magdelena2021

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Numbers 10 - God told Israel to make two silver trumpets to sound out when assembling or setting out.

Luke 8 - Jesus raises Jairus' daughter from the dead.

Psalm 126 - The singer hopes that God will comfort His people and rescue them from their troubles.

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The Bible in Art: The woman with an issue of blood.

As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years,[c] but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

When they all denied it, Peter said, ��Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”

46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”

47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

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Numbers 9 - The cloud of the Lord's presence hangs over the Tabernacle.

Luke 8 - A woman with an issue of blood reaches out to touch Jesus' robe. She believed that just doing that would cure her... and so it was.

Psalm 125 - The singer rejoices in the power of the Lord and prays that God bless the righteous and punish the evil.

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I have a new thing I am doing! I will go through the lectionary every day and commemorate important days in the church.

Today's bible passage comes from Matthew 28.

While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, "You must say, `His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.' If this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." So they took the money and did as they were directed.

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Numbers 8 reminds us that the Levites were set apart from the rest of the Israelites to serve God in His temple.

Luke 8 Jesus restores a man who has been possessed by demons. Jesus drove the demons into a herd of pigs. This was significant for the people reading the Bible back in the day; pigs were unclean animals to the Jews.

Psalm 124 - David sang this song after he was successful in battle, and he gave the glory to God, saying that he would have lost if God had not been with him.

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Easter Sunday in Art.

He was dead.

It appeared that the Romans had won. And Pilate took pains to make sure that Jesus stayed dead.

Matthew 27:62 - 66 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

And yet, here is the empty tomb.

Luke 24 1-3 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

There was an angel in the tomb, sitting where Jesus' body had lain.

Matthew 28:5 - 7 5  The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

Jesus appeared to Mary Magdelene.

John 20 14-18. 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic,[b] “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

And Jesus appeared next to the Disciples.

John 20 19-20 19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews,[c] Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 

Glory to the Lord, and may the miracle of Easter make your hearts glad this day and always.

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For this Holy Saturday I am putting aside my normal Bible study to showcase art that celebrates the day between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday.

Today is the Harrowing of Hell. Today is the day that He descended into Hell and guided the faithful to Paradise. This was the day that He battled Death and won. Thanks to the Lord for the Harrowing of Hell, for that puts us on the road to Salvation.

Glory be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. He is coming to set us free.

In this one, Jesus reaches out to Abraham and Moses. John the Baptist speaks to King David, and Adam and Eve see their sins forgiven.

Some images capture the gritty despair of Hell as Jesus arrives to rescue His people.

Some are primitive, almost childlike in the level of their craftsmanship

And others are iconic. Here again are Moses, John the Baptist and King David, rejoicing that Satan's grip on death has been released.

May you all have a prayerful Holy Saturday as we await the coming of the Lord.

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Numbers 7 - The Torah donates an entire chapter enumerating every offering made by every tribe... even though every tribe gave the same offering. I wonder if that is the single most repetitive chapter in the Bible.

Good Friday observation: The Crucifixion, unsanitized. This was a brutal, heartbreaking affair. Those of us alive today have never encountered anything this horrible. I still have difficulty believing there were people capable of doing this to anybody, even a criminal. And yet this most horrific and degrading of deaths was the means by which Jesus Christ became our Savior and Lord of Lords.

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Numbers 6 discusses how a Nazarite enters into their vow. However, the most interesting part of this chapter is the verse shown above. We used to sing it in choir.

Luke 8 - Jesus calms the storm.

Psalm 123 begs the Lord for mercy in a troubled time.

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Numbers 5 presents a ritual in which a woman accused of adultery must drink "bitter water." It is unclear what the Bible means, but some have interpreted this to mean that if she "fails" the test, she will have a miscarriage and be unable to bear children thereafter.

Luke 8 contains one version of the Parable of the Sower. Lord, please help me be fertile soil.

Psalm 122 sings about Jerusalem.

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Numbers 4 - The Kohathites are assigned to take care of the Holy Things in the Temple.

Luke 7 - A woman who had led a sinful life anointed Jesus' feet with a bottle of perfume. When the Pharisees told Jesus that she was sinful, Jesus pointed out that people who are forgiven for much will love more than those who are forgiven for little.

In Psalm 121 the singer is assured that God will care for them.

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Numbers 3 - The Levites are set aside to be special in Israel, belonging to the Lord. They are the priests, and they take the place of the firstborn.

Luke 7 -

Luke 7 - John the Baptist sends followers to ask if Jesus is the Messiah, and He tells them to look at His preaching and His miracles. Then He proclaims that John the Baptist was also foretold, for he was the one sent to make way for the coming of the Lord.

In Psalm 120, the singer laments the work of evildoers.

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This picture shows the layout of the encampments for Israel at the beginning of Numbers 2.

Luke 7 - Jesus brings the widow's son back to life. The theme of dead people being resurrected is scattered throughout the Gospels.

In this very long psalm, David proclaims his love for God's law and he begs the Lord to teach him how to live his life in faith and obedience.

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Numbers 1 - Moses takes a census of the Israelites. My research today suggests that many Bible historians think the numbers may have been exaggerated.

Luke 7 - A Roman centurion comes to Jesus and asks that He heal his servant. He doesn't even think Jesus needs to come to the house; the centurion believes that Jesus can say the word, and his servant will be healed. Jesus is overjoyed to hear his declaration of faith.

Psalm 118 declares that the stone the builders rejected became the cornerstone. The psalmist did not know it, but he foretold the coming of Jesus.

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Leviticus 27 prescribes the worth in shekels of anything offered up as a vow. Centuries later, Jesus would tell His followers not to make vows.

Luke 6 - Those who build their lives on love and faithfulness to God are like the man who built his house upon the rock. Those who ignore God are like the man who built his house upon the sand. When the tempests of life come, the man who builds upon a firm foundation will be able to weather the storm.

Psalm 117 is a short song of praise, presented here in its entirety

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Leviticus 26 - God promises great blessings to Israel if they follow His commandments, but great curses if they do not obey Him.

Luke 6 - Jesus advises his followers not to pass judgement on others. As He points out, a person who judges another because he has a speck in his eye may have a plank in his own.

Psalm 116 praises the Lord who has rescued them from sickness or hardship.

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Leviticus 25 - God commanded the Jews to observe Sabbath years and the Year of Jubilee. Sabbath years made it possible for the land to lie fallow and rest. The Year of Jubilee was the year in which slaves were freed of bondage.

Luke 6 - Luke also covers the Beatitudes, and offers commandments to Christians in this age as well as that one.

Psalm 113 is a song of praise.