Deuteronomy 33:1-29, Luke 13:1-21, Psalms 78:65-72, Proverbs 12:25
Today is April 9th. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It’s great to be here with you. It’s always…it’s always great to just est. I don’t know, just imagine ourselves around the roaring global campfire. I can see it vividly in my mind. There’s a roaring campfire and there’s people around it, people coming in, people going out and it’s warm and it’s safe and it’s serene and we come in and we warm ourselves and we visit in community and then we go back into our lives always knowing that we’ll return here. It’s a beautiful thing to be going through the Scriptures in community with you. And, so we’re here to take that next step forward, which will take us back to the book of Deuteronomy. And if I’m not mistaken we’ll be concluding the book of Deuteronomy tomorrow. But today from the New International Version, Deuteronomy chapter 33.
Commentary:
Alright. So, in the gospel of Luke today we covered some different territory. Jesus commented on a number of things. The first of the things were some of the events that had been kinda going viral, had been kinda being talked about and spread around. So, an incident where some Galileans were killed in the temple complex and that desecrated the temple causing all kinds of unrest. For the Romans, these people would’ve been, you know, they would’ve been targeted and taken out, probably because they were suspected or had been known to create unrest for the Empire. Of course, for those in the temple and those were fellow Hebrews this would’ve been just like a political assassination. So, of course, it was being talked about. And then there was a tower in Jerusalem that fell down and 18 people died. So, these kinds of things, we understand, they would make the news. And as I’ve said in years gone by, like the first one would’ve made international news probably. Whereas as the second one would be more of a local tragedy. Nevertheless, this is what got people talking and what Jesus conclusion was is that it wasn’t these people’s specific sin that caused this tragedy to come upon them. Everyone is headed toward the same place and if we don’t keep our eyes on our own lives then we will all perish as well. And the one thing that we can for sure take away from this is that all of the things that God gets blamed for, especially in tragedies like this that we see around the world doesn’t mean that God did it. So, here’s God in the person of Jesus commenting on these things saying, “is it because they were greater sinners that this happened? No, I tell you know”, that’s what Jesus said, “but unless you repent you too will all perish.” And then in the next scene Jesus is found again healing on the Sabbath. And…ahhh…you can just see the synagogue leader getting up after a miraculous healing has taken place and his response to the people in the synagogue is, “there are six days to get healed. Don’t come and try to do this on the Sabbath.” It’s discouraging. And Jesus…and Jesus spoke up…”you hypocrites”, right? “You hypocrites. Are we seriously having this conversation? This woman is a sister. She’s a daughter of Abraham. She’s been bound for 18 years by the devil. She shouldn’t be free? She shouldn’t be free right now?” Of course, we can see this and we can shake our heads and say that Jesus was in the right totally and we can see the hypocrisy as we read the story, but the hypocrisy resides in each of us every time we try to shut down whatever God might be doing because he might be doing it against the rules that we think that we understand or that He might be doing something in a way that we don’t understand. We can get just like the synagogue leader. So, it’s important for us to not condemn the Pharisees and the synagogue leaders and the scribes and the religious leaders until we examine our own lives for the same kind of behavior and then do something about it. And then lastly Jesus is asking the question, “how do I describe what the kingdom of God is like?” That is such an important question, right? Because we’re continually talking about the kingdom of God, His kingdom and how we’re a part of that kingdom and how His kingdom will rule and reign. I mean, we talk about the kingdom a lot in our faith. Here’s Jesus saying. “How do I describe what it’s like.” So, what it’s like is something that we should know. In these two examples Jesus says it’s like…it’s like a mustard seed or it’s like yeast mixed in with flour. So, in the case of the mustard seed, it’s a small seeing that expands and grows and flourishes and spreads out to the point that even birds can sit in its branches. It was just this little thing that began to grow slowly and spread out or in the case of the yeast it’s a small thing put into a large amount of flour, but it changes the flour profoundly as it’s made into bread that makes it rise. It’s small but it changes everything. It mixes in and changes the consistency of everything. So, if we say we are a part of this kingdom, we are a member of this kingdom then that’s what our lives should be doing too, right? It’s a small thing that changes the consistency of everything, changes the outcome of everything. Our very presence is bringing the very presence of God into every situation, unless we’re suppressing that and participating in the evil of darkness. But this is what we’re supposed to be doing, changing the atmosphere, changing the consistency and outcome of everything.
Prayer:
Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for the things that we’ve been given to consider from Your own lips Jesus in the Gospel of Luke today. We ask that Your Holy Spirit come and plant these things in our lives. Show us how it is that we are a part of Your kingdom. Are we living as You’ve described? And if the answer is an honest no then we humbly repent ask You to show us, order our lives appropriately so that we can actively, vigilantly participate in what You are doing in this world at this time. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In the name of Jesus we ask. Amen.
Announcements:
dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, its where you find out what’s up, what’s going on around here. So, be sure to stay tuned and connected to what’s going on around here.
You can stay connected on social media by visiting the community section at dailyaudiobible.com. All the links to the different channels are there. So, stay connected that way. The Prayer Wall is at dailyaudiobible.com as well. If you need prayer or you want to pray for your brothers and sisters, this is a great and immediate way to do that. Of course, all these things are also available in the app, in the Daily Audio Bible app, you just push the Drawer button in the upper left-hand corner.
If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible in the shared mission that we have to bring the spoken word of God read fresh every day and offered freely to the world to anyone who will listen to it anywhere on this planet anytime, of day or night and to keep the building community around that rhythm so that we know were not in this journey alone ever. If that brings life to you, then thank you for your partnership. So, there’s a link on the homepage. 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:
Hi Daily Audio Bible listeners, this is Deep Thoughts Lisa from Marino and this is my first time calling and I’ve been a member for about three years now. I actually went to Israel with the 2016 crew and…ahhh…if you’re new to the community, awesome! Welcome! We love you, we love growing the kingdom. This podcast has blessed me so much and just…I listen every day but I don’t’ always get through all the prayer requests but I do…I’ve started listening to them recently and I’ve just been really encouraged. I have so much to say in two minutes and it’s really hard and I just…I’m sitting in my car and I was like I need to call, I need to call and get the community to pray. I’m picking up my 68-year-old aunt who is totally devastated and falling apart. My cousin, her son, Tony we’re going to his court case today to see him sentenced. We’ve both written letters to the judge in support of him and tryied to explain some of his background but he’s just had these demons and it’s such a sad story of how he ended up here, but he is capable of being there for the family and when he is it’s awesome. So, I just lift up Tony and Linda my cousin and aunt and I just ask you guys to pray over them and cover them shalom because maybe, you know, God’s plan is always true and always can work out for good. So, maybe he’s supposed to be there to meet the people that’ll change his life around and give him hope because he hasn’t been walking with the Lord. He’s been angry at God for a long time. And, so, Lord I know he’s scared, his mother is scared, and I just ask all of the DABbers to lift up Tony today. It is April the 4th. And, so, thank you. I know this won’t get played until a few days later but thank you anyway. Lift him up, whatever happens. We praise you Jesus and we thank you for this podcast. Jill and Brian you’re amazing!
Hello Daily Audio Bible this is Rebecca from Michigan and it’s April 4th and I think I had another God moment, not so much witnessing to people, but you know what, I talk to God like I talk to you guys or people. I have conversations with Him and the other day I was saying, “God, I know you’re the live God, I know I have the right God, you’re the one that’s alive in me and you don’t discriminate against me because I’m a women or a man and I ask you to show me how alive you are.” And I remember before I got this place I had this vision of myself sitting up on the balcony playing my instrument. And you know what, I pick through these prayer journals once in a while and I found this old one from March 2013, me praying to be in this place. And back in November I didn’t know if I was gonna get this place or not and I was like, wow, I got God’s supernatural favor. That was so awesome. So, you know, that helped me with my relationship with the Lord because it brings up my spirit, brings up my faith in Him, and made me realize, you know what, He’s got my back, He’s got me covered. So, I’ve been praying for my student loan and car and I know I’m running this in the ground. So, I’ve been asking Him for extra income, ways I can make income to pay them off because, like the Bible says, a borrower is a slave to the lender. I don’t want to be a slave to them no more. I want some freedom, so I can help other people out or do things for other people besides myself. But it’s like you’re all into yourself because you’re trying to get these bills paid off and you’re trying to take care of yourself. So, I know God has my back. I know God can supply all my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. He’s a live God, He’s well and alive…
Hi there, Daily Audio Bible family, this is John from Pennsylvania. I hope you’re doing well. Family, please join me in prayer for my good friend Chris who is really, really in need of prayer after receiving some news from his best friend at his wife Leslie was admitted to hospice due to cancer. Father God, thank You so much for Chris and for his heart Father God for having him reach out to me Father to pray along with him and ask for prayer. And Father, if he could hold it together long enough he would call in to the DAB prayer line like I’m doing. So, Father I’m calling on his behalf and I am in agreement with everything that he’s pray for Father God, that report that they received, although to our years in this world is devastating Father, You are the victory in everything Father God, that Your report is the final report. Father at this time I ask You to please a hedge of protection around Chris and his wife, around Leslie, Leslie and her husband Father God. We ask You to be with them and guide them and give them wisdom and discernment and patience and encourage and understanding Father God, to be at peace with You and use this as an opportunity to lean into You, to draw closer to You, to get further and deeper into relationship. Father I thank You for the heart of these people that know You, that love You, that do Your will. Father, we don’t understand, we can’t possibly understand Your ways. Our view is myopic Father God but Yours is over everything. We trust You and we believe in You. Thank You, Jesus. Come Spirit we pray in Your name. Amen.
Hi dear family, I’m Jehoshan and I have been a listener for almost 5 years now. I’m one of those hundreds of people if not thousands who keep praying for everyone but never called in. Today I’m calling in as I have been elated to call and share my thoughts for very long time. More and more people are suffering with depression and suicidal thoughts. And at an age of 19 I learned that there is a limit for everybody’s love and that includes my parents. And, so, I tried committing suicide. Long story short, I am in my 30s now and I know today that everything that happened to me God had a plan all the way. It’s just that I never understood. He has the power to bring great things out of nothing all you gotta do is to believe and rely on him. The next time you are depressed, ask this question - why am I depressed? Often it is nothing but Satan making you feel unworthy. So, go out and enjoy the beautiful world God has created for us. If there is a reason for you to be depressed, then ask the second question - is there something you do about it? If there’s nothing you can do about it just sit back and relax. Let God do the battle for you. And if there is something you can do about it, just follow what God has told us to do and follow that. In all that you do, never complain. As Brian once said, be just like the baby who doesn’t care how it is gonna get fed but it knows that things are going to be feeding it. And I am the most unworthy of everybody. If God can save me He can save you. So just stay there, hang in there, and praise Him.