Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.[Isaiah 41:10]
Courage seems to be in short supply these days. And what is courage? Courage has been defined as bravery. It also has been defined as fear that has said its prayers. Being courageous is overcoming something. It was Mark Twain who said, "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear."
A courageous person is not one who is fearless. That is essentially a stupid person. A courageous person is someone who can control his or her fear and then do the right thing. It is overcoming the fear that you naturally have.
We certainly see courage on display among firefighters and those who are in law enforcement. Every day they put on their uniforms and put their lives at risk. And certainly our brave soldiers who are serving our country display courage every single day. We read periodically of acts of heroism. I wish we would read more about these things, because they happen all the time. But they are not in the headlines as often as they really ought to be.
I read an article awhile back about Pfc. Ross McGinnis, who served with the U.S. Army in Iraq. While perched on a gunner's hatch of a Humvee that was carrying four of his fellow soldiers, a grenade whizzed past him. In a split second, McGinnis did the unthinkable. He shouted a warning to the others and threw himself on the grenade, absorbing its full impact. He was killed immediately, but he saved the lives of the four other soldiers. He was the fourth soldier in the Iraq war to be awarded the Medal of Honor. That is courage. McGinnis didn't have time to think about what he was doing. He just did it.
There are other kinds of courage, too. There is moral courage. That is the ability to do right in the face of opposition or discouragement. Having moral courage means being an honest person. It means that you have integrity. It means that you don't cheat on the test, you don't cheat on your taxes, and you don't cheat on your spouse. We need more moral courage today. Moral courage is honoring the vows you made to your wife or your husband. It takes courage to stand by your vows. It takes courage to stay sexually pure before marriage and to resist the temptations that come your way when you are married.
We all need courage in our lives. And none other than the apostle Paul needed a call to courage.
Paul was not afraid of death or even hardship. The only thing that Paul seemed to fear was the disapproval of God. How do you stop a man like that? Answer: You don't. This is why God used him in such an amazing way. And that is why Paul and the others turned their first-century world upside down. But even Paul had moments of discouragement.
Paul had been determined to return to Jerusalem, even though he had been warned not to. And sure enough, he was arrested and thrown into prison. Then he was brought before the ruling religious party, and he gave a defense for himself. Next we read in Acts 23:11, "But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, 'Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome'" (NLT).
Paul's middle name could have been trouble. There was never a dull moment with this guy. It was always something. But on this particular night, he seemed to be deeply discouraged. Why? Because the Lord came to him and said, "Be encouraged."
We have to understand what Christ was saying to Paul. How could he be of good cheer in a cold, damp, dark dungeon? This would be the equivalent of someone coming up to you when you are really in pain and saying, "Hey, man, cheer up! Gray skies are going to clear up. Put on a happy face!" That is not a good thing to say to someone who is down. In fact, by saying that, you could actually make a person more miserable.
But Jesus wasn't simply telling Paul to cheer up. The word used in this text for "cheer" is really not the best translation of the word. The fact is that cheerfulness is the outcome of what Jesus actually commanded. He did not command Paul to simply be cheerful or to smile. A better translation of what Jesus was saying would be, "Be of good courage."
This is an interesting phrase that we see used a number of times in the New Testament. The first time we see it is in Matthew 9:2. There was a man who was a paraplegic, and he was carried by his friends into the presence of Jesus. Jesus saw this man and said, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you." Then Jesus told him, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house" (verse 6NKJV), and the man did it.
This shows us that God does His part and then we must do ours. God gives His forgiveness to us, and we must accept that forgiveness.
It also shows us that God's power gives courage. His power will be there to help you in your time of need. Sometimes we wonder: What if I am tested above my ability to endure? What if I am tempted above my capacity to resist? You never will be, because God knows your breaking point. And He never will give you more than you can handle.
When I talk to people who are going through very difficult suffering, I find myself asking: Would I have the attitude they have if I were going through that? And, I don't think I can do what they are doing right now. But if God were to ask you to do something, then He would give you the strength to do it.
It comes down to this: I would rather be in a jail, or in a storm, or in a hardship, with Jesus, than anywhere else without him. A nice, happy place with Jesus is good, too. But the thing is that He is with us wherever we go. And that is what God was saying to Paul: You are not alone.
God is with us in the good times, and He is also with us in the bad times.
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Weekend Bible Reading
Numbers 24:1 When Bil‘am saw that it pleased Adonai to bless Isra’el, he didn’t go, as at the other times, to make use of divination, but looked out toward the desert. 2 Bil‘am raised his eyes and saw Isra’el encamped tribe by tribe. Then the Spirit of God came upon him, 3 and he made his pronouncement:
“This is the speech of Bil‘am, son of B‘or;
the speech of the man whose eyes have been opened;
4 the speech of him who hears God’s words;
who sees what Shaddai sees,
who has fallen, yet has open eyes:
5 “How lovely are your tents, Ya‘akov;
your encampments, Isra’el!
6 They spread out like valleys,
like gardens by the riverside,
like succulent aloes planted by Adonai,
like cedar trees next to the water.
7 “Water will flow from their branches,
their seed will have water aplenty.
Their king will be higher than Agag
and his kingdom lifted high.
8 God, who brought them out of Egypt,
gives them the strength of a wild ox.
They will devour the nations opposing them,
break their bones, pierce them with their arrows.
9 “When they lie down they crouch like a lion,
or like a lioness — who dares to rouse it?
Blessed be all who bless you!
Cursed be all who curse you!”
10 Balak blazed with fury against Bil‘am. He struck his hands together and said to Bil‘am, “I summoned you to curse my enemies. But here, you have done nothing but bless them — three times already! 11 Now you had better escape to your own place! I had planned to reward you very well, but now Adonai has deprived you of payment.”
12 Bil‘am answered Balak, “Didn’t I tell the messengers you sent me 13 that even if Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I could not of my own accord go beyond the word of Adonai to do either good or bad? that what Adonai said is what I would say? (LY: vii) 14 But now that I am going back to my own people, come, I will warn you what this people will do to your people in the acharit-hayamim. 15 So he made his pronouncement:
“This is the speech of Bil‘am, son of B‘or;
the speech of the man whose eyes have been opened;
16 the speech of him who hears God’s words;
who knows what ‘Elyon knows,
who sees what Shaddai sees,
who has fallen, yet has open eyes:
17 “I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not soon —
a star will step forth from Ya‘akov,
a scepter will arise from Isra’el,
to crush the corners of Mo’av
and destroy all descendants of Shet.
18 His enemies will be his possessions —
Edom and Se‘ir, possessions.
Isra’el will do valiantly,
19 From Ya‘akov will come someone who will rule,
and he will destroy what is left of the city.”
20 He saw ‘Amalek and made this pronouncement:
“First among nations was ‘Amalek,
but destruction will be its end.”
21 He saw the Keini and made this pronouncement:
“Though your dwelling is firm,
your nest set on rock,
22 Kayin will be wasted
while captive to Ashur.”
23 Finally, he made this pronouncement:
“Oh no! Who can live when God does this?
24 But ships will come from the coast of Kittim
to subdue Ashur and subdue ‘Ever,
but they too will come to destruction.”
25 Then Bil‘am got up, left and returned to his home; and Balak too went his way.
25:1 Isra’el stayed at Sheetim, and there the people began whoring with the women of Mo’av. 2 These women invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, where the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 With Isra’el thus joined to Ba‘al-P‘or, the anger of Adonai blazed up against Isra’el.
4 Adonai said to Moshe, “Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them facing the sun before Adonai, so that the raging fury of Adonai will turn away from Isra’el.” 5 Moshe said to the judges of Isra’el, “Each of you is to put to death those in his tribe who have joined themselves to Ba‘al-P‘or.”
6 Just then, in the sight of Moshe and the whole community of Isra’el, as they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting, a man from Isra’el came by, bringing to his family a woman from Midyan. (Maftir) 7 When Pinchas the son of El‘azar, the son of Aharon the cohen, saw it, he got up from the middle of the crowd, took a spear in his hand, 8 and pursued the man from Isra’el right into the inner part of the tent, where he thrust his spear through both of them — the man from Isra’el and the woman through her stomach. Thus was the plague among the people of Isra’el stopped; 9 nevertheless, 24,000 died in the plague.
10 Adonai said to Moshe, 11 “Pinchas the son of El‘azar, the son of Aharon the cohen, has deflected my anger from the people of Isra’el by being as zealous as I am, so that I didn’t destroy them in my own zeal. 12 Therefore say, ‘I am giving him my covenant of shalom, 13 making a covenant with him and his descendants after him that the office of cohen will be theirs forever.’ This is because he was zealous on behalf of his God and made atonement for the people of Isra’el.”
14 The name of the man from Isra’el who was killed, put to death with the woman from Midyan, was Zimri the son of Salu, leader of one of the clans from the tribe of Shim‘on. 15 The name of the woman from Midyan who was killed was Kozbi the daughter of Tzur, and he was head of the people in one of the clans of Midyan.
16 Adonai said to Moshe, 17 “Treat the Midyanim as enemies and attack them; 18 because they are treating you as enemies by the trickery they used to deceive you in the P‘or incident and in the affair of their sister Kozbi, the daughter of the leader from Midyan, the woman who was killed on the day of the plague in the P‘or incident.” 19 (26:1) After the plague,
26:1 Adonai said to Moshe and El‘azar, the son of Aharon the cohen, 2 “Take a census of the entire assembly of the people of Isra’el twenty years old and over, by their ancestral clans, all who are subject to military service in Isra’el.” 3 Moshe and El‘azar the cohen spoke with them on the plains of Mo’av by the Yarden across from Yericho, explaining, 4 “Those twenty years old and over who came out of the land of Egypt, as Adonai ordered Moshe and the people of Isra’el.”
(ii) 5 [The census results begin with] Re’uven, the firstborn of Isra’el. The descendants of Re’uven were: of Hanokh, the family of the Hanokhi; of Pallu, the family of the Pallu’i; 6 of Hetzron, the family of the Hetzroni; and of Karmi the family of the Karmi. 7 These were the the families of the Re’uveni; of them were counted 43,730.
8 The sons of Pallu: Eli’av; 9 and the sons of Eli’av: N’mu’el, Datan and Aviram. These are the same Datan and Aviram, men of reputation in the community, who rebelled against Moshe and Aharon in Korach’s group, when they rebelled against Adonai; 10 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korach when that group died, and the fire consumed 250 men, and they became a warning sign. 11 (However, the sons of Korach did not die.)
12 The descendants of Shim‘on, by their families, were: of N’mu’el, the family of the N’mu’eli; of Yamin, the family of the Yamini; of Yakhin, the family of the Yakhini; 13 of Zerach, the family of the Zarchi; and of Sha’ul, the family of the Sha’uli. 14 These were the families of the Shim‘oni, 22,200.
15 The descendants of Gad, by their families, were: of Tz’fon, the family of the Tz’foni; of Haggi, the family of the Haggi; of Shuni, the family of the Shuni; 16 of Ozni, the family of the Ozni; of ‘Eri, the family of the ‘Eri; 17 of Arod, the family of the Arodi; and of Ar’eli, the family of the Ar’eli. 18 These were the families of the sons of Gad, according to those counted of them, 40,500.
19 The sons of Y’hudah: First ‘Er and Onan, but ‘Er and Onan died in the land of Kena‘an. 20 The sons of Y’hudah who had descendants were: of Shelah, the family of the Shelani; of Peretz, the family of the Partzi; and of Zerach, the family of the Zarchi. 21 The sons of Peretz were: of Hetzron, the family of the Hetzroni; and of Hamul, the family of the Hamuli. 22 These were the families of Y’hudah, according to those counted of them, 76,500.
23 The descendants of Yissakhar, by their families, were: of Tola, the family of the Tola‘i; of Puvah, the family of the Puni; 24 of Yashuv, the family of the Yashuvi; and of Shimron, the family of the Shimroni. 25 These were the families of Yissakhar, according to those counted of them, 64,300.
26 The descendants of Z’vulun, by their families, were: of Sered, the family of the Sardi; of Elon, the family of the Eloni; and of Yachle’el, the family of the Yachle’eli. 27 These were the families of the Z’vuloni, according to those counted of them, 60,500.
28 The sons of Yosef, by their families, were M’nasheh and Efrayim. 29 The descendants of M’nasheh were: of Makhir, the family of the Makhiri. Makhir was the father of Gil‘ad; of Gil‘ad, the family of the Gil‘adi. 30 These are the descendants of Gil‘ad: of I‘ezer, the family of the I‘ezri; of Helek, the family of the Helki; 31 of Asri’el, the family of the Asri’eli; of Sh’khem, the family of the Shikhmi; 32 of Sh’mida, the family of the Sh’mida‘i; and of Hefer, the family of the Hefri. 33 Tz’lof’chad the son of Hefer had no sons but daughters; the names of the daughters of Tz’lof’chad were Machlah, No‘ah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirtzah. 34 These were the families of M’nasheh; of them were counted 52,700.
35 These are the descendants of Efrayim, by their families: of Shutelach, the family of the Shutalchi; of Bekher, the family of the Bakhri; and of Tachan, the family of the Tachani. 36 These are the descendants of Shutelach: of ‘Eran, the family of the ‘Erani. 37 These were the families of the descendants of Efrayim, according to those of them that were counted, 32,500. These were the descendants of Yosef, by their families.
38 The descendants of Binyamin, by their families were: of Bela, the family of the Bal‘i; of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbeli; of Achiram, the family of the Achirami; 39 of Sh’fufam, the family of the Shufami; and of Hufam, the family of the Hufami. 40 The sons of Bela were Ard and Na‘aman; [of Ard,] the family of the Ardi; and of Na‘aman, the family of the Na‘ami. 41 These were the descendants of Binyamin, by their families; of them were counted 45,600.
42 The descendants of Dan, by their families, were: of Shucham, the family of the Shuchami. These are the families of Dan, by their families. 43 All the families of the Shuchami, according to those of them that were counted, were 64,400.
44 The descendants of Asher, by their families: of Yimnah, the family of the Yimnah; of Yishvi, the family of the Yishvi; and of B’ri‘ah, the family of the B’ri‘i. 45 Of the descendants of B’ri‘ah: of Hever, the family of the Hevri; and of Malki’el, the family of the Malki’eli. 46 The name of Asher’s daughter was Serach. 47 These were the families of the descendants of Asher, according to those of them that were counted, 53,400.
48 The descendants of Naftali, by their families: of Yachtze’el, the families of the Yachtze’eli; of Guni, the family of the Guni; 49 of Yetzer, the family of the Yitzri; and of Shillem, the family of the Shillemi. 50 These are the families of Naftali according to their families; those of them that were counted were 45,400.
51 Thus those who were counted of the people of Isra’el numbered 601,730.
(iii) 52 Adonai said to Moshe, 53 “The land is to be parceled out among these as a possession to be inherited, according to the number of names. 54 To those families with more persons you are to give a greater inheritance, and to those with fewer you are to give a smaller inheritance — each family’s inheritance is to be given according to the number counted in it. 55 However, the land is to be awarded by lot. They will inherit according to the names of the tribes of their ancestors, 56 but the inheritance is to be parceled out by lot between the families with more and those with fewer.”
57 Those counted among the Levi, by their families, were: of Gershon, the family of the Gershuni, of K’hat, the family of the K’hati; and of M’rari, the family of the M’rari. 58 These are the families of Levi: the family of the Livni, the family of the Hevroni, the family of the Machli, the family of the Mushi and the family of the Korchi. K’hat was the father of ‘Amram. 59 The name of ‘Amram’s wife was Yokheved the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and she bore to ‘Amram Aharon, Moshe and their sister Miryam. 60 To Aharon were born Nadav, Avihu, El‘azar and Itamar; 61 but Nadav and Avihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before Adonai. 62 Those males one month old or more counted of the Levi were 23,000. These were not included in the census of the people of Isra’el, because no land for inheritance was given to them among the people of Isra’el.
63 These are the ones counted by Moshe and El‘azar the cohen, who took a census of the people of Isra’el in the plains of Mo’av by the Yarden across from Yericho. 64 But there was not a man among them who had also been included in the census of Moshe and Aharon the cohen when they enumerated the people of Isra’el in the Sinai Desert; 65 because Adonai had said of them, “They will surely die in the desert.” So there was not left even one of them, except Kalev the son of Y’funeh and Y’hoshua the son of Nun.
27:1 Then the daughters of Tz’lof’chad the son of Hefer, the son of Gil‘ad, the son of Machir, the son of M’nasheh, of the families of M’nasheh, the son of Yosef, approached. These were the names of his daughters: Machlah, No‘ah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirtzah. 2 They stood in front of Moshe, El‘azar the cohen, the leaders and the whole community at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said, 3 “Our father died in the desert. He wasn’t part of the group who assembled themselves to rebel against Adonai in Korach’s group, but he died in his own sin, and he had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our father be eliminated from his family just because he didn’t have a son? Give us property to possess along with the brothers of our father.” 5 Moshe brought their cause before Adonai.
(iv) 6 Adonai answered Moshe, 7 “The daughters of Tz’lof’chad are right in what they say. You must give them property to be inherited along with that of their father’s brothers; have what their father would have inherited pass to them. 8 Moreover, say to the people of Isra’el, ‘If a man dies and does not have a son, you are to have his inheritance pass to his daughter. 9 If he doesn’t have a daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 If his father doesn’t have brothers, give his inheritance to the closest relative in his family, and he will possess it. This will be the standard for judgment to be used by the people of Isra’el, as Adonai ordered Moshe.’”
12 Adonai said to Moshe, “Climb this mountain in the ‘Avarim Range, and look out at the land which I have given the people of Isra’el. 13 After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, just as Aharon your brother was gathered; 14 because in the Tzin Desert, when the community was disputing with me, you rebelled against my order to uphold my holiness by means of the water, with them looking on.” (This was M’rivat-Kadesh Spring, in the Tzin Desert.)
15 Moshe said to Adonai, 16 “Let Adonai, God of the spirits of all human beings, appoint a man to be over the community, 17 to go out and come in ahead of them, to lead them out and bring them in, so that Adonai’s community will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”
18 Adonai said to Moshe, “Take Y’hoshua the son of Nun, a spiritual man, and lay your hand on him. 19 Put him in front of El‘azar the cohen and the whole community, and commission him in their sight. 20 Delegate to him some of your authority, so that the entire community of Isra’el will obey him. 21 He is to present himself to El‘azar the cohen, who is to find out by means of the urim what Adonai’s will is for Y’hoshua’s decisions. Then, at his word they will go out, and at his word they will come in, both he and all the people of Isra’el with him, the whole community.”
22 Moshe did as Adonai had ordered him. He took Y’hoshua, put him before El‘azar the cohen and the whole community, 23 laid his hands on him, and commissioned him, as Adonai had said through Moshe.
28:1 (v) Adonai said to Moshe, 2 “Give an order to the people of Isra’el. Tell them, ‘You are to take care to offer me at the proper time the food presented to me as offerings made by fire, providing a fragrant aroma for me.’ 3 Tell them, ‘This is the offering made by fire that you are to bring to Adonai: male lambs in their first year and without defect, two daily as a regular burnt offering. 4 Offer the one lamb in the morning and the other lamb at dusk, 5 along with two quarts of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with one quart of oil from pressed olives. 6 It is the regular burnt offering, the same as was offered on Mount Sinai to give a fragrant aroma, an offering made by fire for Adonai. 7 Its drink offering is to be one-quarter hin for one lamb; in the Holy Place you are to pour out a drink offering of intoxicating liquor to Adonai. 8 The other lamb you are to present at dusk; present it with the same kind of grain offering and drink offering as in the morning; it is an offering made by fire, with a fragrant aroma for Adonai.
9 “‘On Shabbat offer two male lambs in their first year and without defect, with one gallon of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with olive oil, and its drink offering. 10 This is the burnt offering for every Shabbat, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.
11 “‘At each Rosh-Hodesh of yours, you are to present a burnt offering to Adonai consisting of two young bulls, one ram and seven male lambs in their first year and without defect; 12 with six quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering for the one ram; 13 and two quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering for each lamb. This will be the burnt offering giving a fragrant aroma, an offering made by fire for Adonai. 14 Their drink offerings will be two quarts of wine for a bull, one-and-one-third quarts for the ram, and one quart for each lamb. This is the burnt offering for every Rosh-Hodesh throughout the months of the year. 15 Also a male goat is to be offered as a sin offering to Adonai, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.
(vi) 16 “‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, is Adonai’s Pesach. 17 On the fifteenth day of the month is to be a feast. Matzah is to be eaten for seven days. 18 The first day is to be a holy convocation: do not do any kind of ordinary work; 19 but present an offering made by fire, a burnt offering, to Adonai, consisting of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs in their first year (they are to be without defect for you) 20 with their grain offering, fine flour mixed with olive oil. Offer six quarts for a bull, four quarts for the ram, 21 and two quarts for each of the seven lambs; 22 also a male goat as a sin offering, to make atonement for you. 23 You are to offer these in addition to the morning burnt offering, which is the regular burnt offering. 24 In this fashion you are to offer daily, for seven days, the food of the offering made by fire, making a fragrant aroma for Adonai ; it is to be offered in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering. 25 On the seventh day you are to have a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work.
26 “‘On the day of the firstfruits, when you bring a new grain offering to Adonai in your feast of Shavu‘ot, you are to have a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work; 27 but present a burnt offering as a fragrant aroma for Adonai, consisting of two young bulls, one ram, seven male lambs in their first year, 28 and their grain offering — fine flour mixed with olive oil, six quarts for each bull, four quarts for the one ram, 29 and two quarts for each of the seven lambs — 30 plus a male goat to make atonement for you. 31 You are to offer these in addition to the regular burnt offering and its grain offering (they are to be without defect for you), with their drink offerings.
29:1 “‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you are to have a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work; it is a day of blowing the shofar for you. 2 Prepare a burnt offering to make a fragrant aroma for Adonai — one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs in their first year and without defect — 3 with their grain offering, consisting of fine flour mixed with olive oil — six quarts for the bull, four quarts for the ram, 4 and two quarts for each of the seven lambs — 5 also one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you. 6 This is to be in addition to the burnt offering for Rosh-Hodesh with its grain offering, the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to the rule for them; this will be a fragrant aroma, an offering made by fire to Adonai.
7 “‘On the tenth day of this seventh month you are to have a holy convocation. You are to deny yourselves, and you are not to do any kind of work; 8 but you are to present a burnt offering to Adonai to make a fragrant aroma: one young bull, one ram, and seven male lambs in their first year (they are to be without defect for you), 9 with their grain offering, fine flour mixed with olive oil, six quarts for the bull, four quarts for the one ram, 10 and two quarts for each of the seven lambs; 11 also one male goat as a sin offering; in addition to the sin offering for atonement and the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.
(vii) 12 “‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you are to have a holy convocation. You are not to do any kind of ordinary work, and you are to observe a feast to Adonai seven days. 13 You are to present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, bringing a fragrant aroma to Adonai. It is to consist of thirteen young bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs in their first year (they are to be without defect), 14 with their grain offering — fine flour mixed with olive oil, six quarts for each of the thirteen bulls, four quarts for each of the two rams, 15 and two quarts for each of the fourteen lambs; 16 also one male goat as a sin offering; in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
17 “‘On the second day you are to present twelve young bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs in their first year, without defect; 18 with the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams and lambs, according to their number, in keeping with the rule; 19 also one male goat as a sin offering; in addition to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering and their drink offerings.
20 “‘On the third day eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs in their first year, without defect; 21 with the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams and lambs, according to their number, in keeping with the rule; 22 also one male goat as a sin offering; in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
23 “‘On the fourth day ten bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs in their first year, without defect; 24 with the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams and lambs, according to their number, in keeping with the rule; 25 also one male goat as a sin offering; in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
26 “‘On the fifth day nine bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs in their first year, without defect; 27 with the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams and lambs, according to their number, in keeping with the rule; 28 also one male goat as a sin offering; in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
29 “‘On the sixth day eight bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs in their first year, without defect; 30 with the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams and lambs, according to their number, in keeping with the rule; 31 also one male goat as a sin offering; in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
32 “‘On the seventh day seven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs in their first year, without defect; 33 with the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams and lambs, according to their number, in keeping with the rule; 34 also one male goat as a sin offering; in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offerings.
(Maftir) 35 “‘On the eighth day you are to have a festive assembly: you are not to do any kind of ordinary work; 36 but you are to present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, giving a fragrant aroma to Adonai — one bull, one ram, seven male lambs in their first year, without defect; 37 with the grain and drink offerings for the bull, the ram and the lambs, according to their number, in keeping with the rule; 38 also one male goat as a sin offering; in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
39 “‘You are to offer these to Adonai at your designated times in addition to your vows and voluntary offerings — whether these are your burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings or peace offerings.’”
1 Corinthians 13:1 I may speak in the tongues of men, even angels;
but if I lack love, I have become merely
blaring brass or a cymbal clanging.
2 I may have the gift of prophecy,
I may fathom all mysteries, know all things,
have all faith — enough to move mountains;
but if I lack love, I am nothing.
3 I may give away everything that I own,
I may even hand over my body to be burned;
but if I lack love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind, not jealous, not boastful,
5 not proud, rude or selfish, not easily angered,
and it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not gloat over other people’s sins
but takes its delight in the truth.
7 Love always bears up, always trusts,
always hopes, always endures.
8 Love never ends; but prophecies will pass,
tongues will cease, knowledge will pass.
9 For our knowledge is partial, and our prophecy partial;
10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass.
11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child,
thought like a child, argued like a child;
now that I have become a man,
I have finished with childish ways.
12 For now we see obscurely in a mirror,
but then it will be face to face.
Now I know partly; then I will know fully,
just as God has fully known me.
13 But for now, three things last —
trust, hope, love;
and the greatest of these is love.
Mark 8:1 It was during that time that another large crowd gathered, and they had nothing to eat. Yeshua called his talmidim to him and said to them, 2 “I feel sorry for these people, because they have been with me three days, and now they have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them off to their homes hungry, they will collapse on the way; some of them have come a long distance.” 4 His talmidim said to him, “How can anyone find enough bread to satisfy these people in a remote place like this?” 5 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked them. They answered, “Seven.” 6 He then told the crowd to sit down on the ground, took the seven loaves, made a b’rakhah, broke the loaves and gave them to his talmidim to serve to the people. 7 They also had a few fish; making a b’rakhah over them he also ordered these to be served. 8 The people ate their fill; and the talmidim took up the leftover pieces, seven large basketsful. 9 About four thousand were there. 10 After sending them away, Yeshua got into the boat with his talmidim and went off to the district of Dalmanuta.
11 The P’rushim came and began arguing with him; they wanted him to give them a sign from Heaven, because they were out to trap him. 12 With a sigh that came straight from his heart, he said, “Why does this generation want a sign? Yes! I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation!” 13 With that, he left them, got into the boat again and went off to the other side of the lake.
14 Now the talmidim had forgotten to bring bread and had with them in the boat only one loaf. 15 So when Yeshua said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves from the hametz of the P’rushim and the hametz of Herod,” 16 they thought he had said it because they had no bread. 17 But, aware of this, he said, “Why are you talking with each other about having no bread? Don’t you see or understand yet? Have your hearts been made like stone? 18 You have eyes — don’t you see? You have ears — don’t you hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?” “Twelve,” they answered him. 20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?” “Seven,” they answered. 21 He said to them, “And you still don’t understand?”
22 They came to Beit-Tzaidah. Some people brought him a blind man and begged Yeshua to touch him. 23 Taking the blind man’s hand, he led him outside the town. He spit in his eyes, put his hands on him and asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 He looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like walking trees.” 25 Then he put his hands on the blind man’s eyes again. He peered intently, and his eyesight was restored, so that he could see everything distinctly. 26 Yeshua sent him home with the words, “Don’t go into town.”
27 Yeshua and his talmidim went on to the towns of Caesarea Philippi. On the way, he asked his talmidim, “Who are people saying I am?” 28 “Some say you are Yochanan the Immerser,” they told him, “others say Eliyahu, and still others, one of the prophets.” 29 “But you,” he asked, “who do you say I am?” Kefa answered, “You are the Mashiach.” 30 Then Yeshua warned them not to tell anyone about him. 31 He began teaching them that the Son of Man had to endure much suffering and be rejected by the elders, the head cohanim and the Torah-teachers; and that he had to be put to death; but that after three days, he had to rise again. 32 He spoke very plainly about it. Kefa took him aside and began rebuking him. 33 But, turning around and looking at his talmidim, he rebuked Kefa. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said, “For your thinking is from a human perspective, not from God’s perspective!”
34 Then Yeshua called the crowd and his talmidim to him and told them, “If anyone wants to come after me, let him say ‘No’ to himself, take up his execution-stake, and keep following me. 35 For whoever wants to save his own life will destroy it, but whoever destroys his life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will save it. 36 Indeed, what will it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? 37 What could a person give in exchange for his life? 38 For if someone is ashamed of me and of what I say in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.
Harvest Ministries with Greg LaurieP.O. Box 4000
Riverside, California 92514-4000 United States
Phone: 1-800-821-3300
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