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February 19

Reading 1 - Exodus 30

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v.34 - Here we have the spices that are used to make up the incense for the altar, which should burn perpetually (v.8) throughout their generations. It had to be the right incense as any other was classed as strange incense(v.9). Stacte is from a root meaning "to distil," and it has been by some interpreted as distilled myrrh. Others regard it as the gum of the storax tree, or rather shrub, the Styrax officinale. Onycha is the claw or nail of the strombus or wing-shell, a univalve common in the Red Sea. Galbanum is a gum, probably from the Galbanum officinale. Lastly frankincense an odorous resin imported from Arabia (Isa 60:6, Jer 6:20) yet also growing in Palestine (So 4:14).
Peter Cresswell
v.12 - It seems that the whole concept of numbering is quite unacceptable to God. Throughout the Old Testament, it seems it was a sin to count people, and yet by the time we reach the time of Jesus and the establishment of the early church, there are quite a lot of numbers given. Is this just a change in social acceptability or is it a deliberate change of reporting by God?
Peter Cresswell
:12 Provision was made for numbering the people. Because the people belonged to God and not the king or other human leader they were not to be counted to enable him to say that he ruled over so many people. Therefore a requirement was made that a 'ransom' 3724 was to be paid to God. The ransom was to be a 'covering' So when David numbers the people and the people are punished with a 'pestilence' 2 Samuel 24:13 the 'plague' Exodus 30:12 of this provision under the law is operating.
Peter Forbes
:18-19 The laver for washing is typical of the Word of God - we are washed by the Word - Ephesians 5:26
Peter Forbes

Reading 2 - Psalms 87 & 88

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Psalm 87 - In this Psalm we have a fulcrum of our Zion studies that we have already undertaken. Here we have Jesus (v.2) portrayed as the gate by which we are able to enter the holy city (Rev.22:14). Our hymn that is based on v.3 of this Psalm also draws heavily on Revelation (eg. 2:17). Here is a Psalm of the time of the end. And what do we find then? v.5,6. May it be said of us that we were born there. May we be among those that are written in God's book of life. Luke 10:20, Phil.4:3, Rev.13:8, 20:15
Peter Cresswell
Psalm 88 - It seems that we have David here in a very depressed state. The man who we are constantly reminded is a man after God's own heart, is nevertheless suffering just as we do. Suffering is not a consequence of specific sin - it is an experience we all have and from which there is the potential to learn great things, as David clearly did.
Peter Cresswell
87:5 Being 'born' in Zion does not relate to physical birth. The place of our nativity is of little consequence. However how we view Zion really does matter. If we view it as our spiritual 'home' then we might say we were 'born' there. If we have this view then we will mourn for Zion [Isaiah 61:3] and will eventually be comforted.

88:10 Whilst we might use this verse to prove that death end consciousness this is not why the Psalmist says this. Rather he is telling God that if he dies then his ability to praise Him will end. He sees death as the destruction of the fellowship that he has with his God and the enc, therefore, of his praise of Him. By contrast continuing to live will enable him to praise God. Is this how we view our lives? As an opportunity to praise Him - not just in hymns but in the way that we live.
Peter Forbes

87:2 It is clear that Zion is the 'place' of God's choosing. It was David's desire to bring the ark there (Psalm 132:4-5) Is the concept of God dwelling in Zion the driving force in our lives?

88:1, 9, 13 On three occasions the Psalmist says that he has called upon God - but this is not 'vain repetition. The Psalmist is desperate for God to work. Notice it is three times (2 Corinthians 12:8)
Peter Forbes

Psa 88 - THE THING TO DO IN TROUBLE
There is only one thing to do and one place to turn when trouble comes in our lives. We must follow the example of the psalmist by turning to God and pouring our heart out to Him in prayer.
We need to begin by trusting that God can and will save us. The Psalmist had complete confidence that God would save him even right at the beginning of this prayer. He addressed the Psalm to the "LORD the God who saves me."
Then we must tell our burdens to God. I once learnt Philippians 4 v 6 - 7 off by heart (thanks to Bob Lloyd) from another translation. It goes like this, "Don't worry over anything whatever. Tell God every detail of your needs in earnest and thankful prayer, and the peace of God which transcends all human understanding will keep constant guard over your minds and hearts as the rest in Christ Jesus." When we pray let us tell God all the details of our feelings, needs and burdens. This is what the Psalmist did.
And lastly, keep praying. The Psalmist prayed every day and every morning. Do these things and they will be the best things you can ever do in trouble
Robert Prins

Reading 3 - Mark 15 & 16

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15v.32 - The reviling that occurred here is taken from the few words that Jesus did say during the time of his trial period - ch.14:61,62 - while talking with the high priest. Maybe it helps us to see why he said nothing - knowing that what he said would be thrown back in is face in this way. And yet we know that he withstood these insults for us, and let us rejoice in that. Zech.9:9
Peter Cresswell

15:21 Alexander and Rufus are names which are found in the rest of the New Testament. Romans 16:13 Rufus, Alexander Acts 19:33 1 Timothy 1:20 2 Timothy 4:14 If this Alexander is the one mentioned in the Gospel then we see two sons going in opposite directions. One followed in the steps of his father 'carrying his cross' the other opposed the cross of Christ.
15:33 The darkness from the sixth hour was the fulfilment of Amos 8:9 Amos is a powerful prophecy of the death of God's only son. The mourning for an 'only son' Amos 8:10 uses a rather unusual word to speak of the 'only son'. It is the word used of Isaac Genesis 22:1 and is the basis for the mourning Zechariah 12:10 and is the 'darling' of Psalm 22:20 35:17
16:7 he goeth before you to Galilee This is why the disciples went to Galilee Matthew 28:7 Though they did not go to Galilee until after the appearances in Jerusalem and so were in Jerusalem for at least another eight days. John 20:26
16:19 In common with Luke Mark seems to collapse the events of the remaining forty days together. If all we had was Mark and Luke we would know nothing of the appearances of Jesus in Galilee. The occasion mentioned here must be the time after the Galilee appearances when Jesus met them in the city and took them as far as Bethany, as Luke describes it. Luke 24:50 From where he was [near to] when he ascended to heaven, on the mount of Olives.
Peter Forbes

14:61 15:2, 5 'answered nothing' should remind us of the prophecy of Isaiah - 'as a sheep … so he opened not his mouth' [Isa 53:7]
:16 'led' continues to echo the sacrifice language.
:39 Consider how often in the New Testament centurions are cast in a good light. How many centurions were impressed by the gospel? How many responded to the gospel? May it be that we are being introduced to one centurion in different locations who eventually accepted the gospel?

16:9, 12, 14 present a threefold 'appeared' 'that in the mouth of two or three witnesses …' [Deuteronomy 19:15]. This powerful testimony to the resurrection of Jesus is developed [1 Corinthians 15:3-8]. We should not underestimate the power of these eye witness accounts. The fact that we are now 2,000 years on from the event does not make the testimony of eyewitnesses any less credible.

16:15 In commanding the disciples to preach to 'every creature' we have the origins of the language [Colossians 1:23] where Paul informs us that the words of Jesus actually have been fulfilled. So, without wishing to say that we no longer need to preach, the work has been done. It is not as if our preaching if doing a work that the apostles did not do. They completed the job in their day and we are repeating the work, as far as we are able without the Spirit gifts.
Peter Forbes

15:36 The way in which 'one ran …' is quite different from the mocking which had occurred earlier in the crucifixion. Maybe the fact that it was now dark - a most unexpected event at mid day - caused the change in attitudes and response to Jesus' situation.

16 - With respect to the resurrection of Jesus the emphasis is on 'very early in the morning on the first day of the week (:2, 9). Jesus is the second Adam - so does this give some indication as to the time of day that Adam was made from the dust of the ground?
Peter Forbes

15:34 - Modern day Hebrew: "Eli, Eli lamah Sabachthani" (some of the watchers at the scene said he calls for Elijah etc.) One wonders why a person had that thought.

It is helpful to know the Hebrew grammar rule: personal pronouns like me/my, your/yours, his/hers etc. have the last letter of each pronoun tacked onto the end of nouns. In this case, 'Eli' equals 'El' =God and 'i' =my, because the personal pronoun for my ='li' therefore cross off the letter 'L' and put the last letter i on to the noun God, it then translates into Eli.

Lamah =why, and Sabachthani =abandon, use the same grammar rule as above, which means Sabachthani translates as 'abandon me'

Note also: in the AV of the Bible, 'why' is spelt 'lama', but because very very few Hebrew words end with a vowel, many many times the letter 'h' is tacked onto the end of a word, so-in-this-case it is correct to spell 'why' as 'lamah'
Beryl Butler