HEBREWS 9:19-28

When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. He said, " This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep." In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
    It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with the blood that is not his own.
    Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Lifeblood

Mary Ann believed in God and His Son Jesus, but she struggled with why Jesus had to shed His blood to bring salvation. Who would think of cleansing something with blood? Yet the Bible says, " The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood" ( HEBREWS 9:22). That, in Mary Ann's opinion, was disgusting!
    Then one day she had to go to the hospital. A genetic condition had altered her immune system, and doctor's became alarmed when the illness started attacking her blood. As she was in the emergency room she thought, If I lose my blood, I will die. But Jesus shed His blood so I can live!
    Suddenly everything made sense. In the midst of her pain, Mary Ann felt joy and peace. She understood that blood is life, and a holy life was needed to make peace with God for us. Today she is alive and well, thanking God for her health and for Jesus' sacrifice on her behalf.
    Hebrews 9 explains the meaning of the Old Testament blood ritual and the once and for all offering  of Jesus that brought animal sacrifice to an end. Bearing our sin, He willingly died and shed His blood to become our sacrifice. We now have confidence to enter God's presence. How could we ever thank Jesus enough for making His sacrifice our sacrifice, His life our life, and His Father our Father?
    Lord, I thank you for Jesus and for the shedding of His blood for me. I want to live my life in gratitude to You.
    The blood of Christ washes away our sins.

MARK 7:1-13

The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. ( The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the traditions of the elders. When they came from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observing many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles,")
    So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, " Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?" He replied, Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
    " These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules."
   You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions."
    And he continued, " You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, ' Honor your father and mother, and, ' Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.' But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban ( that is, devoted to God) then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by your traditions that you have handed down. And you do many things like that."

EPHESIANS 4:1-16

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and one Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
    But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says:
    " When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people."
    ( What does " he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
    Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Growing Up

Watching my young grandson and his friends play T-Ball is entertaining. In this version of baseball, young players often run to the wrong base or don't know what to do with the ball if they happen to catch it. If we were watching a professional baseball game, these mistakes would not be so funny.
    It's all a matter of maturity.
    It's okay for young athletes to struggle- not knowing what to do or not getting everything exactly right. They are trying and learning. So we coach them and patiently guide them toward maturity. Then we celebrate their success as later they play with skill as a team.
    Something similar happens in the life of those who follow Jesus. Paul pointed out that the church needs people who will " be patient, bearing with one another in love" ( Ephesians 4:2). And we need a variety of " coaches" ( pastors, teachers, spiritual mentors) to help us all move toward " unity in the faith" as we strive to " become mature"
    The goal as we listen to preaching and teaching and enjoy life together in the church is to grow up to maturity in Christ. Each of us is on this journey, and we can encourage each other on the road to maturity in Jesus.
    Lord, help me to strive for maturity. Thank You for equipping the church with men and women who can help me grow in my faith.
    Show me who I can encourage today.
    There's joy in the journey as we walk alongside each other.
 

Taking Notice

When I clean my house for a special event, I become discouraged because I think that guests won't notice what I clean, only what I don't clean. This brings to mind a larger philosophical and spiritual question: Why do humans more quickly see what's wrong than what's right? We are more likely to remember rudeness than kindness. Crimes seem to receive more attention than acts of generosity. And disasters grab our attention more quickly than the profound beauty all around us.
    But then I realized I am the same way with God. I tend to focus on what He hasn't done rather than on what He has, on what I don't have rather than what I have, on the situations that He has not yet resolved rather than on the many He has.
    When I read the book of Job, I am reminded that the Lord doesn't like this any more than I do. After years of experiencing the prosperity, Job suffered a series of disasters. Suddenly those became the focus of his life and some conversations. Finally, God intervened and asked Job some hard questions, reminding him of His sovereignty and of everything Job didn't know and hadn't seen.
    Whenever I start focusing on the negative, I hope I remember to stop, consider the life of Job, and take notice of all the wonders God has done and continues to do.
    Consider Keeping a " thanks" journal. Write down each day one thing God has done for you.
    When you think of all that's good, give thanks to God.

How to Grow Old

" How are you today, Mama? I asked casually. My 84 year old friend, whispered, " Old age is tough!" Then she added earnestly, " But God has been good to me."
    " Growing old has been the greatest surprise of my life," says Billy Graham in his book Nearing Home. " I am an old man now, and believe me, it's not easy." However, Graham notes, " While the Bible doesn't gloss over the problems we face as we grow older, neither does it paint old age as a time to be despised or a burden to be endured with gritted teeth." He then mentions some of the questions he has been forced to deal with as he has aged, such as, " How can we not only to cope with the fears and struggles growing limitations we face but also actually grow stronger inwardly in the midst of these difficulties?"
    In Isaiah 46 we have God's assurance: " Even to your old age and gray hairs... I am he who will sustain you and I will rescue you"
    We don't know how many years we will live on this earth or what we might face as we age. But one thing is certain: God will care for us throughout our life.
    Lord, please teach us to number our days so that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
    Don't be afraid to grow old: God goes with you!

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Go Fever

On January 28, 1986, after five weather-related delays, the space shuttle Challenger lumbered heavenward amid a thunderous overture of noise and flame. A mere 73 seconds later, system failure tore the shuttle apart, and all seven crewmembers perished.
    The disaster was attributed to an O-ring seal known to have vulnerabilities. Insiders referred to the fatal mistake as " go fever" -  the tendency to ignore vital percautions in the rush to a grand goal.
    Our ambitious human nature relentlessly tempts us to make ill-advised choices. Yet we are also prone to fear that can make us overly cautious. The ancient Israelites demonstrated both traits. When the 12 scouts returned from spying out the Promised Land, 10 of the 12 saw only the obstacles (NUM 13:26-33). " We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are," they said. After a fearful rebellion against the Lord that led to the death of the 10 spies, the people suddenly developed a case of " go fever." They said, " Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised". Without God, ill-timed invasion failed miserably.
    When we take our eyes off the Lord, we'll slide into one of two extremes. We'll impatiently rush ahead without Him, or we'll cower and complain in fear. Focusing on Him brings courage tempered with His wisdom.
    Before making a quick decision, consider why you want to make it quickly. Consider if it will honor God and what it might cost others. If you are afraid to make a decision, think about why that might be. Most of all, pray!
    A moment of patience can prevent a great disaster.

The Forward Look

When the great dutch painter Rembrandt died unexpectedly at age 63, an unfinished painting was found on his easel. It focuses on Simeon's emotion in holding the baby Jeses when He was brought to the temple in Jerusalem, 40 days after His birth. Yet the background and normal detail remain unfinished. Some art experts believe that Rembrandt knew the end of his life was near and like- Simeon- was ready to " be dismissed" ( LUKE 2:29). The holy spirit was upon Simeon, so it was no coincidence that he was in the temple when Mary and Joseph presented their firstborn son to God. Simeon, who had been looking for the promised Messiah, took the baby in his arms and praised God, saying: " Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, whivh you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel" Simeon was not longing for the glory days of Israel's history, but was looking ahead for the promised Messiah, who would come to redeem all nations. Like Simeon, we can have an expectant, forward look in life because we know that one day we will see the Lord.
    Father, may we, like Simeon, be always looking ahead for the appearing of Jesus our Lord.
    Even so, come Lord Jesus!

NUMBERS 8

The Lord said to Moses, " Speak to Aaron and say to him, ' When you set up the lamps, see that all seven light up the area in front of the lampstand.' "
    Aaron did so; he set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the lampstand, just as the Lord commanded Moses. This is how the lampstand was made: It was made of hammered gold from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the Lord had shown Moses.
    The Lord said to Moses: Take the Levites from among all the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean. To purify them, do this: Sprinkle the water of cleansing on them; then have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes. And so they will purify themselves. Have them take a young bull with its grain offering of the finest flour mixed with olive oil; then you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering. Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting and assemble the whole Israelite community. You are to bring the Levites before the Lord, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them. Aaron is to present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may be ready to do the work of the Lord.
    " Then the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, using one for a sin offering to the Lord and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites.Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering to the Lord. In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine.
    " After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering, they are to come to do their work at the tent of meeting. They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to me. I have taken them as my own in place of the firstborn, the first male offspring from every Israelite woman. Every firstborn male in Israel, whether human or animal, is mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for myself. And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel. From among all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the tent of meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary."
    Moses, Aaron and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses. The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord and made atonement for them to purify them. After that, the Levites came to do their work at the tent of meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. They did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses.
    The Lord said to Moses, " This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come take part in the work at the tent of meeting, but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no linger. They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves must not do the work. This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities if the Levites."

MARK 4:21-41

He said to them, " Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don't you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear."
    " Consider carefully what you hear, " he continued. " With the measure you use, it will be measured to you- and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. "
    He also said, " This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain- first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."
    Again he said, " What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade."
    With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
    That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, " Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, " Teacher, don't you care if we drown? "
    He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, " Quiet! Be still! " Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
    He said to his disciples, " Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? "
    They were terrified and asked each other, " Who is this? Even the wind and waves obey him! "

LUKE 19:1-10

Jesus enered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name if Zacchaus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead
and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
    When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, " Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today. " So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
    All the people saw this and began to mutter, " He has gone to be the guest of a sinner. "
    But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, " Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount. "
    Jesus said to him, " Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. "

NUMBERS 7

When Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings. He also anointed and consecrated the altar and all its utensils. The the leases of Israel, the heads of families who were the tribal leaders in carte of those who were counted, made offerings. They brought as their gifts before the Lord six covered carts and twelve oxen-an ox from each leader and a cart from every two. These they presented before the tabernacle
    The Lord said to Moses, " Accept these from them, that they may be used in the work at the tent of meeting. Give them to the Levites as each man's work requires."
    So Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites. He gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites, as their work required, and he gave four carts and eight oxen to the Merarites, as their work required. They were all under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest. But Moses did not give any to the Kohathites, because they were to carry on their shoulders the holy things, for which they were responsible.
    When the altar was anointed, the leaders brought their offerings for its dedication and presented them before the altar. For the Lord had said to Moses, " Each day one leader is to brng his offering for the dedication of the altar "
    The one who brought his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab of the tribe of Judah.
    His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Nahshon son if Amminadab.
    On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, theleader of Issachar, brought his offering.
    The offering he brought was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar.
   On the third day, Eliab son of Helon the leader of the people of Zebulun brought his offering.
   His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Eliab son of Helon.
    On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur, the leader of the people of Reuben, brought his offering.
    His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bulk, one ram and one male lamb a year old fir a burnt offering; one make goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed for a fellowship offering. This was the offering if Elizur son of Shedeur.
    On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, the leader of the people of Simeon, brought his offering.
    His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed for a fellowship offering.This was the offering of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.
    On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel, the leader of the people of Gad, brought his offering.
    His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling plate weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed for a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel.
    On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud, the leader of the people of Ephraim, brought his offering.
    His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing thirty shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed for a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Elishama son of Ammihud.
    On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, the leader of the people of Manasseh, brought his offering.
    His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing thirty shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; a gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Gamaliel sin of Pedahzur.
    On the ninth day Abidan son of Gideoni, the leader of the people of Benjamin, brought his offering.
    His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and give male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering if Abidan sin of Gideoni.
    On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Amishaddai, the leader of the people of Dan, brought his offering.
    His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.
    On the eleventh day Pagiel son of Okran, the leader of the people of Asher, brought his offering.
    His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Pagiel son of Okran.
    On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan, the leader of the people of Naphtali, brought his offering.
    His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; a gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and two oxen, five rams, five males goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Ahira son of Enan.
    These were the offerings if the Israelite leaders for the dedication of the altar when it was anointed; twelve silver plates, twelve silver sprinkling bowls and twelve gold dishes. Each silver plate weighed a hundred and thirty shekels, and each silver sprinkling bowl weighed seventy shekels. Altogether, the silver dishes weighed two thousand four hundred shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. The twelve gold dishes filled with incense weighed ten shekels each, together the gold dishes weighed a hundred and twenty shekels. The total number of animals for the burnt offering came to twelve young bulls, twelve rams, and twelve male lambs a year old, together with their grain offering. Twelve make goats were used for the sin offering. The total number of animals for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering came to twenty-four oxen, sixty fans, sixty male goats and sixty male lambs a year old. These were the offerings for the dedication of the altar after it was anointed.
    When Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubin above the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant law. In thIs way the Lord spoke to him.
   

A Better View

As a child, I loved to climb trees. The higher I climbed, the more I could see. Occasionally, in search of a better view, I might inch out a long a branch until I felt it bend under my weight. Not surprisingly, my tree- climbing days are over. I suppose it isn't safe-or dignified.
    Zacchaeus, a wealthy man, set aside his dignity ( and perhaps ignored his safety) when he climbed a tree one day in Jericho. Jesus was traveling through the city, and Zacchaeus wanted to get a better look at Him. However, " because he was short he could not see over the crowd" ( LUKE 19:3). Fortunately, those things did not stop him from seeing and even talking with Christ. Zacchaeus's plan worked! And when he met Jesus, his life changed forever. " Salvation has come to this house, " Jesus, said.
    We too can be prevented from seeing Jesus. Pride can blind US from seeing Him as the wonderful Councelor. Anxiety keeps us from knowing Him as the Prince of Peace ( ISA. 9:6). Hunger for status and stuff can prevent us from seeing Him as the true source of satisfaction- the Bread of Life ( JOHN 6:48).
    What are you willing to do to get a better view of Jesus? Any sincere effort to get closer to Him will have a good result. God rewards people who earnestly seek Him ( HEB. 11:6).
    Thank You Jesus for all that You are. Show me more of Yourself as I read the Bible and pray. Help me to pursue You with all my heart and mind.
    To strengthen your faith in God, seek the face of God.

PSALMS 46

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see what the Lord gas done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. He says, " Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

MARK 4:1-20

Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him as so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: " Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds ate it up. Some fell in the rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun cam up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soul. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times."
    Then Jesus said, " Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear."
    When he was alone, the twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, " The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,
    " ' they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!' "
    Then Jesus said to them, " Don't you understand thus parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed on rocky places, hear the word at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last for only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries if this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things cone in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop some thirty, some sixty, sine a hundred times what was sown."

NUMBERS 6

The Lord said to Moses, " Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ' If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of dedication to the Lord as a Nazarite, they must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or other fermented drink. They must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. As long as they remain under their Nazarite vow, they must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.
    " ' During the entire period of their Nazarite vow, no razor may be used on their head. They must be holy until the period of their dedication to the Lord is over; they must let their hair grow long.
    " ' Throughout the period of their dedication to the Lord, the Nazarite must not go near a dead body. Even if their own father or mother or brother or sister dies, they must not make themselves ceremonially unclean on account of them, because the symbol of their dedication to God is on their head. Throughout the period of their dedication, they are consecrated to the Lord.
    " ' If someone dies suddenly in the Nazarite's presence, thus defiling the hair that symbolizes their dedication, they must shave their head on the seventh day-the day of their cleansing. Then on the eighth day they must bring two doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. The priest is to offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to make atonement for the Nazarite because they sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. That same day they are to consecrate their head again. They must rededicate themselves to the Lord for the same period of dedication and must bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt offering. The previous days do not count, because they became defiled during their period of dedication.
    " ' Now this is the law of the Nazarite when the period of their dedication is over. They are to be brought to the entrance to the tent of meeting. There they are to present their offerings to the Lord: a year-old male lamb without defect for a burnt offering, a year-old ewe lamb without defect for a sin offering, a ram without defect for a fellowship offering, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and a basket of bread made with the finest flour and without yeast-thick loaves with olive oil mixed in, and thin loaves brushed with olive oil.
    " ' The priest is to present all these things before the Lord and make the sin offring and the burnt offering. He is to present the basket of unleavened bread and is to sacrifice the ram as a fellowship offering to the Lord, together with its grain offering and drink offering.
    " ' Then at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the Nazarite must shave off the hair that symbolizes their dedication. They are to take the hair and put it in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering.
    " ' After the Nazarite has shaved off the hair that symbolizes their dedication, the priest is to place in their hands a boiled shoulder if the ram, and one thick loaf and one thin loaf from the basket, both made without yeast. The priest shall then wave these before the Lord as a wave offering; they are holy and belong to the priest, together with the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. After that, the Nazarite may drink wine.
    " : This is the law of the Nazarite who vows offerings to the Lord in accordance with their dedication, in addition to whatever else they can afford. They must fulfill the vows they have made, according to the law of the Nazarite ' "

NUMBERS 5

The Lord said to Moses, " Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone who has a defiling skin disease or a discharge of any kind, or who is ceremonially unclean because of a dead body. Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will nor defile their camp, where I dwell among them." The Israelites did so; they sent them outside the camp. They did just as the Lord had instructed Moses.
    The Lord said to Moses, " Say to the Israelites: 'Any man or woman who wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the Lord is guilty and must confess the sin they have committed. They must make full restitution for the wrong they have done, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the person they have wronged. But if that person has no close relative to whom restitution can be made for the wrong, the restitution belongs to the Lord and must be given to the priest, along with the ram with which atonement is made for the wrongdoer. All sacred contributions the Israelites bring to the priest will belong to him. Sacred things belong to their owners, but what they give to the priest will belong to the priest.' "
    Then the Lord said to Moses, " Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ' If a man's wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him so that another man has sexual relations with her, and this is hidden from her husband and her impurity is undetected ( since there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act), and if feelings of jealousy come over her husband and he suspects his wife and she is impure- or if he is jealous and suspects her even though she is not impure-then he is to take his wife to the priest. He must also take an offering of a tenth of an ephah of barley flour on her behalf. He must not pour olive oil on it or put incense on it, because it is a grain offering for jealousy, a reminder-offering to draw attention to wrongdoing.
    " The priest shall bring her and have her stand before the Lord. Then he shall take some holy water in a clay jar and put some dust from the tabernacle floor into the water. After the priest has had the woman stand before tgd Lord, he shall loosen her hair and place in her hands the reminder-offering, the grain offering for jealousy, while he himself holds the bitter water that brings a curse. Then the priest shall put he woman under oath and say to her, " If no other man has had sexual relations with you and you have not gone astray and become impure while married to your husband" may this bitter water that brings a curse not harm you. But if you gave gone astray while married to your husband and you gave made yourself impure by having sexual relations with a man other than your husband"- here the priest is to put he woman under this curse- " may he Lord cause you to become a curse among your people when he makes your womb miscarry and your abdomen swell. May this water that brings a curse enter your body so that your abdomen swells or your womb miscarries."
    " ' Then the woman us to say, " Amen, So be it."
    " ' The priest is to write these curses on a scroll and then wash them off into the bitter water. He shall make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse,  and causes bitter suffering will enter her. The priest is to take from her hands the grain offering for jealousy, wave or before the Lord and bring it to the altar. The priest is then to take a handful of the grain offering as a memorial offering and burn it on the altar; after that, he is to have the woman drink the water. If she has made herself impure and been unfaithful to her husband, this will be the result: When she is made to drink the water that brings a curse and causes bitter suffering, it will enter her, her abdomen will swell and her womb will miscarry, and she will become a curse. If, however, the woman has not made herself impure, but is clean, she will be cleared of guilt and will be able to have children.
    " ' This, then, is the law of jealousy when a woman goes astray and makes herself impure while married to her husband, or when feelings of jealousy come over a man because he suspects his wife. The priest is to have her stand before the Lord and is to apply this entire law to her. The husband will be innocent of any wrongdoing" but the woman will bear the consequences of her sin.' "

NUMBERS 4

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: " Take a census of the Kohathite branch of the Levites by their clans and families. Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work at the tent of meeting.
    " This is the work of the Kohathites at the tent of meeting: the care of the most holy things. When the camp is to move, Aaron and his sons are to go in and take down the sheilding curtain and put it over the ark of the covenant law. Then they are to cover the curtain with durable leather, spread a cloth of solid blue over that and put the poles in place.
    " Over the table of the Presence they are to spread a blue cloth and put on it the plates, dishes and bowls, and the jars for drink offerings; the bread that is continually there is to remain on it. They are to spread a scarlet cloth over them, cover that with the durable leather and put the poles in place.
    " They are to take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand that is for light, together with its lamps, its wick trimmers and trays, and all its jars for the olive oil used to supply it.  Then they are to wrap it and all its accessories in a covering of the durable leather and put it on a carrying frame.
    " Over the gold altar they are o spread a blue cloth and cover that with the durable leather and put the poles in place.
    " They are to take all the articles used for ministering in the sanctuary, wrap them in a blue cloth, cover that with the durable leather and put them on the carrying frame.
    " They are to remove the ashes from the bronze altar and spread a purple cloth over it. Then they are to place on it all the utensils used for ministering at the altar, including the firepans, meat forks, shovels, and sprinkling bowls. Over it they are to spread a covering of the durable leather and put the poles in place.
    " After Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy articles, and when the camp is ready to move, only then are the Kohathites to come and do the carrying.
    But they must not touch the holy things or they will die. The Kohathites are to carry those things that are in the tent of meeting.
    " Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, is to have charge of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular grain offering and the anointing oil. He is to be in charge of the entire tabernacle and everything in it, including its holy furnishings and articles."
    The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, " See that the Kohathite tribal clans are not destroyed from among the Levites. So that they may live and not die when they come near the most holy things, do his for them: Aaron and his sons are to go into the sanctuary and assign to each man his work and what he is to carry. But the Kohathites must not go in to look at the holy things, even for a moment, or they will die."
    The Lord said to Moses, " Take a census also of the Gershonites by their families and clans. Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work at the tent of meeting.
    " This is the service of the Gershonite clans in their carrying and their other work: They are to carry the curtains of the tabernacle, that is, the tent of meeting, its coverings and its outer covering of durable leather, the curtains for the entrance to the tent of meeting, the curtains of the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar, the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard, the ropes and all the equipment used in the service of the tent. The Gershonites are to do all that needs to be done with these things. All their service, whether carrying or doing other work, is to be done under the direction of Aaron and his sons. You shall assign to them as their responsibility all they are to carry. This is the service of the Gershonite clans at the tent of meeting. Their duties are to be under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest.
   " Count the Merarites by their clans and families. Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work at the tent of meeting. As part of all their service at the tent, they are to carry the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, and bases, as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, ropes, all their equipment and everything related to their use. Assign to each man the specific things he is to carry. This is the service of the Merarite clans as they work at the tent of meeting under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest."
    Moses, Aaron and the leaders of the community counted the Kohathites by their clans and families. All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work at the tent of meeting, counted by clans, were 2,750. This was the total of all those in the Kohathite clans who served at the tent of meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them according to the Lord's command through Moses.
    The Gershonites were counted by their clans and families. All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work at the tent of meeting, counted by their clans and families, were 2,630. This was the total of those in the Gershonite clans who served at the tent of meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them according to the Lord's command.
    The Merarites were counted by their clans and families. All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work at the tent of meeting, counted by their clans, were 3,200. This was the total of those in the Merarite clans. Moses and Aaron counted them according to the Lord's command.
    So Moses, Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by their clans and families. All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to do the work of serving and carrying the tent of meeting numbered 8,580. At the Lord's command yhriygh Moses,  each was assigned his work and told what to carry.
    Thus they were counted, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Be Still

Years ago I responded to letters within a couple of weeks and kept my correspondents happy. Then came the fax machine, and they seemed content with receiving a response within a couple of days. Today, with email, instant messaging, and mobile phones, a response is expected the same day!
    " Be still, and know that I am God." In this familiar verse from Psalm 46 I read two commands of equal importance. First, we must be still, something that modern life conspired against. In this hectic, buzzing world, even a few moments if quiet do not come naturally to us. And stillness prepares us for the second command: " Know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalts in the earth." In the midst of a world that collided to surpress, not exalt, God, how do I carve out time and allow Him to nourish my inner life?
    "Prayer," writes Patricia Hampl, " is a habit of attention brought to bear in all that is." Ah, prayer... a habit of attention. Be still and know. The first step in prayer is to acknowledge or to " know" that God is God. And in that attention, that focus, all else comes into focus. Prayer allows us to admit our failures, weaknesses, and limitations to the One who responds to human vulnerability with infinite mercy.
    Dear Lord, help me to be still. Nourish my soul as I spend time with You in prayer.
    In prayer, God can quiet our minds.

MARK 3

Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, " Stand up in front of everyone."
    The Jesus asked them, " Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to kill?" But they remained silent.
    He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, " Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
    Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have q small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, " You are the Son of God." But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.
    Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons: Simon ( to whom he gave the name Peter), James son of Zebedee and his brother John ( to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means " son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
    Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowed gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, " He is out if his mind."
    And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, " He is possessed by Beelzebul! by the prince of demons he is driving out demons."
    So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: " How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man's house. Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin."
    He said this because they were saying, " He has an impure spirit."
    Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, " Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you."
    "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked.
    Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, " Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."
   

PHILIPPIANS 4:8-13

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is Nobel, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me- put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret if being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

NUMBERS 3

This is the account of the family of Aaron and Moses at the time the Lord spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai.
    The names of the sons of Aaron were Nadab the firstborn and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. Those were the names of Aaron's sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests. Marsh and Abihu, however, died before the Lord when they made an offering with unauthorized fire before him in the Desert of Sinai. They had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.
    The Lord said to Moses, " Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him. They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community at the tent of meeting by doing the work of the tabernacle. They are to take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle. Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him. Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests; anyone else who approaches the sanctuary is to be put to death."
    The Lord also said to Moses, " I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether human or animal. They are to be mine. I am the Lord."
    The Lord said to Moses in the Desert if Sinai, " Count the Levites by their families and clans. Count every male a month old or more." So Moses counted then, as he was commanded by the word if the Lord.
    These were the names if the sons of Levi:
Gershon, Kohath and Merari.
Theses were the names of the Gershonite clans:
Libni and Shimei.
The Kohathite clans:
Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.
The Merarite clans:
Mahli and Mushi.
These were the Levite clans, according to their families.
    To Gershon belonged the clans of the Libnites and Shimeites; these wee the Gershonite clans. The number of all the males a month old or more who were counted was 7,500. The Gershonite clans were to camp on the west, behind the tabernacle. The leader of the families of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael. At the tent of meeting the Gershonites were resonsible for the care of the tabernacle and tenr, its coverings, the curtain at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the curtains of the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar, and the ropes- and everything related to their use.
    To Kohath belonged the clans if the Amramites, Izharites, Hebronites and Uzzielites; these wee the Kohathite clans. The number of all males a month old or more was 8,600. The Kohathites were responsible for the care of the sanctuary. The Kohathite clans were to camp south side if the tabernacle. The leader of the families of the Kohathite clans was Elizaphan son of Uzziel. They were responsible for the care of the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used in ministering, yge curtain, and everything related to their use. The chief leader of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest. He was appointed over those who were responsible for the care of the sanctuary.
    To Merari belonged the clans of Mahalites and the Mushites; these were the Merarite clans. The number of all the males a moth old or more who were counted was 6,200. The leader of the families of the Merarite clans was Zuriel son of Abihail; they were to camp north side of the tabernacle. The Merarites were appointed to take care of the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, bases, all its equipment, and everything related to their use, as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs and ropes.
    Moses and Aaron and his sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward sunrise, un front if the tent if meeting. They were responsible fir the care of the sanctuary on behalf of the Israelites. Anyone else who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.
    The total number of Levites counted at the Lord's command by Moses and Aaron according to their clans, including every male a month old or more, was 22,000.
    The Lord said to Moses, " Count all the firstborn Israelite males who are a month old or more and make a list of their names. Take the Levites for me in place of all the firstborn of the Israelites, and the livestock if the Levites in place of all the firstborn livestock of the Isrealites. I am the Lord."
    So Moses counted all the firstborn of the  Israelites, as the Lord commanded him. The total number of firstborn males a month old or more, listed by name, was 22,273.
    The Lord also said to Moses, " Take the Levites in place if all the firstborn if Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites are to be mine. I am the Lord. To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who exceed the number of the Levites, collect five shekels for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. Give the money for redemption of the additional Israelites to Aaron and his sons."
    So Moses collected the redemption money from those who exceeded the number redeemed by the Levites. From the firstborn of the Israelites he collected silver weighing 1,365 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sins, as he was commanded by the word of the Lord.

NUMBERS 2

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: " The Israelites are to camp around the divisions of the camp of Judah are to encamp under their standard. The leader of the people of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab. His division numbers 74,600.
    The tribe of Issachar will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Issachar is Nethanel son of Zuar. His division numbers 54,400.
    The tribe of Zebulun will be next. The leader of the people of Zebulun is Eliab son of Helon. His division numbers 57,400.
    All the men assigned to the camp of Judah, according to their divisions, number 186,400. They will set out first.
    On the south will be the divisions of the camp of Reuben under their standard. The leader of the people of Reuben is Elizur son of Shedeur. His division numbers 46,500.
    The tribe of Wilson will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Wilson is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. His division numbers 59,300.
    The tribe of Gad will be next. The leader of the people of Gad is Eliasaph son of Deuel. His division numbers 45,650.
    All the men assigned to the camp of Reuben, according to their divisions, number 151,450. They will set out second.
    Then the tent of meeting and the camp of the Levites will set out in the middle of the camps. They will set out in the same order as they encamp, each in their own place under their standard.
    On the west will be divisions of the camp of Ephraim under their standard. The leader of the people of Ephraim is Elishama son of Ammihud. His division numbers 40,500.
    The tribe of Manasseh will be next to them. The leader of the people of Manasseh is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. His division numbers 32,200.
    The tribe of Benjamin will be next. The leader of the people of Benjamin is Abidan son of Gideoni. His division numbers 35,400.
    All the men deigned to the camp of Ephraim, according to their divisions, number 108,100. They will set out third.
    On the north will be the divisions of the camp of Dan under their standard. The leader if the people of Dan is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. His division numbers 62,700.
    The tribe of Asher will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Asher is Pagiel son of Okran. His division numbers 41,500.
    The tribe of Naphtali will be next. The leader of the people of Naphtali is Ahira son of Enan. His division numbers 53,400.
    All the men assigned to the camp of Dan number 157,600. They will set out last, under their standards.
    These are the Israelites, counted according to their families. All the men in the camps, by their divisions, number 603,550. The Levites, however, were not counted along with the other Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.
    So the Israelites did everything the Lord commanded Moses; that is the way the encamped under their standards, and that is the way they set out, each of them with their clan and family.

NUMBERS 1

The Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting in the Desert of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. He said: " Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one. You and Aaron are to count according to their divisions all the men in Israel who are twenty years old or more and able to serve in the army. One man from each tribe, each of them the head of his family, is to help you. These are the names of the men who are to assist you:
    from Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur; from Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai; from Judah, Nahshon son of Aminadab; from Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar; from Zebulun, Eliab son if Helon; from the sons of Joseph: from Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud; from Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur; from Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni; from Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai; from Asher, Pagiel son of Okran; from Gas, Eliasaph son of Deuel; from Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan."
    These were the men appointed from the community, the leaders of their ancestral tribes. They were the heads of the clans of Israel.
    Moses and Aaron took these men whose names had been specified, and they called the whole community together on the first day of the second month. The people registered their ancestry by their clans and families, and the men twenty years old or more were listed by name, one by one, as the Lord commanded Moses. And so he counted them in the Desert of Sinai:
    From the descendants of Reuben the firstborn son of Israel: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Reuben was 46,500.
    From the descendants of Simeon:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were counted and listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Simeon was 59,300.
    From the descendants of Gad:
All men who were twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Gad was 45,650.
    From the descendants of Judah:
All men who were twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Judah was 74,600.
    From the descendants of Issachar:
All men who were twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe if Issachar was 54,400.
    From the descendants if Zebulun:
All men who were twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Zebulun was 57,400.
    From the sons of Joseph:
From the descendants of Ephraim:
All men who were twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Ephraim was 40,500.
    From the descendants of Manasseh:
All men who were twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and familes. The number from the tribe of Manasseh was 32,200.
    From the descendants of Benjamin:
All men who were twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Benjamin was 35,400.
    From the descendants of Dan:
All men who were twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Dan was 62,700.
    From the descendants of Asher:
All men who were twenty years old old more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Asher was 41,500.
    From the descendants of Naphtali:
All men who were twenty years old or more who were able ti serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Naphtali was 53,400.
    These were the men counted by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his family. All the Israelites twenty years old or more who were able to serve in Israel's army were counted according to their families. The total number was 603,550.
    The ancestral tribe if the Levites, however, was not counted along with the others. The Lord had said to Moses: " You must not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the census of the other Israelites. Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle of the covenant of the law-over all its furnishings and everything belonging to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they are to take care of it and encamp around it. Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites shall do it. Anyone else who approaches it is to be put to death. The Israelites are to set up their tents by divisions, each of them in their own camp under their standard. stud Levites, however, are to set up their tents around the tabernacle of the covenant law so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelite community. The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the covenant law."
    The Israelites did all this just as the Lord commanded Moses.

The View from the Mountain

Our valley in Idaho can be very cold in the winter. Clouds and fog roll in and blanket the ground, trapping frigid air under warmer layers above. But you can get above the valley. There's a road nearby that winds up the flank of Schafer Butte, a 7,500-foot mountain that rises out of our valley. A few minutes of driving and you break out of the fog and emerge into the warmth and brilliance of a sunlit day. You can look down on the clouds that shroud the valley below and see it from a different point of view.
    Life is like that at times. Circumstances seem to surround us with a fog that sunlight cannot penetrate. Yet faith is the way we get above the valley-the means by which we "set (our) hearts on things above" (COL.3:1). As we do, the Lord enables us to rise above our circumstances and find courage and calmness for the day. As the apostle Paul wrote, " I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances"
    We can climb out of our misery and gloom. We can sit for a time on the mountainside and through Christ who gives us strength we can gain a different perspective.
    Although I can't always see You or what You're doing, Lord, I rest in Your love for me.
    Faith can lift you above your fears.

PSALMS 77:1-15

I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands, and I would not be comforted. I remembered you, God, and I groaned; I meditated, and my spirit grew faint. You kept my eyes from closing: I was too troubled to speak. I thought about the former data, the years of long ago; I remembered my songs in the night. My heart meditated and my spirit asked: " Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger witheld his compassion?" Then I though, " To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand. I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your might deeds." Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants Jacob and Joseph.

MARK 2

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, " Son, your sins are forgiven."
    Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, " Why does this this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgives sins but God alone?"
    Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this is what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? But I want you to know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins." So he said to thebman, I" I tell you, get up take your mat and go home " He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying " We have never seen anything like this!"
    Once again Jesus went beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. " Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.
    While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers if the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: " Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
    On hearing this, Jesus said to them, " It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
    Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were casting. Some people came and asked Jesus, " How is it that John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?"
    Jesus answered, " How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so ling as they have him with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.
    " No one sees a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins."
    One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, " Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"
    He answered, " Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? In the days if Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house if God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions."
    Then he said to them, " The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

LEVITICUS 27

The Lord said to Moses, " Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ' If anyone makes a special vie to dedicate a person to the Lord by giving the equivalent value, set the value of a male between the ages if twenty and sixty at fifty shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel; for a female, set her value at thirty shekels; for a person between the ages of five and twenty, set the value of a male at twenty shekels and of a female at ten shekels; for a person between one month and five years, set the value for a male at five shekels of silver and that of a female at three shekels if silver; for a perso sixty years old or more, set the value of a male at fifteen shekels and of a female ten shekels. If anyone making the vow is too poor to pay the specified amount, the person being dedicated is to be presented to the priest, who will set the value according to what the one making the vow can afford.
     " ' If what they vowed is an animal that is acceptable as an offering to the Lord, such an animal given ti the Lord becomes holy. They must not exchange it or substitue a good one for a bad one, or a bad one for a good one; if they should substitute one animal for another, both it and the substitue become holy. If what they vowed is a ceremonially unclean animal-one that is not acceptable as an offering ti the Lord-the animal must be presented to the priest" who will judge its quality as good or bad. Whatever it wikk be. If the owner wishes to redeem the animal, a fifth must be added to its value.
    " ' If anyone dedicated their house as something holy to the Lord, the priest will judge its quality as good or bad. Whatever value the priest then sets, so it will remain. If the one who dedicated their house wishes to redeem it, they must addva fifth to its value, and the house will again become theirs.
    " ' If anyone dedicates to the Lord part of their family land, its value is to be set according to the amount of seed required for it- fifty shekels of silver to a homer of barley seed. If they dedicate their field during the Year of Jubilee, the value that has been set remains. But if they dedicate a field after Jubilee, the priest will determine the value according to the number of years that remain until the next Year if Jubilee, and its set value will be reduced. If the one who dedicates the field wishes to redeem it, they must add a fifth to its value, and the field will again become theirs. If, however, they do not redeem the field, or if they have sold it to someone else, it can never be redeemed. When the field is released UN the Jubilee, it will become holy, like a field devoted to the Lord; it will become priestly property.
    " ' If anyone dedicates to the Lord a field they have bought, which is not part of their family land" the priest will determine its value up to the Year of Jubilee,  and the owner must pay its value on that day as something holy to the Lord. In the Year of Jubilee the field will revert to the person from whom it was bought, the one whose kandbit was. Every value is to be set according to the sanctuary shekel, twenty gerahs to the shekel.
    " ' No one, however, may dedicate the firstborn of an animal, since the firstborn already belongs to the Lord; whether an ox or a sheep, it Is the Lord's. If it Is one of the unclean animals, it may be bought back at its set value" adding a fifth ofvthe value to it. If it is not redeemed, it is to be sold at its set value.
    " ' But nothing thatva person owns and devotes to the Lord- whether a human being it an animal or a family land- may be sold or redemed; everything so devoted is most holy to the Lord.
    " ' No person devoted to destruction may be ransomed; they are to be put to death.
    " 'A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. Whoever would redeem any of their tithe must add a fifth of the value to it. Every tithe of the herd and flock-every tenth animal that passes under the shepard's rod will be holy to the Lord. No one may pIck out the good from the bad or make any substitution, both animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed."
    These are the commands the Lord gave Moses at Mount Sinai for the Israelites.

LEVITICUS 26

" ' Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the Lord your God.
    " ' Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence fir my sanctuary. I am the Lord.
    " ' If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in itsbseason, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live safely in your land.
    " ' I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove wild beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.
    " ' I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. You will still be eating last year's harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars if your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.
    " ' But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, then I will do this to you: I will bring on you sudden terror, wasting diseases andvfever that will destroy your sight and sap your strength. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you.
    " ' If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you fir your sins seven times over. I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soul will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of your land yield their fruit.
    " : If you remain hostile toward ma and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions seven times over, as your sins deserve. I will send wild animals against you, and they will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle and make you so few in number that your roads will be deserted.
    " ' If in spite if these things you do not accept my correction but continue to be hostile toward me, I myself will be hostile toward you and will afflict you for your sins seven times over. And I will bring the sword on you to avenge the breaking of the covenant. When you withdraw intob your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be given into enemy hands. When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will be able to bake your bread in one oven, and they will dole out the bread by weight. You will eat, but you will not be satisfied.
    " ' If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over. You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters. I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor you. I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings. I myself will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who live there will be appalled. I will scatter you among the nations and I will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laud waste, and your cities will lie in ruins. Then the land will enjoy its Sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. All the time that it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not have during the Sabbaths you lived in it.
    " : As for those of you who are left, I will make their hearts so fearful in the lands of their enemies that the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. They will run as though fleeing from the sword, and they will fall, even though no one is pursuing them. They will stumble over one another as though fleeing from the sword, even though no one is pursuing them. So you will not be able to stand before your enemies. You will perish among the nations; the land if your enemies will devour you. Those of you who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because if theirvsins; also because of their ancestors' sins they will waste away.
    " ' But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors-their unfaithfulness and their hostility toward me, which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the lands of their enemies-then when their uncircumcised heart are humbled and they pay fir their sin, I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. Fir the land will be deserted by them and will enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without then. They will pay for their sins because they rejected my laws and abhorred my decrees. Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the lord their God. But for their same I will rembember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out if Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the Lord.' "
    These are the decrees, the laws and the regulations that the Lord established at Mount Sinai between himself and the Israelites through Moses.

Four Ways to Look

Joan was struggling with some difficult issues with her children when she sat down for a worship service. Exhausted, she wanted to "resign" from motherhood. Then the speaker began to share encouragement for those who feel like quitting. These four thoughts that Joan heard that morning helped her to keep going:
    Look up and pray. Asaph prayed all night long and even expressed feelings that God had forgotten and rejected him ( PS. 77:9-10). We can tell God everything and be honest about our feelings. We can ask Him anything. His answer may not come right away or in the form we want or expect, but He won't criticize us for asking.
    Look back and remember what God has done in the past for you and others. Asaph didn't talk to God only about pain; he also recalled God's power and mighty works for him and God's people. He wrote, " I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of ling ago."
    Look forward. Think about the good that might come out. of a situation. What might you learn? What might God want to do? What do you know He will do because His ways are perfect?
    Look again. This time look at your circumstances with eyes of faith. Remind yourself that He is the God of great wonders and can be trusted.
    May these ideas help us again perspective and keep moving in our faith journey with Jesus.
    Lord, I can't help but see my problems. Help me not to be discouraged and weary, but to see You in the midst of them.
    Our problems are opportunities to discover God's solutions.

HABAKKUK 3:16-19

I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. Though the fig tree dies not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalks, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. Fir the director of music. In my stringed instruments.

MARK 1:23-45

Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, " What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us, I know who you are-the Holy one of God!" " Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. " Come out of him!" The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. The people were all so amazed that they asked eachother, " What is this? A new teaching- and with authority! He gives orders to the impure spirits and they obey him." News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee. As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: " Everyone is looking for you!" Jesus replied, " Let us go somewhere else-to the nearby villages-so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, " If you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. " I am willing," he said. " Be clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: " See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer sacrifices that Moses commanded fir your cleansing, as a testimony to them." Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

LEVITICUS 25

The Lord said to Moses at Mount Sinai, " Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ' When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe the Sabbath to the he Lord. For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a Sabbath rest, a Sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not real what grows itself or harvest the grapes of your intended vines. The land is to have a year of rest. Whatever the land yields during the Sabbath year will be food for you-for yourself, your male and female servants, and the hired worker and temporary resident who live among you, as well as for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten. " ' Count off seven Sabbath years-sevent times seven years-so that the seven Sabbath years amount to a period of forty-nine years. Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan. The fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee for you; do not sow and do not real what grows of itself or harvest the intended vines. For it is a Jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields. " ' In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to their own property. " ' If you sell land to any of your own people or buy land from them, do not take advantage of each other. You are to buy from your own people on the basis of the number of years since the Jubilee. And they are to sell you on the basis of the number of years left for harvesting crops. When the years are many, you are to increase the price, and when the years are few, you are to decrease the price, because what is really being sold to you is the number of crops. Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the Lord your God. " ' Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely in the land. Then the land will yield it's fruit, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety. You may ask, " What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?" I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years. While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in. " ' The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers. Throughout the land that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land. " ' If one of your fellow Israelites becomes like and sells some of their property, their nearest relative is to come and redeem what they have sold. If, however, there is no one to redeem it for them but later on they prosper and acquire sufficient means to redeem it themselves, they are to determine the value for the years since they sold it and refund the balance to the one to whom they sold it; they can go back to their own property. But if they do not acquire the means to repay, what was sold will remain in the possession of the buyer until the Year of Jubilee. It will be returned in the Jubilee, and they can then go back to their property. " ' Anyone who sells a house in a walled city retains the right of redemption a full year after its sale. During that time the seller may redeem it. If it is not redeemed before a full year has passed, the house in the walled city shall belong permanently to the buyer and the buyer's descendants. It is not to be returned in the Jubilee. But houses in villages without walls around them are to be considered as belonging to the open country. They can be redeemed, and they are to be returned in the Jubilee. " ' The Levite's always have the right to redeem their houses in the Levitical towns, which they possess. So the property of the Levite's is redeemable-that is, a house sold in any town they hold- and is to be returned in the Jubilee, because the houses in the towns of the Levites are their property among the Israelites. But the pastureland belonging to their towns must not be sold; it to s their permanent possession. " ' If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you. Do not have ake interest or any profit from them, but fear your God, so that they may continue to live among you. You must not lend them money at interest or sell them food at a profit. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God. " ' If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to you, do not make them work as slaves. They are to be treated as hired workers or temporary residents among you; they are to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. Then they and their children are to be released, and they will go back to their own clans and to the property of their ancestors. Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves. Do not rule over them ruthlessly, but fear your God. " ' Your male and female slaves are to come from the nation's around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly. " ' If a foreigner residing among you becomes rich and any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to the foreigner or to a member of the foreigners clan, they retain the right of redemption after they have sold themselves. One of their relatives may redeem them: An uncle or a cousin or any blood relative in their clan may redeem them. Or if they prosper, they may redeem themselves. They and their buyer are to count the time from the Year they sold themselves up to the Year of Jubilee. The price of their release is to be based on the rate paid to a hired worker for that number of years. If many years remain, they must pay for their redemption a larger share of the price paid for them. If only a few years remain until the Year of Jubilee, they are to compute that and pay for their redemption accordingly. They are to be treated as workers hired from year to year; you must see to it that those to whom they owe service do not rule over them ruthlessly. " ' Even if someone is not redeemed in any of these ways, they and their children are to be released in the Year if Jubilee, for the Israelites belong to me as servants. They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.