Archive for the ‘forgiveness’ Category
March 5: Leviticus 27, Psalm 60, Luke 24
Leviticus 27 ( Listen ) Laws About Vows 27:1? The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, If anyone makes a special vow to the LORD involving the valuation of persons, then the valuation of a male from twenty years old up to sixty years old shall be fifty shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. If the person is a female, the valuation shall be thirty shekels. If the person is from five years old up to twenty years old, the valuation shall be for a male twenty shekels, and for a female ten shekels. If the person is from a month old up to five years old, the valuation shall be for a male five shekels of silver, and for a female the valuation shall be three shekels of silver. And if the person is sixty years old or over, then the valuation for a male shall be fifteen shekels, and for a female ten shekels. And if someone is too poor to pay the valuation, then he shall be made to stand before the priest, and the priest shall value him; the priest shall value him according to what the vower can afford. “If the vow is an animal that may be offered as an offering to the LORD, all of it that he gives to the LORD is holy. He shall not exchange it or make a substitute for it, good for bad, or bad for good; and if he does in fact substitute one animal for another, then both it and the substitute shall be holy. And if it is any unclean animal that may not be offered as an offering to the LORD, then he shall stand the animal before the priest, and the priest shall value it as either good or bad; as the priest values it, so it shall be. But if he wishes to redeem it, he shall add a fifth to the valuation. “When a man dedicates his house as a holy gift to the LORD, the priest shall value it as either good or bad; as the priest values it, so it shall stand. And if the donor wishes to redeem his house, he shall add a fifth to the valuation price, and it shall be his. “If a man dedicates to the LORD part of the land that is his possession, then the valuation shall be in proportion to its seed. A homer of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver. If he dedicates his field from the year of jubilee, the valuation shall stand, but if he dedicates his field after the jubilee, then the priest shall calculate the price according to the years that remain until the year of jubilee, and a deduction shall be made from the valuation. And if he who dedicates the field wishes to redeem it, then he shall add a fifth to its valuation price, and it shall remain his. But if he does not wish to redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed anymore. But the field, when it is released in the jubilee, shall be a holy gift to the LORD, like a field that has been devoted. The priest shall be in possession of it. If he dedicates to the LORD a field that he has bought, which is not a part of his possession, then the priest shall calculate the amount of the valuation for it up to the year of jubilee, and the man shall give the valuation on that day as a holy gift to the LORD. In the year of jubilee the field shall return to him from whom it was bought, to whom the land belongs as a possession. Every valuation shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs shall make a shekel. “But a firstborn of animals, which as a firstborn belongs to the LORD, no man may dedicate; whether ox or sheep, it is the LORD’s. And if it is an unclean animal, then he shall buy it back at the valuation, and add a fifth to it; or, if it is not redeemed, it shall be sold at the valuation. “But no devoted thing that a man devotes to the LORD, of anything that he has, whether man or beast, or of his inherited field, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the LORD. No one devoted, who is to be devoted for destruction from mankind, shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death. “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD’s; it is holy to the LORD. If a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it. And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman’s staff, shall be holy to the LORD. One shall not differentiate between good or bad, neither shall he make a substitute for it; and if he does substitute for it, then both it and the substitute shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.” These are the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai. Psalm 60 ( Listen ) He Will Tread Down Our Foes To the choirmaster: according to Shushan Eduth. A Miktam of David; for instruction; when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return struck down twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt. 60:1? O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses; ?? you have been angry; oh, restore us. You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open; ?? repair its breaches, for it totters. You have made your people see hard things; ?? you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger. You have set up a banner for those who fear you, ?? that they may flee to it from the bow. ???? Selah That your beloved ones may be delivered, ?? give salvation by your right hand and answer us! God has spoken in his holiness: ?? “With exultation I will divide up Shechem ?? and portion out the Vale of Succoth. Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; ?? Ephraim is my helmet; ?? Judah is my scepter. Moab is my washbasin; ?? upon Edom I cast my shoe; ?? over Philistia I shout in triumph.” Who will bring me to the fortified city? ?? Who will lead me to Edom? Have you not rejected us, O God? ?? You do not go forth, O God, with our armies. Oh, grant us help against the foe, ?? for vain is the salvation of man! With God we shall do valiantly; ?? it is he who will tread down our foes. Luke 24 ( Listen ) The Resurrection 24:1? But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened. On the Road to Emmaus That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. Jesus Appears to His Disciples As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” The Ascension Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God. ( ESV ) Footnotes [1] 27:3 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams [2] 27:9 Hebrew it [3] 27:16 A homer was about 6 bushels or 220 liters [4] 27:25 A gerah was about 1/50 ounce or 0.6 gram [5] 27:29 That is, set apart (devoted) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction) [6] 60:1 Probably musical or liturgical terms [7] 60:4 Or that it may be displayed because of truth [8] 60:6 Or sanctuary [9] 60:8 Revocalization (compare Psalm 108:10); Masoretic Text over me, O Philistia, shout in triumph [10] 24:13 Greek sixty stadia ; a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters [11] 24:42 Some manuscripts add and some honeycomb This reading plan is from the ESV Daily Reading Bible .
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March 5: Leviticus 27, Psalm 60, Luke 24
March 2 (2 Lent): Ps. 61, 62; Ps. 68:1-20(21-23)24-36; Gen. 42:1-17; 1 Cor. 5:1-8; Mark 3:19b-35 (ESV)
Psalm 61 ( Listen ) Lead Me to the Rock To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. Of David. 61:1? Hear my cry, O God, ?? listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you ?? when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock ?? that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, ?? a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever! ?? Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! ???? Selah For you, O God, have heard my vows; ?? you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. Prolong the life of the king; ?? may his years endure to all generations! May he be enthroned forever before God; ?? appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him! So will I ever sing praises to your name, ?? as I perform my vows day after day. Psalm 62 ( Listen ) My Soul Waits for God Alone To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. 62:1? For God alone my soul waits in silence; ?? from him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, ?? my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. How long will all of you attack a man ?? to batter him, ?? like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. ?? They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, ?? but inwardly they curse. ???? Selah For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, ?? for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, ?? my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; ?? my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; ?? pour out your heart before him; ?? God is a refuge for us. ???? Selah Those of low estate are but a breath; ?? those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; ?? they are together lighter than a breath. Put no trust in extortion; ?? set no vain hopes on robbery; ?? if riches increase, set not your heart on them. Once God has spoken; ?? twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, ?? and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man ?? according to his work. Psalm 68:1-20 ( Listen ) God Shall Scatter His Enemies To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song. 68:1? God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; ?? and those who hate him shall flee before him! As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away; ?? as wax melts before fire, ?? so the wicked shall perish before God! But the righteous shall be glad; ?? they shall exult before God; ?? they shall be jubilant with joy! Sing to God, sing praises to his name; ?? lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; ?? exult before him! Father of the fatherless and protector of widows ?? is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; ?? he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, ?? but the rebellious dwell in a parched land. O God, when you went out before your people, ?? when you marched through the wilderness, ???? Selah the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain, ?? before God, the One of Sinai, ?? before God, the God of Israel. Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad; ?? you restored your inheritance as it languished; your flock found a dwelling in it; ?? in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy. The Lord gives the word; ?? the women who announce the news are a great host: ?? “The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee!” The women at home divide the spoil— ?? though you men lie among the sheepfolds— the wings of a dove covered with silver, ?? its pinions with shimmering gold. When the Almighty scatters kings there, ?? let snow fall on Zalmon. O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan; ?? O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan! Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain, ?? at the mount that God desired for his abode, ?? yes, where the LORD will dwell forever? The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, ?? thousands upon thousands; ?? the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary. You ascended on high, ?? leading a host of captives in your train ?? and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there. Blessed be the Lord, ?? who daily bears us up; ?? God is our salvation. ???? Selah Our God is a God of salvation, ?? and to GOD, the Lord, belong deliverances from death. Psalm 68:21-23 ( Listen ) But God will strike the heads of his enemies, ?? the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways. The Lord said, ?? “I will bring them back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea, that you may strike your feet in their blood, ?? that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.” Psalm 68:24-35 ( Listen ) Your procession is seen, O God, ?? the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary— the singers in front, the musicians last, ?? between them virgins playing tambourines: “Bless God in the great congregation, ?? the LORD, O you who are of Israel’s fountain!” There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead, ?? the princes of Judah in their throng, ?? the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali. Summon your power, O God, ?? the power, O God, by which you have worked for us. Because of your temple at Jerusalem ?? kings shall bear gifts to you. Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds, ?? the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute; ?? scatter the peoples who delight in war. Nobles shall come from Egypt; ?? Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God. O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; ?? sing praises to the Lord, ???? Selah to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; ?? behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice. Ascribe power to God, ?? whose majesty is over Israel, ?? and whose power is in the skies. Awesome is God from his sanctuary; ?? the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God! Genesis 42:1-17 ( Listen ) Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt 42:1? When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” And he said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die.” So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might happen to him. Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. “Where do you come from?” he said. They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. And he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land.” They said to him, “No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food. We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants have never been spies.” He said to them, “No, it is the nakedness of the land that you have come to see.” And they said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more.” But Joseph said to them, “It is as I said to you. You are spies. By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.” And he put them all together in custody for three days. 1 Corinthians 5:1-8 ( Listen ) Sexual Immorality Defiles the Church 5:1? It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Mark 3:19-35 ( Listen ) and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house. “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” — for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.” Jesus’ Mother and Brothers And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” Footnotes [1] 68:10 Or your congregation [2] 68:15 Or hunch-backed ; also verse 16 [3] 68:24 Or has been [4] 68:26 The Hebrew for you is plural here [5] 68:28 Probable reading; Hebrew Your God has summoned your power [6] 68:30 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain [7] 68:35 Septuagint; Hebrew your [8] 5:5 Some manuscripts add Jesus [9] 3:32 Other early manuscripts add and your sisters The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright ??2001 by Crossway Bibles , a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Quotation information . This reading plan is adapted from the Daily Office Lectionary found in The Book of Common Prayer .
Forgive 70 times 7?
Question: Where in the Bible does it tell us to forgive someone 70 times 7?
Answer: Matthew 18:21 and 22. Some versions render it seventy-seven times rather than seventy times seven. In either case it is not believed to be a literal number but rather a metaphor for not counting because it does not matter as long as the person seeking forgiveness is truly sincere. This passage does not imply that we should let someone take advantage of us by insincerely asking for our forgiveness time and time again.
Why do I say we are not to be taken advantage of? The main reason is we are to be Christ like. Jesus was often tested by the religious leaders of his day. They were simply trying to trap him, not ask sincere questions. In those cases He would turn the tables on them. Christians are not commanded to be fools. We are commanded to be wise but gentle. (Matthew 10:16)
The context of the whole passage is related to having received forgiveness from God the Father but not giving that same type of forgiveness to those who have wronged you. The passage also clears up another popular misconception about forgiveness. Christians are not commanded to forgive everyone, only those who seek forgiveness. However, you may ask God the Father to forgive even the most horrible and unrepentant sinner. It is not always our place to forgive since the actual wrong is committed against God the Father, not us. See below for the rest of the passage:
23″Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents[g] was brought to him. 25Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26″The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28″But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.[h] He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29″His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
30″But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32″Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35″This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”