Tues.’s Devo -The Festivals of the Lord

Read: Leviticus 22:17-23:44; Mark 9:30-10:12; Psalm 44:1-8; Proverbs 10:19 Moses gave the Israelites instructions that would pertain to them and the foreigners living among them. If they wanted to offer an offering to the Lord whether it was a burnt offering or a peace offering, the animal offered must have no defects or mutilations. This sacrifice was to represent Jesus who was sinless. *** There were certain holy assemblies that were to be observed every year. They would be markers of God’s story. The first was the Passover which would be celebrated on the fourteenth of Nisan, the first month of their religious calendar and the seventh month of their civil calendar. This would represent Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus died on Passover and became our Passover lamb. The festival of Unleavened Bread began the next day and it represented Jesus’ burial. It was to be observed for a week meaning that we continually celebrate this festival through out our lives. It represents our sanctification - our dying to self and turning away from sin. The day after the Sabbath during these feasts would be First Fruits where they would bring the first fruit of their field to the Lord. Jesus died on Passover, was buried on Unleavened Bread and rose on First Fruits being the first of God’s fruits to rise from the dead. *** Fifty days from that day of First Fruits they were to celebrate the Festival of Weeks (seven weeks) or Pentecost. Pentecost was fulfilled when the Holy Spirit was given as a gift to men in Acts 2. This was the only feast where leavened bread was eaten because this was the time of grace. Sin was not the focus…grace was. *** Months later on the first day of the seventh month of the religious calendar and the first month of the civil calendar, they were to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets or Roshashana. It would be a day of the blowing of trumpets. This day would look forward to the day when Jesus would return with the blast of a trumpet. On the tenth day of that month they would celebrate the Day of Atonement. This was the most holy day when the priest would go into the Holy of Holies and make atonement for the nation for the year. They were to celebrate this day as a Sabbath and do no work on it. On this day the gates to heaven would be shut and everyone’s fate would be sealed. *** Five days later they were to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles which would represent a time when God would tabernacle with his people on earth. They were to celebrate this feast with joy making temporary dwellings out of branches of designated trees. This was to remind them that their home was not here but this was temporary. Our home is in the new earth and the new heavens. *** In Mark, Jesus told them that he was going to be betrayed into he hands of his enemies and killed. Three days later he would rise from the dead but they didn’t understand what he was saying. Instead, they discussed among themselves who would be greater in Jesus’ kingdom. Jesus put it all into perspective when he took a child in his arms and told him that anyone who welcomed a little child on his behalf welcomed him. And to welcome him was to welcome his father. This probably flew over their heads also. *** Jesus had to explain to them that his name was not just theirs to use but anyone who believed. God’s family was bigger than them. They were responsible for their own salvation and the testimony they lived in front of others. *** The Pharisees came up with a new question to trick Jesus. They asked if a man should be allowed to divorce his wife. Jesus asked them what the law of Moses said. They said he permitted it with a writ of divorcement paper. Jesus explained God’s intention from the beginning for a man and a wife. When they come together in marriage two people become one person. If God caused this union then it should not be broken. *** Jesus explained later to his disciples that to put away a woman without a writ of divorcement was to cause her to commit adultery with the next man and also for the man. To ‘put away’ a wife was not the same as a legal divorcement. That is why you have to read the wording of the KJV. Lord give us a heart to understand your Word and what your Spirit is saying to us. It is not the letter of the law but the spirit of the law that we need to get. May we walk in grace and forgiveness.

Mon.’s Devo -Healin is the Children’s Bread

Read: Leviticus 20:22-22:16; mark 9:1-29; Psalm 43:1-5; Proverbs 10:18 God said that if they did’t want the land to vomit them out like it was doing the ones before them, they needed to not only know his laws but put them into practice. *** God had set them apart from all other people so they were to be holy like he was holy. God made a distinction between what was pure and what was foul. No contact was to be made with the dead by the priest unless he was related to them by blood. The priests were to show no open signs of mourning for the dead. These represented the dead without Christ. *** Priests were not to marry any woman except a virgin because he represented Christ and his wife represented The Bride. *** Since the high priest represented Jesus, he was to have no defects of any kind. He was the only one who was to offer the offerings of the people to God and only the priest’s family could eat the sacred offerings. *** We know that healing is ours to claim because Jesus called healing the ‘children’s bread’ in Matthew 15:26 and Mark 7:27. We are the priests who can eat the bread of God’s presence. *** In Mark, Jesus made the statement that some of them standing there would not taste of death until they had seen the kingdom of God come with power. This happened at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given to man (Acts 2). It will happen again when Jesus returns. *** Jesus took Peter, James and John to a high mountain and transformed before them. They saw him in his glorified body. They also saw Elijah and Moses talking to Jesus. Elijah represented the prophets and Moses represented the Law. They were Jesus’ two witnesses. *** Peter wanted to make three tabernacles for them since it was the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. But instead, they disappeared and only Jesus was left. God spoke from heaven telling them to listen to his Son. Jesus told them not to tell anyone what had happened until after he had risen from the dead. *** Elijah had already returned in the body of John the Baptist and they killed him just like the scriptures predicted. *** They returned to a huge crowd. A man brought his son who was demon possessed and the disciples had been unable to cast it out. Jesus rebuked them for their lack of faith. Jesus required that the father believe before he cast it out. When he proclaimed he believed and asked for help to overcome his unbelief ,he was repenting and putting his trust in Jesus. Jesus then cast the demon out of his son. Jesus later told his disciples that this kind only came out by prayer and fasting. Lord, help our times of unbelief and may we eat the bread of your children. May we put all our trust in your unfailing love.

Sun.’s Devo -Help Us to See

Read: Leviticus 19:1-20:21; Mark 8:11-38; Psalm 42:1-11; Proverbs 10:17 In Romans 7:12 Paul said that the law is holy, just and good. He went on to say that the law was spiritual and was to point out how detrimental sin was, leading to death. The only hope was the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ which makes us free from the law of sin and death. *** God said that the must be holy because He was holy. Then he explained what holiness looked like by his standards. They were to honor their parents, put their trust in the Lord and not idols, and offer peace offerings willfully. They were to treat all people rich or poor with the same justice and fairness. *** This meant that you stop slander from spreading, stand up for those being threatened wrongly, and you confront someone who is in sin. You don’t seek revenge or bear grudges but choose to love as God loves. *** God hates mixture and commingling of blood, seed and sexes. He explained in detail what spiritual and physical idolatry looked like and its consequences. *** In Mark, the Pharisees kept demanding that Jesus show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority. This troubled Jesus deeply and he said he would not give this generation a sign since they missed all the signs he had already given them. *** Just like the Pharisees, the disciples missed the signs also. Jesus had proved to them over and over that he would meet their physical needs. He was the bread of life and they wouldn’t run out of bread, but they didn’t get it. *** It took two touches from Jesus for the blind man to see but he finally saw clearly. The disciples would eventually see clearly too but many the Phrarisees would never see. *** Jesus summed up what being a disciple was. It was someone willing to give up their own life for Jesus and follow him. Lord, may we have eyes to see, ears to hear and a heart to follow after You. May we willingly give up our lives to follow You.

Sat.’s Devo -Jesus, Our Atonement

Read: Leviticus 16:29-18:30; Mark 7:24-8:10; Psalm 41:1-13; Proverbs 10:15-16 The tenth day of the seventh month of the religious calendar was the month of Tishri and this day was known as the Day of Atonement. It was the most holy day of the year when the high priest went before God with the sins of the people and made atonement for them. On that day they were pronounced holy. *** God wanted them to stay holy so gave them instructions how to live. They were to stop sacrificing to the goat idols of Egypt. They were not to eat or drink blood in any form because life is in the blood and they were not to consume another man’s life. Whoever did this would be cut off from the community and no longer be considered God’s chosen people. In the Hebrew “cut off” means “to be cut down or utterly perish, destroy, fail, be freed from a covenant.” *** They were not to drink the blood of any animal whether it died naturally or was torn by wild animals. If they did, they were to wash their clothes and bathe themselves in water. Then they would not be punished but be made clean. That is the picture of repentance. *** God told them not to act like the Egyptians of their past, or the people in the land of Canaan they were going to - their future. They were not to imitate them but they were to imitate God and his decrees. *** In Chapter 18 we have all the people they were not to “uncover their nakedness”. My translation says have sexual relations but it went further than that. It meant to “shamelessly tell or uncover another’s shame; to disgrace them”. This was what Ham did to his father, Noah. It was to tell of someone’s sins to others. To have sex with a person that is not your wife was to bring shame to her, but we know that the law is spiritual and it goes much deeper than that. It was to expose another’s secret sins. *** As you read down the list you see all the people in the Bible that transgressed these things. Reuben had sex with his father, Jacob’s concubines and lost his inheritance. Abraham married his step sister, Sarah. Jacob married sisters Rachel and Leah. *** Gossip would be a definite way you could “uncover someones nakedness”. We are all guilty of doing this which is why we need a Savior. *** In Mark, Jesus went to the region of Tyre - Gentile territory. A Syrian woman came to his with her daughter for him to cast the demon out of her. Jesus tested her by saying that first he had to feed his own children - the Jews. It wasn’t right for him to take food from his children and throw it the dogs. She replied that even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps from the children’s plates. Jesus was pleased with her answer and told her that the demon had left her daughter. *** In Matthew15:22, this Syrian woman was called a woman of Canaan. In Leviticus, God told them not to imitate the people of Canaan but here, a woman of Canaan was wanting to imitate them. This story was the picture of salvation to the Jew first then the Gentile. Jesus wouldn’t have gone to them over and over if he didn’t want to heal them also. He was making a point. *** Jesus had fed the crowd of Jews in the first feeding of the multitude and now he feeds the crowd of Gentiles to bless them also and show them his power. Lord, forgive us for uncovering the nakedness of others. May we forgive and forget wrongs done by others as you have forgiven us. You are the Righteous Judge and You declare justice. We trust in your Word and your righteous decisions.

Fri.’s Devo - The Day of Atonement

Read: Leviticus 15:1-16:28; Mark 7:1-23; Psalm 40:11-17; Proverbs 10:13-14 If any man had a bodily discharge he was ceremonially unclean. He and his clothes or any thing that came in contact with him was affected. This bodily discharge represented any outward display of sin. It was an obvious offense that affected those around him and those under his authority. It could be anger, dishonest business dealing, gossip or unholy conduct of any kind. *** This person was to be cleansed by washing his clothes and bathing himself. Anyone affected by him had be be cleansed also. We can’t control the actions of others but when they affect us, we are responsible of cleansing our minds and atmosphere. We can do this by forgiving them and loosing their sin from us. We do this by stating what we are loosing from us. We have been given authority or bind or loose. For example, we can loose unholy anger from our selves and bind love and mercy to our souls. It is our soul that is affected and our soul can easily be cleansed. *** The priest would offer the burnt and sin offering and the person would be clean. The blood of Jesus is our offering making us clean. *** After Aaron’s two sons went into the Holy of Holies and died, God told Moses that only Aaron could enter behind the veil into the Holy Of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement. He was first to offer a bull for his own sins and the sins of his family. He would fill an incense burner with burning coals from the altar cover them with incense and take them into the place of atonement. He would let the incense rise as he lifted the incense burner over the mercy seat of the Ark. Then he was to take some of the blood from the bull and sprinkle it on the east side of the altar in the Holy of Holies and seven times on cover. Then he would come outside and purify the brazen altar in front of the people. In doing this he was purifying the altars of heaven and earth. *** When he and the altars were clean, he could offer atonement for the people. He would do this by taking two male goats and casting lots to determine which goat would be the offering to the Lord and which would carry the sins of the people into the wilderness of Azazel. They both represented Jesus. One was killed and the other took the sins away. The goat that was killed went through the same ritual of the bull. This happened once a year to take away the sins of the nation. *** In Mark, the Pharisees were offended that Jesus’ disciples weren’t following their ritual of hand washing before they ate. Jesus called them hypocrites because they followed their own made-up laws and weaseled out of following God’s laws like “honor your father and your mother.” *** They made it legal to give the money to the synagogue that they would have used to care for their elderly parents. This violated God’s laws, but fattened their pockets. Jesus wanted them to know that God saw this and was not pleased with them. Jesus summed it up with this: it is not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes out of your heart. Jesus had to explain to his disciples that it wasn’t food he was talking about it was sinfulf thoughts and desires that defile you. What happens inside your mind and heart will eventually manifest in your actions. Lord, may you cleanse our souls - our hearts and our minds so that we can produce fruits of righteousness to honor you.

Thur.’s Devo - Cleansing and Salvation

Read: Leviticus 14:1-57; Mark 6:30-56; Psalm 40:1-10; Proverbs 10:11-12 The purification ceremony was the same for cleansing of leprosy or mildew. Skin diseases and mildew were pictures of sin and the purification ceremony was a picture of the cross. *** The answer is to bring sin to the cross and the blood of Jesus through the Holy Spirit will cleanse your heart and promise you salvation. *** The process was this: the person who was healed of leprosy would come before the priest with two live birds, a stick of cedar, some scarlet yarn and a hyssop branch. One bird would be slaughtered over a clay pot filled with freshwater. The other things would be dipped in the blood of the bird and be sprinkled seven times on he person being purified. The other bird would be released in the open field. *** All of this was a picture of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The dead bird with all the props of crucifixion were killed. The live bird represented the risen Christ who took our sins from us. *** On the eight day, the person who was seeking cleansing would bring their offering to the priest like we bring our sins to Jesus. The priest would then take the offering which would be two of the same animal … preferably two lambs. One would be sacrificed for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering. The offering that was offered for the sin offering would be drained of its blood and the priest would put some of the blood in his left hand. With his right finger he would dip it in the blood and apply it to the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand and the big toe of the right foot of the person being purified. These places would represent the things he heard, the things he did and the person’s walk - all these would be purified. Then the priest would do the same thing with the oil to seal these places with the Holy Spirit. The last thing he would do was to put the remaining oil on his head to cover his mind and thoughts of the person. *** The priest would then present the sin offering and the burnt offering to God to purify the person who was healed and he would be pure. *** The eighth day represents the eighth millennium when we will begin a new era and all will be cleansed and there will be no evil on the earth. Satan would have been thrown into the lake of fire along with sin and death. It will be a millennium of cleansing the earth and all the people. Jesus’ work on the cross will be completed and we will begin a new day. In Mark we see that there is no rest for the weary. The disciples had just gotten back from their missionary journey and told Jesus all about what happened. Jesus knew they needed some time to rest and refuel and suggested they go somewhere and rest. They tried to get in a boat and escape the crowds of people clamoring for something from them but Jesus had compassion on them and stopped and taught for hours. *** The disciples were hungry and suggested that Jesus send the crowd away to eat but Jesus had other plans. He asked them what they had and the he took the five loaves and two fishes and fed the 5,000 men along with their families. They picked up the 12 baskets of left-overs and must have left them to the poor because they got on the boat with nothing. *** Jesus sent them across the water while he went up on a mountain to spend time with his Father. *** They couldn’t get a break. A storm rose up and Jesus crossing the water “Jesus style” and stepped into the boat and calmed the water. They then were on the other side where they had been previously kicked out of town because of the demoniac. Now, the town had seen and heard the testimony of the demoniac and understood who Jesus was or what he could do. They met him with all their sick and he healed them. Lord, thank you for making a way for us to be cleansed and whole. May we walk in holiness and the righteousness you purchased for us.

Wed.’s Devo - Leprosy and the Cure

Read: Leviticus 13:1-59; Mark 6:1-29; Psalm 39:1-13; Proverbs 10:10 Today we read about symptoms that could develop into a serious skin disease, the Bible calls leprosy. Romans 6 talks about the “infirmity of our flesh” and the fruits of sin leading to death. Moses was talking about the same thing. What made the infected area unclean was if it was deeper than the skin. Everyone encounters sin by just living on the earth. Those things can be brushed off and are only skin deep. They don’t make us unclean, but if sin gets into our hearts like lust or unforgiveness, then we have a problem that makes us unclean and we need to repent and change our actions. *** He gave several symptoms to watch for. The first was swollen in the skin. Swelling represents pride. The next was a rash which is a spreading disease like gossip, addictions, lust, etc. A boil was another skin disease which would represent irrational anger that boils up inside and explodes. A burn is another that represents an offense that burns in our heart. This could be jealousy or envy that displays itself in entitlement. Sores on the head and chin could represent stubbornness or rebellion. *** The person who had the skin problem had to present himself before the priest and let the priest examine it. We present ourselves before God and ask him to examine our hearts. He will tell us what to do and if we obey, our hearts will be cleansed, but, if we refuse to repent, then we will stay unclean. *** The leprous person who was unclean was proclaimed utterly unclean was condemned to tear his clothes, wear no covering over his head and wear a covering over his mouth. He had to cry out, Unclean, unclean. This man is a picture of a person who is unsaved, not covered with Jesus blood and can speak nothing that leads to life. *** Sin can lead to bitterness which will affect every area of a person’s life. That is illustrated in the leprosy that spreads to garments and material. It is called a “fretting leprosy” that is unclean. “Fretting” in the Hebrew means “bitter and painful” it includes “picking”. I wonder if this is like knit-picking someone’s life that you have an offense against. Bitterness will lead to judging the smallest details. It must be burned out of the garment if it can’t be washed out. *** When we are bitter, sometimes the only way we can see straight is for us to go through the same thing we are judging another. When it happens to us, we are better able to see other points of view and have compassion for them. *** In Mark, we get a picture of leprosy. Jesus returned to his hometown and ministered like he did in other towns. At first, they were amazed but then their flesh kicked in and they became wary, jealous, judgmental which led to offense and bitterness. Because of their dishonor and unbelief, he was unable to perform miracles among them except to heal a few of them. They missed out on their blessing. *** Jesus needed to expand God’s ministry so he gave his disciples authority to preach, cast out devils and heal. He sent them out two by two with nothing but a walking stick and shoes on their feet. That is all we need to minister the gospel. We just need to have our feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. (Ephesians 6:15). *** When Herod Antipas heard about Jesus he was afraid John the Baptist had risen from the dead. Herod’s leprosy of lust had lead him to take his brother’s wife. His leprosy of pride led him to kill John the Baptist to please his wife and save his face. *** Sin never stops unless we stop it. If we don’t repent it will spread out of control. Lord, examine our hearts and show us anything in our lives that can spread and affect our soul and those around us. We repent and ask you to cleanse us.

Tues.’s Devo - A Lesson in Discernment and Faith

Read: Leviticus 11:1-12:8; Mark 5:21-43; Psalm 38:1-22; Proverbs 10:8-9 In Romans 7:14 says that the law is spiritual so all of the laws have spiritual meaning to us. Jesus taught this concept in his sermon on the mount. God gave the children of Israel laws determining food that was good for them to eat and food to avoid because they were an abomination to them. Abomination in the Hebrew means “filth; as an idolatrous object” which makes it more clear as to how God looked on the eating of these things. *** They were to consume animals that had completely split hooves and chewed the cud. This was describing spiritual meat that we are to consume and take part in. It teaches us how to discern what is truth and beneficial for us as God’s children and what is not. The word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword able to divide souls and spirit, joint and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. *** Divided hooves means that the truth you are digesting is balanced and not one-sided. To chew the cud speaks of meditating on the Word and bringing it back up at will to use in whatever situation it applies. *** The same is true about eating anything from the water or the Spirit. It must have both fins and scales. In other words it must have fins that balance its movement and scales that cover it like the blood of Jesus covers us. *** They were not to eat winged fowls that swarmed or walked or haunted on all four. This would include insects like locusts who were used in judgment. They were created for destruction and not for life. *** Animals that walked on all four legs but had paws were not to be eaten. This would refer to a person’s walk that was hollow and deceptive. An animal with paws used them to sneak up on its prey. Also they were padded as in a cushy life-style free of trials that make us strong and prove and exercise our faith. *** Animals that scurried along the ground were not to be eaten because they lived earthly lives. *** If any of these unclean animals fell into a clay pot (a man) it would defile the whole man and the man must be broken and cleansed or everything that came from him would defile others. *** Sin is contaminating and easily spread to others. We just have to make sure that we are not the ones spreading the sin. *** Laws were given for the shedding of blood either for death (menstration) or life (a baby). It would take 66 days for the woman to be purified from the loss of blood. Interesting that blood is for life and blood is for death. God was showing his people the difference between the two. *** In Mark, Jesus went back to the Jewish side of the lake where the leader of the local synagogue, Jairus was waiting for him. Instead of wanting to harm Jesus, he begged him to come and heal his daughter who was dying. This girl was 12 years old. As he was passing through the crowd to follow him to her bedside, a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years touched the hem of his garment and was instantly healed. Jesus felt the healing virtue leave his body and turned to address who it went. The woman confessed she was the one and told her story. Jesus told her that her faith had made her well and that she could go in peace because her suffering was over. *** Jesus went on to the daughter’s house and learned she had died. He turned to the father and told him to not be afraid but just have faith. This man had just heard of the woman’s miracle and what Jesus had told her about her faith which had to help him in his time of testing. *** Jesus removed all the people who had no faith and closed himself up in the room with people that did have faith. He spoke to the girl and told her to get up and she did. Faith was honored with healing and life. Lord, may we have faith in our situations to speak life into death.

Mon.’s Devo- God’s Ways

Read: Leviticus 9:7-10:20; Mark 4:26-5:20; Psalm 37:30-40; Provers 10:6-7 Aaron and his sons offered sacrifices to cleanse themselves of their sins before they offered sacrifices for the people. Then they offered the peoples’ sin offering, burnt offering, grain offering, and peace offering all according to the instructions God had given them. *** When Moses and Aaron were finished they blessed the people again and the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole community. Fires blazed from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. The people shouted with joy and fell on their faces to the ground. Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s sons offered ‘strange fire’ to the Lord. They put coals of fire in their incense burners and put incense in them. It seems that they conjured up their fire like the pagans did getting their fire from Satan and not from God’s altar. The offering of incense was designated only to the high priest and entailed entering into the Holy of Holies so God blazed forth his fire and burned them up. *** Aaron was speechless so Moses told Aaron’s cousins, Mishael and Elzaphan to take their bodies outside the camp. Moses told Aaron and his sons that they could show no signs of mourning for his sons or God’s anger would strike the whole community of Israel. Their relatives and the people could grieve for them. *** The priests were never to drink alcohol before doing their priestly duties or they would die. (Makes me wonder if Mishael and Elzaphan were drunk.) *** Moses told Aaron and his two remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar to take what was left of the grain offering and eat it at the table of shewbread. And then they were to eat the sin offering by first lifting it up before the Lord. Eleazar and Ithamar burned it outside the camp instead. Moses was very upset with them for letting this happen but Aaron explained to Moses that his sons had offered their sin offerings and yet they were killed for their sins. They didn’t want to eat the sin offering on this tragic day. *** So why did God overlook Aaron’s disobedience and not his son’s. Moses, acting as God had compassion for Aaron who had already lost two sons. Since God didn’t impose his wrath on them, Moses forgave them also. The hearts of the first two sons was one of arrogance and dishonoring of God’s ways, the heart of the last two sons was grief and sadness. *** In Mark, Jesus continued to give parables explaining the Kingdom of God. He used illustrations of seeds being planted in the ground and the plant growing and producing fruit and shelter. When he was alone with his disciples he would explain the meaning of the parables. *** One evening, Jesus told his disciples they were crossing the lake to the other side where the Gentiles lived. Jesus slept in the bottom of the boat when a storm blew up. The disciples woke Jesus afraid of impending death. Jesus got up and rebuked the storm. This storm was an omen of the place they were going. They were met first with the demons protecting the principality of the land they were about to enter. This was their fear tactic and intimidation to make them turn around and leave. Jesus could not be intimidated by his old enemy, Satan. *** They arrived in the area of the Gerasenes which means “reward at the end”. They were met with the man carrying the principality of the whole region. He had entered into a man who lived in the tombs. No chain could contain him and no person could subdue him so he lived in the caves and howled like an animal as he cut himself with sharp stones. *** The man saw Jesus and ran to him. The demon inside of him cried out for mercy because he recognized who Jesus was. Jesus told the evil spirit to release the man and asked the demon what his name was. He replied it was “Legion” meaning “many”. It was the name used to describe a Roman regiment. He had a whole army of demons inside of him. *** The spirits begged to enter a nearby herd of 2,000 pigs and Jesus agreed. The pigs ran over the cliff and drowned in the water below. The men who had been watching over the pigs ran into town and told everyone what had happened. A crowd from the town came to meet Jesus. They saw the demoniac sitting, clothed and in his right mind. The story was too much for them to comprehend so they told Jesus to leave. The man who had been delivered begged to go with Jesus but Jesus told him to go home and tell everyone his testimony. So the man went to the Ten Towns of that region and gave his testimony. Things would be different the next time Jesus came back; the people would be begging him to stay. Lord, your ways are higher than our ways and your thoughts than our thoughts. We trust in your plan and your wisdom. May we rest in peace today as we live in you. In You we live and move and have our being.

Sun.’s Devo - Jesus, Our High Priest

Read: Leviticus 7:28-9:6; Mark 3:31-4:25; Psalm 37:12-29; Proverbs 10:5 We read the final instructions for the peace offering which was offered by the person voluntarily. The person presented his peace offering to the Lord and lifted it up with his hands. It was his sacrifice of praise to God. The priest would enjoy part of the offering as his share as the priest. *** This ended the instructions for the six offerings - the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, as well as the ordination offering and the peace offering. They were now ready to begin. *** First, Aaron and his son were to bring all the materials for the sin offering. Moses assembled the whole community at the Tabernacle entrance and announced that these were the offerings that the Lord commanded of them. He dressed Aaron in the high priest garments in front of the people. Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the Tabernacle and everything in it, making them holy. He anointed Aaron ands sons and clothed them in their priestly garments. *** Moses brought in the bull and Aaron demonstrated the requirements for the sin offering. This led to the burnt offering which were all part of the ordination offering. Moses was acting as God as he anointed Aaron and his sons to be the high priest and priests for the people. Moses did everything that the high priest would do from then on out. The offerings he offered that day were to cleanse the priests first before they could cleanse the people. Jesus had to live a sinless life and offer himself first before the people could be cleansed and receive salvation. Hebrews 7:27 says this of Jesus, “Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.” *** Moses was offering up the sacrifice for the sins of the priest. This ordination ceremony lasted for seven days, then on the eighth day they were to offer an additional sin offering, peace offering and grain offering because God was going to appear to them that day. The people came to meet the Lord that day at the entrance of the tabernacle. *** In Mark, we read that Jesus spoke both inside of houses and outside to the public. It was just like what happened at the Tabernacle. The people stood outside the entrance and could observe, but the people inside were actually participating with what God was doing. Jesus even said that the people inside the house were like his mother, hand his brothers. He was making a point. *** When he was outside preaching to the multitudes, he spoke in parables so that they could see and be responsible for what they saw, but they would not understand with their hearts. He told the most important parable first. This parable was the doorway into all the other parables he would give them. *** He told the meaning to his disciples when they asked. God was the scatterer of the Word and spiritual truths. He scattered them everywhere. All nature teaches his truths; you don’t have to go to church to learn about God and his ways. But, only the heart that is hungry and searching and open will be able to comprehend God’s mysteries hidden in plain sight. Lord, may we be those who pay close attention to what we hear and understand your mysteries and seek your face. May our hearts be fertile soil that your Word can take root and grow.

Sat.’s Devo - The Final Sacrifice

Read: Leviticus 6:1-7:27; mark 3:7-30; Psalm 37:1-11; Proverbs 10:3-4 God gave them laws concerning securities, theft and fraud. If you find that you were guilty of any of them, you were to give back what you stole plus 20%. Then you were to offer a guilt offering and repent to God. This would purify you before the Lord and you would be forgiven. *** The BURNT offering was an offering that ascended in smoke up to heaven. It was to be left on the altar burning all night long and in the morning the priest was to put on his linen garments and clean out the ashes and put them beside the altar. Then he was to put back on his regular clothes and carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that was ceremonially clean. *** This was what happened to Jesus’ body. He died and was left on the cross until Joseph of Arimathea went and asked Pilate for his body. He was taken off the cross and carried to Joseph’s grave that had never been used making it ceremonially clean. (Matthew 27:57-60; Mark 15:42-46; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42) All four gospels told the story of his body, so it was significant. *** Every morning fresh wood was to be put on the altar so the fire would never go out. What Jesus did for us on the cross is eternal. *** The GRAIN offering was a donation, present or tribute to the Lord that was bloodless and voluntary. It was to be mixed with oil and frankincense and offered by the hand of the priest. Some was to be burned on the altar and some was to be baked and eaten by the priest. This grain represented Jesus as our daily bread. It could be eaten only by the sons of Aaron just as his Word can only be nourishment to those who are the sons of God. It is spiritual death to those who do not believe. *** The SIN offering was an offering made because of an offense or for habitual sinfulness and its penalty. It was to be offered at the place where the burnt offering was made (the cross) and the priest that offered it must eat his portion in a sacred place within the courtyard of the Tabernacle. Anyone who the blood accidentally splatters on must wash his garment with water. Even the vessel that the blood is used to hold the blood must be rinsed with water and cleansed. *** This offering is the one we are constantly faced with. It is the sins that so easily beset us (Hebrews 12:1). We are to lay them aside because they weigh us down and keep us from running the race we are to run. The blood that must not be left on us or the vessel (person) has to do with unforgiveness. If we don’t forgive the sins of the people who offend and hurt us we carry their blood on our hearts and we will be weighed down. We have to completely forgive that person or God can not accept our offering. *** The GUILT offering was offered to cleanse us from guilt when the sin is our fault and we trespassed. God compared the guilt offering to the burnt and sin offering because they are presented the same…at the cross and the work was done by the priest. All our sins were brought to the cross and Jesus took them upon himself. That is why we can offer the next offering which is the peace offering. *** The PEACE offering is a requital or what we give to the Lord in return for what he did for us. It is our thanksgiving for taking our sins. If we continually wallow in our sins and think God cannot forgive us or we don’t deserve it we are rejecting the work Jesus did for us on the cross. He wants us to accept the peace that comes from being forgiven and be thankful. They would offer unleavened bread to the Lord because leaven means ‘sin’ and by offering unleavened bread means that they have accepted his forgiveness and offer themselves and holy and sinless because he took away their sins. *** The sacrifice would not be clean if offered on the third day. If it was eaten after the third day, then that soul would be cut off from his people. Jesus rose on the third day sealing our salvation and our resurrection. No more sacrifices have to be made after that. To still be looking for redemption elsewhere will be eternally damning for that person. There is no other way by which a man might be saved. *** In Mark, we learn about Satan and his tactics. The demons couldn’t overpower Jesus so they tried to distract and shoot their arrows at him. They did this by shrieking, “you are the son of God.” Jesus didn’t want to reveal this, he wanted the Holy Spirit to reveal it to their hearts. That is why Jesus said that anyone who blasphemed the Holy Spirit would never be forgiven. The Holy Spirit is the one of the trinity that has to do with drawing, convicting, and revealing truth to a person’s heart. We cannot accept God or Jesus without the Holy Spirit. He is the gate keeper. *** Jesus gave his twelve disciples authority to cast out demons and enter the house of Satan and plunder his goods. The ‘house’ was the person controlled by Satan and ‘his goods’ were Satan’s plans for that man. God has given us authority to do the same. *** Lord, may we use the authority you purchased for us at Calvary and enter into Satan’s houses and plunder his goods. May we bring salvation and hope and peace.

Fri.’s Devo - The Intentions of the Heart

Read: Leviticus 4:1-5:19; Mark 2:13-3:6; Psalm 36:1-12; Proverbs 10:1-2 God provided a way that man could be cleansed from sinning unintentionally. He was guilty the moment he sinned, even if he didn’t realize it was a sin. When God made that revelation for him, he then had a way to be cleansed. If he realized his sin and he was the high priest, he must give an offering of a young bull since the high priest represented Jesus to the people. He would place his hands on the head of the ox transferring his sin to the ox. Blood of the ox would be put on the horns of the altar of incense and the curtain to the Holy of Holies where the Ark stood. The rest of the blood would be poured out at the base of the brazen altar which stood for the cross. So he was being cleansing before heaven and earth. Then the internal organs of the ox was burnt on the brazen altar and the rest of the animal was burned outside the camp. If the community sinned and realized it the elders were bring the ox and place their hands on the head of the ox transferring the sins of the community to the ox. Then the same process would be carried out as for the high priest. If a leader sinned unintentionally then realized his sin, he was to transfer his sin to a female sheep or goat. Its blood would only be placed on the horns of the brazen altar with the rest of the blood poured out at the base of the brazen altar. In other words, he just takes his sins to the cross. In the middle of all of this talk of sacrifices we have a very important command. If we are called to testify about something we have seen or know about, it is sinful to refuse to testify. God loves truth and exposure leads to cleansing and freedom. If a person unknowingly touched something that was ceremonially unclean and then they realize it, or they made a foolish vow and then realized the foolishness of it, they must admit their sin. They must bring a female sheep or two turtledoves or two young pigeons as a penalty for their sin. One of the birds would be the sin offering and the other the burnt offering. Some of the blood of the blood of the bird for the sin offering would be sprinkled on the side of the altar and the rest poured at the base. The second bird would be burnt on the altar. This process would make them right before the Lord. If the person can’t afford a sheep or birds, they can substitute flour mixed with oil. If a person sinned by unintentionally defiling the Lord’s sacred property they must bring a guilt offering to the Lord of a ram. if they didn’t have a ram they would bring silver the value of the ram. Silver has to do with redemption. Restitution must be made for any property that needs replaced with an extra 20% added. The same was true if you unintentionally broke one of God’s commandments and then realized your sin. A ram or silver would be the ransom for your sin. Jesus explains the difference between sinning unintentionally in Mark. The Pharisees sinned behind closed doors and in their hearts but looked very clean and pious on the outside. The people Jesus ministered to looked and acted like sinners. They were the ones who realized their sins and could bring repent. The pride of the Pharisees kept them from being able to get rid of their guilt and sin. Jesus was trying to get the leaders of the law to renew their minds. They were the old wineskins who needed to change so He could pour his new wine into them. It wasn’t the letter of the law that God was concerned with; it is the intention of the heart that God looks at. The Pharisees got really hung up about the Sabbath and Jesus explained it so well. He said, “the Sabbath was made to meet the needs of the people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.” Then he added that He was Lord, even over the Sabbath. In other words, he was Lord even over the law. He gave them a picture when he healed the man’s deformed hand. Everything we do, we do with our hands - they represent “work”. The Pharisees were all about “works”. Jesus healed the man’s hand and His heart was broken over their hard hearts. Making a man’s hand right would not save his soul. It was an act of love and compassion that would woo his heart. The Pharisees couldn’t see that. Lord, help us to not be like the Pharisees and miss the point of compassion and grace. May we love the unlovely today and be thankful for your unforgiving love in our lives. Show us someone we can give this same love and forgiveness to today.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Sacrifices

Read: Leviticus 1:1-3:17; Mark 1:29-2:12; Psalm 35:17-28; Proverbs 9:13-18 The Lord had specific instructions for the offerings he would receive. The burnt offering was offerings that would be burned on the brazen altar by the priests. If the person brought an offering from the herd it meant he brought some form of an ox, like an ox, cow, bull or heifer. The person bringing the ox was to place his hand on the head of the ox transferring his sins to the animal. The priest would then prepare the animal by skinning it, washing its internal organs and placing the cut up meat on the altar to burn. Its blood would be splattered on the sides of the altar. This animal would die in place of the person and it would purify the person making him right with the Lord. This ox stood for Jesus who was the only sacrifice that could die in their place. If an offering was made of the flock it meant that it was a sheep or a goat. This was a picture of us offering ourselves as a living sacrifice to the Lord. It was prepared in the same way, but it doesn’t say that this sacrifice could die in their place nor did they place their hands on its head. It was to be slaughtered on the north side of the altar which would be pointing to the future. A turtledove or young pigeon has to do with something of love like an offering that you dearly cherish. It was first stripped of what made it beautiful - its crop and feathers. Then it was to be beheaded and its blood drained. It was to be ripped apart and burned. This almost sounds like offering your broken heart to the Lord. The grain offering was an offering of your work. It had to be the best flour anointed with oil. In other words, it’s not just any work, it is the work you did that God anointed for you to do. If the grain offering was something baked in an oven there was to be no yeast that it would rise in pride above the other offerings. No work commissioned by God was more important than other work commissioned by Him. Also, no honey was to be added to make one sweeter than others. This sounds to me to be an offering of persecution. But, if you offered the first fruits of your harvest and it was offered at First Fruits or Pentecost, it could have both yeast and honey. This feast celebrated the resurrection and giving of the Holy Spirit to the church. It was a time of great joy and dancing. Salt was always to be added to grain offerings making them eternal and good. A peace offering was totally voluntary and it was the thanksgiving offering. It represents our prayers of thanks to God for all he has done for us. Like the burnt offering it could be an ox from your herd or a lamb or goat from your flock. It was prepared like the burnt offering and in both the person laid his hands on the head of the animal transferring his thankful heart to the animal which would present it to the Lord. In Mark, Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law which stood for those of the elders of the house of Israel that were in-the-law, namely the scribes and Pharisees. And, Jesus healed the many who came to the house which represented the common people. It says that all the city was gathered at the door and watched as Jesus healed the sick and cast out demons. This was after they had left the synagogue. Remember that Mark was written for the Romans so they who couldn’t attend the synagogue could gather at the door of Simon’s house and see what God was doing. The town wanted Jesus to stay with them, but Jesus knew he had a short time so he left and went to other towns that needed to hear the truth. At one of the towns a Jewish leper came to him and he healed him. He told the man to go to show himself as a witness to the priests before he told anyone else. But, instead, the man went out and told everyone but the priests. This made it hard for Jesus to openly enter any city so he had to go outside the city and the people had to come to him. Jesus went next to Capernaum and taught in the house of a man. The house was so full of people that when a paralytic was brought to him they had to lower him through the roof to get an audience with Jesus. Jesus saw their faith and compassion and forgave the man’s sins. The ever-present Pharisees heard it and called this blasphemy. Jesus then asked them if it was easier to say his sins were forgiven or to say, Arise, and walk. To show that he had the authority to forgive sins, he told him to rise and walk. The man did. The people praised God. The Pharisees were peeved. Lord, thank you that you have forgiven our sins, consecrated us for good works and given us the commission to rise and walk. Today, may we walk with you in your Spirit.

Wed.’s Devo - The Kingdom of God

Read: Exodus 39:1-40:38; Mark 1:1-28; Psalm 35:1-16; Proverbs 9:11-12 Bezalel finished the priests’ garments and all the other things he had been commissioned to do. The craftsmen finished their work and they presented them to Moses. Moses inspected everything and was very pleased. He blessed them. God instructed Moses to put everything together on the first day of Nissan, the month of the Passover and Unleavened Bread. Moses erected the Tabernacle framework and put the roof coverings over the tent, Then placed the stone tablets in the Ark, attached the poles and put the lid with the angels on it on top. The brought the Ark into the Tabernacle and set up the curtains around it. Then he placed the table of shewbread to the north side of the Holy Place and arranged the bread on the table. Then he set the lamp stand in the Tabernacle across from the table on the south side and lit the lamps. The gold incense altar was placed in front of the Ark with the curtain to separate the rooms. Then the curtains were placed around that room. Next, Moses placed the brazen altar for the sacrifices near the Tabernacle entrance. The washbasin was placed between the altar and the and the Holy Place so the priest could wash his hands before entering the Tabernacle. Lastly, Moses put the curtain around the tent and at the entrance where nothing could be seen from the outside. When Moses had finished, a cloud covered the Tabernacle and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moses couldn’t enter because of the cloud and the glory. Whenever the cloud lifted, the people would set out on their journey and follow it. But if it didn’t rise, they remained where they were. The cloud would hover over the Tabernacle during the day and a pillar of fire glowed inside the cloud at night. Matthew had been a testimony to the Jews to show that Jesus was the King, the lion. The Gospel of Mark was written as a testimony to the Romans. It was to show that Jesus was the Servant, the Ox. Since Mark wrote his gospel to the Romans, he began with their first introduction to the gospel, which was John the Baptist. He called all people to repent, not just Jews. He showed the transference of his ministry to Jesus and validated Jesus authority and identity. He told how Jesus chose his followers from the fishermen and Jesus’ rise to importance. He taught in the synagogues with authority not like the other priests and teachers of the law. To the Romans, Jesus, the servant, looked much different from their officers and leaders who were selfish and arrogant. The Roman government had earthly power and recognition but the leaders of their government could not do the supernatural things Jesus could do. Lord, we are ministering to people like the Romans, who don’t know who you are and don’t understand your kingdom of love and grace. May we be examples to them of a kingdom with authority and signs and wonders. May they open their hearts to receive it.

Tues.’s Devo- The Resurrection!

Read: Exodus 37:1-38:31; Matthew 28:1-20; Psalm 34:11-22; Proverbs 9:9-10 When reading about the tabernacle furniture that was made, it is surprising how small the furniture really was. It had to be able to be carried on the shoulders of the priests by poles so it couldn’t be too big. However, the bases for the frames of the structure of the tent were 75 pounds a piece. There were a hundred of them! The total weight of all the gold used in the Tabernacle was 2,193 pounds. The total weight of the silver used in the Tabernacle was 7,545 pounds. There was 5,310 pounds of bronze in the brazen altar and instruments made of bronze. In addition to all the metal, there was the curtains that must have weighed a lot also. Anything without poles was carried on carts. On the third day from the crucifixion, the earth shook as the angel rolled away the stone from Jesus’ tomb. Jesus’ body resurrected and the angel sat on the rock to bear witness of what had happened. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to visit the tomb and saw the angle. The angle told them not to be afraid. Jesus was risen from the dead just like he said would happen. He had gone to Galilee where he would be waiting for them. The women ran to tell the disciples who went to see for themselves. Jesus, himself met them. They fell down in worship and he told them to meet him in Galilee. The Roman guards witnessed all of this and went to tell the priests what had happened. The elders met and gave the soldiers a bribe to lie and say that the disciples stole his body while they were asleep. The lie spread and deceived many. Why does the truth always have to be shrouded by lies. It is because Satan can’t let the truth be told without trying to taint it in some way. It forces us to be strong and exercise our faith. The effort of Satan to discredit the truth only shows us it is the truth. The disciples met Jesus in Galilee and he told them that God had given him all authority in heaven and on the earth. They were to go and make disciples of the nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. They were to teach the new disciples all the commands he had given them. He promised them that He would be with us to the end of the ages. Lord, thank you for your promise to always go with us through our lives. Thank you for the resurrection.

Mon.’s Devo - Jesus, Our Saviour

Read: Exodus 35:10-36:38; Matthew 27:32-66; Psalm 34:1-10; Proverbs 9:7-8 The instructions that God had given Moses on the mountain were given out and everyone that desired to give, gave. The women used their skills to make thread and weave the fabric for the curtains and the men constructed the framework for the Tabernacle. Bezelel and Oholiab led the skilled craftsmen with building the furniture and all the carved objects. Everything was made just as God had commanded Moses. It was all to be a replica of the Temple in heaven on a much smaller scale. In Matthew, Jesus was being led to Calvary carrying his cross. When it got too hard for him to carry, they grabbed a man named Simon who was from Cyrene to carry it the rest of the way. Jesus was led to Golgotha which means “place of a skull”. He was given bitter gall and vinegar to taste but he refused to drink it. They crucified him, then cast lots for his clothes. A sign was placed over his head which read, “This is Jesus the king of the Jews.” Two thieves were crucified on either side of him. He was ridiculed by those who passed by and by those who stayed to watch. At the sixth hour (noon), darkness covered the land for three hours. At the ninth hour (3 o’clock), he cried out quoting from Psalm 22. In that Psalm it describes all he was going through. Verse 16-18 describes his pierced hands and feet, and his garments that they cast lots for. Psalm 18 describes what happened during and after the three hours of darkness. It describes the earth quaking and the smoke and fire. It says that God bowed the heavens and came down in the cloak of darkness and the war that took place in the heavenlies. God won the battle and delivered his son. He rewarded him for his righteousness and enabled him to rise and fight.God made him the head of the heathen which would serve him. Jesus shouted out, “It is finished,” and released his spirit. The curtain in the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom and the earth shook, rocks split apart and tombs were opened. The bodies of many godly people in Jerusalem came back to life. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection and walked the streets of Jerusalem and appeared to many of the people. The Roman officer and his soldiers around the cross saw all of this and were terrified. They said, that truly Jesus was the Son of God. One of Jesus’ followers was a rich man named Joseph from Arimathea. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus body. He took it and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and placed it in his own tomb which had been carved out of a rock. The priests and Pharisees went to Pilate and asked him to seal it to keep the prophecies of his resurrection from happening. All of this was observed by the Mary’s of Jesus’ life. When the children of Israel left Egypt, they emptied the tomb of Joseph and took his bones to the Promised Land. This was a picture of Jesus who would empty Joseph’s tomb and go to his Promised Land. Lord, thank you that you fulfill all your promises and you are completely faithful to your Word. We can trust in everything you say. Thank you for the cross - our salvation and our hope. Thank you for the resurrection - the promise of a new life in you.

Sun.’s Devo - The Atonement

Read: Exodus 34:1-35:9: Matthew 27:15-31; Psalm 33:12-22; Proverbs 9:1-6 God showed his compassion and patient love to Moses by calling him back up the mountain to re-chisel the commandments on new tablets. God called out his name as he approached Moses in a cloud - “Yahweh”. He told him he was full of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry, filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. He would continue to love for thousands of generations and he forgives iniquity, rebellion and sin. But, he does not excuse the guilty and lays their sins upon their children for four generations. Moses laid prostrate on the ground begging God to go with them. God promised to go before them and chase out their enemies. He promised to perform miracles that had never been done on the earth to display his power for them. They were not to make covenants with the other nations or they would end up following their ways and worshipping their gods and it would be a trap to them. They were to remember to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread annually. It was the anniversary of their deliverance. They must buy back the first born of animal and sons of theirs from the Lord. If they didn’t want to buy back their first-born donkey, they were to break its neck. A donkey stood for burdens and stubbornness. Breaking its neck was a sign of breaking that stubbornness and curse of labor. The Sabbath was to be kept and the Festival of Harvest and Festival of the Final Harvest was to be kept. Theses were times of harvest which represented times when souls would come into the kingdom. Moses stayed on the mountain for forty days and nights without food or water. When he came down, his face was radiant and the people were afraid to come near to him. Moses told the elders the new things that God had told him then he put a veil on his face whenever he was in public. He collected materials he would need for the Tabernacle from the people who gave it freely. In Matthew, it was the Passover celebration and Pilate had a tradition where he would release a prisoner from jail during this time. He brought out the most notorious in his jail: Barabas and Jesus. They were the two goats - one would be sacrificed and one would go free. Pilate’s wife sent a message to Pilate about a nightmare she had had warning him not to hurt Jesus. Nevertheless, the people chose to crucify Jesus. Pilate washed his hands in front of them and said that he was innocent of their crime. They Jews shouted that they would take responsibility. Jesus was beaten and taken to the Roman headquarters where they put a scarlet robe on him and a reed in his right hand as a scepter. They mocked him and hailed him as the king of the Jews. They spit on him and terrorized him until they were bored. Then they took the robe off and led him to be crucified. Jesus, thank you for everything you went through for us. Thank you for takin all that mocking and pain to carry our sins on you. Thank you for not calling angels to deliver you but finishing your mission. May we finish our mission on earth bringing glory to you.

Sat.’s Devo - The Penalty of Sin

Read: Exodus 32:1-33:23; Matthew 26:69-27:14; Psalm 33:1-11; Provers 8:33-36 Moses was like God to the people and when he didn’t come back, the people went to Aaron and asked him to make them some gods that could lead them so they could get going. Aaron was afraid of he people and complied. He told them to bring the gold rings from the ears of their females and melted it and molded the gold into the shape of a calf. He then built an altar before the calf and proclaimed the next day as a festival to the Lord. The people sacrificed and celebrated with food, wine, and pagan revelry. God knew exactly what they were doing and told Moses it was time to get back to the camp and discipline his children. God wanted to kill them all and begin a new line through Moses but Moses convinced the Lord to have mercy. What would the nations who were watching think? When Moses saw for himself what they were doing he was so mad, he threw down the tablets he was carrying to get their attention. He had the calf ground to powder, mixed with water and forced the people to drink it. He held Aaron responsible and Aaron’s excuse is laughable. He told Moses he threw the gold into the fire and out popped this calf. They had exposed themselves to their enemies who were watching, so Moses stood in the gate of the camp and asked who was on the Lord’s side to come to him. The Levites responded and came and stood beside Moses. He told them to take their swords and kill everyone who participated in the celebration. They killed around 3,000 people. Moses went back to the Lord to pray atonement for the people. God said that those that sinned against him he would blot out of his book. As for the rest, Moses would lead them to the land he had promised and when he visited them, he would deal with their sin. He did visit them, in the form of Jesus Christ and Jesus dealt with sin. God promised to send his angel ahead of them to chase out the Canaanite, Amorite, Hittite, Perizzite, Hivite and the Jebusite. God also told them to take off the garments and jewelry of Egypt and not wear them anymore. They obeyed and didn’t wear them again. God would not dwell in the midst of them because they were stiff-necked and he knew he would end up killing them if he did. Moses moved the Tabernacle, that was in the midst of the people, out of the camp and if the people wanted to seek the Lord, they had to walk outside of the camp. When Moses entered the tabernacle, the cloud of God’s glory stood at the door. The people saw it and rose up to worship. Moses would go into the tabernacle where he spoke to God face to face as a friend, then he would return to the people to tell them what he said, but Joshua stayed in the Tabernacle. Moses prayed to see God’s glory and he allowed him to see him pass by. In Matthew, Peter denied Jesus three times. It didn’t hit Peter about what he had done until the rooster crowed. Then he remembered what Jesus had said and left weeping. Jesus was bound and taken to Pilate, the Roman governor. When Judas learned that Jesus was condemned to die, he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the priests and elders and tried to buy him back. He told them that Jesus was innocent. They didn’t care, they had what they wanted which was Jesus. Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and hung himself. The priests used the thirty pieces of silver to buy the potter’s field which would be a cemetery for foreigners. This had been prophesied in Zechariah 11:12-13 and Jeremiah 32:6-9. Pilate asked Jesus if he was the king of the Jews and Jesus answered him, “You have said it.” That was the last response Jesus gave them for all their false accusations. Lord, may we be slow to speak and think before we answer. Maybe the best answer is no answer at all. Holy Spirit, guide us into all truth.

Fri.’s Devo - Jesus’ Betrayal

Read: Exodus 30:11-31:18; Matthew 26:47-68; Psalm 32:1-11; Proverbs 8:27-32 Whenever the children of Israel took a census, they were first to let every man ransom or buy back their soul. To count the people was to judge them as in the last judgment. If they didn’t pay the ransom price there would be a plague like the time David counted the people in 2 Samuel 24. Everyone was to pay the exact amount, rich or poor, because God values all people the same. A huge bronze basin was to be put next to the brazen altar so that the priests could purify themselves before they entered the sanctuary. Incense mixed with olive oil was to be made for the incense altar made by an apothecary. With it, the priest were to anoint all the instruments and furniture in the tabernacle. Aaron and his sons were to be anointed by this special oil. The incense and the special oil was not to be copied by the people and used for ordinary use or that person would be cut off from the people. God chose Bezaleel to fill with his spirit to make all the things for the tabernacle. His name means “the shadow of God”. Oholiab was to be his assistant. His name means “tent of his father”. Moses reminded the people to keep the Sabbath as a holy day set apart for the Lord. They were to completely rest and dedicate that day to the Lord. All of this God spoke to Moses in the mountain and wrote them with his finger on two tablets of stone. In Matthew, Judas met Jesus on the mountain where he was praying and betrayed him with a kiss. Peter (John 18:10) grabbed one of the swords of the Roman officers that accompanied Judas and cut off the right ear of the servant of the high priest. Luke 22:51 tells us that Jesus touched his ear and healed him. Jesus was then led to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest where the teachers and elders of the religious order were assembled. Peter followed them and sat with the guards to see what would happen. False witnesses were called in but none of their testimony stood until one stood up and told the truth. Jesus had said that he was able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days. Then they cried “blasphemy” and began to beat Jesus and mock him. Jesus was not killed because of a lie, but because of the truth. They were responsible for their actions. Lord, may we discern the truth and love it. Even if we do not understand it, may we walk in your truth.

Thurs.’ Devo - Sanctifying the Priests

Read: Exodus 29:1-30:10; Matthew 26:14-46; Psalm 31:19-24; Proverbs 8:14-26 God gave Moses instructions for consecrating Aaron and his sons for the priesthood. They were to take a young bull and two rams that were spotless, along with unleavened bread made with olive oil that had been placed in a single basket at the entrance of the Tabernacle. Aaron and his sons were to stand there and be washed and dressed in the priestly garments. When they were ready, they were to place their hands on the head of the bull, transferring their sins to the animal. The bull would be killed and its blood sprinkled on the horns of the brazen altar which stood for the cross. This ceremony was to represent how Jesus offered his life as a ransom for our sins. The inner parts of the bull were to be kept but its body was to be burned outside the camp as a sin offering. Jesus’ body was beaten, bruised and torn but his soul and his spirit was present before the Lord. Aaron and his sons then laid their hands on the other ram and slaughtered it and its blood was applied to the right earlobes, the thumbs of their right hand, and the big toes of their right foot. This was to represent their ability to hear and discern truth, serve with clean hands and walk uprightly. Aaron and his sons were to lift this bull and unleavened bread up before the Lord as a special gift. This would be their portion that they would eat with the Lord. This ceremony would continue for seven days with sacrifices being made daily in the morning and the evening. This would serve to sanctify the priests and the altar. If they did what the Lord required, he would live among them and be their God and the would know that He was the one who brought them out of Egypt in order that God could live among them. Moses was to make another altar for incense that would sit just outside of the Holy of Holies right in front of the Ark of the Covenant. It would look like a mini Ark made of wood and covered with gold. Every morning when Aaron maintained the menorah he was to burn incense to the Lord. Once a year he was to purify this altar by applying blood to its horns. This altar was to represent the prayers made to the Lord by the saints. It was the most holy altar. In Matthew, Judas Iscariot had been in charge of Jesus’ finances and saw a way to get more money. Whether he believed Jesus when he said he was going to be handed up in Jerusalem and realized his source of income was about to be gone or what his motives were, we don’t know. We do know that he chose to sell Jesus life for thirty pieces of silver. More importantly, we know this: Jesus freely gave up his life for us. On the first day of Unleavened Bread, Jesus sent his disciples to set up the place where they would eat the Passover meal together. While they were eating, Jesus told them that one of them would betray him. He reminded them of the scriptures that prophesied that he must die, but woe to the man who betrays him. The disciples were very upset wanting to know who it could be. Even Judas asked if it would be him. Jesus blessed the bread and explained that it represented his body, then he blessed the wine and told them that this represented his blood. It would confirm the covenant between God and his people. His sacrifice would forgive the sins of many. They sang a song and then went out to the Mount of Olives. Jesus warned them that the Shepherd would be struck and the sheep would be scattered. Then he would be raised from the dead. Peter blurted that he would never deny Jesus, but Jesus told Peter that before the next morning he would deny him three times. Jesus took Peter, James and John up with him on the mountain to pray. While Jesus struggled with his mission ahead of him, he surrendered to God’s will. Meanwhile, the three disciples fell asleep. After the third time of checking on the disciples, Jesus told them the time had come. He looked up and saw his betrayer coming to take him. Lord, How great is the good ness you have stored up for this who fear you! Reading today’s scripture reminds us of the wonders of your unfailing love for us. May we be strong and courageous and put our hope in you.

Wed.’s Devo -The Priests and the High Priest

Read: Exodus 28:1-43; Matthew 25:31-26:13; Psalm 31:9-18; Proverbs 8:12-13 Aaron and his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar were to be set apart as priests to the Lord. Aaron was to be set apart as the High Priest and was given special garments to wear which would represent the office of Jesus as our High Priest. All five of them were to wear robes made of fine linen cloth embroidered with gold, blue, purple and scarlet thread. Aaron was to wear an ephod which was like an open vest. It was to be of the same linen and thread with two pieces that flapped over his head and hung down in the front and back. It was attached only at the shoulders. A decorative sash held it in place, close to his body. Two onyx stones were carved with the names of six of the tribes on one stone and the other six on the others. They would be set in gold filigree on the shoulders so when God looked down from heaven he would see those names. Aaron would also wear a chestpiece which would have an inner pocket for the stones of the Urin and the Thummim which would determine the will of God. One stood for “yes” and the other “no”. On the outside of the chestpiece were three rows of four stones. They were all different and each one etched with the name of the tribe they represented. This chest piece was attached to the ephod with rings of gold. In this way, Aaron would hold the tribes of Israel close to his heart. Over all this, Aaron was to wear a robe made from a single piece of blue cloth with an opening for his head in the middle of it. It was to have pomegranates embroidered with the colored threads at the bottom with a bell between each pomegranate. The bells would tinkle when he walked. On his head, he was to wear a turban with a gold seal on it that read, “Holy to the Lord”. This would keep him holy while he bore the sins of the people. Aaron and his sons were to be consecrated to serve as priests then adorned in their priestly garments. They were to wear linen undergarments to cover them when performing their duties. All of the garments of the priests pertain to Jesus, his holiness, and his great intercessor that he is for us. He carried our guilt and shame into the presence of the Lord after he became our final sacrifice. Now, we as part of his holy priesthood stand before God in holy garments who can boldly approach his throne of grace. Jesus continued his sermon about the end of time in Matthew. When Jesus comes back with all the angels, he will sit upon his throne. All the nations will be gathered for the judgment and he will separate the sheep on his right - those who were his, from the goats on his left- those who were Lucifer’s. The sheep will be invited to inherit the Kingdom prepared for them because they ministered to people as unto the Lord. They will go to eternal life. The ones on the left who lived only for themselves will go to eternal punishment. It was two days before the Passover. Jesus reminded his disciples that he would become the Lamb of God that would be offered for the sins of the world. (They did not grasp this at the time.) At this very time across town, the priests and elders were meeting at Caiphas’ house to plot Jesus’ death. A woman came and anointed Jesus head and feet with expensive perfume. When the disciples opposed the opulence of the act, Jesus explained that she was preparing his body for burial. Lord, reading this I am reminded of how many times we miss the importance of the moment only to find out later. May our spirits be in tune with what you are doing today in our lives and may we walk according to your plan. Thank you that you are our High Priest who bore our sin and guilt upon you. Thank you for cleansing us and making us holy in your sight.

Tues.’s Devo - The Making of the Tabernacle

Read: Exodus 26:1-27:21; Matthew 25:1-30; Psalm 31:1-8; Proverbs 8:1-11 God had told the children of Israel to spoil the Egyptians so that they would have the materials needed to make the Tabernacle. Their offerings would be totally voluntary but they gave freely. From the linen threads, they wove cloth with red, blue and purple embroidered cherubim. With it they made eleven curtains 45’ x 6’ long and attached five of them together to make one piece and seed together the other six to make another piece. These would be coverings for the sides of the Tabernacle. They would be joined in the back with loops and hooks. They were to do the exact thing with goat hair cloth three feet longer for a covering over the top. The extra feet were for a hang over. They would be joined with the same loops and hooks. The framework was made of wood that could be easily taken apart and moved. Inside the Tabernacle was to have a linen curtain decorated with the embroidered cherubim hung on gold hooks. Its posts were to be covered with gold and set in silver bases. The Ark of the Covenant would be behind this curtain which would separate the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. The Ark and its cover would be placed in the Holy of Holies which would be the place of atonement. The table of shewbread would be placed on the north side of the Holy Place and the Menorah on the south side of the same room. A curtain would be hung in front of them also with gold hooks and bronze bases. Next, the bronze altar where all the sacrifices would be made was constructed. It was made of wood and bronze. It would have four bronze horns on the corners and a grate for burning the sacrifices. It was like a huge Bar-B-Q pit. It was placed in the courtyard and was enclosed with curtains made of linen. The courtyard would be 150’ long by 75’ long. A 30’ opening for the entrance would be at the east side. The whole courtyard would be encased in curtains. The people were asked to bring olive oil for the lamps that were to burn continually. God’s light was to never go out. Speaking of oil, that leads us right into the next story in Matthew about the ten bridesmaids. They were to meet with bridegroom in the night with their lamps. They waited and waited for him to come and five of the bridesmaids got lazy and stopped filling their lamps. When the bridegroom came they had not oil and ran to find some. He came while they were gone and it was too late for them. Oil represents the Holy Spirit which is the anointing of God in our lives. Another parable was about a man who left for a long trip. He gave his servants money according to their abilities and left. To one he gave five bags of silver, to one two bags and to the last one he gave one bag of silver. The one who received the five invested and earned five more. The one with two went to work and earned two more. But the one with one hid his in the ground. When the master returned they gave account and the master praised the first two and exalted them to new positions. The one who hid his was rebuked was stripped of the money he was given and it was given to the first man. The story’s conclusion was: “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.” The last man was thrown into outer darkness, there there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Lord, help us to use our time wisely on earth and be about your business. May we freely give of the talents you have blessed us with.

Mon.’s Devo - The Festivals of the Lord

Read: Exodus 23:14-25:40; Matthew 24:29-51; Psalm 30:1-12; Proverbs 7:24-27 God gave the Israelites three festivals to celebrate - Unleavened Bread which celebrated their departure from Egypt; the Festival of Harvest which celebrated their first harvest of crops; and the Festival of the Final Harvest at the end of the year when they brought in their end-of -the-year harvest. At these three times the men were to come before the Lord to worship him. They were to always bring a sacrifice of blood as well as the best of the produce from their harvest. God was sending an angel to watch over them and help them take their land but he would not forgive their rebellion. The angel would drive their enemy out little by little with fear as long as they obeyed him. They were not to make any treaties with the enemy. Moses was to go back up the mountain and bring Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy elders. The were to worship at a distance but only Moses was allowed to come near to the Lord. The people said they would obey all the instructions the Lord had given him. Moses wrote the instructions down for them to have. He built a fire and set up 12 pillars, one for each tribe and the young men presented burnt offerings and sacrifices on them. They took the blood and after Moses had read the Book of the Covenant to them, he sprinkled the blood on the people sealing their covenant with God. Moses took the men and climbed up the mountain. They saw the Lord in his glory and ate a meal in his presence. Then, Moses was called to come up higher on the mountain. Moses left Aaron and Hur in charge of the people. He and Joshua climbed up the mountain and stayed for forty days and nights. God gave Moses and Joshua a list of things the people could donate to the Lord. These would all be used in the Tabernacle they would make to worship the Lord during their travels. First, they were to make an ark of wood and cover it with gold. It was to have four rings of gold attached two to a side to slide poles through to carry the ark. The poles were to be made of wood and covered with gold. Two seraphim were to be carved from gold to sit on the top. This would be the mercy seat where God would meet with them. The tablets God was going to give them would be kept in this piece of furniture. Next, they were to make the table of shewbread with dishes and spoons and bowls. It was to be make of wood and covered with gold. A menorah was to be fashioned out of pure gold. It was to have bowls at the top of each of the branches for the oil to burn. It was to look like an almond branch with buds and flowers. Moses was shown the real pieces in heaven that they were to mirror here on earth. They were bringing heaven to earth. These pieces were in God’s sanctuary in heaven. In Matthew, Jesus was still explaining the last days and the end of days. In the end the sun and moon will be darkened. The stars will fall from the sky. The people will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven. He will send out his angels to harvest the whole earth. Jesus told them that they would see this scene happen: two men will be working in the field and one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill and one would be taken and the other left. This scene actually happened in their day when the Assyrians came and took Jerusalem. This scene would happen again when at the end of time. It sounds to me like the ones taken are taken to death and the ones left are left to carry on God’s plan on the earth. During Noah’s time it was the ones taken away in the water that perished because of their rebellion against God. Noah and his family were left to carry on the earth. Jesus gives a parable about a master and a servant. If the servant did well he would be allowed to stay and eventually be given all the master owned but if he did evil, he would be sent to the place where there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Lord, help us to remain faithful to the destiny you have given us. May we finish all that is in our book to do on the earth. May our lives bring you glory.

Sun.’s Devo - God’s Commandments are Good

Read: Exodus 21:22-13; Matthew 24:1-28; Psalm 29:1-11; Proverbs 7:6-23 God’s commands are good and just. They cause every man to take responsibility for his actions and to have respect for others. They teach us God’s justice and what he requires from us so that we are not in the dark on how to please him. Some of the things God required was the first born son and first born animals, and offerings from their crops and wine. He also required that they keep the Sabbath holy. Jesus gave us a warning of all the things that would be happening in the world: wars, rumors of war, the fall of the Temple, the rise and fall of kingdoms, the arrest of his followers, false prophets, etc. All these things have happened over the decades but Jesus said these are signs will precede his coming back but not be the sign of the end of the world. But, when they see the sacrilegious object that causes desperation is standing in the Holy Place, the people of Judah must flee to the hills. This happened when Antiochus Epiphanes killed a pig on the altar in the Temple. Jesus was telling them of what was about to happen in their lifetime and it did. It is also a picture of what will happen again. Our Psalm gives us a detailed picture of what happened when God spoke from Mt. Sinai. No wonder the people were so frightened and asked him not to do that again. Lord, may we see your commandments as safety nets for our lives not as restrainers of our fun. Every statute you give us is for our good. May we walk in your Word.

Sat.’s Devo - God’s Presence

Read: Exodus 19:16-21:21; Matthew 23:13-39; Psalm 28:1-9; Provers 7:1-5 When the third day came, there was thunder and lighting with no rain and a long blast was heard from a ram’s horn. The people came to the foot of the mountain to hear from God. The mountain was full of smoke and fire ascended from its top. The sound of the ram’s horn got louder and louder like a siren. God sent Moses back down to remind the people not to come near the mountain. Then the Lord spoke his commandments to the people. He explained who he was and what he required of them. The first four had to do with Him specifically and the others had to do with how to treat others. God didn’t have to worry about the people coming too near because they were scared to come close. They told Moses that they would rather he told them what God said rather than God speaking to them like this again. This was too scary. Moses explained that God came to them in this dramatic way so that they would be afraid to sin against him. Then God told them the type of altar they were to build and what they were to sacrifice. He gave them laws of slavery and how to treat another person under their authority. He told them how to treat their father and mother and their wives. In Matthew, Jesus came down on the religious leaders who worked so hard to look squeaky clean and holy but inside their hearts they were merciless and faithless sinners. Their hears were filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness. Jesus told them the most important aspects of the law, which they were ignoring were justice, mercy and faith. Their ancestors had killed the prophets that God sent them and they would do the same. They would be held responsible for all the murders of the innocent from Abel to Zechariah. They would also kill the Messiah, but one day their people will bless those that God sends. Lord, we look forward to the day when You will be honored in the earth as the only God and maker of us all. May we welcome your presence and boldly approach your throne.

Fri.’s Devo - Battle Won by Praise

Read: Exodus 17:8-19:15; Matthew 22:34-23:12; Psalm 27:7-14; Proverbs 6:27-35 The warriors of Amalek attacked the Israelites probably for the water God had sent them. The Amaleks were from the lineage of Esau. Moses stood on top of the hill holding up his staff. As long as he held his staff over the battle, the Israelites would be winning but when he dropped his staff the Amaleks would prevail. Finally Aaron and Hur had to hold his arms up until the day was over and the Israelites had won. God told Moses to write it down… God would erase the memory, remembrance, and scent of the Amaleks from under heaven. Moses built an altar and called it Jehovah-nissi because the Lord had sworn that he would have war with the Amalek from generation to generation. Jethro heard about all Moses had done and where he was camped, so he came with Moses’ wife and children to meet him. Moses told Jethro all God had done for Israel and Jethro praised the Lord as the God greater than all the other gods. Moses had two sons: Gershom which means “I have been a foreigner in a strange land,” and Eliezer which means “God of help.” These names summed up Moses’ life up till then. Jethro stayed with Moses and observed how Moses governed his people. He watched as Moses decided disputes all day long and advised him to teach other men who feared God and hated bribes in God’s laws. They could handle the small cases for him while he just dealt with the larger cases. Moses took Jethro’s. Forty days after they had left Egypt, God called Moses up on Mt. Sinai. He told him that if the people obeyed his commandments and kept the covenant with Him, they would be his own special treasure from all the people on the earth. The would be his kingdom of priests, his holy nation. He called the people together and told them what God had said and they agreed to obey God’s commands. God would come to Moses in a thick cloud and allow the people to hear him talk to Moses. First they would need to consecrate themselves and wash their clothes. They must be ready in three days. This would end up being 50 days from the Passover they had celebrated in Egypt making it Pentecost. God told Moses to mark off a boundary around the mountain that the people could not breach or they would die. The ram’s horn would sound from heaven when the people were to assemble. In Matthew, The Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees so they set off to trap him. They asked Jesus which was the most important commandment and Jesus said to love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind. Then he added that the second was equally important which was to love their neighbor as they love themselves. He knew that that one would get them. That didn’t go like they had planned so they asked him who’s son the Messiah would be. They answered their own question with “David’s son.” So Jesus asked them why David called the Messiah his Lord in Psalm 110:1. How could the Messiah be his son and his Lord? That shut up the Pharisees. Then Jesus exposed the religious leaders for what they were…hypocrites. Jesus told the people that they might say the right thing but they didn’t even practice what they preached. Jesus told them to not call anyone ‘Father’ but God or anyone ‘teacher’ but the Messiah. Everyone was equal as brothers and sisters. (I bet the religious leaders were shaking with anger when he said that.) Lord, help us to see each other as our equal brothers and sisters. Thank you for the many battles you cause us to win as we praise you.

Thurs.s Devo - The Way of the Kingdom

Read Leviticus 25:47-27:13; Mark 10:32-52; Psalm 45:1-17 Proverbs 10 22 God gave the people a way to be bought back from slavery. If a person ended up destitute he could sell himself to a wealthy foreigner or a wealthy Israel, but always had the option of being bought back. Anyone from his extended family could buy him back. The price would be negotiated based on the number of years till the net year of bile. The foreigner was not to be allowed to treat them harshly. If the people don’t set up idols and keep the Sabbath and obey Gods commands then the land would yield bountiful harvests. They would live in peace with no fear of war. Their women wold be fertile and multiply. God would walk among them and be their God and they would be his people. If they refused to obey his commands, they would experience terror, disease, blight and defeat. If they continued in sin they would be punished seven times over for their sins. God would withhold the rain which would kill their crops. Wild animals would attack and kill them. Armies would attack and take them as hostages. Plages would destroy them and their food supply. They would eat their own children and their cities would become desolate and the land would lie in ruins. Survivors would be demoralized and live in terror. They would die in the land of their captors. At last, the people would repent and turn back to the Lord. God would remember his covenant with them and redeem them. Chapter 2 tells us the cost of a person to be dedicated to the Lord. They were valued according to their age and gender. A vow which involved an animal’s valet according to its condition and whether it was clean or not clean ames and John secretly asked Jesus if they cold have placed of honor ext to him when he sits on the throne. Jesus told them they had no idea what the cost of gaining those positions. The other disciples caught wind of what they had asked and were indignant. esus told them that the way to earn those positions was by serving and laying down his life. On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus healed a blind man named Bartimeus who then followed Jesus. Lord, may we learn the ways of you kingdom. May we lay down or lives and serve one another because that was what you did.

Thurs.’s Devo- Testing

Read: Exodus 15:19-17:7; Matthew 22:1-33; Psalm 27:1-6; Proverbs 6:20-26 When the people of Israel witnessed the Lord bring the waters back on the Egyptian chariots and drown them, Miriam picked up her tambourine and led the women into a song and dance of praise to the Lord. Moses led the people three days into the desert where there was no water. When they finally came to water, it was bitter and the people complained to Moses. Moses cried out to the Lord and he showed Moses a log and told him to throw it into the water. The water was made drinkable. God then told the people that he would test their faithfulness to him by their obedience. If they did what he said, they would never experience the diseases they had in Egypt. They traveled another month and ran out of bread so they complained to Moses and accused him of bringing them out there to starve to death. God gave them another test to see if they would obey. He told them he would send bread from heaven in the morning and they were only to gather enough for the day. They were not to keep any of it till the next day. Some obeyed while others didn’t believe God and saved some overnight. In the morning it had worms and stunk. Moses was very upset at them. On the sixth day they were to gather enough for two days. Moses also told them he would give them meat to eat in the evening. That next morning they awoke to flakes of bread on the ground and that evening they witnessed quail that flew in. Some of the people didn’t gather enough manna on the sixth day and were surprised to have no manna on the seventh. The seventh day was to be a Sabbath day and it was to be a gift from God to them. It was a day of rest. God told Moses to gather a day’s worth of manna, two quarts, and put it in a jar to save as a testimony to God’s provision. The people went on to Rephidim where they were tested again as there was no water. Instead of trusting the Lord, they complained to Moses. The Lord was testing their faith while they tested the Lord’s patience and mercy. The Lord told Moses to take his staff and the elders to a rock at Mt. Sinai. He was to strike the rock and water would come gushing out. He obeyed and it happened just as God said it would. He named the place Massah which means “test” because the Lord was testing them, and Mariah which means “arguing” because the people were arguing. In Matthew, Jesus told another parable about the Kingdom of Heaven. A king prepared a great wedding feast for his son and invited all his friends but they refused to come. They all had excuses. The king then sent his servants out to find anyone who would come and invited them until the banquet hall was filled with guests. One of the men wasn’t wearing the proper clothes and had no excuse. He was bound and thrown into the outer darkness. The moral of the parable was that many are invited, but few are elected. This ticked the Pharisees off as they knew he was referring to them as the villain in all of his parables. They met to discuss how they could trap Jesus into saying something they could arrest him on. They came back with a question to test Jesus. They asked him if it was right to pay taxes to Caesar or not. Jesus knew what they were doing and called them hypocrites because they were acting. He told them to give to Caesar’s what was his and to God what was his. They went away amazed at his wisdom. The Sadducees then came with their question to trap Jesus. It had to do with resurrection since they didn’t believe in the resurrection. Jesus saw through their acting also and cut straight to the chase. He reminded them of what God had said about himself in talking about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Long after they had died, God said that he was their God. How could he be the God of the dead? There had to be a resurrection. The crowds were astounded by his teaching because instead of barking out man-made commandments, he was explaining God’s commandments where they could understand them. Lord, help us to have faith to pass the tests of life. May we not test you with our disobedience but learn about you through our obedience. Thank you for your grace to follow you.

Wed.’s Devo - Final Victory

God led his people to the Red Sea with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They brought Joseph’s bones with them just like they had promised. The pillar stopped at Pi-hahiroth which means “mouth of the defiled.” It was across from Baal-zephon where the Egyptians worshipped the Baal of the north. Every plague dealt with one of Egypt’s gods and God would deal with another. Meanwhile, Pharaoh changed his mind again and came after them as they were trapped against the Red Sea with nowhere to escape. Pharaoh and his chariots chased after them with 600 of Egypt’s best chariots and caught up with them. The Israelites panicked when they saw the Egyptians coming. Moses told the people to not be afraid but just stand still and watch what the Lord would do to rescue them. The Egyptians they saw today, they would never see again. He told the people that God would fight for them. The Lord asked Moses why he was crying out to him, Moses needed to act. God told Moses to pick up his staff, raise it over the sea and divide it. (Reminds me of when Jesus told his disciples, “you feed them” talking about the 5,000.) God told Moses that the sea would divide and the people would walk over on dry ground. The angel of the Lord went behind them and put the cloud as a dividing line between the Egyptians and the Israelites. The Israelites had light on their side and the Egyptians had darkness. Moses raised his hand over the waters and the sea divided. The wind blew all night turning the sea into dry land. The people walk through the path to the other side. Pharaoh and his army chased them and when they got to the middle of the sea. God told Moses to stretch his army back over the sea and the waters returned. Their chariot wheels got stuck in the water and drown them all in the sea. The people of Israel saw the great deliverance that God gave them and sang a powerful song about the Almighty God they served. In Matthew, the Pharisees and leaders of the law came to ask Jesus who gave him the authority to do the things he did. He asked them whose authority did John operate from. They couldn’t answer him so he told them that he wouldn’t answer them either. Then Jesus told them a parable about a man who had two sons. He gave them the same assignment to go work in his vineyard. The first son told his father he wouldn’t go, but changed his mind and went. The second son told his father he would go, but didn’t. Jesus asked them who did the will of his father. They said the first one. Jesus explained that they had been given John the Baptist to tell them how to live and they refused to do it. They were the second son. The tax collectors and prostitutes heard John’s teaching and accepted it and repented. They were the first son. If that didn’t make them mad enough, he told them another story about a vineyard owner. He set up his business, then left it to overseers to run. When he sent his servants to collect his proceeds, they beat one, killed another and stoned the next. The owner decided that the only one they would respect was his son, so he sent him. They murdered him so they could have the vineyard to themselves. Jesus asked them what they thought the owner would do when he returned himself. They answered that he would kill the wicked men and lease his vineyard out to others he could trust. Jesus quoted Psalm 118:22-23 about the cornerstone. Then the religious leaders realized he was referring to them as the wicked overseers who had killed the prophets and would soon kill the son. Lord, thank you for the great stories you give us about your deliverance and your great power. The government of this world is truly on your shoulders.