1My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses to the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer. 2You are the most handsome of men; grace has anointed your lips, since God has blessed you forever. 3Strap your sword at your side, O mighty warrior; appear in your majesty and splendor. 4In your splendor ride forth in victory on behalf of truth and humility and justice; may your right hand show your awesome deeds. 5Your arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s foes; the nations fall beneath your feet. 6Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever, and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom. 7You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you above your companions with the oil of joy. 8All your garments are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces of ivory the harps make you glad.
New Testament·Mark 12:24–44
24Jesus said to them, “Aren’t you mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? 25When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like the angels in heaven. 26But concerning the dead rising, have you not read about the burning bush in the Book of Moses, how God told him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!” 28Now one of the scribes had come up and heard their debate. Noticing how well Jesus had answered them, he asked Him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29Jesus replied, “This is the most important: ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” 32“Right, Teacher,” the scribe replied. “You have stated correctly that God is One and there is no other but Him, 33and to love Him with all your heart and with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, which is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34When Jesus saw that the man had answered wisely, He said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to question Him any further. 35While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, He asked, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? 36Speaking by the Holy Spirit, David himself declared: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand until I put Your enemies under Your feet.”’ 37David himself calls Him ‘Lord.’ So how can He be David’s son?” And the large crowd listened to Him with delight. 38In His teaching Jesus also said, “Watch out for the scribes. They like to walk around in long robes, to receive greetings in the marketplaces, 39and to have the chief seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40They defraud widows of their houses, and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will receive greater condemnation.” 41As Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury, He watched the crowd putting money into it. And many rich people put in large amounts. 42Then one poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amounted to a small fraction of a denarius. 43Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more than all the others into the treasury. 44For they all contributed out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”
Old Testament·Numbers 7:1–48
1On the day Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings, along with the altar and all its utensils. 2And the leaders of Israel, the heads of their families, presented an offering. These men were the tribal leaders who had supervised the registration. 3They brought as their offering before the LORD six covered carts and twelve oxen—an ox from each leader and a cart from every two leaders—and presented them before the tabernacle. 4And the LORD said to Moses, 5“Accept these gifts from them, that they may be used in the work of the Tent of Meeting. And give them to the Levites, to each man according to his service.” 6So Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites. 7He gave the Gershonites two carts and four oxen, as their service required, 8and he gave the Merarites four carts and eight oxen, as their service required, all under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. 9But he did not give any to the Kohathites, since they were to carry on their shoulders the holy objects for which they were responsible. 10When the altar was anointed, the leaders approached with their offerings for its dedication and presented them before the altar. 11And the LORD said to Moses, “Each day one leader is to present his offering for the dedication of the altar.” 12On the first day Nahshon son of Amminadab from the tribe of Judah drew near with his offering. 13His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 14one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 15one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 16one male goat for a sin offering; 17and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab. 18On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, the leader of Issachar, drew near. 19The offering he presented was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 20one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 21one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 22one male goat for a sin offering; 23and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar. 24On the third day Eliab son of Helon, the leader of the Zebulunites, drew near. 25His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 26one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 27one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 28one male goat for a sin offering; 29and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Eliab son of Helon. 30On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur, the leader of the Reubenites, drew near. 31His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 32one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 33one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 34one male goat for a sin offering; 35and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Elizur son of Shedeur. 36On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, the leader of the Simeonites, drew near. 37His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 38one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 39one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 40one male goat for a sin offering; 41and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. 42On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel, the leader of the Gadites, drew near. 43His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 44one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 45one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 46one male goat for a sin offering; 47and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel. 48On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud, the leader of the Ephraimites, drew near.
Reflect
What would it look like to love your neighbor the way this passage describes?