Monday, 15 Adar II 5784 / March 25, 2024
Day 449-450 Readings
Torah: Parshat Tzav, 2nd Portion Vayikra (Leviticus) 6:12-7:10
Leviticus 6:12-7:10
Easy-to-Read Version
12 The fire that was started on the altar must never be allowed to stop burning. Every morning the priests must put wood on the altar. They must arrange the burnt offerings on the wood, and they must burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. 13 That fire must always be kept burning on the altar. It must never be allowed to stop burning.
Grain Offerings
14 “This is the law for the grain offering: The sons of Aaron will bring it to the front of the altar as an offering to the Lord. 15 There must be some oil and frankincense on the grain offering. The priest will take a handful of fine flour from the grain offering and burn it on the altar as a sweet-smelling memorial offering to the Lord.
16 “Aaron and his sons will use the rest of that grain to make bread without yeast. This must be eaten in a holy place—in the courtyard around the Meeting Tent. 17 I have given this part of the grain offering as the priests’ share of the gifts offered to me. Like the sin offering and the guilt offering, it is most holy. It must not be baked with yeast. 18 Any male descendant of Aaron may eat from these gifts to the Lord. This is their share forever throughout your generations. Whatever touches these offerings will be made holy.[a]”
The Priests’ Grain Offering
19 The Lord said to Moses, 20 “This is the offering that Aaron and his sons must bring to the Lord when Aaron is anointed to be the high priest. They must bring 8 cups[b] of fine flour for a grain offering. This will be offered at the times of the daily offering—half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening. 21 The fine flour must be mixed with oil and baked on a pan. After it is cooked, you must bring it in, break it into pieces, and offer it as a sweet-smelling gift to Lord.
22 “In the future, when Aaron’s descendants take their place as the anointed priests,[c] they will continue to make this grain offering to the Lord. This rule will continue forever. The grain offering must be completely burned for the Lord. 23 Every grain offering that a priest gives must be completely burned. It must not be eaten.”
The Law of the Sin Offering
24 The Lord said to Moses, 25 “Tell Aaron and his sons: This is the law of the sin offering. The sin offering must be killed in the place where the burnt offering is killed before the Lord. It is most holy. 26 The priest who offers the sin offering must eat it. But he must eat it in a holy place, in the courtyard around the Meeting Tent. 27 Touching the meat of the sin offering makes a person or a thing holy.
“If any of the sprinkled blood falls on a person’s clothes, you must wash the clothes in a holy place. 28 If the sin offering was boiled in a clay pot, the pot must be broken. If the sin offering was boiled in a bronze pot, the pot must be washed and rinsed in water.
29 “Any male in a priest’s family may eat the sin offering. It is very holy. 30 But if the blood of the sin offering was taken into the Meeting Tent and used in the Holy Place to make people pure, that sin offering must not be eaten. It must be completely burned in the fire.
Leviticus 7
Guilt Offerings
1 “These are the rules for the guilt offering, which is very holy: 2 A priest must kill the guilt offering in the same place where they kill the burnt offerings. Then he must sprinkle the blood from the guilt offering around the altar.
3 “The priest must offer all the fat from the guilt offering. He must offer the fat tail and the fat that covers the inner parts. 4 He must offer the two kidneys and the fat covering them at the lower back muscle. He must also offer the fat part of the liver. He must remove it with the kidneys. 5 He must bring these things to the altar as a gift to the Lord. It is a guilt offering.
6 “Any male in a priest’s family may eat the guilt offering. It is very holy, so it must be eaten in a holy place. 7 The guilt offering is like the sin offering. The same rules are for both offerings. The priest who does the sacrificing will get the meat for food. 8 He will also get the skin[d] from the burnt offering. 9 Every grain offering belongs to the priest who offers it. That priest will get the grain offerings that were baked in an oven, or cooked on a frying pan, or in a baking dish. 10 The grain offerings will belong to Aaron’s sons. It doesn’t make any difference if the grain offerings are dry or mixed with oil. The sons of Aaron will all share this food.
Bible Study Together
2 Kings 1-2
Easy-to-Read Version
A Message for Ahaziah
1 After King Ahab died, Moab broke away from Israel’s rule.
2 One day Ahaziah was on the roof of his house in Samaria. He fell down through the wooden bars on top of his house and was badly hurt. He called messengers and told them, “Go to the priests of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron, and ask them if I will get well from my injuries.”
3 But the Lord’s angel said to Elijah the Tishbite, “King Ahaziah has sent some messengers from Samaria. Go meet those men and ask them, ‘There is a God in Israel, so why are you men going to ask questions of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron? 4 Since you did this, the Lord says, You will not get up from your bed. You will die!’” Then Elijah left.
5 When messengers came back to Ahaziah, he asked them, “Why did you come back so soon?”
6 The messengers said to Ahaziah, “A man came up to meet us and told us to go back to the king who sent us and tell him what the Lord says: ‘There is a God in Israel, so why did you send messengers to ask questions of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron? Since you did this, you will not get up from your bed. You will die!’”
7 Ahaziah said to the messengers, “What did the man look like who met you and told you this?”
8 They answered Ahaziah, “This man was wearing a hairy coat[a] with a leather belt around his waist.”
Then Ahaziah said, “That was Elijah the Tishbite.”
Ahaziah Calls for Elijah
9 Ahaziah sent a captain and 50 men to Elijah. The captain went to Elijah, who was sitting on top of a hill. The captain said to Elijah, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down!’”
10 Elijah answered the captain of 50, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your 50 men!”
So fire came down from heaven and destroyed the captain and his 50 men.
11 Ahaziah sent another captain with 50 men to Elijah. He said to Elijah, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down quickly!’”
12 Elijah told the captain and his 50 men, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your 50 men!”
Then God’s fire came down from heaven and destroyed the captain and his 50 men.
13 Ahaziah sent a third captain with 50 men. The third captain came to Elijah. He fell down on his knees and begged Elijah, saying to him, “Man of God, I ask you, please let my life and the lives of your 50 servants be valuable to you. 14 Fire came down from heaven and destroyed the first two captains and their 50 men. But now, have mercy and let us live!”
15 The Lord’s angel said to Elijah, “Go with the captain. Don’t be afraid of him.”
So Elijah went with the captain to see King Ahaziah.
16 Elijah told Ahaziah, “This is what the Lord says: ‘There is a God in Israel, so why did you send messengers to ask questions of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron? Since you did this, you will not get up from your bed. You will die!’”
Joram Takes Ahaziah’s Place
17 Ahaziah died, just as the Lord said through Elijah. Ahaziah did not have a son, so Joram became the new king after Ahaziah. He began to rule during the second year that Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah.
18 The other things that Ahaziah did are written in the book, The History of the Kings of Israel.
2 Kings 2
The Lord Makes Plans to Take Elijah
1 It was near the time for the Lord to take Elijah by a whirlwind up into heaven. Elijah and Elisha started to leave Gilgal.
2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, because the Lord told me to go to Bethel.”
But Elisha said, “I promise, as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two men went down to Bethel.
3 The group of prophets[b] at Bethel came to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take your master away from you today?”
Elisha said, “Yes, I know. Don’t talk about it.”
4 Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, because the Lord told me to go to Jericho.”
But Elisha said, “I promise, as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you!” So the two men went to Jericho.
5 The group of prophets at Jericho came to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take your master away from you today?”
Elisha answered, “Yes, I know. Don’t talk about it.”
6 Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, because the Lord told me to go to the Jordan River.”
Elisha answered, “I promise, as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you!” So the two men went on.
7 There were 50 men from the group of prophets who followed them. Elijah and Elisha stopped at the Jordan River. The 50 men stood far away from Elijah and Elisha. 8 Elijah took off his coat, folded it, and hit the water with it. The water separated to the right and to the left. Then Elijah and Elisha crossed the river on dry ground.
9 After they crossed the river, Elijah said to Elisha, “What do you want me to do for you before God takes me away from you?”
Elisha said, “I ask you for a double share of your spirit on me.”
10 Elijah said, “You have asked a hard thing. If you see me when I am taken from you, it will happen. But if you don’t see me when I am taken from you, it will not happen.”
The Lord Takes Elijah Into Heaven
11 Elijah and Elisha were walking and talking together. Suddenly, some horses and a chariot came and separated Elijah from Elisha. The horses and the chariot were like fire. Then Elijah was carried up into heaven in a whirlwind.
12 Elisha saw it, and shouted, “My father! My father! The chariot of Israel and his horses![c]”
Elisha never saw Elijah again. Elisha grabbed his own clothes and tore them in two to show his sadness. 13 Elijah’s coat had fallen to the ground, so Elisha picked it up. He went back and stood at the edge of the Jordan River. 14 He hit the water and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” Just as Elisha hit the water, the water separated to the right and to the left! Then Elisha crossed the river.
The Prophets Ask for Elijah
15 When the group of prophets at Jericho saw Elisha, they said, “Elijah’s spirit is now on Elisha!” They came to meet Elisha. They bowed very low to the ground before him. 16 They said, “Look, we have 50 good men. Please let them go and look for your master. Maybe the Lord’s Spirit has taken Elijah up and dropped him on some mountain or in some valley.”
But Elisha answered, “No, don’t send men to look for Elijah!”
17 The group of prophets begged Elisha until he was embarrassed. Then Elisha said, “Send the men to look for Elijah.”
The group of prophets sent the 50 men to look for Elijah. They looked three days, but they could not find him. 18 So the men went to Jericho where Elisha was staying and told him. Elisha said to them, “I told you not to go.”
ESV Readings
Scripture
Psalm 84
Easy-to-Read Version
To the director: On the gittith. A song of praise from the Korah family.
1 Lord All-Powerful, the place where you live is so beautiful!2 Lord, I cannot wait to enter your Temple. I am so excited!Every part of me cries out to be with the Living God.3 Lord All-Powerful, my King, my God, even the birds have found a home in your Temple.They make their nests near your altar, and there they have their babies.4 Great blessings belong to those who live at your Temple! They continue to praise you. Selah
5 Great blessings belong to those who depend on you for strength! Their heart’s desire is to make the trip to your Temple.6 They travel through Baca Valley, which God has made into a place of springs. Autumn rains form pools of water there.7 The people travel from town to town[a] on their way to Zion, where they will meet with God.
8 Lord God All-Powerful, listen to my prayer. God of Jacob, listen to me. Selah
9 God, watch over the king, our protector.[b] Be kind to him, the one you have chosen.10 One day in your Temple is better than a thousand days anywhere else.Serving as a guard at the gate of my God’s house is better than living in the homes of the wicked.11 The Lord God is our protector and glorious king.[c] He blesses us with kindness and honor.The Lord freely gives every good thing to those who do what is right.12 Lord All-Powerful, great blessings belong to those who trust in you!
Exodus 29
Nehemiah 10
1 Corinthians 2
Easy-to-Read Version
My Message: Jesus Christ on the Cross
1 Dear brothers and sisters, when I came to you, I told you the secret truth of God. But I did not use fancy words or great wisdom. 2 I decided that while I was with you I would forget about everything except Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. 3 When I came to you, I was weak and shook with fear. 4 My teaching and my speaking were not with wise words that persuade people. But the proof of my teaching was the power that the Spirit gives. 5 I did this so that your faith would be in God’s power, not in human wisdom.
God’s Wisdom
6 We teach wisdom to people who are mature, but the wisdom we teach is not from this world. It is not the wisdom of the rulers of this world, who are losing their power. 7 But we speak God’s secret wisdom that has been hidden from everyone until now. God planned this wisdom for our glory. He planned it before the world began. 8 None of the rulers of this world understood this wisdom. If they had understood it, they would not have killed our great and glorious Lord on a cross.
9 But as the Scriptures say, “No one has ever seen, no one has ever heard, no one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
10 But God has shown us these things through the Spirit. The Spirit knows all things. The Spirit even knows the deep secrets of God.
11 It is like this: No one knows the thoughts that another person has. Only the person’s spirit that lives inside knows those thoughts. It is the same with God. No one knows God’s thoughts except God’s Spirit. 12 We received the Spirit that is from God, not the spirit of the world. We received God’s Spirit so that we can know all that God has given us.
13 When we say this, we don’t use words taught to us by human wisdom. We use words taught to us by the Spirit. We use the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. 14 People who do not have God’s Spirit do not accept the things that come from his Spirit. They think these things are foolish. They cannot understand them, because they can only be understood with the Spirit’s help. 15 We who have the Spirit are able to make judgments about all these things. But anyone without the Spirit is not able to make proper judgments about us. 16 As the Scriptures say, “Who can know what is on the Lord’s mind? Who is able to give him advice?”
But we have been given Christ’s way of thinking.
Dear AVI,
Baruk Ata Adonai ELOHIM YESHUA Melek HaOlam!!! Blessed are YOU O LORD My GOD King of the Universe! HOLY ONE of Israel! MY heart is failing me, I am torn to pieces, but I will cling to ONLY YOU because YOU are the ONLY SURE FOUNDATION in this world. I will stand by YOU no matter what. My Heart O GOD burns with so much pain so much pain, why did YOU ever let me come home to see this day???? YOU promised YOU will always be victorious in ME but I am crushed and pained by all the money troubles of my family. I did not believe in this family that's why I left, but YOU made me come home because YOU made me believe that things can still change, hearts can still change, but YOU have shown me how nothing has really changed... Mom is still nawong kwarta and I am once again heartbroken especially now that my siblings have become hungry of power. GOD, if YOU think this family will break and this corporation will soon break, please deliver me out of here, please send me a husband who will not just love me but provide for me and be highly respected by my family. No matter how I cry out to YOU, will YOU even change a thing??? Will YOU Move in power over the hearts of men that YOU cannot control or dictate because YOU said YOU have given us free will. GOD help me to forgive the foolishness of my siblings, help me to forgive the foolishness and the love of money of the family that I belong to. But I have lost faith and hope in this family and I cannot fight for this family anymore. Please take me out of this country and send me where YOU want me to go. Why am I still here if this is all that matters to them? AM I still walking uprightly O GOD??? Am I still pleasing to YOU??? Forgive my bickering and negative thoughts, I pray that YOU give me back my faith in YOU and in the things that YOU believe in. LORD I know I don't deserve anything and not even a husband but please my GOD give me a husband who understands me and loves me because it seems like YOU are a long time in coming back and taking me out of this dark cruel world, it seems like I have to agonize being here for a while and cry and cry for the things that break YOUR heart, please send me someone who understands what I feel and will even cry with me and feel for me and fight with me about that things that YOU still believe in. Please GOD, let this man come and love me and tell me he loves me and pursues me and serves me and confess his love for me and marry me... where is this man YOU have promised me??? Shall I continue to hold on to that man born from Zion??? Shall I???? I will love whomever YOU want me to love GOD, my heart is fully YOURS, YOU know it! YOU always have a way of letting me love what YOU love so send this man who loves YOU and loves me. Send him to me now please please send him to me now.
Please KING JESUS, forgive me and send me to another battle that will only hurt my soul but not my Spirit because I feel that there is no light in this family anymore. I feel that YOU have taken away YOUR glory from us so please take me with YOU wherever YOU go. I will not stay if YOU tell me to go.... so help me GOD. Please GOD take care of me, please have YOUR Way in me. Thank YOU for everything JESUS that everyone is enjoying good health but please GOD give us back our peace... Have mercy on YOUR people and save us from evil and trouble and greed, save us from ourselves O GOD for YOU deserve our honor, glory and praise. YOU deserve all things!
Ba Shem YESHUA HaMashiach, Amen!