Numbers 26:1-51, Luke 2:36-52, Psalms 60:1-12, Proverbs 11:15
Today is the 17th day of March welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is fantastic to be here with you today as we gather around the Global Campfire, just find our place, exhale, take the next step forward, together. We’re continuing our journey in the book of Numbers. We’re reading from the English Standard Version this week and we are indeed watching the emerging generation arise in the wilderness because the first generation out of slavery, they were doomed to wander in the wilderness until they were no more. And, so, we pick up the story. Numbers chapter 26 verses 1 through 51 today.
Commentary:
Okay. So, in last couple of days we were talking about John the Baptist and how his arrival didn’t just happen in a vacuum. And today we cross territory that helps us understand that Jesus didn’t just happen in a vacuum, either. So, with John the Baptist we certainly have an angelic visitation and enunciation to Zechariah. And we saw Zechariah muted until the baby was born, and then named him John which was an unusual name in the family. And, so, everyone wondered. Because this is the son of a priest, a priest that was in the temple and saw an angelic visitation. So, what’s gonna to become of this kid is something that’s kind of in the fabric of the culture. Jesus also had an angelic annunciation to Mary. She came back. They go to Bethlehem. The baby is born. Angelic announcements. Wiseman following a star. Herod hearing about a new king of the Jews and freaking out. This wasn’t in a vacuum. And then in our reading today, it’s a pretty famous passage where Jesus stays behind in Jerusalem when the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem is over and everybody’s headed back to…to the Galilee region. Jesus stays behind. And it’s such a human picture. If you’re a parent, like you can just imagine how freaked out Mary and Joseph would be to get a day’s journey away from Jerusalem believing that your kid is among the relatives and cousins and friends and everybody going back to the same place, only to find out that he’s not and then have to travel a whole day back to Jerusalem and start a search in one of the metropolitan areas of the world. And, so, when they do find Him, He’s in the temple and what is he doing? He’s sitting with the elite scholars and teachers, and authorities, the religious leaders that interpret what God wants. He’s listening to them. He’s discoursing with them. He’s asking them questions until His parents show up and then he goes back Galilee. But now He’s on the radar. He’s just a little kid, but according to the gospel of Luke, “all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and his answers.” And the “all” here are the religious scholars, the most educated, the most authoritative, the people with the power, the spiritual power over the people. So, they’re not gonna forget this. So, when Jesus does show up in ministry in Galilee the Scriptures tell us the people came all the way from Jerusalem to check out what He was doing and what He was saying. Probably some of the same people were going to hear what this kid had to say all grown-up. Of course, we know how the story goes. It’s a political maneuver. Like it's…the high priest ends up saying it’s better for one…that one man to die than all of us. So, it’s a political maneuver around rejecting Jesus because He is drawing a crowd and moving things forward. But at this point in the story we now have a little bit of context about how John the Baptist emerged and how Jesus emerged in the culture.
Prayer:
Father, we thank You for another day, another step forward in Your word. We thank You for Your kindness to us. We thank You for Your grace and we thank You for allowing us to look into these stories and see their context and allow them to kind of unfold like a flower before us, that our understanding may be enlightened and enriched so that our journey with You is fruitful and growing. And we praise You for this and thank You in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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It’s St. Patrick’s Day today. Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Although if we were like really diving into the Christian calendar, we would have someone or something to celebrate, or observe most any day, but this is one of the more well-known St. days. And Saint Patrick was indeed a very intriguing missionary, and his life represents a lot more than green beer. So, happy St. Patrick’s Day after the same fashion that we said happy St. Valentine’s Day. I hope it’s a wonderful day wherever you may be.
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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:
Hello this is Via from the farm. My husband just came home from a very long visit with a neurologist and that it was confirmed that he has Parkinson’s disease and I just been asking for prayer. We need guidance. We need to, you know, just deal with this in s positive a way possible and I imagine it’s going to be a long haul. I just really appreciate prayer and that God will guide me and give me strength and help me understand all the things I can do to support my husband as we enter this stage of life. Thank you all very much.
I love what you all do and this has changed my life….
Sean in the UK this is Retaining Honor in southwest Missouri, and can I tell you I was listening to DAB and I am jumping up and down and celebrating with you in my kitchen. Seven days sober. I am so happy, so proud of you. It’s absolutely amazing. I heard your first prayer request, and I heard the gentleman from Kansas City MO that called in and so many to encourage. I was praying for you, and I am just so happy. I’m elated. Alcohol is not my main vice, but it just wasn’t adding to my life. And I have not had a drink since June 30th, and it is however my fund husband vice. And, so, I ask that you pray for my husband. He is not a believer and the more that we can have voices raise him up that would be a huge blessing to my family. I know he’s working on that diligently and I’ve just got to let him go through his process. And but tonight I just wanted to give you this encouragement, first Corinthians 13:11. When I was a child I spoke as a child I understood as a child I thought as a child but when I became a man, I put away childish things. And Sean you were just speaking like a man with the authority and bringing the word and the gospel through your request for other people. And I just want to say I’m so happy for you. So, congratulations. I hope that you are way beyond your seven days of sobriety. And if not just start over. One day at a time one second at a time. We are praying for you we are on your team. Love you brother.
Hi this is Victoria Soldier calling to pray for some of the DABbers. I wanted to pray for my precious sister Kate who said that… think she said her dad died. I wanted to pray for that family and really encourage her. I’m sorry for the…for the loss of your precious one. Gracious Father we just ask You to touch Kate. We just ask You to touch her through it all of what she’s going through right now with her precious loss of this loved one. I just wanna encourage her to let her know that at the time that…that before it was announced he reached his destination to be with the Lord. And I want to comfort with you with the fact that he’s with the Lord and I want to just continue to pray with you and the family that you will be strengthened. Lord, touch my sisters and brothers and I ask You…and of this family Lord, I just ask You to touch them. They lost a precious soul, a precious soul who knew the Lord. Lord, we just ask You to have Your way in that family. We ask You to encourage them. We ask You to help them to remember the good times and the great things that…that he…that he left here on this earth and in our…in their Spirits Lord. And we ask You to bless them in a mighty special way. And Father, we give You the glory and the praise and the honor. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Hannah from Wyoming, and I just recently found the Daily Audio Bible and it has been a huge blessing to my life. So, Brian thank you for your dedication to this. I just wanted to pray for Ricky who just lost her mom. And I can feel the grief and weariness in her voice. And God I just ask that You would be her strength and her comfort. Give her grace for each day and each thing that it requires Lord. I thank You that You are near to the broken hearted and I pray that You would be near to Ricky today. Comfort her heart God. Make Your presence near to her so that she doesn’t feel alone in the loss of her mom. I also pray for the gentleman who called about his marriage. I don't…I don’t remember his name but he’s on my heart as well as he’s struggling in his marriage with his wife and feeling his love not being reciprocated. God, I ask that You would bring healing and restoration to that marriage, that You would do a miracle there, that You’d comfort his heart, that You’d give him wisdom and guidance God. And I ask these things and the mighty name of Jesus who is able to do all immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. God, I pray that You would do this in this situation…
Hi family this is Dimitri calling from Portland OR. I called a few months back asking for you guys to keep you guys…keep my ex-wife in your prayers. We’ve been divorced now for two years…for about two years now and I just wanted to just continue praying for her for whatever she’s going through. I believe that God has plans for us to get back together and I believe that that’s what’s best for…for the entire situation. So, I’m trying to do my best to keep the faith. And it’s hard some days and easier the other days. And today is a word that Brian read and talked about just to kind of reminded me of keeping the faith. So, if you guys could continue praying for her. I’m also…just wanted to…as you all know the situation in Ukraine and Russia. I come from that area and the…the community here in Portland and the West Coast is very divided in the whole situation. And, so, that just breaks my heart. So, if you guys could just pray for the Slavic community in general, the Russian community, the Ukrainian community, for the situation in the…in the…where the war is going on. If you guys could just pray from them all and that God can give everybody peace, that the war ends and that just everybody just stays calm and doesn’t blame each other and just for the whole situation. So, if you guys can pray. Thank you, like always pastor Brian Hardin for what you do for this family and thank you family for keeping us in your prayers and the entire…the entire Global Campfire. Thank you all. Have a have a blessed day and I hope I talk to you guys later next time.