CONTINUALLY
Suggested Reading: Leviticus 24
(click scripture link to read online)
A rebuilt olive press from Bible times. This was discovered amidst the ruins of Hazor, about 10 kilometers north of the Sea of Galilee. Hazor is mentioned in several Old Testament books such as Joshua and Judges.
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where Reynold took the photo, click HERE.
Key Verse: Leviticus 24:2
Command the children of Israel that they bring to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to make the lamps burn continually.
The word “continually” is repeated four times here. The emphasis is obvious. Oil is a symbol for the Spirit of God as is fire which produces light. By this light we see the show-bread on the table and the altar of incense, both of which are in the Holy Place in the Tabernacle (see extra photos below). To keep God’s Light shining brightly in our lives, we must have a daily fresh supply of oil. This can only be experienced by a fresh daily life of prayer, the source of the oil, and the study of Holy Scripture, the bread. Our praise and worship in the midst of our prayer and study is like the altar of incense, a sweet fragrance ascending to God.
The man taken in blasphemy is punished by death. Jesus died in our place, so that we, like the thief who hung beside Jesus and repented, could be forgiven and have eternal life. Thank God for the age of grace, which Jesus began. We rely continually upon that grace. I remember some sermons which my Dad preached. One was on 1 John 1:1-10. Click on it and read with me. Dad particularly pointed out that, in the original Greek, the verb “cleanses” is in a tense meaning the cleansing is continually happening, non-stop. Dad taught Greek and this truth burned its way into my understanding.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord God, as the Apostle John wrote, I can never claim to be sinless. I’m totally dependant on the continuous cleansing in the Blood of Your sacrifice. May I ever be conscious of my sin, and may I hide Your Word in my heart continually “that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). Through the grace Jesus gives, I pray, Amen!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
I also remember that after school one day, when I was 10 or 11, I walked into a classroom at Annesley College in Ottawa and watched my Dad write the Greek lesson for the next morning on the blackboard. I knew that the original language in which the New Testament was written was Greek, and therefore an understanding of Greek was important. When I attended Bible College, I signed up for two years of Greek study. Unfortunately, I don’t remember much. The reason, I rely on a lexicon (like this online version here) which enables me to work in English and find all the shades of meaning from the Greek. One day, on live national television, I was being translated into Greek by the Host of our Greek language TV series, and I mentioned the word “cartoon.” I was amazed to hear Bazil Zetas say, “Mickey Mouse.” It stopped me in my tracks. I turned to him and said, “Did you just say Mickey Mouse?” “Yes,” he said, “That’s Greek for cartoon.” We had a good laugh. Bazil is currently arranging for Reynold’s photographic trip through Greece at the end of November, so that when our readings speak of Greece, beginning in January, we’ll have some great pictures on the blog for you.
Yours for light as we eat of the bread of God’s Word, and as we offer the incense of prayer and worship,
David
P.S. Below are pictures from the replica of the Tabernacle which was on display at the Crossroads Centre this past Summer.
The High Priest in front of the Golden Lampstand in the Holy Place, where fresh daily oil kept the light burning continually.?
The High Priest performing his duties in the replica of the Old Testament Tabernacle at the Crossroads Centre in Burlington, Ontario. Pictured are the Table of Showbread, the Golden Lampstand, and the Ark of the Covenant.
Lord, we give you praise for being an eternal light in our hearts and in our lives. We give thanks for the forgiveness of sin provided through Jesus who sacrificially gave of His precious blood as an act of atonement for our sin and out of an act of love for us. Lord I pray that all might come to a knowledge and belief in You as the way, the truth and the life. Through your grace, I pray that all might come by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Thank you Lord for your continual grace and for the light You shed on our paths. Looking forward to seeing Reynold’s pictures of Greece in January!
My prayer is the same as Scott
Lianne Hogg
It is truly a joy for me to express daily what is on my heart. God Bless you Lianne and all my fellow blogging buddies. 🙂
Good Morning David,l just read l John l:l-l0 and bowed my head in prayer,and how wonderful it was to read your prayer afterwards and find we prayed almost exactly the same thing. We are having one mind,teacher and student,the marvelous mind of Christ. Wow!
May God bless you, Lianne Hogg, for always being so supportive of the ” Blogger ” and your fellow ” Bloggees “! ( should that maybe read ” fellow commenters “? ) God knows what I mean! Have a great day, everyone.
Thank you, George. Everyone here makes a valued contribution. I enjoy reading the points of view from each blogger.
Thankyou for the Lexicon Link. I am looking forward to using it.
Happy Day Everyone. We are having a much needed rain here.
Dear David and all you obedient bloggers I am so grateful that our Saviour, Redeemer through our daily repenting fills us ,renew’s us,empower’s us with the living word and the Holy Spirit
I love you Jesus
I would like to express my appreciation for this daily blog. I do not have consistency in reading my bible daily. One of the reasons is that I am a slow and easily distracted reader. I am glad for this 2 year walk through the bible, a much more digestible amount. Thank-you for your daily insights. Praying long life and happiness for you and Norma Jean.
Thank you David for your wonderful daily blog, your insights, your personal experiences, your prayers, your nuggets of enlightenment and your son, Reynold’s beautiful photography. I appreciate it all very much. Also thank you to all who comment. You are a blessing too! I understand that your son, Ron has a lot to do with the technical side of getting this blog sent off every morning. Thank you one and all and may God richly Bless each one of you!!!
As the Holy Spirit continually burns in our spirits, I pray that we can be lights to a continually darkening world. May God bless you all .
Thank you David for this blog and for all my fellow bloggers although I have not done much. I have attended four funerals in the last five days in this country community. David, I have been watching 100 Huntley St. since 1979 and it was such an inspiration and sustainer for me when i was caring for Mother for fourteen and a half years and it still is. I will never forget your “Household Salvation ” series and it encouraged me to see my father saved in 1986. God bless you for your faithfulness. I was hoping to tell you this in person. I am having another ecogram on the 22nd and am hoping for a good report. Friends, please pray for me. Thanks! I hope you are feeling strong today, David. .Leviticus is almost finished and my understanding has increased. Thanks David for your love of the Word and God!