a holocaust; Law of sacrifice and libations; Offering of a priest at his anointing; Law of the sin offering.

He shall restore all that he would have gotten by fraud.

And he shall have forgiveness for every thing in doing of which he hath sinned.

The is the law of the holocaust.

This is the perpetual fire which shall never go out on the altar.

It shall be most holy, as that which is offered for sin and for trespass.

This is the oblation of Aaron, and of his sons, which they must offer to the Lord, in the day of their anointing.

It is the holy of holies.

Every male of the priestly race shall eat of the flesh thereof, because it is holy of holies.

Leviticus Chapter 7: The sacrifice for a trespass; sacrifice of peace offerings; Fat and blood forbidden; The priest portions.

Moreover you shall not eat the blood of any creatures whatsoever, whether of birds or beasts. Every one that eateth blood, shall perish from among the people.

Leviticus Chapter 8: Consecration of Aaron and his sons; Offering of a calf for sin; Offering of a ram for a holocaust; The ram of consecration; Seven days for the consecration of priests.

Girding him with the girdle

Because it was a holocaust of most sweet odor (previously savor so sense is smell, not taste).

The basket of unleavened bread

Having lifted them up before the Lord

The oblation of consecration

Consecration—the act of consecrating; dedication to the service and worship of a deity; the act of giving the sacramental character to the Eucharistic elements of bread and wine, especially in the Roman Catholic Church; ordination to a sacred office, especially to the episcopate.

And you shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle for seven days, until the day wherein the time of your consecration shall be expired.

Observing the watches of the Lord.

Leviticus Chapter 9: Moses says the Lord will appear; Sacrifices for Aaron and the people; Moses and Aaron bless the people; Fire comes from the Lord.

And when the eighth day was come, Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the ancients of Israel… for today the Lord will appear to you.

This is the word, which the Lord hath commanded: do it, and his glory will appear to you.

Aaron: approach the altar, and offer sacrifice for thy sin.

And stretching forth his hands to the people, he blessed them.

And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of testimony, and afterwards came forth and blessed the people. And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the multitude… and behold a fire, coming forth from the Lord… which when the multitude saw, they praised the Lord, falling on their faces.