◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 99 (Priests and people praise God); Leviticus 9:1-11 22-24 (The high priest Aaron offers sacrifice); 1 Peter 4:1-6 (Live by the will of God) (New English Translation)

Prev Day

May 25, 2020

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

May 2020
Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
					1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30
31

Return to today's reading

Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with thematically matched Old and New Testament readings.

Duration: 1245 days

Psalm 99

Psalm 99^[a]

99 The Lord reigns!
The nations tremble.^[b]
He sits enthroned above the cherubim;^[c]
the earth shakes.^[d]
²The Lord is elevated^[e] in Zion;
he is exalted over all the nations.
³Let them praise your great and awesome name.
He^[f] is holy!
⁴The king is strong;
he loves justice.^[g]
You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly;^[h]
you promote justice and equity in Jacob.
⁵Praise^[i] the Lord our God.
Worship^[j] before his footstool.
He is holy!
⁶Moses and Aaron were among his priests;
Samuel was one of those who prayed to him.^[k]
They^[l] prayed to the Lord and he answered them.
⁷He spoke to them from a pillar of cloud;^[m]
they obeyed his regulations and the ordinance he gave them.
⁸O Lord our God, you answered them.
They found you to be a forgiving God,
but also one who punished their sinful deeds.^[n]
⁹Praise^[o] the Lord our God!
Worship on his holy hill,
for the Lord our God is holy.

Footnotes

Psalm 99:1 sn Psalm 99. The psalmist celebrates the Lord’s just rule and recalls how he revealed himself to Israel’s leaders.
Psalm 99:1 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 1 are understood here as indicating the nations’ characteristic response to the reality of the Lord’s kingship. Another option is to take them as jussives: “let the nations tremble…let the earth shake!”
Psalm 99:1 sn Cherubim are winged angels. As depicted in the OT, they possess both human and animal (lion, ox, and eagle) characteristics (see Ezek 1:10; 10:14, 21; 41:18). They are pictured as winged creatures (Exod 25:20; 37:9; 1 Kgs 6:24-27; Ezek 10:8, 19) and serve as the very throne of God when the ark of the covenant is in view (Ps 99:1; see Num 7:89; 1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 2 Kgs 19:15). The picture of the Lord seated on the cherubim suggests they might be used by him as a vehicle, a function they carry out in Ezek 1:22-28 (the “living creatures” mentioned here are identified as cherubim in Ezek 10:20). In Ps 18:10 the image of a cherub serves to personify the wind.
Psalm 99:1 tn The Hebrew verb נוּט (nut) occurs only here in the OT, but the meaning can be determined on the basis of the parallelism with רָגַז (ragaz, “tremble”) and evidence from the cognate languages (see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 121).
Psalm 99:2 tn Heb “great.”
Psalm 99:3 tn The pronoun refers to the Lord himself (see vv. 5, 9).
Psalm 99:4 tn Heb “and strength, a king, justice he loves.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult here. The translation assumes that two affirmations are made about the king, the Lord (see v. 1, and Ps 98:6). The noun עֹז (ʿoz, “strength”) should probably be revocalized as the adjective עַז (ʿaz, “strong”).
Psalm 99:4 tn Heb “you establish fairness.”
Psalm 99:5 tn Or “exalt.”
Psalm 99:5 tn Or “bow down.”
Psalm 99:6 tn Heb “among those who called on his name.”
Psalm 99:6 tn Heb “those who.” The participle is in apposition to the phrase “those who called on his name” in the preceding line.
Psalm 99:7 sn A pillar of cloud. The psalmist refers to the reality described in Exod 33:9-10; Num 12:5; and Deut 31:15.
Psalm 99:8 tn Heb “a God of lifting up [i.e., forgiveness] you were to them, and an avenger concerning their deeds.” The present translation reflects the traditional interpretation, which understands the last line as qualifying the preceding one. God forgave Moses and Aaron, but he also disciplined them when they sinned (cf. NIV, NRSV). Another option is to take “their deeds” as referring to harmful deeds directed against Moses and Aaron. In this case the verse may be translated, “and one who avenged attacks against them.” Still another option is to emend the participial form נֹקֵם (noqem, “an avenger”) to נֹקָם (noqam), a rare Qal participial form of נָקַה (naqah, “purify”) with a suffixed pronoun. In this case one could translate, “and one who purified them from their [sinful] deeds” (cf. NEB “and held them innocent”).
Psalm 99:9 tn Or “exalt.”

Leviticus 9:1-11

Inauguration of Tabernacle Worship

9 On the eighth day^[a] Moses summoned^[b] Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel, ²and said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a bull calf for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both flawless, and present them before the Lord. ³Then tell the Israelites: ‘Take a male goat^[c] for a sin offering and a calf and a lamb, both a year old and flawless,^[d] for a burnt offering, ⁴and an ox and a ram for peace offerings to sacrifice before the Lord, and a grain offering mixed with olive oil, for today the Lord is going to appear^[e] to you.’” ⁵So they took what Moses had commanded to the front of^[f] the Meeting Tent and the whole congregation presented them and stood before the Lord. ⁶Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do^[g] so that the glory of the Lord may appear^[h] to you.” ⁷Moses then said to Aaron, “Approach the altar and make your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement on behalf of yourself and on behalf of the people;^[i] and also make the people’s offering and make atonement on behalf of them just as the Lord has commanded.”

The Sin Offering for the Priests

⁸So Aaron approached the altar and slaughtered the sin offering calf which was for himself. ⁹Then Aaron’s sons presented the blood to him and he dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar, and the rest of the blood he poured out at the base of the altar. ¹⁰The fat and the kidneys and the protruding lobe of^[j] the liver from the sin offering he offered up in smoke on the altar just as the Lord had commanded Moses, ¹¹but the flesh and the hide he completely burned up^[k] outside the camp.^[l]

Footnotes

Leviticus 9:1 sn This eighth day is the one after the seven days of ordination referred to in Lev 8:33-35.
Leviticus 9:1 tn Heb “called to”; CEV, NLT “called together.”
Leviticus 9:3 tn Heb “a he-goat of goats.”
Leviticus 9:3 tn Heb “and a calf and a lamb, sons of a year, flawless”; KJV, ASV, NRSV “without blemish”; NASB, NIV “without defect”; NLT “with no physical defects.”
Leviticus 9:4 tn The verb is either a prophetic perfect (“will appear to you”) as in the MT (cf. IBHS §30.5.1.e; so many English versions), or a futurum instans participle (“is going to appear to you”) as in the LXX and several other versions (see the BHS footnote; cf. IBHS 627 §37.6f). In either case, the point is that Moses was anticipating that the Lord would indeed appear to them on this day (cf. vv. 6, 22-24).
Leviticus 9:5 tn Heb “to the faces of.”
Leviticus 9:6 tn Heb “which the Lord commanded you shall/should do.”
Leviticus 9:6 tn Heb “and the glory of the Lord will appear,” but the construction with the simple vav (ו) plus the imperfect/jussive (וְיֵרָא, v^eyeraʾ; literally, “and he will appear”) suggests purpose in this context, not just succession of events (i.e., “so that he might appear”).
Leviticus 9:7 tn Instead of “on behalf of the people,” the LXX has “on behalf of your house” as in the Hebrew text of Lev 16:6, 11, 17. Many commentaries follow the LXX here (e.g., J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:578; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 118) as do a few English versions (e.g., NAB), but others argue that, as on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16), the offerings of the priests also effected the people, even though there was still the need to have special offerings made on behalf of the people as reflected in the second half of the verse (e.g., B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 56).
Leviticus 9:10 tn Heb “from.”
Leviticus 9:11 tn Heb “he burned with fire,” an expression which is sometimes redundant in English, but here means “burned up,” “burned up entirely.”
Leviticus 9:11 sn See Lev 4:5-12 and the notes there regarding the sin offering for priest(s). The distinction here is that the blood of the sin offering for the priests was applied to the horns of the burnt offering altar in the court of the tabernacle, not the incense altar inside the tabernacle tent itself. See the notes on Lev 8:14-15.

Leviticus 9:22-24

²²Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them and descended from making the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering. ²³Moses and Aaron then entered into the Meeting Tent. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. ²⁴Then fire went out from the presence of the Lord^[a] and consumed the burnt offering and the fat parts on the altar, and all the people saw it, so they shouted loudly and fell down with their faces to the ground.^[b]

1 Peter 4:1-6

4 So, since Christ suffered^[a] in the flesh, you also arm yourselves with the same attitude, because the one who has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin,^[b] ²in that he spends the rest of his time^[c] on earth concerned about the will of God and not human desires. ³For the time that has passed was sufficient for you to do what the non-Christians^[d] desire.^[e] You lived then^[f] in debauchery, evil desires, drunkenness, carousing, drinking bouts,^[g] and wanton idolatries.^[h] ⁴So^[i] they are astonished^[j] when you do not rush with them into the same flood of wickedness, and they vilify you.^[k] ⁵They will face a reckoning before^[l] Jesus Christ^[m] who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. ⁶Now it was for this very purpose^[n] that the gospel was preached to those who are now dead,^[o] so that though^[p] they were judged in the flesh^[q] by human standards^[r] they may live spiritually^[s] by God’s standards.^[t]

Footnotes

1 Peter 4:1 tc Most mss (א² A P 5 33 81 436 442 1175 1611 1852 M) add ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν (huper hēmōn, “for us”); others (א* 69 1505 sy^p) add ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν (huper humōn, “for you”), the first hand of א also has ἀποθανόντος (apothanontos, “since he died”) instead of παθόντος (pathontos, “since he suffered”). But the reading without ὑπὲρ ἡ/ὑμῶν best explains the rise of the other readings, for not only is there confusion as to which pronoun belongs here, but the longer readings, being clarifications, are evidently scribally motivated. The shortest reading is found in significant and early witnesses (P⁷² B C Ψ 323 1243 1739 sa) and is strongly preferred.
1 Peter 4:1 sn Has finished with sin. The last sentence in v. 1 may refer to Christ as the one who suffered in the flesh (cf. 2:21, 23; 3:18; 4:1a) and the latter part would then mean, “he has finished dealing with sin.” But it is more likely that it refers to the Christian who suffers unjustly (cf. 2:19-20; 3:14, 17). This shows that he has made a break with sin as vs. 2 describes.
1 Peter 4:2 tn This verse may give the purpose or result of their “arming” themselves as called for in v. 1b and then the translation would be: “so that you may spend the rest of your time…” But it is better to take it as explanatory of the last phrase in v. 1: what it means to be finished with sin.
1 Peter 4:3 tn Grk “the Gentiles,” used here of those who are not God’s people.
1 Peter 4:3 tn Grk “to accomplish the desire of the Gentiles.”
1 Peter 4:3 tn Grk “having gone along,” referring to the readers’ behavior in time past.
1 Peter 4:3 tn According to BDAG 857 s.v. πότος the term refers to a social gathering at which wine is served, hence “drinking parties” (cf. TEV, NASB). However, the collocation with the other terms in v. 4 suggests something less sophisticated and more along the lines of wild and frenzied drinking bouts.
1 Peter 4:3 tn The Greek words here all occur in the plural to describe their common practice in the past.
1 Peter 4:4 tn Grk “in/by which,” referring to the change of behavior described in v. 3. The unbelievers are astonished by the readers’ moral transformation. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
1 Peter 4:4 tn Or “are surprised, are taken aback.” The same verb occurs in 4:12.
1 Peter 4:4 tn Grk “blaspheming,” giving the result of their astonishment. Here the target of their “blasphemy/vilification” is not God but the Christian.
1 Peter 4:5 tn Grk “give an account to.”
1 Peter 4:5 tn Grk “the one”; the referent (Jesus Christ) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1 Peter 4:6 tn Grk “since for this purpose the gospel was preached even to the dead,” referring to the purpose described in the clause to follow in v. 6b.
1 Peter 4:6 sn In context the phrase those who are dead refers to those now dead who had accepted the gospel while they were still living and had suffered persecution for their faith. Though they “suffered judgment” in this earthly life (i.e., they died, in the midst of physical abuse from the ungodly), they will enjoy life from God in the spiritual, heavenly realm because of the gospel (v. 6b). It clearly does not assume a second chance for conversion offered to unbelievers who had died; why would Peter urge people to suffer in this life for the sake of the gospel if he believed that mercy would be extended to all the dead in the hereafter (cf. 2:7-8; 4:1-5, 12-19)?
1 Peter 4:6 tn Grk “so that they may be judged…but may live.” Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.
1 Peter 4:6 tn Or “in their earthly lives,” since “flesh” here denotes the physical, earthly life. The phrase “in the flesh” is retained to preserve the links with 3:18 and 4:1 which use the same wording.
1 Peter 4:6 tn Grk “according to men.”
1 Peter 4:6 tn Grk “in spirit,” referring to the heavenly, eternal realm of existence (cf. 3:18).
1 Peter 4:6 tn Grk “according to God.”

New English Translation (NET)

Prev Day

Top

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

Log in to read this devotional and:

Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 99[a]

Footnotes

Inauguration of Tabernacle Worship

The Sin Offering for the Priests

Footnotes

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 99^[a]