Devoted to Scripture

Day 54 of the podcast, reading Numbers 27-29 NET, read along at:

This is day 54 of our journey.

As the people move ever closer to the Promised Land, they prepare themselves to enter and claim their inheritance. Moses grants the request of five sisters that they would inherit their father's portion, setting a new precedent in Israel. Then, God reminds Moses that he will not be able to enter the land and appoints Joshua to be the next leader of Israel. As he passes the mantle of leadership to another, Moses reminds the people of the regular offerings and feasts that are to be celebrated before the Lord year by year.  We too must daily offer ourselves to God for service to him!

Join me in Numbers 27-29 as we are reminded of the daily cost of communion with God!

Key verses:

Numbers 27:8

Numbers 27:22

Numbers 28:3

Numbers 29:1

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 53 of the podcast, reading Numbers 25-26 NET, read along at:

This is day 53 of our journey.

When Balaam the seer saw that he was unable to gain reward by cursing Israel, he instead advised King Balak on how he could cause Israel to curse themselves.  Balak sent beautiful women to seduce the men of Israel into worshiping other gods.  The ruse worked and God sent swift punishment on the Israelites for their immorality.  (Balaam's part in this story is mentioned in Revelation 2.)  After the plague was over, God called on Moses to take another census of the people. Through forty years in the wilderness, the population has only dropped by 1820 people. God was continuing to preserve Israel as He had promised.

Join me in Numbers 25-26 to see God's jealousy over sin and the faithful preservation of his people.

Key verses:

Numbers 25:2

Revelation 2:14

Numbers 26:2

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 52 of the podcast, reading Numbers 22-24 NET, read along at:

This is day 52 of our journey.

Today we read the story of Balaam, a seer living in the region of Moab. When Israel is coming near to Moab, the Moabite king, Balak, calls on Balaam to curse Israel.  Balaam is warned by God, an angel, and even his donkey that he must only speak the words that God gives him.  When he arrives on the scene, Balak shows him the Israelite people from three different vantage points, and Balaam blesses them each time.  Finally, Balak sends Balaam away in anger but, before leaving, Balaam puts a curse on Moab and the neighboring people foretelling that a leader coming out of Jacob would destroy them.

Join me in Numbers 22-24 to see that God's blessing on Israel cannot be thwarted or reversed.

Key verses:

Numbers 22:38

Numbers 23:27

Numbers 24:19

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 51 of the podcast, reading Numbers 19-21 NET, read along at:

This is day 51 of our journey.

In today's reading, God continues to instruct His people on how they are to purify themselves when they have become physically or ceremonially unclean.  Then, as the nation of Israel continues to wander in the wilderness, a lack of water causes the people to return to their bad habit of grumbling and complaining.  God instructs Moses on how to provide water for the people and, while he obeys, Moses also acts out in frustration and is punished for his actions: He will not be permitted to enter the Promised Land.  Later, after God grants Israel victory over a king who brought his armies out against them, the people became impatient with the Lord once again and God sent serpents among them.  The serpents bit and poisoned the people but God instructed them to make an image of a snake and lift it up on a pole so that anyone who looked to the image would recover from the poison and be saved.  This symbol still resonates today as we lift our eyes up to Christ on the cross to be saved from the impact of sin in our lives.

Join me in Numbers 19-21 as God faithfully provides for an unfaithful people.

Key verses:

Numbers 19:9

Numbers 20:12

Numbers 21:9

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 50 of the podcast, reading Numbers 16-18 NET, read along at:

This is day 50 of our journey.

Again, the Israelites complain.  This time, a man named Korah leads a rebellion against Aaron & Moses.  God reveals his glory and his choice for leadership by allowing the earth to devour the leaders of the rebellion and then sends a plague against those who joined them.  In the midst of opposition, Moses & Aaron faithfully atoned for the guilt of the people. God settled the issue of who is high priest once and for all by causing Aaron's staff to bud and produce almonds...a sign for the rebels to definitively know God's will on the matter!  Finally, God restates his covenant with the Levites, clarifying their role as well as how their physical needs would be provided for.

Join me in Numbers 16-18 as God claims his own and promises them provision.

Key verses:

Numbers 16:32

Numbers 17:8

Numbers 18:7

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 49 of the podcast, reading Numbers 14-15 NET, read along at:

This is day 49 of our journey.

The Israelites have made it to Caanan and are on the doorstep of all that God has promised but they refuse to trust the Lord. God responds to their faithlessness by sending them back out into the wilderness to die.  Because they refused to trust and obey, They must now wander for 40 years in the wilderness while their children grow to adulthood.  God will bring the next generation into the land to enjoy all that He has promised.  After banishing Israel from the Promised Land, God gives more commands that are specifically related to taking the land. Though this generation was excluded from His blessings due to their sin, God reaffirms His promise that he WILL eventually bring Israel home!

Join me in Numbers 14-15 to see God punish unfaithfulness while preserving his promise.

Key verses:

Numbers 14:4

Numbers 14:19

Numbers 14:31

Numbers 15:39

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 48 of the podcast, reading Numbers 11-13 NET, read along at:

This is day 48 of our journey.

Again we see the complaints of the hard hearted Israelites.  They beg for meat and are given quail by God, more than they can imagine for over 30 days.  But this blessing ends up being a curse as many are made sick as a result of the quail they are eating.  Then, we see Moses' sister, Miriam, and his brother, Aaron, make a charge against Moses for the right to lead the people.  God displays his mighty power and makes it clear that Moses is the one who he has chosen to lead the people of Israel. Finally, as the Israelites reach the border of the promised land, Moses sends spies to check out the land and bring back a report.  Forty days later they bring a discouraging report that, while Caanan is rich and bountiful, the people of the land appear too big and strong to be defeated.

Join me in Numbers 11-13 to see continued examples of sinfulness and God's response to humanity's stubborn disobedience.

Key verses:

Numbers 11:18

Numbers 12:7

Numbers 13:2

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 47 of the podcast, reading Numbers 8-10 NET, read along at:

This is day 47 of our journey.

We are reminded today of the status of the Levites as they are ceremonially cleansed and are devoted to the service of the Lord.  After this, we are given a detailed description of the marching orders for the nation.  With over 600,000 men, a poorly managed caravan could get quite chaotic, but God provides instructions for who should lead out and who should bring up the rear to keep order and to ensure the safety of his people.  God also gives visual clues for the procession as he settles on the Tabernacle in a cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.  It is clear, regardless of the order in which the people marched, that God himself was at the head of his people...Only when that cloud is taken up and starts to move do the Israelites begin their march.

Join me in Numbers 8-10 as God leads his people on the next stage of their journey.

Key verses:

Numbers 8:18

Numbers 9:17

Numbers 10:35-36

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 46 of the podcast, reading Numbers 7 NET, read along at:

This is day 46 of our journey.

Today we read about the dedication of the altar of God and the gifts that were presented by each of the tribal leaders.  This can be a somewhat challenging chapter but...walk with me for a moment as we begin to understand its great significance. While the chapter may seem wearisome and repetitious to the modern reader, it should not be dismissed as unimportant to the overall Story of the Bible. The NET Bible commentary explains that, Of the many points that can be observed here, it should not be missed that each tribe, regardless of its size or relative importance, was on equal footing before the Lord. Each tribe shared in the work of the Lord equally. Each tribe approached the sanctuary in precisely the same way on this memorable occasion. All such devotion to the work of the Lord was to receive the blessing of God.  It is also worth noting that the animals offered were not simply burnt up for God, rather they would have been presented before God and consumed by the people as a fellowship offering.

Join me in Numbers 7 to witness the joy and celebration at the dedication of the tabernacle!

Key verses:

Numbers 7:10

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 45 of the podcast, reading Numbers 5-6 NET, read along at:

This is day 45 of our journey.

The book of Numbers continues with additional laws, rituals, and descriptions of God's favor.  The Lord speaks to Moses and describes a test for suspected infidelity and describes the consequences of the sin for the woman involved.  We will learn about the Nazarite vows.  Nazarite means "consecrated one" and was a special vow that a man or woman could make to the Lord that would set them apart as His servant. While this is the first mention of the Nazarite vow in the Bible...it certainly isn't the last.  Numbers 6 sets the stage for us to better understand two important Nazarites, Samson and Samuel, that we will meet later in our journey.

Join me in Numbers 5-6 to see God continue to govern and instruct His people.

Key verses:

Numbers 5:10

Numbers 6:24-26

All Scriptures are from the NET.