I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

     Moses established several traditions for the people of Israel related to this event. The first one was the Festival of the Unleavened Bread. They were to celebrate it that night in Egypt so that when God sent the destroyer to kill the first born in Egypt, the destroyer would pass over the households which were prepared in this manner. They were to celebrate this Festival every year as a lasting ordinance. There is an interesting phrase in this passage. According to the NIV it says that when their children ask them “What does this ceremony mean to you?” they are to answer that it is to commemorate when God spared the Israelites while He struck the Egyptians. Reading this reminds me about a discussion we had in my small group a few months back about rituals and their importance. A ritual is only of value when it means something to the person who is taking part in it.
     On the night they first celebrated this festival, the firstborn of all the Egyptians and of their livestock died. In the middle of the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and told them to leave Egypt with all of their people and all of their livestock. Many of the Egyptian people also encouraged the Israelites to leave out of fear for their lives. When the Israelites asked their Egyptian neighbors for articles of silver or gold and for clothing the Egyptians readily gave them those things. The passage tells us that the number of Israelite men who left Egypt was about 600,000 men plus women and children. In addition we are told that many other people went with them, all of them driving large herds and flocks of livestock.
     The second tradition that God had Moses establish for the Israelites out of this event was the consecration of the first born male of both people and animals to God. The firstborn of all of their livestock was to be sacrificed to God, although they could redeem the firstborn donkey with a lamb. They were required to redeem their firstborn sons. Once again this was a tradition and ceremony that they were to use to explain what God had done for them. Do we have traditions and ceremonies that we use to convey the message that God has done great things for us? Things that might be inconvenient and uncomfortable, but that somehow give us comfort by grounding us in a tradition of following God and acknowledging His power?

     This passage begins with Jesus beginning His journey from Jericho to Jerusalem, where He knows that He will die. As He leaves Jericho, two blind men cry out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”. The crowd around Jesus tells them to be quiet and not disturb the great man, but they only become more persistent and louder. Jesus hears their cries and has compassion on them. He asks them what they want Him to do for them and they reply that they want to see. Jesus touched their eyes and immediately they were able to see. In response to this gift, they followed Him.
     When they got near to Jerusalem, Jesus sent two disciples into Bethpage to get a donkey’s colt for Him to ride. Jesus then rode the donkey’s colt into Jerusalem in order to call to mind the prophecy of Zechariah. This was a declaration the He was not coming to start a war, but rather in peace.
The king in Zechariah’s prophecy was not bringing war, rather He was going to destroy weapons. The people viewed Jesus entry as the triumphal entry of a king and sang His praises as He entered the city. People all throughout the city heard the commotion and asked what was going on.
     The writer does not say, but I have always imagined that Jesus led this procession all the way up to the Temple. Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive the merchants out of the Temple, overturning their benches and tables. Jesus tells them that they have turned what is supposed to be a House of Prayer into a den of thieves. Whenever I read this I am reminded of our modern sporting arenas and how all of the vendors there pay a fee to the team for the privilege of selling to the captive market attending events in the arena. Once He had driven the merchants out of the Temple, the blind and the lame came to Him there and He healed them. Meanwhile the children continued to cry out “Hosanna to the son of David.” I imagine what would happen if someone did this in our sports arenas today and then I read how the priests and religious teachers reacted much the way that I imagine that those responsible for our sports arenas would react. They were indignant. While I am sure that today’s sports owners (and the others in charge of our big arenas) would call out the police immediately to get Him removed, they also do not pretend that the arenas are a place designed specifically for the worship of God. On the other hand, don’t many people around us treat sports as more important than God?
     The next morning on His way back into the city, Jesus approached a fig tree to see if it had any fruit. When He discovered that it did not, He cursed it and it immediately withered. The disciples were amazed at how quickly the fig tree withered. Jesus told them that if they had faith, they would be able to do even more than make a fig tree wither. They would be able to tell a mountain to move into the sea and it would do so. Whatever they asked for in prayer, they would receive if they believed. Why don’t we have the faith to tell mountains to throw themselves into the sea?

     The psalmist calls on God when he is all alone and facing troubles that seem insurmountable. He trusts that God will rescue him and puts all of His hope in God. If we follow the psalmists example we will not be disappointed. God will rescue us from our troubles.

     Wicked people lie constantly and are always stirring up trouble. Those who follow such a life will seem to be successful until sudden disaster overcomes them and leaves them wondering what went wrong.