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March 31, 2010
Exodus 27:1-21 “Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. 2 Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece, and overlay the altar with bronze. 3 Make all its utensils of bronze– its pots to remove the ashes, and its shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans. 4 Make a grating for it, a bronze network, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the network. 5 Put it under the ledge of the altar so that it is halfway up the altar. 6 Make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze. 7 The poles are to be inserted into the rings so they will be on two sides of the altar when it is carried. 8 Make the altar hollow, out of boards. It is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain. 9 “Make a courtyard for the tabernacle. The south side shall be a hundred cubits long and is to have curtains of finely twisted linen, 10 with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. 11 The north side shall also be a hundred cubits long and is to have curtains, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. 12 “The west end of the courtyard shall be fifty cubits wide and have curtains, with ten posts and ten bases. 13 On the east end, toward the sunrise, the courtyard shall also be fifty cubits wide. 14 Curtains fifteen cubits long are to be on one side of the entrance, with three posts and three bases, 15 and curtains fifteen cubits long are to be on the other side, with three posts and three bases. 16 “For the entrance to the courtyard, provide a curtain twenty cubits long, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen– the work of an embroiderer– with four posts and four bases. 17 All the posts around the courtyard are to have silver bands and hooks, and bronze bases. 18 The courtyard shall be a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide, with curtains of finely twisted linen five cubits high, and with bronze bases. 19 All the other articles used in the service of the tabernacle, whatever their function, including all the tent pegs for it and those for the courtyard, are to be of bronze. 20 “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. 21 In the Tent of Meeting, outside the curtain that is in front of the Testimony, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the LORD from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come.
Mark 1:1-13 The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 It is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”– 3 “a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” 4 And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” 9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” 12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, 13 and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
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Books: Exodus, Mark 2 Comments »
2 Responses to “March 31, 2010”
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March 31st, 2008 at 5:49 am
John preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins and proclaimed that another was to follow Him who would baptize with the Holy Spirit, and in this way he was a messengter from God preparing the way for the Lord. I was wondering upon reading v. 8 what he meant by “Holy Spirit,” since I thought that was a gift given in Acts on Pentecost, and I didn’t know how the Jews would have heard a reference to the Spirit. I’ve listed a few OT verses below that referenced the Spirit; it seems that the giving of the spirit signified the dawn of a new day of salvation, which would be fulfilled by Jesus. And as the people came in repentance, their hearts were being prepared for the ultimate salvation from their sins that would be offered through Jesus.
Isaiah 44:1,3 “But now listen, O Jacob, my servant, Israel, whom I have chosen… I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.
Ezekiel 11:19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:26-27 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
Joel 2:28-29 ‘And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
March 31st, 2008 at 8:49 pm
I find all this detail of the Tabernacle etc a little confusing and today find I cannot get excited about it. The one thing I do find interesting in all of this was a little verse back in Exodus 25:22. “There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimopny,I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.”
The entire earth is the Lords, and of course Moses believed that, he had seen how mighty the Lord was who had met him at the burning bush; he knew the Lord could be met anywhere, but there was to be a special place where they would meet.
There may be something helpful for us here. We can meet the Lord anywhere, we can pray anywhere, but I think it is good to find a special place, a special room, as special chair maybe, maybe a special time; and there seek the Lord. I have certainly found there are places where I always feel the Lord is much nearer, and in those places it is easier to pray and dwell upon the Lord. I think it is good to cultivate that and find those places in our busy and hurried world.