For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    If you are honest and upright your path will be clear. Those who attempt to get ahead by lies and deceit will find themselves under ever heavier burdens.

    I will put my trust in God. He is my helper who rescues me when trouble abounds. I will make offerings to Him, not in an attempt to bribe Him, but as a statement of thanksgiving. I have nothing to give God that was not already His. I will offer it back to Him because I am grateful for all that He has done for me.

    When Pilate asked Jesus if He was the King of the Jews, he expected Jesus to make some grand pronouncement, perhaps about how the people would rise up to avenge His death. Instead Jesus responded with what was essentially a shrug. When the crowd arrived to ask/demand that Pilate release a prisoner as had become his tradition, he was reminded of the throngs which had followed Jesus into the city the previous week. He expected this crowd to ask for Jesus’ release. He was caught by surprise at their refusal and demand that Jesus be crucified. He didn’t really care, so he took the course of least resistance.
    If it was not for the way the Gospel of Matthew emphasizes the connection to Psalm 22 I do not know if I would have noticed them here. Nevertheless there are clear references to Psalm 22. There is the obvious one when Jesus cries out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”. But there is also the reference to the soldiers dividing His clothes and dicing for them. There is also the reference to the crowd mocking Him and saying that He should save Himself in terms very reminiscent of the psalm.
    Marks account of the Roman officer reacting to Jesus death is even more striking than in Matthew or Luke. This soldier would have seen Jesus before Pilate and when the soldiers had mocked Him before bringing Him out to be crucified. The officer made his statement based on how Jesus behaved all through this day. Do we conduct ourselves in such a manner when we face trouble that people see God in us?

    There is a bit of simple politics in all of the times when Moses’ authority was challenged, but Korah’s is the most blatantly so. Korah used his position as a leader among the Levites to attempt to acquire more. Korah questioned Moses’ right to stand in authority over other Israelites, yet strove to use his standing as a Levite to stand above them.
    Korah made some legitimate points when he asked why Moses had authority over others. However, he made it clear that he was not really looking for an answer to that question. Rather Korah was questioning Moses’ authority in order to take it for himself. It is not inappropriate to question authority and to hold those with authority accountable. However, when we attempt to use holding authority accountable as an excuse to not be held accountable ourselves, we risk being judged by God.