02/16/2020 DAB Transcript

Leviticus 1:1-3:17, Mark 1:29-2:12, Psalms 35:17-28, Proverbs 9:13-18

Today is the 16th day of February, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it’s great to be here with you today. So weird coming to you from Rome. We spent yesterday working through jetlag but also working to capture film and photographs of some of the places here that intersect with the New Testament and will be continuing that journey through today and then moving to Israel tomorrow where we will get ready to begin the annual Daily Audio Bible pilgrimage but we talk about all that later. Let’s move into the Scriptures for today. And guess what? We finished the book of Exodus yesterday, even as we were beginning the gospel of Mark. So, we have fresh books in front of us.

Introduction to the book of Leviticus:

So, Leviticus is the third book of the Torah, of the Pentateuch, the third book of the Old Testament and it was written to the children of Israel. And…I mean…we’re in the middle of the desert at this point in the story and God is establishing the terms of the covenant between himself and the nation of Israel that is being formed and it’s about a year since they’ve been out of Egypt, and the law is being given. And…and as…as we pay attention to this…and this is one of those areas where it’s like, this is a law book we’re about to read. So, we can zone out pretty easily because who goes to the library to get a law book to read unless you’re an attorney or something? But if we’ll pay attention to what’s going on here, we’ll…we’ll see the plot behind the story, right? We talked about that the other day. We’ll see that everything that is being instituted is for a reason about these people’s identity - who they are and who God is. And, so, we’ll see that this…this theme that God wants fellowship, but that fellowship can only happen through holiness is a huge thing. He’s…He says in this book, “I am holy therefore, you will be holy. So, if…I mean…if we just read Leviticus, just listen to the words not really, you know, paying attention to…other than what’s going on then we’ll see a lot of blood in this book because there’s a lot of sacrifices in it. And if we look at the Old Testament, which is…which is ancient through the perspective of the culture that we live in right now, then yeah, it will seem barbaric and antiquated and the irrelevant and all of the things that people have said over the years but it’s not. Like, we might…we might wonder like “why…why would they just start sacrificing animals? Why would God want animal sacrifices and for them to be burned up on an altar?” So, it’s like six weeks ago now that we began our journey and we were in the garden of Eden and we saw Adam and Eve and their rebellion. We talked about this. That separated them from God. And, so, when God came look for them in the cool of the evening they were hiding, and they eventually tell God that they were afraid because they were naked. And what God does is telling here - He covers them with the skins of animals. So, it was God who set this precedent of atonement and covering. It cost something to cover the man and the woman, it cost the life of an animal. So, like now in this church era that we live in we’re in a culture that…that’s after Jesus came with the final sacrifice. And, so, all of that sacrificial stuff is antiquated to us and far outdated to us, but it wasn’t then. And let’s not forget what that final sacrifice, the one Jesus made looked like because it put on display all the barbarity of mankind. But God is baking into this culture, that sin comes at a great cost. So, you might’ve made it this far in the Bible before. You might have made it to Leviticus before and then started like, “I have…I don’t how to relate to this.” Embrace it. What you’re watching is the establishment of a culture by a sovereign God, a culture that is intended to show a fallen man the great price of its rebellion, and the great price of this separation, but to also reveal the most high God in His holiness and to understand that this people is invited into that holiness. And the whole thing is happening in the harshness of the desert wastelands where there’s nowhere for them to run. Like they’re not going to go to the grocery store and pick up some corn. Like, there in the desert. There’s no place for them to resupply. And that’s where we find ourselves as we begin the book of Leviticus chapter 1 through 3 today. And it’s a brand-new week so we’ll read from the New International Version this week.

Prayer:

Thank You, Father for Your word. Oh Lord we love You and we thank You for bringing us into this new week and as discombobulated as travel, especially as international travel can be, we are so grateful for the opportunity to be on this pilgrimage and, indeed, we thank You for all that we are being able to see and experience. We thank You for context. We thank You for illuminating the story that is in the Bible so that we can more clearly sense You’re leading on the narrow path that leads to life, because it’s a counterintuitive path and so often we find ourselves off of it, so we thank You for all of the ways in a year that You come for us through Your word and through each other and through the experiences that we share. And, so we invite You fully into every aspect of all that will be happening in the coming days. Come Holy Spirit we pray in the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, home base, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here. So, stay tuned and stay connected,

For the next couple of weeks what’s gonna be going on around here is…is travel, the annual pilgrimage that we take as a community to the land of the Bible. So, we…we stopped over for two days here in Rome to capture some things. So, man, we got to visit some…some parts of the Vatican yesterday. I’ve never been so it’s like, yeah, pretty overwhelming…pretty…pretty overwhelming. But on a more sobering note we were also able to…to visit a prison where Paul had been kept and also the…the place of his…his execution and his…his burial. He’s…he’s…like he’s buried here as is the apostle Peter. So, I’ve posted some things on the Daily Audio Bible Facebook page, some pictures and stuff of what we’re seeing, what’s going on. And I’ve mentioned that a couple times. This is a good time to follow the Daily Audio Bible Facebook page or on Instagram, Daily Audio Bible on Instagram Facebook.com/dailyaudiobible on Facebook . That’ll keep you connected to the…to the…the pilgrimage that we’re on because we’re kind of posting photographs, little videos, and stuff like that at as they happen at different places. So, it’s kind of updated throughout the day and you can kinda check back and see what’s going on. We’ll be seeing some of ancient…of the ancient ruins of Rome and I’m very much looking forward to that today. There are just a lot of Roman ruins in the land of Israel and the biblical lands because at one point it was a part of the Roman Empire. It was a part of the Roman Empire during Jesus life and ministry. It was the Romans who executed Jesus. So, I have been familiar with the architecture and the aqueducts and just some of the magnificent places there but just sort of connect those dots to Rome itself and just sort of see some of the ancients archaeology that remains is…is gonna be great, so we’ll be posting some pictures of that today and then trying…trying to turn the corner on the jetlag as we prepare to fly over to Tel Aviv tomorrow. So, thank you for your continued prayers.

And I remind you that it is our intention to come back again next year and we pray every year. I don’t know…I don’t know how many years out, but we are planning to come back in 2021 and that pilgrimage is available for registration now as I have mentioned before. You can get all the details at dailyaudiobible.com in the Initiatives section, just look for Israel 2021 and you’ll be able to get all of the details they’re. Looking forward to that. And as I have mentioned usually by the time this pilgrimage is over that 2021 will be mostly full, if not all the way full. So, if it’s been on your bucket list then…then check it out. Hope to…hope to see you sometime. It is a life changing experience. It’s weird because I’ve been many times but it’s a life-changing experience every…every time for me. So, check it out,

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. And I thank you, I thank you profoundly for your partnership. If we didn’t do this together we wouldn’t be doing this at all and I’m grateful that we are. So, there’s a link 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 the mailing address, if that is your preference, is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request a comment 877-942-4253 is the number to dial or you can just hit that Hotline button, the little red button at the top of the app and start sharing from there.

And that is it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi family this is his little Cherry in Canada and Brian has been reading to us from the Old Testament about the priests and their garments and all of the rituals and rigor murals that they have to go through simply to enter God’s presence and not die. And it’s not that God is waiting to zap them, it’s just that when you are dealing with a gazillion volts of electricity there are certain precautions that you have to make or you will die and God knows that. But I’ve just been so struck by how the blood of Jesus accomplished what generations of Levitical priesthood could not and now it is so effortless for us to enter God’s presence. I simply open my eyes in the morning and step into the arms who has waited for me all night. I can simply, without washing my face, without putting on certain clothing, without even praying, I can simply step into His arms and saying. [singing] in Your flowering arms in Your flowering arms there is nothing I must do but trust in You and rest. In Your flowering arms in Your flowering arms there is nothing I must bring. I sit and sing and rest. In Your flowering arms in Your flowering arms there is nothing I must be but your little Cherry I rest in Your flowering arms [sing ends].

Hi DAB family this is Nadine formally of New Hampshire now a resident of Maine. I learned that on February 3rd my father…my husband filed for divorce so pretty much just a waiting game until I get the paperwork. I just ask that you lift me up and get…pray for strength for myself and for him as well. I don’t know where I’m headed now. I’m sad and I’m broken but I can’t change things. So, just give it to God and go with the flow and just pray that my journey ahead is more than I dreamed of. Thank you.

Hi Daily Audio Bible this is Paula calling from the small island in the sea on the East Coast of Canada. I just want to say I can’t believe how God has changed my life to this broadcast. I was scrambling up an embankment with satan hanging on my heels reaching up to God. My life was in a mire and God scooped me up and without all the forcefulness of father holding onto his most prized possession he said mine to Satan and lifted me up and He has blessed me immensely through this podcast. I am amazed at what God has put before me. It is my life better? No. And understatement? No. But oh how much easier it is to handle each and every day as I join you and I hear your prayers. I pray for each and every one of you as you pray. I pray for the boys as their mom Diane spends her last days and how they need to be embraced and for the Toni’s and Bob the Budgie. And it’s just amazing how it’s simple little tweets in the background can make everything so happy. And I just feel like…like I’ve come home and you guys have pulled out the chair and patted it and said, come, come sit at the supper table. Come dine with us as we eat and of our in God’s word. And I just want to say thank you thank you so much for being yourself. I see myself in so many of you, some places I am now and some places I’ve been and I’ve been…I’m going…I’m not going to go into that. I just want to say thank you. Thank you for all you’ve done. Thank you for just being there. God bless you and I will be calling back. Thank you so much.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family this is Denise from a lot of different places but I’m in Charlotte North Carolina this minute and I just wanted to reach out to Christie from Florida/Ohio who called in and her prayer or update was played at the hour and 30 minute mark of the community prayer on February 9th and she let us all know that she was the anonymous caller from 1/6 who called in right after finding out that her sister had committed suicide. And Christie I’m so glad to know who you are. I’m so sorry for your sister and I’m sorry to find out that you’ve just lost a grandfather. I, on Mondays, have started praying for the grieving and one of the line items I have is 1/6 anonymous who lost her sister to suicide and I’m just so blessed to know that who your name is and who am praying for. Also, I’m happy to hear that you are going home to Ohio. I know that something that you have wanted and I know it’s not under the circumstances that you would’ve wished but God makes a way and if I had my Bible open I would read to you from Deuteronomy 1 but I’m not near my Bible this minute but it talks about how, you know, Moses comes down from the mountain and tells the Israelites you have gathered at this mountain too long it is time to go and he lists all these geographical places he says it’s time to go to the home of your ancestors. And any time anyone tells me they’re going home, going back to the place where there from I’m always reminded of that part in Deuteronomy and I am just happy that this is a fruition of something that you have wanted and I bless the way and I asked Father to give Christie from now all the way Ohio just for provision for the job that she’s looking for that she can be near her parents to minister them and have…be able to use her skills. And Father I just ask that you give peace to their hearts as they all come together as a family and that you watch over them in your mighty mighty name. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Good morning DABbers this is Nancy in Oregon I just want to say I’ve been to the Bible the whole entire Bible. Today is my anniversary. It was a year…a little over a year ago that I was listening to the archive. So, today is a full day or a full year that I listened to the Bible. I’ve never done that before and am just pretty excited. But on January 31 I have gone through from Genesis to Exodus with you guys. I appreciate all your songs, your poems, your support, your encouragement, your prayers, your support. Just keep praying that I can do this. Some days I go through this the serenity prayer – God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change __ I can’t go any further. So, just pray that I get through that, that I can just get and accept things that I cannot change and the courage to change the things that I can and the wisdom to know the difference. I’m hanging in there. I’m going to CR and it’s the faith-based kind of like __ with families and__ other things that I’m __ for. Thank you for your support, your encouragement. I love you guys and I’m sharing this program with others so that it they can enjoy it too and go to the Bible. God’s glory. It’s all about Jesus. Jesus and nothing but Jesus. Thank you so much. Bye-bye.

Hi Daily Audio Bible my name is Lisa I’m calling from Central Florida it’s Monday, February 10th. The reason for my call is I would like to ask for prayers for my husband Michael. He was diagnosed with ocular melanoma 18 years ago. He’s had some issues, health issues that we’re addressing the different diagnostic testing - CT scan, upper G.I., and that type of thing. I’m very worried about him. He doesn’t take care of himself and he hasn’t health wise for someone who had cancer. And I just wish that he would, you know, realize that my son and I really want him to be around and to start taking care of himself when he should. I just ask for prayers for him for these testings that are coming up and I just pray that everything’s okay and that he realizes that we do love him and want him to be around and just to start taking care of himself. I appreciate all prayers. Thank you very much. I recently started listening January 1st. My son Dylan actually introduced me to the Daily Audio Bible, and it’s been a blessing ever since. I made a New Year’s resolution that I was gonna start listening and I have listened every day since January 1st and I listen to all the prayers and I pray for all of you. It’s just amazing to me all that Brian has done, and I appreciate it and I thank you and I love you all. Bye-bye.