This week we talk through Numbers 9-15, Acts 6:8-8:40, and Psalms 90, 99, and 106. Chris Case and Sarah Pascual continue through Numbers and Acts, where Israel begins its wilderness journey and the early church faces both persecution and expansion. In Numbers, Passover is celebrated with provisions for the unclean and foreigners, trumpets are fashioned for guidance, and the people set out under the cloud of God’s presence. Yet grumbling soon follows—over hardships, food, and leadership. God provides quail, but also judgment, teaching Israel the danger of craving without trust. Miriam and Aaron challenge Moses’ authority, but God affirms Moses’ unique role. The spies’ report from Canaan sparks fear, rebellion, and refusal to enter the land, leading to God’s decree that the older generation will die in the wilderness while the younger will inherit the promise. The people attempt delayed obedience but are defeated. Laws for offerings, Sabbath, and tassels reaffirm God’s holiness and covenant identity.

In Acts, Stephen—one of the seven chosen to serve—boldly preaches the story of Israel, indicting the leaders for resisting God as their ancestors did. His vision of Jesus as the Son of Man leads to his martyrdom, echoing Christ’s own prayer for forgiveness. Persecution scatters believers to Judea and Samaria, fulfilling Acts 1:8, as Philip preaches in Samaria and encounters Simon the Magician. The Spirit’s work is affirmed through the apostles’ presence, revealing the dangers of treating God’s power as a commodity. The Ethiopian eunuch is then shown the gospel through Isaiah 53, with Isaiah 56 promising that foreigners and eunuchs will be welcomed fully into God’s house—a breathtaking sign of God’s inclusive kingdom. Psalms 106, 99, and 90 reinforce God’s steadfast love, justice, and eternity, even amid Israel’s failures.