"The Circle of Blessing"
Isaiah 1 (NASB)
1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.2 Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the LORD speaks, Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me.3 An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its masters manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.4 Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the LORD, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.5 Where will you be stricken again, As you continue in your rebellion? The whole head is sick And the whole heart is faint.6 From the sole of the foot even to the head There is nothing sound in it, Only bruises, welts and raw wounds, Not pressed out or bandaged, Nor softened with oil.7 Your land is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire, Your fields--strangers are devouring them in your presence; It is desolation, as overthrown by strangers.8 The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, Like a watchmans hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.9 Unless the LORD of hosts Had left us a few survivors, We would be like Sodom, We would be like Gomorrah.10 Hear the word of the LORD, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the instruction of our God, You people of Gomorrah.11 What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me? Says the LORD. I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.12 When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts?13 Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies-- I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.14 I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them.15 So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.16 Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil,17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.18 Come now, and let us reason together, Says the LORD, Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.19 If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land;20 But if you refuse and rebel, You will be devoured by the sword. Truly, the mouth of the LORD has spoken.21 How the faithful city has become a harlot, She who was full of justice! Righteousness once lodged in her, But now murderers.22 Your silver has become dross, Your drink diluted with water.23 Your rulers are rebels And companions of thieves; Everyone loves a bribe And chases after rewards. They do not defend the orphan, Nor does the widows plea come before them.24 Therefore the Lord GOD of hosts, The Mighty One of Israel, declares, Ah, I will be relieved of My adversaries And avenge Myself on My foes.25 I will also turn My hand against you, And will smelt away your dross as with lye And will remove all your alloy.26 Then I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning; After that you will be called the city of righteousness, A faithful city.27 Zion will be redeemed with justice And her repentant ones with righteousness.28 But transgressors and sinners will be crushed together, And those who forsake the LORD will come to an end.29 Surely you will be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired, And you will be embarrassed at the gardens which you have chosen.30 For you will be like an oak whose leaf fades away Or as a garden that has no water.31 The strong man will become tinder, His work also a spark. Thus they shall both burn together And there will be none to quench them.
Exodus 25 (NASB)
1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,2 Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution.3 This is the contribution which you are to raise from them: gold, silver and bronze,4 blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair,5 rams skins dyed red, porpoise skins, acacia wood,6 oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense,7 onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece.8 Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.9 According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it.10 They shall construct an ark of acacia wood two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high.11 You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding around it.12 You shall cast four gold rings for it and fasten them on its four feet, and two rings shall be on one side of it and two rings on the other side of it.13 You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.14 You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them.15 The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it.16 You shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you.17 You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide.18 You shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat.19 Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends.20 The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat.21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you.22 There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.23 You shall make a table of acacia wood, two cubits long and one cubit wide and one and a half cubits high.24 You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a gold border around it.25 You shall make for it a rim of a handbreadth around it; and you shall make a gold border for the rim around it.26 You shall make four gold rings for it and put rings on the four corners which are on its four feet.27 The rings shall be close to the rim as holders for the poles to carry the table.28 You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that with them the table may be carried.29 You shall make its dishes and its pans and its jars and its bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold.30 You shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.31 Then you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand and its base and its shaft are to be made of hammered work; its cups, its bulbs and its flowers shall be of one piece with it.32 Six branches shall go out from its sides; three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its other side.33 Three cups shall be shaped like almond blossoms in the one branch, a bulb and a flower, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms in the other branch, a bulb and a flower--so for six branches going out from the lampstand;34 and in the lampstand four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its bulbs and its flowers.35 A bulb shall be under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand.36 Their bulbs and their branches shall be of one piece with it; all of it shall be one piece of hammered work of pure gold.37 Then you shall make its lamps seven in number; and they shall mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it.38 Its snuffers and their trays shall be of pure gold.39 It shall be made from a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils.40 See that you make them after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain.
2 Corinthians 8 (NASB)
1 Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia,2 that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.3 For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord,4 begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints,5 and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.6 So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well.7 But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also.8 I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also.9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.10 I give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it.11 But now finish doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability.12 For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.13 For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality--14 at this present time your abundance being a supply for their need, so that their abundance also may become a supply for your need, that there may be equality;15 as it is written, HE WHO gathered MUCH DID NOT HAVE TOO MUCH, AND HE WHO gathered LITTLE HAD NO LACK.16 But thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus.17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord.18 We have sent along with him the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches;19 and not only this, but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our readiness,20 taking precaution so that no one will discredit us in our administration of this generous gift;21 for we have regard for what is honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.22 We have sent with them our brother, whom we have often tested and found diligent in many things, but now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you.23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brethren, they are messengers of the churches, a glory to Christ.24 Therefore openly before the churches, show them the proof of your love and of our reason for boasting about you.
1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.2 Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the LORD speaks, Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me.3 An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its masters manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.4 Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the LORD, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.5 Where will you be stricken again, As you continue in your rebellion? The whole head is sick And the whole heart is faint.6 From the sole of the foot even to the head There is nothing sound in it, Only bruises, welts and raw wounds, Not pressed out or bandaged, Nor softened with oil.7 Your land is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire, Your fields--strangers are devouring them in your presence; It is desolation, as overthrown by strangers.8 The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, Like a watchmans hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.9 Unless the LORD of hosts Had left us a few survivors, We would be like Sodom, We would be like Gomorrah.10 Hear the word of the LORD, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the instruction of our God, You people of Gomorrah.11 What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me? Says the LORD. I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.12 When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts?13 Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies-- I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.14 I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them.15 So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.16 Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil,17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.18 Come now, and let us reason together, Says the LORD, Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.19 If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land;20 But if you refuse and rebel, You will be devoured by the sword. Truly, the mouth of the LORD has spoken.21 How the faithful city has become a harlot, She who was full of justice! Righteousness once lodged in her, But now murderers.22 Your silver has become dross, Your drink diluted with water.23 Your rulers are rebels And companions of thieves; Everyone loves a bribe And chases after rewards. They do not defend the orphan, Nor does the widows plea come before them.24 Therefore the Lord GOD of hosts, The Mighty One of Israel, declares, Ah, I will be relieved of My adversaries And avenge Myself on My foes.25 I will also turn My hand against you, And will smelt away your dross as with lye And will remove all your alloy.26 Then I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning; After that you will be called the city of righteousness, A faithful city.27 Zion will be redeemed with justice And her repentant ones with righteousness.28 But transgressors and sinners will be crushed together, And those who forsake the LORD will come to an end.29 Surely you will be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired, And you will be embarrassed at the gardens which you have chosen.30 For you will be like an oak whose leaf fades away Or as a garden that has no water.31 The strong man will become tinder, His work also a spark. Thus they shall both burn together And there will be none to quench them.
Exodus 25 (NASB)
1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,2 Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution.3 This is the contribution which you are to raise from them: gold, silver and bronze,4 blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair,5 rams skins dyed red, porpoise skins, acacia wood,6 oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense,7 onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece.8 Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.9 According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it.10 They shall construct an ark of acacia wood two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high.11 You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding around it.12 You shall cast four gold rings for it and fasten them on its four feet, and two rings shall be on one side of it and two rings on the other side of it.13 You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.14 You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them.15 The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it.16 You shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you.17 You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide.18 You shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat.19 Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends.20 The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat.21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you.22 There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.23 You shall make a table of acacia wood, two cubits long and one cubit wide and one and a half cubits high.24 You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a gold border around it.25 You shall make for it a rim of a handbreadth around it; and you shall make a gold border for the rim around it.26 You shall make four gold rings for it and put rings on the four corners which are on its four feet.27 The rings shall be close to the rim as holders for the poles to carry the table.28 You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that with them the table may be carried.29 You shall make its dishes and its pans and its jars and its bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold.30 You shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.31 Then you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand and its base and its shaft are to be made of hammered work; its cups, its bulbs and its flowers shall be of one piece with it.32 Six branches shall go out from its sides; three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its other side.33 Three cups shall be shaped like almond blossoms in the one branch, a bulb and a flower, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms in the other branch, a bulb and a flower--so for six branches going out from the lampstand;34 and in the lampstand four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its bulbs and its flowers.35 A bulb shall be under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand.36 Their bulbs and their branches shall be of one piece with it; all of it shall be one piece of hammered work of pure gold.37 Then you shall make its lamps seven in number; and they shall mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it.38 Its snuffers and their trays shall be of pure gold.39 It shall be made from a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils.40 See that you make them after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain.
2 Corinthians 8 (NASB)
1 Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia,2 that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.3 For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord,4 begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints,5 and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.6 So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well.7 But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also.8 I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also.9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.10 I give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it.11 But now finish doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability.12 For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.13 For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality--14 at this present time your abundance being a supply for their need, so that their abundance also may become a supply for your need, that there may be equality;15 as it is written, HE WHO gathered MUCH DID NOT HAVE TOO MUCH, AND HE WHO gathered LITTLE HAD NO LACK.16 But thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus.17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord.18 We have sent along with him the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches;19 and not only this, but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our readiness,20 taking precaution so that no one will discredit us in our administration of this generous gift;21 for we have regard for what is honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.22 We have sent with them our brother, whom we have often tested and found diligent in many things, but now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you.23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brethren, they are messengers of the churches, a glory to Christ.24 Therefore openly before the churches, show them the proof of your love and of our reason for boasting about you.