Sat.’s Devo - God’s Feasts

Read: Leviticus 22:17-23:44; Mark 9:30-10:12; Psalm 44:1-8; Proverbs 10:19 God gave them special days to celebrate so they would always remember what he did. The first was the Sabbath to be observed every seven days. It was to be a constant reminder of God’s day of completion. Our lives are like a week. We are born on the first day, get saved on the third day and die on the seventh to complete our lives. These days differ with each person. *** God also divided the year into feasts to show us his plan for the world. On the tenth day of the first month it was the Lord’s Passover. Jesus was crucified on this day. On the fifteenth day of the same month was the Feast of Unleavened Bread. They were to eat unleavened bread for a week and every day present a food offering to the Lord. On the first and seventh day they were not to work. This day represents how Jesus lived his life sinless from the day he was born to the day he died. When we become Christians, we live in unleavened bread where we are cleansing the sin from our lives. This is called sanctification. *** The next feast is First Fruits. When they harvested their wheat they were to bring the first fruits of their harvest to the Lord and the priest would wave it before the Lord. Jesus rose on this day being the first fruit to rise from the dead. *** Fifty days or seven weeks later from the day after the Sabbath, they were to bring two loaves of bread to be waved along with seven lambs and one bull and two rams. In addition they were to bring a grain offering, drink offering, food offering, sin offering and a peace offering. The priest would wave the bread of their first fruits to the Lord. This represented the fruits of their labor. This feast was called the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost. It would represent the day God sent his Holy Spirit in Acts Two to dwell with us. *** In the seventh month on the first day they were to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets. It would be a solemn day of rest beginning with the blast of trumpets. This will be the first trump and is a call to repentance. The gates are open wide for those to come to repentance. *** On the tenth day of this 7th month was the Day of Atonement. It was the most holy day of the year. On this day the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies and offer blood on the altar to pray for the nation. When this day is fulfilled, the gates to heaven will be shut and no one will be allowed to come in after this day. *** On the fifteenth of this month will be the Feast of Tabernacles where they will celebrate living in booths they make from certain branches of trees. This is to remind them that all their lives they were living in temporary bodies and temporary houses. This is to remind them that God will one day dwell with us. This day marks the end of the world as we know it. *** On the eighth day of this feast they were to hold a holy convocation and do no work. This will be the day the world begins again in the new earth. *** In Mark, Jesus is on his way to be crucified and his disciples are discussing who will be greatest in Jesus’ kingdom. Jesus knew what they were saying and told them that if they wanted to be first in his kingdom they would have to be willing to be a servant, now. Life is preparation for eternity. Life is our test. *** Jesus explained that those who do something good in his name are doing it because they believe in him. If they believe in him then they believe in God because he came from God. If they do some mighty work in his name they will not speak against him. The smallest act done for Christ’s followers will be rewarded. But, if anyone causes an innocent person to sin, they will be judged harshly. *** Jesus taught in Matthew that we are the salt of the earth and now Mark tells us that the salt is fire. It is the fire of trials and sacrifices. Trials and tests are what makes us effective. *** Lord may we respond correctly to our trials and learn patience, compassion, mercy and love from what we go through. May we grow to love our enemies and may we bless those who bless us. May we be a blessing to you.

Fri.’s Devo - Be Ye Holy As I Am Holy

Read: Leviticus 20:22-22:16; Mark 9:1-29; Psalm 43:1-5; Proverbs 10:18 God warned them to keep his laws so they would be able to stay in the land he was giving them. They were to live separate from those who had been there before them. They were to be God’s holy people. *** All of God’s laws have spiritual meaning to us. They were not to let the uncleanness of others wear off on them. They were not to hang with sinners unless they were part of their family. They were not to do heathen rituals as part of their worship to the Lord. If a believer goes after other gods, he is profaning the Lord and will be purified with the fire of God’s judgement (vs. 9). *** The priests were not to let their hair hang loose nor tear his clothes. That would represent flaunting their sins and exposing their unrighteousness. Paul told them not to use grace as an excuse to sin. *** Verses 11 and 12 have to do with stepping outside God’s boundaries. If God has delivered you from alcohol, he will probably not send you to the bars to witness until you are mature enough to handle it. *** When God speaks of marriage he is talking about making earthly covenants. He warned them to look at the person’s track record before you make a covenant with them. *** No one with a blemish was to offer God’s bread or draw near to God. Then he gives a list of what these blemishes are. They all have to do with unconfessed sin. When we confess our sins, he forgives us and makes us clean. Then we see clearly, walk upright and our actions are pleasing to the Lord. *** We are to minister to the Lord with clean hearts. God even gave concessions for the prodigal son (vs. 13) and the one who unintentionally sins. He must add grace to his offering and God is merciful to forgive us. He gives us a way so that we will not to have to bear our iniquity. He sanctifies us. *** In Mark, Jesus told his disciples that some of them would live to see the kingdom of God come in power. This happened on the day of Pentecost and continued after that day. *** He was also speaking of the seventh day when Jesus will be glorified before us. Jesus took his three closest disciples up on a high mountain after six days making it the seventh day. He transfigured into his glorified body right before them and they saw him talking to Elijah and Moses. Peter wanted to make tents for each of them so they could stay. But God spoke from heaven and said, “this is my beloved Son; listen to him.” Then the vision was over. *** As they came down from the mountain, Jesus told them not to tell any one what they had seen until he rose from the dead. They asked Jesus why Elijah had to come first. Jesus explained that John the Baptist was Elijah and they did to him just what Elijah had prophesied they would. *** When they joined back with the other disciples, there was a crowd formed. The disciples had been trying to deliver a man who was mute and oppressed with demons. The disciples were not able to deliver the man. Jesus called them a faithless generation and asked the boy to be brought to him. The boy was a picture of that generation. They couldn’t hear what Jesus had to say and they were full of demons that controlled their lives. The boy, like them, refused to be delivered. *** The father of the boy asked Jesus if he could to help his son. Jesus put the answer back on the man and told him that he had to believe. The man said he did believed but needed help with his unbelief. *** Jesus did deliver the boy and when his disciples asked him later why they couldn’t deliver the boy, he told them that this kind could not come out by anything but prayer and fasting. I don’t think he meant it for the disciples to fast and pray but for the nation to fast and pray. It was the one that needed healing and deliverance. *** Lord, may our nation receive healing, deliverance and salvation. May we believe and see your salvation come.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Holy and the Profane

Read: Leviticus 19:1-20:21; Mark 8:11-38; Psalm 42:1-11; Proverbs 10:17 God called the people to be holy because they were worshiping a holy God. They should respect their parents and God’s Sabbaths. They were not to make metal gods to worship. *** When offering a peace offering to the Lord, anything left till the third day was to be burned up with fire. The third day represents resurrection and new life. None of the old can come into the new life. It represents the day a person comes to Christ. That is their third day. *** When they reaped their land they were to leave some unharvested along the edges for the traveler. They were also to leave any that fell on the ground. *** They were not to steal, cheat in business or lie to one another. They were also not to use God’s name to swear by falsely. *** They were to treat people with respect whether they were a hired worker or the handicap. They were not to show partiality in legal matters, slander or take vengeance or bear a grudge; but love their neighbor. *** They were not to mix seed whether it be in breeding cattle or sewing garments with two different kinds of material. We can not mix holy with profane. ** When they came into the land, any new plant must not be eaten the first three years. The fourth year it is the Lord, but in the fifth year you may eat its fruit and multiply its seed. I think this has to do with people who are many times referred to as trees (Psalm 1). We get saved and it is our third year. We give our first fruit to the Lord and in the year of walking in grace (5) we bear fruit that remains and grows. *** God gave them many laws to keep them from entering into the occult and to keep their worship pure. One of the greatest of these warnings had to do with offering their children to Molech. *** God gave them many sexual laws to keep them pure and holy. *** In Mark, the Pharisees came to Jesus wanting a sign to show that he was from heaven. Jesus told them that they would not be given a sign and left. (Jesus had the teaching on boundaries down!) *** When he was alone with his disciples he told them to be aware of the yeast of the Pharisees. He was talking about their false doctrines but the disciples thought they were being rebuked for not remembering to bring bread. 
 *** Jesus rebuked them for thinking carnally and physically when he was teaching them spiritual concepts. He had multiplied food two times showing that he was the God of more than enough and yet they still worried about carnal things. *** Lord, may we get beyond the natural and carnal things in our lives and see with spiritual eyes. You have promised to meet all our needs and to never leave us or forsake us. May we honor you today and honor others.

Wed.’s Devo - God is Faithful

Read: Leviticus 16:29-18:30; Mark 7:24-8:10; Psalm 41:1-13; Proverbs 10:15-16 Yesterday we read how the high priest was to come into the Holy of Holies and today we read when he was to do that. It was on the 10th day of the seventh month on the Day of Atonement. This would be the day every year when he would make atonement for the nation. *** Anyone who killed an ox, lamb or goat in their house or outside the camp and did not bring it to the tent to offer it as a gift to the Lord was considered a murderer and was to be cut off from his people. We see in verse 7 that they were sacrificing to goat demons but this was no longer going to be tolerated. This law went to the foreigners also. *** They were also not to eat blood. When they hunted for food, they were to make sure the animal was dead before they ate it. They were not to eat any animal they found already dead. If they did, they were to wash their clothes, bathe in water and be unclean until the next day. If he didn’t do this he was to bear his iniquity. *** This is important for us to consider. If we have ancestors who sinned and did not repent or become Christians, then they passed their sin on to their posterity. We can clean our blood line and repent for the sins that our ancestors sinned and stop the cycle. *** The next part we read is about “uncovering nakedness” which is another way of saying “having sex with.” Remember how Ham saw the nakedness of his father and was rebuked for uncovering his father’s nakedness. We read in these verses that the way he uncovered his father’s nakedness was by having sex with Noah’s wife. It is believed that she had a son from that union named Canaan and that is why he was cursed by Noah. Ham did this to usurp his father’s position and be the head. Noah cursed Canaan and said he would serve his other son’s. *** Moses reminded them that they had come out Egypt where they practiced idolatry and he was giving them the land of Canaan where they practiced idolatry. In the wilderness, they learned God’s ways and God’s laws and they were to take that into the land and make it a nation that honored God. *** In Mark, Jesus was in a heathen place - Tyre and was approached by a heathen lady whose daughter had an unclean spirit. She came to Jesus and begged him to cast it out. Jesus told her that the children had first rights to deliverance and healing it wasn’t right to take their bread and give it to dogs. The woman was not giving up. She agreed but added that even the dogs eat the scraps that the children drop under the table. Jesus was so impressed with her answer he sent her on her way and told her her daughter had been delivered. When she returned home she found her daughter healed. *** Jesus came back to Galilee and a man who was deaf and dumb came to him begging for healing. Jesus took him aside and put his fingers into his ears. He spit and touched the man’s tongue with his spit and prayed that his mouth be opened. His ears and tongue were opened and he could hear and speak plainly. People were amazed that he could make the deaf hear and the mute speak, just like Isaiah had prophesied. *** Jesus fed 4,000 hungry people who had come to hear him with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. Seven baskets were filled with leftovers. I find it interesting that the Syrophoenician lady talked about crumbs falling from the table and Jesus demonstrates how much left-overs they have. It would be the ministry of his disciples to take the crumbs to the Gentiles. *** Lord, may we never give up believing in your promises. These people had waited for years for deliverance and it finally came. May we have patience to wait on your deliverance for our bodies and our nation. You are our only hope, and you do not disappoint.

Tues.’s Devo - Jesus, Our High Priest

Read: Leviticus 15:1-16:28; Mark 7:1-23; Psalm 40:11-17; Proverbs 10:13-14 God gave them laws to keep the spread of disease. The answer was to stay away from the person afflicted and not touch anything they had touched. If they did they were to wash themselves and their clothes and be unclean till the evening which to them was the next day since their day started in the evening. *** If a man had an emission of semen or the woman had her monthly menstrual cycle they were considered unclean. These two acts represent potential life that did not come to be. So, they represent death. They were considered unclean during this time and everything they touched unclean. *** The spiritual concept is that when we sin or let something unholy come from our body, whether it is sexual, our talk or our actions, etc., we are contagious. Gossip is contagious. Negativity and bad news are contagious. News syndicates don’t get as many listeners telling good news; they are watched the most when they are telling news that is bad and juicy. *** After what happened to Aaron’s two sons, the Lord told Moses to tell Aaron not to come into the Holy of Holies any time he wanted or he might die. When the Lord appears over the mercy seat in a cloud, he is to offer a sin offering, a burnt offering for himself and put on the holy garments of the high priest. The people must offer two male goats for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering to atone for their sins. *** Aaron would offer the bull for a sin offering first for himself and his house, then cast lots over the two goats. One shall be the Lord’s and the other for Azazel - the goat of departure. The one who fell for the Lord would be sacrificed and the other set free into the wilderness. *** When Aaron offered his own sin offering, he shall take some of the coals from the altar and two handfuls of incense and bring it inside the veil and put the incense on the altar before the curtain of the mercy seat. This incense will make a cloud to cover the mercy seat so he won’t die when he approaches the mercy seat to sprinkle it with blood. *** Then Aaron was to repeat this for with the goat offered for the people. Hebrews 7:27 explains how Jesus did not have to first offer up sacrifices for himself because he offered himself, the sinless sacrifice for the sins of the people. Hebrews 8 continues talking about how Jesus is the great High Priest who obtained a more excellent ministry, and he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. (Hebrews 8:6) *** Then Aaron was to put his hands upon the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities and transgressions of the people of Israel. Iniquities have to do with sins of their ancestors and transgressions have to do with sins they commit. Next, Aaron was to take off the linen garments and leave them there. He was to bathe and put on new garments to show that he was a new man: righteousness and clean.The man who took the goat into the wilderness must wash before he comes back into the camp and the sin offering must be taken outside the camp and burned up. Then the people and their surroundings will be clean. *** In Mark, the Pharisees complained that Jesus didn’t make his disciples follow their man-made traditions of washing their hands before they ate. Jesus called them hypocrites because they only honored God with their vain worship of traditions but their hearts were far from the Lord. They put the traditions of man above the law of God. *** Then Jesus gave them an example of this. God told them in the law of Moses to honor their father and their mother, but the Pharisees taught them that it was more honorable to give the money they would spend tending to their elderly parents to the Temple instead. *** Then Jesus told the people that it wasn’t what they heard that would defile them, it was what they acted on that would defile them. It is what a person lets enter his heart that will defile him. Then his actions will follow what is in his heart. *** Lord, I thank you that your Psalm says that your steadfast love and faithfulness will preserve us. You are our deliverer. We seek you and rejoice in you. Great are you, Lord!

Mon.’s Devo - Cleansing from Sin -

Read: Leviticus 14:1-57; Mark 6:30-56; Psalm 40:1-10; Proverbs 10:11-12 To be cleansed from leprosy, the person would be brought to the priest to be examined outside the camp. He would give the priest two live clean birds, cedarwood, scarlet yarn and hyssop. The priest would kill on of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh water. He would then take the live bird and dip it in the blood of the bird and sprinkle the man seven times and pronounce him clean. He would then set the living bird free to go into the open field. He would then wash his clothes and shave his hair and bathe in water. He was allowed into the camp but had to stay outside his camp for 10 days. One the seventh day he was to shave off all his hair even from his head, eyebrows and beard and wash his cloths and bathe in water and then he would be clean. *** On the eighth day he was to take two male lambs that were spotless and one ewe lamb a year old and a grain offering to the priest. The priest shall take his offering and wave it before the Lord, kill the sin and guilt offering and put the blood of the guilt offering on the lobe of the right ear, the right thumb and his big toe of his right foot. He shall also do with with oil. *** Then the priest would offer the offerings on the altar to be burnt. (Other less expensive offerings were acceptable for the poor.) Then the man will be clean. Phew! That is a lot. Thank God we don’t have to do that every time we sin. *** Everything the man brought to the priest were present at the cross. The birds both represent Jesus. The first was killed in an earthen vessel. Jesus was the earthen vessel that came to earth to die as a man to become our faithful high priest. The bird that was set free was also Jesus who bore our sins and carried them as far as the east is from the west. The man was shaved of all his hair on the seventh day to show that on our final day, we will stand before the Lord spotless and sinless. *** On the eighth day, which represents our glorious new day in the new world, we will rejoice because of all God has forgiven us. Everything we hear, put our hands to do, and our walk will be completely cleansed and anointed with God’s Spirit. *** Remember when Jesus healed the lepers and told them to go and present themselves to the priests. He wanted them to see this act of cleansing and relate it to what was going to happen to him in the very near future. *** The same process was done if leprous disease was found in the house. The house would represent a church or a family. The stones or sin or false doctrine would need to be cut out and done away with. Paul had to do that in several churches like the one in Galatia. *** In Mark, the apostles returned from their mission trip and told Jesus all the things they did and saw. Jesus wanted to take them away to rest but the crowds followed them. When Jesus saw the people and how hungry they were for the truth, he began to teach them. *** It was late in the afternoon so the disciples told Jesus to send them home so they could eat. Jesus told them to give them something to eat. They told Jesus it would take 200 days wages to feed this crowd. So Jesus asked them how much they had. They came up with five loaves and two fish. Jesus commanded everyone to sit in groups of fifty. He took what he had and lifted up to heaven and blessed it. Then he began breaking it and giving it to the disciples. Everyone ate their fill and there were twelve baskets left over. If God asks something of us, it is because he knows we have what he is asking. He has given us everything we need to be godly and follow him. He multiplies our little and makes it a lot. God’s provision is more than enough! *** Immediately after they had gathered the left-overs, Jesus had his disciples leave in a boat to Bethsaida. He dismissed the crowd and went up to the mountain to pray. Later that night he saw that his disciples were fighting the waves, so he walked out on the sea meaning to pass them by. But they saw him and thought he was a ghost. He told them to have peace, it was him. The minute he got into the boat, the waves stopped. They were utterly amazed. *** They came to the land where they had delivered the demoniac and then were begged to leave. This time they brought everyone to see him and to heal all their sick. The demoniac’s testimony had prepared them to accept Jesus. *** Lord, teach us to know your ways because they are not our ways. May we have faith to believe the impossible.

Sun.’s Devo - Sins of the Flesh

Leviticus 13:1-59; Mark 6:1-29; Psalm 39:1-13; Proverbs 10:10 Today we read about diseases of the flesh and spreading diseases in the skin and in garments. Rather than getting really detailed we are going to step back and see it as a whole. *** In the New Testament we are told that sin is a disease of the flesh. 1 John 2:16 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. Jude 1:23 23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. 1 Peter 2:11 11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Galatians 5:19-21 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. *** Every time their disease became apparent to them they brought it before the priest to examine it. He was looking to see if it was more than skin deep. Once it goes beyond the skin, it is in the heart. He is also looking for a scar to show that it has healed. A scar reminds us of a wound that has healed, but we don’t want to repeat it. He did this on the seventh day. As a Christian we live crucifying the flesh and on the seventh day - the day of judgment we will stand before Jesus our High Priest and he will declare us clean. *** The different diseases of the flesh caused different manifestations. Anger and pride could be associated with swelling. Chronic diseases could be addictions. A burn could be caused by an offense someone did against you. An itching disease could be unforgiveness or gossip. We fight all this with the fruit of the Sprit which is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. *** In Mark, Jesus came to his hometown and went to the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach. The people questioned everything about him because they knew him as a child. Now, he was doing miracles and teaching with authority and they were having a hard time believing he was anything other than their neighbor they had known as a child. Jesus couldn’t do many miracles there because of their unbelief. *** Jesus sent out his disciples in pairs and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He told them to take nothing but their staff and sandals. If they are not received they are to shake off the dust as a testimony against them. They went out preaching repentance and cast out many demons and healed many who were sick. *** King Herod heard about Jesus and all he was doing. Some of the people said Jesus was John the Baptist who Herod had beheaded. He had been tricked by his wife, Herodia to kill John since John spoke out about their marriage. She was married to Herod’s brother but had left him for Herod. Herodia used Herod’s sin of lust to get him to behead John the Baptist. *** Lord, may we see the sins of our flesh and bring them to you to be sanctified. We consecrate our ears, our eyes and our hearts to you. Thank you that you gave given us authority over every unclean spirit.

Sat.’s Devo - The Clean and the Unclean

Read: Leviticus 11:1-12:8; Mark 5:21-43; Psalm 38:1-22; Proverbs 10:8-9 God gave Moses and Aaron a list of clean and unclean animals. They were allowed to eat animals that parted the hoof, had cloven feet, and chewed the cud. They had to have all three of these characteristics to be clean and edible. *** In Romans 7:14 we learn that the law is spiritual which means that everything it says has spiritual meaning for us today. We are told to taste and see that the Lord is good. To “taste” something means that you personally experience it. Jesus told his disciples that they had to eat of his flesh and drink his blood or they would have no part of him, but he gave them bread to symbolize his flesh and wine to symbolize his blood. All of these characteristics of what animals they could eat represent how we should partake of spiritual food like reading God’s Word which is our daily bread. *** The animals had to have parted hoofs which would mean they had a firm and rightly divided foundation. As believers our foundation is the Bible which teaches that Jesus died for our sins on the cross was buried in the grave and rose from the dead on the third day. We can receive eternal life from his sacrifice when we believe it in our hearts, repent of our sins and live for him, nourished with his Word. That is our foundation. *** The cloven feet means three toed. These toes represent the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Our foundation has to have all three. *** It must also chew the cud which means it doesn’t swallow everything it is fed. Chewing the cud is a metaphor for meditating on something. When you hear something new you need to let it in and meditate on it till it feels right and you know that it is confirmed in scripture and in your spirit. *** The water animals they could eat had to have fins and scales. Water has to do with Spirit so when we dive into the spiritual realms of the Lord we need to have balance and be covered. Fins balance the fish and scales cover the fish. We are to have a balanced view of God’s Word and the godhead. We are to be covered with the shadow of God’s wing, the blood of Jesus and the discernment of the Holy Spirit. Being unbalanced in spiritual things will lead to New Age and the occult. *** The birds they were not to eat were all birds that hunted at night and ate dead animals. We are children of the day and life. *** The winged insects they could eat must be able to bow their knees and didn’t have four feet. I don’t understand the four feet but it does sound odd to have wings and four feet. If you are meant to fly then fly. *** To touch something unclean made you unclean. Sin is contagious that is why we need to stay away from it. If Eve had stayed away from the tree and not been curious about it, she would never have been tempted to eat of it. *** Things that swarmed were unclean as well as things that crawled on its belly. These are the characteristics of demons, not things of God. Followers of the Lord walk upright and don’t follow the crowd. *** When a woman has a male child he is to be circumcised on the eighth day and she is to be purified for 33 days. If she has a daughter, she will be purified for 66 days. Then she is to bring a burnt offering and a sin offering to the priest who will atone for her and she will be clean from her flow of blood. *** In Mark, Jesus had just been on the side of the sea where the demoniac had been delivered and now he was returning back to the other side. A crowd had gathered and one of the rulers of the synagogue came and begged him to heal his 12 year old daughter who was about to die. Jesus went with him to lay hands on the girl. *** The crowd followed him to the ruler’s house. Meanwhile a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years and was unclean had heard of Jesus and thought if she could just touch the hem of his garment, she would be healed. She did just that and was instantly healed. Jesus felt healing power leave his body and stopped to see who had received it. Jesus asked who had touched him which was a strange thing to say since people all around him were touching him. But the lady understood what he meant and confessed and told her story. Jesus told her that her faith had made her whole. He sent her away healed and with peace. *** While this was going on, the ruler received news that his daughter had died, so he didn’t need to trouble the Teacher. Jesus overheard this conversation and told him to have faith and not fear. Jesus took Peter, James and John with him to see the girl. People were already weeping and wailing. He told them to stop because she was not dead, only sleeping. They laughed at him. *** Jesus woke the girl up from death and brought her out to the amazement of the crowd. Jesus told them not to tell anyone and to give her something to eat. *** Both of these women are associated with the number 12 which means government. They both represent Israel. Israel had never become clean from her bleeding and she had been asleep in death. Jesus came to make them clean and give them life. *** Lord, thank you that you are our healer and our salvation. You cleanse us from the uncleanness of the world and give us new garments of righteousness. May we walk worthy of your sacrifice.

Fri.’s Devo - The Kingdom of God

Read: Leviticus 9:7-10:20; Mark 4:26-5:20; Psalm 37:30-40; Proverbs 10:6-7 Aaron and his sons were finally ordained and ready to do their first service as priests. They were to offer a sin offering and burnt offering first for them selves and then for the people to make atonement for them. Everything went well as they offered they offered their offering. Then they began the offerings for the people beginning with the sin offering, then the burnt offering, then the peace offerings. Moses and Aaron took the blood into the tent of meeting and when they came out they blessed the people and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. Fire came from the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat they had put on the altar. The people fell on their faces in worship. *** Aaron’s two sons, Nadab and Abihu each took their censers and put fire and incense on them and offered it to the Lord. This was not what the Lord had told them to do. The fire came out and consumed them and they died right there. *** Moses gave them a word from the Lord, He said, “Among those who are near to me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.” Aaron found peace in that. *** Moses had Aaron’s two nephews, Mishael and Elzaphan, carry out the bodies of Nadab and Abihu out of the camp. The people were commanded not to be angry about what the Lord had done but they were to mourn their deaths. *** What the Lord says next makes me wonder if Aaron’s two sons had been drunk. He told Aaron that he and his sons were not to drink any wine or strong drink when they came into the tent of meeting or they would die. They were to be holy and teach the children of Israel to be holy. *** Moses told Aaron and his surviving sons Eleazar and Ithamar to take what was left of the unleavened grain offering and eat it in the holy place. They were to eat the breast and the thigh in a clean place with their families. First, they were to wave them before the Lord. *** Later, Moses asked about the goat of the sin offering and found that they had let it all burn. Moses was extremely mad because they were suppose to eat it to bear the iniquity of the congregation to make atonement for them. Aaron told him that they offered their sin offering and burnt offering, but after what happened they weren’t so sure the Lord would have approved if they ate it. Moses understood. *** In Mark, Jesus gives two parables to explain the kingdom of God. It is filled with seed or people that God scatters in the earth. They grow by themselves and multiply until the time of the harvest. He compares them to mustard seed. It is the smallest seed, but it produces the largest plant with large branches that brings shade and housing for many birds. *** In the next story, we have an example of what these parables mean. Jesus told his disciples to go to the other side of the sea. On the way there was a huge storm and they woke Jesus up thinking they were going to drown. He rebuked the wind and told the sea to be still. The wind stopped and the sea became calm. Then he asked them why they were so afraid. They marveled at what had just happened. *** When the reached the other side they immediately met a man insane with demons. Jesus rebuked the demons and sent them into a herd of two thousand swine who ran and jumped over the side of the hill. The herdsmen ran into the city and told the people what had just happened. They ran out to see for themselves and there was the demon-possessed man clothed and sane. This made them afraid of Jesus and they begged him to leave. The now sane and delivered man begged Jesus to take him with him but Jesus sent him home to tell the people there what God had done for him. 
 *** This man was the seed that began very small. No one wanted to be near him before, but now he would become a great evangelist who would spread his seed to many and the next time Jesus returned, the whole city would welcome him with open arms. *** Lord, may we be like the seed that produces a mighty tree that others can find hope and healing in our testimony.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Ordination of the Priests

Read: Leviticus 7:28-9:6; Mark 3:31-4:25; Pslam 37:12-29; Proverbs 10:5 When a person brought a peace offering, the priest would wave it before the Lord and then burn the fat on the altar to the Lord but the priest would get the breast for themselves. When a person makes peace with the Lord, everyone benefits. *** The priests were ordained by offering a sin offering for themselves so they would be clean. They were then to wash and put on their priestly clothes. Moses would anoint them with oil. They would lay their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering and then kill the bull. Moses would take the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar purifying the altar then pour the rest at the base of the altar to make atonement for it. All the fat would be burned on the altar and the rest of the bull burned outside the camp. *** Then the ram for the burnt offering would be killed and its blood thrown on the sides of the altar. This bull was to be completely consumed on the altar. *** Next, the ram of ordination would be brought in and Aaron and his sons would lay their hands on the head of it and it was killed. Moses would take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, the thumb of his right hand and the big toe of his right foot. He would do the same to his sons. Then he would throw the rest at the base of the altar. *** All of this represents what Christ did for us. Christ stood for Aaron. We stand for his sons. Moses stood for God. When we become a Christian we accept everything Christ did for us. We die with Christ, and are raised to a new life. We are washed of our sins and everything we listen to, or put our hand to, and our foundation is now to be God’s will. Moses would take a loaf of unleavened bread (the Father), a loaf of bread with oil (the Holy Spirit) and one wafer (Christ) and place it on the fat and the thigh that would be offered to the Lord. He would put them in the priest’s hands and let them wave them before the Lord. *** When the priests gave a wave offering they would wave them up and down first then from east to west making the sign of the cross. *** Moses would take some anointing oil and blood and sprinkle it on the priests. They were to boil the meat at the entrance of the tent and eat it. All that was left was to be burnt on the altar. They were not to leave the tent of meeting for the whole seven days they were being ordained. *** This week represents our whole Christian life. Once we are saved, we have a “week” to live for Christ. When we die, no matter how long that takes, we will have completed our “week.” *** The eighth day represents what happens once we die. All the offerings are done again in commemoration of what Christ did for us. *** In Mark, Jesus made a great statement. He proclaimed that all who do his will are his family. Then he told them the parable of all parables. It is about the seed and the sower. Jesus explained the parable and the key to cultivating the seed was the heart. If the seed of God’s Word falls on a heart that wants to know God, it will prosper. It will grow according to how he walks in the Word. We choose how much of God’s Word we want to walk in. The more we walk in it, the more God will give us. *** Lord, may we walk in your Word and be doers of it, not just hearers. May we complete our week bringing a hundred fold into your kingdom.

Wed.’s Devo - The Thanksgiving Offering 2-18-26

Read: Leviticus 6:1-7:27; Mark 3:7-30; Psalm 37:1-11; Proverbs 10:3-4 If anyone deceives his neighbor in any way - lying, slander, etc., causes a breach of God’s trust in that person. What we do to others, we are doing to God. When the man realizes what he did was wrong and wants to repent, he must restore what it cost his neighbor and add a fifth to it. Then he is to offer the Lord a ram as a guilt offering to atone for his sin. *** Whenever a burnt offering was to be made, it was to be kept burning all night. The priest would put on his linen garment to shovel the ashes beside the altar. Then he was to change clothes and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. This was to show that he was cleansed at the altar to go out in his everyday life. *** The grain offering was a handful of fine flour mixed with oil and frankincense. It was to be burned as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. The rest of the flour would be give to the priest to make into unlearned bread to eat in the Holy Place. It was not to have leaven. *** On the day that Aaron and his sons were anointed, they were to offer a tenth of an ephor of fine flour as a grain offering - half in the morning and the other half at night. The priests were to eat the sin offering because Christ became sin for us. If it was boiled in a clay pot, the pot was then to be broken. When we partake of Christ’s salvation, we must be broken. If it is boiled in a bronze vessel, that pot would be scoured and rinse with water. *** All sin offerings were to be burnt with fire. God wanted them to know that there was a way to totally get rid of their sin. *** If a peace offering is offered for a thanksgiving offering then he was to offer with his sacrifice: loaves of leavened bread along with unleavened loaves mixed with oil and unleavened wafers smeared with oil. The sacrifice would be eaten the day it was offered but if it is a vow or freewill offering, it could be eaten on the next day and what was left on the third day would be burned with fire. I think this has to do with your offerings and prayers you pray before you are saved. The leavened bread is the person’s sin that still remains. God still hears the prayer. The third day is the day of a person’s “week” that he is saved and becomes a new person. It is his resurrection from death to life. *** The people were to eat no fat or blood from any of the sacrifices. The blood stood for Jesus and the fat was the oil of the Holy Spirit. Those were the Lord’s and they forever remain. *** In Mark, Jesus had become famous wherever he went because he healed and delivered them from their demons. The demons identified him as the Son of God. *** Jesus would go up on the mountain to be alone with the Lord. He showed Jesus who his twelve disciples should be. Jesus sent them out to preach and gave them authority to cast out demons and preach the good news. The disciples were Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Thaddaeus, Simon, and Judas Iscariot who would betray him. *** When Jesus went home, the crowds gathered so that he couldn’t even eat. His family took him and though he was out of his mind. The scribes agreed saying he was possessed by Beelzebub, the prince of demons. They claimed that that was how he could cast out demons. *** Jesus countered them with “How can Satan cast out Satan?” He explained that a kingdom would not stand if it was divided against itself. No one can enter into a house and rob it unless he first binds the man of the house. Then he can plunder him. *** Then Jesus told them that all sins would be forgiven except what they say against God’s Spirit. They were accusing Jesus of having an unclean spirit, thus they were blaspheming the Holy Spirit. *** The scribes and Pharisees who spoke against Jesus were the house that was divided against itself. They were choosing their sides, and they were choosing to be on Satan’s side. *** Lord, may we be united with you. Thank you for choosing us, forgiving us and giving us new life. May we take the authority you have given us and cast out demons and heal the sick.

Tues.’s Devo - The Sin and the Trespass Offering

Read: Leviticus 4:1-5:19; Mark 2:13-3:6; Psalm 36:1-12; Proverbs 10:1-2 Today we read about the sin offering and the trespass offering and we will discuss the difference between the two. *** The sin offering was to be given when a person unintentionally sinned and then realized they had sinned. Their offering was their act of repentance to make things right between them and God. We are given four categories of people: the anointed priest, the whole congregation, a leader, or the common people. *** The sin of the anointed priest would bring sin on the people. He was to bring a bull and lay his head on the bull transferring his sin to the bull. He was to take the blood from the bull and bring it into the tabernacle and sprinkle part of the blood 7 times before the Lord in front to the veil leading to the Holy of Holies. He was also to put some of the blood on the horns of the incense altar. There rest of the blood was to be poured out at the base of the bronze altar in the courtyard. The kidneys, the fat and the liver were to be burned on the altar and the rest of the bull was to be taken outside the camp and burned completely. If the whole congregation of Israel signed unintentionally then realized their sin, they were to offer a bull and the elders were to lay their hands on the head of the bull and accept responsibility for the people. Everything else was done just like the sacrifice of the anointed priest who sinned. *** When a leader sinned he was to offer a male goat and lay his hands on its head. Its blood would only be put on the horns of the bronze altar. Its fat would be burned on the altar. *** If a common person unintentionally sinned, he was to bring a female goat and it was done like for the leader. The common person may substitute a female lamb instead of the goat. *** The priest and the children of Israel were different than the leader and the common person in that the priest and the children of Israel had a much greater intimacy with the Lord, so they had sinned against the very presence of God. The blood of their sacrifice had to be taken closer to where God’s presence was. God makes a distinction between us and the world. *** A trespass offering was given when a person violated someone’s property or someone’s reputation. *** In the first case given, a person witnessed the truth but did not speak in defense of the person which made him guilty of the sin. He must atone for his sin. Another situation was given where a person testified wrongly in a case then realizes his fault. Two sacrifices were made. One for the blood to sprinkle for cleansing and the other for a burnt offering to take the sin away. Some sins required restitution and they had to bring the shekel of the sanctuary. This was a guilt offering to ransom their soul. *** Doesn’t this make us so grateful that our sacrifice has been given, and our debt paid through the blood of Christ. All we have to do is bring our confession to the Lord and ask his forgiveness. He totally erases it from our slate. Thank you, Jesus! *** In Mark, Jesus passed Levi sitting at the tax booth and called him to follow him. Levi is also Matthew. He ate that day at Matthew’s house along with Matthew’s other tax-collecting friends. The Pharisees questioned why Jesus would eat with such sinners and he explained that it wasn’t the people who were well that needed a physician, but the ones who were sick. He came to call the sinners to him, not the righteous. He was speaking to them who thought they were righteous, but were the greatest sinners of all. *** For some reason, the Pharisees and even John’s disciples were fasting, but Jesus’ disciples were not. The Pharisees questioned Jesus about this also. Jesus explained that wedding guests didn’t fast when the bridegroom was with them. He would be taken from them in the future, and his disciples would fast then. Then he went into the scenario of sewing new cloth to old material that has holes. When the cloth gets wet the new cloth will shrink and tear away from the old material, making the hole even worse. And, Jesus explained that you wouldn’t put old wine into new wineskins because the new wine would burst the new wineskins. *** What Jesus was saying to the Pharisees was that they didn’t understand the things Jesus was doing because he was ushering in the new covenant that was different. If they didn’t change with it, they would not be able to grasp it. They were like the old cloth and the old wineskins. They were not able to adjust to the change because of their hard hearts. *** Jesus then demonstrated what he was talking about. His disciples ate the grain on the Sabbath because the Sabbath was made for man to rule, not for it to rule man. They had made the Sabbath all about rules so hard to keep that it was not restful at all. Jesus reminded them what David did when he was hungry. He ate food that only priests were to eat and it didn’t kill him. David had a relationship with the Lord that gave him access into His house as a priest. *** Jesus demonstrated what was to be done on the Sabbath when he went into the Temple and healed the man with the withered hand. This made the Pharisees so jealous and angry that they met to discuss how they could destroy him. *** Lord, may we enjoy the freedom we have in Christ. May we not be burdened with condemnation but quickly repent and apply the blood of Christ to our hearts. May we live in joy and peace with God and with man.

Mon.’s Devo - Leviticus

Read: Leviticus 1:1-3:17; Mark 1:29-2:12; Psalm 35:17-28; Proverbs 9:13-18 Leviticus was the first book taught to children. It tells us about God’s character and his will, especially in the area of holiness. They wanted their children to be educated in the sanctity of God and their responsibility to live holy lives. The word “Leviticus” means “and He called.” *** God gave them different offerings for different purposes. Today we read about the burnt offering, the grain offering and the peace offering. These offerings are types that picture the work of Christ. The burnt offering was also called the whole offering because the animal is completely consumed on the altar, just as Jesus was completely consumed on the cross. Jesus held nothing back and his death completely dealt with sin. The person offering this would give it of his own free will. He was to lay his hand on the head of the offering to transfer his sin to the animal. The person along with the priests would kill the animal and the priests would sprinkle its blood on the bronze altar which stood for the cross. Even the skin was burned on the fire. *** The grain offering was given to obtain favor from the Lord. The grain offering came from the fruits of their labor much like the tithe we give. When we tithe, God rebukes the devourer from us and we are blessed with his favor instead. *** The grain offering was mixed with oil that represent God’s Spirit. Aaron and his sons got to keep some of this offering. There was to be no leaven or honey in this offering, but there was to be salt and frankincense. Leaven represents sin and honey represents man’s strength. The salt was a preservative meaning everlasting and the frankincense speaks of Christ’s death which was a sweet savor to God. *** The peace offering was to offer appeasement of guilt, and to pay the penalty for their sins. It was to bring them peace and to make peace with God. They would lay hands on the animal transferring their guilt and sin to the animal then the priests would sprinkle its blood on the altar and remove its kidneys and all the fat and burn them on the altar. The fat and the blood was the Lord’s. They represented the Holy Spirit and Jesus. *** In Mark, Jesus went into Simon’s house and healed his mother-in-law. She stood for his mother “in the law” - the nation of Israel. She immediately got up and served them. When Israel is healed, that is what she will do. She will serve and bless all the nations. *** Jesus then went out and healed many who were sick, and filled with demons. Early in the morning he would go and pray. When Simon found him he told him that everyone was looking for him. Jesus didn’t stay long in any town because he wanted to spread the good news to as many as he could. *** Jesus healed a leper and Jesus told him not to tell others but to go straight to the priest so they could see the proof. They had to be given the opportunity to repent also. Instead, the leper went around telling people what had happened which made it very difficult for Jesus to travel freely. He had to go to the wilderness to preach because of the notoriety. *** Jesus finally returned to Capernaum and so many came to see him that the room was filled to the max. A paralytic was brought and when his friends saw they were not going to get inside, they went on the roof, removed the shingles and lowered him before Jesus. Jesus was so impressed by their faith he forgave the sins of the paralyzed man. The scribes who were there were very offended that Jesus thought he could forgive sins. Jesus asked them which was easier to say to the man, his sins were forgiven or to get up and walk. Because he was the Son of Man with the authority to forgive sins, he could also tell him to get up and walk. He turned to the man and commanded him to get up and walk and he did. Everyone was amazed. *** Lord, thank you for being our healer and our savior. Thank you that you are our burnt offering, our grain offering and our peace offering. We gratefully and humbly enjoy all the benefits of your sacrifice on the cross.

Sun.’s Devo - Mark

Read: Exodus 39:1-40:38; Mark 1:1-28; Psalm 35:1-16; Procures 9:11-12 Everything needed for the tabernacle and the priest’s garments were finally finished. A detailed description was given us again of the garments of the high priest and the furniture of the tabernacle. As the tabernacle was being assembled, the furniture was brought into the rooms. *** Everything was completed on the first day of the first month of the second year. When it was all in place, the cloud covered the tent and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. The glory was so strong, Moses was not able to enter it. Whenever the cloud rose and moved, the people would pack up and begin to move with it. If the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, then they stayed. The cloud led them by the day and became a fire at night. ***Today, we begin Mark’s writing’s about Jesus. Matthew had been written to the Jews and its theme was the kingship of Jesus. Matthew’s symbol was the lion. Mark was written to the Romans and his theme was the servanthood of Christ. He was represented as the ox. It is believed that Mark was very close with Peter and wrote this after Peter was martyred by Nero. The church lived in constant threat of death. *** He begins with Isaiah’s prophecy of John the Baptist who would be a voice in the wilderness proclaiming to the people to prepare their hearts for the Lord. He baptized the people with a baptism of repentance to forgive their sins. The people in Judea and Jerusalem went out to the Jordan to hear him preach. They were forgiven of their sins and baptized. John spoke of the one who was coming who would be much greater than him and he would baptize with the Holy Spirit. *** Jesus came to John to be baptized and when Jesus was lifted out of the water, the heavens opened and the Spirit descended on him like a dove. A voice from heaven was heard which said, “You are my beloved son; with whom I am well pleased.” *** Jesus was driven by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness where he was tempted by Satan. He was also with wild animals and angels. *** John was arrested and Jesus began proclaiming the kingdom of God was at hand. He also told the people to repent and believe what the prophets had foretold. *** Jesus chose Simon Peter and Andrew, two brothers who were fishermen. Jesus told them to come and follow him and he would make them fishers of men. They immediately left their nets and followed him. They walked a little farther down the shore of Galilee and saw two more brothers, James and John who were mending their nets with their father. Jesus told them to also follow him. They dropped their nets and followed. *** Jesus led them to Capernaum. It was the Sabbath so they entered the synagogue and Jesus astonished everyone with his teachings because he taught with authority. He spoke like he knew what he was talking about, not like the scribes. *** A man with an unclean spirit cried out asking if he had come to destroy them. He recognized Jesus as the holy One of God. Jesus rebuked him and told him to be quiet and come out of the man. The unclean spirit came out with convulsions and yelling. Everyone was amazed at what they saw and his fame spread throughout Galilee. *** Lord, may many hear the call to follow you and drop what they are doing and follow. May we also follow the Holy Spirit who is our cloud and our fire. Thank you for your power to save.

Sat.’s Devo - The Furniture of the Tabernacle

Read: Exodus 35:10-36:38; Matthew 27:32-66; Psalm 34:1-10; Proverbs 9:7-8 Bezalel built the ark to hold the covenant. It would be made of wood and covered with gold. It would be carried by poles that would go through two rings on each side. He hammered gold to form two cherubim whose wings would overshadow the mercy seat. This would be the place the high priest would come and receive God’s mercy for himself and for the people. He made an incense table much like the mercy seat but smaller and taller. This would be where the priest would offer incense to please the Lord. This stood right outside the curtain that lead to the Holy of Holies. When the Temple was built, this was the table where Zechariah was offering incense and the angel appeared to him and told him of his son, John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-17). *** In the Holy Place sat the incense table, the large menorah, and the table of shewbread. The large menorah was made of beaten gold and resembled an almond tree with branches. Three branches came out on both sides to form seven in all. The branches had knobs to represent the almond bud and the almond flower which held the cup to hold the oil and the wick. This was the whole process of becoming a priest. First you were planted by the Lord, then you produced a bud, then matured into a flower. This was the same thing that happened to Aaron’s rod when the Lord chose him as his priest. As priests to the Lord, we go through the same process. *** Outside the tabernacle in the courtyard was where the bronze altar stood. It was made of bronze and had a gutter around it with a downspout on the right side. This was where the priest would offer the burnt offerings given by the people. This altar stood for the cross and Jesus’ sacrifice for our sin. All the people could watch their sacrifice be accepted by the Lord. *** Beside the bronze altar was a bronze basin where the priest would wash their hands and feet before and after they ministered as priests. This stood for our continual cleansing of our sinful nature which we do by confessing to the Lord and letting his blood cleanse us. *** In Matthew, it was the third day after Jesus had been sacrificed. Both Mary’s came to the tomb. There had been an earthquake and the angel had rolled by the stone and was sitting on it. He was glorious. The guards had been slain in the spirit and were lying on the ground. The angel told the women not to be afraid, but Jesus had risen from the dead. The angel invited them to come and see where he had been, then go tell the disciples what had happened. As they were leaving, Jesus met them and told them to tell the disciples to meet him in Galilee. *** Some of the guards got up and went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened. They paid them off to lie and say that the disciples had come and stolen his body. *** The eleven of Jesus disciples went to the mountain Jesus had told them to meet him in Galilee. Jesus told them that he had been given all authority in heaven and on earth. They were to go in this authority and make disciples of the nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They were to teach them all he had taught them. He would be with them till the end of the age. (We are at the end of that age.) *** Lord, may we walk in Jesus’ authority and make disciples of the nations. May we live all Jesus taught and be an example to those around us.

Fri.’s Devo - At the Cross

Read: Exodus 35:10-36:38; Matthew 28:1-20; Psalm 34:1-10; Proverbs 9:7-8 Moses called for all the craftsmen to come and help with constructing the tabernacle. Those whose hearts stirred them to give, gave gold, silver, gems, yarns, skins, wood, etc. *** The Lord had picked Bezelel and Oholiab to oversee the artistic work or building the tabernacle. God had put into their mind what to do. Others who were creative and had skills offered their talents to help. The people brought new supplies every morning till Moses had to ask them to stop bringing materials. *** The seamstresses wove beautiful curtains with the linen and the blue, purple and scarlet yarns. They embroidered cherubim into the fabric for eleven curtains that measured 45 feet long and 6 feet wide. They were hung with clasps on the framework they constructed. The framework was set in bases. The tabernacle was made so it could be assembled and broken down easily and quickly. *** The beautiful cherubim and embroidery was seen on the inside of the tabernacle making it feel like you had entered the Garden of Eden. *** In Matthew, they were taking Jesus to be crucified. He was so beat and weak, the soldiers grabbed Simon, a Syrenean, and forced him to carry Jesus’ cross to Golgotha which means “Place of the Skull.” *** There the soldiers gambled for his robe and guarded the cross. A sign was made and nailed above Jesus’ head that read: “Jesus, King of the Jews.” They ridiculed him and mocked him telling him to save himself if he really was from God. *** At noon, darkness fell on the earth and lasted till three. This would be the time when they would crucify the pascal lamb at the Temple. When the light shone again, Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” This was from Psalm 22:1. Jesus was referring them to this Psalm. In it it tells exactly what he was going through and the outcome of his death. It says that future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord and everything he has done and serve him. We are of the future generations that serve him and read about all he did. *** At Jesus’ next shout he released his spirit and died. The curtain in the sanctuary was torn from top to bottom. There was an earthquake and the earth gave up their dead. Many in the cemetery came back to life after Jesus’ resurrection and appeared to people in Jerusalem. *** The officers who had mocked and gambled for his clothes, and tacked that sign above his head saw and felt all this and realized that Jesus really was the Son of God. What a revelation! *** The women who had walked with Jesus watched all this from afar. Joseph of Arimathea had become a follower of Jesus. He was very rich and had had a tomb carved out of rock for his own burial. He went to Pilate to ask to have possession of Jesus’ body and was given it. He took Jesus and wrapped in him a clean linen cloth and laid Jesus’ body in his new tomb. (Thus fulfilling Isaiah 53:9, “He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.”) Joseph rolled a great stone across the entrance and left. The two Mary’s were observing all this from afar. *** On the Sabbath, the priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate and asked him to seal the tomb so his disciples couldn’t steal his body and claim he rose from the dead. Pilate ordered it sealed and guarded. *** Lord, It is amazing to see the great pains people will go through to maintain their narrative. May we lay down our preconceived ideas about you and let you be who you are and show us your truth. Thank you for your Word. May it be a light to light our path and may we hear your voice and discern your thoughts.

Thurs.’s Devo - We Choose Jesus

Read: Exodus 34:1-35:9; Matthew 27:15-31: Psalm 33:12-22; Proverbs 9:1-6 God told Moses to cut two more tablets of stone since he broke the last two. He was to bring them to the top of Mt. Sinai. I wonder how heavy those stone tablets were. *** The Lord came down in a cloud and stood with him and proclaimed who he was: The Lord, merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. He will not clear the guilty but punish them up to the fourth generation. *** Moses asked the Lord to please go with them even if they were sinful and rebellious. He prayed for forgiveness and for the Lord to take them for his inheritance. *** God promised to make a covenant with them and do marvelous things that had never been done before with them. He would drive out all the “ites” before them so that they wouldn’t make a covenant with them and become like them - idolatrous. *** They were not to make gods of cast metal. They were to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread for a week in the month of Abib. Their firstborn were the Lord’s, even their animals. If they had a donkey, they could redeem it with a lamb. If the donkey was not redeemed, his neck must be broken. (This means that a stubborn person can only be saved by the blood of the Lamb. If the stubborn person was not redeemable, he will be made to bow in the end, resulting in his eternal death.) *** They were to rest on the seventh day from their work. They were to observe the Feast of Weeks 50 days after First Fruits. And, they were to observe the Feast of Ingathering or Tabernacles at the end of the year. These feasts were the three times a year that all the males were to come before the Lord. If they observe his feasts and bring their offerings to the Lord, he would cast out their enemies who lived in the land and enlarge their borders and protect them from their enemies. *** Their sacrifices should not be offered with leaven which stands for sin. The lamb of Passover should be eaten that night and nothing left till the next day. Jesus was completely consumed on the cross for our sins. They were not to boil a young goat in his mother’s milk. (This is mentioned three times in the Bible: here, Ex. 23:19, Deut. 14:21). I think it means that a child is not to be set to follow in his mother’s sins. *** Moses stayed on the mountain with the Lord for 40 days and nights and when he came down, his face shone with God’s glory. It made the people so afraid of him that the had to end up putting veil over his face when he was with the people. He would remove the veil when he went before the Lord. *** Moses told the people that they were not to work on the Sabbath or they would be put to death. Neither were they to have a fire going in their dwellings on the Sabbath. The Lord asked for free-will offerings for the tabernacle. *** In Matthew, it was the feast of Unleavened Bread and it was customary for the governor to release a prisoner of the people’s choice. Pilate chose the most notorious prisoner to put next to Jesus, thinking they would surely choose Jesus who did good. His wife had warned him of a dream she had had and told him not to have anything to do with hurting Jesus who was an innocent man. *** The chief priests and elders persuaded the crowd to choose Barabbas. When Pilate asked them what they wanted him to do with Jesus, they cried, “Crucify him.” Pilate washed his hand in front of them saying Jesus was innocent and he was not going to be held responsible for what they were doing. But, then he released Barabbas to them and had Jesus scourged and delivered to them to crucify him. (I’m not sure Pilate could say he was released from responsibility.) *** Pilate’s soldiers took Jesus to Pilate’s headquarters and stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. They made a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They mocked him, spit on him and struck him on the head. Then they took the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him to be crucified. *** Lord, the shame you bore for us is inconceivable. Thank you for bearing our sin and shame on the cross. You, who knew no sin became sin for us. We glorify and praise your name.

Wed.’s Devo -Moses - God’s Intercessor

Read: Exodus 32:1-33:23; Matthew 26:69-27:14; Psalm 33:1-11; Proverbs 8:33-36 The people got tired of waiting for Moses to come down and went to Aaron and told him to make them gods to go before them. Aaron foolishly told them to each bring one of their gold earrings they were all wearing and he took the gold, melted it and fashioned it with a tool into the shape of a calf. The people said that these were the gods who brought them out of Egypt. When Aaron saw that his calf was accepted by the people he built an altar before it and proclaimed a feast to the Lord. They brought offerings and sacrificed them and “rose up to play.” The Hebrew word for “play” means to laugh outright in merriment or scorn; to laugh, mock, play, make sport. They were making a mockery of the things of God. *** God told Moses to go down and told him what the people were doing. God wanted to kill them all and make a nation from Moses’ descendants but Moses reminded the Lord of what that would look like to his enemies who were spying on them. He also reminded God of his promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. *** Moses took the two tablets and picked up Joshua on his way down. Joshua heard all the revelry of the people and thought they were fighting a battle. Moses told him it wasn’t war, but singing that he heard. When he saw the calf and saw all the dancing he was so angry he threw the tablets down breaking them. He ground the calf into powder and scattered it on the water and made the people drink it. *** Then, Moses asked Aaron what the people did to him to make him do this. Aaron blamed it on the people. He said the were bent on evil and they came to him to ask him to make them gods to go before them because they didn’t think their leader was coming back. He asked for their earrings, threw them into the fire and out came this calf. (That explanation is laughable!) *** Moses saw that the people were exposed and a joke to their enemies. He stood at the gate of the camp and asked who was on the Lord’s side. All the sons of Levi came to him. He told them to put on their swords and go and kill all who were participating in this orgy. They killed 3,000 people. Moses told the Levites that what they did today qualified them for service to the Lord because they did not spare their relatives. *** The next day, Moses told the people that because of what they did, he would need to go to the Lord and make atonement for their sin. He told the Lord that if he didn’t forgive them then he wanted his name blotted out of his book. God said he would only blot out the names of the ones who sinned. *** In reading what the Bible says about what is written in God’s book and what is blotted out, it seems that everyone’s name who is born of God is written in his book. During their lifetime they can have their name blotted out by their rebellion against God. Daniel 12:1 says that, Michael will stand up when Israel is in trouble in the end. God’s people will be delivered, if their name is found written in the book. *** When we get saved, our name is sealed in that book and cannot be erased. *** God told Moses to go lead the people to their land and his angel would go before them and drive out all the “ites.” God would not go with them because he was afraid get so mad at them because of their hard hearts, that he would kill them. God sent a plague because of the calf that Aaron made. *** The people mourned when they heard what God said and took off their beautiful Egyptian garments and jewelry. *** Moses put the Lord’s tabernacle outside the camp and called it the tent of meeting. If the people wanted to seek the Lord, they had to come there. Whenever Moses came out his tent to enter the tabernacle, the people would stand at their tent door and watch. The pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent and the Lord would talk with Moses. The people would watch from their tent and worship the Lord. *** The Lord spoke to Moses as his friend. Moses would then leave the tabernacle and go back to his tent but Joshua, Moses’ assistant, never left the tabernacle. *** In one of Moses’ talks with the Lord, Moses asked to know God’s ways so that he might please him. He reminded the Lord that this nation of people were also his people. God promised that his presence would go with them. Then Moses asked to see his glory. God let him stand in the cleft of a rock where he covered Moses with his hand as he walked by. Then he removed his hand so Moses could see his back. God was gracious and merciful to Moses and let his goodness pass before him. *** In Matthew, Peter was sitting in Caiapas’ courtyard listening to all they were doing to Jesus when a servant girl recognized him as a follower of Jesus. Peter quickly denied it. When another servant girl said the same thing he denied it also. Then a bystander approached Peter and noticed his dialect and knew he was one of Jesus’ followers. Peter cursed and swore he wasn’t. The rooster crowed and Peter remembered what Jesus had said. He went out and cried bitterly. *** By morning the priests and elders had rendered the decision to put Jesus to death. They bound him and delivered him to Pilate. When Judas saw the outcome, he tried to pay the priests back the money they had given him to betray Jesus. They didn’t want it. They had used Judas and they could care less about his soul. Judas took the money and threw it into the temple. He went and hanged himself. Since his money was blood money, they took it and bought the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers. (Jeremiah 32:6-9). *** When Jesus stood before Pilate, he asked him if he was the king of the Jews. Jesus replied, “You have said so.” Jesus turned his question back on him. When he heard the accusations of the priests and elders, he remained silent and offered no defense. This amazed the governor. *** Lord, may we seek to know your ways and may we see your glory.

Tues.’s Devo - Jesus’ Arrest

Read: Exodus 30:11-31:18; Matthew 26:47-68; Psalms 32:1-11; Proverbs 8:27-32 Moses was told that if he ever counted the people, he was first to have them bring a half shekel to pay the atonement for their lives. To count the people was the same as bringing their live to account before the Lord at the end of time. They had to pay for their sins first or they would be judged. If they didn’t do this, a plague would come. This is exactly what happened when David counted the people and didn’t require the payment. A plague broke out that killed many of his people. *** The Lord instructed Moses to make a bronze basin for the priest to wash their feet and hands before they ministered. We should always have clean hands and feet before we minister, which means that our sins should be confessed and forgiven first; our hearts should be clean. *** Moses was given the formula for the spices that were to be mixed with the oil to make anointing oil. With it Moses was to anoint the tent of meeting, the furniture and all the instruments used. It was to be burnt on the incense table as a sweet aroma to the Lord. In Revelation 8:3,4 it says that this incense was mixed with the prayers of the saints. This perfume was to be beaten and was not to be copied or used for any other purpose. It was holy to the Lord. *** The Lord called two men to craft the furniture, utensils, garments and the oil and incense in the tabernacle. God filled them with his Spirit and showed them how to do everything as he wanted it and gave them the ability to carry it out. If you look up all the names associated with Bezalel you will get this picture: Under the shadow of the Lord, light shines through praise. If you look up all the names and their meanings of the second artist, Aholiah you will get this: God’s judgement supports his tabernacle. God’s judgements and praise go together. *** Above all the commandments, they were to keep the Sabbaths because they are holy and if they didn’t keep them they would be killed and their soul cut off from their people. The Sabbath was a sign that God rested after making the heaven and the earth for six days. On the seventh day he rested and was refreshed. On our seventh day we will do the same. *** When God had finished talking to Moses he gave him the two tablets where the finger of God had written the laws. *** In Matthew, Jesus had just woken up Peter, James and John for the third time and announced that they were there to take him. Sure enough, Judas arrived with a great crowd of agitator with swords and clubs. Judas had told the priests that it would be the one he kissed. Judas greeted Jesus as his Rabbi then kissed him. Jesus called Judas his friend and asked him what he had come to do. Jesus knew. They grabbed Jesus and Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of the servant’s high priest. Jesus told him to put his sword away and explained that he could defend him self if he wanted to. Jesus made a point that they could have taken him in the day, but they chose to do it at night because that is when sin does its work. *** Jesus was taken to the home of the high priest, Caiaphas. Peter followed and sat in the courtyard listening. Witnesses falsely accused Jesus, but none of them said anything that would stick until the man said that Jesus had said he was able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days. That was not what Jesus had said, but they liked it and asked Jesus to respond. When Jesus refused to answer, they asked him if he was the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus told him that they said it and from then on they would see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven. This was what they were waiting for. The high priest tore his robes claiming, “Blasphemy.” He sentenced him to death. Jesus was spit on, slapped and mocked. *** Lord, forgive us for rejecting you. Thank you that your blood has made us new creatures in You and we no longer reject you but we invite you into our lives. Thank you that you invite us into your kingdom to be your children that you delight in.

Mon.’s Devo - Consecration of the Priests

Read: Exodus 29:1-30:10; Matthew 26:14-46; Psalm 31:19-24; Proverbs 8:14-26 God told Moses what he must do to consecrate Aaron and his sons as priests. Moses was to take a bull, two rams, unleavened cakes mixed with oil and unleavened wafers smeared with oil and crushed into fine flour. This flour was to be brought in a basket. *** Moses was to bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent and wash them with water. Bringing them to the entrance represents their profession of faith. Washing them with water represents their baptism. Then Moses was to put on Aaron the coat, the ephod, and the breastplate. These represent the robe of righteousness and the belt of truth. The turban was put on their head to guard their minds with the holiness of God. Last of all he was to anoint his head with the oil of the Holy Spirit. He was to do the same thing for his sons. *** Next, Moses was to apply the blood of the bull with his finger on the base of the altar and burn its fat on the altar, making the altar holy. *** Then Aaron and his sons were to lay their hands on the head of the ram transferring their sins to it and then kill the ram and sprinkle its blood on the sides of the altar. Then the whole ram was to be burnt on the altar to represent Jesus’ blood atoning for their sins. *** The other ram was then taken. They laid their hands on it and Moses killed it and applied its blood to the tip of the priest’s right ear, the tip of their right thumbs and the tip of their right big toe. Then the rest was thrown against the altar. This was to anoint their hearing, the works of their hands and wherever they went. *** The fat from the ram and the grain offering was put in their hands so they could wave it before the Lord as an offering to the Lord. I think of this as them giving of everything else in their lives to the Lord as a free-will offering. *** The breast was waved before the Lord and given to Aaron and their sons as their portion to eat. It represented the gifts of the people so they would have peace with God. *** These holy garments of Aaron’s should be passed down throughout his generations and they shall wear them for seven days - till their lives are completed. This is the promise of salvation to our whole families. *** Aaron and his sons were to eat from the ram every day for seven days. All the days of their lives they will eat from the goodness of what God did for them. *** All of this represents what we go through spiritually to be priests before the Lord. Jesus died to make a kingdom of priests (1Peter 2:9). *** They were to daily offer two lambs on the altar - one in the morning and one at night, along with flour and wine. This shows how we need to constantly go before the Lord in our good times and our bad. *** After the priests were sanctified and had atoned for their sins, they were instructed in how to make the altar of incense. Now they were ready to intercede for the people. The incense was their prayers for their nation and themselves. They were to burn incense every morning and night. Blood was to be applied to the horns of this table every year on the Day of Atonement. This represented a special prayer once a year to atone for the sins of the nation. *** In Matthew, the evil priests had decided to wait till after Passover to kill Jesus, but when Judas came and offered to deliver him to them, they changed their minds. They paid him 30 pieces of silver and arranged the deal. *** Meanwhile, the disciples were planning the place where they would eat the Passover meal with Jesus. He sent them to the city to a man who had a room prepared for them. As they were together at this house eating, Jesus told them that one of them would betray him. Judas was right there when he said it. The others asked if it was them, but Jesus said that the one who dipped his hand in the dish with him would betray him and it would be woe for him. They had probably all dipped their hands into the dish so this didn’t help them much. I think Jesus was metaphorically saying that one of them who had served with him and participated in the things of the Lord would do this. Jesus even answered to Judas that he was the one. (Did this fly by their heads?) *** Jesus blessed the bread and explained that it represented his body and the wine was his blood that would be poured out for many to forgive their sins. *** Jesus promised that they would one day drink together in his Father’s kingdom. Then they sang a hymn and went to the Mount of Olives. There, Jesus told them that they would all fall away and be scattered when he was killed, but he would rise and meet them in Galilee. *** Peter spoke up and said he would never deny him. Jesus told him that before the rooster crowed, he would have denied him three times. *** Jesus then took them to Gethsemane and told them to pray. He took Peter, James and John with him to pray. He told them that he was filled with sorrow and asked them to pray with him. Jesus prayed that if it was possible to let this cup pass from him, but he wanted more to do God’s will. *** Jesus came back to Peter, James and John and found them sleeping. Twice he woke them up to pray with him but on the third time he came and told them the hour was here and he was about to be betrayed. Lord, it is sad to end our story at this place but we know the ending and it is good. May we be anointed and consecrated priest unto you. May we not be like the disciples who could not stay awake and pray. May we know the day we are living in and intercede for our President, our nation and your will to be done on the earth. Great are You, Lord!

Sun.’s Devo - The Priestly Garments

Read: Exodus 28:1-43; Matthew 25:31-26:13; Psalm 31:9-18; Proverbs 8:12-13 Moses called Aaron and his sons to him and told them to make holy garments for them to wear as priests. He gave them explicit instructions about what to tell the artist who would make their garments. *** The garment for the high priest, Aaron included a breast piece, an ephod, a robe, an embroidered coat, a mitre, a turban and a sash. The ephod was to be made of gold, blue, purple and scarlet twisted thread. A shoulder piece would hold two onyx stones that would rest on the priest’s shoulder and have the names of Jacob’s first six sons engraved on the right shoulder stone and the names of his last six sons on the left one. They would stand as a remembrance and be seen by God as he looked down. *** A breast plate of judgement was made of the same material but was more like a bib that he wore over his chest. On it were the stones of the tribes of Israel in four rows, three across. Each tribe was known by its different stone. This was to remind the priest that he always carried the cause of Israel in his heart. There was an inside pocket that held the Urim and the Thrummed. This would help him make decisions as one stood for “No” and the other “Yes”. *** The robe of the high priest was blue with pomegranates and bells alternating around the hem. The pomegranates stood for the Word since there are 613 laws in God’s Word and the same number of seeds in a pomegranate. The bells were to ring out the presence of the priests. Bells speak to healing and joy. *** On his turban would be a gold plate that read “Holy to the Lord.” As Aaron wore this garment and acted the part of the high priest he was a type of Jesus. Aaron was to bear the guilt of the people who offered their gifts to the Lord. He would consecrate their gifts and make them holy. That is what Jesus does for us. *** Aaron’s sons were to wear fine linen robes and turbans and tie their robes with an embroidered sash. Everything was made for beauty and to glorify God. They even wore fine linen undergarments. They were to wear them when they went into the tabernacle or came hear the altar to minister in the Holy Place or they would die. *** In Matthew, Jesus said that when he comes to earth in his glory, he will have his angels with him and he will then sit on his throne. All the nations will be gathered to him and he will separate the sheep from the goats. His sheep will go to the right and the goats to the left. *** He will welcome the sheep who cared for one another as unto him. He will tell the goats that they did not feed or care for the poor, visit the sick or those in prison. They did not love “the least of these.” They will be sent to eternal punishment. *** Jesus told his disciples that the Passover was two days away and that was when he would be delivered up to be crucified. At that very time, the chief priests and elders were at Caiaphas’ house plotting to snatch him and kill him. They decided to wait until after the feast because they didn’t want the people to riot. *** Jesus was staying at Bethany at Simon’s house and a woman came and began pouring expensive ointment on his head. When the disciples saw it and thought it was wasteful, Jesus rebuked them. He said that what she had done was beautiful and was in preparation for his burial. She would be remembered forever for what she did. *** Lord, help us to remember what we do matters. May our eyes be open to the poor, the needy and those locked in prisons. May we constantly remember what you have done for us. We anticipate your return with great joy.

Sat.’s Devo - The Curtains of the Tabernacle

Read: Exodus 26:1-27:21; Matthew 25:1-30; Psalm 31:1-8; Proverbs 8:1-11 Today we read a very long and detailed description of the curtains that will be the walls of the outer court of the tabernacle and the curtains that will be the walls and ceiling of the inner tabernacle. *** These curtains were to be made of linen and embroidered with blue, purple and scarlet yarn. The weavers were to work cherubim into their design. These walls were to give the people the feeling of entering into the Garden of Eden. The curtains were made in five large sections of fabric bordered with loops which were joined together with clasps of gold. Coverings for the top of the tent were made of goats hair that draped over the sides so no rain could get inside the inner tabernacle. *** The frames which held up the curtains were to be made of acacia wood and covered with gold. These frames were held up with ten silver bases on each side. *** The outer tabernacle which was surrounded by the curtain wall were where the people who came to worship would stand and offer their sacrifices on the bronze altar, which we haven’t read about yet. *** Inside the inner tabernacle were two rooms. The first room was entered through a curtain into the Holy Place. In it were the golden lampstand and the table with the shewbread and the altar of incense. Through a curtain in the back you entered into the Holy of Holies where the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat was placed. *** Moses had the people bring him pure beaten olive oil for the menorah which would be attended to by Aaron and his sons every evening. *** In Matthew, Jesus gives another parable about the kingdom of heaven. It was about ten virgins who went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and took no oil with them for their lamps. The other five were wise and took flasks of oil with their lamps. The bridegroom did not come when they expected so they all fell asleep. At midnight the announcement of the bridegroom went out, but only the wise virgins had oil for the lamps. The foolish had to go and buy oil and missed the open door. When they came to the feast and the door was shut, they begged him to open the door, but the Lord told them he didn’t know them. Jesus is coming for a people who are ready and are filled with his Spirit. *** Jesus gave another parable explaining the coming of the Lord. He said it would be like a man leaving for a journey and putting his servants in charge of his property. He gave one five talents, another two an another one each according to their ability to handle talents. The one with the five and the two immediately multiplied their talents but the one with one hid his in the ground. *** When the master came back to settle his account with them the one with the five and the one with two talents showed him how they had doubled his money. The master praised them both and put them over more responsibility. The last one gave him back his one talent saying he knew he was a hard man who reaped where he did not sow and gathered where he didn’t scatter seed. (What a horrible thing to say! This man truly didn’t know his master’s heart.) The master rebuked him for not at least putting the money in the bank and gaining interest. He gave his one talent to the one who had five and cast him into outer darkness where he would weep and gnash his teeth. *** These parables are self-explanatory. We have been given so much from the Lord and we will give an account for what we have done for the Lord on Judgment Day. We have been created for a destiny crafted just for us and our abilities. We are not to compare our talents with others but use what we have been given to the highest potential for God’s glory. *** Lord, as we read about your tabernacle, may we see the beauty of it and understand how you love to surround us with the beauty of your holiness. May we enjoy spending time in your presence today.

Fri.’s Devo - The Feasts

Read: Exodus 23:14-25:40; Matthew 24:29-51; Psalm 30:1-12; Proverbs 7:24-27 God told the people they were to keep a feast to him three times a year. The first season would be the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It was to be kept in the month of Abib also called Nissan. It would last for 7 days representing the time when they came out of Egypt. (During this time they would also celebrate the Passover and the Feast of First Fruits.) *** The next feast would occur fifty days later and was called the Feast of Harvest (also called Feast of Weeks or Pentecost). The last group was in the end of the year and it was called the Feast of Ingathering. These were all times when they were harvesting different crops from their fields. The first was the barley harvest, then the wheat, then the fruit. *** The men were to appear before the Lord these times during the year with the first fruits of their harvests. *** They were not to boil a young goat in its mother’s milk. This commandment is given several times in the law. I believe spiritually it means that you are not to kill the baby for the mother’s sins. I’m sure there was a reason for why they were told this. *** God said he was sending his angel before them to guard them on their way and bring them to the place the Lord had prepared for them. When they got there, they were not to bow to their enemies’ gods. If they served the Lord only, he would bless their food and water and take sickness away from them. They would not miscarry or be barren. They would live out all the days of their lives. God would cause their enemies to fear them so that they would be confused. He would drive them out with hornets. He would do this slowly so they would have time to inhabit their land. They were not to make any covenants of peace with them because if they did, they would end up serving their gods. God called Moses, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu and the seventy elders to worship him from afar. Then he called Moses to come near to him. Moses wrote down what the Lord told him and and would come and tell the group. They agreed to obey his words. *** Early in the morning, Moses built an altar to the Lord with 12 pillars representing the 12 tribes. He sent young men to offer burnt offering and sacrifices on the altar. Moses took half of the blood and threw it on the side of the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant he had written and read it to the people. They agreed to do all that it said. Then the Lord sprinkled the rest of the blood on the people. *** Moses and his appointed group went up and saw the Lord on a pavement of sapphire stone and saw a glimpse of heaven. They also saw that God did not harm Moses. *** God called Moses back on the mountain so he could give him the tablet of stone with the law and commandment written on them. He left Aaron and Hur in charge of the people. Moses took Joshua and went up the mountain. The mountain it was overshadowed by a cloud because of the glory of God and appeared to be on fire. *** God told Moses to let the people contribute things to make the tabernacle. He would need gold, silver, bronze, etc. (25:1-8). With all the metal, gems, yarns and skins, oils and spices, they were to make the tabernacle like he showed him in heaven. The tabernacle would be a replica of what was in heaven though much smaller. *** God gave Moses the exact measurements and how to make the ark to hold the covenant and the mercy seat that would rest on top of the ark with the two cherubs on it. This was where the Lord would meet with him. *** He was to make a table along with gold plates and dishes for incense, and cups and bowls to pour drink offerings in. *** He was to make a gold lamp stand (menorah) with a main branch and three branches on both sides. On the branches would be almond blossoms and a cup to hold the old for lighting. *** In Matthew, Jesus was explaining the last days. After the tribulation time, the sun would be darkened and the moon would not give light. The stars would fall from heaven and the sign of the Son of Man would appear in the clouds. God would send out his angels with a loud trumpet call and they would gather his elect from the four winds and from heaven. According to Jeremiah 49:36, these four winds are the four quarters of heaven. Ezekiel 37:9 tells us that the ones from the four winds are those who were slain. So the Lord is calling the dead to rise and join him. We will not be able to see this from earth. On September 23, 2017 the sign of the Son of Man appeared in the sky. This day was also the Feast of Trumpets. We just read where God would sent out his angels with a loud trumpet call and then they would gather those who have been slain. We could only saw the sign in the sky. *** Jesus tells us it will be the same as the days of Noah where they had no idea what was about to happen, even though Noah preached and told them it was coming. That is the way it is now. Only those awake know the day we are living in. The rest of the world is going on with their daily living, unaware. They didn’t know till the flood swept them away and that will be the same now. Those swept away will be taken while we will be preserved on the earth. *** Jesus called us to be faithfully doing his work when this happens. When the evil see that they are getting away with all their crimes they will not repent, but they will not get away with their evil. They will be taken and face their judgment. They will be thrown into the pit where they will weep and gnash their teeth. *** Both our Psalm and our Proverb mention Sheol, the place of the dead. This is where the evil will end up. *** Lord, thank you for the promise of eternity with you. Thank you that your Word is true and every jot and tittle will be carried out before all this is done. May we be awake and aware of what you are doing and not be afraid. We rest with assurance in your arms.

Thurs.’s Devo - God’s Laws

Read: Exodus 21:22-23:13; Matthew 24:1-28; Psalm 29:1-11; Proverbs 7:6-23 As you read the ordinances of how to deal with property loss, bodily harm and the laws of pain and suffering you will realize how much our laws follow this wisdom given by God. *** God himself is the avenger of the widow and the orphan if they cry out to him. God will make sure that their perpetrator is killed and his wife and children are left without their husband and father. *** God had laws about how he was to be treated also. He told them not to be slow in offering him their first fruits of their harvest and the firstborn of their sons and animals. The sons were to be circumcised on the eighth day of their life and the animals were to be sacrificed on the eight day. *** There were laws commanding them to treat your enemy as you would your neighbor. They were told not to pervert justice with false charges, taking bribes, acquitting the wicked and killing the innocent. *** They were to treat those passing through their land with kindness, remembering how they were sojourners when they came out of Egypt. *** They were to work the land for six years, then let it rest the seventh. During the seventh year they were to allow the poor and the beasts of the field to eat from their land. *** They were not to even mention the names of false gods. *** In Matthew, as Jesus and his disciples were leaving the Temple, the disciples admired the Temple buildings. Jesus told him that there was coming a day when none of the stones would be left standing. They would all be thrown down. He was speaking of both physically and spiritually. *** As Jesus sat with his disciples on the Mount of Olives, they asked him when the Temple would fall and when would he return and when was the end of the age. Jesus told them all the things that would happen first. Many would come in his name and say they were the Christ and lead people astray. They will hear of wars and the rumors of coming wars. They were not to be alarmed because this was all part of the plan. There will be wars and famines and earthquakes and these are the beginnings of the birth pains of the new age to come. *** His followers will the persecuted, and many will not stand but fall away from the faith. False prophets will arise and lawlessness will increase causing some to become hopeless and bitter. But, those who endure through all this will be saved. The gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole earth. Then the end will come. *** Then, Jesus warned them that an abomination was coming to the Temple. When they see this happen they are to flee to the mountains. Pray this won’t happen in the winter or on a Sabbath. Then, there will be great tribulation and those days will be cut short so that there will be survivors. False Christs will arise and do miracles and great signs and wonders. These are only imposters. The coming of the Son of Man will be light lightning that comes from the east and shines to the west. Jesus light will shine across the earth. *** The abomination Jesus was talking about happened after his death on the cross. Antiochus Epiphanes came into the Temple and sacrificed a pig on the altar and sprinkled its blood all over the Temple. The believers fled into the hills and many were killed. We have been under the tribulations written in Revelation ever since. We are in the cusp of the new age Jesus was talking about and are about to see Jesus’s kingdom come to earth, through us. This is not his second coming. That is way up ahead. Jesus will come and dwell on the earth and set up his kingdom through us, first. *** Lord, help us to discern the day we are living in and rejoice! This is the day that Jesus spoke of and we are privileged to live in this day. May we live the kingdom of God and endure till the end.