Wednesday, 23 Nissan 5784 / May 1, 2024
Day 487 Readings
Torah: Parshat Acharei, 4th Portion Vayikra (Leviticus) 17:1-7
Leviticus 17:1-7
English Standard Version
The Place of Sacrifice
17 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel and say to them, This is the thing that the Lord has commanded. 3 If any one of the house of Israel kills an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or kills it outside the camp, 4 and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a gift to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord, bloodguilt shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood, and that man shall be cut off from among his people. 5 This is to the end that the people of Israel may bring their sacrifices that they sacrifice in the open field, that they may bring them to the Lord, to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the Lord. 6 And the priest shall throw the blood on the altar of the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting and burn the fat for a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 7 So they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to goat demons, after whom they whore. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations.
BIBLE Study Together
Hosea 2:2-3:5
English Standard Version
2 “Plead with your mother, plead— for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband—that she put away her whoring from her face, and her adultery from between her breasts;3 lest I strip her naked and make her as in the day she was born,and make her like a wilderness, and make her like a parched land, and kill her with thirst.4 Upon her children also I will have no mercy, because they are children of whoredom.5 For their mother has played the whore; she who conceived them has acted shamefully.For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’6 Therefore I will hedge up her[a] way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her, so that she cannot find her paths.7 She shall pursue her lovers but not overtake them,and she shall seek them but shall not find them.Then she shall say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now.’8 And she did not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the wine, and the oil,and who lavished on her silver and gold, which they used for Baal.9 Therefore I will take back my grain in its time, and my wine in its season,and I will take away my wool and my flax, which were to cover her nakedness.10 Now I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and no one shall rescue her out of my hand.11 And I will put an end to all her mirth, her feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths, and all her appointed feasts.12 And I will lay waste her vines and her fig trees, of which she said,‘These are my wages, which my lovers have given me.’I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall devour them.13 And I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals when she burned offerings to themand adorned herself with her ring and jewelry, and went after her lovers and forgot me, declares the Lord.
The Lord's Mercy on Israel
14 “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.15 And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor[b] a door of hope.And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.
16 “And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ 17 For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. 18 And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish[c] the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. 19 And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. 20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.
21 “And in that day I will answer, declares the Lord, I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth,22 and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel,[d]23 and I will sow her for myself in the land.And I will have mercy on No Mercy,[e] and I will say to Not My People,[f] ‘You are my people’; and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’”
Hosea 3
Hosea Redeems His Wife
3 And the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech[g] of barley. 3 And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.” 4 For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods. 5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days.
Philemon 8-25
English Standard Version
Paul's Plea for Onesimus
8 Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, 9 yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— 10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus,[a] whose father I became in my imprisonment. 11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) 12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. 13 I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. 15 For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 16 no longer as a bondservant[b] but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.
21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.
Final Greetings
23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
ESV Readings
Scripture
Psalm 120
English Standard Version
Deliver Me, O Lord
A Song of Ascents.
1 In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me.
2 Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.
3 What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue?
4 A warrior's sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree!
5 Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
6 Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace.
7 I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!
Leviticus 27
Isaiah 36
Isaiah 37
Ephesians 5
English Standard Version
Walk in Love
5 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead,and Christ will shine on you.”
15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Dear AVI,
Blessed are YOU O LORD my GOD YESHUA Adonai Tzeva'ot KING of Glory! Toda Raba for everything YOU have blessed me with. Toda for all the people who are working with me even though they are not perfect but they are helpers of grace sent by YOU and I thank YOU for them all. I thank YOU for the good health that my parents and whole family are enjoying. Today I thank YOU for Stephen who is celebrating his 40th birthday, I pray that YOU will continue to call him and pour out YOUR Spirit on him. I pray that he will learn to depend on YOU and seek YOU and thirst for eternal things. I pray that YOU touch his heart, his life, his mind, his body and fill him with YOUR TRUTH and Ruach Hakodesh. I pray that he will be YOUR Servant because YOU have put him in my heart so that I should pray for him. I pray for the salvation of his mother Benita, and of all his siblings and that he will live a life of meaning and purpose in the YOU. O GOD, I surrender him to YOU and I thank YOU for the way YOU have used him to make me look back on the ones I have left behind like Pauline and now Rush also messaged me yesterday that I did not know messaged me. I thank YOU that YOU will finally bring Rush to marry her boyfriend and I pray that YOU will bless them both indeed and bring them back to YOU. I pray for YOUR grace upon my family and that YOU will always unite us in love and in unity for YOUR Kingdom sake. O GOD, bless this day I want to celebrate my birthday also today since it is a holiday so that by my birthday I can continue to work. Toda Raba O GOD because of Randy and Jeelord, all the friends YOU have given me even at church who I can be who I am. Toda Raba for Minggay and Glory and all the ones who pray for me. Toda for everything YOU are doing in my life O GOD. I love YOU and always cling to YOU for YOU are the Shepherd of my Soul. I pray for Julie to find her soulmate, the husband YOU have prepared for her, I pray for Jeelord to find healing and Rhandie to chose a good wife. I pray for Randy that he will have the love and courage to pursue Rose so that he will bring children to his family. I pray that YOU bless everyone that has been a blessing to me. I pray for Hayley that she will find her purpose and love in YOU. Thank YOU for YOUR Grace and mercy upon me. I do not feel in pain as I should but I pray that YOU will manifest YOURSELF to me, a husband in the form of a man because YOU promised me and I will hold on to YOUR Promises and stand by YOUR WORD because YOU are faithful and true. All glory and honor belongs to YOU. Be pleased with my life O GOD as YOU enable me to live it according to YOUR grace.
In the Name of JESUS I pray Amen!