Feb 14, 2022
EXODUS 29:
In
our reading in Exodus yesterday, we heard about the design of the
altar for burnt offerings and the plans for the courtyard. The
dimensions we heard the day before were for the sacred tent that
was enclosed by the courtyard that we heard about yesterday. And we
read about the fabulous garments for the priests, Aaron, and his
sons.
PSALM 3:
As
the title for today’s Psalm says, this is “A Psalm of David,
regarding the time David fled from his son Absalom.” The ancient
titles in the Psalms were written by the rabbis at a time much
later than David’s, so we need not consider the titles as part of
the sacred text.
Found at various strategic points in the Psalms is the word ‘Selah’. This has been variously translated. The truth is, we don’t know what it means! But people conjecture that it is a musical term, and it likely could have signaled an interlude. I suspect it could be a repetition mark. Whatever it is, it likely would have had the effect of allowing the listener to pause and reflect on what was just performed or communicated.
Luke 4a:
Yesterday we heard of John the Baptist's
ministry and imprisonment, and the genealogy of Jesus.
The genealogy in Luke starts a bit differently, with the words, “He was the son (as was supposed) of Joseph.” These words alone are not enough to substantiate the claim that this genealogy is that of Mary. One thing we can say, only Mary could have supplied the information we heard in the first two chapters of Luke.