Tuesday, 2 Adar II 5784 / March 12, 2024
Day 437 Readings
Torah: Parshat Pekudei, 3rd Portion Shemot (Exodus) 39:22-32
Exodus 39:22-32
English Standard Version
22 He also made the robe of the ephod woven all of blue, 23 and the opening of the robe in it was like the opening in a garment, with a binding around the opening, so that it might not tear. 24 On the hem of the robe they made pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. 25 They also made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all around the hem of the robe, between the pomegranates— 26 a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate around the hem of the robe for ministering, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
27 They also made the coats, woven of fine linen, for Aaron and his sons, 28 and the turban of fine linen, and the caps of fine linen, and the linen undergarments of fine twined linen, 29 and the sash of fine twined linen and of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, embroidered with needlework, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
30 They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote on it an inscription, like the engraving of a signet, “Holy to the Lord.” 31 And they tied to it a cord of blue to fasten it on the turban above, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
32 Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished, and the people of Israel did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses; so they did.
BIBLE Study Together
2 Chronicles 16:11-14
English Standard Version
11 The acts of Asa, from first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but sought help from physicians. 13 And Asa slept with his fathers, dying in the forty-first year of his reign. 14 They buried him in the tomb that he had cut for himself in the city of David. They laid him on a bier that had been filled with various kinds of spices prepared by the perfumer's art, and they made a very great fire in his honor.
1 Kings 15:23-24
English Standard Version
23 Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, and all that he did, and the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24 And Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.
2 Chronicles 17
English Standard Version
Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah
1 Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place and strengthened himself against Israel. 2 He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had captured. 3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, 4 but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. 5 Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. 6 His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.
7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; 8 and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; and with these Levites, the priests Elishama and Jehoram. 9 And they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the Lord with them. They went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.
10 And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat. 11 Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver for tribute, and the Arabians also brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats. 12 And Jehoshaphat grew steadily greater. He built in Judah fortresses and store cities, 13 and he had large supplies in the cities of Judah. He had soldiers, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem. 14 This was the muster of them by fathers' houses: Of Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah the commander, with 300,000 mighty men of valor; 15 and next to him Jehohanan the commander, with 280,000; 16 and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, a volunteer for the service of the Lord, with 200,000 mighty men of valor. 17 Of Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty man of valor, with 200,000 men armed with bow and shield; 18 and next to him Jehozabad with 180,000 armed for war. 19 These were in the service of the king, besides those whom the king had placed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.
1 Kings 17:1-7
English Standard Version
Elijah Predicts a Drought
17 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe[a] in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 2 And the word of the Lord came to him: 3 “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4 You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 7 And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
Matthew 24:36-51
English Standard Version
No One Knows That Day and Hour
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son,[a] but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant,[b] whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants[c] and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
ESV Readings
Scripture
Psalm 71
English Standard Version
Forsake Me Not When My Strength Is Spent
1 In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame! 2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me, and save me! 3 Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man. 5 For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. 6 Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you.
7 I have been as a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge. 8 My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day. 9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent. 10 For my enemies speak concerning me; those who watch for my life consult together 11 and say, “God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is none to deliver him.”
12 O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me!13 May my accusers be put to shame and consumed; with scorn and disgrace may they be covered who seek my hurt.14 But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.15 My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge.16 With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.
17 O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.18 So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.19 Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? 20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again.21 You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.
22 I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.23 My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed.24 And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long, for they have been put to shame and disappointed who sought to do me hurt.
Dear AVI,
Baruk ATA ELOHIM YESHUA MELEK HA OLAM!!! Holy are YOU O LORD GOD Almighty!!! I need YOU so much in my life because YOU have put me here in this wilderness in this place where there is no rest, this home that is filled with war giving me so much heartache and pain. O GOD have mercy on me, how can I survive for I am a weak woman??? Please GOD let me live according to YOUR WORD, to YOUR Will. Let me not stray from YOUR path for me but enable me to endure the hardships and trials that I have to go through. I am not strong enough O GOD, I am weak but YOUR grace carries me through. I need YOUR Love O GOD and I need YOU to give me YOUR love through a husband who will be devoted to me and love me deeply because I need to be loved by YOU. I need YOU O GOD, I am nothing without YOU. This world is passing away but YOUR WORD will never pass away. So let me remind YOU O GOD of YOUR Promise to me, that YOU are doing something new, YOU are making a way in the wilderness, streams in the dessert. The streams of love that will refresh me making me strong giving me hope and the will to live another day and another day because this love is the love YOU have promised me. Let YOUR Spirit fill my husband so that he is like a stream to me, fill us with YOUR Spirit so we can love each other right and let YOUR presence fill our lives so that people can see YOU in us and YOU shall be glorified. O GOD, this is what I am seeing, this is what I am longing for. I pray this for Stephen whom YOU have shown me, I pray O GOD let him receive YOU and live for YOU. If not how can I fight without someone who loves like me and stands for truth and justice because we love YOU. We cannot do it on our own O GOD, we need YOU. Inspite of all that I have given him, I pray that YOU will fill his heart with love for me, because it is him that YOU have shown me. If I marry him, then I know that YOU have loved my mother and father and YOU have heard their prayers. O GOD here I am and I am ready to do YOUR Will, I am ready to marry Stephen but he is not ready for me, so help me to wait on YOU O GOD help me to keep waiting for YOU and I pray that YOU give strength and wisdom to this man to comfort me in all my troubles, to give me words of encouragement and the urge to love me completely because that is how much YOU love me. YOU love me so much that is why I am here not doing what I want but doing YOUR Will. I am here serving my family because YOU want me to so help me GOD. Help me! Help me to always live for YOU and not for anyone else for YOU are my GOD and there is no other worthy of my devotion and desire and life but YOU O GOD, be glorified always, be pleased always with me, only by YOUR Grace.
Ba HaSHEM YESHUA HaMashiach, Amen!
Exodus 17
Ezra 7
Romans 8:1