1 SAMUEL 21
I have an old choir song rumbling through my head this morning: ♫♪ My God is a rock in a weary land ♪♫ A shelter in the time of storm ♪♫ Incidentally, these images of God were penned often by David. (One example is found in Psalm 18:2.) How well David must have known and trusted the refuge he found in God, particularly when he was on the run from Saul!
JOSHUA 1
Here’s one of my favorite Bible passages (from The Message paraphrase): "God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels." (Eph 6:10-12)
NUMBERS 1
So, in the first chapter of the book of Numbers, God has Moses take a census of the Israelites. And the tally of men over the age of 20 was 603,550. That’s just men over the age of 20 (who are able to be part of an army). So, when you figure in women, children, and elderly men, scholars estimate that the total size of the Israelite community at this time was between 2 and 3 million people.
EXODUS 27
At the end of the instructions for building the sanctuary comes this commandment from the Lord: "Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. In the Tent of Meeting, outside the curtain that is in front of the Testimony, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come." (vs 20-21)
EXODUS 16
Ah, the manna chapter. I love this story. It’s one of my favorite stories in the Bible. I’m not exactly sure what it is that appeals to me so much, but I’m simply taken with it. I love the description in verse 17 of gathering the manna. God had apportioned an omer of manna for each person — but it’s not like there were any omer measuring cups! So, the text simply says that some gathered too much and some gathered too little, but in the end, everyone had their allotted omer.
EXODUS 14
There is something in this chapter that I like very much: "Moses answered the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.'" (vs 13-14)
Photo © shutterstock.com/Nomad Soul
From long ago, I've known your name
and prize it— though you won't speak Mine.
(I held your breath till you became.)
From long ago, I've known your name
and that you'd leave me. All the same,
I'll love you past the thin red line:
From long ago, I've known your name
and prize it— though you won't speak Mine.
*Triolet: A poetic form consisting of 8 lines, where the 1st, 4th, and 7th lines repeat, and the 2nd and 8th lines do as well. The rhyme scheme is simple: ABaAabAB, capital letters representing the repeated lines.
