02/21/2020 DAB Transcript

Leviticus 11:1-12:8, Mark 5:21-43, Psalms 38:1-22, Proverbs 10:8-9

Today is the 21st day of February, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian, welcome to the Dead Sea. That’s where we are now, the lowest point on earth. So, we could…we could for sure safely say it’s all uphill from here. And it’s great to be here with you today as we continue our pilgrimage through the land of the Bible. And we completed day two yesterday and I’ll…I’ll share that with you in a little while but let’s go ahead and center ourselves and orient ourselves to God through His word. And we’ll be continuing our journey through the book of Leviticus today by reading chapters 11 and 12 and we’re reading from the new International Version this week.

Commentary:

Okay. You guys remember like a couple weeks ago we were talking about the law because we were entering into, you know, the…the actual giving of the law and that’s kind of where we are now. So, were talking about that and we were talking about the letter of the law and the Spirit of the law, which is a theme that the apostle Paul speaks heavily about, but we have a really good example of this today. So, in the book of Leviticus the children of Israel are in the wilderness, which is something that those of us who are in the land of the Bible, like we’ve been experiencing this. So, we now know what this looks like, and we now know what they were up against. So, in today’s reading we have blood issues, special female blood issues. So, yeah, I mean the kinds of things we want to talk about every day. But this is childbirth and monthly flow issues. And, so, this would make her unclean. And, so, there was this way then to become ceremonially clean over a period of time and some hygiene and stuff. And, so, like we could be like, “this is…what’s going on here? What’s this in the Bible for?” But if you’re in the wilderness and there’s a million of you and there’s no hospital, right, like there’s no 24-hour clinic anywhere. There’s nothing like that. Then the flow of blood, like that in this day and age, that’s a biohazard. So, there’s practical reasons for some of the things that are going on here that we can…we can go like, “well that’s kind of constricting…well that’s kind of strict…well that’s kind of…” but if you lived in the desert and there…like none of the conveniences that you…that we take for granted even existed. You get a sense of okay, “yeah I can see why we would really, really want to keep some things tight because we don’t want diseases spread throughout this entire community. Like, this could be devastating. So yeah, we gotta…like if we’re gonna be a culture we have to have ways of…of watching out for each other. And, so, that makes sense. And then there’s these provisions of becoming ceremonially clean and restored into community and having the ability to worship with the community, enter into God’s presence.

So, like let’s assume for a couple thousand years and land ourselves in the first century in Jesus time and we have this interesting encounter with a woman who was bleeding. And she had been bleeding for 12 years, which means for 12 years she had been ceremonially unclean. That’s the letter of the law. So, kept outside of community worship, kind of kept outside of the presence of God because of uncleanness, perpetual uncleanness. So, we have the letter of the law and then we have Jesus, God incarnate, and this unclean woman touches Him. That then makes Him unclean too. And He knows it’s happened, so He stops, and He starts looking around for who touched Him. And she is terrified now because the implications are profound. There’s a crowd. She made a rabbi unclean. Anything can happen here. So’s she’s trembling with fear and she comes, and she kneels before Him and tells Him everything. This is a woman who’s unclean. By the letter of the law she should be nowhere near Jesus. And if it were God’s intention to keep unclean people away from them, then He should have stopped the whole thing and said, “who touched me” and…and then had her punished for breaking the law. That’s not what He did. That’s not what God incarnate in the person of Jesus did. She was healed. She could made clean. She could be fully restored. The letter of the law would’ve kept her outside and an unclean state until somehow, she stopped bleeding as if she could do that because she’d done everything she could to become clean. Her faith made her whole and God was there to tell her, “go in peace daughter.” That’s the spirit of the law and hopefully that gives us some context as we continue working our way through the law, of understanding that laws can be rules that are meant not to be broken, but underneath them is a reason. If the reason is forgotten, then the law is about control and power. And we can see in Jesus today that’s not what God’s intentions are or were.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for your word and we thank you for all that it brings into our lives, all the things that it gives us to consider and think about and contemplate and meditate upon. We thank you for that. And in the story that we read today, we see so clearly your heart toward your children but we have to confess that we are often guilty of trying to be the keepers of the law and we look at what everybody else is doing and what they’re breaking and we’ve lost the plot. We forgot that there’s a Spirit here. And the reason for all of this is to draw us back together with you so that we might have life. So, come Holy Spirit into all of this we pray and we ask in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Announcements:

Okay, so we are here in the land of the Bible on our 2020 pilgrimage and this would be our…third day…third day I think. Yeah, I think that’s right. And yeah, we’ve been in the desert, we’ve been in the wilderness since we departed. We’ve been wandering around and I’m not sure it quite feels like 40 years yet but we…we’ve been in the desert. We’ve had this experience. And so, we ended up at the Dead Sea yesterday and that…and that was fun but…but when we left Eliot, when we left the Red Sea yesterday we came up into the wilderness and we were able to go to a place called Timnah where there’s some very ancient Egyptian ruins. And this is a place that it’s believed that Solomon mined copper, like mined minerals down in this area. And, so, there’s some connections there. But there’s also a scaled…a scale size replica of the tabernacle.

So, the children of Israel are wandering in the wilderness and they have this tabernacle for the worship of the Lord and it’s sort of the center of their culture and community and that will be replaced by the temple at a later time but this is this portable temple basically that travels around with them. God’s signifying, He will be with them, He will be among them. And, so, we got to see that. And just…just seeing it is…is enough, like to go like, “here actually in the desert that we’re talking about, this life size replica…like I can put myself in the position.” But then to go in and actually experience it, to…to move, you know, into the outer courtyard, and then move into the holy place, move toward the mostly holy place, like to do all of these things and put yourself in this position brings an enormous amount of context. It’s so helpful to just…to begin to sew through the threads of redemption that weave their way through all of the stories of the Bible. So…so that was great.

So. from there then we had to drive a couple of hours north and descending toward the lowest part of the earth, which is the Dead Sea, but we got to visit a place called Masada, which is a very ancient stronghold, dates back at least to the Herodian period because so many of the archaeological things there are from Herod’s time, but it had been a stronghold, probably for a long time. It's…when you’re up there you can see like how impenetrable the whole thing is. You have to ride like a cable car up to get up there. I mean you can run up there, but you gotta be in extraordinary shape and have plenty of time. So, it’s just a…yeah…just a fantastic place. And there’s just unbelievable stories that…that are really identifying stories for the Hebrew people that, especially from the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. So, we remember Jesus predicting the destruction of Jerusalem…of the temple and we know…and we know that that happened a couple decades after…after His ministry was completed. And, so, Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans because of rebellion. And, so, the rebels…you know, once…once the tides have turned and the Romans…Romans have decided they’re gonna crush this, that was pretty much what they planned to do, level the whole thing. And, so, rebels would, you know, escape. And Masada was one of the last places of stronghold and those…once the Romans were about to breach, once they were about to come in, then, you know, the people had a choice of freedom by death basically or slavery and torture. And, so, there were many deaths. But anyway, it’s…it’s just really a remarkable place. But the views…the views of the Dead Sea and across to Jordan and of the vastness of the wilderness are spectacular from there. So, that that was that was enjoyable.

And then we made our way to the Dead Sea and we worked our way down to the to the shore there and…and just talked for a little bit about where we were and what we’d been through in the last couple of days and how to aim our hearts for the evening a little bit. And then it was that it was a part…a mud party at the at the Dead Sea. So, I mean the Dead Sea is really…you can float in it and that’s an understatement. Like you pretty much have to float in it. It’s really, really super dense. But man, it does something to your skin. I can put my…my hands in the Dead Sea and take a them out and all of a sudden like…like I’m…I’m like a kid again. And, so, it’s always a fun, fun, fun, fun time.

And, so, that's…that’s kind of where we are in the adventure and we’ll be continuing our journey North today and there is a lot to do. This is a full day but by the time we end the day we will be in the Galilea.

So, thank you for your continued prayers. It is coveted, it is needed. It is what sustains us. I believe that. So, continued prayers over the buses and vehicles and the logistics and the technology and the people and the weather and the health and stamina is…everything that goes into this, we thank you. It makes a world of difference for us to know that, yeah, that thousands and thousands and thousands are praying for us, but are also with us in Spirit….like that even though we can be here representing this community, this is a virtual thing and we’re all in this together. So, thank you.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com as well. There’s a link on the homepage and I thank you for those who have clicked that link over the years, well from the bottom of my heart. We wouldn’t be here if we weren’t in this together. If you’re using the 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 or you can hit the Hotline button in the app and begin to share from there.

Also reminding you if…if you’re intrigued, if you’re like, “I want to do this, I…I want to go on that journey” we have plans to come back next year. Registration for that pilgrimage is open now. You can find it at dailyaudiobible.com in the Initiatives section. You can also find it in the app, just click that little drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner and it will open a drawer and you’ll see the Initiatives section. So, you can find out all…find out all about it there. These journeys are usually almost full if not full by the time we return. So, take a look. Love to…love to see you next year in Jerusalem.

And I guess…I think that’s it for today. Wait…that’s all for today. This Saturday, this Saturday we will be doing a Facebook Live from the Sea of Galilee. Yeah, that’s just a couple of days from now. So, we all gather and it’s kind of like a little debrief about, you know, what we’ve experienced so far and then we also Facebook Live and just kinda let us tell you the story of what it’s like to be here, what we’re experiencing, what we’re seeing and then take some questions coming in from you as you’re watching and just about what’s going on. So, that’s always a fun time. It’s about an hour long. So, it will be 7:30 PM local time, that's…that’s the time in Israel. For those of you back in the United States that’s like 1:30 PM on the East Coast, 12:30 PM in central time where Nashville is and 11:30 AM in the mountain zone and 10:30 AM on the West Coast. And then if you are in London, I believe that will be 530 PM. if you’re in Australia I’m not sure when…it may even be a different day, but all you would need to do is like Google the difference between where you are and Tel Aviv and find that kinda time difference and then you can figure it out and we’ll be going live. So that’s always a blast. So, looking forward to that. Hopefully you can attend and be there too

And I think that's…I think that’s it for today. I think 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 this is Alyssa from New Jersey I’m calling for the family of Diane. I just want to let you know I’ve been praying and I’m so sorry for your loss. Praying for the boys. I believe that Jeremiah 29:11, “for I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans to give you a future and a hope.” And I just want to encourage you to go through the grieving process and know that according to Thessalonians it says that “we will be again together, we will…the dead in Christ will rise first and we will rise to meet them in the air and together we shall be forever with the Lord.” So, I know that we have to go through the grief process, even Jesus wept. And just know that Diane finished her race, that she heard, “well done good and faithful servant”, and that we can go on letting her be an inspiration to us all to keep our faith to the end and to keep our eye on the prize to the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. So, just want to let you know that I was deeply moved by Diane’s initial prayer and then the prayers thereafter. And I just want to let the boys know that God is always with you and that you have the body of Christ around you to help you through this time. I’m also autistic. I have high functioning autism. So, you touch a special place in my heart. So, you’re in my prayers. I love you.

Hello, this is Kim in Las Vegas and I just wanted to call in and say I’m doing so much better this…this time and it was only a couple months ago that I called but all the depression issues, confusion issues, and when I thought that the growth that turned out to be an enlarged uterus was cancer, which it wasn’t. But through that whole thing Christ was talking to me and the six weeks on  that film in LA I just had to sit and wonder what was going on with me, why I get so down and depressed and just got to spent a lot of time with Christ and a lot of time figuring myself out. And to say that God has filled me with joy is wholly His doing and it’s also help from you guys, everybody who’s been praying, everybody who calls in to pray because I need that too, I need to have people to pray for. And the fact that you guys call in and share that is important because we all need to pray for each other. We need to spend time in prayer and while we want to be selfless and pray for others all the time it’s important that we pray for ourselves as well. So, remember that everybody who calls in. We’re praying for you as well but I hope you’re praying for yourself because that’s important. We need to pray for ourselves and each other. But anybody struggling through darkness and pain right now, know that you can come out on the other end. I didn’t feel like I could even though in the back of my mind I didn’t know I could come out in the end it just didn’t feel like it. But Christ will fill you with joy. You just have to make it through whatever obstacle is in the way and walk into that next stage of life. Christ is with you. You may feel lonely and dark but He’s there. So, anybody who’s feeling that pain, you’ll come out on the end. We love you. And this is Kim in Las Vegas. Thank you.

Hi DAB family is His Welsh girl. I’ve been listening to the community prayer and I just have this picture of, you know, any time day or night when we are listening to the Daily Audio Bible that we are praying for our brothers and sisters all around the world. And, so, it’s just…it’s just a beautiful thing and I just want to thank God that He’s provided this, such a source of joy for us. But also, I just feel quite sorrowful because a few days ago I heard about Diana Davis. And, so Michael and Elijah, please know that we are praying for you and we hold you…we hold you in our prayers every day and your family. Candace from Oregon, thank you for singing so beautifully. I know that my redeemer liveth for Charisse and for her husband Rubin who passed away in early January. So, just Charisse please know that we’re praying for you. And Kristi from Florida, I’m praying for you today on the 14th of February, Valentine’s Day because I know that you’re moving from Florida to Ohio so to be close to your family because of your sister passing away. And I am so, so sorry about your grandfather too. So, please know that that we are praying for you and be…and know that Jesus is so close to you. Thank you, family. And God bless.

Hi Daily Audio Bible this is Julie from Maryland and I have a little story about how awesome God’s timing is. I am Jewish and I am also born again. I came to Christ in 2012. When I first came to Christ I…I felt like I had to announce my Jewishness and embrace Christianity and now I’m realizing that the devil is a liar and my identity is my identity and I am a Jew who believes that Jesus Christ is the son of God and it’s changing my life every day. And what’s really amazing is, recently…so I had a baht mitzvah when I was 13, which is a coming-of-age ceremony for Jewish girl, bar mitzvah for a boy, baht mitzvah for a girl. And I’ve been exploring my identity and I’ve been…I remembered that the portion of the Torah that I read during my baht mitzvah was about…was about the building of the tabernacle. And, so, when Brian was talking about how it must be boring listening to the discussions of the plans for the tabernacle, I was actually getting really excited because I was trying to figure out, “oh I wonder what was my part.” Long story short, I was going through some old books and old pictures and I found my Torah portion and I found my speech and it was the same part of Exodus that we had read that day in Daily Audio Bible and I was floored. And not only that the beginning of it was about the Sabbath and I recently started observing my own Sabbath. But thank God that…that Jesus has come so that we can be united with Him and we don’t need a day, we can just come to Him and rest of all times. So, I just wanted to share that story with you all. I hope you have a wonderful, wonderful day, afternoon, or evening.

Good morning DABbers this is Fonny from Northern California. This is a call in response to anonymous who identified herself as pink paint as an artist and its response to her beautiful heart cry for prayer and her step of faith in venturing into the community to request prayer for herself at this time. It’s apparently a very difficult time for her. I…I just admire your…your beautiful expression of the understanding colors. As you shared your request, as I was listening this morning, I was watching a beautiful pink sunrise come up over the horizon and I am…I am praying for you sister. I understand tough times and struggles. Sometimes joy and sorrow are two sides of the same coin. But I’ll be praying for you that God will come near, that He’ll come close to you, that He’ll…He is the one that draws near to the brokenhearted and He will comfort you and He will surround you. I pray for strength for you that you will meditate on the word and that you’ll be able to see a new day dawning. Love you my dear. Bye-bye.

Hey everybody this is Jared the Encourager. Pink Paint, I just heard your message and your description of the hopelessness you’re feeling right now. And I’m an artist as well and your description of God’s ability to use other colors and colors we don’t even exist…that we don’t even know exist in heaven and hell, even how we are all colors that come together is just such a beautiful description of the body of Christ and something that really grabbed onto me. And I’m just in tears. I, you know, my name is Jared the Encourager, I know that’s a gift God has given me, but I haven’t called in much over the last couple months because I’m…I’m in a similar place where I’ve just been really battling hopelessness. And, so, I want you to know that you’re not alone. And whatever color I am is being used by God in His masterpiece to build together His body and up courage…and encourage and uplift no matter what you’re going through. Your birthday is exactly one month after mine. Anyway, I’m praying for you and I’m praying for the rest of you, reminding myself and hopefully encouraging the rest of you along with me that there’s always something to be thankful for no matter what. Love you guys. Take care.

Hi family this is his little Cherry in Canada and I heard Pink Paint’s message and I know that it resonated with so many of us. Pink Paint you are going to get a lot of responses, a lot of prayer. You have such a beautiful heart and such unique way of expressing yourself. I love the artistry that shines from your…your prayer request. You’re such an artist you can’t even leave a prayer request without it becoming a poem. So, I bless you and I just want to pray for you and let you know that Jesus is so enamored with you. He loves every little thing about you. You make Him giggle so much in ways that you would surprise you. I just see and feel His delight in you. You know what? You are beautiful. You are breathtakingly beautiful and I think if you could see the colors that refract from your heart you would be overwhelmed and amazed because there’s definitely a lot of pink going on but there’s a whole lot more happening in and through and beyond just that obvious color. This may seem like a strange message but I love you and so does He.