WTW 2021
20 December
Malachi 2

We easily gloss over the tribes when it seems fitting but at other times we emphasize them.

Here is a question

There have been many covenants.
There was a covenant of Noah, a covenant of Abraham.

What we call the old covenant or first covenant was the covenant of Moses of the tribe of Levi.

Muslims say the Messiah had to be of the tribe of Levi also.

Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah

In light of these things, here are some intriguing verses from today’s chapter in this week’s study of Malachi.

And you will know that I have sent you this warning so that my covenant with Levi may continue,” says the Lord Almighty. “My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin. Judah has been unfaithful. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves by marrying women who worship a foreign god. As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the Lord remove him from the tents of Jacob—even though he brings an offering to the Lord Almighty.
Malachi 2:4‭-‬6‭, ‬11‭-‬12

Do Levi and Judah still hold any significance under the new covenant in the blood of the Lamb and Lion of the Tribe of Judah?

You are beautiful beyond description
Too marvelous for words
Too wonderful for comprehension
Like nothing ever seen or heard

Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom?
Who can fathom the depths of Your love?
You are wonderful beyond description
Majesty enthroned above

And I stand
I stand
In awe of You

LORD, I stand
I stand
In awe of You

Holy God
To Whom
All praise is due

I stand in awe of You

WTW 2021
19 December
Malachi 1

The Altar, Yahweh’s Table
“Hinneh matela’ah vehipakhtem o’v’to”
“What a pain, you snort at it, [puh].”

“A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says Yahweh Almighty*. “It is you priests who show contempt for my name. “But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’ “By offering defiled food on my altar. “But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ “By saying that Yahweh’s table is contemptible. “But you profane it by saying, ‘Yahweh’s table is defiled,’ and, ‘Its food is contemptible.’ And you say,

‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously,”

says Yahweh Almighty*. “When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says Yahweh.
Malachi 1:6 – 7 , 12 – 13

*YHVH Tsvaoth
Yahweh of army hosts
Commander, General

When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us. The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs. From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at *MYRA* in Lycia. There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.
Acts 27:1‭-‬8

WTW 2021
13 December
Faith in Action

I pray that your koinonia with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.
Philemon 1:6

Read the WORD every day, yes.

Study the WORD, meditate on it.

Yes.

Pray & worship, yes.

Obey the WORD, give freely. Be filled with the SPIRIT, yes.

Sing songs, hymns & spiritual songs.

Yes.

In all your doing, don’t forget that to be being filled daily with a full understanding of Christ, comes only as a result, not of study or disciplined attendance or giving etc etc.

This full daily deepening understanding of the fullness of this treasure we have in Christ comes only as a result of ALSO being in koinonia relationship, partnership, fellowship, discipleship with the people of God. We are to be daily active in sharing the truth of these things we also have now received by this same faith, this faith itself which we have received, so that others may share also in this faith as precious as our own.

Who are you initiating new good news conversation with this morning?

Please pray for Keith and 2 Ryans, 2 Jacobs, 2 Joshuas and Kevin this morning.

Yob 30 – Tehillim 30

Part 2

“I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at me. You turn on me ruthlessly; with the might of your hand you attack me. You snatch me up and drive me before the wind; you toss me about in the storm. I know you will bring me down to death, to the place appointed for all the living. “Surely no one lays a hand on a broken man when he cries for help in his distress. Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor? Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness. The churning inside me never stops; days of suffering confront me. I go about blackened, but not by the sun; I stand up in the assembly and cry for help. I have become a brother of jackals, a companion of owls. My skin grows black and peels; my body burns with fever. My lyre is tuned to mourning, and my pipe to the sound of wailing.

Job 30:20‭-‬31

…

I will exalt you, Yahweh, for You lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. Yahweh Elohaynu, I called to You for help, and you healed me. You, Yahweh, brought me up from sheol; You spared me from going down. Sing the praises of Yahweh, you His faithful people; praise His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.” Yahweh, when You favored me, You made my royal mountain stand firm; but when You hid your face, I was dismayed. To You, Yahweh, I called; to Yahweh I cried for mercy: “What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to sheol? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? Hear, Yahweh, and be merciful to me; Yahweh, be my help.” You turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Yahweh Elohaynu, I will praise You forever.
Psalm 30:1 – 12

Yob 30 – Tehillim 30

“But now they mock me, men younger than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to put with my sheep dogs. Of what use was the strength of their hands to me, since their vigor had gone from them? Haggard from want and hunger, they roamed the parched land in desolate wastelands at night. In the brush they gathered salt herbs, and their food was the root of the broom bush. They were banished from human society, shouted at as if they were thieves. They were forced to live in the dry stream beds, among the rocks and in holes in the ground. They brayed among the bushes and huddled in the undergrowth. A base and nameless brood, they were driven out of the land. “And now those young men mock me in song; I have become a byword among them. They detest me and keep their distance; they do not hesitate to spit in my face. Now that God has unstrung my bow and afflicted me, they throw off restraint in my presence. On my right the tribe attacks; they lay snares for my feet, they build their siege ramps against me.
Job 30:1 – 12

…

I will exalt you, Yahweh, for You lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. Yahweh Elohaynu, I called to You for help, and you healed me. You, Yahweh, brought me up from sheol; You spared me from going down. Sing the praises of Yahweh, you His faithful people; praise His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.” Yahweh, when You favored me, You made my royal mountain stand firm; but when You hid your face, I was dismayed. To You, Yahweh, I called; to Yahweh I cried for mercy: “What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to sheol? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? Hear, Yahweh, and be merciful to me; Yahweh, be my help.” You turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Yahweh Elohaynu, I will praise You forever.
Psalm 30:1 – 12

WTW 2021
30 November
Job 30

You Just Stare at Me

In his great power God becomes like a straight jacket to me; he binds me like the neck of my garment. He throws me into the mud, and I am reduced to dust and ashes. “I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at me.
Job 30:18 – 20

Never before studied, never before noticed, Job 30 stands out even beyond the weeping Lamentations of Jeremiah, the cry of Jonah from the depths of the abyss, and (almost sacreligiously so) approaching the loud cries of messiah, crushed and echoing across the ages..

Eloi Eloi lama sabachtani…

Job 30 is, in its depth of the horror of abandonment by God, the exact counterpart of the depths of the saving love and favor of God known in that deep song of Erin.

O the deep, deep love of Jesus
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free,
rolling as a mighty ocean
in its fullness over me.
Underneath me, all around me,
is the current of Thy love;
leading onward, leading homeward,
to Thy glorious rest above.

---

*reminiscent of Invictus Redeemed

Wisdom in the WORD
Daily Discipleship
10 Day Trial Track

Day 1
1. Read: Psalm 1
2. Write: What word stands out to you?
3. Share: Tell someone about this chapter.

Day 2
1. Read: Psalm 42
2. Write: Are you up or down today? Why?
3. Engage: Join a local small group.

Day 3
1. Read: Psalm 73
2. Write: Does this encourage or convict?
3. Share: Post a thought to the blog.

Day 4
1. Read: Psalm 90
2. Write: What is your heart cry today?
3. Engage: Join a WTW asynchronous group.

Day 5
1. Read: Psalm 107
2. Write: Write your salvation testimony.
3. Share: Post a thought to the blog.

Day 6
1. Read: John 3
2. Write: What can you learn from Nicodemus?
3. Engage: Join a WTW zoom group.

Day 7
1. Read: Acts 1
2. Write: What do you want to see God do?
3. Share: Post a thought to the blog.

Day 8
1. Read: Romans 12
2. Write: What is your favorite point here?
3. Engage: Meet with 2-3 others to share more.

Day 9
1. Read: 1 Corinthians 13
2. Write: How can love transform you more?
3. Share: Post a thought to the blog.

Day 10
1. Read: Galatians 5
2. Write: How is your walk with God’s Spirit?
3. Engage: Continue the discipleship journey.

Exploring a Guiding Principle

Bread, Wine & Air
– The WORD for guiding doctrine
– The SPIRIT for specific direction
– PRAYER for sustaining life

_

Some Application

• Our own spirit must not be permitted to propose guiding doctrine. For that we must go to the WORD.

• We must use caution in seeking specific, narrow or day to day direction in life choices by following the letter of the WORD. For that we must walk in the SPIRIT.

• For sustaining daily life along with both bread and wine, we must breathe continuously.