Ark of the Covenant, Ark of the Covenant, Westminster College, Cambridge Stained glass in the chapel of Westminster College, Cambridge. The glass is by Douglas Strachan and dates from 1921. Steve Day, flickr CCL
Meditation
Friday, Ordinary 29, Proper 24 focused on the choices of God—the Psalmist praised God for the love of righteousness, justice, fairness, holiness, goodness, greatness, and his selections of key leaders such as Jacob, Moses, Samuel, and Aaron.
In Exodus, the Old Testament lesson shared an unusual story of God choosing the two craftsmen to create the artifacts of the Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting. Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach from the tribe of Dan were selected out of all the Children of Israel by God to work in wood, silver, gold and jewels to create the ark of testimony and the mercy seat; furniture for the Tabernacle and accoutrements like candlesticks and altars. These artisans were not only skilled, bt God had filled them with his spirit to be able to design and do above and beyond what others could do.
The New Testament lesson reminded believers what kind of people pleased God. Peter, one of the elders, was speaking to church elders reminding them why they were called to service. Service for God must be done out of love for God, not for personal gain and other reasons. Once again, the emphasis was on humility.
“You should accept the authority of the elders. You should all have a humble attitude in dealing with each other.
“God is against the proud,
but he is kind to the humble.”
When God chooses us, we must respond by being humble and obedient to the will of God. Then we will discover the true blessings of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
All Scriptures printed below are in King James Version for copyright purposes. However, clicking on the verse locations will take you to Biblegateway.com where the text is linked to more contemporary versions.
Click on the Scriptures for links to biblegateway.com, where many translations of the same text enhance the understanding the readings, which come from the (RCL) Revised Common Lectionary – Daily Lectionary
Readings. I add a Daily Prayer to bless you with God’s Favor.
Enjoy the Daily Encouragement and Bible Study and may you be inspired to be your best self for Ordinary 29, Proper 24 .
Ordinary 29, Proper 24
Rejoice the Lord is King – York Minster Choir
Moses and Joshua before the Ark of the Covenant
Ark of the Covenant Moses and Joshua bowing before the Ark, painting by James Jacques Joseph Tissot, c. 1900 Wikipedia CCL
Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen
Ordinary 29, Proper 24
The Lord Reigns — La Brea District S.D.A. Steel Orchestra
Ark of the Covenant
Ark of the Covenant, Michael Li , flickr CCL
Ordinary 29, Proper 24
Bible Readings
http://legacy.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2099;Exodus%2031:1-11;1%20Peter%205:1-5&version=KJV;ERV;GNT;NCV;NIV
(multiple versions)
Friday, Ordinary 29, Proper 24
Daily Bible Verses to Memorize for Meditating
King James Version (KJV)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
Single Bible Study chapter to study
King James Version (KJV)
31 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:
3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
the Ark of the Covenant; made of cake and rice krispies. Wicked Little Cake Competition; flickr CCL
4 To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,
5 And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.
6 And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;
7 The tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle,
Statue A re-creation of the Ark of the Covenant. This can be seen if you take the free guided tour of the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, VA. Sabreguy29, flickr CCL
8 And the table and his furniture, and the pure candlestick with all his furniture, and the altar of incense,
9 And the altar of burnt offering with all his furniture, and the laver and his foot,
10 And the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office,
11 And the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.
OBSERVE:
Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.
2.
3.
INTERPRETATION:
What do you interpret these verses to mean for you today?
APPLY:
Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.
Prayer of Encouragement
Almighty God, we give you praise for all the ways you have supplied our needs. You have chosen us and we want to rise to the occasion and serve you in the best way we can. In Jesus name, Amen
Ordinary 29, Proper 24 Music
Restore Us, O God – Josh Davis
Ordinary 29, Proper 24 Humor
Respecting your Elders
©Jeff Larson, Used by permission
The Lord is King – Colin Buchanan
I hope you found a chance to encounter your Creator and experience the Love of God and the joy of Christ in Ordinary 29, Proper 24 .
Conclusion
Friday, Ordinary 29, Proper 24’s lesson reminded believers that God had a choice of people—and the Children of Israel were first on the list of favorites, but it was an ever expanding list.
Peter shared that he was an elder and although they were elders, they shouldn’t lord it over people and put pressure on others for self-interests. Leaders must come out of a desire to serve, not for self-gain and self-aggrandizement. God loves the humble and will give grace to the humble.
We must do all we can to serve God in obedience to the law and with the certainty of honesty. God will work with us to accomplish great things.
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life—for the glory of God.*
Thank you for visiting ChapLynne’s Daily Encouragement and Bible Study. Please like if it was meaningful. God bless you.
*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.
Please like if you are blessed and don’t hesitate to comment or contact me. I love hearing from you.
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