Construction of the Tabernacle

Today's Reading:

• Exodus 35:10 - 36:38
  
• Proverbs 9:7 - 8

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Exodus 35:10 - 36:38
The construction for all pieces of the tabernacle has begun.  Bezalel was especially gifted by God -- he made all sorts of things for the tabernacle.

 I lovee how everyone whose "hearts were willing" (35:22) brought the offerings for the tabernacle and came to do the work for it.  Soon there were more than enough sacrifices to build all that was required for the tabernacle. 

I just want to point out that your heart can be stirred by the Lord, especially while reading the bible.  This is what makes reading the bible different than reading an ordinary book.  Sure, books can motivate you, they can delight you, they can cause all ranges of emotions -- but the bible is a book that stands out against all other books ever written.  Give it a shot.  Even if you're skeptical, say a little prayer that the bible speak to your heart.  Then sit down and read.  Listen to what the bible says to your spirit.

Proverbs 9:7 - 8
It seems I accidentally read a bit too far in my previous Proverbs reading.  Today's reading are the two verses that tell us those who rebuke mockers will get insults in return, and those who correct the wicked will get hurt.  We are told to share our knowledge and Wisdom with those who embrace it. 

I commented in my last reading that you can see this verse playing out with all the comment boards on the internet.  There are ridiculous comments on there, comments that fill you with fury just to read them.  But a sensible reply does absolutely no good, it just gets insults hurled back at you.  So we should all try to take heed of what these verses are trying to teach us.  Breathe, relax, and save our energies for those who enjoy the benefit of them.

The Joy of Confessing our Sins Before the Lord

Today's Reading:

• Psalm 32:1 - 11
  
• Psalm 33:1 - 11

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Psalm 32:1 - 33:11
Here we are promised that joy awaits those who confess their sins to the Lord.  We are told not to hide our sins away, for they will simply eat us alive and zap all our strength and energy.  All of that changes, however, when we seek and receive the forgiveness of the Lord.


Have you ever done another person wrong?  Let's say you truly apologize to that person and vow to never do it again.  The person says that they forgive you, but you can tell they have not forgiven and are still holding a grudge.

Now let's think about that same scenario.  In this scenario, you confess to that person that what you have done is wrong, and you are truly sorry, and you will earnestly strive to never do such a thing again.  In this scenario, the person says they forgive you -- and they mean it.  You can tell that they sincerely have forgiven you.  How great does that make you feel?  Doesn't it release a burden from your heart, knowing that you have been truly forgiven?

The love of the Lord, the forgiveness of the Lord, is like that second scenario.  When we ask for the Lord's forgiveness with a true heart, He readily gives it to us.  He truly and unequivocally gives us complete forgiveness for the wrong we have done. 

Why would we want to hold on to our sins instead of releasing them to the Lord?  I know that I can hold on simply because I feel ashamed, or because I'm not ready to admit I was wrong and make an honest attempt to change that part of my life.  But I tell you, when I do let it go, the feeling is incredible.  So whatever you are holding onto, let it go!  There is true joy in releasing these burdens we are holding to the Lord.

Pilate Washes his Hands, Let the Blood of Christ be Upon Your Children

Today's Reading:

• Matthew 27:15 - 31
• Psalm 33:12 - 22

Matthew 27:15 - 31
Jesus was brought before Pilate to have his fate determined.  Pilate did ask the crowd if he wanted Jesus to be released to them, but at the persuasion of the elders a criminal was chosen to be released instead. 

Pilate then famously washed his hands so that they would be free of the blood shed of the innocent man.  The crowd agreed that they would let the blood be upon them and their children.  All I can think of is that they laid a terrible burden upon themselves and their children that day. 

Jesus was then led away to be flogged.  Afterwards they mocked him with the crown made of thorns while they abused him some more.

I don't really have any more to comment on this right now.  It's difficult to read.  It reminds me of when I watched The Passion of the Christ.  I know he was tortured and suffered greatly.  His death would have to be terrible to be able to atone for all our sins.  And still it gives me distress just to read about it.

Psalm 33:12 - 22
This Psalm reminds us that no strength of our own, nor the strength of our nation, nor the strength of our warriors and warhorses can save us.  Victory is for those who believe and fear the Lord.  The Lord will provide and shield those who trust in Him.  So put your trust in the Lord and the rest will fall in place.

The Mockers and the Wicked

Today's Reading:

• Proverbs 8:33 - 36
  
• Proverbs 9:1  - 6

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Proverbs 8:33 - 9:6
We hear more from Wisdom in these verses.  Wisdom beckons those who are simple and who lack good judgement to dine with her and to begin to live and learn to use good judgement (9:4-6).  So it doesn't matter how "simple" one is or how much judgement one lacks.  Wisdom and good judgement can be learned if you are willing. 

I think a good majority of lack of wisdom just comes from being young.  You think you have the whole world figured out, and that your views are supreme to others, but in the end you just don't have the experience to realize that you are building a box around yourself.  But the good news is that Wisdom can be learned, and is open to all those who seek it.

There are a few more interesting verses here that talk about those who mock and those who are wicked.  Just yesterday I wrote about the people of today who leave boisterous and outrageous comments all over the internet.  What happens if you reply to one of those?  Why, they lash back with a fury, of course. 

When has a well thought out comment, even completely lacking in judgement against the original offender, ever caused that person to say, "Hey, I see your point and have gained some wisdom/empathy/sympathy/understanding" for this situation"?.  Yeah, it doesn't work that way.  All that happens is that those people fire back an even greater insult at you.

This is confirmed in verses 7-8 of Psalm 9:

Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return.  Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt.  So don't bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you.  But correct the wise, and they will love you.

 As hard as it is, we must learn to let these things go and leave the "mockers" and the "wicked" to their own devices.  There are those who love wisdom and would love to gain more of it, so we should focus our energy on sharing our knowledge, insights and wisdom with those people, and to take in return what we can gain from them.

Notes
This concludes my reordering of readings that began when I smashed the two Matthew readings together a few days ago.  I won't promise that I won't do it again, because sometimes I just have to follow my inclination to keep reading, but at least the readings will be back to normal (for a time), starting tomorrow.

Fickle People, When will God be Great Enough for You?

Today's Reading:

• Exodus 32:1 - 33:23
  
• Exodus 34:1 - 35:9

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Exodus 32:1 - 35:9
While Moses was on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights, the people who had been brought out of Egypt were again disgruntled.  They asked Aaron to make for them an idol to worship.  He then instructed them all to given him their gold jewelry, and he melted it down and formed a calf made out of gold.  They then worshiped the calf, thanking the gods for delivering them from Egypt.

I don't know by what patience Moses managed to put up with those people.  I can hardly stand to read about their complete ungratefulness and lack of faith; I couldn't imagine actually having to deal with it all.  And here they go again, with perhaps their worse sin of all -- attributing the works of God to false gods, all when Moses hadn't even been gone for two months.

Both the Lord and Moses were outraged.  Moses called for those faithful to the Lord to slay those who were not, and we are told that 3,000 people were killed at that time (32:28).  The Lord then called for a plague (though it does not say what kind) to fall among the others who had been unfaithful to Him.

People are so fickle and never fail to astonish me.  I read comments on news stories, blogs and opinion articles, and so many of those comments are utterly ridiculous.  Each time I see this I wonder what is wrong with people these days?!  But the more I read the bible, the more I understand that the things going on in the world today and the people of the world today are no worse than the all the people of history.  God literally parted the Red Sea for these people, He delivered them from Egypt with a supernatural display of force, yet so easily they turn -- whining at every bump along the way.

This also goes to show that no matter what is done for other people, no matter what God has helped them to accomplish in their lives, no matter how much we share the gospel and the Lord's love with them -- no matter what, we cannot change another person's heart. 

We can merely pray that their hearts been softened so that they can acknowledge the truth and receive the spirit of Christ into their hearts.  Other than that, people will always be people and there's nothing else that can be done.  After all, we all have free will.