Poems and Short Features
Cleanse Me
Forever here my rest shall be,
Close to thy wounded side,
This all my hope and all my plea,
For me the Savior died.
My dying Saviour and my Lord,
Fountain for guilt and sin,
Sprinkle me ever with thy blood;
O! cleanse and keep me clean.
Wash me, and make me thus thine own;
Wash me, and mine thou art;
Wash me, but not my feet alone—
My hands, my head, my heart.
Th’ atonement of thy blood apply,
Till faith to sight improve,
Till hope in full fruition die,
And all my soul be love.
—Hymns of Dawn, Number 52 |
The Good Lord Pardon Every One
But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon every
one. —2 Chronicles 30:18
Amongst those who came to the Passover from the northern tribes, some
ate the Passover without having performed the purifyings stipulated by the law. King
Hezekiah might without impropriety have made a great ado over this fact. He might have
berated the visiting brethren on their ignorance, their stupidity, their saturation with
idolatry to the neglect of their God’s commandments. He might have ordered them to be
driven from the Holy City. But he did more wisely. He prayed for them, asking Divine mercy
for their error. Similarly, in the church of Christ, we at times find some who but
imperfectly comprehend the sanctification of life necessary to a proper participation in
the Lord’s "feast of fat things." Let us be wise in our dealing with such;
let us not denounce them as hypocrites nor hold up their shortcomings. Let us pray for
them and assist them in the more excellent way. Let us remember the words . . . "Man
looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." Let us be less
punctilious respecting forms and ceremonies, and more lovingly sympathetic with the
expressions of heart of all those who seek to draw nigh unto the Lord.
—Reprints, ppg. 4812, 4813
The
Better Gift |
Gracious Father, Lord of Hosts,
Taught by Thee, we covet most,
Of Thy gifts at Pentecost,
Holy, heavenly love.Faith that mountains could remove,
Tongues of earth or heaven above,
Knowledge, all things, empty prove,
Without heavenly love.
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Love is kind, and suffers long,
Love is meek, and thinks no wrong.
Love than death itself more strong,
Therefore give us love. Prophecy will fade away,
Melting in the light of day.
Love will ever with us stay,
Therefore give us love.
—Bible Students’ HymnalNumber 106 |
The Seven Jewish Feasts
of Lev. 23
Feast |
Jewish Month |
Day |
Religious Month |
Civil Month |
Corresponding Month |
Additional Reference |
| Passover |
Nisan |
14 |
1 |
7 |
March – April |
Ex. 12:1-14, Mt.
26:17-20 |
| * Unleavened Bread |
Nisan |
15-21 |
1 |
7 |
March – April |
Ex. 12:15-20 |
| Firstfruits |
Nisan |
14 |
1 |
7 |
March – April |
Num. 28:26 |
| |
Iyyar |
|
2 |
8 |
|
|
| * Pentecost (Harvest
or Weeks) |
Sivan |
6 (50 days after barley harvest) |
3 |
9 |
May – June |
Deut. 16:9-12, Acts 2:1 |
| |
Tammuz |
|
4 |
10 |
June - July |
|
| |
Ab |
|
5 |
11 |
July -August |
|
| |
Elul |
|
6 |
12 |
August - September |
|
| Trumpets (Rosh
Hashanah) |
Tishri |
1,2 |
7 |
1 |
September – October |
Num. 29:1-6 |
| Day of Atonement (Yom
Kippur) |
Tishri |
10 |
7 |
1 |
September – October |
Heb. 9:7 |
| * Tabernacles (Booths
or Ingathering) |
Tishri |
15-22 |
7 |
1 |
September – October |
Neh. 8:13-18, Jn. 7:2 |
| |
Heshvan |
|
8 |
2 |
October - November |
|
| |
Chisleu |
|
9 |
3 |
November – December |
|
| |
Tebeth |
|
10 |
4 |
December - January |
|
| |
Sebat |
|
11 |
5 |
January - February |
|
| |
Adar |
|
12 |
6 |
February – March |
|
The Master’s Voice
Sorrow sometimes fills our hearts and we see not the streams of joy and
everlasting blessing which the Lord has for us; not until we hear his voice, his word, do
we appreciate the truth. But all who know the Master truly know his voice, know his
message, know his spirit, his disposition; as he himself expressed it, My sheep hear my
voice and they follow me, they recognize not the voice of strangers.
—Reprints, p. 4176
The Praise
Belongs To Him
I know if I am chosen to joint-heirship with my Lord,
To reign with him in glory, to receive that great reward;
If after all my weaknesses a crown for me he’ll claim,
I know that choice will surely bring great glory to God’s name.
If I had been more worthy, and my stumblings had been few,
When men gave God the glory, they’d have praised my virtue, too;
f I’d ne’er lost a battle, or had never missed the mark,
As they talked about his goodness, mine, also, they’d remark.
But my being so deficient, in thought and word and deed,
Means he’ll get all the glory—he deserves it all, indeed.
When they see this weak mortal raised to such immortal heights,
What praise will rise to him who in such nothingness delights!
I know that when my Savior did return to heaven above,
And was crowned with wondrous glory, it did prove his Father’s love;
But thinking of Christ’s merit, and his sinless life of grace,
‘Twas no wonder that Jehovah chose him for such a place.
With me it is so different; I have not one thing to plead,
That I should be more honored than another bruised reed;
And truly there’s no reason to give me a mite of praise;
To him belongs all glory for the joys which crown my days.
If you knew all my failings, and my blemishes so vile,
And saw the loving patience my Father shows the while,
‘Twould amaze you beyond measure to think he could or would
Make me an able servant who should do his people good.
Benjamin Barton |
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