Numbers 33:40-35:34, Luke 5:12-28, Psalms 65:1-13, Proverbs 11:23
Today is the 22nd day of March welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian and it is wonderful to be here with you today as we gather like we do around the Global Campfire and take the next step forward through the Scriptures and through our lives together. And our next step forward traditionally…actually not even traditionally, like always leads us to right where we left off yesterday, which will lead us back into the book of Numbers. We should be concluding the book of Numbers and moving forward in tomorrow’s reading, but…and so today will be our last full day in the book of Numbers for this year. Numbers chapter 33 verse 40 through 35 verse 34 today.
Commentary:
Okay. So, we are coming to the close of the book of Numbers. We will finish Numbers and move into Deuteronomy tomorrow. And, so, we’ve been kinda recapping the different places that the Israelites camped throughout their wilderness journey. Further instructions and expectations are being given. We’re…we’re…we’re raising up the next generation, the generation that will go into the promised land. And, so, there’s some recapping and clarifying. So, for example, we learned about manslaughter today and cities of refuge that would be set up for a person who accidentally killed someone so that they would have a place to flee so they could be protected while things got sorted out because in this day and age, if somebody got killed the next in line, the next kin in line, the avenger of blood would go hunt down that person and take their lives. And, so, we’re seeing kind of baked into the culture here a dramatic move forward which says have some…this needs to be sorted out. If a person was killed with malice and forethought and its premeditated and it was on purpose that’s one thing, that’s murder. But if somebody accidentally injures somebody and they die they didn’t have any animosity, it was a total accident then that needs to get sorted out. And, so, the concept of cities of refuge in this new promised land are being established.
And then we go into the gospel of Luke, Jesus is just moving around doing exactly what He said He was going to do, that He would heal the brokenhearted and set the captives free. According to the fulfillment of prophecy. And, so, He’s doing exactly that, while making the religious leaders upset. We got into a situation today where Jesus said your sins are forgiven and of course that didn’t work theologically for them. They’re like, that’s blasphemy and only God can forgive sins. And, so, Jesus is like, well, so that I can show you that you’re wrong about this and He says to the man get up off your mat and walk and he does. And, so, all of the people they can…they can see like, well, there may be theological differences here, but God is clearly in our midst. We just watched a miracle happen. Meanwhile, the religious leaders as we know continue to build animosity toward Jesus.
And then we get into the book of Psalms today and it’s such a beautiful song that reads like such a prayer that seems appropriate that we just end our time together in the Psalms by not just reading and absorbing what they say but actually praying what they say. And, so, I’m praying from Psalms today. Oh God, our Savior, all the ends of the earth trust in you as well as those living across the wide seas. You created the mountains by your power and demonstrated your strength. You calmed the raging seas and their roaring waves as well as the commotion made by the nations. Even those living in the remotest areas are awestruck by your acts. You cause those living in the East and West to praise. You visit the earth and give it rain. You make it rich and fertile. God’s streams are full of water to provide grain for the people of the earth, for you have prepared the earth in this way. You saturate its furloughs and soak its plowed ground. With the rain showers you soften its soil and make its crops grow. You crown the year with your good blessings, and you leave abundance in your wake.
Prayer:
Father, we are thankful for these things, for Your mighty power, for the way that You sustain the earth and sustain our lives. So often we lose track. We’re just so focused on whatever the next problem is that we’ve got to solve that we lose sight of the fact that You are sustaining us and our lives, that You are aware of us and that You care and that You love us. And we spend our time distracted in our problems. We set those aside and turn our gaze upon You. You are our only hope. We are utterly dependent upon You, and we are safe in the shadow of Your wings. Holy Spirit come help us to remember what’s really going on here, not the many distractions of any given day, but that You are sustaining the day itself, giving us the opportunity to live. We worship You. We praise You. We adore You and we humble ourselves before You in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you now be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Coming soon…