Day 60 (Leviticus 5:14-7:10 | Mark 10:32-52 | Proverbs 6:12-19)

Day 60
Leviticus 5:14-7:10
(5:14-17 | 6 | 7:1-10)

God reveals to Moses the guilt offering. I'm sure there is a distinction between the guilt and sin offerings, and the nature of the transgressions that necessitate the offerings, but I'm not sure what that distinction is. God then tells Moses how the priests are to go about performing these offerings.

Day 59 (Leviticus 4:1-5:13 | Mark 10:13-31 | Psalm 27:9-14)

Day 59
Leviticus 4:1-5:13
(4 | 5:1-13)

God gives Moses a bunch of instructions regarding offerings for sin atonement. God acknowledges that his commandments are difficult to follow. People will eventually mess up. These sacrifices were how to make it up to God when that happens. As I said yesterday, sacrificing animals might seem barbaric, but it's an act of obedience. The existence of sin atonement did not, however, mean that the Israelites needn't heed the laws.

Another important thing to come out of this is an understanding of what Jesus did and why he did it. God demands unblemished animals as sacrifices. If the Jews are his people, how much more would the sacrifice of an unblemished and blameless Jew mean than the sacrifice of an animal? God knows that his laws are difficult to follow, and downright impossible without him in your life. Even with God we all mess up.

The Law was designed as an instrument to help us get closer to God. He knew it wouldn't work, so he established a way for people to be forgiven for messing up. In Jesus, God satisfies his own demands for atonement.

Mark 10:13-31
(10:13-31)

Jesus tells us we need to be like children - child-like, not childish! By that I think Jesus means we need to continue to be awe-struck by the size and majesty of God in the same way as a child is overwhelmed by the size of its parents relative to it. The desire to please one's parents, and fear of displeasing them also plays a role here.

But I feel the main characteristic Jesus wants us to adopt here is the one of lowliness; children were, and still are to a certain extent, fairly low in society - they did as they were told, or else. Jesus wants us to serve one another - to act in the interest of God and of others before our own.

Again we hear the story of Jesus telling a rich man to sell all his stuff and give to the poor, and of the rich man's crestfallen response. The most important aspect of the story is his saying that all this is possible only with God in your life.

Psalm 27:9-14
(27:9-14)

Verse 14: Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. I'm not sure if this was meant to edify the psalmist, or if the psalm was intended to encourage others, but it's sound advice. When all around you is going to pot, it's difficult to see God, and you can grow impatient at his perceived lack of movement. Just take David's advice; wait on the LORD.

Day 58 (Leviticus 1-3 | Mark 9:33-10:12 | Psalm 27:1-6)

Day 58
Leviticus 1-3
(1 | 2 | 3)

The start of Leviticus here deals with offerings and the protocol behind them.

Burnt offerings and fellowship offerings involve the slaughter of a young animal from your flock. The burnt offering must be a male without defect. It can be from your herd of cows, flock of sheep or goats, a dove or a pigeon. The fellowship offering can be either male or female, but it has to be without defect.

Day 57 (Exodus 39-40 | Mark 9:1-32 | Psalm 26:1-12)

Day 57
Exodus 39-40
(39 | 40)

The priestly garments for Aaron and his sons are made next. When they saw the robes, they must've wondered what on Earth they'd done to deserve them, especially the High Priest's garments. So much work had gone into making them, and so many people had volunteered the materials to be used.

For more on the garments, go here.

Day 56 (Exodus 37-38 | Mark 8:14-21 | Proverbs 6:1-11)

Day 56
Exodus 37-38
(37 | 38)

This passage describes the construction of more of what God ordered built.

As I've mentioned before, I find this a little boring to read. There's little going on, and the language is very repetitive. All this makes what actually happens even more amazing!

Day 55 (Exodus 35-36 | Mark 7:31-8:13 | Psalm 25:16-22)

Day 55
Exodus 35-36
(35 | 36)

Moses starts by explaining the Sabbath rules; work for six days, rest on the seventh. No work is to be done on the seventh day, not even lighting a fire, upon pain of death.

Day 54 (Exodus 33:7-34:35 | Mark 7:1-30 | Psalm 25:8-15)

Day 54
Exodus 33:7-34:35
(33:7-23 | 34)

Moses has another tent of meeting (all lower case) outside the Israelite camp which he uses to meet with God. Moses begs God to travel with the Israelites to the Promised Land. (In yesterday's passage, God said he wouldn't travel with them for fear of destroying them in anger.)

Day 53 (Exodus 31:1-33:6 | Mark 6:30-56 | Psalm 25:1-7)

Day 53
Exodus 31:1 - 33:6 
(31 | 32 | 33:1-6)

God names two men - Bezalel and Oholiab - as two craftsmen he has given the ability to do the work he requires. He says he has given various other men the ability to complete these works too. God also declares that the Israelites are to keep the Sabbath holy - they are to do this by abstaining from work on the Sabbath. The punishment for anyone caught breaking this law is death.

Day 52 (Exodus 29-30 | Mark 6:6b - 29 | Proverbs 5:15-23)

So, you might have noticed the distinct lack of blog action here since the middle of August. This happened for various reasons which I won't go into here. But the further behind I got, the harder it became for me to start it all back up again. So I've decided not to bother trying to catch up with where I should be. This is now day 52, and I'm continuing as usual from here. Hope that's okay with everyone, 'cause I'm doing it anyway.

---

Day 52
Exodus 29-30
(29 - 30)

God lays down the method for consecrating Aaron and his sons as priests; this consecration process might seem wasteful, ritualistic and barbaric to our modern sensibilities, but not so for the Israelites, who were used to the idea of making sacrifices. Apart from anything else, this whole thing is about obedience to the LORD; doing it because God wants you to, and because you want to draw close to him.

Day 51 (Exodus 27-28 | Mark 5:21-6:6a | Psalm 24)

Day 51
Exodus 27:1-28:43
(27 | 28)

The instructions for the tabernacle's furnishings continue; this time for the altar, its huge courtyard and the lampstand (and the oil needed for it). The instructions continue to include the priestly clothing for Aaron and his sons. As the head priest, Aaron's clothing is much more ornate and elaborate than that of his sons.

Day 50 (Exodus 25-26 | Mark 4:30-5:20 | Psalm 23)

Day 50
Exodus 25:1-26:37
(25 | 26)

God tells Moses to get the Israelites to commence a huge undertaking. He tells him to get the Israelites to make him a sanctuary so he could dwell among them. He gives Moses very specific and detailed instructions on how the sanctuary and its furnishings should be made, and which materials should be used to make it.

Day 49 (Exodus 23-24 | Mark 3:31-4:29 | Psalm 22:22-31)

Day 49
Exodus 23:1-24:18
(23 | 24)

More laws are revealed to Moses. The first set of laws are to do with justice; specifically they're to do with corruption and avoiding injustice. The next set of laws are headlined as the Sabbath laws, probably because they both follow the same theme - six on, one off. The first law says that you should sow and work a field for six years, and leave it for the seventh to allow the poor somewhere to sow and harvest. In the same way, you're only to work six days and take the seventh off. This is to allow your animals and workforce time off to refresh themselves and recover.

Day 48 (Exodus 21-22 | Mark 2:18-3:30 | Proverbs 5:1-14)

Day 48
Exodus 21:1-22:31
(21 | 22)

These two chapters here cover social laws for the Israelites. A great deal of them don't sit very well with me. The law about what happens if you strike a slave, for example. (For the record, as long as they're able to walk after a day or two, it's fine.) Of course, a lot of the laws written here are only relevant in context, and wouldn't seem to apply any more.

Day 47 (Exodus 19-20 | Mark 1:29-2:17 | Psalm 22:12-21)

Day 47
Exodus 19:1-20:26
(19 | 20)

Exactly three months after leaving Egypt, the Israelites enter the Desert of Sinai, and set up camp in front of the mountain, Mount Sinai.

Day 46 (Exodus 17-18 | Mark 1:1-28 | Psalm 22:1-11)

Day 46
Exodus 17:1-18:27
(17 | 18)

Despite the fact that the LORD had already demonstrated his faithfulness to the people of Israel through the provision of manna, the Israelites get in an argument with Moses, again about the lack of water available to drink. Again, the Israelites blame Moses for the fact their lives are lacking something.