I am Rev. Scott Tyring, United Methodist clergy.
This will be my personal journal I keep for recording my thoughts and responses to my reading of the entire bible in 90 days.
I read Numbers 20-25 today. Miriam and Aaron, Moses' sister and brother die in chapter 20. They are the first recorded of those dying in the wilderness as God had said because of Israel's lack of trust in Him at the report of the spies about the Land. In the same chapter, the Israelites complain about no water. They cry out for lack of water. God provides by bringing water from a rock, but Moses looses his temper and does not follow God's explicit directions. God told Moses to speak to the rock, but Moses hit it twice in anger after saying, "You rebels! Must we bring water out of this rock for you?" As a result Moses was told he too would not cross over into the Promised Land.
God leads the Israelites in victory against the Canaanites in the south, the Amorites, and Ammonites east of the Jordan and possess their towns. The rest of this section deals with a Moabite King, Balak, who hires a seer named Balaam to curse the multitude of Israel. Balaam cannot curse what God has blessed. Three times Balak urges curses to be cast upon Israel and three times Balaam blesses them, a fourth time he blesses Israel, foresees their "star" (a messianic prophecy), and warns Edom, Amalek, the Kennites and the sea peoples of their future when they curse Israel. Their curses will fall on them for the Lord is with Israel.
On the one hand the Holy God with Israel means blessing, security and victory for Israel. On the other hand the Holy God with a disobedient Israel means penalty and correction even to the point of death for Israelites. Even Moses whom God loves and claims him the most humble of all His servants (Num. 12:3) is punished for his temper at Meribah.
Blessing comes through obedience and more importantly through God's promise to bless His covenant people. But God's blessing is for God's purpose, tp perfect a people who will reflect his holiness to the rest of the world, such that the nations will revere Him. The nations that love Him will also follow His right ways and bring justice to their lands. This is the grand design, right living among one another by the righteousness of God. This is the pathway to the Lord's blessing. There are not shortcuts.
However, humans are a weak and sinful lot. They will fail to keep God's right ways. The Israelites' complaining, fear and failure is an example of what all humanity is capable of doing. We need mercy, a way to start over and begin again on the paths of righteousness. God keeps His mercy extended to the penitent. But the rebellious go down to the pit.
The penitent pray,
LORD, if You considered sins,
Lord, who could stand?
But with You there is forgiveness,
so that You may be revered.
I wait for the LORD; I wait,
and put my hope in His word. (Psa. 130:3-5)
Jesus serves as an example to His disciples on the night before His sacrifice. He stooped down and washed their feet and told them to serve one another in the same way. They are to love one another sacrificially as Jesus has loved them, giving up His high place and made himself a servant (Phil 2:6-8).
Jesus told them that if they love Him, they will keep His commands. Love for Jesus is expressed through obedience to Jesus. He commands us to love each other by laying down our lives for one another as He did for us.
How can we? When humanity has proven to be weak and sinful, how can we love one another with such purity? With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Mat. ).
Life in Christ is a "with God" life! Jesus promised that He would not abandon His disciples. Even though He was soon to die on the cross, He would send them from the Father another counselor like Him. The Holy Spirit is Jesus living in us. The Holy Spirit is the Father God, the Holy One of Israel, living in us.
Jesus said,
"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him." (Jn. 14:23)
O Lord, come and make Your home in me and help me to obey. Keep me from the human weakness of fear and faithlessness. Your strength will be my strength and Your breath my breath. In Jesus' name, Amen.
There's a whole shake up occurring (pun intended) in Numbers 16 when the Korah Rebellion occurs. One of his number is Dathan. Edward G. Robinson played a character named Dathan in DeMille's "The Ten Commandments" Robinson's character lead a rebellion to take the Israelites back to Egypt. But the real Dathan was a Reubenite, the true firstborn of Jacob. And Korah was a Levite. They protested that Arron and Moses had exalted themselves as the spiritual leaders. Why could only Aaron and His sons enter the holy place? Weren't the Levites holy, too? In essence they were asking, "Who do you think you are?" And they detested Moses and Aaron. It is reminiscent of the question the fighting slaves Moses challenged when they asked, Who made you ruler and judge over us?" (Ex. 2:14)
God caused an earthquake that opened up the mouth of the ground and swallowed them all alive down to Sheol, the place of the dead beneath the earth in Hebrew lore. The shake up was just the beginning.
A similar challenge occurred when the Israelites blamed them for the deaths of the households of Korah and Dathan and the others who lead the revolt. God sent a plague on them. 14,700 died from the plague before Aaron could make an boffering to atone for their sin.
In each case God was ready to wipe them all out, but Moses and Aaron acted to intercede for them and saved the majority from the consequences of their sin. God validates before the Israelites His choice in Moses and Aaron. Twelve staffs representing the 12 tribes are placed before the Ark of the Covenant and overnight Aaron's staff buds, blooms and bears almonds! This miraculous sign is intended to save the people from coming near the holy place and begin killed. Only Aaron and his sons may come to the holy place and make offerings. Only the Levites who are giving to the priests to help them may come close to the tent of meeting, but they are restricted from the holy place.
Who do Moses and Aaron think they are? The are humble servants chosen by God for their role to represent God to the people and intercede for the people to God.
The Psalmist celebrates with song as the people travel toward Jerusalem for one of the three major festivals, Passover, Pentecost and Succoth.
I rejoiced with those who said to me,
"Let us go to the house of the LORD."
Our feet are standing
within your gates, Jerusalem —
Jerusalem, built as a city [should be],
solidly joined together,
where the tribes, the tribes of the LORD, go up
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
(This is an ordinance for Israel.) (Psa. 122:1-4)
During Passover Jesus is also asked who He thinks He is. A form of this question is asked again and again, but they never choose to accept the testimony given. It is simply comical and sad.
Jesus said, I am the gate; I am the door; I am the good shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. All who enter through me will have life (John 10:9-10).
Jesus says, I am the light of the world, walk in the light and you won't stumble in darkness (Jn. 12:35).
He says, I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will never die (Jn. 11:25-26).
It's clear Jesus has a very clear message as to who He is. He is the One who was sent by the Father. He and the Father are one and the same. He is in the Father and the Father is in Him.
But will we have ears to hear this? Eyes to see it? Hearts to trust?
Who do I think I am before such a God who would lay down His life so I can live abundantly? Blessed.
The Israelites near the southern border of the Promised Land, Canaan. Moses sends out 12 spies, one from each tribe. They search out the land for 40 days and come back with some of the land's produce, a huge cluster of grapes carried by two of the men on a pole between them. But most of the spies were afraid. They reported that indeed the land is good and fruitful, but it is a land that devours its inhabitants. There are giants in the land and we felt like puny grasshoppers beside them. They could easy crush us. We cannot take possession of this land (Num 13:31-33).
All Israel was terrified and wished they had stayed in Egypt or died in the wilderness rather than face giants and die by the sword. They even planned among themselves to pick a new leader, rejecting Moses, to lead them back to slavery in Egypt!
Only Caleb and Joshua trusted in the Lord. They urged the people to trust. "The Lord is with us! Don't be afraid of the people of the land. Their protection is gone. The Lord is with us!" (Num 14:8-9)
The people were not moved by Caleb and Joshua, but instead they wanted to kill them. Their fear consumed them. As a result God told them they would all die in the wilderness, just as they wished. The next generation would inherit the land, but this rebellious and stiff-necked people.
They complained because they tired of bread from heaven and crazed other food. God gave them meat enough for it to run out their nose! Even Aaron the High Priest and Miriam, brother ans sister to Moses, grumbled against Moses and rebelled against Him as the sole leader of Israel. And one man broke Sabbath by gathering wood. This rebellion and disobedience was met with fire, plague and death.
The wages of sin are death, but the free gift of God through Jesus Christ is eternal life (Rom. 6:23). Jesus continued His ministry in Galilee and Judea. His attendance at the Feast of Tabernacles (Booths) became another time of conflict with the Judeans, Pharisees and teachers. Jesus caused controversy among them. Just as the Israelites cowered in fear over giants and were divided over taking hold of the promised land, the people feared the Judeans and even though they may believe in Jesus were afraid to say so. Some believed, but some wanted to kill Jesus.
Jesus stood at the festival and told them, "The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him (Jn. 7:38)."
Trust in Jesus that He is the Son of God and has the authority to set us free from the judgement against us for sins, gives us life! Jesus said is the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!" (Jn. 8:36)
Some who were blind began to see, but many would not listen, could not understand no matter how many times they were told about Jesus (Jn. 9:26-28). We see what our eyes are conditioned to see and we trust what our hearts have learned to trust. And when we cease being open to new information because we are feeling secure in our knowledge, we run the risk of becoming completely blind to truths we have not yet discovered. Jesus came to give sight to the blind, but to blind those who say they can see (Jn. 9:39).
There is a lot of mystery to the God of the Exodus and Jesus in John's gospel is also mysterious. He speaks almost in riddles. His conversations with others in John are longer than those in the other gospels, often seeming to be repeating Himself in slightly a different way. Perhaps He hoped His audience would come to understand Him. But if that we the case, why did He not speak more clearly and concisely?
In Numbers the God of the Exodus fills the tabernacle with His glory in the dense cloud that burns with fire at night (Num. 9:15). The mysterious cloud lifted at times and the Israelites would break camp and follow the cloud. Only Moses heard God clearly (Num. 7:89). The Israelites depended on Moses to tell them the Word of the Lord.
Moses told them if they felt they wanted to dedicate themselves of a child fro a time of holiness, they could live under the holy vows of the Nazarite order. Modern Hasidic Jews do not cut their beards of sideburns and therefore grow very long locks of hair which they curl. These locks set them apart visually and communicate to all their commitment to holiness. Anyone cane take a vow to be set apart for God for a time. So not just priests, sons of Aaron, get the opportunity fore special service to God. A Nazarite is still restricted from priestly duties or work at the tabernacle. These are only for the tribe of Levi. Still it is a special time and way to show this dedication to the Lord.
The Israelites now have completed one full year of freedom and celebrate together their second ever Passover a the foot of Mt. Sinai. Soon they will move out to the Desert of Paran, but not before they celebrate Passover and as a nation remember God's deliverance. Some are ritually unholy and are excluded from the Passover celebration. But they desire to share in the celebration. Moses asks the Lord and the Lord makes provision to celebrate a month later so that they too may remain faithful to the covenant. The second passover included the foreigners with them.
One foreigner in particular, Moses' brother-in-law Hobab, acted as desert guide. The cloud of God's presence hovered over them as they traveled. And Moses promises Hobab whatever good God does for Israel, Hobab will also share. This sharing in the blessings of Israel for those who bless Israel is a fulfilment of God's covenant with the children of Abraham (Gen. 12:3).
The gospel of John also shows blessing to foreigners and pilgrims. Jesus offers living water (the Holy Spirit) to the Samaritan woman at the well.
He heals a sick and weakened man at the pool of Bethesda who lies paralysed under the portico roof. It is the festival of Booths where Israel remembers the providence of God in the wilderness where he fed them manna, bread from heaven. It is ironic the man and the others are under a roof in hope of angels touching the water. The pagans using the pools hoped in Asclepius, son of Apollo, to give the water healing power. Jesus heals the man and returns Him to wholeness and to trust in the God of Israel in Jesus' name.
Jesus gives miraculous feeding to 5000 near the second Passover in His ministry recorded in John. Does this point at all to the second Passover in Numbers 9? If so, what is the meaning? The pilgrims on the way to Jerusalem enjoy a feast of bread that Jesus produces miraculously just like the feeding of manna to the Israelites in the desert.
The second Passover in Numbers 9 marks the first year in freedom. It marks the beginning of a newly formed priesthood, Levites and army ready to move toward the Promised Land. It includes a concession for traveling Israelites and unclean persons to celebrate a month later and includes foreigners among them. The second Passover recorded in John 6 takes place in Galilee near the sea. Jesus sat upon a mountain with a large crowd coming near Him because of His healing ministry. The Israelites are camped near Mt. Sinai and Jesus is on a mountain near the Sea of Galilee. Jesus is the same God of the mountain who has now "pitched His tent" among us. Jesus sets people free from illness and crippling disease. He helps Samaritans to believe in Him the Christ. He brings liberty just as God liberated the Israelites fro m slavery and the plagues of Egypt. And Jesus gives bread as His Father had in the wilderness. The parallels, however slight, are there.
But there is something new. Jesus is the true bread from heaven. He is the true food that gives eternal life. The manna fed for the moment, but to feed on Jesus is to live forever. The people and some of His disciples could not understand His mysterious message that those who eat His flesh and drink His blood have eternal life. Jesus warned His opponents that they search the scriptures for in them they believe they have life, but these are the same scriptures that speak about Him and they will not come to Him and have life.
"Your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, because he wrote about Me. But if you don't believe his writings, how will you believe My words?" (Jn 5:45b-47)
The great irony is that the very same God who fed them in the desert walks among them now in Jesus. And Jesus is providing something greater, spirit and life (Jn. 6:63), grace and truth (Jn. 1:17). Many do not see in Israel, while an entire village of Samaritans do believe. Israel remains lame and hungry and blind because they cannot accept that Jesus has "the words of eternal life (Jn 6:68)."
There will be many more opportunities to come to Jesus for His stubborn people in John's gospel to come to know Him as the Holy One of God. There is a liberty exhibited in Jesus as the mystery keeps trying to be understood by the people He has called unto Himself to be His own. Many will come to believe and have life. But in the end, Jesus is not understood, not believed and is rejected.
He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. (Jn. 1:11)
But even still there may be concessions for those not yet ready to celebrate God's deliverance, whether they be traveling in other places, under different roofs, unclean or foreign to the whole business of God.
God, Your mercy through Christ is beautiful. Give us all a heart that longs to come to You and have life in Jesus. Amen.
The book of Numbers begins with a census of the men of Israel who are fighting age 20 and up. There are over 600,000 men fit for soldiering. Instructions on how to camp with the tabernacle in their midst are given, Three tribes to the east, three to the north, three to the west and three to the south. The tribe of Levi which includes the priesthood, Aaron and his sons, camp in a similar fashion near the tabernacle. The Levites are made up of three clans plus Aaron's clan. Moses, Aaron and the priests camp to the east of God's tent, the Kohathites to the north, the Gershonites to the west and the Merarites to the south.
God chose the tribe of Levi be set apart from the others. "I have taken the Levites from the Israelites in place of every firstborn Israelite from the womb. The Levites belong to Me...(Lev. 3:12)." Their inheritance is the Lord. Their descendants will serve the tabernacle and later temple. There is order and duty given to each clan.
There is symmetry, order and everyone has a place and a function in God's Israel. It is beautiful how God arranged for His presence among them. When the cloud lifted and moved onward into the desert, the Israelites now had a plan and procedure to follow. They broke camp and moved out, each under his own banner or standard. And the Levites carefully dismantled and packed away the tabernacle and all it holy objects.
As they begin to set out from Sinai, they sing a psalm that recounts their history.
Remember the wonderful works He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments He has pronounced,
You offspring of Abraham His servant,
Jacob's descendants —His chosen ones.
"I will give the land of Canaan to you
as your inherited portion."
He opened a rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed like a stream in the desert.
For He remembered His holy promise
to Abraham His servant.
He brought His people out with rejoicing,
His chosen ones with shouts of joy. (Psa. 105:5-6, 11, 41-43)
And so continues the history of God. Now with the people upheld by the law that gives life, a priesthood and an organized army, they begin a new chapter...the wilderness journey into the Promised land. God is in their midst and leads them.
John writes his late account of the good news about Jesus, the Word of God made flesh, the One and only Son of God full of grace and truth. John says that Moses gave the law, but Jesus brought us grace and truth. All who believe and receive Him are given the right to become the children of God. According John the very same Word spoken at the dawn of creation is now taking up residence among us (Jn 1:14). Literally the Word became flesh and "tabernacled" among us.
Sound familiar? A new exodus is occurring in Jesus Christ amongst a new Israel. The twelve apostles are gathered just like the twelve tribes of Jacob. First came Andrew and John(?), Simon Peter, Philip and Nathaniel. Later the others would join Him. They came and saw the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29, 39).
Moses turned water into blood and Jesus turns ritual water fro cleansing into delicious wine marking that the old covenant under Moses is now surpassed by the presence of the Son of Man on whom the stairway to heaven now rests (Jn. 1:51; Gen 28:12, 17). The apostles travel with Him as the Israelites followed the cloud of God's holy presence...into promise.
Jesus met a leader among the Judeans, Nicodemus, who recognizes that Jesus is sent from God because of the miraculous works of Jesus. Jesus tels him that no one can see the kingdom of heaven unless he is born again, born from above or by the Spirit. Jesus says, you may see that I am from God, but you cannot see who I really am apart from a spiritual rebirth. God gives the Spirit in overflowing abundance to this who believe. And this gift of the Holy Spirit leads us onward into places of promise to receive the inheritance God has for all His children.
"Hallelujah! Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever!" (Psa. 106:1)
Day 24: Leviticus 24–27; Psalms 97–102; Luke 22–24
Leviticus 25 describes the Year of Jubilee. Every 50 years, all debts are cancelled. All indentured servants return to their homes as free men and women. All seized lands are returned to the possession of the original owners. It is a return to inheritance, the promise fulfilled. It is a fresh start with only a hope filled future ahead and no damaging past holding on.
Leviticus ends by sharing a promise of blessing for Israel when they keep the covenant and all its laws, statues and ordinances. But there is warning of curses that will befall them in increasing intensity should they rebel against God and disobey. Ultimately the blessings lead to abundance in the land with plenty to get through Sabbath years when the land is given a rest. There will be peace in the land and protection from enemies. But disobedience will ultimately lead to expulsion from the land at the hand of their enemies so that the land can have a rest from the sinful and disobedient people of God Lev. 26:34-25).
If the people will not observe Sabbath rest and abuse the land and its inhabitants, the land will be protected for a future generation that may choose obedience and blessing.
The people of Israel celebrate God in their psalms as mighty and holy, but only a heart that longs to please God will truly bring Him glory.
I will pay attention to the way of integrity.
When will You come to me?
I will live with integrity of heart in my house.
I will not set anything godless before my eyes.
I hate the doing of transgression;
it will not cling to me.
A devious heart will be far from me;
I will not be involved with evil. (Psa. 101:2-4)
This holy community to shapes hearts that long to please God requires sacrifice and offerings to maintain its worship and priesthood (Lev. 27:30-33). The tithe is established as foreshadowed by Jacob in his promise to give the the Lord a tenth of everything God gave to him (Gen. 28:22). There is a cost to be the people of God and to enjoy His redemption. The cost is obedience to His covenant and worship of Him only.
But when the people of God grow hard hearted and forget about becoming the blessing they are intended to be to the rest of the world, God sends warnings through prophets, plagues to correct them. exiles to shape them and ultimately Messiah to save them.
And even Messiah is rejected. He is treated harshly, killed and thrown out of God's vineyard (Jerusalem) (Lk. 20:9-16). And as a result, those who were entrusted with the vineyard are cast out. And the vineyard is entrusted to others. Yet another exile for the Jews of Jerusalem occurs under the tyranny of Rome. But the rejection of the Christ and His execution at the hands of the Romans is turned into the redemption price (Lev. 25:51) paid to cover the debts for all humanity for their sins. They deserve punishment, plague and even death for their sins, but the Messiah, the suffering servant of Israel (Isa 53), pays the price with His perfect unblemished life. In doing so Jesus becomes the source for ultimate freedom from all debts before God. The weight of sin's consequence and guilt are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb of God. And Death itself is conquered. Even humanities curse of mortality (Gen. 6:3) is broken and covered with blessing through the love and mercy of God.
Jubilee! The day of redemption is here forever open to those who will welcome the Christ of God! Return to your inheritance as a child of God. Enjoy this freedom which can never be taken away!
As the apostle Paul celebrated,
"Look, now is the acceptable time; look, now is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2b)."
Just when I thought discovering a connecting theme between an Old Testament history lesson, an Old Testament Poetry or Prophets selection, and a New Testament reading was impossible today, I was taken by surprise. The streak continues and I am blessed.
Leviticus is primarily a book written for priests. It covers the religious ritual practices around sacrifices and offerings, procedures of cleansing the unclean, etc. But I acknowledge that this book of Moses was written for all of Israel to hear. This is history, even if it is specific to priestly duties, and as history it becomes a source for Israel's identity.
This section in Leviticus 20-23 covers punitive measures for sin (even death penalties), holiness procedures for priests to maintain since they are the ones dedicated to serving the Lord sacrifices and offerings (they must be especially clean and holy in order to stand before a Holy God (Lev. 22:31)), and religious festivals.
The weekly festival is Sabbath Day. Every seventh day all Israel shall cease from any work and rest.
Then there are other festivals that help Israel remember God's deliverance and providence. The festival of Passover helps them remember that God delivered them from slavery in Egypt when the angel of death passed over their homes, but destroyed all the firstborn of Egypt. The blood of a lamb on their door frames was the means by which they were spared. A week of celebration and offerings are made during the festival of Unleavened Bread. They remember they left Egypt in such haste they had no time to bake bread with leavening for the journey. When God acts to save, it is finally with swift and decisive timing.
The Festival of Firstfruits celebrates God's providence. He brought them to the promised land. Now they enjoy its produce under God's blessing. "When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest (Lev. )." There is a church hymn called “Bringing in the Sheaves” that points to this celebration. The song talks about a different kind of harvest that comes from "sowing seeds of kindness." The great festival celebration is the harvest of souls for the kingdom of heaven and we Christians are called the firstfruits of a new kind of humanity, a resurrected people.
Another 50 days after Firstfruits, there is the Festival of Weeks, the celebration after the harvest of barely and the firstfruits of the wheat harvest. The fullness of God's blessings for the season is celebrated. And there is plenty for all, so do not glean the fields and orchards of what naturally falls to the ground or reap the edges of the field. Leave these for the poor and remember them (Lev. ).
A Festival of Booths or Tabernacles celebrates God's providing in the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. It is the final festival for the agricultural year. The Israelites built shelters of palm branches and wood and stay in them for the week's celebration. Over time however the Feast of Booths has also been called the Feast of the Ingathering. There is a hope expressed of God bringing in the fullness of His harvest of souls, that all the nations with be gathered to Jerusalem and join Israel in worship and service to the Holy One. It became a practice to bring palm branches tied together with myrtle and fig branches as a way of signifying God gathering in the various peoples from the gentile nations (depicted by the number 70) to join Israel in worship.
Psalm 96 directs the people of God (Israel) to:
Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonderful works among all peoples.
For the LORD is great and is highly praised;
He is feared above all gods. (Psa 96:3-4)
And the response from the Gentiles should be...
Ascribe to the LORD, you families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory of His name;
bring an offering and enter His courts.
Worship the LORD in the splendor of [His] holiness;
tremble before Him, all the earth.
Say among the nations: "The LORD reigns. (Psa. 96:7-10a)
Jesus entered Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives as the Messiah (fulfilling Zech. ). His disciples celebrated Him with shouts of joy, casting garments across the road for the humble king of the Jews. Luke leaves out palm branch waving. The Passover is coming and the city is filling with pilgrims, but we are not told in Luke that this is the week prior to Passover. Instead Jesus is in the HolyCity for an undisclosed period of time prior to Passover.
I had begun picking up on themes of ingathering and celebrating harvest, but Luke doesn't use the palm branches instead there is Jesus entering humbly the city and temple and teaching every day in the courts of God. At night He sleeps on the Mount of Olives and every morning He teaches in the temple courts. How long did this go on? We are not told.
The terrible tragedy in Luke is that instead of the gentile nations’ coming together with Isarel to worship the Lord who reigns, Israel misses the Day of God's visitation. Jesus wept over the city. Instead of the gentiles uniting in the worship of the God of Israel, they come in the armies of Rome and tear down His temple.
The great ingathering of souls must wait. But the firstfruits of a new Israel were there that day celebrating the Messiah and I believe today because they went and declared Christ Jesus to the nations.
God, I am thankful for the hope You give to gather all souls unto Yourself by lifting up the Son. I join the shouts of joy and praise for the Messiah Jesus and lay down my life like a garment spread before His feet. Amen.
