NT: Luke 1:26-56
Even after I have read Luke a MILLION times, especially the birth story, I just realized today that Mary was not pregnant when she went to visit Elizabeth. For some reason, all these years, I had assumed that she was and the reason she had gone to Elizabeth was the time honored tradition of sending the pregnant young girl to visit her aunt.
Here is a lovely rendition of the sung Magnificat as well as beautiful imagery of the visit of Gabriel to Mary.
Click here to go to the home page of Bible in a Year if your email does not download YouTube.
Gabriel is mentioned in only one other book of the Bible – Daniel 9:21. However, the Talmud and Midrash talk about Gabriel, the Archangel of God, extensively. Just another hash mark for Luke being a good Jewish scholarly boy.
OT -- Numbers 21:1-22:20
The story of Balaam clearly resonates with the rabbis. There is page after page after page of commentary on this one gentile ‘prophet’. Later on, in the Talmud, Balaam is mentioned again as one of the seven prophets (others include JOB!!! and his four friends (did you realize they were gentiles?)) and is held in great esteem. After all, he thwarted the plans of kings to destroy the Children of Israel. Still later, Balaam is mentioned in the letter of John and also in the extra-Biblical sources of Josephus. I plan on doing more research for tomorrow’s post.
Psalm 57
“I am in the midst of lions, I lie among ravenous beasts”. While I do not currently feel that way, I have on occasions. I’ve marked this psalm as one when under assailment. And I don’t think it necessarily has to be physical. Sometimes it is emotional or mental. Maybe even spiritual.
I am really glad to have had this time to simmer in the psalms. I did not really have a good working knowledge of them and where to turn in times of trouble or despair.
I have been planting my garden this week and my body is full of aches and creaks that I don’t normally have. But it is good to be out in God’s wonderful creation of Atlanta spring and I wish you the joy of the loveliness that I have immersed in.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
OT – Numbers 19:1-20:29
Fascinating text today. Of course, I didn’t understand much but once I had read my Stone Chumash and then reread the text, I think I am beginning to see.
The Red cow, according to Rashi, is the mother cleaning up after her son, the Golden Calf. She is red because that is the color of sin, hyssop cleanses (it also is an antiseptic), the red thread is made from a worm representing the sin and repentance, the use of cedar as the wood shows the height of sin and the depth you must go to receive atonement. The cow was originally burnt outside of the camp while the Children of Israel were wandering and then outside the city of Jerusalem when the temple was built. As an aside, remember where Jesus was crucified and who claimed his body. Outside of the city and a very high ranking Jew(s). Think how incredibly unclean they would have been but were willing to take on that task for Jesus.
Although it doesn’t come out and say it, 38 years pass between chapters 19 and 20. We know this because ‘the whole assembly’ (the ones who were going to enter the Promised Land) arrived. Having spent 2 years up to the time of the Red Cow, 38 years will have passed and all the elders would have died.
Here is part of the Midrash that I could not find source of in our Biblical text. Miriam was the source of the water for the whole wandering of the Children of Israel. Here is a fascinating Midrashian text about her life and purpose. Thus, when she died, the water well that had followed the Children miraculously dried up, forcing Moses to ‘speak’ to the rock. Of course, he spoke really sharply i.e. he hit it twice thus causing his own demise.
At one of the interfaith dinners that I went to this winter, one of the rabbis was talking about WHY they have all the Midrash and the commentaries. He said the early rabbis used Midrash, the myths and legends, as sermon illustrations. The commentaries, he said, were another story. He said the rabbis would get together and argue for hours over one brief line of text. Sometimes, 1000 years would separate one arguer from another.
The commentary that I am using, the Stone Chumash, primarily follows Rashi, one of the wisest of the rabbis from the early 11th century CE. There are few others who appear in my commentary like Ramban, or Or Hisch. My rabbi friend from interfaith says that my Stone is like ‘commentary lite’. I don’t care. I have learned more and dug deeper into these words as a result of this commentary and I highly recommend one for you.
Just as a reminder, the people of Edom were Esau’s descendants. Guess who they did not want to pass through their land? Right, Jacob’s descendants. Even here, the ancient enmity as a result of bad parenting on the part of Isaac and Rebecca is still causing problems.
NT – Luke!!!!! 1:1-25
I love this YouTube of comedian Steve Harvey
“How would you introduce Jesus”.
Click here to take you to the main page of Bible in a Year if the YouTube does not appear in your email version.
Luke is the first of two, some say three volumes. The second volume is The Acts of the Apostles. Because Acts ends rather abruptly with Paul sailing off to Rome, it has been speculated that Luke intended to write a 3rd volume but it has either been lost or he died before he completed it.
Many people say that Luke was a physician and certainly, there are lots of details in Luke that are absent from Matthew and especially Mr. Spare, Mark. Whoever the author was, he was probably a Jew due to his extensive knowledge of Jewish history and law. However, who he is speaking to is probably a good mix of Gentiles and Jews. He is concerned with the Messiahship of Jesus, like Matthew, but not overly so with proving via the Prophets. He explains and examines Jewish customs in the way that Matthew simply assumed his readers knew and understood. The story telling and the parables that are elaborate and detailed point to an audience that was familiar with Greek stories, myths, and plays. And also with an audience that already had a rudimentary knowledge of Christianity but he wants to ‘know the certainty’.
Of all the gospels, Luke is my favorite. I love his treatment of women, I love the stories and I love the parables. I am looking forward to these days of study.
Peace and Grace to you all.
Fascinating text today. Of course, I didn’t understand much but once I had read my Stone Chumash and then reread the text, I think I am beginning to see.
The Red cow, according to Rashi, is the mother cleaning up after her son, the Golden Calf. She is red because that is the color of sin, hyssop cleanses (it also is an antiseptic), the red thread is made from a worm representing the sin and repentance, the use of cedar as the wood shows the height of sin and the depth you must go to receive atonement. The cow was originally burnt outside of the camp while the Children of Israel were wandering and then outside the city of Jerusalem when the temple was built. As an aside, remember where Jesus was crucified and who claimed his body. Outside of the city and a very high ranking Jew(s). Think how incredibly unclean they would have been but were willing to take on that task for Jesus.
Although it doesn’t come out and say it, 38 years pass between chapters 19 and 20. We know this because ‘the whole assembly’ (the ones who were going to enter the Promised Land) arrived. Having spent 2 years up to the time of the Red Cow, 38 years will have passed and all the elders would have died.
Here is part of the Midrash that I could not find source of in our Biblical text. Miriam was the source of the water for the whole wandering of the Children of Israel. Here is a fascinating Midrashian text about her life and purpose. Thus, when she died, the water well that had followed the Children miraculously dried up, forcing Moses to ‘speak’ to the rock. Of course, he spoke really sharply i.e. he hit it twice thus causing his own demise.
At one of the interfaith dinners that I went to this winter, one of the rabbis was talking about WHY they have all the Midrash and the commentaries. He said the early rabbis used Midrash, the myths and legends, as sermon illustrations. The commentaries, he said, were another story. He said the rabbis would get together and argue for hours over one brief line of text. Sometimes, 1000 years would separate one arguer from another.
The commentary that I am using, the Stone Chumash, primarily follows Rashi, one of the wisest of the rabbis from the early 11th century CE. There are few others who appear in my commentary like Ramban, or Or Hisch. My rabbi friend from interfaith says that my Stone is like ‘commentary lite’. I don’t care. I have learned more and dug deeper into these words as a result of this commentary and I highly recommend one for you.
Just as a reminder, the people of Edom were Esau’s descendants. Guess who they did not want to pass through their land? Right, Jacob’s descendants. Even here, the ancient enmity as a result of bad parenting on the part of Isaac and Rebecca is still causing problems.
NT – Luke!!!!! 1:1-25
I love this YouTube of comedian Steve Harvey
“How would you introduce Jesus”.
Click here to take you to the main page of Bible in a Year if the YouTube does not appear in your email version.
Luke is the first of two, some say three volumes. The second volume is The Acts of the Apostles. Because Acts ends rather abruptly with Paul sailing off to Rome, it has been speculated that Luke intended to write a 3rd volume but it has either been lost or he died before he completed it.
Many people say that Luke was a physician and certainly, there are lots of details in Luke that are absent from Matthew and especially Mr. Spare, Mark. Whoever the author was, he was probably a Jew due to his extensive knowledge of Jewish history and law. However, who he is speaking to is probably a good mix of Gentiles and Jews. He is concerned with the Messiahship of Jesus, like Matthew, but not overly so with proving via the Prophets. He explains and examines Jewish customs in the way that Matthew simply assumed his readers knew and understood. The story telling and the parables that are elaborate and detailed point to an audience that was familiar with Greek stories, myths, and plays. And also with an audience that already had a rudimentary knowledge of Christianity but he wants to ‘know the certainty’.
Of all the gospels, Luke is my favorite. I love his treatment of women, I love the stories and I love the parables. I am looking forward to these days of study.
Peace and Grace to you all.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
March 12
OT – Numbers 16:41-18.32
What did I tell you? Sure enough, the next stinking day, the Israelites are grumbling against Moses! And they get a plague and killed 14,700! Is that enough to stop the grumbling? Well, you know it isn’t.
Same Bat time, same Bat channel. More dead Israelites.
NT – Mark 16:1-20
This video is about the added on ending for Mark.
As an aside, I have noticed that YouTube videos don't download in my email copy of this post, if that is the case, go to the main page so you can watch this YouTube.
Click here for the main page of Bible in a Year
Psalm 55:1-23
How well I know the feeling of this psalmist! I live more in my head than I do in the real world, I think. My fears in my head can sometimes overwhelm me as they do the psalmist. Let’s look at what keeps the fears at bay for him.
1. He is praying. Rather than simply stewing about all of his problems, he has listed them out for the Lord.
2. He is aware that he needs to flee to a place of safety and he has decided that the safest place is not ‘out there, somewhere’, it is with God.
Blessings on your week
What did I tell you? Sure enough, the next stinking day, the Israelites are grumbling against Moses! And they get a plague and killed 14,700! Is that enough to stop the grumbling? Well, you know it isn’t.
Same Bat time, same Bat channel. More dead Israelites.
NT – Mark 16:1-20
This video is about the added on ending for Mark.
As an aside, I have noticed that YouTube videos don't download in my email copy of this post, if that is the case, go to the main page so you can watch this YouTube.
Click here for the main page of Bible in a Year
Psalm 55:1-23
How well I know the feeling of this psalmist! I live more in my head than I do in the real world, I think. My fears in my head can sometimes overwhelm me as they do the psalmist. Let’s look at what keeps the fears at bay for him.
1. He is praying. Rather than simply stewing about all of his problems, he has listed them out for the Lord.
2. He is aware that he needs to flee to a place of safety and he has decided that the safest place is not ‘out there, somewhere’, it is with God.
Blessings on your week
Saturday, March 10, 2012
March 11
NT – Mark 15:1-47
Our scripture today is the crucifixion of Jesus. In Mark’s gospel, as in most of the rest of his gospel, the telling is spare, with few elaborations and few details. One detail that struck my interest was the passage about Joseph of Arimathea.
Arimathea is not located on any map. It is referred to as a ‘city in Judea’ and the town of Ramatha (the birthplace of Samuel) is often mentioned as the actual town.
Many legends surround Joseph but here is what is known from the scripture. Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin, the Grand Council of Jerusalem. He was wealthy and politically well connected. This was because the Sanhedrin was composed of 71 of the ruling elders of Israel. Since the Sanhedrin were the ones who prosecuted and recommended to Pilate that Jesus be killed, we can assume that Joseph was acting in direct opposition to what the Council wished. The gospel of John says that Nicodemus helped Joseph with the wrapping of the body but Matthew, Mark and Luke only mention Joseph.
Okay, now here is what is legend. Joseph of Arimathea was reportedly Jesus’ great uncle, the brother of Anna the prophetess who sees Jesus when he is brought to the Temple for his consecration on the eighth day. After the resurrection of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea supposedly left for his tin holdings on the coast of Cornwall, Great Britain, the source of his wealth. There he supposedly established the church at Glastonbury, the oldest church in Great Britain.
Psalm 54
Here is another example of the power of names in the Bible. The Psalmist asks God to save him ‘by his name’. Remember the passage in Leviticus where the son of the Danite woman and the Egyptian man (Leviticus 24) used the name of the Lord as a curse and God had him stoned to death. In this case, the psalmist wants the Lord to destroy his enemies by using the name of the Lord.
OT – Numbers 15:17-16:40
I do not know what to say about chapter 16 in Numbers. In my pride and arrogance, I can see how the elders would challenge Moses. He is constantly making new decrees and the micromanagement of the Children of Israel would drive me crazy! But then I think about what it would take to move that many people that far, feeding everyone, settling the squabbles and the trials and tribulations, and I feel great admiration for Moses. And I get the whole concept of a challenge to Moses is a challenge to God. It just seems incredibly harsh to have all the wives, children and possessions swallowed alive by the earth. And all the 250 men burnt alive. If I had witnessed that, would I ever have challenged Moses again? I would think not. But I know it is coming and coming fast.
I hope you have a Blessed Sunday filled with family, friends and the nurture of Scripture.
Our scripture today is the crucifixion of Jesus. In Mark’s gospel, as in most of the rest of his gospel, the telling is spare, with few elaborations and few details. One detail that struck my interest was the passage about Joseph of Arimathea.
Arimathea is not located on any map. It is referred to as a ‘city in Judea’ and the town of Ramatha (the birthplace of Samuel) is often mentioned as the actual town.
Many legends surround Joseph but here is what is known from the scripture. Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin, the Grand Council of Jerusalem. He was wealthy and politically well connected. This was because the Sanhedrin was composed of 71 of the ruling elders of Israel. Since the Sanhedrin were the ones who prosecuted and recommended to Pilate that Jesus be killed, we can assume that Joseph was acting in direct opposition to what the Council wished. The gospel of John says that Nicodemus helped Joseph with the wrapping of the body but Matthew, Mark and Luke only mention Joseph.
Okay, now here is what is legend. Joseph of Arimathea was reportedly Jesus’ great uncle, the brother of Anna the prophetess who sees Jesus when he is brought to the Temple for his consecration on the eighth day. After the resurrection of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea supposedly left for his tin holdings on the coast of Cornwall, Great Britain, the source of his wealth. There he supposedly established the church at Glastonbury, the oldest church in Great Britain.
Psalm 54
Here is another example of the power of names in the Bible. The Psalmist asks God to save him ‘by his name’. Remember the passage in Leviticus where the son of the Danite woman and the Egyptian man (Leviticus 24) used the name of the Lord as a curse and God had him stoned to death. In this case, the psalmist wants the Lord to destroy his enemies by using the name of the Lord.
OT – Numbers 15:17-16:40
I do not know what to say about chapter 16 in Numbers. In my pride and arrogance, I can see how the elders would challenge Moses. He is constantly making new decrees and the micromanagement of the Children of Israel would drive me crazy! But then I think about what it would take to move that many people that far, feeding everyone, settling the squabbles and the trials and tribulations, and I feel great admiration for Moses. And I get the whole concept of a challenge to Moses is a challenge to God. It just seems incredibly harsh to have all the wives, children and possessions swallowed alive by the earth. And all the 250 men burnt alive. If I had witnessed that, would I ever have challenged Moses again? I would think not. But I know it is coming and coming fast.
I hope you have a Blessed Sunday filled with family, friends and the nurture of Scripture.
Friday, March 9, 2012
March 10
Proverb 11:4
I read the proverb “wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death” did my usual head bob as in ‘yes, yes, that is so true. Let’s move on.” But then I got to thinking about it. For one thing, why would righteousness deliver you from death? Plenty of really good, loving people are killed every day. I am listening to The Winds of War by Herman Wouk and having already read the book several times, I know what is going to happen. I know people I care about are going to the concentration camps and they are going to die. Being good didn’t save them or any of the other devout 6 millions. And what about those nuns that were killed after being kidnapped and raped? Weren’t they righteous? The surviving one said they were. She said they absolved their killers of the sin of killing them as it was happening. Didn’t save them.
That must not be what the proverb means.
So I went back to the first part of the couplet. Remember that Hebrew poetry and epigrams are frequently in direct contradiction with one another as a means to illuminate.
Maybe the key is ‘day of wrath’. If Solomon or one of his advisors wrote these proverbs, the day of wrath would have been a military take over. Maybe even a coup. So during a military takeover, your money will not save you but being good, will. And if this is true, why? Would people be more likely to help you and your family during a military crisis if you had been good to them or theirs? Possibly.
I still do not think I understand what the proverb means.
Maybe the direct contradiction has to do with worthless wealth vs. righteousness. Maybe this is the OT version of ‘money won’t buy you love’?
Righteousness means living within the accordance of God’s will. Inability to sin. Morally upright. Is wealthy person incapable of being righteous?
I am still perplexed. On the surface, this one seems logical. Maybe it is that I, a wealthy person, do not want it to be true? But I am fully aware of how very far from the mark I am on righteousness. But when I think of people like Truett Cathy or Dorothy Day, Bill Gates, among the wealthiest people in the world, I think of them as righteous. I really do.
Let me know what you think.
OT – Numbers 14:1-15:16
This is the infamous passage where the entire crew is set to wandering for 40 years to wait out the death of the above 20 year olds. Maybe this is not a problem for God but always, when I am punishing Matthew and Cole, I have to wonder, how much this is going to cost me in time and effort. In God’s case, He had to stick it out over the tent for those 40 years and listen to all their boo-hoos. And did you notice! Those bozos didn’t make it one week before they were going full throttle ahead and trying to enter the promised land on their own. This is after watching all the spies drop dead from plague because they spread ill rumors. Rashi says that while the Israelites were wandering in the desert, there was not illness except illness brought on by being out of sync (like Miriam yesterday) with God. No normal measles, mumps or colds. The children of Israel were divinely protected on this journey. Except when they were bad. Then, they died of the diseases like wildfire.
NT – Mark 14:53-72
Even to the end, Mark’s Jesus is secretive, non-disclosure. He will not give up his identity to his adversaries. And did you notice, the girl called Jesus a Nazarene but Peter was a Galilean. (vs. 67-70).
Friends, at this time of the year, so many things are happening in our lives. If you need to miss a day from the reading, go with God. But come right back to it and pick up where we are. Don’t give up. We have so much fascinating material ahead of us.
And I would love it if you would pass along this blog to others who might like to join us.
I read the proverb “wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death” did my usual head bob as in ‘yes, yes, that is so true. Let’s move on.” But then I got to thinking about it. For one thing, why would righteousness deliver you from death? Plenty of really good, loving people are killed every day. I am listening to The Winds of War by Herman Wouk and having already read the book several times, I know what is going to happen. I know people I care about are going to the concentration camps and they are going to die. Being good didn’t save them or any of the other devout 6 millions. And what about those nuns that were killed after being kidnapped and raped? Weren’t they righteous? The surviving one said they were. She said they absolved their killers of the sin of killing them as it was happening. Didn’t save them.
That must not be what the proverb means.
So I went back to the first part of the couplet. Remember that Hebrew poetry and epigrams are frequently in direct contradiction with one another as a means to illuminate.
Maybe the key is ‘day of wrath’. If Solomon or one of his advisors wrote these proverbs, the day of wrath would have been a military take over. Maybe even a coup. So during a military takeover, your money will not save you but being good, will. And if this is true, why? Would people be more likely to help you and your family during a military crisis if you had been good to them or theirs? Possibly.
I still do not think I understand what the proverb means.
Maybe the direct contradiction has to do with worthless wealth vs. righteousness. Maybe this is the OT version of ‘money won’t buy you love’?
Righteousness means living within the accordance of God’s will. Inability to sin. Morally upright. Is wealthy person incapable of being righteous?
I am still perplexed. On the surface, this one seems logical. Maybe it is that I, a wealthy person, do not want it to be true? But I am fully aware of how very far from the mark I am on righteousness. But when I think of people like Truett Cathy or Dorothy Day, Bill Gates, among the wealthiest people in the world, I think of them as righteous. I really do.
Let me know what you think.
OT – Numbers 14:1-15:16
This is the infamous passage where the entire crew is set to wandering for 40 years to wait out the death of the above 20 year olds. Maybe this is not a problem for God but always, when I am punishing Matthew and Cole, I have to wonder, how much this is going to cost me in time and effort. In God’s case, He had to stick it out over the tent for those 40 years and listen to all their boo-hoos. And did you notice! Those bozos didn’t make it one week before they were going full throttle ahead and trying to enter the promised land on their own. This is after watching all the spies drop dead from plague because they spread ill rumors. Rashi says that while the Israelites were wandering in the desert, there was not illness except illness brought on by being out of sync (like Miriam yesterday) with God. No normal measles, mumps or colds. The children of Israel were divinely protected on this journey. Except when they were bad. Then, they died of the diseases like wildfire.
NT – Mark 14:53-72
Even to the end, Mark’s Jesus is secretive, non-disclosure. He will not give up his identity to his adversaries. And did you notice, the girl called Jesus a Nazarene but Peter was a Galilean. (vs. 67-70).
Friends, at this time of the year, so many things are happening in our lives. If you need to miss a day from the reading, go with God. But come right back to it and pick up where we are. Don’t give up. We have so much fascinating material ahead of us.
And I would love it if you would pass along this blog to others who might like to join us.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
March 9
NT -- Mark 14:22-52
I love this.
My Bible Dictionary has an interesting note about 14:51-52. "Early church history suggests that the naked young man was Mark, the gospel writer himself. Perhaps he - in his night clothes - had followed the disciples from his home where Jesus and the Twelve had earlier celebrated the Last Supper (inferred from Acts 12:12). He may be including a bit of his own biography, however shameful, right in the middle of this dramatic story." Then, of course, I had to go to Acts 12:12. I could not infer that from the text which was about Peter escaping from prison and going to Mark's home as an escapee. But it was interesting none the less.
Psalm 52
Now this is appropriate today. I read in the paper today about The New Orleans Saint football team that put bounties on opposing players. If that isn't evil, I simply do not know what is. And this is bound to bring down a bunch of people's careers and lives.
Check out this link. And prepare to see Psalm 52 play out in front of us on the TV and newspaper.
Saints Football Team
Proverbs 11:1-3
Nowadays, we pick up a package of hamburger and it says 1 pound and we believe it. In Bible days, they used weights and measures. Dishonest merchants had shaved or hollow weights. You had to know your seller in order to be sure you weren't being cheated. And in some cases, the merchant was honest for one, dishonest for another. These are not Godly virtues.
I remember reading Centennial years ago by James Michener and one of the 'measures of a man' that Levi Zendt believed about his older brother Mahluf whom he despised Mahluf's weights and measures were 'true'. And if he didn't add a pinch on, neither did he take a pinch off with bad weights. As an aside, that was one of the first books that I read that I recognized the Jacob/Esau struggle in literature. When I wrote a paper about it for my tenth grade teacher Peggy Dyer, she gave me a D for using 'worthless trash' as my book choice. Humph.
OT -- Numbers 11:24-13:33
See what I mean about reading ahead? I was totally taken aback by God's response to the people eating the quail. But a little poking around on the web made me realize that nobody said thank you. My Stone Chumash said it was only the whine instigators who were killed.
I also did not understand why only Miriam got the leprosy but the Stone had a comment about that as well. Moses was not having marital relations with Zipporah because he had to remain ritually pure at all times in case he had to hear God's word. Zipporah by chance remark let Miriam know who told Aaron. She was concerned that Moses was incorrect. God himself appeared to chastise them and put Moses' prophesy was of a higher order which meant he had to remain ritually pure. This exchange is the basis for all the rules and regulations against slander by the the Jewish people.
May you hear all the story. Peace and grace to each of you as you read and meditate on the Word.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
March 8
Mary Magdalene
Psalm 51
This is what the title in my Bible says about this psalm: “For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.”
For such a familiar psalm, reading it this evening I thought of several new things. The first is how PUBLIC this whole repentance thing was for David. When I think of ‘damage control’ for leaders today, they don’t jump up and admit what stupid fools they were. Instead, what we get is spin. This was NOT what David did. He is practically debasing himself here. The second is the mention in vs. 11 of the Holy Spirit. As in, don’t take it from him. I don’t recall another instance when it is named that way. And clearly David had the Holy Spirit with him. Do you? Third, when I checked out what hyssop was (vs. 7), it is a varietal of oregano and has massive antibiotic and antiseptic properties. It is used extensively in herbal medicines to control and eradicate diseases. Which led me to the thought – did David think he would get whatever killed the baby? And that is why he is cleansing himself with hyssop? http://www.hyssophealth.com/
Finally, it is only GOD who can make the clean heart. Not you, not me. Only God. Another in the long line of faith not works hash marks. But do you get one (clean heart) just because you ask for it?
Listen to this lovely rendition of the hymn, Create in me a clean heart:
NT – Mark 14:1-21
Just in case there is still lingering doubt, notice that the woman is NOT Mary Magdalene. She is unnamed in Mark and Matthew. In John, she is named Mary but it is at Lazarus’ home in Bethany this happens and Martha serves dinner. So it is THAT Mary, not the Magdalene. I do not know nor do I buy Dan Brown of The Da Vinci Code why everyone thought it was the Magdalene who poured the perfume. So much so that there are countless pictures of Mary the Magdalene with her red dress on and her jar of perfume.
I was struck that Judas’s betrayal came immediately after the anointing. Kings are anointed but I guess not by women. And kings don’t get anointed and then say they are about to die. So was the final straw the woman, the anointing or the declaration of a rapidly approaching death? I find Judas to be one of the most enigmatic characters in the New Testament. I just simply do not understand him or his actions.
Numbers 10:1-11:23
This is actually an observation from yesterday but it carried over to today as well. Did you notice that the Israelites WAITED for the Lord to move before they did? Even when they were griping and complaining, they waited. I don’t do that nearly enough.
The whole issue of not having meat and that whole exchange with Moses about the meat coming out of their nostrils is way funny to me. So much so that I had to read ahead to March 9 just to see how it turns out. Don’t do it. Leave some suspense.
I hope that you are finding Numbers more enjoyable than Leviticus. In an email exchange today with one of my rabbi friends, I said as much. His response is to enjoy it while you can because Deuteronomy is coming (but not until March 23). Fie on that sentiment. I am loving where we are and besides, I am on the watch list for Jesus.
Blessings to you and yours this lovely, almost Spring evening.
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