Leviticus 27:14-Numbers 1:54 ~ Mark 11:1-25 ~ Psalm 46:1-11 ~ Proverbs 10:23
Today is March 3rd. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It’s great to be here with you today and here we are, approaching the end of another week. They just kind of fly by. It’s a special day today though. We’ll conclude the book of Leviticus today and move onward into the book of Numbers. We’ll talk about Numbers a little bit, kind of fly over it, just get a little bit of an overview of the territory that we’re going to journey through when we get there. But first, let’s conclude the book of Leviticus by reading chapter 27, verses 14 through 34.
Introduction of a New Book (Old Testament)
So now we’re moving into the book of Numbers and one of the things we’ll notice as we enter the book of Numbers is what seems like redundant review. This can even seem tedious, but it’s not. It’s very important, because now we’re moving between generations. This is the first generation out of Egypt. The children are growing up. We’re moving toward the second generation. Much has happened under Moses’ leadership. They have seen God show up miraculously in their midst and his mighty power and they have received the Law. But now they have to actually live it because God is giving the order to move out. It’s time. It’s time for them to move into the promised land. We’ll see spies sent into the land and we’ll see what happens there.
There are many parallels in this story that relate a little too close to home, even in our culture today, even in our own lives personally today. The theme of God’s holiness and the fact that he requires his people to be holy, to be set apart threads it’s way throughout Numbers as it does throughout the entire Torah, the entire Pentateuch, which is Genesis through Deuteronomy. We’ll see the harsh but true reality that rebellion only reaps judgment.
The first nine chapters of Numbers provide review and structure because God is preparing his people to move into the promised land and we’ll see censuses being taken and laws being given and the review of laws. And we’ll see purification and celebrations happening and then we’ll move into the narrative where the spies are sent across the Jordan into the promised land where they can spy it out and will face the repercussions of that ill-fated mission and we’ll see the curse of an entire generation destined to die in the wilderness when they were at the gateway to the promise.
And then once the old generation is gone, we’ll see a new one with new leaders rising, warfare beginning, new laws being established and a true foreshadowing of what the culture is going to look like when they actually take the promised land. Of course, with all the censuses, we’ll see a lot of counting. Hence, the book of Numbers, chapter 1, verses 1 through 54.
Commentary
We launched ourselves into the book of Numbers by first completing the book of Leviticus. We got a bit of an overview and encountered some of the Numbers today. But, like I said, there is purpose to all this. We’re about to be on the move, on the march toward the Jordan River where the children of Israel are finally at this place after a couple of years in the wilderness, to go in and take their inheritance, this land that was promised so long ago when we met Abraham. It’s time. And it’s an exciting time. But there are some twists and turns before us.
In the book of Mark today, Jesus is talking about faith. And he is saying this is an unstoppable force. This is the glue of the universe. This is the most powerful thing known to mankind and it is beyond mankind. So it is a very, very powerful thing, so Jesus says that is why I tell you to have faith, that you have already received what you pray for and it will be yours. So that, if we stop right there, is an amazing thing. And we quote this kind of stuff to ourselves and to each other all the time just to remind ourselves that there is a power and an authority that is way beyond us if we will participate in the journey of faith throughout our lives.
That is great. That is not all that Jesus said though. He tied all of this to a theme that he is relentless about. We’ve crossed paths with this theme a number of times already and it is very important. He is not going to let it go, which means we can’t let it go. We have to continue to enter into this. So let me read you what Jesus actually said: That is why I tell you to have faith that you have already received whatever you pray for and it will be yours. Whenever you pray, forgive anything you have against anyone. Then your Father in Heaven will forgive your failures.
Jesus is directly tying this to the most powerful thing we know of, faith, and this is not going to go away. Forgiveness is not going to go away. Maybe this can be the year that we finally get that through our heads and release everyone and everything, because as we do that, everything is being released from us. When we release those things, we are declaring “I am not the sovereign. An injustice has happened to me. A betrayal has happened to me. Something bad has happened to me and I have that scar on my heart that wounded me, but I am no longer letting that fester within, underneath the surface. I am no longer allowing it to be in my system. I’m not letting this poison to course through my veins anymore, affecting me, spirit, soul and body. I’m not letting it affect my health anymore. I’m not letting it have a voice into my identity and who I am anymore. Those things are not true. I release all of this to God.” When we do that, our faith rises. We are unstoppable.
So may we get this through our heads because Jesus is not going to let it go. He is going to press in. He is going to disrupt everything. He’s going to go after this because he goes after this continually in the scriptures. It’s that important. It really actually is that important. It can unleash a power within us, the likes of which we have never experienced. So do we want that? Is that really what we’re here for, the power of God within us, exploding out from us and changing the world around us? Or are we just here for some devotions, some nice thoughts to maybe comfort us throughout the day? Are we in? Are we all in or not? Because Jesus continually leads us to the place where we understand this is all or nothing. This isn’t partial. There is no partially in the kingdom of God. We’re either in or we’re not.
Prayer
Jesus, we want in, all the way in. And we’re going to need your help. We’re going to need your help to let go and release and forgive. We’re going to need your help to walk in your will and your ways. We can’t do this in our own strength. It would seem that is how it would be, that we could really offer ourselves to you completely by our own will. But we were never made to be disentangled and separate from you. So it is actually you who gives us the ability to give ourselves over to your authority and sovereignty in our lives. So we embrace that fully and invite your Holy Spirit fully. Show us today the places that are still steeped in unforgiveness. Some of these things are hard. Some of these things really weren’t fair. But as we read the narrative in both Old and New Testaments, we see that there were a lot of things that you endured and forgave and stayed with that were unjust and unfair toward you. We watched your people doubt. We have watched your people grumble. We will watch them go and pursue other gods. We will watch all of this unfold, but we have watched you, Jesus, and it was unjust and it was unfair to see you hanging naked in agony from a cross to deal with all of this. You forgave us. We will in turn offer that forgiveness from within, by the power of your Holy Spirit, to all offenses that we have received. Come Holy Spirit, we pray. In Jesus’ name, 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 Requests and Praise Reports
Hello Daily Audio Bible. This is Duane from Wisconsin. All praise and glory to God. Calling in for some of the prayer requests. Sarah from Connecticut, you’re a new listener. I just want to say welcome. Nancy from Rockford, you have called in that your husband has health issues and is dealing with a brain tumor. Want you to know that we are praying for him and we ask that the Lord will lay his hand upon your husband and heal him from this cancer. Max called in dealing with depression so we want to lift you up, Max, too and let you know that we are praying for you and we pray God and the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you comfort and peace. Byron from Florida called in. His wife has depression and he is dealing with impatience, I believe it was. Again, I want you to know that you are in our prayers and our thoughts and we’re praying for you. Vanessa from Oregon called in. Her mom is in the hospital. We want to say to the Lord that he please give you comfort and peace and that he lays a healing hand upon your mother and heal her. You had stated that this would be quite difficult for your dad. I know what this can be like because my mom passed away a number of years ago. My dad had to deal with that, so you’re in my thoughts and prayers. Derrick called in about him and his wife had left the church after 17 years, stating that was quite difficult. Derrick, I know what that… I shouldn’t say I know what that is like, but I’ve been to multiple churches and I pray that God will lead you to a church that will make you feel comfortable. I want to lift this all up in Jesus’ name. Amen. God bless.
Hello family. This is Candace in Kansas and this is my first time calling in. I’m a new listener to this community and just started listening the beginning of the year. What a blessing it has been to hear God’s word daily and to listen to the community prayers. My life is blessed and my faith is strengthened because of you. Thank you. My heart has gone out to several callers who are struggling with depression and anxiety and other like illnesses. We have had several family members who also suffer from these illnesses and at times their suffering is worse because others misunderstand these particular illnesses or misjudge their pain or whatever. I want to say to you God does not judge you. He is moved to compassion for you. Isaiah 42:3 says a bruised reed he will not break. And Psalm 34:18 promises the Lord is close to the brokenhearted. He rescues those whose spirits are crushed. Thank you, Jesus. I pray for those who have called and who are suffering or who have family members who are suffering these kinds of illnesses, depression, anxiety, or bipolar or other similar illnesses, especially Max and Darin and Byron, whose wife is struggling, and Claire whose son has bipolar. Lord Jesus, you have promised comfort in our distress. When we are exhausted and weak, you are there with us. I ask you, Lord Jesus, to make yourself felt to Max and Darin and Byron’s wife and Claire’s son and to others who struggle this way. Bind up their wounds and heal their broken spirits, dear Lord Jesus. With your precious Holy Spirit, bring health and hope to them. In Jesus’ name we thank you, Lord. Amen.
Hi family. This is Sally in Massachusetts. Will you please join me in prayer? Father God, I lift up every single person that listens to the Daily Audio Bible. Heavenly Father, we come to you as a community because we believe in the power of prayer. Holy Spirit, please intervene for us and pray for us as we pray for these thousands of people around the globe. Only you, Lord, only you, Holy Spirit, know the needs of our community. You know people who are having difficulties in their marriage, strained relationships with parents and children, coworkers and friends. You know those of us who are ill and need to be healed. You know those of us who are looking for work. You know those of us who are struggling with finances. Father God, as a community, we wrap our arms around each other around this globe and we ask you, Lord, for blessing. Father God, you are our provider. Our job is not our provider. Father God, you are our healer. Our doctors are not our healer. Father God, please restore us to be whole and healthy and well and please, Lord, meet all our needs as you promised. Help us feel blessed with what we have and to stop always reaching for that golden ring that is just out of reach. We pray for this in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Hi Daily Audio Bible family. It’s James here again from the UK. Just wanted to ask for your support, your prayers for a particular situation and a family that I’m working with at the moment. They are refugees that have come to be with us in our local community from Libya. There are so many thousands of refugees that need our support, our prayers, but this one family has been planted right in the lap of our community and getting to know them and getting to understand their story and what has happened to them has just been incredibly eye-opening. Spiritually opening as well. I want to pray for Faraj, the father of this family of six people who is now desperately seeking work and trying to find a way to support his family under difficult circumstances and after so much emotional stress and trauma of being kidnapped, abused, managing to escape and finally, beautifully being reunited with his family about 20 days ago here in the UK. He now feels a huge stress and burden to find work and to start to support his family, and so I just pray that you, family, would pray with me, that Faraj would find work, but not only that. He is starting to say that he doesn’t mind what he does. He will clean, he will do whatever it is, the lowest of the low he is saying that he will do, but this man is a human rights lawyer who has worked defending people from the west in Libya, fighting for their rights in his country before he was so badly treated. And I just pray a blessing on him. I pray, Lord, that Faraj would find work that would be inspired by you, God, to continue with his amazing story and his amazing skills. Family, pray with me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Good morning Daily Audio Bible family. My name is Elias, calling from Portland, ME. I’m a first-time caller. I’ve been listening for three months now. Today is March 1 and I just wanted to call and say how thankful I am that God gave me this opportunity to keep in touch outside of my going to church on Sundays and my small life group. I’ve been looking for a way to stay more in touch with God and with my faith and this has been the outlet that I was looking for. Brian, I just thank you so much for this wonderful gift that you have given all of us. I just want to take the time to say hello and say that I’m praying for everybody that I listen to and hopefully all prayers are being answered because God is great. He is listening. Thanks family. I’ll talk to you next time.