june 2012 bible reading schedule

day	torah	psalms / proverbs	new testament
1	naso:	pro 1	2 cor 6
2 sabbath	num 4:21-7:89	pro 2
3 sunday	jud 13:2-25	pro 3
4		pro 4	2 cor 7
5		pro 5	2 cor 8
6		pro 6	2 cor 9
7		pro 7	2 cor 10
8	behaalotkha:	pro 8	2 cor 11
9 sabbath	num 8:1-12:16	pro 9
10 sunday	zec 2:14-4:7	pro 10
11		pro 11	2 cor 12
12		pro 12	2 cor 13
13		pro 13	gal 1
14		pro 14	gal 2
15	shelah lekha:	pro 15	gal 3
16 sabbath	num 13:1-15:41	pro 16
17 sunday	jos 2:1-24	pro 17
18		pro 18	gal 4
19		pro 19	gal 5
20		pro 20	gal 6
21		pro 21	eph 1
22	korah:	pro 22	eph 2
23 sabbath	num 16:1-18:32	pro 23
24 sunday	1 sam 11:14-12:22	pro 24
25		pro 25	eph 3
26		pro 26	eph 4
27		pro 27	eph 5
28		pro 28	eph 6
29	hukat:	pro 29	luk 1
30 sabbath	num 19:1-22:1	pro 30

2 corinthians 2, spiritual fragrance diffusers

Reposted from 2011 so that I can prepare the Torah study ahead instead of behind.

Read 2 Corinthians 2 at Bible Gateway.

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. 2 Cor 2:14-16

His knowledge, His truth, our witness and testimony, carries His fragrance with it, which is diffused out from us as we go about our daily lives. We are fragrance diffusers! So how do fragrance diffusers work? A scented candle releases its scent when it is lit. Those plug in air fresheners (we have all seen commercials for those things) have to be plugged in to work, because when heat is applied to the fragrance, it causes it to be diffused. Incense needs to be burned in order to release its scent. And on and on.

When heat and fire is applied, then the fragrance that is within, is released out, and we become fragrance diffusers. The fire can be from the burning of the Holy Spirit within:

“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Mat 3:11

So let us have oil in our lamps, and keep us burning, burning, burning, dear LORD! And also, fiery trials can serve as the heat source to diffuse the fragrance of Messiah within us:

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 1 Pet 4:12-13

Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it. – Mark Twain

You know, not everything is always about us! Sometimes the LORD allows fiery trials to come upon us, so that His fragrance will be diffused to someone who needs to smell it! May I learn to respond to trials with joy, knowing that in You I have victory and every needful thing, rather than with hand- wringing and grief!

numbers 1:1-4:20, parashah bamidbar (in the desert)

I study the Torah every year using the teaching tools of Scripture. (Why?)

Today is the 32nd Sabbath of the annual Torah cycle. Today, the seventh sabbath of the counting of the seven sabbaths toward the Feast of Weeks, the Torah reading is Bamidbar, Num 1:1-4:20.

The paragraph divisions are as follows:

Num 1:1-21 p The leaders of the tribes + the number of the army of Reuben
– Num 1:1-19 s The leaders chosen by name of their fathers’ tribes to number Israel
– Num 1:20-21 p The number of the army of Reuben (of Leah): 46,500.
Num 1:22-23 p The number of the army of Simeon (of Leah): 59,300.
Num 1:24-25 p The number of the army of Gad (of Zilpah): 45,650 (the south encampment)
Num 1:26-27 p The number of the army of Judah (of Leah): 74,600.
Num 1:28-29 p The number of the army of Issachar (of Leah): 54,400.
Num 1:30-31 p The number of the army of Zebulun (of Leah): 57,400 (the east encampment)
Num 1:32-33 p The number of the army of Ephraim (of Rachel): 40,500.
Num 1:34-35 p The number of the army of Manasseh (of Rachel): 32,200.
Num 1:36-37 p The number of the army of Benjamin (of Rachel): 35,400 (the west encampment)
Num 1:38-39 p The number of the army of Dan (of Bilhah): 62,700.
Num 1:40-41 p The number of the army of Asher (of Zilpah): 41,500.
Num 1:42-43 p The number of the army of Naphtali (of Bilhah): 53,400 (the north encampment)
Num 1:44-47 p The number of the armies of Israel: 603,550.
Num 1:48-54 p The Levites not numbered as they have charge of the tabernacle
Num 2:1-31 p The encampment of the tribes of Israel around the tabernacle of the Testimony
– Num 2:1-9 s The east camp 1st: Judah, Issachar, Zebulun: 186,400.
– Num 2:10-16 s The south camp 2nd: Reuben, Simeon, Gad: 151,450.
– Num 2:17 s The tabernacle of meeting with the Levites in the middle
– Num 2:18-24 s The west camp 3rd: Ephraim, Manasseh, Benjamin: 108,100.
– Num 2:25-31 p The north camp last: Dan, Asher, Naphtali: 157,600.
Num 2:32-34 p The number of the children of Israel + Levites not numbered
Num 3:1-4 p The sons of Aaron who ministered as priests
Num 3:5-10 p Aaron and sons attend to his priesthood, Levites attend to Aaron and the tabernacle
Num 3:11-13 p YHVH has taken the Levites instead of every firstborn
Num 3:14-43 p Number of the Levites + number of the firstborn males
– Num 3:14-26 s Number the Levites + Gershon
– Num 3:27-39 s Kohath + Eleazar + Merari + camp of Moses + Aaron + number of Levites
– Num 3:40-43 p The number of the firstborn males
Num 3:44-51 p The redemption money for the firstborn given to Aaron
Num 4:1-16 p The duty of Kohath + Eleazar the priest
Num 4:17-20 p That Kohath may live and not die

These are the chiastic structures I was able to find. You will notice they go from one to another until the end of the parashah, and that the paragraph divisions help define them:

Num 1:1-19 s
1a) Num 1:1-2a, YHVH commanded Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai to take a census;
1b) Num 1:2b-3, Of all the congregation by their fathers’ houses from 20 yrs +;
1c) Num 1:4-15, Twelve men mentioned by name, each one the head of his father’s house;
central axis) Num 1:16, “These were chosen from the congregation, leaders of their fathers’ tribes, heads of the divisions in Israel;”
2c) Num 1:17, Moses and Aaron took those men mentioned by name;
2b) Num 1:18, All the congregation recited their ancestry by their fathers’ houses from 20 yrs old and upwards;
2a) Num 1:19, As YHVH commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai.

Num 1:20-2:34
1a) Num 1:20-54 (px14), The number of the children of Israel + the Levites not numbered;
1b) Num 2:1-16 s+s, The east + south camps of Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Reuben, Simeon, Gad;
central axis) Num 2:17 s, The tabernacle of meeting with the Levites;
2b) Num 2:18-31 s+p, The west + north camps of Ephraim, Manasseh, Benjamin, Dan, Asher, Naphtali;
2a) Num 2:32-34 p, The number of the children of Israel + the Levites not numbered.

Num 1:48-54 p
1a) Num 1:48, YHVH had spoken to Moses;
1b) Num 1:49-50a, Appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the Testimony;
1c) Num 1:50b, The Levites shall camp around the tabernacle;
central axis) Num 1:51, “And when the tabernacle is to go forward, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall set it up. The outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”
2c) Num 1:52-53a, Israel shall camp by their standards, but the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony;
2b) Num 1:53b, The Levites shall keep charge of the tabernacle of the Testimony;
2a) Num 1:54, Israel did according to all that YHVH had commanded Moses.

Num 3:1-10 p+p
1a) Num 3:1-4 p The sons of Aaron who ministered as priests;
1b) Num 3:5-7a, The tribe of Levi to attend to Aaron and his needs;
1c) Num 3:7b, And the needs of the whole congregation to do the work of the tabernacle
central axis) Num 3:8a, And they shall attend to all the furnishings of the tabernacle of meeting;
2c) Num 3:8b, And to the needs of the children of Israel to do the work of the tabernacle;
2b) Num 3:9, And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons;
2a) Num 3:10 p, And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons to attend to their priesthood.

Num 3:11-43 p+s+s+p
1a) Num 3:11-13 p, I have taken the Levites instead of every firstborn, for the firstborn are Mine;
1b) Num 3:14-20, Number the families of the Levites by their fathers’ houses;
1c) Num 3:21-26 s, Gershon: number + camp + leader + duties;
1d) Num 3:27-31 Kohath: number + camp + leader + duties;
central axis) Num 3:32, Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, chief over the leaders of the Levities;
2d) Num 3:33-37, Merari: number + leader + camp + duties;
2c) Num 3:38, Moses + Aaron: camp + duties;
2b) Num 3:39 s, The number of the Levites (22,000);
2a) Num 3:40-43 p, The number of the firstborn males (22,273) taking the Levites instead of the firstborn.

Num 4:1-20 p+p
1a) Num 4:1-15, Kohath and their service + Aaron and their service + warning lest they die:
– 1.1 Num 4:1-4, The family of Kohath from among the tribe of Levi in regard to the service of the most holy things;
– 1.2 Num 4:5-15a, Aaron and his sons shall cover the most holy things, then Kohath shall come to carry them;
– 1.3 Num 4:15b, But they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die.
central axis) Num 4:16 p, The appointed duty of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest;
2a) Num 4-17-20 p, Kohath and their service + Aaron and their service + warning lest they die:
– 2.1 Num 4:17-18, That the family of Kohath is not cut off from among the Levites;
– 2.2 Num 4:19, Aaron and his sons shall appoint each of them to his task;
– 2.3 Num 4:20 p, But they shall not watch the holy things being covered, lest they die.

Num 4:1-15
1a) Num 4:1-4, The sons of Kohath + their service in the tabernacle of meeting relating to the most holy things;
1b) Num 4:5-15a, Aaron and his sons shall cover the most holy things;
central axis) Num 4:15b, Then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them;
2b) Num 4:15c, But the sons of Kohath shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die;
2a) Num 4:15d, These are the things in the tabernacle of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.

Num 4:5-16
1a) Num 4:5-15a, The sons of Aaron shall cover the most holy things;
1b) Num 4:15b, Then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them;
central axis) Num 4:15c, But they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die;
2b) Num 4:15d, These are the things in the tabernacle of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry;
2a) Num 4:16 p, The appointed duty of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest.

Num 4:17-20 p
1a) Num 4:17-19a, Do not cut off Kohath from among the Levites, but do this that they may live and not die;
1b) Num 4:19b, When they approach the most holy things;
central axis) Num 4:19c, Aaron and his sons shall appoint each of them to his task;
2b) Num 4:20a, But they shall not watch the holy things being covered;
2c) Num 4:20b p, Lest they die.

You will notice that there is one paragraph which did not figure into any of the chiastic structures so far, and that is Num 3:44-51 p, The redemption money for the 273 firstborn to be given to Aaron. I have seen that parashah Bamidbar forms a chiastic structure with the next parashah which we will study next week, and it is my theory that either this lone paragraph is the central axis of that greater structure, or has a matching pair to be found in the next parashah. We will see!

If we take each of the central axis’ uncovered so far, and put them together, we will see a summary of Bamidbar:

Num 1:16, “These were chosen from the congregation, leaders of their fathers’ tribes, heads of the divisions in Israel;”
Num 2:17 s, The encampment of the tabernacle of meeting with the Levites;
Num 1:51, “And when the tabernacle is to go forward, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall set it up. The outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”
Num 3:8a, The Levities shall attend to all the furnishings of the tabernacle of meeting;
Num 3:32, Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, chief over the leaders of the Levities;
Num 4:16 p, The appointed duty of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest;
Num 4:15b, Then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry the most holy things;
Num 4:15c, But Kohath shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die;
Num 4:19c, Aaron and his sons shall appoint each of the sons of Kohath to his task.

Wow, I did not see this before, but the central axis’ of Bamidbar form their own chiastic structure! Does anyone yet doubt that the chiastic structure is the thumbprint of the Holy Spirit on the Word of God? There is no human logic or capability that can order a narrative of history in such a way that all of these elements contribute to the flow of the logic of the narrative, without disturbing it, and yet embed these teaching treasures within it, to this elegance, this beauty, this complexity, and this simplicity and consistency of message!

Here is the structure of the central axis’ that I am seeing, and please remember, it is probable that I have not uncovered them all:

1a) Num 1:51, “And when the tabernacle is to go forward, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall set it up. The outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”
1b) Num 3:8a, The Levities shall attend to all the furnishings of the tabernacle of meeting;
1c) Num 3:32, Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, chief over the leaders of the Levities;
2c) Num 4:16 p, The appointed duty of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest;
2b) Num 4:15b, Then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry the most holy things;
2a) Num 4:15c, But Kohath shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die.

The paragraph which has not figured into any of the chiasms so far, Num 3:44-51 p, happens to fall between the 1c and 2c pair. If so, that would make the central axis of Bamidbar, Redemption. We saw that the central axis of Leviticus, each week, was Atonement. I think the Holy Spirit of God is trying to tell us something!

2 corinthians 1, affliction and comfort

Reposted from 2o11 so I can prepare the Torah study ahead instead of behind:

Read 2 Corinthians 1 at Bible Gateway.

“Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will be partakers of the consolation.” 2 Cor 1:6-7

In 2 Cor 1, Paul is talking about something amazing – that God allows tribulation to come upon His children, who are ministers, so that when God delivers them from their tribulation, and comforts them in the midst of their suffering, they will know how to minister comfort to others who are suffering. In other words, we are here to be a blessing to others! That is our calling! We are not here to just live the most comfortable life we can afford. We are not here for ourselves!

Sometimes bad things happen because we open the door for them. Sometimes bad things happen because the enemy is out to get us. Sometimes bad things happen randomly, because we live in a fallen world. And sometimes bad things happen, because God is testing us and trying to grow us up and refine the dross out of us (think of Job). But sometimes bad things happen, just because our experience of the faithfulness of God, the comfort we received and the victory God eventually gave us, will minister to someone else down the road who is going through a bad thing and needs encouragement and comfort. Not everything that happens to us in this life, happens to us because of us, but because of purposes of God which He knows, one of which might be to minister comfort to someone else down the road!

The great deliverance from death that happened to Paul in Asia (2 Cor 1:8-9), might be this incident recorded in Acts:

Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. Act 14:19

He may have been dead. The disciples gathered around him, no doubt praying, and he jumped up and went on his way. God may have indeed raised him from the dead, or healed fatal injuries that would have led to death without the Lord’s intervention. “Asia” is our Asia Minor, and “Achaia” is the Latin name for the province of Greece. Antioch and Iconium were major cities in Asia Minor.

At the end of this chapter, Paul addresses an accusation which was leveled against him by the Corinthian church – that he planted it, and said he would come back and visit it the next time he was in Greece, but then passed by it and did not visit. He broke his word, and on and on.

He responds, in essence: men may plan things, but it is what God wills that comes to pass. And through Jesus Christ, all His promises are Yes and Amen, so be it. That means His promises apply to us and our situation!

Let me just speculate here: remember how out of balance Corinth was, as we leaned from 1 Cor. Paul says that it was to spare them he passed by them (2 Cor 1:23), perhaps because if he had come when sin was reigning rampant in the church, he would have had to discipline them harshly to get everything back in order.

He left room for the Holy Spirit to work through his first letter of correction, to see if the leadership of the church could sort things out themselves. He was patient, just as God is in our lives. For us who are His children, He is like a loving Father, not a military drill sergeant.

A loving father instructs his children, then gives them room to try and succeed or fail, then instructs them again, etc. etc., correcting their course until they can succeed! A loving father uses leadership, example, gentleness, reward, and traning in obedience to guide his children into the path. Punishment and anger is a last resort for willful rebellion. A drill sergeant uses anger, harshness, and punishment to accomplish his ends in a short time. The Lord always starts with instruction and gentleness, and gives time to learn, and then ends with punishment only after He has been ignored.

Remember when He was teaching Moses and Israel about the Sabbath for the first time (Exo 16)? He gave them the instruction, then He gave them opportunity to obey. Then He repeated the instruction with correction. It was only after the 3rd or so time, when people were still disobeying, that there began to be consequences, which were light at first, and increased in intensity. That is how a loving father does things.

1 corinthians 16, chiastic structure of 1 corinthians

Read 1 Corinthians 16 at Bible Gateway.

As I began reading 1 Cor 16, I realized that the whole book most likely forms a single chiastic structure. I have been working on the chiastic structure of 1 Cor, and it will take me some time to complete. But I am posting what I have so far, so as not to hold up the Bible study any longer. Anyone who completes parts of this structure, please email me your notes, if you would not mind. Thank you!

1a) 1 Cor 1:1-3, Greeting;
1b) 1 Cor 1:4-9, The Corinthians lacking no gift, who were enriched in everything by Him;
1c) 1 Cor 1:10-13, Let there be no divisions among you + Apollos;
1d) 1 Cor 1:14-16, Paul baptized the first believers in Achaia with the household of Stephanus;

– 1 Cor 6:9, Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God;

— 1 Cor 10:1-18, The example of natural Israel (observe Israel after the flesh);

—- 1 Cor 11:23-34, For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: The body and blood of the Lord Jesus, which proclaims His death until He comes;
—– 1 Cor 12:1-30, Diversities of manifestation of the spiritual gifts;
—— 1 Cor 12:31a, Earnestly desire the best gifts;
——- 1 Cor 12:31b, And yet I show you a more excellent way;
——- central axis) 1 Cor 13:1-13, Love, the greatest gift;
——- 1 Cor 14:1a, Pursue love;
—— 1 Cor 14:1b, Desire spiritual gifts;
—– 1 Cor 14:1c-40, Decent and orderly operation of the spiritual gifts;
—- 1 Cor 15:1-, I declare the gospel I preached to you, which you received and in which you stand: The resurrection of the Lord Jesus, the firstfruits of the resurrection revealed at His coming;

— 1 Cor 15:46, The spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual;

– 1 Cor 15:50, Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God;

2d) 1 Cor 16:12-14, Apollos + Let all that you do be done with love;
2c) 1 Cor 16:15-16, The household of Stephanus, the firstfruits of Achaia;
2b) 1 Cor 16:17-18, The men who supplied to Paul what was lacking;
2a) 1 Cor 16:19-24, Salutation.

1 corinthians 15, the firstfruits harvest

Read 1 Corinthians 15 at Bible Gateway.

This was originally posted in 2010, but so important for today’s study of 1 Cor 15, because this weekend, on Sunday, we will be celebrating the harvest feast of Pentecost or Shavuot:

“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.” 1 Cor 15:20-24

The resurrection of Jesus is the firstfruits of the resurrections to follow (vs. 20-22). The resurrection of Jesus happened to take place on the very day of the Feast of Firstfruits as well, and this was not by accident. The LORD’s annual feast cycle is prophetic and reveals the Messiah. There are three harvest festivals included in the annual cycle (Lev 23):

1) Firstfruits – spring festival celebrating the barley harvest, the first crop to be harvested in the agricultural year (Lev 23:9-14);
2) Shavuot, Weeks, or Pentecost – summer festival celebrating the wheat harvest (Lev 23:15-22);
3) Tabernacles – fall festival celebrating the fruits harvest, the final crop to be harvested in the agricultural year (Lev 23:33-41).

We know that Jesus compares salvation, being restored to Father God in resurrection life, to a harvest (Joh 4:35, Rev 14:15). So I believe the harvest festivals prophesy of salvation and resurrection. The first is Firstfruits: Jesus was raised from the dead on the Feast of Firstfruits, and likewise He is the firstfruits of the resurrection from the dead.

The second is Weeks or Pentecost (Shavuot in Hebrew). The Holy Spirit was given to the ekklesia on the Feast of Pentecost (Act 2:1-4). This event has to do with harvest and resurrection, or restoration to life from death, because in Messiah all shall be made alive, and through the witness of the ekklesia, powered by the Holy Spirit, many have been and are being made alive in Messiah.

We were made alive in Him (Col 2:13) on the day that we were made a new creation by the indwelling of His Spirit (2 Cor 5:17)! It is a spiritual resurrection, a down payment, that will be consummated with a physical resurrection in which death, even the death of the physical body, will be swallowed up in victory (Eph 1:13-14)!

The third is the Feast of Tabernacles, which Messiah will fulfill at His coming. At His coming, the final resurrection of His Body (us, who are the Body of Messiah) will take place. This final harvest will be great indeed. First of all, I believe that we are in the midst of a great revival that is sweeping the earth in preparation for His coming. The fields that are white unto harvest, are being harvested, i.e. many are coming to salvation in every continent. This follows the pattern established in Scripture: for a great revival of repentance at the preaching of John the Baptist occurred to prepare the way for the Lord Jesus’ coming in His first advent, also.

But then on the day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the resurrection of the physical Body of Messiah shall take place: for those who have fallen asleep (died) in Christ: they will be raised bodily from the dead, as He was. The graves all over the earth will open! For those who are still alive in the body at His coming: they shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye, from corruption to incorruption; from mortal to immortal (vs. 51-53)!

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

For further reading:

1 corinthians 15, the centrality of the resurrection (2011)