Category: Matthew

February 16, read the Bible in a year; in PowerPoint, with comments.

Matthew 8:18-34 tells of Jesus continuing his healing ministry. . He healed many , including the strange encounter with the demon possessed men from east of Lake Gennesaret (Sea of Tiberias; Sea of Galilee). Many wanted to follow him, but Jesus warned them off by telling the price of following him. It also tells of how Jesus calmed the storm.

Leviticus 11 deals with clean (kosher) and unclean food and clean and unclean animals. (Locusts and grasshoppers are o.k.)

Leviticus 12 is a short chapter and deals with purification after childbirth.

Leviticus 13 deals with leprosy and mildew and what to do with both. Things like that are complicated.

February 15, read the Bible in a year; in PowerPoint, with comments.

Matthew 8:1-17 tells of Jesus continuing his healing ministry. He healed a man with leprosy and a Roman centurion displayed his faith in Jesus, so Jesus healed his servant because of the great faith of the roman. He healed many that came to him.

Leviticus 8 goes into some length on how  the ordination of Aaron and his sons was performed.

In Leviticus 9 the priestly ministry begins.

And in Leviticus 10 two of Aaron’s sons were killed by fire for violating the command of God. But Aaron’s uncle had two sons and together with two other sons of Aaron they became the new priests and the rest of the chapter deals with how they should behave.

February 14, read the Bible in a year; in PowerPoint, with comments.

Matthew 7:21-29 We are coming to the end of the sermon on the mount. It grows to a crescendo with people claiming to have done good deeds, proclaim prophesies and perform miracles in Jesus’ name. And Jesus answered them: “I never knew you”. I took the liberty to add my own discovery of the meaning of these verses. The chapter ends with the parable of the foolish and the wise builders.

Leviticus 5 completes the description of the sin offering and continues with the guilt offering.

Leviticus 6 tells of the restitution necessary in the burnt offering, the grain offering and the sin offering,

And  Leviticus 7 defines the guilt offering and the peace(fellowship) offering. It furthermore forbids the people to eat fat or blood. In a fellowship offering the priest must get his share, and the share is specified.

February 13, read the Bible in a year; in PowerPoint, with comments.

Matthew 7:1-20 is a continuation of the sermon on the mount. Jesus was admonishing us not to be judgmental but to look to our own faults before condemning others. And don’t waste your time by casting pearls before swine. Ask, seek, knock is another theme. and so is doing to others what you would have them do to you. This sums up the Law and the Prophets. Enter through the narrow gate. A tree is known by its fruit. This should still be taught in school, it is the opposite of Critical Race Theory, which divides us all.

The book of Leviticus tells about Mosaic Law. I for one am glad I am not under the Law anymore, but redeemed with the blood of Jesus. However, it is interesting reading, and it is still valid proof that we cannot fulfill all the law.

Leviticus 1 tells of how the burnt offering shall be performed.

Leviticus 2 specifies the grain offering.

Leviticus 3 deals with the peace or fellowship offering, and

Leviticus 4 defines the sin offering.

February 12, read the Bible in a year; in PowerPoint, with comments.

Matthew 6:19-34 continues the telling of the sermon on the mount. Jesus spoke of  storing up eternal, spiritual treasures, not physical riches, for you cannot serve two masters, you serve either God or money. Then Jesus continued by telling how foolish it is to worry about the future, concentrate on what is important, seek first the Kingdom of God, and God will take care of all the other things.

Ecclesiastes 3. There is a time for everything. The gift of God is that He has set eternity in our hearts, yet injustice seems to prevail.

Ecclesiastes 4. There is oppression but no comforter, there is vanity of selfish toil. There is value in having friends “a cord of three strands is not quickly broken,” yet, popularity passes away.

With all the double speak today, Psalm 12 is especially valid. The Lord has something to say about that.

Psalm 13 has only 6 verses; used as a moving Anglican Chant. Enjoy.

February 11, read the Bible in a year; in PowerPoint, with comments.

Matthew 6:1-18 continues the telling of the sermon on the mount. Jesus spoke of doing good, of fasting and prayer, do it without fanfare, in secret if possible and, above all, be sincere. He then instituted what is called “The Lord’s prayer” which really is a pattern prayer for us, short, direct, but covers the essentials. Fasting should go together with serious prayer, but make it simple.

Exodus 38 records of how the altar of burnt offerings and the basin for washing was made, continuing telling about the courtyard around the tabernacle and all the materials used.

Exodus 39 records how the priestly garments were to be made, the ephod, the breastplate, the bells and pomegranates, the mitre and undergarments and finally the words “Holy to the LORD” to be fastened to the priest’s turban.

And in Exodus 40 the tabernacle was finished, the Priests installed and finally God blessed the tabernacle with His presence when the Glory of the LORD filled it. That ends the book of Exodus.

February 9, read the Bible in a year; in PowerPoint, with comments.

Matthew 5:1-20 tells of the Beatitudes, which form the beginning of the Sermon on the  Mount. Then Jesus added the spiritual dimension to the Mosaic Law. He had not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it.

In Exodus 33 God told the Israelites to leave the place they were staying, take off all the ornaments they were wearing and go to the promised land. Moses established the tent of meeting, and there he asked to see God. God promised Moses he would see His back while hiding “In the cleft of the rock”

After breaking the two stone tablets, Moses in Exodus 34 had to go back up the mountain and write the words of God on two new stone tablets. Then God repeated much of what was said in previous chapters, even reiterating the Covenant, but the chapter ends with the radiant face of Moses because Moses had spoken with God.

February 8, read the Bible in a year; in PowerPoint, with comments.

Matthew 4:12-25. After Jesus was baptized and was led into the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights he began his ministry and called his first disciples.

Exodus 30 describes the  altar of incense, mentions rules for the poll tax and the basin for washing, anointing oil and rules for sacred incense.

Exodus 31 is short; it tells of two named craftsmen to be leaders of performing the artistic aspect of all the work to build the tabernacle. Then there are rules of how to observe the Sabbath, and with that, God finished His message to Moses by giving him the two tablets of stone containing the ten commandments written by the finger of God.

In Exodus 32 Moses had come down from the mountain and what did he find? He found the Golden Calf and the people singing and dancing in orgies. Moses became so angry that he threw down the two tablets with God’s commandments, and they broke in pieces. Then he pleaded with God not to destroy His people.

February 7, read the Bible in a year; in PowerPoint, with comments.

Matthew 4:1-11 tells of Jesus as He was led into the wilderness to be tempted of Satan after he fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. Jesus combated Satan with scripture, but Satan could quote scripture too. In the end Satan left him “for a season”.

Exodus 27 tells how the altar of burnt offering was to be constructed and how to construct the courtyard around the tabernacle. It also specifies there must always be oil for the lampstand.

In Exodus 28 the priestly garments are specified, in detail, with the breastplate, down to the urim and thummim, and the plate “HOLINESS TO THE LORD”. Even the undergarments are specified.

Exodus 29 specifies how the consecration of priests was to be performed.

February 6, read the Bible in a year; in PowerPoint, with comments.

In Matthew 3:11-17 Jesus came to be baptized by John the Baptist. Afterwards the holy Spirit descended like a dove on Jesus and a voice from heaven said: “This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased”.

Exodus 23 continues with the writing down laws about justice and mercy, how you are to help even someone who hates you. God instituted the Sabbath laws; in six years you may harvest your fields, but the seventh year you will let it go fallow. (In my childhood Sweden this seven year planting cycle was still practiced by many farmers.) The seventh day rest was to be practiced by all and applied to work animals as well. Moses also defined the three annual feasts, the feast of unleavened bread, the feast of harvest and the feast of in-gathering. Finally God warned of worshiping other Gods.

In Exodus 24 God confirmed His covenant with the people, and Moses went up to Mount Sinai and stayed there 40 days and 40 nights, a long time for the people to be without a leader.

In Exodus 25 Moses told the people make an offering, and out of this offering was made three furnishings for the tabernacle, the ark, the table and the lampstand.

Exodus 26. God described to Moses how the tabernacle was to be built.