On the third day of the journey, Abraham saw the place in the distance. Stay here with the donkey, Abraham told the young men. The boy and I will travel a little farther
A little farther
One day Moses was tending the flock of his farther in-law, Jethro, the priest of Median, and he want deep into the wilderness near Sinai, the mountain of God. Suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared to him as a blazing fire in a bush. Moses was amazed because the bush was engulfed in flames but it didnt burn up. Amazing! Moses said to himself. Why isnt that bush burning up? I must go over to see this. When the Lord saw that he had caught Moses attention, God called to him from the bush, Moses! Moses!
Then, accompanied by the disciples Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, Pray that you will not be overcome by temptation. He walked away, about a stones throw, and knelt down and prayed,
At that moment the angel of the LORD shouted at him from heaven, Abraham! Abraham! Yes he answered I am listening Do not hurt the boy in any way for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld even your beloved son from me. Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a bush. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering on the altar in place of his son. Abraham named the place, The LORD Will Provide. This name has now become a proverb. On the mountain of the lord it will be provided. | Then the angel of the LORD called again to Abraham from heaven This is what the LORD says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your beloved son, I swear by my own self that I will bless you richly. I will multiply your descendents into countless millions, like the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. They will conquer their enemies, and through your descendents, all the nations of the earth will be blessed - all because you have obeyed me Then they returned to Abrahams young men and traveled home again to Beersheba, where Abraham lived for quite some time.
It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received Gods promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, though God had promised him, Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted. Abraham assumed that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.
Altar
Then Elijah called to the people, Come over here!. They all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down. He took twelve stones, one to represent each of the tribes of Israel, and he used the stones to rebuild the LORDs altar...
At the customary time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, OLORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. O LORD, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself. Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the ditch!
Priest
And now God is building you, as living stones, into his spiritual temple. Whats more, you are Gods holy priests, who offer the spiritual sacrifices that please him because of Jesus Christ. As the scriptures express it.
Offering
Chapter Three | I will pass through Egypt
Now the LORD gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron while they were still in the land of Egypt: From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you. Announce to the whole community that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice. If a family is too small to eat an entire lamb, let them share the lamb with another family in the neighborhood. Whether or not they share in this way depends on the size of each family and how much they can eat. This animal must be a one year- old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no physical defects. | Take special care of these lambs until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then each family in the community must slaughter its lamb. They are to take some of the lambs blood and smear it on the top and sides of the door frame of the house where the lamb will be eaten. That evening everyone must eat roast lamb with bitter herbs and bread made without yeast. The meat must never be eaten raw or boiled; roast it all, including the head, legs, and internal organs. Do not leave any of it until the next day. Whatever is not eaten that night must be burned before morning. | Wear your travelling clothes as you eat this meal, as though prepared for a long journey. Wear your sandals, and carry your walking sticks in your hands. Eat the food quickly, for this is the LORDs Passover. On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and kill all the firstborn sons and firstborn male animals in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the LORD... celebrate this festival of Unleavened Bread, for it will remind you that I brought your forces out of the land of Egypt on this very day. This festival will be a permanent regulation for you, to be kept from generation to generation.
Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron during the night. Leave us! he cried. Go away, all of you! Go and serve the LORD as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, and be gone. God, but give me a blessing as you leave. All the Egyptians urged the people of Israel to get out of the land as quickly as possible, for they thought We will all die!
Lord remember me again
Samson
The angel of the LORD replied, Be sure your wife follows the instructions I gave her. She must not eat grapes or raisins, drink wine or any other alcoholic drink, or eat any forbidden food. Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, Please stay here until we can prepare a young goat for you to eat I will stay the angel of the LORD replied, but I will not eat anything. However, you may prepare a burnt offering as sacrifice to the LORD. (Manoah didnt realize it was the angel of the LORD). Then Manoah asked the angel of the LORD. What is your name? For when all this comes true, we want to honor you. Why do you ask my name? the angel of the LORD replied. You wouldnt understand if I told you. Then Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered it on a rock as a sacrifice to the LORD. And as Manoah and his wife watched, the LORD did an amazing thing. As the flames from the altar shot up toward the sky, the angel of the LORD ASCENDED IN THE FIRE. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell with their faces to the ground.
So the philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They took him to Gaza, where he has bound with bronze chains and made to grind grain in the prison. But before long his hair began to grow back. The philistine leaders held a great festival, offering sacrifices and praising their god, Dagon. They said, Our god has given us victory over our enemy Samson! When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying Our god has delivered our enemy to us! The one who killed so many of us in now in our power! | Half drunk by now, the people demanded, bring out Samson so he can perform for us! So he was brought from the prison and made to stand at the center of the temple, between the two pillars supporting the roof. Samson said to the servant who was leading him by the hand, place my hands against the two pillars. I want to rest against them! The temple was completely filled with people. All the philistine leaders were there, and there were about three thousand on the roof who were watching Samson and making fun of him. | Then Samson prayed to the LORD, Sovereign LORD remember me again. O God, please strengthen me one more time so that I may pay back the Philistines for the loss of my eyes. Then Samson put his hands on the centre pillars of the temple and pushed against them with all his might, let me die with the philistines, he prayed. And the temple crashed down on the philistine leaders and all the people. So he killed more people when he died than he had during his entire life time. | Judges 16: 21 -30
If I perish, I perish
Then Esther told Hathach to go back and relay this message to Mordecai; The whole world knows that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter. And the king has not called for me to come to him in more than a month.
Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai; Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king if I must die. I am willing to die.
Who is this uncircumcised Philistine?
But David persisted, I have been taking care of my fathers sheep, he said When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and take the lamb form its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the Jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears...
Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was a giant of a man, measuring over nine feet tall! He wore a bronze helmet and a coat of mail that weighed 125 pounds. He also wore bonze leggings, and he slung a bronze javelin over his back. The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weavers beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed fifteen pounds. An armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a huge shield. | Goliath stood and shouted across to the Israelites, Do you need a whole army to settle this? Choose someone to fight for you, and I will represent the Philistines. We will settle this dispute in single combat! If your man is able to kill me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! I defy the armies of Israel! Send me a man who will fight with me! When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.
As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. Reaching into his shepherds bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it from his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in and Goliath stumbled and fell face downward to the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine Giant with only a stone and sling. And since he had no sword, he ran over and pulled Goliaths sword from its sheath. David used it to kill the giant and cut off his head. | When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran. Then the Israelites gave a great shout of triumph and rushed after the philistines, chasing them as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron. The bodies of the dead and wounded philistines were strewn all along the road from Shaaraim, as far as Gath and Ekron. Then the Israelites army returned and plundered the deserted philistine camp.