Exodus 30:11-31:18 + Matthew 26:47-68 + Psalm 32:1-11 + Proverbs 8:27-32
~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
~ Listen to today’s Scripture with Tom Dooley’s terrific NLT 1996 readings at this link or The ESV Bible: OT + NT + Psalms + Proverbs ~
Old Testament – Today in Exodus chapter 30 we read about the bronze basin. The bronze basin was used by the priests to cleanse themselves before performing their duties. It was cast from bronze mirrors donated by women who served at the entrance of the Tabernacle. Chapter 31 verses 1 through 3 stood out to me today: “The LORD also said to Moses, “Look, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, intelligence, and skill in all kinds of crafts.” These verses make me wonder about our lives. Has God chosen you? What has God given you as gifts and skills? Do you believe that your gifts, skills, and wisdom come from God? Are you using these gifts, skills, and wisdom in the service of God?
In verse 13 we read: “Tell the people of Israel to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you forever. It helps you to remember that I am the LORD, who makes you holy.” How about for you? Do you think taking one day of rest – true rest – as a Sabbath is a good idea? Is there an activity that you are doing 7 days a week, that you can do just 6 days a week? Are you over-scheduling yourself maybe 7 days a week? Can you take 1 day a week to not be scheduled? Tons of great Biblical commentary on the Sabbath is online at bible.org at this link, and at this link, and at this link. Today’s OT readings finish with verse 18: “Then as the LORD finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, written by the finger of God.”
New Testament – In Matthew chapter 26 we read about Jesus’ arrest. Below is reproduction of a 5th century mosaic of the infamous “Judas Kiss”:
Verses 53 & 54 stood out to me today when Jesus says: “Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”” After praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was prepared for what must happen now… Notice how prayer came before this confidence for Jesus of what must happen now. (and Jesus knew that he could call down angels for protection – but he knew he shouldn’t) Do you model Jesus’ action of praying before embarking on a significant life decision or trial? Below is Jesus on trial before the Council:
When Jesus is before the Council, verse 64 is so powerful when Jesus is asked if he is the Messiah, the Son of God: “Jesus replied, “Yes, it is as you say. And in the future you will see me, the Son of Man, sitting at God’s right hand in the place of power and coming back on the clouds of heaven.””
Psalms – Today we read Psalm 32, which is a wonderful testimony of joy about God’s gift of forgiveness to us when we confess our sins to God! In Psalm 32 verses 1 & 2 we read: “Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!” Do you agree with this Psalmist that there is joy in forgiveness? Have you confessed your sins to God? Do you make a regular habit of examining your conscience and confessing your sins to God? After confessing your sins, do you continuously pray to God to heal you of sins that may be gripping you? Will you then move forward on the actions or corrective measures that God leads you to – to truly be healed of addictive sins? Will you seek the joy of God’s forgiveness? Will you seek to live your life in complete honesty to God? Below is the famous painting titled “Forgiven.” Please take a few moments to meditate upon this painting. How does it speak to you?
Proverbs – Proverbs chapter 8 verses 27 through 32 are an incredible look at how wisdom was there as God formed the earth! And how wisdom is still here today asking us to listen. Are you listening to the voice of wisdom? Are you listening to the voice of Truth?
Worship Video: Psalm 32:1-2 reminded me of the Sanctus Real song “Forgiven:”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J57zfJaKdjc
Are you Forgiven? Click here for true forgiveness!
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on two verses of Scripture today: “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.” Psalm 32:1-2 NIV
Prayer Point: Pray to Jesus to forgive your sins. Pray that there is no deceit in your spirit.
Comments from You and Questions of the Day: Psalm 32 is a powerful Psalm on confession and forgiveness. How do you confess your sins these days? Do you confess them verbally to someone else – a pastor / minister / priest / mentor / friend / accountability partner? Why do you confess them verbally? Do you confess your sins to God in prayer? After confessing your sins verbally or in prayer do you feel any different? Do you think confession is relevant? Do you think confession is a spiritual discipline that should be practiced regularly? Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless,
Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
======= Ramona:
Exodus 30:11-31:18
Two things absolutely jumped out at me in today’s readings, the first, the redemption price for all males when a census is taken and the second, the mandate that priests must wash in the bronze basin before ministering to the people. It is not that I haven’t read this before but I just received an entirely deeper depth of understanding and questions are racing in my head. Anka, you mentioned how both the rich and poor had to pay the same amount, 1/5 of an ounce of silver, when a census is taken. First, note that this only happens when a census is ordered. When is a census taken and for what reason? More importantly, who would order a census in Israel? It is definitely not the “common” folk; it is someone in authority, in leadership like a king. If God orders a census then He knows the state of everyone’s pocketbook.
Perhaps the poor folks, if listening to God, will go fishing and find something in the first fish’s mouth. This explains something we will see happen when we get into the books of history, I and II Samuel and the two books of Chronicles. To understand the impact of this “tax,” leadership would HAVE to be, or not be, concerned about the poor and possibly think that the number of his fighting troops guaranteed victory and not his God. If there are a lot of men folk, then I can risk going to war; however, if God didn’t tell you to fight, well you are using the people as a tool for your own gain and glory, not God’s. Hmmm, Large numbers, or the lack of them doesn’t assure victory or defeat in God’s economy. Anyone old enough to remember the Six day war?
On to the second thing, the basin and washing before ministering. The past couple of days we have read about the costly materials in building the tabernacle and in the making of the priests’ costly outer garments, today we read about the “washing”. Previously Mike asked us about dressing up or down for church and I wondered if some of our desire to dress up, and for some to really dress up, did not come out of hearing the descriptive words and our desire to maybe appear more like priests then “common” people. Jesus rebuked those who wore long robes, dressed up folk, who wore them to give the appearance of their holiness. We will read about those who came to Jesus complaining that His disciples did not participate in ceremonial washing, following the traditions of men and not God.
Could these guys who wanted to set the pace and plans of worship instead of sticking to what God had prescribed, thus adding a greater burden to an already weighty system, be amongst us today? Could we be that someone? Ouch. What has Christ prescribed for us to achieve worship, and what are we doing and calling it worship, holiness and piety (John 4:24)?
I may be back on line to answer some of the other questions; however, those two things really rocked my world this morning.
Grace and peace,
Ramona
P.S. This site is just FABULOUS!! All of us are feeding on the Word and we are all helping each other with the “Food” that we cannot handle because we are all at different levels of maturity. Babies are having their food cut-up for them and the mature are eating prime meat. Glory to God.
========= Andrew:
Re Mike’s questions about confession: I would say that following OYB, reading the Bible and all the comments from you people, is helping me get back into a habit of confession in prayer.
Yesterday’s texts on all the effort the Israelites were required to make to atone for their sin and Jesus in Gethsemane brought back some depth of awareness of the gap between me and our Holy God.
Blessings,
Andrew
======= Anka:
I liked the part where God revealed to Moses the people he had given gifts to use in serving him.Personally,I still haven’t found what if I’m the finger or the nose in the body of Christ but I believe God in his own time will reveal it to me(maybe I gotta get off the cereal and eat the meat first:))Then the price of atonement was the same for rich or poor…to me it seems a bit unfair cos maybe the guy that’s rich won’t appreciate the ransom as much as the poor guy who may give almost all he’s got.
It seemed Peter was not ready to just allow God work…since Jesus didn’t want any fights…the disciples all ran off.They didn’t run when they saw the crowd come to arrest Jesus..they ran when they realised Jesus didn’t plan to fight back.
Confession,well I mostly confess my sins to God but I do talk to my prayer partners about little “egypt behaviours”that still hang around me..that way I expose it and deal with it.
God bless you all
Anka
======= Luch:
I love Exodus 31:1-2 where it says of Bezalel son of Uri, “I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, intelligence, and skill in all kinds of crafts. He is able to create beautiful objects…” Isn’t that wonderful that God wants to bless and inspire people with artistic gifts to bring the Beauty of the Lord to the world. I hope we are giving permission to those in our midst who have these gifts (much like those who were inspired to draw many of the pictures that Mike posts for us)to use them. My son interned at Mosaic church in Los Angeles http://www.mosaic.org, a church where they even have a ministry called “Artisans’. While Erwin McManus, the pastor speaks, people are either drawing or dancing giving a visual interpretation of the message. Isn’t that amazing. God wants all our senses to be engaged when we come to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Thank God for the “Bezalels’ and “Oholiabs” in our communities. Let’s do what we can to invite those in the world who may think that Christians are so repressive and so uncreative, that if they came in our midst any creativity would be stifled. Let’s affirm their gifting like God affirmed the gifting of these biblical characters as much as we do those with verbal and writing teaching gifts.
Christians have wasted way too much time arguing over whether something is a spiritual gift or is it a talent. It seems to me that God doesn’t differentiate in this passage. The same Spirit of God who gives gifts in the New Testament is also giving gifts and talents here.
Luch
======= Stacey:
Are you amazed, as I am, about the tapestry being woven here by God in these OT,NT and Psalm readings? The OT readings of the design and purpose of the tabernacle shows how holy God is. And it shows how close God really wants to be to us for He writes this for Moses in His own hand. He demands that His people come to Him pure and clean. He provides the method of sacrifice so that we might be able to be forgiven. The OT juxtaposition of sacrifices with the NT account of Jesus Christ as our sacrifice make it very clear that God has made the way for us. The Psalm adds to the mix the importance of rightly responding to God and confessing our sins.
Hebrews 10 is where we find it all tied together for us:
Hebrews 10: 1The old system in the law of Moses was only a shadow of the things to come, not the reality of the good things Christ has done for us. The sacrifices under the old system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. 2If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared. 3But just the opposite happened. Those yearly sacrifices reminded them of their sins year after year. 4For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5That is why Christ, when he came into the world, said,
“You did not want animal sacrifices and grain offerings.
But you have given me a body so that I may obey you.
No, you were not pleased with animals burned on the altar
or with other offerings for sin. 7
Then I said, `Look, I have come to do your will, O God–
just as it is written about me in the Scriptures.’
8Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or grain offerings or animals burned on the altar or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). 9Then he added, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to establish the second. 10And what God wants is for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time. 11Under the old covenant, the priest stands before the altar day after day, offering sacrifices that can never take away sins. 12But our High Priest offered himself to God as one sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down at the place of highest honor at God’s right hand. 13There he waits until his enemies are humbled as a footstool under his feet. 14For by that one offering he perfected forever all those whom he is making holy. 15And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. First he says, 16
“This is the new covenant I will make
with my people on that day, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their hearts
so they will understand them,
and I will write them on their minds
so they will obey them.” 17Then he adds,
“I will never again remember
their sins and lawless deeds.” 18Now when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices. 19And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20This is the new, life-giving way that Christ has opened up for us through the sacred curtain, by means of his death for us. 21And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s people, 22let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting him. For our evil consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
Stacey
======= John:
I confess my sins directly to God through Jesus Christ. There is no need for an earthly intercessor.
1:Tim2:5
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…” (NIV)
That being said, I have discussed my greatest weaknesses with a few men in my church. My reason for this is so that when they see me, they can ask me how I am doing in those troublesome areas of my life. More importantly, we can pray together to God through Jesus, not only for forgiveness, but for the Grace and Strength to overcome the temptations of sin, to memorize scripture, and to remember to pray to God when I am tempted.
I said before, it is not the position of our bodies when we pray, but the connection with God. I sit quietly before I pray, and try to visualize how I grieve God when I sin. How I have added to the burden of Jesus when he was on the Cross. Am I really repentant? Honestly, most times I am led to tears – not sobbing, but trickling down my face. Then I pray, confessing my sins, asking for forgiveness, and asking for grace and strength to do better.
I KNOW I am forgiven – I can almost feel the fellowship with God restored. If I am ever plagued with self-doubt, I just remember I am not greater than God. If he can forgive my sins, than who am I to not be able to forgive myself.
I am not 1/1,000 of David, but I think I know how he felt back in his day – the depth of sorrow and the joy that comes with forgiveness. Psalm 32: 1-2;5 says it well.
The important point here is: The confession is for the restoration of fellowship, not forgiveness per se. Christ died on the Cross for all my sins – past,present, and future. So I am covered as far as salvation goes, but I need to be in fellowship with God to receive his blessings and guidance in my Christian walk. That is my purpose for confessing my sins – to keep the vertical connection vibrant and alive.
John
======= John:
Anka,
“to me it seems a bit unfair cos maybe the guy that’s rich won’t appreciate the ransom as much as the poor guy who may give almost all he’s got.”
Shekel was originally a weight of metal, not a coin until 700 BC. the metal is acknowledged to be silver.
If you google “metal of redemption” everything comes up silver. Levitically silver represents blood.
Atonement is acheived by the shedding of innocent blood for redemption. Silver (shekel) does this symbolically.
So what? Well, the “sons of Israel” were redeemed by the silver. Remember the parable in Matthew where laborers got the same wage, no matter the time worked in the fields. It is the same concept. Fair is not the question when God decides. The sinner who comes to Christ on his deathbed, gets the same salvation (although maybe not the same rewards)as the person who has been a Christian most of his/her life.
We are not to be jealous, or say that is not fair, we just pay or do what is asked – “whomsever will” Just the idea that God offers a path to redemption – which none of us deserve shows his Grace.
Question for thought: (and I have not digested this yet).
Does this means you have to be redeemed to worship at the tent, have access to God thru the priests, etc.?
And how does that translate to today’s time? Does the “redeemed” believer have exclusive access to God thru Jesus Christ? Does God hear, but not “heed” the worship of non-believers (defined as you wish).
Just a question….
John
======= Ramona:
John about your,
“Question for thought: (and I have not digested this yet).
Does this means you have to be redeemed to worship at the tent, have access to God thru the priests, etc.?”
Very, very interesting, hmmmm.
O.K. I’m into analogies so here goes. As a parent we are suppose to protect, feed, cloth, educate and do what is necessary to [“Pro 22:6 Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.]. This is a mandate, not a choice. To take care of or not take care of; it is an obligation to the child who was birthed by the will of the parents not the child.
God is the perfect Father and though we throw around the thought that all of mankind are God’s children, that is not true. God becomes our Father when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. I as a parent was obligated to take care of my two sons when they were small, not my neighbors down the hall or the folks next door, it was my responsibility. If I have some knowledge that my neighbor’s are in financial trouble or are not living up to their responsibilities as parents and I decided to feed, cloth etc, their children, that is an act of mercy not one of obligation.
Where it gets a little sticky is if the neighbor’s children think that I am now obligated to take care of them instead of their parents and now demand rights of dependents or heirs.
Now take that same scenario and placed in on God but to perfection. Mercy is one of God’s names but if we begin demanding mercy when we are not rightful heirs then we are out of line and demanding what is not ours by right. Just like the neighbor’s children can operate under presumption, those outside of the family of God can do the same thing.
Have you ever done something for someone out of compassion and they turned on you and began demanding that you continue doing it because it has become their right, even when continuing would be detrimental to your own family or well being? Hmmm, maybe that is why people who have been “burnt” so to speak are reluctant to get involved, their compassion and mercy were taken as a right in previous occasions. Now you have given me some things to think about. We do this very same thing to God all the time. Yikes!!
Is that called thanklessness??
Ramona
======= Roslyn:
Regarding “being redeemed to worship at the tent, and having access to God through the priests.”—
The mere fact that someone has made the step to go and worship God at the tent, isn’t this a sign of redemption? Having access to God through the priests
is for us more than anything else trying to make that human connection, much like being counseled by someone who is wise and understanding, helping to make that “push” to draw us closer to God.
We are God’s tapestry, the mosaic in FAITH.
Roslyn
======== John:
Ramona,
BINGO!
Roslyn,
“The mere fact that someone has made the step to go and worship God at the tent, isn’t this a sign of redemption?”
I don’t think so. It may be a sign of someone who is coming to redemption, and that is good. but redemption occurs at the Acknowledgement of God, Accepting we are sinners, and Admitting Christ is our Savior. Then we are covered by his innocent blood and redeemed.
And I guess my point is that in the past the Jewish nation in ceremonies only had access to God thru the priests. Today, we do not need earthly help in accessing God. If we are redeemed we have always have access to God thru Jesus Christ – our High Priest.
BUT We have to be redeemed to gain that access, and to maximize it – we must be in fellowship with God/Christ.
Note: Being raised in A Christion family, going to Sunday services, trying to do good, praying to God, does not make you a Christian. It is the active acceptance of Christ – a decision process – that accomplishes redemption.
John
======= Peggy:
I completed my bible study as I shared it with my sister we were looking at the picture of Jesus holding this man, and I said, I love that picture it says it all. However it wasn’t till I was alone that I took a good look at the picture that I saw a man holding a hammer and nail. I was so moved that I cried, because it say it all, everytime we sin against Jesus we hammer another nail into the cross. Because of Jesus’s love for us He always forgives us. I will keep this mimage in my head, and I know I will be more aware of my actions. It hurts me to know that I’m responible for His pain. Thank you for this reading today. God Bless,
Peggy
======= Stef:
i talk to God through the day and if iv done something wrong or thought something that i dont think was kind or good i ask for forgiveness straight away,i have done things before which in a human way of understanding we would class as great sin( i know to God sin is sin but my human mind says some things are wrong and others very wrong)i have asked God for forgiveness and because of my guilt have still not been able to quite accept that i have been forgiven so what i did was prayed to God and told Him how i felt and that i believed in His promises and intellectually i know God keeps His promises therefore i must be forgiven..my feelings are sometimes unreliable i have to trust in what God says in the Bible.I loved the bit about God gifting the people specifically to do the tasks He was setting before them..we are doing a SHAPE course at Church which lets you examine your life according to Spiritual gifts, Heart( where your passion is),Ability,Personality and Experience and along with a counsellor( basically someone who listens and helps you formulate your thoughts and who knows you well enough to have helpful advice too)you work out your basic Shape and see where best with these gifts God has given you you can serve Him.
Stef
======= Al:
The one gift we all have is the longing for love and the capacity to love. God’s greatest desire for us is to put those capacities to work. The “lesser” gifts of exhortation, mercy, giving, prophecy — I’ve come to realize that every one of them just opens doors to share love.
I used to think my gift was music and leading worship. Then I realized that was just the “hook” God used to bring me to my real ministries — the homeless, prisoners, the elderly.
Al
======= Kevin:
Just wanted to share this interesting detail:
“Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” Matt 26:53(TNIV)
Now according to Wikipedia a Roman legion consisted of about 5000 men. Which means 12×5000 = 60,000 Bearing in mind that two angels was enough to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
Even with all this at His disposal He chose to die for me and you. That’s just mind blowing to me!
Kevin
======= Laura:
Kevin I must say that you have a good point. Above all the fact that he CHOSE to DIE for us and the manner in which it was done is far more than we deserve.
I am very glad to of read today’s commentaries after the old testament reading in Exodus today. I don’t always take the time to read them, but have decided that I would start doing the scripture reading before I read the information that Mike provides us. If I feel that I want to dig deeper I read the commentary after the readings. Today what really spoke to me from the commentary on the Exodus reading was the sentence that said “It is most dangerous and fatal to use professions of the gospel of Christ to forward wordly interests”. It seems like this happens so much today in our modern world. Everyone wants to promote their own selfish interests and one up everyone else. We are a world of people pleasers rather than God pleasers.
When I think about the stone tablets which contained the terms of the covenant the thought of them being written by the finger of God makes me awestruck. Wasn’t the bible written and inspired by the “Finger of God” I think many people (in the non-Christian sector)don’t take that into consideration and appreciate the rich resource that we have right at our fingertips.
Stef mentioned that at church they were able to learn about their spiritual gifts so that they would know how to serve. Our church did something very similar. We all took a survey that was scored. The score told us about our personality types. Whether we are conversational, confrontational or more personal etc.. What I learned is what direction I should be going in when contemplating ministry work. I enjoyed reading the verses today about the gifts of the builders who built the tabernacle using gold and precious stone. All that went into building something for God according to His specifications. He had just the right people who were there at just the right time who had a particular talent. Are there some talents that each of us have that perhaps God wants us to use for His glory? It is up to us to be obedient and use our talents. Now to figure out what mine are and to use them. Learning how to prioritize my life to fit things in better would help too.
Have a great day,
Laura
======= Beryl:
hello,
here are my thoughts on todays readings;
1-I can see a link between the craftsmens gifts and the reading from proverbs that describes the Lord creating this wonderful, awe-inspiring world. the Lord is the Great Craftsman and the Great Mathmatician (just study a sunflower)
2-the fact that all men had to pay the same ammount says to me that we are all as valuab;e to the Lord, regardless of purse or content. its not about us, its about God
3-the perfumes must have been wonderfully fragrant, I can almost smell them. the Lord is the Great Perfumer
everything that the Lord made is good, we are made in His image, so lets not say that one is better that another, even ourselves.
we are here to praise Him, we can all do that
Beryl
======= Dan:
I too was drawn to the combination of the OT and the proverbs today. God specifically instilled the men He mentioned by name to Moses with special wisdom.
And then in the proverbs it talks about how wisdom was an intimate part of creation. That it wasn’t all haphazardly tossed together like some sort of cosmic tossed salad.
In both examples it directly contradicts the worldly idea of wisdom, which is just some useless one up you have on the next guy… an intelligence that understands the world around but just sort of sits there and maybe scribbles down a self help book along the way.
But here, wisdom was “a master workman” (NASB) Wisdom’s ultimate purpose was filled through use, and not just existance.
God filled the craftsmen of the children of Israel with the wisdom it takes to get all of the sacred pieces made for the tent of meeting and for the courtyard. They were not made wise so that they could understand how much better they were than the next guy. They were given wisdom so that they could DO SOMETHING!
My favorite example about this is children. They give very little pause to their world and their interaction with it. If they understand something, they understand it for the purpose of interacting better with it. If they understand their parents, they understand their parents for the purpose of having more fun, or eating more cookies, or getting fewer spankings.
Ecclesiastes on my mind…
Dan
======== Nicole:
I do think that for many people in this day and age they almost think that confessing their sins in a fix all. For example, people may think that they can do something as long as they remember to ask for forgiveness of confess it to God. However, this is wrong thinking, I was one of those people I thought that as long as I confessed my sins it would be Ok. I now know that is not true you have to mean it and want to do better and change. I am only 22, and have different struggles in life then I did even 5 years ago. I think that if you have someone that you can talk to and who understands you, if that is a pastor or a friend or a partner, I think that helps you understand. I don’t know how many times I have called my friend and talked the “problem or mistake that was sure to end my life as I knew” and yet they see it different than I did. I also like talking things out with my pastor, however my pastor who is 51 years old and has had more life experiences then me, he still relates to me as a 22 year old. I like that I can go into his office or home and sit down with him and just talk or cry depending on what I need. I think that confessing sins in your life to yourself, others, and God, will not only help you spiritually but it will also help you deal with life in general. I know that life is not easy for some, but I also know that there is a God that loves everything about you and wants more than anything else to know what is hurting you and what is causing you problems, I do believe that He is the only one that can help you though anything. He is all-powerful, almighty, and He wants to know you, that also means the “bad” parts. He can and will change you, even if you don’t think that you can, He can.
Nicole
======== Elizabeth:
Nicole,
I admire your willingness to reflect upon your struggles and talk with others about them. Good for you! I don’t think I was this self-aware at 22–at least not in the same ways. May the Lord bless your heart to keep a clean slate and truly seek repentance.
I agree with you when you say that we need to be careful about what it means to “confess our sins.” I have a relative in my life who sins against me in one area over and over again. What makes it hard is that he says he is sorry and admits that he’s to blame (which softens my heart), but then he will turn around and do the same thing again over and over. It’s a pattern. I struggle with forgiving him after awhile…I think because I feel like he’s not truly repentant, just sorry in the emotional moment. It’s tricky, but I think true repentance has got to involve a change of the will in addition to a change of the heart.
I know a lot of “insulated” Christians who struggle with confessing their sins to each other. I know others who like to talk about their struggle with particular sins but fail to take steps to weed them out. It’s tricky isn’t it? I’m sure that I’ve been guilty of both those responses too. Lord, keep us soft and truly willing to own our sins and turn from them.
Thanks for sharing,
Elizabeth
======= Mae:
Verses that stood out for me today:
Exodus 31:12-13 “The Lord then gave these instructions to Moses: “Tell the people of Israel: ‘Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation. It is given so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy”.
Matthew 26:52 “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword”.
Psalm 32:1 “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!
Psalm 32:5 “Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone”.
Proverbs 8:30 “I was the architect at his side. I was his constant delight, rejoicing always in his presence”.
I need to keep this short. I’m going to Amsterdam today.
Mae
======== Gina:
Yeah! I’m back! :0) Thanks for all your prayers!
Psalm 23 IS a very powerful word! I believe confessing your sins verbally is extremely important for the sake of accountability. Confessing to God is first and foremost…as He is who we have sinned against…but telling someone else helps me deal with the sin also…I have a couple of accountability partners who I trust with everything…they help keep me straight!
Sometime I don’t “feel” better after I confess to God, because I still hold on to the guilt. But then I try to focus on that God is faithful…his word says that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins! As far as the east is from the west!
All the readings in Matthew about Jesus and the upcoming crucifixion, really touching me in a different way over the past few days. Very emotional.
Gina
======== Laverne:
Kevin – Thanks so much for pointing out the definition from the Free Encyclopedia regarding(Roman Legions). You know; its almost like, if not like Jesus letting them know how much power He truly has just in case they forgot.
—————————
My sins are confessed in my heart and mind as well as verbally to God.
I say them out loud to hear the words it seems to do something different for me if said out loud. I feel plenty different after confessing my sins. Its like a load is lifted, but I also feel bad, because I get mad at myself for the sin in the first place. After I am in meditation for a while I remember sin is over my head. Umm relevancy; I am not sure if it is or not but here in the 21st century I continue to ask God to forgive me for missing the mark. Spiritual Discipline – for the ancient people yes I think it should have been practiced regularly just because of they way things were during those times. The needed to be set apart from others.
Laverne
======= Jenny:
there goes Peter again in ch 26, having a loyalty to Christ, but messing up, ha, and cutting the guy’s ear off. wat a bizarres scene that must have been. Jesus just picked it up n put it back on…i wonder wat was going on in that guy’s mind.
vs 67-68 is getting me emotional. Its so hard to read…not only because we love Him, but bcos He went through that because He loved me! and you! and every person so much…a love I cant understand, none of us can fully.
aw, we read Ps 32 at church this morning! Great chapter, it all speaks to me!
As far as sins, i usuaslly confess them to the Lord, unless He prompts me to confess to someone else, maybe a friend or someone. say its an issue i feel can be a snare, its good to be accountable to someone else. I think we should confess wenever we pray…i mean of course we cant confess evey single thing specifically, but since sin blocks our entrance to the throne, i dont want anything in my way! just get rid of it.
Jenny
======= Bajo:
I just wanted to come back (after a few days) and say again that your worship videos are a great addition this year. This song in particular (Voice of Truth) has been ministering to both my wife and I this week, and I don’t know that we would have run across it under normal circumstances. Thank you!
Bajo
======== Chris:
Two days ago, the verses for memory and meditation were Matt 25:34-36 (Then the King will say to those on the right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, … ‘). While meditating on these, what struck me even more were the three verses that follow (Matt 25:37-39): “Then the righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you … ‘”. It struck me that these are all prophetic verses (starting at v31)… and verses 37-39 tell me EXACTLY the words I will one day be saying to Jesus! What beautiful words to commit to mind and heart.
Loved the song today and the forgiveness message. I usually confess my sins daily during my prayer time; but today during my prayer time, I remembered that I need to forgive others too.
Chris
====== Frederick:
Numbering of People
In David’s time (II Samuel 24), David asked Joab to number the Israelites. God later inflicted a pestilence on Israel. I believe the biblical basis of God’s pestilence is in today’s reading: Exodus 30:11-16.
Frederick
======= Mick:
I do feel differently once I confess. I feel the joy because I know I’m forgiven and have a clean slate. I also feel ashamed that i sinned against God, especially given the price Jesus paid for me. I do confess to accountabilty partners, but mostly to God in prayer.
Confession is a discipine that is potentially easy to ignore if you turn away from the Holy Spirit convicting you. I have fought it at times, and it is a miserable time.
Mick
======== David:
Exodus 31
Bezalel and Oholiab
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills.
This passage in the Bible always intrigues me! Speaking in tongues is rather a small gift in comparison to what Bezalel got. If this is what the Holy Spirit can do I would rather pray for these gifts of the Holy Spirit over my life and other Christians.
David
======= Jennifer:
I think that the reading today in Exodus and the Psalm are perfectly fit together. Do we wash before we present ourselves to God and do we really evaluate our lives and pray for the healing of our sins and then know that sin is washed clean and we are new.
Jennifer
======== Steve:
Psalm 32:7 You are my hiding place, you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.
I love the book of Psalms and I think this particular scripture pretty much sums of the entire book. Lord, you are my hiding place, without you I am lost, you are everything to me, the center of my life. Even when everything around me changes, I know that I can come to our hiding place, where you always provide rest, peace and the safety of your overwhelming love.
Steve
======= Eric:
I just wanted to comment and say that your site is a real blessing to me, it reminds me to take the time to be in The Word every day.
Thank you
Eric
======= Tammy:
I have read these scriptures multiple times in Exodus and even did a study once where we went into detail about the tabernacle, the priests and the objects in the temple. My sunday school class is actually going through the book of Exodus and this week my read thru the Bible has caught up with the class in reading Exodus and now has passed the point we are at in SS. I have one thought/question about this passage. Why the sprinkling of blood on the priest’s garments? Today as I read I thought of how we are washed in the blood of the lamb although not physically we are spiritually. Was this sprinkling on the robes symbolic of this? The blood made the robes holy for service just as His blood cleanses us for service. But the one thing that still puzzles me is did those robes get washed after use and if not I just keep picturing the blood being sprinkled on them each time and how they must have looked after years of service. I know this may be crazy but I am a mom/wife/laundry maid at my house and this intrigues me. If anyone has any insight, please share.
Tammy
========== Beverly:
I confess to God in prayer. But then I almost do this daily as I think of all the things I did before. Wish I had started earlier. Many bad habits of 50+ years are hard to break. Good habits though are taking longer. Need always to remember to ask God about decisions before jumping out there. Walked alone for so long it is hard to wait for help. Wow, that has been said to me as why I have always been alone for the most part, that I refuse to ask for help. No one else is trustworthy enough to help. Many say they will- only to use your trust against you. Thank you God for your constant love. Thank you for your Word which is being fed here.
Beverly
======== Bob:
Matthew West’s does it nicely with his “Forgiveness” Yesterday we saw in the garden of Gethsemane as Jesus shows us the struggle we have with our will and Father’s will. His passion points to forgiveness. We would do well to meditate on the Luke 23:34 picture above.
Bob
========= Ron:
I truely try daily to confess my sins. I believe in never ceasing in asking forgiveness for what I have done wrong. Satan is right there just wanting to led you away from God. Hold tight onto God for strength every second, every minute , every hour, day and night.
Ron
========== Jill:
Christ prescribed getting our hearts right Ramona! We go to church on Sunday mornings with smiles on our face. Inside many are hurting. I think we need 15 min on our knees to enter into worship atleast I do! Doesnt satan attack the hardest on the Lords Day?
Yes , confession is soooo good! I kind wish I was catholic so I would practice it regularly like they do. But no I take my confessions tomGodbdsily! Boy do I screw up! Especially in my marriage! If it wasn’t my fault . It’s still my fault!
Mm confession is good for the soul. do we begin our day asking Gods forgiveness for attitude or bad words or just certain bigger sins? Or do we forget to confess? I struggle with every day sins where I find I’m so unworthy and God humbles me! Satan is hard at work to destroy me. I won’t let him!
I love at churches where they have alter calls to
Lead those to repent and confess openly every Sunday. People come up and get on their knees and anyone of any age lays hands on them and prays . If I grew up with this vulnerability would i be more open to pray with others. And more open to confess? I don’t know . Our church doesn’t do this. Just prayer bow your head prayer. God convicts you.
Just food for thought. I love the Lord’s Prayer which he gave to us as an example. That pretty much sums it up!!
Anyway these words of Jesus just hit Me! In verse 50 Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.” WOW! What a blow! I think I should say that next time adversity comes up!
Jill
========== Gail:
I think you are WAAAY off in stating that people “dress up” to be more priestly. I grew up where you dressed for church out of respect – for God and for the place of worship. I think we use that “piety” excuse to excuse us from doing, being and presenting our VERY BEST to God. He wants and demands THE BEST – clearly seen in His requirements for the instruments of the temple. WHY…in the world would we try to get away from doing/giving/being/dressing, etc….our very best for Him…who gave only His very best for us?
Gail
========== Dee:
Gail, But yet He hung out with tax collectors, prostitutes, murderers, and what man looks at the outer appearance, God sees our heart, like the widow with her widows mite. She gave from her heart. Yes, Christ wants our best, and that is our heart! Be blessed.
Dee
======= Carol:
I confess my sins to God in prayer daily and to others also, although sometimes “others” won’t be as encouraging to repent…. for whatever reason. Sometimes I think they don’t want you to feel too badly but at other times I can see that what you say about yourself is convicting to them and makes them feel uncomfortable so they say “oh, you’re just fine”! It’s quite disturbing to me when I realize I’ve repeated the same sin and confessed it over and over again. I’m working more diligently to erase those. Also, it seems that at those times is when I want to hide/turn away (like God would be tired of hearing this…same ol’ same ol’) but something in me understands that, that is a bad train of thought/road to take and I continue on (sort of like when the OT gets into a lot of lists and repetitions ….we continue on….for the Lord) or when we’ve been praying for someone for years and years and years and we sort’a want to give up but we don’t.
Carol
======== Michael:
Forgiveness, is so important, especially when you bring before the Lord. In asking to be forgiven, we are showing trust in Gods faithfulness and holiness to keep His promise’s and that we submit and surrender to Him all that we are. Though at times I feel so unworthy, all the time, My Father in Heaven blesses me beyond measure. We must remember, when we miss the mark (which is sin), we must go before a Holy God, our God and confess so that we can be healed. Amen
Michael
======== Robert:
Thanks Michael; forgiveness is key to reconciliation with God.
Dee; I love churches that burn incense.
Ramona; I like your take on people’s census and God’s census.
Sabbath
Mike; Google Confession of sins: Definitions: Confession is owning up to something you know or believe, and telling it forthrightly to all who should hear it. In the Bible it refers to two things, namely (1) confessing your faith in Christ to the world, and (2) confessing your sins to God.
Exodus 20:8-11
Bob Deffinbaugh says,
There is another reason why the Sabbath is a subject worthy of our thorough investigation: the Sabbath is one of the most important commandments of the ten. It is a part of those commandments related to our relationship with and our worship of God. It is also the commandment chosen to be the “sign” of the entire Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 31:13). A violation of this commandment is to result in the death penalty (Exodus 31:14).
Last, learning the meaning of the Sabbath will provide us with a most valuable lesson in how to study, interpret, and apply the Scriptures.
I was a bad Sabbath keeper before Covid and now it’s even worse. Let’s face it, unless we make it our first priority it is easily ancient history. I think a conscience effort to make it a holy day is needed. I’m thinking, it’s a family day so everybody needs to participate. Sleep in! A family meal. Maybe a beach walk or drive and somehow a family discussion (hopefully biblical). No work, (ouch) that includes homework for the kids. An afternoon nap and end with a wholesome movie and popcorn. Its amazing but its taken me a year to finally realize how important the routine of Church Worship was for me and my family!
Exodus 26-31
I grew up in the Lutheran Church and it was very liturgical. The rituals, order of service, format of ordinances,, the layout of the alter and church, the pastors robes, candles, baptism basin, tithing, were a real mystery to me as a kid. I see how a lot of what was going on in my church comes from these instructions from God at this time in history. Unfortunately, a lot of it was very boring to me. Funny now I am fascinated visiting other church’s worship.
I don’t think anyone ever explained it to me and it wasn’t till I started to study where all this came from that I understood we all generally fall under 3 types of Worship in our denominations. They are 1: Praise and Worship (Baptist), 2: Seeker (Robert Schuller at the Crystal Cathedral in Los Angeles) and 3; Liturgical (Catholic).
Re: Robert E. Webber, Ancient-Future Worship, 2008
Robert
========= Mitch:
I confess my sins to person I sinned against and to God. If in general – confession is to an accountability partner.
In the OT have learned that God is a God of order ( from creation account) and recently in Exodus He is a God of great detail. That detail tells a story regarding redemption and often is a picture of Christ.
In Matt 26:65 Jesus was accused of blasphemy – claiming to be God. Sometimes, people say Jesus never said He was God (in so many words). However, if He was God – does he have to say it in the way you would make the claim. Here the religious experts of the day certainly thought Jesus had made the claim of Deity.
Mitch
======== Dee:
Exodus 30:11-31:18, what I got out of these passages is: We should love God for who He is not what He does for us! Most people were doing their own thing and taking a census, and not really understanding the depths of How much God loves us, or really knowing who God is, they have to obey and Listen to the voice of the Living God and in this our purpose is to give God our best and love with a greatful heart!
In the annointing on the temple, I think of our temple which is within us and our physical dwelling place(our home) we can annoint our home and be annointed by God to do great things, we are Christ’s brothers and sisters and as long as we trust Him and Believe, we can do mighty things for the Kingdom..we can annoint our home, and our bodies, our “dishes” and utensils because God has given us the power to succeed and be made in His likeness..We are His children and He loves to reward His own..the ones who don’t accept Christ or the “false prophets” -luke warm believes, Christ is not pleased and those are the ones who will suffer by putting on “pretenses” just as in this chapter it says those not being priests or belonging in the temple will be destroyed if they annoint anything that is not “set apart” by God. We are set apart and are of a peculiar people..We are in this world but not “of” this world. The salt that He added with the spices, makes me think of the body of Christ. We are the Salt of the Earth..the seasoning that Flavors Gods kingdom.
The annointing of Judahs descendants and of Dan’s descendents makes me think back to the forgotten, the less important one, who God doesn’t forget. These two descendents come from Jacob and Leah’s family. Leah, the unwanted, unloved wife of Jacob, becoming the one through who God sends His own child from that lineage. That is incredible! How Great is Our God!!
~Dee
