Thoughts and Reflection

We made it! Today is the last day of Egypt and Exodus and is 51 days into this journey. Hard to believe but it has gone very quickly. In both the Old and New Covenants, God shapes us through worship. Through Baptism we are consecrated from something ordinary to extraordinary.

We also read that when there is a cloud over the tabernacle, the Israelites move forward. If the cloud remains, they wait. We are called to wait on the Lord, moving when he calls us to move and staying when he calls us to stay. Sometimes God will ask us for a sacrifice and other times we give him something because he has moved our hearts.

Daily Readings

Exodus 39

¹ From the violet-purple, red-purple and crimson materials, they made the liturgical vestments for service in the sanctuary. They made the sacred vestments for Aaron, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

² They made the ephod of gold, of violet-purple, red-purple and crimson materials and finely woven linen.

³ They beat gold into thin plates and cut these into threads to work into the violet-purple, red-purple and crimson materials and the fine linen by needlework.

⁴ For the ephod they made shoulder-straps which were joined to it at its two edges.

⁵ The waistband on the ephod to hold it in position, was of a piece with it and of the same workmanship: of gold, violet-purple, red-purple and finely woven linen, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

⁶ They worked the cornelians, mounted in gold setting, and engraved, like an engraved seal, with the names of the sons of Israel,

⁷ and put the stones on the shoulder-straps of the ephod, to commemorate the sons of Israel, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

⁸ They made the breastplate of the same embroidered work as the ephod: of gold, violet-purple, red-purple and crimson materials and finely woven linen.

⁹ It was square and doubled over, a span in length and a span in width.

¹⁰ In it they set four rows of stones: a sard, a topaz and an emerald, for the first row;

¹¹ for the second row, a garnet, a sapphire and a diamond;

¹² for the third row, a hyacinth, a ruby and an amethyst;

¹³ and for the fourth row, a beryl, a cornelian and a jasper: mounted in gold settings,

¹⁴ the stones corresponding to the names of the sons of Israel, twelve like their names, engraved like seals, each with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

¹⁵ For the breastplate they made chains of pure gold twisted like cords,

¹⁶ and they made two gold rosettes and two gold rings, putting the two rings on the two outside edges of the breastplate

¹⁷ and fastening the two gold cords to the two rings on the outside edges of the breastplate.

¹⁸ The other two ends of the cords they fastened to the two rosettes, putting these on the shoulder-straps of the ephod, on the front.

¹⁹ They also made two gold rings and put them on the two outside edges of the breastplate, on the inner side, against the ephod;

²⁰ and they made two more gold rings and put them low down on the front of the two shoulder-straps of the ephod, close to the join, above the waistband of the ephod.

²¹ They secured the pectoral by a violet-purple cord passed through its rings and those of the ephod, so that the pectoral would sit above the waistband and not come apart from the ephod, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

²² They made the robe of the ephod woven entirely of violet-purple.

²³ The opening in the centre of the robe was like the neck of a coat of mail; round the opening was a border, so that it would not get torn.

²⁴ On the lower hem of the robe, they made pomegranates of violet-purple, red-purple and crimson and finely woven linen,

²⁵ and made bells of pure gold, putting the bells between the pomegranates all round the lower hem of the robe:

²⁶ alternately, a bell and then a pomegranate, all round the lower hem of the robe of office, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

²⁷ They made the tunics of finely woven linen for Aaron and his sons,

²⁸ the turban of fine linen, the head-dresses of fine linen, the breeches of finely woven linen,

²⁹ the waistbands of finely woven linen embroidered with violet-purple, red-purple and crimson, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

³⁰ They also made the flower — the symbol of holy consecration — of pure gold and on it, like an engraved seal, they engraved, ‘Consecrated to Yahweh’.

³¹ They put it on a violet-purple cord, to fasten it high up on the turban, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

³² So all the work for the Dwelling, for the Tent of Meeting, was completed. They had done everything exactly as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

³³ They then brought Moses the Dwelling, the Tent and all its accessories: its clasps, frames, crossbars, poles and sockets;

³⁴ the cover of rams’ skins dyed red, the cover of fine leather and the screening curtain;

³⁵ the ark of the Testimony and its shafts, and the mercy-seat;

³⁶ the table, all its accessories and the loaves of permanent offering;

³⁷ the lamp-stand of pure gold, its lamps — the array of lamps — and all its accessories, and the oil for the light;

³⁸ the golden altar, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense and the screen for the entrance to the tent;

³⁹ the bronze altar and its bronze grating, its shafts and all its accessories; the basin and its stand;

⁴⁰ the curtaining for the court, its poles, its sockets, and the screen for the gateway to the court, its cords, its pegs and all the accessories for the service of the Dwelling, for the Tent of Meeting;

⁴¹ the liturgical vestments for officiating in the sanctuary — the sacred vestments for Aaron the priest, and the vestments for his sons — for the priestly functions.

⁴² The Israelites had done all the work exactly as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

⁴³ Moses inspected all the work: they had indeed done it as Yahweh had ordered; and Moses blessed them.

Exodus 40

¹ Yahweh then spoke to Moses and said,

² ‘On the first day of the first month, you will erect the Dwelling, the Tent of Meeting,

³ and place the ark of the Testimony in it and screen the ark with the curtain.

⁴ You will then bring in the table and arrange what has to be arranged on it. You will then bring in the lamp-stand and set up its lamps.

⁵ You will place the golden altar of incense in front of the ark of the Testimony, and place the screen at the entrance to the Dwelling.

⁶ You will place the altar of burnt offerings in front of the entrance to the Dwelling, the Tent of Meeting,

⁷ and you will place the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and fill it with water.

⁸ You will then set up the surrounding court and hang the screen at the gateway of the court.

⁹ Then, taking the anointing oil, you will anoint the Dwelling and everything inside, consecrating it and all its accessories; it will then be holy.

¹⁰ You will then anoint the altar of burnt offerings and all its accessories, consecrating the altar; the altar will then be especially holy.

¹¹ You will then anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it.

¹² You will then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, bathe them thoroughly

¹³ and then dress Aaron in the sacred vestments, and anoint and consecrate him, to serve me in the priesthood.

¹⁴ You will then bring his sons, dress them in tunics

¹⁵ and anoint them as you anointed their father, to serve me in the priesthood. Their anointing will confer an everlasting priesthood on them for all their generations to come.’

¹⁶ Moses did this; he did exactly as Yahweh had ordered him.

¹⁷ On the first day of the first month in the second year the Dwelling was erected.

¹⁸ Moses erected the Dwelling. He fixed its sockets, set up its frames, put its crossbars in position and set up its poles.

¹⁹ He spread the tent over the Dwelling and the covering for the tent over that, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

²⁰ He took the Testimony and put it in the ark, positioned the shafts on the ark and put the mercy-seat on top of the ark.

²¹ He brought the ark into the Dwelling and put the screening curtain in place, screening the ark of the Testimony, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

²² He put the table inside the Tent of Meeting, against the side of the Dwelling, on the north, outside the curtain,

²³ and on it arranged the loaves before Yahweh, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

²⁴ He put the lamp-stand inside the Tent of Meeting, opposite the table, on the south side of the Dwelling,

²⁵ and set up the lamps before Yahweh, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

²⁶ He put the golden altar inside the Tent of Meeting, in front of the curtain,

²⁷ and on it burnt fragrant incense, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

²⁸ He then put the screen at the entrance to the Dwelling.

²⁹ He put the altar of burnt offerings at the entrance to the Dwelling, to the Tent of Meeting, and on it offered the burnt offering and cereal offering, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

³⁰ He put the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it for the ablutions,

³¹ where Moses, Aaron and his sons washed their hands and feet,

³² whenever they entered the Tent of Meeting or approached the altar they washed, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

³³ He then set up the court round the Dwelling and the altar and set up the screen at the gate-way to the court. Thus Moses completed the work.

³⁴ The cloud then covered the Tent of Meeting and the glory of Yahweh filled the Dwelling.

³⁵ Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting, since the cloud stayed over it and the glory of Yahweh filled the Dwelling.

³⁶ At every stage of their journey, whenever the cloud rose from the Dwelling, the Israelites would resume their march.

³⁷ If the cloud did not rise, they would not resume their march until the day it did rise.

³⁸ For Yahweh’s cloud stayed over the Dwelling during the daytime and there was fire inside the cloud at night, for the whole House of Israel to see, at every stage of their journey.

Leviticus 27

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses and said:

² ‘Speak to the Israelites and say: “If anyone vows the value of a person to Yahweh and wishes to discharge the vow:

³ “a man between twenty and sixty years of age will be valued at fifty silver shekels — the sanctuary shekel;

⁴ a woman will be valued at thirty shekels;

⁵ “between five and twenty years, a boy will be valued at twenty shekels, a girl at ten shekels;

⁶ “between one month and five years, a boy will be valued at five silver shekels, a girl at three silver shekels;

⁷ “at sixty years and over, a man will be valued at fifteen shekels and a woman at ten shekels.

⁸ “If the person who made the vow cannot meet this valuation, he will present the person concerned to the priest, and the priest will set a value proportionate to the resources of the person who made the vow.

⁹ “In the case of an animal suitable for offering to Yahweh, any such animal given to Yahweh will be holy.

¹⁰ It cannot be exchanged or replaced, a good one instead of a bad one, or a bad one instead of a good one. If one animal is substituted for another, both of them will become holy.

¹¹ In the case of an unclean animal unsuitable for offering to Yahweh, whatever it may be, it will be presented to the priest

¹² and he will set a value on it, in relation to its worth. His valuation will be decisive;

¹³ but if the person wishes to redeem it, he will add one-fifth to the valuation.

¹⁴ “If a man consecrates his house to Yahweh, the priest will set a value on it, in relation to its worth. His valuation will be decisive.

¹⁵ If the man who has vowed his house wishes to redeem it, he will add one-fifth to the valuation, and it will revert to him.

¹⁶ “If a man consecrates one of the fields of his ancestral property to Yahweh, its value will be calculated in terms of its yield, at the rate of fifty silver shekels to one homer of barley.

¹⁷ “If he consecrates the field during the jubilee year, he will abide by this valuation.

¹⁸ But if he consecrates it after the jubilee, the priest will calculate the price in terms of the number of years still to run until the next jubilee and the valuation will be reduced accordingly.

¹⁹ “If he wishes to redeem the field, he will add one-fifth to the valuation, and the field will revert to him.

²⁰ If he does not redeem it but sells it to someone else, the right of redemption ceases;

²¹ when the purchaser has to vacate it at the jubilee year, it becomes consecrated to Yahweh, like a field vowed unconditionally; ownership of it passes to the priest.

²² “If he consecrates to Yahweh a field which he has bought, but which is not part of his ancestral property,

²³ the priest will calculate the valuation in terms of the number of years still to run before the jubilee year; and the man will pay this sum the same day since it is consecrated to Yahweh.

²⁴ In the jubilee year the field will revert to the vendor, the man to whose ancestral property the land belongs.

²⁵ All your valuations will be made in sanctuary shekels, at the rate of twenty gerah to the shekel.

²⁶ “The first-born of livestock is born to Yahweh; no one may consecrate it, whether it be cattle or sheep, for it belongs to Yahwehanyway.

²⁷ But if it is an unclean animal, it may be redeemed at the valuation price with one-fifth added; if the animal is not redeemed, it will be sold at the valuation price.

²⁸ “Nothing, however, that someone vows unconditionally to Yahweh may be redeemed, nothing he possesses, be it a human being or animal or field of his ancestral property. What is vowed unconditionally is especially holy and belongs to Yahweh.

²⁹ A human being vowed unconditionally cannot be redeemed but will be put to death.

³⁰ “All tithes on land, levied on the produce of the soil or on the fruit of trees, belong to Yahweh; they are consecrated to Yahweh.

³¹ If anyone wishes to redeem part of his tithe, he will add one-fifth to its value.

³² “In all tithes on herds or flocks, the tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman’s staff will be consecrated to Yahweh;

³³ there will be no examining whether it is good or bad, and no substitution. If substitution takes place, the animal and its substitute willboth become holy without possibility of redemption.” ‘

³⁴ Such were the orders which Yahweh gave Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites.

Psalm 83

¹ [Song Psalm Of Asaph] God, do not remain silent, do not stay quiet or unmoved, God!

² See how your enemies are in uproar, how those who hate you are rearing their heads.

³ They are laying plans against your people, conspiring against those you cherish;

⁴ they say, ‘Come, let us annihilate them as a nation, the name of Israel shall be remembered no more!’

⁵ They conspire with a single mind, they conclude an alliance against you,

⁶ the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites,

⁷ Gebal, Ammon, Amalek, Philistia and the Tyrians;

⁸ even Assyria has joined them to reinforce the children of Lot.

⁹ Treat them like Midian and Sisera, like Jabin at the river Kishon;

¹⁰ wiped out at En-Dor, they served to manure the ground.

¹¹ Treat their leaders like Oreb and Zeeb, all their commanders like Zebah and Zalmunna,

¹² for they said, ‘Let us take for ourselves God’s settlements.’

¹³ My God, treat them like thistledown, like chaff at the mercy of the wind.

¹⁴ As fire devours a forest, as a flame sets mountains ablaze,

¹⁵ so drive them away with your tempest, by your whirlwind fill them with terror.

¹⁶ Shame written all over their faces, let them seek your name, Yahweh!

¹⁷ Dishonour and terror be always theirs, death also and destruction.

¹⁸ Let them know that you alone bear the name of Yahweh, Most High over all the earth.