AME Zion Universal Reading March 6th 2022
- Artisans Called by God
- Feb 27, 2022
- 18 min read
First Portion
Exodus Chapter 38
21These are the numbers of the Mishkan, the Mishkan of the Testimony, which were counted at Moses' command; [this was] the work of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the Kohen.22Bezalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, had made all that the Lord had commanded Moses.23With him was Oholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, a craftsman and master weaver, and an embroiderer in blue, purple, and crimson wool and in linen.24All the gold that had been used for the work in all the work of the Holy the gold of the waving was twenty nine talents, seven hundred and thirty shekels, according to the holy shekel.25The silver of the community numbers was one hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred and seventy five shekels, according to the holy shekel.26One bekka per head; [that is,] half a shekel according to the holy shekel for each one who goes through the counting, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred three thousand, five hundred and fifty [people].27One hundred talents of the silver were used for casting the sockets of the Holy and the sockets of the dividing curtain; one hundred sockets out of one hundred talents, one talent for each socket.28And out of the one thousand seven hundred and seventy five [shekels] he made hooks for the pillars, and he covered their tops and banded them.29The copper of the waving was seventy talents and two thousand four hundred shekels.30From that he made the sockets of the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the copper altar, the copper grating upon it, and all the implements of the altar,31and the sockets of the courtyard all around and the sockets of the gate to the courtyard, all the pegs of the Mishkan and all the pegs of the courtyard all around.
Exodus Chapter 39
1And out of the blue, purple, and crimson wool they made the meshwork garments to serve in the Holy, and they made Aaron's holy garments, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Sunday
Ezra 1:1–11 (NLT): Cyrus Allows the Exiles to Return
In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom:
2 “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says:
“The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Any of you who are his people may go to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild this Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives in Jerusalem. And may your God be with you! 4 Wherever this Jewish remnant is found, let their neighbors contribute toward their expenses by giving them silver and gold, supplies for the journey, and livestock, as well as a voluntary offering for the Temple of God in Jerusalem.”
5 Then God stirred the hearts of the priests and Levites and the leaders of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple of the Lord. 6 And all their neighbors assisted by giving them articles of silver and gold, supplies for the journey, and livestock. They gave them many valuable gifts in addition to all the voluntary offerings.
7 King Cyrus himself brought out the articles that King Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Lord’s Temple in Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his own gods. 8 Cyrus directed Mithredath, the treasurer of Persia, to count these items and present them to Sheshbazzar, the leader of the exiles returning to Judah. 9 This is a list of the items that were returned:
gold basins
30
silver basins
1,000
silver incense burners
29
10
gold bowls
30
silver bowls
410
other items
1,000
11 In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and silver. Sheshbazzar brought all of these along when the exiles went from Babylon to Jerusalem.
Ezra 2:64–70 (NLT):
64 So a total of 42,360 people returned to Judah, 65 in addition to 7,337 servants and 200 singers, both men and women. 66 They took with them 736 horses, 245 mules, 67 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
68 When they arrived at the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, some of the family leaders made voluntary offerings toward the rebuilding of God’s Temple on its original site, 69 and each leader gave as much as he could. The total of their gifts came to 61,000 gold coins, 6,250 pounds of silver, and 100 robes for the priests.
70 So the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, the Temple servants, and some of the common people settled in villages near Jerusalem. The rest of the people returned to their own towns throughout Israel.
Second Portion
Exodus Chapter 39
2And he made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and crimson wool, and twisted fine linen.3They hammered out the sheets of gold and cut threads [from them] to work [the gold] into the blue wool, into the purple wool, into the crimson wool, and into the fine linen, the work of a master weaver.4They made connecting shoulder straps for it at both its ends, it was entirely connected.5And its decorative band, which is above it, [emanated] from it, of the same work: gold, blue, purple, and crimson wool, and twisted fine linen as the Lord had commanded Moses.6And they prepared the shoham stones, enclosed in gold settings, engraved [similar to] the engravings of a seal, with the names of the sons of Israel.7And he put them upon the shoulder straps of the ephod [as] stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, as the Lord had commanded Moses.8He made the choshen, the work of a master weaver like the work of the ephod, of gold, blue, purple, and crimson wool, and twisted fine linen.9It was square [and] they made the choshen doubled its length one span and its width one span, doubled.10And they filled into it four rows of stones. One row: odem, pitdah, and bareketh, the one row.11And the second row: nofech, sappir, and yahalom.12And the third row: leshem, shevo, and achlamah.13And the fourth row: tarshish, shoham, and yashpheh; enclosed in gold settings in their fillings.14And the stones were for the names of the sons of Israel twelve, corresponding to their names; [similar to] the engravings of a seal, every one according to his name, for the twelve tribes.15For the choshen they made chains at the edges, of cable work, of pure gold.16They made two golden settings and two golden rings, and they placed the two rings on the two ends of the choshen.17And they placed the two golden cables on the two rings, at the ends of the choshen.18And the two ends of the two cables they placed upon the two settings, and they placed them upon the shoulder straps of the ephod, on its front part.19And they made two golden rings and placed them on the two ends of the choshen, on its edge that faced the inner side of the ephod.20And they made two golden rings and placed them on the two shoulder straps of the ephod, from below, toward its front, adjacent to its seam, above the band of the ephod.21And they fastened the choshen by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue wool, so that it could be upon the band of the ephod, so that the choshen would not move off the ephod, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Monday
Isaiah 40:1–11 (NLT): Comfort for God’s People
1 “Comfort, comfort my people,”
says your God.
2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.
Tell her that her sad days are gone
and her sins are pardoned.
Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over
for all her sins.”
3 Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting,
“Clear the way through the wilderness
for the Lord!
Make a straight highway through the wasteland
for our God!
4 Fill in the valleys,
and level the mountains and hills.
Straighten the curves,
and smooth out the rough places.
5 Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
The Lord has spoken!”
6 A voice said, “Shout!”
I asked, “What should I shout?”
“Shout that people are like the grass.
Their beauty fades as quickly
as the flowers in a field.
7 The grass withers and the flowers fade
beneath the breath of the Lord.
And so it is with people.
8 The grass withers and the flowers fade,
but the word of our God stands forever.”
9 O Zion, messenger of good news,
shout from the mountaintops!
Shout it louder, O Jerusalem.
Shout, and do not be afraid.
Tell the towns of Judah,
“Your God is coming!”
10 Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power.
He will rule with a powerful arm.
See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.
11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
He will carry the lambs in his arms,
holding them close to his heart.
He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.
Third Portion
Exodus Chapter 39
22And he made the robe of the ephod, the work of a weaver, completely of blue wool.23And the opening of the robe was turned inward like the opening of a coat of armor; its opening had a border around it so that it should not be torn.24And they made on the bottom hem of the robe pomegranates of blue, purple, and crimson wool, twisted.25And they made bells of pure gold, and they placed the bells in the midst of the pomegranates all around on the bottom hem of the robe, in the midst of the pomegranates.26A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, all around on the bottom hem of the robe, to serve as the Lord had commanded Moses.27And they made the linen tunics, the work of a weaver, for Aaron and for his sons,28and the cap of linen, and the glorious high hats of linen, and the linen pants of twisted fine linen,29and the sash of twisted fine linen, and blue, purple, and crimson wool, of embroidery work as the Lord had commanded Moses.30And they made the showplate, the holy crown, of pure gold, and they inscribed upon it an inscription like the engravings of a seal: "Holy to the Lord."31And they placed upon it a cord of blue wool to place over the cap, from above as the Lord had commanded Moses.32All the work of the Mishkan of the Tent of Meeting was completed; the children of Israel had done [it]; according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so they had done.
Tuesday
Isaiah 45:1–10 (NLT): Cyrus, the Lord’s Chosen One
1 This is what the Lord says to Cyrus, his anointed one,
whose right hand he will empower.
Before him, mighty kings will be paralyzed with fear.
Their fortress gates will be opened,
never to shut again.
2 This is what the Lord says:
“I will go before you, Cyrus,
and level the mountains.
I will smash down gates of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.
3 And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness—
secret riches.
I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.
4 “And why have I called you for this work?
Why did I call you by name when you did not know me?
It is for the sake of Jacob my servant,
Israel my chosen one.
5 I am the Lord;
there is no other God.
I have equipped you for battle,
though you don’t even know me,
6 so all the world from east to west
will know there is no other God.
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
7 I create the light and make the darkness.
I send good times and bad times.
I, the Lord, am the one who does these things.
8 “Open up, O heavens,
and pour out your righteousness.
Let the earth open wide
so salvation and righteousness can sprout up together.
I, the Lord, created them.
9 “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator.
Does a clay pot argue with its maker?
Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying,
‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’
Does the pot exclaim,
‘How clumsy can you be?’
10 How terrible it would be if a newborn baby said to its father,
‘Why was I born?’
or if it said to its mother,
‘Why did you make me this way?’ ”
Fourth Portion
Exodus Chapter 39
33Now they brought the Mishkan to Moses, the tent and all its furnishings its clasps, its planks, its bars, its pillars and its sockets,34the covering of rams' skins dyed red, the covering of tachash skins, and the screening dividing curtain,35the Ark of the Testimony and its poles and the ark cover,36the table, all its implements and the showbread,37the pure menorah, its lamps, the lamps to be set in order and all its implements, and the oil for the lighting,38the golden altar, the anointing oil and the incense, and the screen of the entrance to the tent,39the copper altar and its copper grating, its poles and all its implements, the washstand and its base,40the hangings of the courtyard, its pillars and its sockets, and the screen for the gate of the courtyard, its ropes and its pegs, and all the implements for the service of the Mishkan, of the Tent of Meeting,41the meshwork garments for the service in the Holy, the holy garments for Aaron the Kohen [Gadol] and his sons' garments for serving [as kohanim].42In accordance with all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel do all the work.43Moses saw the entire work, and lo! they had done it-as the Lord had commanded, so had they done. So Moses blessed them.
Wednesday
Philippians 4:10–20 (NLT): Paul’s Thanks for Their Gifts
10 How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. 11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. 14 Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.
15 As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. 16 Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. 17 I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness.
18 At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
20 Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen.
Fifth Portion
Exodus Chapter 40
1The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:2"On the day of the first month, on the first of the month, you shall set up the Mishkan of the Tent of Meeting.3There you shall place the Ark of the Testimony, and you shall spread the dividing curtain toward the ark.4You shall bring in the table and set its arrangement; you shall bring in the menorah and kindle its lamps.5You shall place the golden altar for incense before the Ark of the Testimony, and you shall place the screen of the entrance to the Mishkan.6You shall place the altar of the burnt offering in front of the entrance of the Mishkan of the Tent of Meeting.7You shall place the washstand between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and there you shall put water.8And you shall set up the courtyard all around, and you shall put up the screen for the gate to the courtyard.9You shall take the anointing oil and anoint the Mishkan and everything within it, and you shall sanctify it and all its furnishings; thus it will become a holy thing.10You shall anoint the altar for the burnt offering and all its implements; you shall sanctify the altar; thus the altar will become a holy of holies.11You shall anoint the washstand and its base and sanctify it.12And you shall bring Aaron and his sons near the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and you shall bathe them in water.13And you shall clothe Aaron with the holy garments, and you shall anoint him and sanctify him so that he may serve Me [as a kohen].14And you shall bring his sons near and clothe them with tunics.15And you shall anoint them, as you have anointed their father, so that they may serve Me [as kohanim]. And this shall be so that their anointment shall remain for them an everlasting kehunah throughout their generations."16Thus Moses did; according to all that the Lord had commanded him, so he did.
Thursday
Isaiah 40:12–31 (NLT): The Lord Has No Equal
12 Who else has held the oceans in his hand?
Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers?
Who else knows the weight of the earth
or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?
13 Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord?
Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him?
14 Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice?
Does he need instruction about what is good?
Did someone teach him what is right
or show him the path of justice?
15 No, for all the nations of the world
are but a drop in the bucket.
They are nothing more
than dust on the scales.
He picks up the whole earth
as though it were a grain of sand.
16 All the wood in Lebanon’s forests
and all Lebanon’s animals would not be enough
to make a burnt offering worthy of our God.
17 The nations of the world are worth nothing to him.
In his eyes they count for less than nothing—
mere emptiness and froth.
18 To whom can you compare God?
What image can you find to resemble him?
19 Can he be compared to an idol formed in a mold,
overlaid with gold, and decorated with silver chains?
20 Or if people are too poor for that,
they might at least choose wood that won’t decay
and a skilled craftsman
to carve an image that won’t fall down!
21 Haven’t you heard? Don’t you understand?
Are you deaf to the words of God—
the words he gave before the world began?
Are you so ignorant?
22 God sits above the circle of the earth.
The people below seem like grasshoppers to him!
He spreads out the heavens like a curtain
and makes his tent from them.
23 He judges the great people of the world
and brings them all to nothing.
24 They hardly get started, barely taking root,
when he blows on them and they wither.
The wind carries them off like chaff.
25 “To whom will you compare me?
Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.
26 Look up into the heavens.
Who created all the stars?
He brings them out like an army, one after another,
calling each by its name.
Because of his great power and incomparable strength,
not a single one is missing.
27 O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles?
O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights?
28 Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
29 He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
30 Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.
Sixth Portion
Exodus Chapter 40
17It came to pass in the first month, in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the Mishkan was set up.18Moses set up the Mishkan, placed its sockets, put up its planks, put in its bars, and set up its pillars.19He spread the tent over the Mishkan, and he placed the cover of the tent over it from above, as the Lord had commanded Moses.20He took and placed the testimony into the ark, put the poles upon the ark, and placed the ark cover on the ark from above.21He brought the ark into the Mishkan and placed the screening dividing curtain so that it formed a protective covering before the Ark of the Testimony as the Lord had commanded Moses.22He placed the table in the Tent of Meeting on the northern side of the Mishkan, outside the dividing curtain.23He set upon it an arrangement of bread before the Lord as the Lord had commanded Moses.24He placed the menorah in the Tent of Meeting, opposite the table, on the southern side of the Mishkan.25He kindled the lamps before the Lord as the Lord had commanded Moses.26He placed the golden altar in the Tent of Meeting in front of the dividing curtain.27He made the incense go up in smoke upon it as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Friday
1 Peter 2:13–17 (NLT): Respecting People in Authority
13 For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, 14 or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.
15 It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. 16 For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. 17 Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king.
Seventh Portion
Exodus Chapter 40
28He placed the screen for the entrance of the Mishkan.29The altar of the burnt offering he placed in front of the entrance of the Mishkan of the Tent of Meeting, and he offered up the burnt offering and the meal offering upon it as the Lord had commanded Moses.30He placed the washstand between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and there he put water for washing,31and Moses, Aaron, and his sons would wash their hands and their feet from it.32When they entered the Tent of Meeting and when they approached the altar they would wash as the Lord had commanded Moses.33He set up the courtyard all around the Mishkan and the altar, and he put up the screen at the entrance to the courtyard; and Moses completed the work.34And the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the Mishkan.35Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud rested upon it and the glory of the Lord filled the Mishkan.36When the cloud rose up from over the Mishkan, the children of Israel set out in all their journeys.37But if the cloud did not rise up, they did not set out until the day that it rose.38For the cloud of the Lord was upon the Mishkan by day, and there was fire within it at night, before the eyes of the entire house of Israel in all their journeys.
Saturday
Psalm 97:1–12 (NLT):
1 The Lord is king!
Let the earth rejoice!
Let the farthest coastlands be glad.
2 Dark clouds surround him.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire spreads ahead of him
and burns up all his foes.
4 His lightning flashes out across the world.
The earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
every nation sees his glory.
7 Those who worship idols are disgraced—
all who brag about their worthless gods—
for every god must bow to him.
8 Jerusalem has heard and rejoiced,
and all the towns of Judah are glad
because of your justice, O Lord!
9 For you, O Lord, are supreme over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
10 You who love the Lord, hate evil!
He protects the lives of his godly people
and rescues them from the power of the wicked.
11 Light shines on the godly,
and joy on those whose hearts are right.
12 May all who are godly rejoice in the Lord
and praise his holy name!
Maftir Portion
Exodus Chapter 40
34And the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the Mishkan.35Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud rested upon it and the glory of the Lord filled the Mishkan.36When the cloud rose up from over the Mishkan, the children of Israel set out in all their journeys.37But if the cloud did not rise up, they did not set out until the day that it rose.38For the cloud of the Lord was upon the Mishkan by day, and there was fire within it at night, before the eyes of the entire house of Israel in all their journeys.
Haftarah
I Kings Chapter 7
51And all the work that king Solomon had wrought in the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, (and) put them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.
I Kings Chapter 8
1Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the fathers' (houses) of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem; to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion.2And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which (is) the seventh month.3And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.4And they brought up the ark of the Lord, and the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy vessels which (were) in the tabernacle, and the priests and the Levites did bring them up.5And King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, (were) with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be counted nor numbered for multitude.6And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the Sanctuary of the house, to the most holy (place), under the wings of the cherubim.7For the cherubim spread forth (their) wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and the staves thereof above.8And the staves were so long that the ends of the staves were seen from the holy (place) before the Sanctuary, and they were not seen without; and they are there unto this day.9There was nothing in the ark save the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when the Lord made (a covenant) with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.10And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy (place), and the cloud filled the house of the Lord.11And the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.12Then Solomon said, "The Lord said that He would dwell in the thick darkness.13I have surely built You a house to dwell in; a settled place for You to dwell in forever."14And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel, and all the congregation of Israel stood.15And he said, "Blessed (be) the Lord, the God of Israel Who spoke with His mouth unto David my father, and has fulfilled it with His hand, saying.16'Since the day that I brought forth My people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house, that My name might be therein; but I chose David to be over My people Israel.'17And it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.18And the Lord said to David my father, 'Since it was in your heart to build a house unto My name, you did well that it was in your heart.19Nevertheless, you shall not build the house; but your son that shall come forth out of your loins, he shall build the house for My name.'20And the Lord has established His word that He spoke, and I have risen up in the place of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord spoke, and have built a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.21And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein (is) the covenant of the Lord, which He made with our fathers, when He brought them out of the land of Egypt."
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