Month: March 2023

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday March 3, 2023 (NIV)

Leviticus 27:14 - Numbers 1:54

14 ‘If a man consecrates his house as sacred to the Lord, the priest shall appraise it as either good or bad; as the priest appraises it, so shall it stand. 15 If the one who consecrates his house should wish to redeem it, then he shall add one-fifth of your valuation price to it, so that it may be his.

16 ‘And if a man consecrates to the Lord part of a field of his own property, then your valuation shall be proportionate to the seed needed for it; a homer of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver. 17 If he consecrates his field during the Year of Jubilee, it shall stand according to your valuation. 18 But if he consecrates his field after the Jubilee, then the priest shall calculate the price for him in proportion to the years that remain until the Year of Jubilee; and it shall be deducted from your valuation. 19 If the one who consecrates the field should ever wish to redeem it, then he shall add one-fifth of the appraisal price to it, so that it may return to him. 20 If he does not redeem the field, but has sold it to another man, it may no longer be redeemed. 21 When the field reverts in the Jubilee, the field shall be holy to the Lord, like a field set apart (devoted); the priest shall possess it as his property. 22 Or if a man consecrates to the Lord a field which he has bought, which is not part of the field of his [ancestral] property, 23 then the priest shall calculate for him the amount of your valuation up to the Year of Jubilee; and the man shall give that [amount] on that day as a holy thing to the Lord. 24 In the Year of Jubilee the field shall return to the one from whom it was purchased, to whom the land belonged [as his ancestral inheritance]. 25 Every valuation of yours shall be in accordance with the sanctuary shekel; twenty gerahs shall make a shekel.

26 ‘However, the firstborn among animals, which as a firstborn belongs to the Lord, no man may consecrate, whether an ox or a sheep. It is [already] the Lord’s. 27 If it is among the unclean animals, the owner may redeem it in accordance with your valuation, and add one-fifth to it; or if it is not redeemed, then it shall be sold in accordance with your valuation.

28 ‘But nothing that a man [a]sets apart [that is, devotes as an offering] to the Lord out of all that he has, of man or of animal or of the fields of his own property, shall be sold or redeemed. Anything devoted to destruction (banned, cursed) is most holy to the Lord. 29 No one who may have been set apart among men shall be ransomed [from death], he shall most certainly be put to death.

30 ‘And all the tithe (tenth part) of the land, whether the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord.(A) 31 If a man wishes to redeem any part of his tithe, he shall add one-fifth to it. 32 For every tithe of the herd or flock, whatever [b]passes under the [shepherd’s] staff, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord.(B) 33 The man is not to be concerned whether the animal is good or bad, nor shall he exchange it. But if he does exchange it, then both it and its substitute shall become holy; it shall not be redeemed.’”

34 These are the commandments which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai for the children of Israel.(C)

The Census of Israel’s Warriors

1 The Lord spoke [by special revelation] to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai in the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle) on the first day of the second month in the second year after the [c]Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, by their families (clans), by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, every male, [d]head by head 3 from twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go out to war. You and Aaron shall number them, army by army. 4 And with you there shall be a man [to assist you] from each tribe, each being the head of his father’s household. 5 These then are the names of the men who shall stand with you: from [the tribe of] Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur; 6 from [the tribe of] Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai; 7 from [the tribe of] Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab; 8 from [the tribe of] Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar; 9 from [the tribe of] Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon; 10 from the sons (descendants) of Joseph: from [the tribe of] [e]Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud; from [the tribe of] Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur; 11 from [the tribe of] Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni; 12 from [the tribe of] Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai; 13 from [the tribe of] Asher, Pagiel the son of Ochran; 14 from [the tribe of] Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel; 15 from [the tribe of] Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan. 16 These men were the ones called from the congregation, the leaders of their fathers’ (ancestors’) tribes; they were the heads of thousands [the highest ranking officers] in Israel.”

17 So Moses and Aaron took these men who were designated by name, 18 and assembled all the congregation on the first day of the second month, and they registered by ancestry in their families (clans), by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names from twenty years old and upward, head by head, 19 just as the Lord had commanded Moses. So he numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai.

20 The sons of Reuben, Israel’s (Jacob’s) firstborn, their generations, by their families (clans), by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war: 21 those of the tribe of Reuben numbered 46,500.

22 Of the sons of Simeon, their descendants, by their families (clans), by their fathers’ households, their numbered men according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war: 23 those of the tribe of Simeon numbered 59,300.

24 Of the sons of Gad, their descendants, by their families (clans), by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war: 25 those of the tribe of Gad numbered 45,650.

26 Of the sons of Judah, their descendants, by their families (clans), by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war: 27 those of the tribe of Judah numbered 74,600.

28 Of the sons of Issachar, their descendants, by their families (clans), by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war: 29 those of the tribe of Issachar numbered 54,400.

30 Of the sons of Zebulun, their descendants, by their families (clans), by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war: 31 those of the tribe of Zebulun numbered 57,400.

32 Of the sons of Joseph: the sons (descendants) of Ephraim, their descendants, by their families (clans), by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war: 33 those of the tribe of Ephraim numbered 40,500.

34 Of the sons of Manasseh, their descendants, by their families (clans), by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war: 35 those of the tribe of Manasseh numbered 32,200.

36 Of the sons of Benjamin, their descendants, by their families (clans), by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war: 37 those of the tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400.

38 Of the sons of Dan, their descendants, by their families (clans), by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war: 39 those of the tribe of Dan numbered 62,700.

40 Of the sons of Asher, their descendants, by their families (clans), by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war: 41 those of the tribe of Asher numbered 41,500.

42 Of the sons of Naphtali, their descendants, by their families (clans), by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war: 43 those of the tribe of Naphtali numbered 53,400.

44 These were the ones who were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, with the leaders of Israel, twelve men, each representing his fathers’ household. 45 So all those numbered of the sons of Israel, by their fathers’ households, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war in Israel, 46 all who were numbered were 603,550.

Levites Exempted

47 The Levites, however, were not numbered among them by their fathers’ tribe. 48 For the Lord had said to Moses, 49 “Only the tribe of Levi you shall not number, nor shall you take their census among the sons of Israel [since they are unavailable to go to war]. 50 But appoint the Levites over the tabernacle (sanctuary) of the Testimony, and over all its furnishings and all things that belong to it. They shall carry the tabernacle [when traveling] and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it and camp around it. 51 When the tabernacle is to go forward, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle is to [be set up for] camp, the Levites shall set it up. But the layman (non-Levite) who approaches the tabernacle shall be put to death. 52 The Israelites shall camp according to their armies, every man by his own camp and every man by his own [tribal] standard (banner). 53 But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony, so that there will be no wrath against the congregation of the Israelites. The Levites shall be in charge of the tabernacle of the Testimony.” 54 Thus the sons of Israel did these things; according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so they did.

Footnotes:

  1. Leviticus 27:28 In OT times “devoting” or “setting apart” was a different and much more serious act than “consecrating” something or someone to God. The thing “devoted” belonged exclusively to God. It was an irrevocable command or vow. Anyone who kept for himself something that had been “devoted” or placed under a ban, placed himself under a sentence of death (Josh 7).
  2. Leviticus 27:32 Each tenth animal was marked as it passed through a small door.
  3. Numbers 1:1 In general, sons (children) of Israel or Israel or Israelites refers to all the people (males and females) of the various tribes descended from the twelve sons (Gen 35:23-26) of Jacob (later renamed Israel by God). In verses concerning things such as warfare or circumcision sons of Israel or Israel or Israelites usually refers only to the males. Tribes of ancient peoples were identified by the name of their founding ancestor. Therefore, this same general rule applies when referring to individual tribal groups, e.g. sons of Reuben, Reuben, Reubenites and so throughout.
  4. Numbers 1:2 Lit by their skulls, also the root word for “Golgotha.”
  5. Numbers 1:10 Ephraim was the second son born to Joseph in Egypt, but he was chosen over his elder brother, Manasseh, by his grandfather, Jacob (Israel) to receive the birthright blessing (the double portion). Joshua, the great leader who took command after the death of Moses, was from the tribe of Ephraim. Eventually, Ephraim dominated the other nine tribes of Israel, the Northern Kingdom. “Ephraim” is often used interchangeably with “Israel” to refer to the ten tribes of the north.

Cross references:

  1. Leviticus 27:30 : 1 Cor 9:11; Gal 6:6
  2. Leviticus 27:32 : 2 Cor 9:7-9
  3. Leviticus 27:34 : Rom 10:4; Heb 4:2; 12:18-29
Amplified Bible (AMP)

Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

Mark 11:1-26

The Triumphal Entry

11 When they were nearing Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of His disciples,(A) 2 saying to them, “Go into the [a]village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a [donkey’s] [b]colt tied, which has never been ridden by anyone; untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it’; and immediately he will send it here.” 4 So they went away [to the village] and found a colt tied outside at a gate in the street, and they untied it. 5 Some of the people who were standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 They replied to them just as Jesus had directed, and they allowed them to go. 7 They brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it, and He sat on it. 8 And many [of the people] spread their coats on the road [as an act of tribute and homage before a new king], and others [scattered a layer of] leafy branches which they had cut from the fields [honoring Him as Messiah].(B) 9 Those who went in front and those who were following [Him] were shouting [in joy and praise],

“Hosanna ([c]Save, I pray)!
Blessed (praised, glorified) is He who comes in the name of the Lord!(C)
10 
“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!
Hosanna in the highest [heaven]!”

11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple [enclosure]; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve [disciples], because it was already late [in the day].

12 On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He was hungry.(D) 13 Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if He would find anything on it. But He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 He said to it, “No one will ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening [to what He said].

Jesus Drives Moneychangers from the Temple

15 Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple [grounds] and began driving out [with force] the people who were [d]selling and buying [animals for sacrifice] in the temple area, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers [who made a profit exchanging foreign money for temple coinage] and the seats of those who were selling doves;(E) 16 and He would not permit anyone to carry [e]merchandise or household wares through the temple [grounds, using the temple area irreverently as a shortcut]. 17 He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a robbers’ den.”(F) 18 The chief priests and the scribes heard this and began searching for a way to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, since the entire crowd was struck with astonishment at His teaching.

19 When evening came, Jesus and His disciples would leave the city.

20 In the morning, as they were passing by, the disciples saw that the fig tree had withered away from the roots up. 21 And remembering, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi (Master), look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered!” 22 Jesus replied, “Have faith in God [constantly]. 23 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea!’ and [f]does not doubt in his heart [in God’s unlimited power], but believes that what he says is going to take place, it will be done for him [in accordance with God’s will].(G) 24 For this reason I am telling you, whatever things you ask for in prayer [in accordance with God’s will], believe [with confident trust] that you have received them, and they will be given to you. 25 Whenever you [g]stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him [drop the issue, let it go], so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions and wrongdoings [against Him and others]. 26 [h][But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions.”]

Footnotes:

  1. Mark 11:2 Probably Bethphage.
  2. Mark 11:2 A colt that had not been used was considered holy by the Jews and was fit to carry a king.
  3. Mark 11:9 Or Save now.
  4. Mark 11:15 These vendors could charge pilgrims inflated prices for animals designated for sacrifice because OT law forbade the use of animals with blemishes or defects (Deut 17:1 etc.), and the religious leaders had dictated even more stringent requirements. For example, they ruled that a blemish on an eyelid disqualified an animal for sacrifice (according to the Talmud).
  5. Mark 11:16 Lit a vessel. The Mishnah declared that one should not enter the temple mount with his staff (walking stick) or wallet, or with his shoes on, or with dust on his feet (according to the Talmud). Carrying merchandise through the temple showed even greater disrespect.
  6. Mark 11:23 Jesus used this moment to emphasize to the disciples that a person’s confident, abiding faith combined with God’s power can produce absolutely amazing results, if the request is in harmony with God’s will. God is fully capable of doing that which man regards as impossible (cf 14:36; James 4:3).
  7. Mark 11:25 Standing was a common posture for prayer among the Jews (see Matt 6:5).
  8. Mark 11:26 Early mss do not contain this verse.

Cross references:

  1. Mark 11:1 : Matt 21:1-9; Luke 19:29-38; John 12:12-15
  2. Mark 11:8 : 2 Kin 9:13
  3. Mark 11:9 : Ps 118:26
  4. Mark 11:12 : Matt 21:18-22
  5. Mark 11:15 : Matt 21:12-16; Luke 19:45-47; John 2:13-16
  6. Mark 11:17 : Is 56:7; Jer 7:11
  7. Mark 11:23 : Matt 17:20; Luke 17:6; 1 John 5:14
Amplified Bible (AMP)

Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

Psalm 46

God the Refuge of His People.

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, set to soprano voices. A Song.

46 God is our refuge and strength [mighty and impenetrable],
A very present and well-proved help in trouble.
2 
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains be shaken and slip into the heart of the seas,
3 
Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains tremble at its roaring. Selah.

4 
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
5 
God is in the midst of her [His city], she will not be moved;
God will help her when the morning dawns.
6 
The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered and were moved;
He raised His voice, the earth melted.
7 
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold [our refuge, our high tower]. Selah.

8 
Come, behold the works of the Lord,
Who has brought desolations and wonders on the earth.
9 
He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow into pieces and snaps the spear in two;
He burns the chariots with fire.
10 
“Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold [our refuge, our high tower]. Selah.

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Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

Proverbs 10:23

23 
Engaging in evil is like sport to the fool [who refuses wisdom and chases sin],
But to a man of understanding [skillful and godly] wisdom brings joy.

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Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

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03/02/2023 DAB Transcript

Leviticus 25:47-27:13, Mark 10:32-52, Psalms 45:1-17, Proverbs 10:22

Today is the 2nd day of March welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is fantastic to be here with you as we get ourselves acclimated and adjusted into this brand-new month the third month of the year. Here in the rolling hills of Tennessee where we are we should be seeing signs of spring before this month is over. Maybe not in full swing. Who knows, but maybe not in full swing, but they’ll be signs that winter is coming to a close and a little bit longer days here. They’re…when the time changes daylight savings time changes it gets dark so early and so I’m looking forward to the longer days this month begins, or at least I start to notice. But enough about all of that. We are here around the Global Campfire today to take the next step forward in the Scriptures, and that next step will lead us back into the book of Leviticus. We are reading from the New International Version this week. And today Leviticus chapter 25 verse 47 through 27 verse 13.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in our reading from the Gospel of Mark today Jesus asks a question two times. He asks the same question twice in two different locations to different people in different contexts, revealing two completely different postures and we’re invited to examine those postures. So, Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem. He is going to die in Jerusalem. On His way to Jerusalem He’s telling his disciples…and we experience this in the Gospel of Matthew as well. He’s telling His disciples what’s gonna happen when they get to Jerusalem. And then James and John, after Jesus tells them we’re going to Jerusalem and I am going to be handed over to the Gentiles, I’m to be beaten, spit upon, flogged and…and killed, but I will rise again in three days. That’s like such a weighty conversation when I think about it, walking along the road and this is what your rabbi is telling you. This is what the one you believe in is telling you. But He gets done with telling them what’s gonna happen and then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come to Him and they say we want you to do whatever we ask you for. And it’s here that Jesus asks for the first time, “what do you want me to do for you?” And what they want is to be elevated in position above the other disciples so that they sit, one on His right and one on His left in His glory. And Jesus tells them, “you don’t know what you’re asking for.” And He has a conversation with them that ends up saying this isn’t what we’re going for here guys. This isn’t a hierarchy. There aren’t places of position that you ascend to in this kingdom following me. “If you want to be the great one, then you need to descend and humble yourself because the greatest among you will be your servant. And if you want to be first then become the servant of all because I didn’t come to be served. I came to serve.” That is…that is so poignant that there isn’t an experience of this in the Gospels that it doesn’t make me stop for a second because we behave any other way but this a lot of the time. And yet this is how God’s kingdom is set up. And, so, there isn’t something to ascend to. We’re really trying to out serve one another. And if everybody is trying to serve one another than the lack is gone in this world and we are taking care of each other in big and small ways every day all day restoring and putting back together what is broken. This begins with this posture of trying to become a servant to those around us. And to put this in perspective, we believe Jesus to be one with the Father. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is God. God came here not to be served but to serve. God did that. God! And, so, this darkness of the reality is that if…if we aren’t following in that posture, if that is not what’s being cultivated with in us than we’re not following. All this is happening on the road and they wind up in the city of Jericho for the final push up to Jerusalem. And there passing through Jericho and a blind man who we’re told in the Gospel of Mark is named Bartimaeus is begging by the side of the road when he hears that Jesus of Nazareth is passing through. And, so, he starts screaming because he can’t see and there’s people everywhere and he can hear all the commotion and he just starts yelling out for Jesus to have mercy. “Have mercy on me, son of David. Have mercy on me.” And everybody around him is telling him to shut up, be quiet. There’s to many people here. Quiet down. And he just keeps yelling have mercy on me until Jesus hears him and stops what He’s doing and calls him and asks him the same question. “What do you want me to do for you?” And it’s a very different response. “Rrabbi, I want to see.” And, so, this contrast between Jesus asking twice, “what do you want me to do for you”, once to James and John and once to Bartimaeus is quite a sharp contrast. And embedded into that contrast is a truth. Jesus didn’t come to set up a hierarchy and a ladder for people to climb up to notoriety, He came to lift up the least of these. And, so, he tells James and John they don’t know what they’re asking for and that it isn’t His to give, but He gets to Bartimaeus who is the least of these, who is the downtrodden, who is the marginalized, who is being marginalized even in the moment by the crowd and He stops what He’s doing and it He goes to this downtrodden person and elevates this person to wholeness. This is what God’s kingdom does. This is what God’s kingdom is like because this is what God is like, because we’re watching God do this. And we are to be imitators of this. We really need to think about our hearts posture toward our fellow human beings who are created in the image of God, especially those who are not in our tribe as we’ve talked about before. We also need to think about our expectations. Is Jesus our Savior because He might be able to do some magic, some supernatural things behind the scenes to get us what we want, to get us where we want to go? Because where Jesus wants us to go is to understand that the highest place in this kingdom is the lowest place of service. It’s a right side up kingdom, which reveals to us that the world we live in is upside down. And how does it turn right side up? One person at a time. One heart at a time that cries out, have mercy on me I want eyes to see. I want years to hear. I want to be in this kingdom more than anything. Let’s give it some thought.

Prayer:

Jesus, so often we are left with things to grapple with throughout the day to meditate upon your word and what is being said in your word. And, so, we invite you as we consider our own hearts posture and how it is that we perceive things and how backwards it may be to what you have revealed to us is the appropriate way toward wholeness, the narrow path that leads to life. And, so, Holy Spirit come as we consider this. Reveal to us places within that…that need to surrender to your authority. Come Holy Spirit into this we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Song:

The Least of These – Matt Maher

I’m a stranger in a foreign land
Passing through when will I be home again
You remind me nothing here is permanent
But Your word and Your faithfulness

I was hungry, I was thirsty
I was weary, You let me in

When love became a refugee, He became my refuge
When love became a prisoner, He set me free
The widow and the orphan became the bride and children
When He stole my heart between two thieves

That’s when Love became the least of these

I’m a beggar on the pilgrims road
Chasing echoes of a voice I hear among the poor
I’m a stranger in a foreign land
Oh the memories of the love that calls the broken things to mend

That’s when Love became the least of these

I was hungry, I was thirsty
I was weary, You let me in
Where you’re hungry, where you’re thirsty
Wherever you’re weary, I will let you in

When love became a refugee, He became our refuge
When love became a prisoner, He set me free
The widow and the orphan became the bride and children
When He stole my heart between two thieves

That’s when Love became the least of these
When He stole my heart between two thieves
That’s when Love became the least of these

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday March 2, 2023 (NIV)

Leviticus 25:47-27:13

Of Redeeming a Poor Man

47 ‘Now if the financial means of a stranger or temporary resident among you become sufficient, and your fellow countryman becomes poor in comparison to him and sells himself to the stranger who is living among you or to the descendants of the stranger’s family, 48 then after he is sold he shall have the right of redemption. One of his relatives may redeem him: 49 either his uncle or his uncle’s son may redeem him, or one of his blood relatives from his family may redeem him; or if he prospers, he may redeem himself. 50 Then he [or his redeemer] shall calculate with his purchaser from the year when he sold himself to the purchaser to the Year of Jubilee, and the [original] price of his sale shall be adjusted according to the number of years. The time he was with his owner shall be considered as that of a hired man. 51 If there are still many years [before the Year of Jubilee], in proportion to them he must refund [to the purchaser] part of the price of his sale for his redemption and release. 52 And if only a few years remain until the Year of Jubilee, he shall so calculate it with him. He is to refund the proportionate amount for his release. 53 Like a man hired year by year he shall deal with him; he shall not rule over him with harshness in your sight. 54 Even if he is not redeemed during these years and under these provisions, then he shall go free in the Year of Jubilee, he and his children with him. 55 For the children of Israel are My servants; My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

Blessings of Obedience

26 [a]‘You shall not make idols for yourselves, nor shall you erect an image, a sacred pillar or an obelisk, nor shall you place any figured stone in your land so that you may bow down to it; for I am the Lord your God. 2 You shall keep My Sabbaths and have reverence for My sanctuary. I am the Lord. 3 If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments and [obediently] do them, 4 then I will give you rain in its season, and the land will yield her produce and the trees of the field bear their fruit. 5 And your threshing season will last until grape gathering and the grape gathering [time] will last until planting, and you will eat your bread and be filled and live securely in your land. 6 I will also grant peace in the land, so that you may lie down and there will be no one to make you afraid. I will also eliminate harmful animals from the land, and no sword will pass through your land. 7 And you will chase your enemies, and they will fall before you by the sword. 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will put ten thousand to flight; your enemies will fall before you by the sword. 9 For I will turn toward you [with favor and regard] and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will establish and confirm My covenant with you.(A) 10 You will eat the old supply of [abundant] produce, and clear out the old [to make room] for the new. 11 I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul will not reject nor separate itself from you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people. 13 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would not be their slaves; and I broke the bars of your yoke and made you walk upright [with heads held high as free men].

Penalties of Disobedience

14 ‘But if you do not obey Me and do not [obediently] do all these commandments, 15 if, instead, you reject My statutes, and if your soul rejects My ordinances, so that you will not [obediently] do all My commandments, and in this way break My covenant, 16 I, in turn, will do this to you: I will appoint over you sudden terror, consumption, and fever that will waste away the eyes and cause the soul to languish also. And you will sow your seed uselessly, for your enemies will eat what you plant. 17 I will set My face against you so that [b]you will be struck down before your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when no one is pursuing you.(B) 18 If in spite of all this you still will not listen to Me and be obedient, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. 19 I will break your pride in your power, and I will make your sky like iron [giving no rain and blocking all prayers] and your ground like bronze [hard to plow and yielding no produce].(C) 20 Your strength will be spent uselessly, for your land will not yield its produce and the trees of the land will not yield their fruit.

21 ‘If then, you act with hostility toward Me and are unwilling to obey Me, I will increase the plague on you seven times in accordance with your sins. 22 I will let loose the [wild] animals of the field among you, which will bereave you of your children and destroy your livestock and make you so few in number that your roads will lie deserted and desolate.(D)

23 ‘And if by these things you are not turned to Me, but act [c]with hostility against Me, 24 then I also will act with hostility against you, and I will strike you seven times for your sins. 25 I will bring a sword on you that will execute vengeance for [breaking] the covenant; and when you gather together in your cities, I will send pestilence (virulent disease) among you, and you shall be handed over to the enemy.(E) 26 When I break your staff of bread [that is, cut off your supply of food], ten women will bake your bread in one oven, and they will ration your bread; and you will eat and not be satisfied.(F)

27 ‘Yet if in spite of this you will not [attentively] listen to Me but act with hostility against me, 28 then I will act with hostility against you in wrath, and I also will punish you seven times for your sins. 29 You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters.(G) 30 I will destroy your high places [devoted to idolatrous worship], and cut down your incense altars, and heap your dead bodies upon the [crushed] bodies of your idols, and My soul will detest you [with deep and unutterable loathing].(H) 31 I will lay waste your cities as well and will make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will not smell your sweet and soothing aromas [of offerings by fire].(I) 32 I will make the land desolate, and your enemies who settle in it will be appalled at it. 33 I will scatter you among the nations and draw out the sword [of your enemies] after you; your land will become desolate and your cities will become ruins.(J)

34 ‘Then the land [of Israel] will enjoy its Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate, while you are in your enemies’ land; then the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. 35 As long as it lies desolate, it will have rest, the rest it did not have on your Sabbaths, while you were living on it.(K) 36 As for those who are left of you, I will bring despair (lack of courage, weakness) into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; the sound of a scattered leaf will put them to flight, and they will flee as if [running] from the sword, and will fall even when no one is chasing them. 37 They shall stumble over one another as if to escape from a sword when no one is chasing them; and you will have no power to stand before your enemies. 38 You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will consume you. 39 Those of you who are left will rot away because of their wickedness in the lands of your enemies; also because of the wickedness of their forefathers they will rot away like them.

40 ‘If they confess their wickedness and the wickedness of their forefathers, in their unfaithfulness which they have committed against Me—and also in their acting with hostility toward Me— 41 I also was acting with hostility toward them and brought them into the land of their enemies—then if their uncircumcised (sin-filled) hearts are humbled and they accept the punishment for their wickedness,(L) 42 then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and also My covenant with Isaac, and also My covenant with Abraham, and remember the land.(M) 43 But the land will be abandoned by them and will enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them; and they will accept the punishment for their wickedness and make amends because they rejected My ordinances and their soul rejected My statutes. 44 Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I so despise them as to destroy them, breaking My covenant with them; for I am the Lord their God.(N) 45 But I will, for their sake, [earnestly] remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I have brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am the Lord.’”

46 These are the statutes, ordinances, and laws which the Lord established between Himself and the Israelites through Moses at Mount Sinai.

Rules concerning Valuations

27 Again, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘When a man makes a [d]special vow [consecrating himself or a member of his family], he shall be valued according to your [established system of] valuation of people belonging to the Lord [that is, the priest accepts from the man making the vow a specified amount of money for the temple treasury in place of the actual person]. 3 If your valuation is of a male between twenty and sixty years of age, then your valuation shall be fifty shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. 4 Or if the person is a female, then your valuation shall be thirty shekels. 5 If the person is between five years and twenty years of age, then your valuation for the male shall be twenty shekels and for the female ten shekels. 6 But if the child is between one month and five years of age, then your valuation shall be five shekels of silver for the male and three shekels for the female. 7 If the person is sixty years old and above, your valuation shall be fifteen shekels for the male, and ten shekels for the female. 8 But if the person is too poor to pay your valuation, then he shall be placed before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to the ability of the one who vowed, the priest shall value him.

9 ‘Now if it is an animal of the kind which men can present as an offering to the Lord, any such that one gives to the Lord shall be holy. 10 He shall not replace it or exchange it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good; but if he does exchange an animal for an animal, then both the original offering and its substitute shall be holy. 11 If it is any unclean animal of the kind which men do not present as an offering to the Lord, then he shall bring the animal before the priest, 12 and the priest shall value it as either good or bad; it shall be as you, the priest, value it. 13 But if he ever wishes to redeem it, then he shall add one-fifth of it to your valuation.

Footnotes:

  1. Leviticus 26:1 Through Moses God explains clearly how He will bless the Israelites for their faithful obedience and repeatedly emphasizes that His blessings are contingent on Israel’s responsiveness. If the Israelites want God’s blessings, they must not take Him for granted.
  2. Leviticus 26:17 These verses specify the penalties for disobedience. The Scripture references indicate where the fulfillments of these prophecies are recorded. God keeps His word, whether a blessing or a judgment.
  3. Leviticus 26:23 Lit contrary to and so throughout the chapter.
  4. Leviticus 27:2 Or explicit. A man could consecrate (dedicate) himself to the Lord or he could consecrate another family member, his house, his property, his animals, his field, or other possession. The priest set an established value on the person, animal, or property and the man paid the set amount instead of transferring ownership. Consecrating someone or something to the Lord was not the same as “devoting” or “setting apart” something to the Lord (see vv 21, 28).

Cross references:

  1. Leviticus 26:9 : 2 Kin 13:23
  2. Leviticus 26:17 : 1 Sam 4:10; 31:1
  3. Leviticus 26:19 : 1 Kin 17:1
  4. Leviticus 26:22 : 2 Kin 17:25, 26
  5. Leviticus 26:25 : Num 16:49; 2 Sam 24:15
  6. Leviticus 26:26 : Hag 1:6
  7. Leviticus 26:29 : 2 Kin 6:28, 29
  8. Leviticus 26:30 : 2 Kin 23:8, 20
  9. Leviticus 26:31 : 2 Kin 25:4-10; 2 Chr 36:19
  10. Leviticus 26:33 : Ps 44:11-14
  11. Leviticus 26:35 : 2 Chr 36:21
  12. Leviticus 26:41 : 2 Kin 24:10-14; Dan 9:11-14
  13. Leviticus 26:42 : Ps 106:44-46
  14. Leviticus 26:44 : Deut 4:31-35; Jer 33:4, 5, 23-26; Rom 11:2-5
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Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

Mark 10:32-52

Jesus’ Sufferings Foretold

32 Now they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were perplexed [at what Jesus had said], and those who were following were alarmed and afraid. And again He took the twelve [disciples] aside and began telling them what was going to happen to Him, 33 saying, “Listen very carefully: we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed and handed over to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and hand Him over to the Gentiles (Romans). 34 They will mock and ridicule Him and spit on Him, and whip (scourge) Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise [from the dead].”

35 James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.”(A) 36 And He replied to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 37 They said to Him, “Grant that we may sit [with You], one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory [Your majesty and splendor in Your kingdom].” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism [of suffering and death] with which I am baptized?” 39 And they replied to Him, “We are able.” Jesus told them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. 40 But to sit on My right or left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared [by My Father].”

41 Hearing this, the [other] ten became indignant with James and John. 42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their powerful men exercise authority over them [tyrannizing them]. 43 But this is not how it is among you; instead, whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wishes to be first and most important among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a [a]ransom for many.”

Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

46 Then they came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting beside the road [as was his custom].(B) 47 When Bartimaeus heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and say, “Jesus, [b]Son of David (Messiah), have mercy on me!” 48 Many sternly rebuked him, telling him to keep still and be quiet; but he kept on shouting out all the more, “Son of David (Messiah), have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, telling him, “Take courage, get up! He is calling for you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni (my Master), let me regain my sight.” 52 Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith [and confident trust in My power] has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Jesus on the road.(C)

Footnotes:

  1. Mark 10:45 I.e. to die so that believers may be freed from the power of sin and death.
  2. Mark 10:47 A common Messianic title recognizing the Messiah as a descendant of David.

Cross references:

  1. Mark 10:35 : Matt 20:20, 21
  2. Mark 10:46 : Matt 20:29-34; Luke 18:35-43
  3. Mark 10:52 : Is 42:6, 7
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Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

Psalm 45

A Song Celebrating the King’s Marriage.

To the Chief Musician; set to the [tune of] “Lilies.” A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A skillful song, or a didactic or reflective poem. A Song of Love.

45 [a]My heart overflows with a good theme;
I address my psalm to the King.
My tongue is like the pen of a skillful writer.
2 
You are fairer than the sons of men;
Graciousness is poured upon Your lips;
Therefore God has blessed You forever.

3 
Strap Your sword on Your thigh, O mighty One,
In Your splendor and Your majesty!
4 
And in Your majesty ride on triumphantly
For the cause of truth and humility and righteousness;
Let Your right hand guide You to awesome things.
5 
Your arrows are sharp;
The peoples (nations) fall under You;
Your arrows pierce the hearts of the King’s enemies.

6 
[b]Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
The scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
7 
You have loved righteousness (virtue, morality, justice) and hated wickedness;
Therefore God, your God, has anointed You
Above Your companions with the oil of jubilation.(A)
8 
All Your garments are fragrant with myrrh, aloes and cassia;
From ivory palaces stringed instruments have made You glad.
9 
Kings’ daughters are among Your noble ladies;
At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.

10 
Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear [to my instruction]:
Forget your people and your father’s house;
11 
Then the King will desire your beauty;
Because He is your Lord, bow down and honor Him.
12 
The daughter of Tyre will come with a gift;
The rich among the people will seek your favor.

13 
Glorious is the King’s daughter within [the palace];
Her robe is interwoven with gold.(B)
14 
She will be brought to the King in embroidered garments;
The virgins, her companions who follow her,
Will be brought to You.
15 
With gladness and rejoicing will they be led;
They will enter into the King’s palace.

16 
In place of your fathers will be [c]your sons;
You shall make princes in all the land.
17 
I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations;
Therefore the peoples will praise and give You thanks forever and ever.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 45:1 Jesus spoke of what was written of Him “in the Psalms” (see Luke 24:44). This is one such Messianic psalm; however, the capitalization indicating the deity is provided with the understanding that the chapter is written against the background of an ordinary royal wedding with anonymous participants. The New Testament reference to this psalm is in Heb 1:8, 9, where vv 6, 7 is quoted and applied to Christ. The preceding verses could also be applied to Christ, as well as most of the following verses referring to the King. However, v 16 can only apply to a mortal king (see note there).
  2. Psalm 45:6 This verse has mystified many commentators since God is distinguished from the King in vv 2 and 7, and various translations have been proposed to make the Hebrew rendered “O God” something other than a reference to the deity of the King. But the writer of Hebrews clearly understood it this way.
  3. Psalm 45:16 Unlike the other references to the King, this verse cannot be applied prophetically to Christ because He had no children. But it is not unusual for a prophecy to have more than one fulfillment (typically in the near future of the prophecy and another in the distant future), and by analogy there is no reason why this psalm cannot refer both to an ordinary king and to the future Messianic King.

Cross references:

  1. Psalm 45:7 : Heb 1:8, 9
  2. Psalm 45:13 : Rev 19:7, 8
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Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

Proverbs 10:22

22 
The blessing of the Lord brings [true] riches,
And He adds no sorrow to it [for it comes as a blessing from God].

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Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

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3/1/2023 DAB Transcript

Leviticus 24:1-25:46, Mark 10:13-31, Psalm 44:9-26, Proverbs 10:20-21

Today is the 1st day of the month of March, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. Here we are, brand new, shiny, sparkly month out in front of us. The 3rd month of the year. The 60th day of the year. And it is a joy and an honor to gather together today, in our little sacred space, our little oasis that we create everyday, all around the Global Campfire. Moving into this month together and continuing our journey through the Scriptures together this year. And so, new month of course, but we will pick up right where we left off. And that will lead us back into the Book of Leviticus. So, we’ve gone through a lot of the priesthood and the requirements of the priesthood and the ordination of the priesthood, and through a lot of the sacrifices and what they were and what they represent. And then we’ve gone through festivals, parties, celebrations that are built into the culture. Times to stop what you’re doing and remember who you are and where you’ve come from and where you’re going and who God is. And so, we pick up the story, Leviticus chapter 24 verse 1, through 25 verse 46 today.

Commentary:

Okay, so really, just a really beautiful scene in the Gospel of Mark today. Jesus was becoming known as a teacher, as a prophet, and some were starting to wonder if He’s the One, the anointed One, the Messiah. And so, crowds are around Jesus. We’ve been reading about this since the beginning of the year. Crowds are around Jesus but parents are bringing their children to Jesus, that He might bless them. And that is, that is really, really beautiful. I think of a picture that I seen as a kid, Jesus sitting on a rock, it’s probably a famous picture, but it was around a lot when I was a kid. Jesus sitting on a rock, holding a little child. Children sitting around Him, standing around Him and then the adults kind of back a little bit. And I remember that, that picture because it kind of went along with Jesus loves the little children all the children of the world, red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in site. Jesus loves the little children of the world. And we see this in the Gospel of Mark today. And it’s more than that He just loves them, He loves how they are. He’s looking at them and they have not lost their innocence to pessimism and cynicism yet. It’s just that Jesus disciples, they’re not tracking at all, so they’re trying to shoo kids away so that the grownups can be fed. And it’s Jesus that like, don’t, don’t do that, run them away from here. Don’t try to shoo them away from me. Truly I tell you, I quote from Mar, truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child, will never enter it. And He took the children in His arms and placed His hands on them and blessed them. We encounter this story, and this point, this sentiment, in other Gospels. And the challenge and often for us, as adults is typically to imagine what it would be like to have the trust and faith of a child. But for those of us who are parents, let’s just think about our own kids. God has given them to us. Like, they’re ours to steward on behalf of the Kind and His Kingdom. They’re put in our care. And to them, we will be the most poignant representation of what God is like, in their lives. And so, how much of our spiritual journey do we withhold from them thinking they’re just too little to understand. When reality may be that they have so much for us to learn. And so, often we find ourselves in positions where it’s like, do what I say but not what I do. When what we do is telling them and instructing them a lot more than what we say. But what we’re learning from Jesus himself is that God’s kingdom is centered around what a child has. The faith of a child is valued in God’s kingdom. And we spend so much times on ourselves, trying to get back to that place while maybe leading our children in a direction, the same way we were led. So that they have to circle back around and figure out what it looks like for them. What if we understood that we are stewarding our kids for God. And it is not a lightweight thing. Like, it is the greatest responsibility in humanity. We can be going for our job promotions, we can be going for our education, we can be going for our career or anything that we can be going for, there isn’t going to be something that is, that carries more weight than in stewarding our children for the kingdom of God and doing everything that we can because the world is set against us, we know it. Doing everything that we can to preserve that spark of wonder that exists in their hearts where anything is possible. The faith of a child. Children who have been nurtured in this way, do believe nothing is impossible. I’ve seen this play out in my own life. I’ve seen this play out in the lives of my children. I’m watching this, like I have a granddaughter and her name is Regan. And I couldn’t love her more. But watching her learn the wonder of it, because she believes he world is a good place. And she’s just a little girl but she lives from that place. And I look at her, I look at Ezekiel, our son, and I think, I mean, for me, there’s nothing that taught me more about God or myself then my children. I had flawed parents. Like, I’m flawed, like everybody’s flawed. But they did show me that, and I’ve tried to pass that because I believe what Jesus is saying here. Because I’ve been in the world long enough to know that there’s every reason to mistrust everything. And everybody has an opinion about everything and there’s a lot of tension in the world and there’s a lot of mistrust in the world. And there’s a lot of divide and conquer going on and I’ve seen this my whole life. So, I’m a cynic by nature, I’m pessimistic by nature. I don’t buy into anything without a long period of discernment. And so, is that how the kingdom of God works? Like, maybe it’s smart to be wise but within us is the spark of wonder even there because there’s a spark that connects us to God, that connects us to the infinite, that connects us to the eternal. That connects us to how it’s supposed to be. If that flame goes out, it’s hard to get it lit again. And when we participate in blowing it out in our children’s lives, through our own brokenness, then that’s, that’s a problem. That’s a problem in the kingdom. And we can say, yeah but I didn’t have, like my parents, if you knew our origin story. If you knew how lucky I felt when I finally got out of there, but that’s really actually what I am talking about. No child of God should need to escape the place that they were placed to be stewarded, unless they weren’t stewarded at all, and instead broken and abused in some sort of way. And so, that leaves a lifelong struggle toward wholeness to try to put the pieces back together again. And I’m not saying to any of us are that kind of people. I’m simply saying, what if we actually paid a little bit more attention with intentionality, to the fact that we’ve been given gifts from God to steward and they are the future of this kingdom. And maybe if we would slow-down and not just offer all of the kinds of instructions that simply make our lives easier. But if we would slow-down and get to know them, we might find that they can remind us what of what wonder and awe feels like. They can teach us what the world has tried to beat out of us. Maybe we can steward and protect them and they can teach us what it looks like to be whole. It’s worth thinking about anyway. 

Prayer:

And so, Jesus, we invite You into that since we’re thinking about it. And we invite Your Holy Spirit into it. There’s, there’s no way to talk about this and make it a blanket thing, that one size fits all. We all have very different stories, very different backgrounds, very different everything. And so, there is no person that can say, here’s how this is done, except You. Except You. And You are here and You are available. And so, come Holy Spirit, into this. Into the relationships that we have with our kids, into the postures that we have toward them and others. Into the places that are young in us and how we treat those places inside of ourselves. May we realize that You have called us Your children, the children of God for a reason. And may we reclaim what has been stolen from us, that we might feel awe and wonder at Your creation and all that is in it and all that awaits us. Come, Holy Spirit, into this, we pray. In the name of Jesus. 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.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Will be posted later. 

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday March 1, 2023 (NIV)

Leviticus 24:1-25:46

The Lamp and the Bread of the Sanctuary

24 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the children of Israel to bring to you clear oil from beaten olives for the light [of the golden lampstand], to make a lamp burn continually. 3 Outside the veil of the Testimony [between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place] in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron shall always keep the lamps [a]burning before the Lord from evening until morning; it shall be a permanent statute throughout your generations. 4 He shall keep the lamps burning on the pure gold lampstand before the Lord continually.(A)

5 “Then you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes (bread of the Presence, showbread) with it; two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake (loaf). 6 You shall set the bread of the Presence (showbread) in two rows, six in a row, on the pure gold table before the Lord. 7 You shall put pure frankincense [in two censers, one] beside each row, so that it may be with the bread as a memorial portion, an offering by fire to the Lord. 8 Every Sabbath day Aaron shall arrange the showbread before the Lord continually; it is an everlasting covenant for the Israelites. 9 The bread of the Presence shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a sacred place, for it is for Aaron a most holy portion of the offerings by fire to the Lord, his portion forever.”

10 Now the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the Israelites, and he and a man of Israel quarreled and struggled with each other in the camp. 11 The Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the Name [of the Lord] and cursed. So they brought him to Moses. (Now his mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.) 12 They put him in custody until the will and command of the Lord might be made clear to them.

13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 14 “Bring the one who has cursed [the Lord] outside the camp, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head [as witnesses to his guilt]; then let all the congregation stone him. 15 You shall speak to the Israelites, saying, ‘Whoever curses his God will bear his sin [through his own death]. 16 Further, the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall most certainly be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him. The stranger as well as the native-born shall be put to death when he blasphemes the Name [of the Lord].

“An Eye for an Eye”

17 ‘If a man takes the life of any human being [unlawfully], he shall most certainly be put to death. 18 The one who kills an animal shall replace it, animal for animal. 19 If a man injures his neighbor (fellow citizen), whatever he has done shall be done to him: 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a man, so shall the same be done to him.(B) 21 The one who kills an animal shall replace it; but he who kills a human being [unlawfully] shall be put to death. 22 You shall have one standard of law for the stranger among you as well as for the native, for I am the Lord your God.’” 23 Then Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they brought the one who had cursed [the Lord] outside the camp and stoned him with stones. Thus the Israelites did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Sabbatic Year and Year of Jubilee

25 The Lord spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I am giving you, then the land shall keep a Sabbath to the Lord. 3 For six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its crop. 4 But in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of rest for the land, a Sabbath to the Lord; you shall not sow [seed in] your field nor prune your vineyard. 5 Whatever reseeds itself (uncultivated) in your harvest you shall not reap, nor shall you gather the grapes from your uncultivated vine, it shall be a year of sabbatical rest for the land. 6 And all of you shall have for food whatever the [untilled] land produces during its Sabbath year; yourself, and your male and female slaves, your hired servant, and the foreigners who reside among you, 7 even your domestic animals and the [wild] animals that are in your land shall have all its crops to eat.

The Year of Jubilee

8 ‘You are also to count off seven Sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years, so that you have the time of the seven Sabbaths of years, namely, forty-nine years. 9 Then you shall sound the ram’s horn everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month (almost October); on the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout your land. 10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year and [b]proclaim freedom [for the slaves] throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee (year of remission) for you, and each of you shall return to his own [ancestral] property [that was sold to another because of poverty], and each of you shall return to his family [from whom he was separated by bondage]. 11 That fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee for you; you shall not sow [seed], nor reap what reseeds itself, nor gather the grapes of the uncultivated vines. 12 For it is the Jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its crops out of the field.

13 ‘In this Year of Jubilee each of you shall return to his own [ancestral] property. 14 If you sell anything to your friend or buy from your friend, you shall not wrong one another. 15 According to the number of years after the Jubilee, you shall [c]buy from your friend. And he is to sell to you according to the number of years of crops [which may be harvested before you must restore the property to him]. 16 If the years [until the next Jubilee] are many, you shall increase the price, but if the years remaining are few, you shall reduce the price, because it is the number of crops that he is selling to you. 17 You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God [with profound reverence]; for I am the Lord your God.

18 ‘Therefore you shall carry out My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them, so that you may live securely on the land. 19 Then the land will yield its produce, so that you can eat your fill and live securely on it. 20 And if you say, “What are we going to eat in the seventh year if we do not sow [seed] or gather in our crops?” 21 then [this is My answer:] I will order My [special] blessing for you in the sixth year, so that it will produce [sufficient] crops for three years. 22 When you are sowing the eighth year, you can still eat old things from the crops, eating the old until the ninth year when its crop comes in.

The Law of Redemption

23 ‘The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; you are [only] foreigners and temporary residents with Me.(C) 24 So in all the country that you possess, you are to provide for the redemption of the land [in the Year of Jubilee].

25 ‘If a fellow countryman of yours becomes so poor he has to sell some of his property, then his nearest relative is to come and buy back (redeem) what his relative has sold. 26 Or in case a man has no relative [to redeem his property], but he has become more prosperous and has enough to buy it back, 27 then he shall calculate the years since its sale and refund the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and so return to his [ancestral] property.(D) 28 But if [d]he is unable to redeem it, then what he has sold shall remain in the hands of the purchaser until the Year of Jubilee; but at the Jubilee it shall revert, and he may return to his property.

29 ‘If a man sells a house in a walled city, then his right of redemption remains valid for a full year after its sale; his right of redemption lasts a full year. 30 But if it is not redeemed for him within a full year, then the house that is in the walled city passes permanently and irrevocably to the purchaser throughout his generations. It does not revert back in the Year of Jubilee. 31 The houses of the villages that have no surrounding walls, however, shall be considered as open fields. They may be redeemed, and revert in the Year of Jubilee. 32 As for the cities of the Levites, the Levites have a permanent right of redemption for the houses in the cities which they possess. 33 Therefore, what is [purchased] from the Levites may be redeemed [by a Levite], and the house that was sold in the city they possess reverts in the Year of Jubilee, for the houses in the Levite cities are their [ancestral] property among the Israelites. 34 But the pasture lands of their cities may not be sold, for that is their permanent possession.

Of Poor Countrymen

35 ‘Now if your fellow countryman becomes poor and his hand falters with you [that is, he has trouble repaying you for something], then you are to help and sustain him, [with courtesy and consideration] like [you would] a stranger or a temporary resident [without property], so that he may live among you.(E) 36 Do not charge him usurious interest, but fear your God [with profound reverence], so your countryman may [continue to] live among you. 37 You shall not give him your money at interest, nor your food at a profit. 38 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.

39 ‘And if your fellow countryman becomes so poor [in his dealings] with you that he sells himself to you [as payment for a debt], you shall not let him do the work of a slave [who is ineligible for redemption], 40 but he is to be with you as a hired man, as if he were a temporary resident; he shall serve with you until the Year of Jubilee, 41 and then he shall leave you, he and his children with him, and shall go back to his own family and return to the property of his fathers. 42 For the Israelites are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold in a slave sale.(F) 43 You shall not rule over him with harshness (severity, oppression), but you are to fear your God [with profound reverence].(G) 44 As for your male and female slaves whom you may have—you may acquire male and female slaves from the pagan nations that are around you. 45 Moreover, from the children of the strangers who live as aliens among you, from them you may buy slaves and from their families who are with you, whom they have produced in your land; they may become your possession. 46 You may even bequeath them as an inheritance to your children after you, to receive as a possession; you can use them as permanent slaves. But in respect to your fellow countrymen, the children of Israel, you shall not rule over one another with harshness (severity, oppression).

Footnotes:

  1. Leviticus 24:3 Lit it in order.
  2. Leviticus 25:10 The quote on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia is from this verse and reads, “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.”
  3. Leviticus 25:15 The transfer of land in Israel was more like a lease than an outright purchase. Since all property reverted to the original owner at the Jubilee year, the purchaser would pay a price only for the years of use remaining until the next Jubilee.
  4. Leviticus 25:28 Lit his hand has not found enough.

Cross references:

  1. Leviticus 24:4 : Rev 1:12-18
  2. Leviticus 24:20 : Matt 5:38-42; 7:2
  3. Leviticus 25:23 : Heb 11:13; 1 Pet 2:11-17
  4. Leviticus 25:27 : 1 Kin 21:2, 3
  5. Leviticus 25:35 : 1 John 3:17
  6. Leviticus 25:42 : 1 Cor 7:23
  7. Leviticus 25:43 : Eph 6:9; Col 4:1
Amplified Bible (AMP)

Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

Mark 10:13-31

Jesus Blesses Little Children

13 People were bringing children to Him so that He would touch and bless them, but the disciples reprimanded them and discouraged them [from coming]. 14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and He said to them, “Allow the children to come to Me; do not forbid them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whoever does not receive and welcome the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” 16 And He took the children [one by one] in His arms and [a]blessed them [with kind, encouraging words], placing His hands on them.

The Rich Young Ruler

17 As He was leaving on His journey, a man ran up and knelt before Him and asked Him, “Good Teacher [You who are essentially good and morally perfect], what shall I do to inherit eternal life [that is, eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom]?”(A) 18 Jesus said to him, “[b]Why do you call Me good? No one is [essentially] good [by nature] except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not testify falsely, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’”(B) 20 And he replied to Him, “Teacher, I have [carefully] kept all these [commandments] since my [c]youth.” 21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love (high regard, compassion) for him, and He said to him, “You lack one thing: go and sell all your property and give [the money] to the poor, and you will have [abundant] treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me [becoming My disciple, believing and trusting in Me and walking the same path of life that I walk].” 22 But the man was saddened at Jesus’ words, and he left grieving, because he owned much property and had many possessions [which he treasured more than his relationship with God].

23 Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who are wealthy [and cling to possessions and status as security] to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were [d]amazed and bewildered by His words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is [for those who place their hope and confidence in riches] to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man [who places his faith in wealth or status] to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were completely and utterly astonished, and said to Him, “Then who can be saved [from the wrath of God]?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people [as far as it depends on them] it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”

28 Peter started saying to Him, “Look, we have given up everything and followed You [becoming Your disciples and accepting You as Teacher and Lord].” 29 Jesus said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, there is no one who has given up a house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, 30 who will not receive a hundred times as much now in the present age—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms—along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”

Footnotes:

  1. Mark 10:16 The basic meaning of the Greek word found here for “blessed” is to speak kindly of someone. Jesus was probably giving the children encouragement as only He could, with His infallible knowledge of each child’s future.
  2. Mark 10:18 Jesus was affirming His deity by challenging the man to recognize Him as Messiah.
  3. Mark 10:20 After reaching the age of thirteen a Jewish boy was personally responsible for keeping the Law.
  4. Mark 10:24 What Jesus said ran contrary to the conventional wisdom among the Jews (and other ancient peoples). It was commonly thought that wealthy people who did their duty financially to the poor and their community were assured entry into the kingdom of God.

Cross references:

  1. Mark 10:17 : Matt 19:16-29; Luke 18:18-30
  2. Mark 10:19 : Ex 20:12-16; Deut 5:16-20
Amplified Bible (AMP)

Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

Psalm 44:9-26

9 
But now You have rejected us and brought us to dishonor,
And You do not go out with our armies [to lead us to victory].
10 
You make us turn back from the enemy,
And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves.
11 
You have made us like sheep to be eaten [as mutton]
And have scattered us [in exile] among the nations.
12 
You sell Your people cheaply,
And have not increased Your wealth by their sale.
13 
You have made us the reproach and taunt of our neighbors,
A scoffing and a derision to those around us.
14 
You make us a byword among the nations,
A [a]laughingstock among the people.
15 
My dishonor is before me all day long,
And humiliation has covered my face,
16 
Because of the voice of the taunter and reviler,
Because of the presence of the enemy and the avenger.

17 
All this has come upon us, yet we have not forgotten You,
Nor have we been false to Your covenant [which You made with our fathers].
18 
Our heart has not turned back,
Nor have our steps wandered from Your path,
19 
Yet You have [distressingly] crushed us in the place of jackals
And covered us with [the deep darkness of] the shadow of death.

20 
If we had forgotten the name of our God
Or stretched out our hands to a strange god,
21 
Would not God discover this?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
22 
[b]But for Your sake we are killed all the day long;
We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.(A)
23 
Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord?
Awaken, do not reject us forever.
24 
Why do You hide Your face
And forget our affliction and our oppression?
25 
For our life has melted away into the dust;
Our body clings to the ground.
26 
Rise up! Come be our help,
And ransom us for the sake of Your steadfast love.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 44:14 Lit shaking of the head.
  2. Psalm 44:22 The ancient rabbis applied this verse to Israel under persecution, especially to those who suffered under the reign of Hadrian following the Bar Cochba revolt (a.d. 132-135). One rabbi said that he was ready to die for God provided that he be killed immediately, because he could not endure the tortures of what was called “the great persecution.” The tortures included placing red-hot iron discs under the victim’s armpits or sticking needles under the nails until the victim died from the pain (shock).

Cross references:

  1. Psalm 44:22 : Rom 8:35-39
Amplified Bible (AMP)

Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

Proverbs 10:20-21

20 
The tongue of the righteous is like precious silver (greatly valued);
The heart of the wicked is worth little.
21 
The lips of the righteous feed and guide many,
But fools [who reject God and His wisdom] die for lack of understanding.

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.