Leviticus 14:1-57, Mark 6:30-56, Psalms 40:1-10, Proverbs 10:11-12
Today is the 23rd day of February. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It’s great to be here with you today. Coming to you from the dead see here in Israel, where everyone who is along for the ride has softer skin today than they did yesterday. And we had a great day yesterday, which we’ll talk about in little bit and we’re going to have a great day today as well. And we thank you for your continued prayers as we continue to travel through the land of the Bible. And speaking of the Bible, that is what we have all come here for and to do. And, so, let’s dive in. We’re reading from the God’s Word translation this week. And we’ll begin. Leviticus chapter 14.
Commentary:
Okay. In the book of Leviticus, we’re moving through laws about infectious skin diseases and laws about mildew and we’ll have some other exciting things to cover as we move forward. And you might come to this point and think, I don’t understand…I don’t understand exactly what’s going on here. Like, I don’t know why whether there’s a boil…and the hair on my arm has turned white and if that’s good or if its deeper…like…I don’t understand what’s going or exactly why this is important. And I want to point out something that, if you’ll pay attention to this thing as we go through the law, you will always be able to find your bearings. There will be a practical reason for a law. But that practical reason will also connect to the heart. There will be a spiritual reason as well. What’s happening externally is important and practical to the survival of the people, but there is a corresponding inner spiritual representation. Okay. So, from a practical perspective, infectious skin disease is not a good thing to have with a million people wandering around in a wasteland. If it’s infectious, then it can infect other and it can run throughout the whole camp wiping people out eventually. If you find mildew on your clothes are on your working articles or whatever or you find mildew or mold inside your tent or on the walls of your home, that could be a fairly significant problem, even today. It would be something that you need to take seriously. Right? Because if you just leave it alone it’s only going to get worse. And if it only gets worse than it could become harmful to your health and eventually maybe even condemn your home. So, if you’ve ever dealt with mold before or talked to people who have. Like, walls have to come down, you know, all kinds of stuff has to be done, it takes a long time, has to dry out, has to be re-inspected to see if there’s any trace. Like, this is a big deal if it’s in your house. So, what kind of mold may be growing in your heart? What have you noticed that’s kind of black and spidering itself up the walls but you don’t really want to pay attention to it or you don’t have time? You see it. You just see it spreading. You’ll deal with it later. What have you been dealing with in your life and your emotional life in your heart that seems like it’s something a little deeper than the surface? It’s not the stuff that’s just kind of flying at you every day, just the coarsened matter of navigating life, this is under the surface, this is deeper and it’s starting to cause problems. We notice in the book of Leviticus that when a person discovers something on their skin or in their homes they bring it out into the open. Right? They don’t hide it, stuff it, and try to keep it a secret, because that could affect a lot of people around them. That could make all lot of people sick. Right? You see the implications here. Or if their home has become plagued with mold or mildew and it’s left in the dark, it’s only going to get worse, they bring it into the light, even if that means they have to tear the whole thing down and start over. And sometimes, sometimes what we have to do. So, we can read through the laws. And we will. And we can see, okay, I can see the practical reasons for this for a formation of a people who are in the wilderness, but when I begin to think of all of these things from a spiritual perspective and I begin to start thinking about my own heart, my own relationships and interactions, my own thoughts, words, and deeds, the issues of my life, I can see that there is work to be done.
Prayer:
Father as we move through this, all this territory, this part of the law, we invite Your Holy Spirit to speak to us, to be able to see the implications in our own hearts in our own lives. And we see the council today Lord, that these are not things to hide, these are things to bring into the open. Bringing them into the open, in community, means that we’re not going through it alone, we’re not trying to hide something that’s going to kill us in the end. We don’t have to go through anything alone. And we need to stop ignoring the things that You keep bringing to our attention, the things that are below the surface, the things that are connected to deeper things within us, because we have been praying for You to transform our identity. We have been asking You to make us like Your Son. We have been asking that we might become Christ like, which means that these things that are below the surface that are connected to our identity that are poisoning us from the inside out, they have to be acknowledged. And, so, come, Holy Spirit. We submit ourselves to You and open ourselves to You in our minds. Come into our minds. Heal us there. Come into our hearts. We open ourselves to You. We open our very identity to You, completely, and ask You to inhabit us there. Find the mold. Find the mildew. Find the infection. Heal us from within, in our bodies, in our minds, and our hearts. Come Jesus, we pray in Your mighty name. We ask. Amen.
Announcements:
Okay. So, we began our day yesterday at the very, very bottom of Israel in the city of Eliat. And we ended our day at the Dead Sea, many, many miles away from where we began. So, we’ve traveled many, many miles in two days. And you just start thinking, man, has it really only been a couple of days or has it been like, you know, a week, but that’s how…that’s how it is when you’re drinking from a fire hose. So, we left Eliat and we went to a place called Timna, which has been for millennia, a place of mining minerals, especially copper. King Solomon has some associations with the area, had some mining in the area. And geologically, it’s just absolutely spectacular, just truly breathtaking in its stark desert wilderness beauty. But…and we got to witness all that…but the reason we were there is because the tabernacle, a replica of the tabernacle out in the wilderness exists there. And visiting there and just kind of understanding contextually what all the symbolism means and how intentional it all was for the children of Israel, it just snaps a lot of things into place, especially being out in the wilderness experiencing that, because that’s what we’ve been doing. So far, we’ve been in the wilderness and contemplating what the wilderness represents, not only in the Scriptures but in our lives. So that, just visiting the tabernacle is just truly beautiful, truly amazing experience. And once we finished, we began to continue north. Of course, we stopped and had some more ice cream. I mean, you have to keep your energy up on trips like this. And ice cream, you know, is the most healthy thing you can do. Just kidding. Just the freshness of it. And it’s a bathroom stop anyway. So, made a quick pit stop. Did that and began to move north and or next stop was the ancient Herodian fortress of Masada, which has deep significance to the Jewish people today, dating back to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. It’s just remarkable. I mean, just the ingenuity and the ability to create, on a mountainside, that is nearly impenetrable, an opulent fortress is absolutely remarkable. And just the resolve of the Roman army to end that rebellion and the amount of work that they put in to defeat that fortress is also fairly remarkable. And the views from atop Masada are breathtaking to say the least. Truly stark desert. Great views of the Dead Sea. So, we enjoyed very much visiting there. The sun was beating down. A pleasant, balmy, I guess, probably around 80°F in the desert. And, so, we got a little son, a little history, and some wonderful views, and a cable car ride up to the top and back down to boot. And then we went down to the shores of the Dead Sea, walked out on the salt, and contemplated some of the things that happened in the book of Genesis between Lot and Abraham and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and what followed in Lots life with his daughters. And some of the ways that we blame God for things He has nothing to do with other than to be the redeemer in the story. And, so, once we finished there, we were able to get to our hotel early, on purpose, so that some loading in the Dead Sea could take place along with a nice big barrel of Dead Sea mud to be spread all over the bodies of everyone who was going to float. And, so, a good time was had by all. And a nice dinner. And a, kind of, early evening just to get some rest. We’ve been hard charging for a couple of days and that’s not going to let up a lot. And, so, we will depart this morning and continue our northward journey. There’s a bunch of things to see and do today, which will we talk about tomorrow and we will end our day in the Galilee.
So, thank you for your continued prayers. We feel them. We need them. We appreciate them. And of course, as I’ve been saying all along, we’re posting things as they happen, pictures and little videos to Facebook and Instagram. And you can follow along easy enough, facebook.com/dailyaudiobible or just Daily Audio Bible at Instagram. So, follow along with the trip. See what we’re seeing and join in virtually.
Tomorrow, the 24th, which will be Saturday, we will be doing a Facebook Live from the Galilee region. And that’s going to take place at 8 PM in Israel, which is not likely the time zone you are in, but is easy enough to figure out. You can just Google the difference in time between Tel Aviv and where you are. So, for example, on the East Coast of the United States, it’ll be will 1 PM on Saturday. In the central time zone, which is where I live in Tennessee, that’ll be noon on Saturday. And you can just kind of figure it out from there, depending on what time zone you are in. So we’ll all get together and a debrief and share our experience thus far and part of that we’ll broadcast live. And it’s just a great community experience because, you know, many will be there virtually. And, so, just talking to each other and asking questions and hearing the stories of the journey, it’s just always rewarding and always a beautiful community experience when we do this at Daily Audio Bible. So, plan to attend virtually and we will plan to attend in person.
Couple of other things to mention. If you want to come, we have made plans and committed to come back in 2019 around this same time, so, about a year from now. You can get all the details at dailyaudiobible.com in the Initiatives section. Just look for Israel 2019. Click the link and you’ll find out the information.
And another event that’s coming up is the More Gathering for women, our annual women’s conference in early April. Of course, that won’t be taking place in Israel, will be taking place in Georgia about an hour outside of Atlanta. And you can get all the information ladies…I mean…I’ve have been talking about it for a while. So, if it’s been on your heart and you just haven’t followed through just kind of getting your questions answered, just visit moregathering.com and I will look forward to seeing you there.
If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if what we do in making the rhythm of our life centered around daily interaction with the Scriptures in community is light and life and good news in your life, then thank you for your partnership. It’s no secret. We say it all the time. What we’ve done we’ve done in community, we’ve done together, we’re in this together. So, thank you for your partnership. There is a link that lives on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.
And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.
And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Good morning my name is Lucy. I’m calling for prayer for myself and for my family. My children are grown but they still live with me and we need prayer. And we are very disconnected. And, you know, I have raised my children by myself for a very long time. And now I’m older and I just need prayer for my direction. I do belong to a church family, but even there I feel that I’m not connected. So, I’m asking God to help me…to lead me where I should go and what I should do in the next half of my life. I’m in my late 50s and I just need some direction. I just need to know that I’m serving God. You know, I do things in my church, but sometimes I feel like I’m not doing what God wants me to do. I want to do __. And I want to know that I know that God is real in my life and in the lives of my children. I have a mother and sister and we’re not together. There’s so much discord in our family. I’m asking for prayer for my family. I’m just so lost and so lonely sometimes. I just want to believe. Family, just pray for me. And pray for the children that were killed in Florida. Pray for the young man who did the shooting, because he is a child of God and needs prayer…
Hi this is Jeanette from Denmark. I’m calling for prayer about not being afraid. The Holy Spirit has been talking to me about it. And I have a hard time understanding how to move out of that position that I grew up with. I want to ask that you pray that the Lord would lead me in the path and talk to me in ways that help transform that spirit of fear into a spirit of power and that it would be according to His will as I go forward in my job searching. Thank you.
Hey everyone it’s Chrissy from Kentucky. I just had an unspoken prayer request for you guys. I just don’t want to go into details but…after losing mom and dad, you know, it’s been like a fog. And I thought I was getting back to some even ground again, where I could get some kind of normalcy back in my life, but it doesn’t seem like anything’s ever going to be normal again. And I’m just finding myself in a position right now this just really hard with my husband and I…hard to agree upon…just agree upon things about things that need to get done and there in an outer state and I’m just not ready to leave yet. He still doesn’t understand. He’s so __. Anyway, I gave you a little bit more details than I really wanted to, but I know that this is someplace we can come and just be transparent. So, I love you guys so much. And I pray that each of you all have a most blessed and lovely day. And I appreciate your prayers. Thank you.
Hi this is Victoria S. Just calling to pray for some of the DABbers. I wanted to pray for Doug’s brother who has lung cancer and I also want to pray for Bob, who’s going through the ordination. I like your spirit Bob. I like the fact that God is using you and you want God to use you. I can see God blessing you like He did Samuel. He needs strong ministers who love God and love to let God have His way. My prayers are with you my brother. And I’m also praying for you now as we speak, that God will anoint you with the fire of the Holy Ghost and have you preach the word that people will come to receive Him. Gracious Father, we come before Your throne of grace. Father, in the name of Jesus. Lord I just thank You today. I thank You for touching Your people. I thank You Lord because You’re a healer Lord. You’re a doctor that never lost a case. That brother that suffering lung cancer Lord, You’re a doctor that never lost a case. Lord You have Your way father, in the name of Jesus. You heal and deliver and set him free. Oh Lord in the name of Jesus. Lord You touch Bob who’s going up to the ministry. Oh Lord You use them like never before. You anoint him and appoint him to be what You call him to be. Give him the fire and anointing, that he can break the yolks that come against him, that come to receive the Lord as their Savior. Lord have Your way. Lord we ask you to touch Brian today. Continue to use him. Continue to appoint him and anoint him. Continue to bless him and protect him on this trip. Give him traveling mercies. Bless him and his family Lord. Bless our pastor Gene and also Blind Tony. Oh Lord and my friend Sharon Lord, in the fight for her mother Lord, You Have Your Way, Lord You let Your will be done…
Hi this is Sandy from Amarillo. I’m a first-time caller and I’m calling to request prayer from all my family for my daughter-in-law’s niece. She’s nine years old and she has developed a rare blood disease. And if this can’t be caught and be cured in time it will turn into bone cancer. And I really believe in the power of prayer. And I listen to you daily. I’ve been a year and a half now. And I thank you all in advance. And I do pray for you all. And Blind Tony, you are an inspiration to me. And keep on keeping on. And Brian, thank you so much for the Daily Audio Bible because my eyesight has been going and it really…it helps me to listen to you all day. Thank you and love everybody. Bye.
Hello my DAB Friends this Candace from Oregon. I just watched a movie that was made in 2005 about people who surf really giant waves. And it was amazing the footage of that from places in Hawaii and California and half Moon Bay. Amazing stuff these people were doing and occasionally they would be killed trying to do it. And, I’ve been thinking, you know, I’ve got to, tomorrow I’ve got to deal with the tax year from the Black Lagoon. I mean…I just think it’s…feel like it’s the world’s most complicated tax year and I’ve never done this before. And also, the anniversary of some things this year are starting to hit me pretty hard. And then I listen to your prayer requests and your situations and it pales mine. My challenges pale to insignificance. You are riding giant waves, some of you. Lord, I lift before you these, your people, who you are making valiant and strong to ride these wild waves. And as your breakers and waves crash over us, Lord, we look to You for strength and Your guidance and Your Holy Spirit and we know that Your life Your death and Your resurrection that was where You took it all on. You took it all on in our place. And you have won our life that’s truly life in You. Thank you, Jesus.