Numbers 11:24-13:33, Mark 14:22-52, Psalms 52:1-9, Proverbs 11:1-3
Today is the 9th day of March welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it’s great to be here with you today…well…today and every day. It’s great to be here with you as we move forward on our journey through the Scriptures this year. So, let’s get into it. We’re reading from the New International Version this week and picking up where we left off yesterday in the book of Numbers. Today Numbers 11:24 through 13 verse 33.
Commentary:
Okay. So, in the book of numbers today we actually revisited a place that we have been to before. Might not have seemed like that but we have. It was several centuries ago in time, but we have been through this territory before. So, the children of Israel, obviously they were slaves in Egypt and we went through that whole story and we have seen God take them into the wilderness to reform them and reshape them. And, so, the law is given around Mount Sinai and then the children of Israel move away from Mount Sinai, like they…they get to leave in formation, as they’ve been instructed and go further into the wilderness. And we’ve seen them grumble and gripe and complain, but they’re finally in a staging area where spies have been chosen. And these are not just like, you know, flip a coin to see who gets to go in. These are ancestral family leaders chosen from among the tribes of Israel, so that each tribe has a representative, a respected representative. Again, not like they flip a coin for it. Like somebody who is known as a leader among their people and their sent in to explore the land, the land God had promised them, the land that they’re supposed to go live in. Like that’s what time it is. It’s time. They are free from slavery. They have received the law. They know how their community is supposed to be formed and now it’s time to go in. So, the spies are sent in so they can spy out land. Who’s there? What kind of food is there? What kind of soil is there? What kind of cities are there? And, so, the spies do go into the land and the spy it out and they end up at this place called the Valley of Eshkol. This is the place where they cut the grapes. Like this is the famous part where they carry on their shoulders the produce, the grapes back down and are able to demonstrate to the people, yes, this is indeed a land flowing with milk and honey. It’s more than that though. It’s not just the place where they cut down the grapes. Remember that guy Abraham? We met him. It seems like a long time ago, but it wasn’t that long ago. But in time it’s centuries ago from where we are now. Abraham’s wanderings through the land that God had promised his offspring and his wife Sarah dies and he needs to buy some land from the Hittites. He…he…he needs a place to bury Sarah. And, so, he’s able to buy this cave and this field. And this cave, this is the cave of Machpelah, it’s called in the Bible. And this cave is in a valley, the valley of Eshkol. And Abraham subsequently is buried there in the valley of Eshkol in the cave at Machpelah as well as a number of his offspring. The spies end up there where they can remember their origin story with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. And obviously none of them had been in the land before, they just knew of the promise, they just knew of their ancestors. And, so, they’re able to go there. And this is near the city of Hebron, which is a very, very ancient city, even spoken of as an ancient city in the Bible. And it’s obviously still a city until today. But this cave Machpelah, this burial site of Abraham, this is still in existence today. So, the spies leave their, make their way back to the tribes, make their way back to the community of Israel, and they have these grapes and their able to say, “certainly this is a great land, but we can’t take it. There are giants there.” I don’t move too far ahead in the story because we’ll continue the story tomorrow and there are consequences because of this. But this is a good place to stop and ponder. Like this is a good place to pull over to the side of the road and we’re just gonna stay here pondering until we pick up our reading tomorrow because how many times have we felt the prompting and the promise of God moving us in a direction and we have all kinds of things that affirm that we are being moved and led in this direction. And, so, even wisely we explore moving in this direction only to find out that there will be obstacles moving in that direction, that there will be endurance, that there will be a challenge, that there will be hardship even, that there might even be giants in the land. And then we talk ourselves out of it. We can’t take this…it’s beautiful, it’s perfect, it’s the destiny, it's…it’s indeed where I would love to go but it can be done. There’s giants in the land and I look like a grasshopper. It’s great, but the obstacles are greater. This will have consequence for the children of Israel out in the wilderness, but it has consequence in our life as well. And considering the points at which we simply throw our hands up and surrendered to the giants in the land as opposed to the promise of God, certainly we can think about these things and wallow in guilt or shame or whatever, but that’s never the point. The point is, things could have been different and we can’t keep blaming God for things that we were to…that we were…we were too much of a coward to face down. Some things to think about today.
Prayer:
Holy Spirit come. Come into this. Begin as we continue this season where we’re moving towards Easter, but we’re really openhanded and openhearted even lamenting as we sit with…with the consequences of the choices that we have made. How often have we been a coward when we were to be courageous, strong and courageous? Help us to remember that You are the Sovereign one the Eternal one the Almighty one. And so often we’re afraid of things that aren’t You and have nothing to do with You other than that You are leading us. And we just look around and we determine that where You are leading us is not good and we are not capable when You’re simply revealing that we are because nothing is impossible with You. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.
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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:
Morning this is March 5th Longing to be God’s Delight in Pennsylvania. I wanted to thank the brother who called in I heard this morning to distinguish conviction and condemnation. Thank you that was wonderful. We so forget that conviction is the power of the Holy Spirit to move us forward towards hope and towards God and condemnation is Satan’s way of trying to drive us away from God and into stagnation and stuckness and darkness. But when our hearts condemn us God is greater than our hearts and He knows all things and will lift us up into His light. It is His kindness that leads us to repentance. So, thank you brother. I just wanted to say I’m praying for parents this morning. We’ve heard so many of the woman who called in with postpartum depression, the mother who’s happy that her son is in a state mental institution so he can get help for his addictions and mental issues, but for the mother whose daughter who has been seduced into drugs and prostitution essentially by a so-called boyfriend. Oh, how heartbreaking. Lord I pray for these parents. I pray for your light and for your hope and for the children to be convicted and saved, rescued from themselves, drawn back to you. And let the thunder clouds of deep dark dread that loom up overhead in our troubles would be broken by the power and glory of God and instead pour down blessings of His mercy on our heads. In Jesus’ name I pray these things. Donna in Pennsylvania.
Hi DAB family this is Tammy from the Adirondacks. I had called in last October I think it was. I had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and my kids had been here helping. And praise God, praise report. I am in remission. But I’m still finding the emotions just so heavy. I don’t know if it’s the lack of hormones because I did a complete hysterectomy. I don’t know if it…I just don’t know what it is. There’s just been so much change and the kids aren’t coming to the house as much anymore now that back on my feet and taking care of my husband. And I’m looking for my joy. It is cold and it is just so hard. So, I’m just asking for prayers. I am so grateful and to be blessed and to serve such a wonderful God. He saved me. All the glory and honor as his. I didn’t even get sick with the chemo. I’m just…He’s a wonderful God, And I just type coming, these tears keep coming and I just need them to stop and I just…don’t know why. So, if you could just keep me in your prayers. I can’t remember all of your names, but I pray for you all. I was so happy to hear God’s Smile. You make me smile when I hear you and your kisses. So, please just keep me in your prayers DAB family. Thank you, Brian and Jill for what you’re doing because you are helping a lot of people. In God’s name. Thank you. God bless you all. Bye.
Hello DAB family this is God’s Grace for Japan. I come with what in my heart feels like a very urgent prayer request although I hesitate to say that knowing what some people are dealing with. This is actually though my…a dear friend of mine Kristen and her soul and she’s so close everyone. I’ve had the opportunity to really share my…my relationship with my savior with her with our Prince of the Kingdom and she's…I can…I’ve seen with her own face the…the falling in love and she feels it. And I know she’s closed but she has a lot of spiritual wounds and I know she’s reaching for him when I…she spoke to me one night out of the blue when I was spending the night with her expressing everything that she couldn’t believe about this Christian God and…and then I expressed to her who it was that I was with and she said to me with tears in her eyes, “I was afraid that you would say that”, meaning that I said to her the God that you desire is the one that I’m in love with. And she said, “I was afraid you would say that.” We spent the next three hours talking about Him, me telling her stories, and me…and you should have seen her eyes shining. And she’s so close but there’s still blocks there. There’s a desire there but there’s a lot of fear. I will be sending three days with her this coming week from Monday to early Wednesday. Please pray for sweet Kristin. Oh, my goodness I feel Him pulling her to Him and I know that her heart’s longing for Him but there’s a…there’s still blocks and there’s still fear and I just I don't…I’m not making a plan, I’m just trying to go in the Spirit. So, please I ask for everyone over…all over the world to pray…pray for sweet Kristen, that she will come to her Messiah her Prince. Thank you everybody. Love you. Bye.
Hi DAB family it’s James here from the UK calling in tonight for Marie and oh my goodness your story just it really broke my heart. You talked of your daughter and the fact that she has fallen into a group by…by virtue of a pimp who is…is using her and abusing her. And I don’t know why but tonight I‘m standing here under an incredible starlit sky and when I heard your call I just…I just stopped and I’m just looking up and I’m just asking God, please, I want so much for there to be a release of that Young lady, that precious daughter, Your daughter Jesus. I want justice to be done in this situation. I want truth to reign in her life. I want her to be able to see what is going on. And I pray for this man Andrew and for the team he’s putting together to try and break in. Lord in Your name Holy Spirit, in Your power You will have the victory, by one way or another You will have a victory. I pray a blessing on Marie I pray a strength, I pray a strengthening in her life that she would be able to stand firm at this time and have courage. I thank You for her, I thank You for her faith, I thank You for her daughter. Will You bring her home Jesus? Amen.
Happy birthday Brian, Jill, and China. My name is Sandy from Naples FL. I have been a member for three years now. Last December I sent an email for prayer for the first time because I was not committed, and I just want to say that all your prayers have just blessed me so much. I’ve been committed since I sent that prayer and God has blessed me and showed me many reasons why I have been trying to control things and what’s going on with my life and I can’t sure it’s too long, but I just wanted to say thank you. And those who hesitate to call in please call because people pray for you. They want to hear your prayers they want to help you and bless you. And we need each other. That’s what we’re here for. So, God bless you and thank you and happy birthday.
Hello Daily Audio Bible since God is the Great, I Am I want to be a reflection of that truth and say yes He is. So, this is Yes, He Is calling from the Cumberland plateau Tennessee. I’ve been following along about a year and been really consistent since January with listening and reading along and so thankful for this community, but I want to call in today and pray for Maria my sister in Christ who called in today with a very heavy burden for her daughter Taylor. Lord Jesus we lift Taylor up to You and we pray for her deliverance from captivity to drug addiction, prostitution Lord and this pimp who has captured her and we pray Father that You would bring to her mind remembrance of who she is in Jesus Christ. She is Your beloved child. And I pray for all deceiving lies, deceiving mouths to be stopped, to be shut, that her eyes and her ears and heart would be open to hear the truth of the Holy Spirit speaking to her about Your purpose for her life, Your great awesome love for her. I pray for the missionary team that’s going in to get her. I pray that You would make straight their path and give them a straight way to go in and I pray that You would prepare Taylors’s heart to be receptive, that she would understand that this is You reaching out to her and she would go. I pray You’d open the way of escape for her, and she would go. In the name of Jesus, I…I pray for this one. Thank you.