Numbers 32:1-33:39, Luke 4:31-5:11, Psalms 64:1-10, Proverbs 11:22
Today’s the 21st day of March, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is great to be here with you as…as we end another week. Ahhhh…you guys…like we’re gonna be out of March before long, but I…let’s note…let’s not even think about it. It’s great to be here with you today as we take this next step forward in the Scriptures. And we are continuing a lengthy journey through the book of Numbers. And, so we will continue that journey today before getting into the book of Luke. Numbers chapter 32 verse 1 through 33 verse 39.
Commentary:
Alright. Let’s talk about fishermen today. Our reading has Jesus moving around the Sea of Galilee to the villages that are basically on the northwest shore and a lot is happening. He is speaking with authority. He has eyes to see and He’s inviting His hearers to open their eyes and see the kingdom that is among them, that is within them. So, people are hearing His words, hanging on His words but then kind of going back to their homes and villages and talking about His words. So, this is beginning to spread around the Sea of Galilee, to the point that He can’t really get anywhere. Like people are crowding Him wherever He goes. So, like, if He’s even on His way to the next village He could get stopped in some field somewhere where the people are just gathering around this message. It’s actually a beautiful thing. Truly, the kingdom of God is being revealed in the Galilee and Jesus is the flashpoint. It really doesn’t start going sideways until the scribes and the Pharisees and the teachers of the law start showing up to protect the people, find out what’s going on around here. But here in this moment we have Jesus moving freely about and people are flocking like a magnet. And on one such occasion He’s kinda being crowded down to the shore and if they keep going there gonna push Him into the water. He’s down on the shore, people are gathered all around Him, He has nowhere to go, He sees a couple of boats, He climbs into Simon’s boat and then He teaches the crowd. It’s a beautiful moment. And then once He’s done teaching each He…He…He could go back to the shore and get back into the crowd but He invites the boat to go out deeper and there’s such a rich metaphor in that because that’s how God works with us. And, so they row out a little and Jesus is like, you know, “let the nest down.” And Simon is a professional fisherman. Like he’s there with James and John and they’re a team and this is what they do for a living. And they’ve been out all evening. At the same time this is like…this is the Rabbi everyone’s talking about and He’s in the boat. And the people are on the shore…like you gotta a obey and so he does and there’s so many fish, right? There’s so many fish these other boats gotta come. And it's…they’re full, they’re sinking, and they get back to shore and it’s such an overwhelming blessing of God. Just for the use of the boat for a little while. It’s like such a windfall. Maybe they can pay off the boat now. I mean, maybe they can get some new nets now. What goodness, such goodness of God. So, Simon, he…he…he…he gets it. Like, there’s things he may not get. We may see Peter saying things from time to time before he thinks about them, but he gets it. He knows he’s in the presence of something far different than anything he’s ever been around, and this is holy and he’s not and he knows it. And, so he…he confesses it. “Just leave me…leave me…leave me alone…I don’t deserve to be anywhere near you. I’m a sinner.” And that is an appropriate response to God when …when we realize like the damage that we’ve done, the darkness we’ve perpetrated like when we come face-to-face with…with our own lives and the ways that we’ve navigated and we come face-to-face with holiness, that’s a proper response. God’s response in the person of Jesus wasn’t like, “Yup, you’re right, you need to get away from me I’m holy. Be far from me and never return until you wander and find holiness on your own.” His response was what He responds to everyone who has this realization that they are woefully separated from God and there is a God and He is inviting us back when we realize that. Jesus invited him to become a fisher of people. He didn’t send Peter to seminary. He didn’t teach him how to do theological battles. He just said, “come on, let’s do this. You are skilled at a craft. You are a fisherman. Let me show you how to harness what you know and apply it into people’s lives. Let’s do this.” And James and John are there too. They’ve been a part of the whole thing. There’s these two boats full of flapping fish that represent a financial windfall. And the most riveting thing about this story is that they just left them flapping there in the boats on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. They left it all there and followed Jesus on the spot. We don’t know what happened to the fish after that. Probably a great blessing for the villages around the countryside. But for us, we can very easily put ourselves in this position because the question then becomes, what am I looking for here? Am I looking for the windfall? Am I following God because I believe he will supernaturally bless me, or would I leave blessing behind have God?
Prayer:
Holy Spirit we invite You into that question. It’s not that You don’t bless us. We are so blessed and it’s not that You don’t provide and it’s not even that You don’t provide windfalls at times. It’s about why. It's…it’s about what’s underneath it all. This is how we get eyes to see and ears to hear, by actually looking within ourselves and seeing what is driving us. What is our hearts motive because that sets the trajectory? And we find that when our motives are mixed, we experience the dissonance of that and the anxiety that it brings. And yet, what we’re seeing is if we have eyes to see and ears to hear, we can see what’s really going on, what’s driving it. And this begins with us. So come Holy Spirit, are we looking for a boat full of fish or are we in the presence of holiness and nothing can compare. Come Holy Spirit into that as we navigate this day. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Announcements:
dailyaudiobible.com is the website, it is home base, its where you find out what’s going on around here. It’s where we always find out what’s going on around here. And thankfully in the kind of times that we’re in right now, it’s a safe place to go, it’s a safe place to gather. We gather here every day. We have all of these years. And because our gathering in this kinda nonconventional virtual way then we don’t have to be alone, even if we are further and further and further kept from each other. We have each other here around the global.
So, stay connected in the Community section of the website or in the app as well. You can find all the different social media channels and different places to get connected as well as the Prayer Wall. So, stay connected in this time of…of isolation. There aren’t any germs around the Global Campfire. So, if it’s getting cold out there there’s a place to keep warm.
If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com as well. There’s a link that is on the homepage, it just kinda lives there. Thank you. If you are using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer the mail, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.
And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, the little red button at the top and then just begin to share from there no matter where you are or if you prefer the phone, the phone line is 877-942-4253.
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:
Hey everybody it’s Margo and Liberia. I am not even sure what I want to ask for. I am just so confused and kind of stressed right now. I know everybody is. I am, you know, not alone in this. This virus, for those of us living overseas, it’s very hard to know how to deal with it and what’s the best options for our, you know, the people that we’re surveying and also ourselves. And I feel fear coming in, not that I’m afraid of the virus. My husband and I are quite healthy, but the fact that if this country shuts down and transport options shut down, you know, if something serious, an accident or something does happen for me or my husband then our options are limited and maybe we can’t get medevacked out which I know I’m privileged to even have that option that so many don’t but I’ve got all these thoughts going around my head and yet at the same time I desperately would have…I don’t want to be evacuated out of here because, you know, this could be the time they need me most. We’re trying to make preparations at the hospital and it’s just totally overwhelming. All the children are, you know, at our malnutrition clinic could potentially be completely defenseless. It is just the most horrific situation for a country like Liberia. So, I know everyone’s praying about this but maybe just remember us here in Liberia in your prayers. And I…I just…I’m disappointed because I want to trust God and, you know, the fear comes in and it’s just so confusing. I will trust God, but we all need prayer. So, yeah, thanks for praying. Love you guys. Bye.
Hi, DABbers this is…this Victoria Soldier haven’t been around in a little while. Been praying for you all here. I want to pray for Joe the Protector. I heard you Joe and my heart is out to you. You’re protecting us and the devil is trying to unprotect your daughter but he’s a liar and I rebuke him in the name of Jesus and bind him and cast him out of that life. Lord, you touch that young woman, you bless her and let her know she is what God says she is and not what the devil says she is. Lord we rebuke it in the name of Jesus. Lord we just ask you to encourage Joe, you to strengthen him every day, Lord in the name of Jesus. Lord I want to touch…ask you to touch a Burning Bush and I say hi to Burning Bush and to Candace And, also to Brandon about the young babies committing suicide. Lord that the devil is trying to steal our babies and I’m with you. I’m praying with you and I’m in agreement with you and all the DABbers of the mind of our young people, that God will control their mind and let them know who they are, let them know who to go to when things get rough and let them know that…that God is able to change anything, that God is the answer to whatever the question is. Gracious Father will lift You up in the name of Jesus. We lift You up with the challenges. Oh…my precious sister that her husband that she’s in the hospital and her husband died. I think her name is Denise. I…I’m praying for you also my sister in what…in you’re going through. You said three years it’s been since you…since your husband has died, and I wanted to just encourage you to Lord to strengthen her. Lord you strengthen those who lost parents, who lost loved ones. You strengthen those lord that…that are having the…
Hello, I’m Duncan from Fredericksburg Texas. I am a senior citizen. The most important thing, I am a committed follower of our Lord Jesus Christ. I happen to be totally blind. I’m almost 74. My wife Sharon died back in October, so I’ve been widower now over five months. God has definitely worked on me and with me and has supplied my needs and I’m learning new skills, so I’m…but I want to encourage all of us during this time Brian would call it of a disruption. And it has affected all of us and will affect all of us. And my only prayer is that, wouldn’t it be wonderful if when Easter Sunday happens things can begin to turn around for the better, like a resurrection. This is the Lenten season and I am praying for you all and for myself, that not only will our needs be supplied but that we can walk through this. Let’s invite God to lead on and walk us through. Let’s ask for His mercy on the people of this earth and especially on those so that others will come to know Him. Let’s lean on each other even if we can’t even hug or handshake which I still do as people allow me too, but there is going to be more isolation and I know that one way or another I’ll get through it. God bless you. Be encouraged. He is our refuge and strength.
Good morning Daily audible family. My name is Laura I’m calling from Georgia and today is March the 17th and I just listened to today’s message. Brian you are such a blessing and you are anointed beyond… Your words was what I needed. I have it, but it was more reassurance, that through dark times we are supposed to be who we are called to be, which we are called to be God’s people, His chosen. We’re supposed to walk in love, walk in hope, walk in belief, that through anything that’s happening in this world God has us. He has us. And that’s been my comfort and that’s been my peace and I pray that for everyone through this time. Love on each other. Don’t walk in panic. Don’t walk in fear. The reality is we all are leaving this earth by one way or another. How do you want to leave? What mark do you want to leave? God bless you all. I love my DAB family and I’m truly thankful for you. Continued blessings to everyone. Peace.
Hey Daily Audio Bible family this is Stephanie from Bangalore and I’m calling on the 17th of March. Just wanted to give you an update. I had called in January and was upset about the fact that it seemed like my husband and I would likely never get pregnant do to my age and some other things. Well, it turned out that I was pregnant actually at that point, although far too early to have known. And when I called back on the 25th of February that’s what I was…was saying. But we lost the baby and I miscarried a little over a week ago on the 9th of March. And, so, you can imagine we’re going through a lot of grief right now. I know I’m not alone in the grief of miscarriage and that helps but it’s still hard. And, of course, I’m in India with very different cultural attitudes towards miscarriage. And, so, that’s also hard. And, of course, in the middle of all of this, this whole pandemic thing has started here as well. And, so, it’s…it’s making me feel even more isolated. And again, I know I’m not alone in that as much at that sounds funny, isolated and alone. But just please be praying for us, that God would give us wisdom and peace and that if it’s His will He would give us more children.