One Year Bible,. February 8

EXODUS 28:1-43
Moses bathed his brother and nephews before dressing them in their royal priestly garments. Aaron could now walk like a regal king. His crown was a gold headdress on which was written "Holiness to the Lord". Twelve very large gems sparkled from his breastplate. A white linen coat flowed from underneath the breast cover, draping to the floor. A blue robe covered the coat from the shoulders to the knees, with an interesting hem. 

From the hem of the blue robe hung soft balls of yarn shaped like a pomegranate. The pomegranates acted as pads between a row of hand-beaten gold bells. The bells were not to strike against each other, but were separated by the woven pomegranates (which is a fruit that is bursting with seeds, the illustration of our lives bursting with love). The tempo of the sound the bells made depended on the stride of the priest. The pitch was determined by the direction in which he turned his body. Each change in direction activated a different set of bells. People standing in the Outer Court could follow the sound of the bells as the priest's robe swirled around him.

RESPONSE:   When I dance, Jesus, do you hear bells? My bells should announce a life lived by faith in You, Lord. I hope I jingle all over Wal-Mart. I listen for Your bells wherever I go. I, too, will follow the sound of the bells. 

MATTHEW 25:31-26:13
The judgment on the "House of Israel" was to take place at the advent of the kingdom, which Matthew said had occurred with the coming of Jesus. Earlier John the Baptist had said, “You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” (Matthew 3:7) The appearance of Jesus is welcomed by some, and is a judgment to others. What we see in Matthew 25 is that Jesus Christ was about to make good on Malachi's prophecy. He came to Israel in judgment as avenger of violated hospitality, among other things, and burned it up with "unquenchable fire". The Old Testament usage of this phrase refers to this world judgments, not the torment of hell. (eg. Matthew 3:10-12) 

"Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:" (Malachi 3:1-2) 

Look what Malachi says about why judgment was coming: "So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me," says the LORD Almighty." (Malachi 3:5) 

It was already too late for Israel - they had lost their opportunity to repent of their manifested hypocrisy. UNLIKE, the followers of Jesus who have compassion on the disenfranchised, and so Jesus had to stop them from going overboard when He said, "The poor you will always have with you, ("and you can help them any time you want" adds Mark 14:7) but you will not always have Me."  

RESPONSE:   Jesus memorialized this women and her sacrifice. How will I be remembered? Today I might be remembered as someone who is always in a hurry.

PSALM 31:9-18
This portion of Psalm 31 is David's reaction to rejection. As he is working his way through his dilemma, he said that his affairs were in God's hands and that no matter what came of this, he knew that God was in control, not his enemies. 

PROVERBS 8:12-13
All special rules for the details of life spring out of wisdom. Prudence is strategy for life, and "knowledge of witty inventions" (KJV) is NOT talking about "inventions" like we think of them, but of a well thought-out plan for life, or of well thought-out conclusions about what we see in front of us.

RESPONSE:  
I have been lied about by people who really mattered to me. And, just like the Psalm says, it made me feel weak, physically and mentally, and emotionally, and even spiritually. I think I just defined "depression" - because depression will immobilize and paralyze us. It was EASY to put my life in God's hands then. There was nothing else I could do! But to do it in faith is tougher. I had to teach my heart that God is enough. That I don't have to complain about it. That I don't have to defend or explain myself. God will take care of all that, IF it needs to be taken care of at all!