Tag Archives: Exodus 39-40:38

February 15, 2015 Bible Study

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

DSCN5650

Proverbs 9:11-12

    This proverb makes a very good point. You are the one who will benefit if you acquire wisdom, and you are the one who will suffer if you fail to do so. While the wisdom or foolishness of your actions may affect others, you are the one who will be affected the most. Each person will experience the consequences of their actions. If those actions were guided by wisdom, they will benefit. If those actions were foolish, they will suffer.

DSCN5651

Psalm 35:1-16

    When we do good for and to those who oppose us, we can rely on the Lord to rescue us from their plots against us. We are called to grieve for their troubles and do what we can to ease their suffering. It is not for us to attempt to repay them for the evil they do us. God will rescue the helpless from the strong. If we seek always to show God’s love, God will give us victory and send shame and disgrace to those who attack us.

DSCN5652

Mark 1:1-28

    I had never noticed that John the Baptist only baptized people after they had confessed their sins. I don’t think this was a generic confession, “Yes, I am a sinner.” I think it was more specific. Things like, “I committed adultery,” or “I stole from others,” and probably even more specific than that. Do we practice confessing our sins to others? Should we? I believe that the answer is “Yes” and that I do so less than I should.
    I do not think I have commented on the fact that the Gospel of Mark is quick hitting. He quickly recounts an episode from Jesus’ life, then moves on to the next. In today’s passage we have John’s ministry, Jesus’ baptism, the calling of the first disciples, and teaching with authority. The other one of these stories I am going to touch on is the calling of the first disciples.
    When Jesus called Peter and Andrew to follow Him, they left their nets at once and followed. Now, we know from the Gospel of John that their first exposure to Jesus was in Judah, right after He was baptized by John. So, this is not about our first response to Jesus. This story is about our response when God calls us to the ministry He has for us. Are we prepared to drop what we are doing and follow Him? This is a challenge for me, largely because I have felt a call from God, but I do not understand the details of the ministry to which He is calling me. The other thing to remember about this is that we know from tidbits elsewhere in the Gospels that these four men returned to fishing for short periods of time (at one point Jesus preached from Peter’s boat, at one point they were in the boats fishing after Jesus’ resurrection when He appeared to them). Considering all of that, let us remember their example when God calls us to ministry.

DSCN5660

Exodus 39-40:38

    The descriptions of the construction of the Tabernacle remind me of part of the reason I started this blog. If it were not for writing this blog, I would skip over these sections…or, more likely, just not read the Bible on the second or third day of such passages and fail to resume again.
    At the end of today’s passage it describes how the presence of God descended on the Tabernacle like a cloud. The entire time the Israelites were in the wilderness this cloud of the presence of God remained with them. At night, the fire of the Lord’s presence was visible to the entire encampment through the cloud. While the cloud was settled over the Tabernacle, the Israelites stayed camped. When the cloud lifted, they packed up the camp and followed it. There must have been a certain comfort in being able to see, and follow, a visible representation of God.

February 15, 2013 Bible Study — The Beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

     I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day, or more. in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

DSCN4890

Proverbs 9:11-12

     Those who acquire wisdom and plan their actions according to it will benefit from it. Those who ignore wisdom and do not use it to guide their actions will suffer from their choice. It is entirely up to each individual whether they gain the benefits of wisdom or suffer from its absence. You must decide for yourself.

DSCN4891

Psalm 35:1-16

     The psalmist calls on the Lord for deliverance from his enemies. He calls on God to smite them. The reason he believes that God will come to his aid can be summed up in a line he repeats, “I did them no wrong,…” When we turn to the Lord and ask Him to rescue us, can we say the same about those arrayed against us? Are those opposed to us repaying us evil for good? Or do they have legitimate grievances against us? Let us be careful not to be the ones who are repaying evil for good. Rather let us repay evil with good. If we are always doing good for those around us, even when we believe they have done us wrong, we will not be the ones the psalmist was speaking of.

DSCN4892

Mark 1:1-28

     I like the way the New Living Translation begins the Gospel of Mark, “This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.” Like most of this Gospel, it is clean and to the point. I looked at other translations to see if the start in the NLT was consistent with how others translated the beginning. When I read it in the NASB, it occurred to me that their translation explains why Mark is so sparse. They translated the first phrase as, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” While that certainly means the beginning of Mark’s account of Jesus’ life, I believe in a way it also means that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are merely the beginning of the Gospel, the Good News, of Jesus Christ. The good news does not end with Jesus’ resurrection. It does not end as long as this world endures, there is always more to learn about the Gospel.

DSCN4893

Exodus 39-40:38

     When the work on the Tabernacle was completed this passage describes how Moses set up the Tabernacle step by step. After each step we are told that Moses had done this “just as the Lord commanded him.” Each day as we go through the day we should conduct ourselves the same way, so that others can describe what we have done by saying that we did it “just as the Lord commanded him (or her).” Then we will be a “Tent of Meeting” where people can come face to face with God. Let us build our lives to be just such a place.

February 15, 2013 Bible Study — Fishers of Men

     I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

Sword and dagger vs two handed
Sword and dagger vs two handed

Exodus 39-40:38

     Today’s passage begins with a description of how the garments for the priests were made. Once these were completed the preparations for the Tabernacle were finished. All of these items were brought before Moses for his inspection. God then gave Moses instructions on how to set up the Tabernacle. He was to start with the Most Holy Place and work his way out, placing the furnishings for each part within it before starting to set up the next section. Once Moses had completely set up the Tabernacle and consecrated Aaron and his sons as priests the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.
     There is a message here on how we should align our lives with God starting in our inner being and working out to our public lives, but I cannot quite put the words together to describe how this works. If we start to present our outer life as aligned with God before we have set up our inner life in alignment with His will, we appear as self-righteous hypocrites. It is however possible to use this as an excuse to make changes to our lives that God is calling us to make, which is the part that makes it hard for me to express the lesson I see hear.

The vorpal bunny vs Will Shakespeare
The vorpal bunny vs Will Shakespeare

Mark 1:1-28

     The Gospel of Mark begins by telling us that John the Baptist preached as one calling on people to prepare the way for the coming Messiah. He preached repentance of sins and when his listeners confessed their sins, he baptized them. In addition John preached that one was coming after him who was so much greater than he that he did not feel worthy to untie His sandals. Mark tells us that Jesus came to John to be baptized. At the moment of His baptism, Jesus saw the heavens split apart and the Holy Spirit descend upon Himself like a dove. At the same time He heard a voice from heaven saying “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” For the longest time I thought this passage described something witnessed by many people, but there is nothing in the passage which suggests that this was witnessed by anyone other than Jesus (although the passage also does not say that no one else saw it). After His baptism, Mark tells us that Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness, where angels cared for Him. The passage implies that Jesus went into Galilee and began His ministry after John was arrested. This suggests that Jesus spent some time among the disciples of John.
     Once Jesus began His ministry in Galilee, He began calling disciples. The passage tells us that as He was walking along the Sea of Galilee He saw Simon and Andrew fishing and called them to follow Him. He told them that He would send them out to fish for people. Often times when we read this today, we envision fishing the way we do it today as a hobby, casting out a line and drawing in fish one at a time. That would not be the way that Simon and Andrew heard it. They were professional fisherman and they threw nets into the water and drew fish in by the hundreds or thousands at a time. Perhaps it is time that we rethink how we spread the Gospel and start throwing out nets rather than trying to bring people to Christ one at a time. I believe that there is a place for both types of fishing for people to follow Jesus, but I think that in the Church today we place to much emphasis on “catching” followers for Jesus one at a time.

Unloading firewood
Unloading firewood

Psalm 35:1-16

     The psalmist calls on the Lord to fight against those who oppose him. He asks God to humiliate them and bring them down. The psalmist justifies asking for God to bring them down because when they were sick, or otherwise troubled, he had striven to ease their suffering. My take away from this psalm is that we can count on God to fight for us and defeat our enemies when we treat them, and everyone else, as our neighbors and love them as ourselves. If we behave in that way then God will act on our behalf to defend us against those who speak maliciously about us or otherwise try to cause us harm.

Fire Burning Brightly
Fire Burning Brightly

Proverbs 9:11-12

     If we choose to follow the wise course of action, we will longer than if we do not. If I choose the wise actions, it is I who will benefit. If I choose to reject the wise actions, it is I who will suffer.