(Psalm 93)
Yahweh reigns; He is clothed with majesty. The world is firmly established, it
will not be moved. His testimonies are fully confirmed; holiness befits Yahweh’s
house forevermore.
He established
a priesthood, for intercession for the people, to maintain righteousness and
knowledge of God.
(Isaiah 43:9)
“All the nations have gathered together in order that the peoples may be
assembled. Who among them can declare this and proclaim to us the former things?
Let them present their witnesses that they may be justified, or let them hear
and say, ‘It is true.’ ”
The original
order of the priesthood, showing Year of the World for birth and death:
(see chart below)
Adam: 1 – 930,
priest for 930 years;
Seth: 130 –
1042, priest for 112 years (Cain lost the position by sin, and Seth was “instead
of” Able, who was killed – Genesis 4:25.);
Enosh: 235 –
1140, priest for 98 years (From his birth, men began to call upon the name
“Yahweh” – Genesis 4:26);
Kenan: 325 –
1235, priest for 95 years;
Mahalalel: 395
– 1290, priest for 55 years;
Jared: 460 –
1422, priest for 132 years;
Methuselah:
687 – 1656, priest for 234 years, until the Great Flood;
Noah: 1056 –
2006, priest for 350 years;
Shem: 1558 –
2158, priest for 152 years;
[Abraham: 1948
– 2123, was born 390 years after Shem, and died 35 years before Shem. He never attained the priesthood. Noah, then
Shem, was Abraham’s priest.]
Gen 47:9 -
So Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my
sojourning are one hundred and thirty; few and unpleasant have been the years of
my life, nor have they attained the years that my fathers lived during the days
of their sojourning.”]
Isaac: 2048 –
2228, priest for 105 years (Shem was priest for part of Isaac’s life);
Jacob: 2108 –
2255, priest for 27 years (Esau lost the position through lack of regard for
it.) (Shem was priest for part of Jacob’s life);
Levi: 2194 –
2332, the twelfth in succession, and third son of Leah (Reuben {Genesis 35:22}
and Simeon {Genesis 34:25} lost the position through sin; Ephraim and Manasseh,
grandsons of Rachael, were given inheritance “like Reuben and Simeon”, sons of
Leah {Genesis 48:5}).
Adam and Noah
held the position the longest, their lives spanning almost from creation to
Abraham. Omitting Noah: Adam, Methuselah and Shem held it longest, spanning from
creation to Israel, as the most direct links for transmitting Torah (God’s
instruction).
_______________
God henceforth
took the Levites “instead of the firstborn”.
Since there were more “firstborn” than Levites, a ransom was required for the
additional firstborn, who belonged to God. The Levites were counted: 22,000. The
firstborn of Israel were counted: 22,273. For each of the 273 additional, a five
shekel ransom was paid.
The sons of
Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Gershon was to camp to the west of the
Tabernacle, and be responsible for carrying the coverings. Kohath was to camp tp
the south of the Tabernacle, and be responsible for the Ark and furnishings.
Merari was to camp to the north of the Tabernacle, and be responsible for
carrying the frames and poles.
John the
baptizer was a priest of the Levitical order, of the division of Abijah. Just
before John’s conception, his father was performing the priestly duties in the
Temple (Luke 1:5-17).
Luke 1
5 In the
days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias, of the
division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name
was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous in the sight of God, walking
blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7 And they had
no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years. 8
Now it came about, while he was performing his priestly service before God in
the appointed order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priestly
office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of
the incense offering. 11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to
the right of the altar of incense. 12 And Zacharias was troubled when he saw
him, and fear gripped him. 13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid,
Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear
you a son, and you will give him the name John. 14 "And you will have joy and
gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 "For he will be great in the
sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine or liquor; and he will be filled
with the Holy Spirit, while yet in his mother's womb. 16 "And he will turn back
many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 "And it is he who will go
as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts
of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the
righteous; so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
John the
baptizer, who was born six months before Yeshua, said that Yeshua “was before
me” – John 1:30. John came to decrease, but to have Yeshua increase – John 3:30.
Yeshua was to become the high priest – Hebrews 2:17.
Yeshua was a
priest after the order of the firstborn, the rulers of righteousness – malchi
tzedek. He was even “before Abraham” – John 8:58. He is called the
“firstborn of the dead” – Colossians 1:18 & Revelation 1:5, being the first to
be resurrected in a glorified body.
We have a high
priest who is eternal. He can relate to our weaknesses. He can perfectly make
intercession for us. He will lead us in paths of righteousness. He will take us
to our eternal home.
We need to
keep in mind the significance of whom we are to follow, and the importance of
growing in righteousness.
_____________
Consider:
600,000 men
from age 20 to 60 fit for war is estimated to represent at least 3,000,000 who
left Egypt one year ago.
22,273
firstborn Israeli’s out of est. 1,500,000 males = 1/67, not 1/4 as one might
expect.
22,300 Levites
out of 1,500,000 males = 1/67, not 1/12 one might expect of one tribe.
The firstborn
were killed 1 year ago – except Hebrews. Many from the 70 nations were joined to
the Hebrews who left Egypt. Most of the 3,000,000 may have been converts from
the 70 nations, their firstborn having been killed!
Priesthood –
Order of the Firstborn
[Adam, Methuselah, Shem, and Jacob are
"black" bars.]
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The Encampment
To continue where we left off last week I’m going to start with
the middle of our Torah portion and show where the Levites were to be stationed.
Gershon – The families of the Gershonites were to behind the tabernacle
westward. Num 3:23
Kohath – The families of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the southward side…
Num 3:29
Merari – They were to camp on the northward side… Num 3:35
Moses & Aaron – Now those who were to camp before the tabernacle eastward,
before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, are Moses and Aaron and his sons…
Num 3:38
The Firstborn
We find that the firstborn in scripture is always of great
significance.
The
firstborn:
-
received the greater blessing/inheritence from the father
-
was the one who carried on the family once his father died
-
and subsequently was also the one who became the spiritual leader for the family
Doug has a chart and information from previous studies on the website (above)
that show how long each of the firstborn from Adam to the Levites lived and how
long each one would have been the “family priest”. He notes that “Adam and Noah
held the position the longest, their lives spanning almost from creation to
Abraham [2000 years]. Omitting Noah: Adam, Methuselah and Shem held it longest,
spanning from creation to Israel, as the most direct links for transmitting
Torah (God’s instruction).”
Yeshua is called the “firstborn of many brethren” (Rom 8:29) and the “firstborn
of the dead” (Col 1:18; Rev 1:5), being the first to be resurrected in a
glorified body. He was also a priest after the order of the firstborn, the
rulers of righteousness – malchi tzedek. (Heb)
The Levites
Aaron was chosen by YHVH to be the high priest and his sons were to be the
priests who helped him (Ex 28). In our portion today we see that the tribe of
Levi was added to the sons of Aaron to help maintain God’s House. Together they
were to “intercede for the people, maintain righteousness, and knowledge of
God.” (Doug)
Tim
Hegg (http://www.torahresource.com/Parashpdfs/99CommentsTR.pdf) had some good
summary comments on this portion -
“It
appears that up until the sin of the Golden Calf, the duty of performing the
sacrificial ritual fell upon the heads of households. In the narrative of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Gen 12–50), each one offers sacrifice unto the Lord.
And before Abraham, Noah offered sacrifices. After the sin of the Golden Calf,
however, the duty of leading the people in the sacrificial ritual, as well as in
other aspects of the service of worship pertaining to the Mishkan (Tabernacle),
fell to the Levites. God had given to them this most sacred and wonderful duty
because they alone of the tribes turned away from the idolatrous worship of the
Golden Calf and stood with Moses in confession of HaShem as their only God (Ex
32:26).
Because of this, they took the place of the first born who would, in the natural
course of events, take up the position of the head-of-household upon the death
of the father of the family. Since the first born belonged to God from the
Passover event, (in which all the first born were slain, save the first born of
the Israelites whom God spared on account of the blood on the doorpost), it was
God’s prerogative to exchange them for the Levites (Num 3:11–13, 40–41). In this
way, the Levites became entirely given over to HaShem for His service. They
therefore had no need to own their own land. They were to be honored by the
people for their service and given the produce and livestock they needed to
sustain their living.”
The Redemption
The firstborn was the
priest of the whole family. The honor of exercising the priesthood was
transferred, by the command of God through Moses, from the tribe of Reuben, to
whom it belonged by right of primogeniture, to that of Levi (Num 3:12-16;
8:18,19). In consequence of the fact that God had taken the Levites to serve Him
as priests, the firstborn of the other tribes were redeemed.
What is redemption?
Redemption has in it the idea of exchange, of substitution. In the Torah the
Law of Ransom is stated at Ex 13:13, 34:20. Every firstborn male person, calf,
lamb, kid, and donkey must be ransomed. In our Torah portion, 22,000 Levites
became substitutes for 22,000 of Israel’s firstborn males, and the remaining
273, for whom there were no Levites, were ransomed by 1,365 shekels. In I Sam
14, Jonathan came under sentence of death for transgressing a public oath his
father made in his absence. Yet although King Saul condemned him to die, the
sentence was not carried out, because the people objected. But law is law, not
to be ignored. So they ransomed him, and thus legally prevented his being put to
death.
The thought of redemption goes back to the “Exodus”, to the
first Passover, when YHVH killed all the firstborn sons of those that didn’t
have the blood on the doorposts of their dwellings. In memory of the death of
Egypt’s firstborn and the preservation of the firstborn of Israel, all the
firstborn of Israel, both man and beast, belonged to YHVH - they were to be
sanctified/set apart to Him. (Ex 13:2,15; cf. 12:11-13)
So in our portion today we see that He took the
Levites in place of the firstborn to be set apart for Himself as priests. As
Rambam describes the mission of the Levites (Hil. Shemittah V’Yovel 13:12-13),
they are the “legion of HaShem,” whose task it is to serve Him and to teach His
Torah and way of life to others. Any Jew who follows the example of the Levites,
he continues, “becomes sanctified as holy of holies, and YHVH will be his
portion and heritage for all eternity. In this world, he will merit what befits
him, as the Kohanim [Priests] and Levites merited it.” This aspect of Levite
existence is lifelong and independent of age and strength.
A Nation Of
Priests
In Isaiah we read “But now says YHVH – Who created you, O Jacob,
Who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I will redeem you; I have singled you
out by name, You are Mine.”
The thoughts constantly
impressed upon the Israelites were that they were a people belonging to YHVH,
that He had redeemed them (ie., severed them from bondage), and that Canaan,
with all that it might produce, was the gift of God, used by the Israelites as a
bounty from YHVH. Therefore all Israel owed service to God and were, in spirit
at least, to be priests unto the Most High.
We too, like Jonathan,
have come under the sentence of death. Jonathan was condemned to death even
though he had been unaware of King Saul’s oath and order. We are condemned to
death, even though we have not sinned after the manner of the first Adam. Like
Jonathan, we must either die or be ransomed. Jonathan and the Israelite
firstborn were ransomed with money. Money equals blood. One of the names for
money in Hebrew is damim, a Mishnaic term, plural of dam, which means blood,
because it represents man’s labor and risks.
But
money cannot redeem from eternal death. Man has nothing with which to ransom
himself or others; God Himself must redeem him from the power of the grave.
Redemption is also a
comprehensive term employed in theology with reference to the special
intervention of God for the salvation of mankind. Its meaning centers in the
atoning work of Messiah as the price paid for human redemption, and on account
of which Messiah is called the Redeemer (Rom 3:24; Gal 3:13; Eph 1:7; I Pet
1:18,19; I Cor 1:30; cf Matt 20:28; I Tim 2:6).
Read Rom
3:21-26; I Pet 1:13-21
So we see that we too have been redeemed and set apart for God.
a.
We
owe God a payment for our sins.
b.
That
payment is our death.
c.
Yeshua – God’s firstborn – died in our place, as a substitute – redeeming us.
d.
God
paid the price with His Son, so we are now His – set apart or sanctified.
Paul writes, “Praised be YHVH, Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who in the
Messiah has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heaven. In the Messiah
He chose us in love before the creation of the universe to be holy and without
defect in His presence. He determined in advance that through Yeshua the Messiah
we would be His sons – in keeping with His pleasure and purpose – so that we
would bring Him praise commensurate with the glory of the grace He gave us
through the Beloved One.” (Eph 1:3-13)
Peter further compliments this writing, “As you come to Him, the
living stone, rejected by people but chosen by God and precious to Him, you
yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be
cohanim (priests) set apart for God to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to
Him through Yeshua the Messiah.” (I Pet 2:4-5) “But you are a chosen people, the
King’s cohanim, a holy nation, a people for God to possess! Why? In order for
you to declare the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into his
wonderful light.” (I Pet 2:9)
Conclusion
As believers we have been redeemed by Yeshua, to be set apart
for God, and like the Levitical priests, we too are “to teach His Torah and way
of life to others.”
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Readings:
"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King
of the Universe,
Who chose us from among all peoples by
giving us Your Torah.
Blessed are You, Yahweh, giver of the
Torah."
Reader 1*
Amen. 1 Now these
are the records of the generations of Aaron and Moses at the
time when Yahweh spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2
These then are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the
firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 3 These
are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom
he ordained to serve as priests. 4 But Nadab and
Abihu died before Yahweh when they offered strange fire before
Yahweh in the wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children. So
Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of their
father Aaron. 5 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
6 "Bring the tribe of Levi near and set them before
Aaron the priest, that they may serve him. 7 "They
shall perform the duties for him and for the whole congregation
before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle.
8 "They shall also keep all the furnishings of the
tent of meeting, along with the duties of the sons of Israel, to
do the service of the tabernacle. 9 "You shall thus
give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons; they are wholly given
to him from among the sons of Israel. 10 "So you
shall appoint Aaron and his sons that they may keep their
priesthood, but the layman who comes near shall be put to
death."
Reader 2*
Amen. 11 Again Yahweh
spoke to Moses, saying, 12
"Now, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of
every firstborn, the first issue of the womb among the sons of Israel. So the
Levites shall be Mine. 13 "For all the firstborn are Mine; on the day
that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to
Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from man to beast. They shall be Mine; I am
Yahweh." 14 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses in the wilderness of
Sinai, saying, 15 "Number the sons of Levi by their fathers'
households, by their families; every male from a month old and upward you shall
number." 16 So Moses numbered them according to the word of Yahweh,
just as he had been commanded. 17 These then are the sons of Levi by
their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari.
Reader 3*
Amen. 18 These are the
names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei; 19
and the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel;
20 and the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These
are the families of the Levites according to their fathers' households. 21
Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimeites; these
were the families of the Gershonites. 22 Their numbered men, in the
numbering of every male from a month old and upward, even their numbered men
were 7,500. 23 The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind
the tabernacle westward, 24 and the leader of the fathers' households
of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael. 25 Now the duties of
the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle and the tent,
its covering, and the screen for the doorway of the tent of meeting, 26
and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the doorway of the court which
is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its cords, according to all the
service concerning them.
Reader 4*
Amen. 27 Of Kohath was
the family of the Amramites and the family of the Izharites and the family of
the Hebronites and the family of the Uzzielites; these were the families of the
Kohathites. 28 In the numbering of every male from a month old and
upward, there were 8,600, performing the duties of the sanctuary. 29
The families of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the southward side of the
tabernacle, 30 and the leader of the fathers' households of the
Kohathite families was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. 31 Now their
duties involved the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the utensils
of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the screen, and all the service
concerning them; 32 and Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was the
chief of the leaders of Levi, and had the oversight of those who perform the
duties of the sanctuary. 33 Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites
and the family of the Mushites; these were the families of Merari. 34
Their numbered men in the numbering of every male from a month old and upward,
were 6,200. 35 The leader of the fathers' households of the families
of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to camp on the northward side
of the tabernacle. 36 Now the appointed duties of the sons of Merari
involved the frames of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all
its equipment, and the service concerning them, 37 and the pillars
around the court with their sockets and their pegs and their cords.
Reader 5*
Amen. 38 Now those who
were to camp before the tabernacle eastward, before the tent of meeting toward
the sunrise, are Moses and Aaron and his sons, performing the duties of the
sanctuary for the obligation of the sons of Israel; but the layman coming near
was to be put to death. 39 All the numbered men of the Levites, whom
Moses and Aaron numbered at the command of Yahweh by their families, every male
from a month old and upward, were 22,000. 40 Then Yahweh said to
Moses, "Number every firstborn male of the sons of Israel from a month old and
upward, and make a list of their names. 41 "You shall take the
Levites for Me, I am Yahweh, instead of all the firstborn among the sons of
Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the
cattle of the sons of Israel." 42 So Moses numbered all the firstborn
among the sons of Israel, just as Yahweh had commanded him; 43 and
all the firstborn males by the number of names from a month old and upward, for
their numbered men were 22,273. 44 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses,
saying, 45 "Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the
sons of Israel and the cattle of the Levites. And the Levites shall be Mine; I
am Yahweh. 46 "For the ransom of the 273 of the firstborn of the sons
of Israel who are in excess beyond the Levites, 47 you shall take
five shekels apiece, per head; you shall take them in terms of the shekel of the
sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), 48 and give the money, the
ransom of those who are in excess among them, to Aaron and to his sons." 49
So Moses took the ransom money from those who were in excess, beyond those
ransomed by the Levites; 50 from the firstborn of the sons of Israel
he took the money in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary, 1,365. 51
Then Moses gave the ransom money to Aaron and to his sons, at the command of
Yahweh, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
Reader 6*
Amen. 4:1 Then Yahweh
spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 "Take a census of the
descendants of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their
fathers' households, 3 from thirty years and upward, even to fifty
years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tent of meeting.
4 "This is the work of the descendants of Kohath in the tent of meeting,
concerning the most holy things. 5 "When the camp sets out, Aaron and
his sons shall go in and they shall take down the veil of the screen and cover
the ark of the testimony with it; 6 and they shall lay a covering of
porpoise skin on it, and shall spread over it a cloth of pure blue, and shall
insert its poles. 7 "Over the table of the bread of the Presence they
shall also spread a cloth of blue and put on it the dishes and the pans and the
sacrificial bowls and the jars for the drink offering, and the continual bread
shall be on it. 8 "They shall spread over them a cloth of scarlet
material, and cover the same with a covering of porpoise skin, and they shall
insert its poles.
Reader 7*
Amen. 9 "Then they shall
take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand for the light, along with its lamps
and its snuffers, and its trays and all its oil vessels, by which they serve it;
10 and they shall put it and all its utensils in a covering of
porpoise skin, and shall put it on the carrying bars. 11 "Over the
golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth and cover it with a covering of
porpoise skin, and shall insert its poles; 12 and they shall take all
the utensils of service, with which they serve in the sanctuary, and put them in
a blue cloth and cover them with a covering of porpoise skin, and put them on
the carrying bars. 13 "Then they shall take away the ashes from the
altar, and spread a purple cloth over it. 14 "They shall also put on
it all its utensils by which they serve in connection with it: the firepans, the
forks and shovels and the basins, all the utensils of the altar; and they shall
spread a cover of porpoise skin over it and insert its poles. 15
"When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the
furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons
of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they will not touch the holy objects
and die. These are the things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath
are to carry. 16 "The responsibility of Eleazar the son of Aaron the
priest is the oil for the light and the fragrant incense and the continual grain
offering and the anointing oil-- the responsibility of all the tabernacle and of
all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings."
"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King
of the Universe,
Who in giving us Yeshua, the Living
Torah, has planted everlasting life in our midst.
Blessed are You, Yahweh, giver of the
Torah."
______________________
"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King
of the Universe,
Who selected good prophets, delighting
in their words which were spoken truthfully.
Blessed are You, Yahweh, Who chose the
Torah, Your servant Moses, Your people Israel,
and the prophets of truth and
righteousness."
Isaiah 43:1-13
Reader 8*
Amen. 1 But now, thus
says Yahweh, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not
fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! 2
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers,
they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be
scorched, nor will the flame burn you. 3 "For I am Yahweh your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and
Seba in your place. 4 "Since you are precious in My sight, since you
are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other
peoples in exchange for your life. 5 "Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east, and gather you from the west. 6
"I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them
back.' Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth,
7 Everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory,
whom I have formed, even whom I have made."
Reader 9*
Amen. 8 Bring out the
people who are blind, even though they have eyes, and the deaf, even though they
have ears. 9 All the nations have gathered together so that the
peoples may be assembled. Who among them can declare this and proclaim to us the
former things? Let them present their witnesses that they may be justified, or
let them hear and say, "It is true." 10 "You are My witnesses,"
declares Yahweh, "And My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and
believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, and
there will be none after Me. 11 "I, even I, am Yahweh, and there is
no savior besides Me. 12 "It is I who have declared and saved and
proclaimed, and there was no strange god among you; so you are My witnesses,"
declares Yahweh, "And I am God. 13 "Even from eternity I am He, and
there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?"
Psalm 93 (To be sung.)
1 Yahweh reigns, He is clothed
with majesty; Yahweh has clothed and girded Himself with strength; Indeed, the
world is firmly established, it will not be moved. 2 Your throne is
established from of old; You are from everlasting. 3 The floods have
lifted up, O Yahweh, The floods have lifted up their voice, The floods lift up
their pounding waves. 4 More than the sounds of many waters, Than the
mighty breakers of the sea, Yahweh on high is mighty. 5 Your
testimonies are fully confirmed; Holiness befits Your house, O Yahweh,
forevermore.
Hebrews 12
Reader 10*
Amen. 1 Therefore, since
we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside
every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with
endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus,
the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of
God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners
against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4
You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving
against sin; 5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is
addressed to you as sons, "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the
Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by HIm; 6 for those whom the
Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives." 7
It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what
son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are
without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are
illegitimate children and not sons.
Reader 11*
Amen. 9 Furthermore, we
had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much
rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they
disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us
for our good, so that we may share His holiness. 11 All discipline
for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been
trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. 12
Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble,
13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is
lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. 14 Pursue
peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the
Lord. 15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that
no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;
16 that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his
own birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that even
afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he
found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.
Reader 12*
Amen. 18 For you have
not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to
darkness and gloom and whirlwind, 19 and to the blast of a trumpet
and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no
further word be spoken to them. 20 For they could not bear the
command, "If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned." 21
And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, "I am full of fear and
trembling." 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the
living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, 23 to
the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and
to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled
blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. 25 See to it that
you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they
refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away
from Him who warns from heaven. 26 And His voice shook the earth
then, but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I will shake not only the
earth, but also the heavens." 27 This expression, "Yet once more,"
denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things,
so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore,
since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by
which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29
for our God is a consuming fire.
"Blessed are You, Yahweh
our God, King of the Universe,
Rock of Ages, righteous
throughout all generations.
You are the faithful God,
promising and then performing, speaking and then fulfilling,
for all Your words are true
and righteous.
Faithful are You, Yahweh
our God, and faithful are Your words,
for no word of Yours shall
remain unfulfilled;
You are a faithful and
merciful God and King.
Blessed are You, Yahweh our
God, Who are faithful in fulfilling all Your words."