Day 29 – January 29, 2022

Exodus 30-32 

30

Altar of Incense

​¹ “Now you shall make an altar of incense of incorruptible wood. ² You shall make it a cubit in length and a cubit in width—it shall be square—and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. ³ You shall overlay its grating, its sides all around, and its horns with pure gold; and you shall make for it a rim of gold all around. ⁴ Two gold rings you shall make for it under the molded rim on both its sides. You shall place them on its two sides, and they will be holders for the poles with which to bear it. ⁵ You shall make the poles of incorruptible wood and overlay them with gold. ⁶ You shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the testimonies, where I will make Myself known to you. ⁷ Aaron shall burn on it fine compounded incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. ⁸ When Aaron lights the lamps in the evening, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. ⁹ You shall not offer strange incense on it, or an offering made by fire, or a sacrifice; nor shall you pour a drink offering on it. ¹⁰ Now Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year, purging it with the blood of purification throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”

Gifts of Money

¹¹ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹² “When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give a ransom for his soul to the Lord, so there may be no plague among them when you number them. ¹³ This is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give: half a drachma according to the drachma of the sanctuary (a drachma is twenty obols). The half-drachma shall be an offering to the Lord. ¹⁴ Everyone included among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering to the Lord. ¹⁵ The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a drachma when you give an offering to the Lord to make atonement for your souls. ¹⁶ You shall take the money of the offering of the children of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tabernacle of testimony, that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord to make atonement for your souls.”

A Laver of Bronze

¹⁷ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁸ “You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tabernacle of testimony and the altar. You shall put water in it, ¹⁹ for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and feet with water from it. ²⁰ When they go into the tabernacle of testimony, they shall wash with water, lest they die, or when they come near the altar to minister and to offer whole burnt offerings to the Lord. ²¹ So they shall wash their hands and feet with water when they go into the tabernacle of testimony, lest they die. It shall be an ordinance forever to them—for him and his genealogy after him.”

  Holy Oil for Anointing

²² Furthermore the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²³ “Also take for yourself aromatic spices, the flower of costly myrrh—five hundred shekels’ worth—and fragrant cinnamon—half as much, two hundred and fifty, and two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet-smelling calamus, ²⁴ and five hundred shekels of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. ²⁵ You shall make from these a holy anointing oil, an ointment compounded according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be a holy anointing oil. ²⁶ With it you shall anoint the tabernacle of testimony and the ark of the tabernacle of testimony; ²⁷ and the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense; ²⁸ and the altar of whole burnt offerings with all its utensils, and the table and all its utensils, and the laver and its base. ²⁹ You shall sanctify them so they may be most holy; whatever touches them will be holy. ³⁰ You shall anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may minister to Me as priests. ³¹ You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil throughout your generations. ³² It shall not be poured on man’s flesh; nor shall you make any like it according to its composition. It is holy, and it shall be holy to you. ³³ Whoever compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on an outsider, shall be cut off from his people.’ ”

Incense

³⁴ And the Lord said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and sweet galbanum, and pure frankincense; there shall be equal amounts of each. ³⁵ You shall make of these perfumed incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, mixed, pure, and holy. ³⁶ And you shall beat some of it very fine and put some of it before the testimonies in the tabernacle of testimony, where I will make Myself known to you. It shall be a most holy incense to you. ³⁷ You shall not make any for yourselves according to this composition. It shall be to you a holy thing for the Lord. ³⁸ Whoever makes any like it to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.”

31

Craftsmen to Build the Tabernacle

​¹ Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. ³ I have filled him with the divine Spirit of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, and in every manner of workmanship, ⁴ to design artistic works, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, ⁵ in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in every manner of workmanship. ⁶ Indeed I have appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put understanding in the hearts of all who are gifted artisans, so they may make all I commanded you: ⁷ the tabernacle of testimony, the ark of the testimony and the mercy seat on it, and all the utensils of the tabernacle— ⁸ the altars and the table and its utensils, the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, ⁹ and the laver and its base— ¹⁰ the liturgical garments for Aaron and the garments of his sons, to minister to Me as priests, ¹¹ and the anointing oil and the compound incense for the holy place. According to all I have commanded you they shall do.”

Keeping the Sabbath

¹² Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹³ “You shall direct the children of Israel, saying, ‘See to it that you keep My Sabbaths, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know I am the Lord who sanctifies you. ¹⁴ You shall keep the Sabbaths, because this is holy for you to the Lord. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death; for whoever works on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. ¹⁵ Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath, a holy rest to the Lord. Whoever works on the seventh day shall be put to death. ¹⁶ Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbaths, to observe them throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. ¹⁷ It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord created heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He ceased and rested.’ ”

¹⁸ So when He made an end of speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him two tablets of testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.

32

The Golden Calf

​¹ Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered against Aaron and said to him, “Rise up and make us gods that shall go before us. As for Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” ² Aaron then said to them, “Remove the golden earrings in the ears of your wives and daughters and bring them to me.” ³ So all the people removed the golden earrings in their ears and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ He received them from their hands; and he fashioned them with an engraving tool and made a molten calf. Then he said, “These are your gods, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt.” ⁵ So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. Aaron then made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.” ⁶ Thus he rose early the next day and offered whole burnt offerings and peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

⁷ But the Lord said to Moses, “Go quickly! Get down from here! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt are transgressing the law. ⁸ They turned aside quickly from the way I commanded them. They made themselves a calf and are worshiping and sacrificing to it, and are saying, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt.’ ⁹ Now therefore, let Me be, that I may burn in wrath against them and consume them. ¹⁰ Then I will make of you a great nation.” ¹¹ But Moses prayed before the Lord God and said, “Why, O Lord, does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? ¹² Why should the Egyptians speak and say, ‘He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath and be merciful to the wickedness of Your people. ¹³ Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Your servants, to whom You swore by Yourself and said to them, ‘I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of heaven for multitude; and all this land I spoke about to give their seed, they shall inherit unto the ages.’ ” ¹⁴ So the Lord granted mercy for the harm He said He would do to His people.

  ¹⁵ Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands. They were stone tablets written on both sides, on one side and on the other. ¹⁶ Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets. ¹⁷ When Joshua therefore heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.” ¹⁸ But Moses said, “It is not the noise of those that begin the battle, nor of those that begin the cry of defeat, but the noise of those that begin the banquet of wine that I hear.” ¹⁹ So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing. Thus Moses became very angry; and he cast the two tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. ²⁰ Then he took the calf they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it. ²¹ Moses then spoke to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you brought so great a sin upon them?” ²² Aaron replied, “Do not be angry, my lord. You know how impulsive this people is. ²³ For they said to me, ‘Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this man Moses, who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ ²⁴ So I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let him remove it.’ Thus they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.”

²⁵ Now when Moses saw the people were scattered (for Aaron scattered them, making them a prey to their enemies), ²⁶ Moses then stood in the entrance of the camp and said, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side, come to me.” So all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. ²⁷ He said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’ ” ²⁸ So the sons of Levi did as Moses said to them, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day. ²⁹ Then Moses said, “You filled your hands to the Lord today, each one on his son or brother, that blessing be given you.”

³⁰ Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, “You committed a great sin. So now I will go up to God to make atonement for your sin.” ³¹ Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “I pray, O Lord, these people have committed a great sin and have made for themselves a god of gold! ³² Yet now, if You will forgive their sin, forgive it—but if not, blot me out of the book You have written.” ³³ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever sins against Me, I will blot him out of My book. ³⁴ Now therefore, go down and lead the people to the place of which I spoke to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before your face. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will strike them for their sin.” ³⁵ So the Lord struck the people for making the calf which Aaron made.

Psalms 30:1–14 

​¹ For the End; a psalm by David; of ecstasy.

² In You, O Lord, I hope; may I not be ashamed forever;

In Your righteousness deliver and rescue me.

³ Incline Your ear to me;

Rescue me speedily;

Be to me a God who protects me,

And a house of refuge to save me.

⁴ For You are my strength and my refuge,

And for Your name’s sake You will guide and sustain me;

⁵ For You will bring me out from the snare they hid for me;

For You are my protector.

⁶ Into Your hands I shall entrust my spirit;

You redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.

⁷ You hate those who maintain their empty vanities,

But I hope in the Lord.

⁸ I will greatly rejoice and be glad because of Your mercy,

For You beheld my humiliation;

You saved my soul from distress,

⁹ And did not shut me up into the hands of the enemy;

You set my feet in a wide place.

¹⁰ Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am afflicted;

My eye is troubled with anger;

So are my soul and my stomach.

¹¹ For my life is wasted with grief

And my years with sighing;

My strength is weakened with poverty,

And my bones are troubled.

¹² I became a reproach among all my enemies,

And especially to all my neighbors,

  And a fear to all my acquaintances;

Those who saw me outside fled from me.

¹³ I am forgotten like one whose heart is lifeless;

I was made like a vessel that is utterly broken.

¹⁴ For I heard the blame of many who dwell round about

When they were gathered together against me,

When they plotted to take my life.

Proverbs 6:7–12 

⁷ Compare yourself with the ant, O sluggard,

And be zealous when you see his ways,

And become wiser than he.

⁸ For although he has no tilled land,

Neither anyone to compel him,

Nor any master to rule him,

⁹ Yet he prepares all his food in the summer

And makes his provisions abundant in the winter.

¹⁰ Or go to the honeybee,

And learn how she is a worker

And how solemnly she does her work,

¹¹ Whose labors kings and common people use for health;

And she is desirable to all and glorious;

¹² And although she is weak in bodily strength,

She leads the way in honoring wisdom.

Matthew 19

​¹ Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.

² And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.

³ The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”

⁴ And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’

⁵ “and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?

⁶ “So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

⁷ They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”

⁸ He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

⁹ “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”

¹⁰ His disciples said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”

Jesus Teaches on Celibacy

¹¹ But He said to them, “All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:

¹² “For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.”

Jesus Blesses Little Children

¹³ Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.

¹⁴ But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

¹⁵ And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.

Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler

¹⁶ Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”

¹⁷ So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

¹⁸ He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’

¹⁹ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

²⁰ The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”

²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

²² But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

With God All Things Are Possible

²³ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

²⁴ “And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁵ When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁶ But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

²⁷ Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?”

²⁸ So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

²⁹ “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.³⁰ “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.