Friday, 2 Iyar 5784 / May 10, 2024
Day 496 Readings
Torah: Parshat Kedoshim, 6th Portion Vayikra (Leviticus) 20:8-22
Leviticus 20:8-22
English Standard Version
8 Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you. 9 For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him.
Punishments for Sexual Immorality
10 “If a man commits adultery with the wife of[a] his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. 11 If a man lies with his father's wife, he has uncovered his father's nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. 12 If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have committed perversion; their blood is upon them. 13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. 14 If a man takes a woman and her mother also, it is depravity; he and they shall be burned with fire, that there may be no depravity among you. 15 If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal. 16 If a woman approaches any animal and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
17 “If a man takes his sister, a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace, and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered his sister's nakedness, and he shall bear his iniquity. 18 If a man lies with a woman during her menstrual period and uncovers her nakedness, he has made naked her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from among their people. 19 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister or of your father's sister, for that is to make naked one's relative; they shall bear their iniquity. 20 If a man lies with his uncle's wife, he has uncovered his uncle's nakedness; they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. 21 If a man takes his brother's wife, it is impurity.[b] He has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.
You Shall Be Holy
22 “You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out.
BIBLE Study Together
Isaiah 1:21-2:22
English Standard Version
The Unfaithful City
21 How the faithful city has become a whore,[a] she who was full of justice! Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers. 22 Your silver has become dross, your best wine mixed with water. 23 Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not bring justice to the fatherless, and the widow's cause does not come to them.
24 Therefore the Lord declares, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel: “Ah, I will get relief from my enemies and avenge myself on my foes.25 I will turn my hand against you and will smelt away your dross as with lye and remove all your alloy. 26 And I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.”
27 Zion shall be redeemed by justice, and those in her who repent, by righteousness. 28 But rebels and sinners shall be broken together, and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed. 29 For they[b] shall be ashamed of the oaks that you desired; and you shall blush for the gardens that you have chosen. 30 For you shall be like an oak whose leaf withers, and like a garden without water. 31 And the strong shall become tinder, and his work a spark, and both of them shall burn together, with none to quench them.
Isaiah 2
The Mountain of the Lord
1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, 3 and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths. ”For out of Zion shall go forth the law,[c] and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
The Day of the Lord
6 For you have rejected your people, the house of Jacob, because they are full of things from the east and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners. 7 Their land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures; their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots. 8 Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made. 9 So man is humbled, and each one is brought low— do not forgive them! 10 Enter into the rock and hide in the dust from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty. 11 The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
12 For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low; 13 against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up; and against all the oaks of Bashan; 14 against all the lofty mountains, and against all the uplifted hills; 15 against every high tower, and against every fortified wall; 16 against all the ships of Tarshish, and against all the beautiful craft. 17 And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. 18 And the idols shall utterly pass away. 19 And people shall enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground,[d]from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth.
20 In that day mankind will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats, 21 to enter the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs, from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth. 22 Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?
John 18:25-27
English Standard Version
Peter Denies Jesus Again
25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27 Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.
Luke 22:66-71
English Standard Version
Jesus Before the Council
66 When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their council, and they said, 67 “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, 68 and if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” 70 So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” And he said to them, “You say that I am.” 71 Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.”
ESV Readings
Scripture
Psalm 129
English Standard Version
They Have Afflicted Me from My Youth
A Song of Ascents.
1 “Greatly[a] have they afflicted me from my youth”— let Israel now say—
2 “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows.”
4 The Lord is righteous; he has cut the cords of the wicked.
5 May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward!
6 Let them be like the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up,
7 with which the reaper does not fill his hand nor the binder of sheaves his arms,
8 nor do those who pass by say, “The blessing of the Lord be upon you! We bless you in the name of the Lord!”
Numbers 9:15-23
EasyEnglish Bible
The cloud above the Tent of Meeting
15 On the day that Moses put up the Tent of Meeting, a cloud covered it. In the evening it became something like a fire over the Tent, until morning. 16 It was like that all the time. The cloud covered it during the day. But at night, the cloud seemed to have fire in it. 17 When the cloud went up from God's Tent, the Israelites started to travel. And when the cloud came down, the Israelites made their camp in that place. 18 The Lord decided when the Israelites should start to travel. And the Lord decided where they should stop and make their camp. During all the time that the cloud was over the tabernacle, they stayed in their camp. 19 Even when the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for many days, the Israelites obeyed the Lord. They did not start to travel. 20 Sometimes the cloud stayed over God's Tent for a few days. Then they remained in their camp. When the Lord showed them that they should travel, they started to travel. 21 Sometimes the cloud stayed there from evening until morning. But, when the cloud went up in the morning, they started to travel. But sometimes it stayed for one day and one night. Then when the cloud went up, they started to travel again. 22 Sometimes the cloud continued to be over God's Tent for two days or for a month or for a year. It stayed above it. Then, the Israelites stayed in their camp. They did not start to travel. But when it went up, they did start to travel. 23 The Lord decided when they should make their camp. And the Lord decided when they should start to travel. So they obeyed the Lord about everything that the Lord said to Moses.
Numbers 10
EasyEnglish Bible
The silver trumpets
10 The Lord said to Moses, 2 ‘Make two trumpets from one piece of silver. Use a hammer to make them in the right shape. Make a noise with them to tell the people that they must come together. Also, use the trumpets to tell the people that they must move the camp. 3 When the people hear the sound from both trumpets, all the people must meet you. They must meet you at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 4 But you may want only the leaders of Israel's tribes to meet you. If you want that, a priest should make the sound from only one trumpet. 5 But when the sound is one short sound, the tribes on the east side of the camp must start to travel. 6 When they hear the next short sound, the tribes on the south side of the camp must start to travel. Short sounds from the trumpet will tell the people that they must start to travel. 7 But when you want everyone to meet together, make a different sound with the trumpet.
8 The priests, the sons of Aaron, must use the trumpets to make a noise. This is a rule for you and for all your descendants. 9 Use the trumpets to tell everyone when an enemy is attacking you in your own land. Make a sound with the trumpets to tell the people that they must fight the enemy. Then the Lord your God will hear and he will save you from your enemies. 10 You must make sounds with the trumpets on your happy days, too. And you must make sounds with the trumpets at your regular festivals and on the first days of your months. And you must make sounds with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over your friendship offerings. God will hear and he will remember you. I am the Lord your God.’
Isaiah 46
English Standard Version
The Idols of Babylon and the One True God
1 Bel bows down; Nebo stoops; their idols are on beasts and livestock; these things you carry are borne as burdens on weary beasts.
2 They stoop; they bow down together; they cannot save the burden, but themselves go into captivity.
3 “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb;
4 even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.
5 “To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike?
6 Those who lavish gold from the purse, and weigh out silver in the scales, hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; then they fall down and worship! 7 They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it, they set it in its place, and it stands there; it cannot move from its place. If one cries to it, it does not answer or save him from his trouble.
8 “Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors,
9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me,
10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
11 calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.
12 “Listen to me, you stubborn of heart, you who are far from righteousness:
13 I bring near my righteousness; it is not far off, and my salvation will not delay; I will put salvation in Zion, for Israel my glory.”
Isaiah 47
Evangelical Heritage Version
Babylon’s Fall
1 Go down and sit in the dust, you virgin daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground without a throne, daughter of the Chaldeans, for you will never again be called delicate and pampered.2 Take millstones and grind meal. Remove your veil. Strip off your skirt. Expose your thighs. Wade through rivers.3 Let your nakedness be exposed. Let your shame be seen! I will take vengeance. I will not spare anyone.
4 Our Redeemer—the Lord of Armies is his name—is the Holy One of Israel.
5 Daughter of the Chaldeans, sit silently, and enter into the darkness, for you will never again be called queen of the kingdoms. 6 I was angry with my people. I defiled my heritage. I gave them into your hand. You showed them no mercy. Even on the aged you made your yoke very heavy. 7 You said, “I will be a lady forever.” You did not take these things to heart. You did not remember how this will turn out. 8 But now hear this, you wanton lover of pleasure, who sits securely, who says in her heart, “I am the one, and there is no one except me. I will not live as a widow. I will not experience the loss of children.”9 But these two things will come upon you in an instant, in one day: loss of children and widowhood. They will come to you in full measure in spite of your many magic spells, in spite of the great power of your magic charms.
10 You felt secure in your wickedness. You said, “No one sees me. ”Your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray. So you said in your heart, “I am the one, and there is not another one beside me.” 11 But disaster will come upon you. You do not know when it will come. Calamity will fall upon you. You will not be able to atone for it.A devastating blow that you did not expect will come upon you suddenly. 12 Go ahead, stand secure in your magic charms and in your many magic spells, with which you have been laboring since your youth. Perhaps you will be able to profit. Perhaps you will be able to inspire terror. 13 You are worn out by all the advice you receive. Let them stand up and save you—those who make charts of the skies to practice astrology, those who gaze at the stars to obtain omens, those who predict what will happen to you on each new moon.14 Look, they are nothing but stubble. Fire consumes them. They are not able to save themselves from the power of the flame. There are no burning coals to warm their food. [a]There is no firelight to sit in front of. 15 They can do nothing more for you—those who have worn you out with all their dealings with you from your youth. Each one wanders in his own direction. There is no one left to save you.
Colossians 1:21-2:5
English Standard Version
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation[a] under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Paul's Ministry to the Church
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
Colossians 2
2 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
Dear AVI,
Great are YOU O GOD! HOLY is YOUR Name! I pray O LORD for YOUR grace upon me and my family, forgive us O LORD for the sins that we are suffering. Please GOD help us to obey YOU and to do all that YOU want us to do. Take care of me O GOD and grant me YOUR grace and favor. I pray O GOD that YOU will deal with my mother, please speak to her and help her to understand why I am so disappointed with her. I pray O GOD, that YOU will take me out of this place for a while. Take me out.
In the Name of JESUS, Amen!
SOAP
TITLE: The Manifest Presence of GOD
Scriptures: Numbers 9
Observation: The LORD commands Israel to remember to celebrate certain dates and celebrate them because he appointed these dates for certain occasion to be remembered and celebrated. A time to rest and worship HIM not only on a Shabbat or Sunday which is a rest day but for a specific week of rest. And HE also commanded a Tabernacle to be set up and when Israel obeyed everything the LORD instructed them, the manifested presence of HIS glory appeared like a fire by night and a cloud by day, symbolizing HE was with Israel day and night. IT was only after Israel obeyed GOD's instructions for them that GOD began to surround them with HIS glorious Presence manifested physically through the cloud and fire.
Application: This cloud or fire of Glory is very important to me because on the year of the Pandemic 2020, I felt this glorious presence around my home and in my office where ever I went. During this specific season of my life where I called it "Shekinah Glory days", I just felt so overjoyed and excited, energized all the time that I did not sleep and eat regularly. Before I was able to gain access to this fire and cloud, the previous years were one of the toughest years of my life where I had to do many hard things GOD wanted me to do which involved me to surrender all my plans for myself and walk day by day depending on HIS instructions.
I am familiar with this fire and cloud because even though we live in the modern times, JESUS is the same GOD yesterday today and forever, HE is in the OLD Testament in a different form but HIS name was only revealed in the New Testament. The fire and cloud today maybe in it's different form in my days but I know it is the same fire and cloud that the Old Testament is talking about. I missed the Shekinah Glory days in my life so much where I was able to fast from sleep and food supernaturally, because I felt so high and supernatural yet I know that without this glorious presence I could not fast or do supernatural things like I was able to if GOD did not surround me with HIS glory in such a way. Supernatural because I was eating only once a day and not sleeping at all during the night because I believed I was a Night Watchman guarding my City Gates. I did sleep but only after the sun breaks in and only after I see the Sun light shining through my windows did I allow myself to sleep for 4 hours in the morning, wake up at 10am and have my only meal for the day at lunch time. I did this for 3 straight months - February 20, 2020 to May 20, 2020
Prayer: AVI,
O Glorious and HOLY GOD! Thank YOU that YOU are the same yesterday today and forever! Thank YOU that whatever Israel had with YOU in the past (favor, glory, blessings), I can have with YOU now because of JESUS YOUR SON has granted anyone who obeys HIM faithfully to have the same favor, glory and blessings just like Israel. Help me to never take this opportunity for granted. To keep in mind that YOU can do miracles for me if I not only believe but also do what YOU instructed me to do personally. I want to experience YOU again in YOUR again in YOUR Glory O GOD, but cleanse me and enable me to HOLY and faithful to YOU.