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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday March 16, 2018 (NIV)

Numbers 24-25

24 Since Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go to seek omens as on previous occasions, but turned[a] toward the wilderness. 2 When Balaam looked up and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God(A) came on him, 3 and he proclaimed his poem:

The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eyes are opened,
4 the oracle of one who hears the sayings of God,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,(B)
who falls into a trance with his eyes uncovered:
5 How beautiful are your tents, Jacob,
your dwellings, Israel.
6 They stretch out like river valleys,[b]
like gardens beside a stream,
like aloes the Lord has planted,
like cedars beside the water.
7 Water will flow from his buckets,
and his seed will be by abundant water.
His king will be greater than Agag,(C)
and his kingdom will be exalted.
8 God brought him out of Egypt;
he is like[c] the horns of a wild ox for them.(D)
He will feed on enemy nations
and gnaw their bones;
he will strike them with his arrows.
9 He crouches, he lies down like a lion
or a lioness—who dares to rouse him?(E)
Those who bless you will be blessed,
and those who curse you will be cursed.(F)

10 Then Balak became furious with Balaam, struck his hands together, and said to him, “I summoned you to put a curse on my enemies, but instead, you have blessed them these three times. 11 Now go to your home! I said I would reward you richly,(G) but look, the Lord has denied you a reward.”

12 Balaam answered Balak, “Didn’t I previously tell the messengers you sent me: 13 If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go against the Lord’s command, to do anything good or bad of my own will? I will say whatever the Lord says.(H) 14 Now I am going back to my people, but first, let me warn you what these people will do to your people in the future.”

Balaam’s Fourth Oracle

15 Then he proclaimed his poem:

The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eyes are opened;
16 the oracle of one who hears the sayings of God
and has knowledge from the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who falls into a trance with his eyes uncovered:(I)
17 I see him, but not now;
I perceive him, but not near.
A star will come from Jacob,
and a scepter will arise from Israel.(J)
He will smash the forehead[d] of Moab
and strike down[e] all the Shethites.[f]
18 Edom will become a possession;
Seir(K) will become a possession of its enemies,
but Israel will be triumphant.
19 One who comes from Jacob will rule;
he will destroy the city’s survivors.

20 Then Balaam saw Amalek and proclaimed his poem:

Amalek was first among the nations,(L)
but his future is destruction.

21 Next he saw the Kenites and proclaimed his poem:

Your dwelling place is enduring;
your nest is set in the cliffs.
22 Kain will be destroyed
when Asshur takes you captive.

23 Once more he proclaimed his poem:

Ah, who can live when God does this?
24 Ships will come from the coast of Kittim;(M)
they will carry out raids against Asshur and Eber,(N)
but they too will come to destruction.

25 Balaam then arose and went back to his homeland, and Balak also went his way.

Israel Worships Baal

25 While Israel was staying in the Acacia Grove,[g](O) the people began to prostitute themselves with the women of Moab. 2 The women invited them to the sacrifices for their gods, and the people ate and bowed in worship to their gods.(P) 3 So Israel aligned itself with Baal of Peor,(Q) and the Lord’s anger burned against Israel.(R) 4 The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute[h] them in broad daylight before the Lord so that his burning anger may turn away from Israel.”

5 So Moses told Israel’s judges, “Kill each of the men who aligned themselves with Baal of Peor.”

Phinehas Intervenes

6 An Israelite man came bringing a Midianite woman to his relatives in the sight of Moses and the whole Israelite community while they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw this, he got up from the assembly, took a spear in his hand, 8 followed the Israelite man into the tent,[i] and drove it through both the Israelite man and the woman—through her belly. Then the plague on the Israelites was stopped, 9 but those who died in the plague numbered twenty-four thousand.(S)

10 The Lord spoke to Moses, 11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the Israelites because he was zealous among them with my zeal,[j](T) so that I did not destroy the Israelites in my zeal. 12 Therefore declare: I grant him my covenant of peace.(U) 13 It will be a covenant of perpetual priesthood for him and his future descendants,(V) because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites.”

14 The name of the slain Israelite man, who was struck dead with the Midianite woman, was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family.[k] 15 The name of the slain Midianite woman was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, a tribal head of a family in Midian.

Vengeance against the Midianites

16 The Lord told Moses: 17 “Attack the Midianites and strike them dead. 18 For they attacked you with the treachery that they used against you in the Peor incident. They did the same in the case involving their sister Cozbi, daughter of the Midianite leader who was killed the day the plague came at Peor.”

Footnotes:

  1. 24:1 Lit set his face
  2. 24:6 Or like date palms
  3. 24:8 Or he has
  4. 24:17 Or frontiers
  5. 24:17 Sam reads and the skulls of; Jr 48:45
  6. 24:17 Or Sethites
  7. 25:1 Or in Shittim
  8. 25:4 Or impale, or hang, or expose; Hb obscure
  9. 25:8 Perhaps a tent shrine or bridal tent
  10. 25:11 Or jealousy
  11. 25:14 Lit a father’s house, also in v. 15

Cross references:

  1. 24:2 : Ex 35:31; Nm 11:17,25-26,29; 1Sm 10:10
  2. 24:4 : Is 13:6,9; Ezk 30:2-3; Jl 2:1-2,11,31
  3. 24:7 : Ex 17:14-16; 1Sm 15:8-33
  4. 24:8 : Nm 23:22
  5. 24:9 : Gn 49:9; Nm 23:24
  6. 24:9 : Gn 12:3; 27:29
  7. 24:11 : Nm 22:17
  8. 24:13 : Nm 22:18,38
  9. 24:15-16 : Nm 24:3-4
  10. 24:17 : Gn 49:10; Mt 2:2; Rv 22:16
  11. 24:18 : Gn 32:3
  12. 24:20 : Ex 17:8-16; 1Sm 15
  13. 24:24 : Gn 10:4; Is 23:1,12; Jr 2:10; Dn 11:30
  14. 24:24 : Gn 10:21,24-25; 11:14-27
  15. 25:1 : Nm 33:49; Jos 2:1; 3:1; Mc 6:5
  16. 25:2 : Ex 34:15-16; 1Co 10:8; Rv 2:14
  17. 25:3 : Nm 23:28
  18. 25:3 : Dt 4:3; Ps 106:28-29; Hs 9:10
  19. 25:9 : 1Co 10:8
  20. 25:11 : Ex 34:14; Zch 8:2
  21. 25:12 : Is 54:10; Ezk 34:25; 37:26; Mal 2:5
  22. 25:13 : Ex 40:15; Ps 106:30-31
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Luke 2:1-35

The Birth of Jesus

2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus(A) that the whole empire[a] should be registered. 2 This first registration took place while[b] Quirinius was governing Syria.(B) 3 So everyone went to be registered, each to his own town.

4 Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth(C) in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem,(D) because he was of the house and family line of David,(E) 5 to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to him[c] and was pregnant. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 Then she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and she wrapped him tightly in cloth and laid him in a manger,[d] because there was no guest room available for them.

The Shepherds and the Angels

8 In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. 9 Then an angel of the Lord(F) stood before them,(G) and the glory of the Lord(H) shone around them, and they were terrified.[e] 10 But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid,(I) for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:[f] 11 Today in the city of David a Savior(J) was born for you, who is the Messiah,(K) the Lord.(L) 12 This will be the sign for you:(M) You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host[g] with the angel, praising God and saying:

14 Glory to God in the highest heaven,(N)
and peace on earth(O) to people he favors![h][i](P)

15 When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

16 They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger. 17 After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed(Q) at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart(R) and meditating on them. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God(S) for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told.

The Circumcision and Presentation of Jesus

21 When the eight days were completed for his circumcision,(T) he was named Jesus(U)—the name given by the angel before he was conceived. 22 And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were finished,(V) they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (just as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every firstborn male will be dedicated[j] to the Lord[k](W)) 24 and to offer a sacrifice (according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons[l](X)).

Simeon’s Prophetic Praise

25 There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout,(Y) looking forward to Israel’s consolation,(Z) and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit(AA) that he would not see death before he saw the Lord’s Messiah.(AB) 27 Guided by the Spirit, he entered the temple. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform for him what was customary under the law, 28 Simeon took him up in his arms, praised God, and said,

29 Now, Master,
you can dismiss your servant in peace,
as you promised.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation.(AC)
31 You have prepared it
in the presence of all peoples—
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles[m](AD)
and glory to your people Israel.(AE)

33 His father and mother[n] were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and told his mother Mary: “Indeed, this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel(AF) and to be a sign that will be opposed[o]— 35 and a sword will pierce your own soul—that the thoughts[p] of many hearts may be revealed.”

Footnotes:

  1. 2:1 Or the whole inhabited world
  2. 2:2 Or This registration was the first while, or This registration was before
  3. 2:5 Lit betrothed
  4. 2:7 Or feeding trough, also in vv. 8,16
  5. 2:9 Lit they feared a great fear
  6. 2:10 Or the whole nation
  7. 2:13 Lit heavenly army
  8. 2:14 Other mss read earth good will to people
  9. 2:14 Or earth to men of good will
  10. 2:23 Lit be called holy
  11. 2:23 Ex 13:2,12
  12. 2:24 Lv 5:11; 12:8
  13. 2:32 Or the nations
  14. 2:33 Other mss read But Joseph and his mother
  15. 2:34 Or spoken against
  16. 2:35 Or schemes

Cross references:

  1. 2:1 : Mt 22:17; Lk 3:1
  2. 2:2 : Mt 4:24
  3. 2:4 : Mt 2:23; 4:13; 21:11; Jn 1:45
  4. 2:4 : Gn 35:19; 48:7; Jos 19:15; Jdg 12:10; 17:7-9; Ru 1:1; 1Sm 16:1; Mc 5:2
  5. 2:4 : Lk 1:27
  6. 2:9 : Mt 1:20; 2:13,19; 28:2; Lk 1:11; Ac 5:19; 8:26; 12:7; 12:23
  7. 2:9 : Lk 24:4; Ac 12:7
  8. 2:9 : Ex 24:16; 40:34-35; Lv 9:6,23; Nm 20:6; 1Kg 8:11; Is 35:2; 40:5; 60:1
  9. 2:10 : Mt 14:27
  10. 2:11 : Mt 1:21; Jn 4:42; Ac 5:31
  11. 2:11 : Mt 1:16; 16:16,20; Jn 11:27
  12. 2:11 : Lk 1:43; Ac 2:36; 10:36
  13. 2:12 : 1Sm 2:34; 2Kg 19:29; 20:8-9; Is 7:11,14
  14. 2:14 : Mt 21:9; Lk 19:38
  15. 2:14 : Lk 12:51
  16. 2:14 : Lk 3:22; Eph 1:9; Php 2:13
  17. 2:18 : Lk 1:63; 2:33; 4:22; 8:25; 9:43; 11:14,38; 20:26; 24:12,41
  18. 2:19 : Lk 2:51
  19. 2:20 : Mt 9:8
  20. 2:21 : Lk 1:59
  21. 2:21 : Lk 1:31
  22. 2:22 : Lv 12:6-8
  23. 2:23 : Ex 11:5; 12:12,29; 13:2,12; 34:19; Dt 15:19
  24. 2:24 : Lv 5:11; 12:8
  25. 2:25 : Lk 1:6
  26. 2:25 : Ps 135:14; Is 40:1-2,11; 49:10,13; 51:3,12; 57:18; 61:2; 66:13; Jr 31:9; Mk 15:43; Lk 2:38; 23:51
  27. 2:26 : Mt 2:12
  28. 2:26 : Ps 89:48; Jn 8:51; Heb 11:5
  29. 2:30 : Ps 119:166,174; Is 52:10; Lk 3:6
  30. 2:32 : Is 42:6; 49:6,9; Ac 13:47; 26:23
  31. 2:32 : Is 46:13 LXX
  32. 2:34 : Mt 21:44; 1Co 1:23; 2Co 2:16; 1Pt 2:8
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Psalm 59

Psalm 59

God Our Stronghold

For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David. When Saul sent agents to watch the house and kill him.(A)

1 Rescue me from my enemies, my God;(B)
protect me from those who rise up against me.(C)
2 Rescue me from those who practice sin,
and save me from men of bloodshed.(D)
3 Because look, Lord, they set an ambush for me.(E)
Powerful men attack me,
but not because of any sin or rebellion of mine.(F)
4 For no fault of mine,
they run and take up a position.
Awake to help me, and take notice.(G)
5 Lord God of Armies, you are the God of Israel.
Rise up to punish all the nations;
do not show favor to any wicked traitors.(H)Selah

6 They return at evening, snarling like dogs
and prowling around the city.(I)
7 Look, they spew from their mouths—
sharp words from[a] their lips.(J)
“For who,” they say, “will hear?”(K)
8 But you laugh at them, Lord;
you ridicule all the nations.(L)
9 I will keep watch for you, my[b] strength,
because God is my stronghold.(M)
10 My faithful God[c] will come to meet me;
God will let me look down on my adversaries.(N)

11 Do not kill them; otherwise, my people will forget.
By your power, make them homeless wanderers(O)
and bring them down,
Lord, our shield.(P)
12 For the sin of their mouths and the words of their lips,
let them be caught in their pride.
They utter curses and lies.(Q)
13 Consume them in rage;
consume them until they are gone.(R)
Then people will know throughout[d] the earth
that God rules over Jacob.(S)Selah

14 And they return at evening, snarling like dogs
and prowling around the city.(T)
15 They scavenge for food;
they growl if they are not satisfied.(U)

16 But I will sing of your strength
and will joyfully proclaim
your faithful love in the morning.(V)
For you have been a stronghold for me,
a refuge in my day of trouble.(W)
17 To you, my strength, I sing praises,
because God is my stronghold—
my faithful God.(X)

Footnotes:

  1. 59:7 Lit swords are on
  2. 59:9 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg, Tg; other Hb mss read his
  3. 59:10 Alt Hb tradition reads My God in his faithful love
  4. 59:13 Lit know to the ends of

Cross references:

  1. 59:title : 1Sm 19:11
  2. 59:1 : Ps 143:9
  3. 59:1 : 2Sm 22:18; Ps 18:17; 91:14
  4. 59:2 : Ps 5:6; 17:7
  5. 59:3 : Pr 1:11,18
  6. 59:3 : 1Sm 20:1; 24:11
  7. 59:4 : Ps 7:3-4; 69:4
  8. 59:5 : Jr 18:23
  9. 59:6 : Ps 22:16
  10. 59:7 : Ps 52:2; 57:4; 64:3
  11. 59:7 : Ps 73:11
  12. 59:8 : Ps 2:4; 37:13
  13. 59:9 : Ps 28:8; Jr 16:19
  14. 59:10 : Ps 54:7
  15. 59:11 : Hs 9:17
  16. 59:11 : Gn 15:1; Dt 33:29; 2Sm 22:3,31; Ps 3:3; 5:12; 18:2; 28:7; 119:114
  17. 59:12 : Ps 10:7; Pr 12:13
  18. 59:13 : Ps 104:35
  19. 59:13 : Ps 83:18
  20. 59:14 : Ps 22:16
  21. 59:15 : Jb 15:23; Ps 109:10
  22. 59:16 : Ps 5:3; 88:13; 92:2
  23. 59:16 : Is 25:4; Nah 1:7
  24. 59:17 : Ps 28:8; Jr 16:19
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Proverbs 11:14

14 Without guidance, a people will fall,
but with many counselors there is deliverance.(A)

Cross references:

  1. 11:14 : Pr 15:22; 20:18; 24:6
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

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03/15/2018 DAB Transcript

Numbers 22:21-23:30, Luke 1:57-80, Psalms 58:1-11, Proverbs 11:12-13

Today is the 15th day of March. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is a pleasure to be here with you today. I trust that it is well with your soul and I’m excited that we can take this next step forward. That’s how this all works…that’s how the Daily Audio Bible works, but that’s how life works, one step forward every day and we’re choosing wisely to center ourselves again in God’s word as we move forward in life and in the Scriptures. So, of course, we’ll pick up where we left off yesterday, this story that’s brewing between Balak and Balaam and a proposed curse on the children of Israel who are freaking out everyone who is around them. We’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week. Numbers chapter 22 verse 21 through 23 verse 30.

Commentary:

Okay. So, Balaam had a conversation with a donkey in today’s reading and that’s not something you can say every day. And the whole story is kind of confusing because on the surface Balaam was simply doing what God told him to do. At first God told him, no, you can’t go with these people. But then when Balak sends this larger entourage with these promises of riches and gifts, God tells him that he can go and that he should go, but he can only say what God tells them to say. So that’s what Balaam does. He gets up and he leaves with these guys. And then an angel is sent to oppose him with a sword in his hand that the donkey can see but that Balaam can’t. So, it’s confusing, like Balaam is just obeying God. So, why is there an angel to oppose Balaam? But as it turns out, the angel it actually ends up drawing out what’s really going on in Balaam’s heart. I mean, the first time God told him he couldn’t go and he didn’t. And the second time God did tell him he could go and there’s this promise of all of this bounty of gifts and blessing out in front of him. So, he’s thinking maybe this is going to be lucrative. And King Balak has sent very, very high level representatives. So, Balaam is in the company of very prestigious people. In this moment Balaam’s a big shot. There’s some pride going on here. And pride has a way of distorting just about everything. And how do we know this? We see it in the story. The donkey sees the angel and then veers off the path. So, Balaam beats the donkey back onto the path. The angel stands in a gateway in the vineyards and Balaam’s foot gets crushed. And, so, he beats the donkey. And then the angel stands in a place and there’s nowhere else to go. And, so, the donkey just sits down. And Balaam is enraged, he’s just losing it on the donkey. He’s beating the donkey until the donkey speaks. What have I done that you’ve beaten me these three times. And Balaam appears to be so enraged that he doesn’t realize he’s having a conversation with his donkey. But sometimes, in those moments, we spout out from our hearts what’s really going on before we can stop or govern or curate what we’re going to say. And, so, Balaam speaks, you made me look like a fool. If I had a sword in my hand I’d kill you now. There it is. Balaam’s being a big shot and it was clouding his mission. Of course, when Balaam’s eyes were open and he could see the angel, that set things right and snapped him to his senses, as angelic visitations are prone to do. And Balaam was again reminded of what he was going to do. He was going to speak on behalf of the Lord. Nothing else. He’s not a big shot. And the lure of all this reward money is not the point. And Balaam got that loud and clear. He finally got to Balak. Of course, Balak’s like, what took you so long and all this stuff. And they go and they look at the children of Israel, sacrifice to God, God speaks and he won’t speak cursing over the children of Jacob, the children of Israel. So, now Balak’s mad and he’s like, well, let’s go. Let’s go over here looking at this from another angle and see of God will curse them from this other angle. And, so, they build altars and sacrifice again and God won’t do it. God will not speak or pronounce a curse on His own people. And, so, Balak’s like, well, let’s go over here, let’s do this from another angle. And they try again and God won’t curse His people. There is so much here for us in our own lives, found in this story. This becomes a mirror as the Bible does so often. On the one hand, we hear God’s direction. We obey. We don’t go when he says, don’t go. And then when he says do go we start to go but we have some preconceived notions about what that’s going to look like because maybe we’ve been praying for God to give us permission to go in a certain direction because we think that’s going to be lucrative in some sort of way. And, so, we start off down the path in the direction that we actually wanted to go because of the thing that is out there, the promise that’s out there when God give us permission for totally different reasons. He’s sending us on a mission for totally different reasons. All the sudden our pride starts to well up and we start thinking of how we’re going to use all that resource. And we get lost to the mission, to the purpose that God is sending us somewhere. And then we feel all kinds of opposition and we’re praying against the enemy who is thwarting our path because we’re walking the path to God told us to walk when, actually, it could be God standing in the way, forcing us to acknowledge this wasn’t a collaboration or a mission from God. This was about something we really wanted and we’ve gotten lost. We’ve lost the plot. And, so, God is standing in the way so that we don’t go and do incredible damage and destroy ourselves in the process so that were very, very clear on what’s actually happening. And, so, we can see ourselves in this story. We can also see ourselves in Balak sent for Balaam for one reason. He was known to be a man of God, and he had apparently been successful in blessing and cursing otherwise he wouldn’t of been sent for in the first place. And what Balak wants is a curse upon these people who are right around him and have had success in defeating people, neighboring people of his. So, he’s afraid of the children of Israel and he wants a curse put on them. Well, once Balaam’s got it straight about what he’s going to do and what his purpose in being given permission to go on this journey is all about, he’s not going to say anything that God doesn’t say. And God is not going to curse His people. So, Balak’s aggravated by that. And does what does he do? Well let’s go over here and look at this from another angle and see if we can get a yes from the Lord. And when that doesn’t work? Okay, let’s go over here. Let’s try again. Let’s go over here from a different angle and see if God will curse them from this angle. We can find ourselves in this so clearly. We’re not getting what we want and so we try to reframe it. We try to do it from a different angle. How about like this? And then we’re not getting what we want. So, how about like this? And then we’ll just keep doing it until we feel like we can do whatever we want, which would simply reveal that it’s not really God’s blessing or direction that we’re looking for. It’s permission to do whatever we want and we’re going to find a way to do that no matter what. And it’s sinister because then we do that and it doesn’t work out we like to blame God for it. And it has to be exasperating for the Father because He must throw His hands in the air and say, what exactly did I do here? I gave you a mission and you made it about something else. You wanted to do something that I didn’t give you permission for and so you kept finding angles until you could get the yes that you were looking for even though I never gave it to you. And now you want to blame me? And the sad thing is that we do this a lot more than we may even realize or acknowledge. And, so, from our reading today we have some things to think about. Have we asked God for permission to do things? And as we’re talking to the Lord telling him all of the reasons why this would be good for his kingdom, why this would be an good work, when under the surface of it all is how this will be good for us. And our pride just begins to bubble up. Or have we gotten a no and then we just start spinning it, we just start the negotiation. We look at it from another angle, and then we look at it from another angle, and then we look at it from another angle, until we can feel like were justified in doing what we want to do anyway. Obviously, when we read this in the Bible, when we read this story of Balaam, we can see all of this out. We can see it clearly in the story but can we see it clearly in our lives? May we open ourselves to this today and invite the Holy Spirit to begin to reveal to us the ways we’ve gone our own way and then blamed God for it. Or the ways that we’ve allowed pride or promise to cloud and distort what we’re actually doing, the mission that we’re actually on.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, we invite you into that. That touches a lot of places in our lives, And as we sit with this and invite You to come and begin to reveal these things to us, we see patterns and we see ways in which this goes back into our history and it’s humbling. We first we first respond with repentance. We ask Your forgiveness for the things we’ve blamed You for that You haven’t done. And we invite Your Holy Spirit to show us the narrow path that leads to life and how it is that we continue to walk that instead of trying to find every angle conceivable to get off of it so that we can have something that we want that will perhaps destroy us. This reveals just how much we do not trust in You, how self-centered and stiff necked we also can be. Forgive us Lord. We want to walk in Your ways. We want to live in Your light. We want to speak the truth and live in the truth. So come Holy Spirit and lead us into all truth as You’ve promised to do. Our part in this is that we listen and obey. Come, Holy Spirit. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find out what’s going on around here. Couple things on the calendar that are coming up.

The 25th of March I will be speaking in Louisville Kentucky at New Song Christian Fellowship Louisville. And, so, if you are in the area, love to see you, come say hello. You can get the details at dailyaudiobible.com in the Events section. And, so, we’ll look forward to that.

Then April 8th, I’ll be in Washington state at Columbia Christian church in the Tri-Cities area. And get the details also dailyaudiobible.com in the Events section.

And then on the 12th of April, the More Gathering for women begins. And, of course, that will be taking place in the mountains of Georgia just outside of Atlanta. And ladies, there’s still time to register. That’s kind of coming to a close. So, if it’s been on your heart in your mind and you just haven’t stepped out yet, you still can. moregathering.com is the place to go to get all your questions answered and hopefully we’ll see you there.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link on the homepage. Thank you for your partnership. I give you deep, deep gratitude that we even get to do this. So, thank you, thank you. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today. I am Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Good morning this is Princess Sarah in Tulsa. I wanted to say hello to all of the other children of the King. Aaron is in the hospital and I just want to say I’ve been praying for you on behalf of your family that is across the pond and also for the young woman who converted from Islam. That’s super exciting and we are welcome you to the kingdom of Jesus. And I wanted to say also, I appreciated a word from Candace this past week who is a fellow widow. I have just been really feeling a lot of responsibility trying to be mom and dad. I’m feeling really alone in decision-making and that’s really a heavy weight to carry. And, so, I just appreciate your words Candace and I am trying to do day by day, moment by moment hand everything over to the Lord and know that He is my children’s Father and He is my husband as I need help. Also, I just wanted to say that it’s really cool that God works retroactively because I’m praying for somebody’s job interview right now today who had a job interview, like four days ago and recorded his message. So, I just thank the Lord that you did a great job and that He is leading the company to hire you if this is God’s perfect will. And meanwhile, I have a test today in physical science, which is just a fancy word for math, which I’m not so good at. So I’m just going to say, would you all pray for my test in math that’s happening in hour. And I thank you for that retroactive help. And I just pray you’re all blessed. Have a great day. Bye.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family it’s Olympia in Jubilant Perseverance in Indonesia. I am calling for a little update and a specific prayer request. So, I’m still job hunting and I’m still working at the school in Indonesia that directly stated, suggested that I not sign to renew my contract there. So, it’s continuing to be a daily challenge and a daily reminder for prayer to face out to God and to make the most of the time that I have in the community. It’s a very heartbreaking place to work because it’s supposed to be a Christian school but there’s so much ignorance and hate and a spirit of rejection that’s just so palatable and constant that you have to block that it breaks my heart for the students there. And I’ve watched a lot of teachers of color leave and there’s a bitterness and tension among some staff there across cultures. And it’s so ironic because intercultural is in the name and it’s really a challenge to keep my spirit focused and driven and guarded from that spirit of rejection. So please join me in praying for that. And also, in this week, we do a weeklong service earning project, where we serve people in the community. I’m leading a group that’s going to serve kids in the city and I just ask that you pray with me for peace to cover us and wisdom to go before us.

Every time I think I’ve got God all figured out He lets me know that His ways are not my ways and that His ways are higher above my ways than the heavens are above the earth. So, I’m going to rejoice even in the bad times and to celebrate in the resulting brokenness for God is truly a strong deliverer and the only high tower in the time of trouble. Sela. He uproots those who, in the wisdom of their own eyes, have sought their own counsel and have come to the conclusion that their stance was quite secure. And in many ways it is. But the rocks can be quite slippery and God let’s you know to be aware when you think you’re standing lest you fall. But God humbles the proud. But know he this, in due time he will exalt those who were beat down. So, continue to do what’s right and know eventually in God’s time you will be exalted and receive a treasure that is priceless beyond measure. For you are and always will be esteemed of great worth by my Lord. Sela. blindtony1016@gmail.com I’d like to give a shout out for Byron from Florida. Hang in there brother. Tracy B. and Edward L. I hope you’re all doing well. Know you’re in my prayers all the time, every day. And Delta Alpha Fox Trot, you still out there? Let us know was happening on the Western front. And Brian once again thank you for this wonderful podcast for God’s Holy Spirit to flow throughout the earth. And it is flown’. Keep it flowin’ y’all.

Hi DABbers. This is Linda in New Hampshire. I’m calling for an urgent prayer request for my grandson. His name is Dylan. He is truly the love of my life, aside from God of course and Jesus. But he’s something really really special, he’s very smart. He’s amazing. And were having some real difficulties with him in school. I know where it stems from, my son. Because his dad was really mistreated by his father, my ex-husband. And it’s just…there’s a lot there…it grieves me beyond words…like…trying not to cry on everybody here. But if you could please, please, pray for Dylan that he would have self-esteem and feel confident and not feel like he’s not walking on egg shells in his own home. And please, please, pray for my son to that he would have healing because he definitely has addictive personality disorder…I don’t know what you would call it. But it’s really frightening, you know, what’s happening with my grandson at school. I guess he was on his desk today saying that he wanted to die. He took his sweater and tied it around his neck. And I mean it’s just it’s breaking my heart to hear that he’s suffering so badly internally. He feels very very safe with his mom and with me but please pray. I love you all. I pray for everybody. I pray for everything that I hear. And I listen to this twice a day. Thank you for everyone for praying.

Hey everybody. Hey. This is Annette from Oklahoma City. I’m praying tonight for all of those of us who have loved ones in prison. Dear Lord, reach out to our family and our loved ones and our friends who might be incarcerated around this world. You know how lonely they are. We know that being in a jail cell all by ourselves and with others that we don’t know and may be even afraid of could probably be the toughest thing we ever face in our lives. Dear Lord, I would love for You to wrap your arms around them and let them know that You are there and that You love them and that no matter what we do, you know, every one of us is just one step is away from being in that place. And dear Lord reach into them, let them know that You forgive them and You love them and may they turn to You in these times and just be with them all. I love You. I love you guys. I’m praying still for my brother Charlie. It looks like he’s hit the four year mark. He’s got four more years to go. I’m very thankful that he so close to my dad was only like three hours away and gets to visit him at least a couple times a month and that’s good for both of them. I love you guys. Be good to those. And like the Lord says, remember those in prison. Love you all. Bye-bye.

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday March 15, 2018 (NIV)

Numbers 22:21-23:30

21 When he got up in the morning, Balaam saddled his donkey and went with the officials of Moab.

Balaam’s Donkey and the Angel

22 But God was incensed that Balaam was going, and the angel of the Lord(A) took his stand on the path to oppose him. Balaam was riding his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing on the path with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the path and went into the field. So Balaam hit her to return her to the path. 24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow passage between the vineyards, with a stone wall on either side. 25 The donkey saw the angel of the Lord and pressed herself against the wall, squeezing Balaam’s foot against it. So he hit her once again. 26 The angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn to the right or the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she crouched down under Balaam. So he became furious and beat the donkey with his stick.

28 Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and she asked Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?”(B)

29 Balaam answered the donkey, “You made me look like a fool. If I had a sword in my hand, I’d kill you now!”

30 But the donkey said, “Am I not the donkey you’ve ridden all your life until today? Have I ever treated you this way before?”

“No,” he replied.

31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the path with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam knelt low and bowed in worship on his face. 32 The angel of the Lord asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Look, I came out to oppose you, because I consider what you are doing to be evil.[a] 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away from me, I would have killed you by now and let her live.”

34 Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the path to confront me. And now, if it is evil in your sight, I will go back.”

35 Then the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you are to say only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s officials.

36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite city[b] on the Arnon border at the edge of his territory. 37 Balak asked Balaam, “Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn’t you come to me? Am I really not able to reward you?”

38 Balaam said to him, “Look, I have come to you, but can I say anything I want? I must speak only the message God puts in my mouth.” 39 So Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth.[c] 40 Balak sacrificed cattle, sheep, and goats and sent for Balaam and the officials who were with him.

41 In the morning, Balak took Balaam and brought him to Bamoth-baal.[d] From there he saw the outskirts of the people’s camp.

Balaam’s Oracles

23 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.”(C) 2 So Balak did as Balaam directed, and they offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 3 Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone. Maybe the Lord will meet with me. I will tell you whatever he reveals to me.” So he went to a barren hill.

4 God met with him and Balaam said to him, “I have arranged seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.” 5 Then the Lord put a message in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak and say what I tell you.”

6 So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with all the officials of Moab.

Balaam’s First Oracle

7 Balaam proclaimed his poem:

Balak brought me from Aram;(D)
the king of Moab, from the eastern mountains:
“Come, put a curse on Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel!”(E)
8 How can I curse someone God has not cursed?
How can I denounce someone the Lord has not denounced?
9 I see them from the top of rocky cliffs,
and I watch them from the hills.
There is a people living alone;(F)
it does not consider itself among the nations.
10 Who has counted the dust of Jacob(G)
or numbered even one-fourth of Israel?
Let me die the death of the upright;
let the end of my life be like theirs.

11 “What have you done to me?” Balak asked Balaam. “I brought you to curse my enemies, but look, you have only blessed them!”

12 He answered, “Shouldn’t I say exactly what the Lord puts in my mouth?”(H)

Balaam’s Second Oracle

13 Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place(I) where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp; you won’t see all of them. From there, put a curse on them for me.” 14 So Balak took him to Lookout Field[e] on top of Pisgah,(J) built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

15 Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here by your burnt offering while I seek the Lord over there.”

16 The Lord met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth. Then he said, “Return to Balak and say what I tell you.”

17 So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with the officials of Moab. Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?”

18 Balaam proclaimed his poem:

Balak, get up and listen;
son of Zippor, pay attention to what I say!
19 God is not a man, that he might lie,
or a son of man, that he might change his mind.(K)
Does he speak and not act,
or promise and not fulfill?(L)
20 I have indeed received a command to bless;
since he has blessed,[f] I cannot change it.
21 He considers no disaster for Jacob;
he sees no trouble for Israel.[g]
The Lord their God is with them,(M)
and there is rejoicing over the King among them.
22 God brought them out of Egypt;
he is like the horns of a wild ox for them.[h](N)
23 There is no magic curse against Jacob
and no divination against Israel.
It will now be said about Jacob and Israel,
“What great things God has done!”
24 A people rise up like a lioness;
they rouse themselves like a lion.(O)
They will not lie down until they devour the prey
and drink the blood of the slain.

25 Then Balak told Balaam, “Don’t curse them and don’t bless them!”

26 But Balaam answered him, “Didn’t I tell you: Whatever the Lord says, I must do?”(P)

Balaam’s Third Oracle

27 Again Balak said to Balaam, “Please come. I will take you to another place. Maybe it will be agreeable to God that you can put a curse on them for me there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland.[i](Q)

29 Balaam told Balak, “Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.”(R) 30 So Balak did as Balaam said and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

Footnotes:

  1. 22:32 Lit because your way is perverse before me
  2. 22:36 Or at Ir-moab, or at Ar of Moab
  3. 22:39 = The City of Streets
  4. 22:41 = The High Places of Baal
  5. 23:14 Or to the field of Zophim
  6. 23:20 Sam, LXX read since I will bless
  7. 23:21 Or He does not observe sin in Jacob; he does not see wrongdoing in Israel
  8. 23:22 Or Egypt; they have the horns of a wild ox
  9. 23:28 Or overlooks Jeshimon

Cross references:

  1. 22:22 : Gn 16:7; 22:11; Ex 3:2; Jdg 2:1; 5:23; 6:1; 13:3; 2Sm 24:16; 1Kg 19:7; 2Kg 1:3; 19:35; Zch 1:11; 3:1; 12:8
  2. 22:28 : 2Pt 2:15-16
  3. 23:1 : 1Ch 15:26; 2Ch 29:21; Jb 42:8; Ezk 45:23
  4. 23:7 : Dt 23:4
  5. 23:7 : Nm 22:6,17
  6. 23:9 : Dt 33:28
  7. 23:10 : Gn 13:16
  8. 23:12 : Nm 22:38
  9. 23:13 : Nm 23:27
  10. 23:14 : Nm 21:20; Dt 3:17,27; 4:49; 34:1; Jos 12:3; 13:20
  11. 23:19 : 1Sm 15:29; Mal 3:6; Ti 1:2; Heb 6:17-18
  12. 23:19 : Ps 33:10-11; Pr 19:21; Is 14:24; 31:2; 45:23; 46:9-11; 48:3; 55:11; Rm 11:29; Eph 1:11; 2Tm 2:13
  13. 23:21 : Gn 28:15; Nm 14:9; Dt 2:7; 20:1; Jos 1:17; Jdg 6:13; 2Ch 20:17; Ps 46:11; Is 8:10; 41:10; Jr 1:19; 15:20; Zph 3:17; Hg 2:4; Rv 21:3
  14. 23:22 : Nm 24:8
  15. 23:24 : Nm 24:9
  16. 23:26 : Nm 22:38
  17. 23:28 : Nm 21:20
  18. 23:29 : Nm 23:1-2
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Luke 1:57-80

The Birth and Naming of John

57 Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she had a son. 58 Then her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her his great mercy,(A) and they rejoiced with her.

59 When they came to circumcise the child on the eighth day,(B) they were going to name him Zechariah, after his father. 60 But his mother responded, “No. He will be called John.”(C)

61 Then they said to her, “None of your relatives has that name.” 62 So they motioned to his father(D) to find out what he wanted him to be called. 63 He asked for a writing tablet and wrote: “His name is John.” And they were all amazed. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened(E) and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 Fear came on all those who lived around them, and all these things were being talked about throughout the hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard about him(F) took it to heart, saying, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the Lord’s hand was with him.

Zechariah’s Prophecy

67 Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit(G) and prophesied:(H)

68 Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel,(I)
because he has visited
and provided redemption for his people.(J)
69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us(K)
in the house of his servant David,(L)
70 just as he spoke by the mouth
of his holy prophets in ancient times;(M)
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of those who hate us.
72 He has dealt mercifully with our fathers(N)
and remembered his holy covenant(O)—
73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham.(P)
He has given us the privilege,
74 since we have been rescued
from the hand of our enemies,
to serve him without fear
75 in holiness and righteousness
in his presence all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called
a prophet of the Most High,(Q)
for you will go before the Lord
to prepare his ways,(R)
77 to give his people knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins.(S)
78 Because of our God’s merciful compassion,
the dawn from on high(T) will visit us
79 to shine on those who live in darkness
and the shadow of death,(U)
to guide our feet into the way of peace.

80 The child grew up and became spiritually strong,(V) and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Cross references:

  1. 1:58 : Gn 19:19
  2. 1:59 : Gn 17:12; Lv 12:3; Lk 2:21; Php 3:5
  3. 1:60 : Lk 1:13,63
  4. 1:62 : Lk 1:22
  5. 1:64 : Lk 1:20
  6. 1:66 : Ac 11:21
  7. 1:67 : Lk 1:41
  8. 1:67 : Jl 2:28
  9. 1:68 : Ps 41:13
  10. 1:68 : Lk 1:71; 2:38; Heb 9:12
  11. 1:69 : 1Sm 2:1,10; Ps 18:2; 89:17; 132:17; Ezk 29:21
  12. 1:69 : 2Sm 7:26; Ps 89:3,20; Ezk 34:23-24; 37:24-25
  13. 1:70 : 2Kg 21:10; Hs 12:10; Ac 3:21; Rm 1:2; Heb 1:1
  14. 1:72 : Mc 7:20
  15. 1:72 : Ps 105:8-9,42; 106:45
  16. 1:73 : Gn 22:16-17; Heb 6:13
  17. 1:76 : Mt 11:9
  18. 1:76 : Lk 1:17; Is 40:3; Mal 3:1
  19. 1:77 : Jr 31:34; Mk 1:4
  20. 1:78 : Is 58:8; Jr 23:5; Zch 3:8; 6:12 LXX; Mal 4:2; Lk 24:49; Eph 4:8; 2Pt 1:19
  21. 1:79 : Is 9:2; 60:2-3
  22. 1:80 : Lk 2:40
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Psalm 58

Psalm 58

A Cry against Injustice

For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David.

1 Do you really speak righteously, you mighty ones?[a]
Do you judge people fairly?(A)
2 No, you practice injustice in your hearts;
with your hands you weigh out violence in the land.(B)

3 The wicked go astray from the womb;
liars wander about from birth.(C)
4 They have venom like the venom of a snake,
like the deaf cobra that stops up its ears,(D)
5 that does not listen to the sound of the charmers
who skillfully weave spells.(E)

6 God, knock the teeth out of their mouths;
Lord, tear out the young lions’ fangs.(F)
7 May they vanish like water that flows by;
may they aim their blunted arrows.[b](G)
8 Like a slug that moves along in slime,
like a woman’s miscarried child,
may they not see the sun.(H)

9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns—
whether green or burning—
he will sweep them away.[c](I)
10 The righteous one will rejoice
when he sees the retribution;(J)
he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.(K)
11 Then people will say,
“Yes, there is a reward for the righteous!
There is a God who judges on earth!”(L)

Footnotes:

  1. 58:1 Or Can you really speak righteousness in silence?
  2. 58:7 Hb obscure
  3. 58:9 Or thorns, he will sweep it away, whether raw or cooking

Cross references:

  1. 58:1 : Ps 82:2
  2. 58:2 : Ps 94:20; Is 10:1; Mal 3:15
  3. 58:3 : Ps 51:5; Is 48:8
  4. 58:4 : Dt 32:33; Ps 140:3
  5. 58:5 : Ec 10:11; Jr 8:17
  6. 58:6 : Jb 4:10; 29:17; Ps 3:7
  7. 58:7 : Jos 7:5; Ps 112:10; Ezk 21:7
  8. 58:8 : Jb 3:16; Ec 6:3
  9. 58:9 : Jb 27:21; Pr 10:25; Ec 7:6
  10. 58:10 : Jb 22:19
  11. 58:10 : Ps 68:23; Jr 11:20; 20:12
  12. 58:11 : Ps 9:8; 67:4; 75:7
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Proverbs 11:12-13

12 Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks sense,
but a person with understanding keeps silent.(A)

13 A gossip goes around revealing a secret,
but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.(B)

Cross references:

  1. 11:12 : Pr 14:21
  2. 11:13 : Lv 19:16; Pr 10:18; 20:19; 1Tm 5:13
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

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03/14/2018 DAB Transcript

Numbers 21:1-22:20, Luke 1:26-56, Psalms 57:1-11, Proverbs 11:9-11

Today is the 14th day of March. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It is great to be here with you, of course, for the next step. That’s what we do every day. We take a step forward. And then we end up reading the whole Bible. And look how far we have come. We get to this point in the year just about every year and go, What? Wasn’t it just new year’s? And we have travelled some serious distance in the Scriptures over a great deal of time, learning about so many people. And, so, we’ll take the next step. We’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week. Numbers chapter 21 verse 1 through 22 verse 20 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in the book of Numbers, things are heating up for the children of Israel. There’s nowhere for them to go basically. They’ve been out in the deep desert then they’ve kind of come into the desert just south of the Promised Land, the land of milk and honey, sent spies in. It didn’t work out. And so back out into the desert they go, but they’re just moving around and no one will let them pass through so they’re kind of stuck. Until finally they’ve sufficiently freaked out the nations around them. There’s this massive horde of people, probably a million strong moving around. That would freak anybody out. If that could even happen in this day and age, that would freak whoever’s near them out. And the Lord’s reputation is among these people, so people are unsettled. And we see in today’s reading a couple of different kings come out to confront them. Of course, that forces Israel into battle and Israel defeats them. And, so, now they don’t have their homeland, but they kind of have a place to be. We see that the Moabites, King Balak sends for this guy named Balaam to come and curse God’s people, but God isn’t letting him do it. And that story will unfold before us as we go forward tomorrow.

We’re just getting going on the gospel of Luke as well. And, so, we find ourselves squarely in the Christmas sorry. The Advent. The arrival of Jesus. And talk about unsettling. You have to imagine this early teenage girl, Mary, getting this angelic visitation in which she’s told she’s about to be pregnant even though she has never had sex. And this is really, really good news because the baby that’s going to be born will be the Son of God and his kingdom will rule and reign forever. It’s like, yes, when we read the story, it’s a story of great rejoicing. But Mary…Mary had to be unsettled to say the least.

And we have to acknowledge in both these stories, God’s ways are often unsettling. And the only way we will be settled in them is if we learn the lesson that the children of Israel are being taught in the wilderness. Utter and complete devotion, allegiance and dependence on God.

And then we get to the book of Proverbs today and we have some challenges. With his mouth, the ungodly destroys his neighbor. A city is built up by the blessing of the upright, but it is torn down by the mouth of the wicked. It’s words that do the damage before any other damage even is conceived of. It’s words that can destroy relationships before anything else happens. We are creating the reality in which we live by the words that we speak. And there’s reason. We’re created in the image of God and He speaks things into existence and so do we. And we may not be able to create something out of nothing. We’re not God.  But we certainly create things with our words like our Father does. And we should take that to heart and consider throughout this day, what am I creating here? Because my words can be used to destroy or my words can be used to restore wholeness.

Prayer:

So, Father, we bring that to You, confessing that we don’t always listen to Your Holy Spirit. We rush in and say things that shouldn’t be said or we say them at the wrong time or we just create mayhem for no reason. We confess that. And we invite Your Holy Spirit to bring so present into our minds and hearts today the awareness that we’re creating things when we speak. Come, Holy Spirit, we pray. In Jesus name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find out what’s going on around here.

A couple of dates that are on the calendar that I’ve mentioned a few times. The 25th of March. So, yeah, about a week and a half from now I’ll be speaking in Louisville, Kentucky at New Song Christian Fellowship Louisville. And you can get the details and times and phone numbers and websites and all that kind of stuff at dailyaudiobible.com in the events section.

Then on the 8th of April I’ll be speaking in Washington State in the Tri cities area - Columbia Christian Church. Again, you get the details at dailyaudiobible.com in the events section.

And the 11th of April is when the More Gathering for Women begins. And that will take place about an hour outside of Atlanta up in the mountains of north Georgia. Beautiful, beautiful setting. And you can still register for that, ladies, if that is something that’s kind of been on your minds, you feel like you should be at, come. You can find out all about it, all of your questions will be answered at moregathering.com. You can check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. And for your partnership, I cannot possibly thank you enough. The global camp fire keeps burning everyday and we keep coming and warming ourselves around it in community and enjoying having the word of God wash over us in a peaceful environment each and every day because we do this together. So thank you for your partnership. This is how the Daily Audio Bible exists. So there’s a link on the homepage of dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner. Or if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, Tennessee, 37174.

And as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today. I am Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello DAB family this is Joyful Noise from Southern California. I got up super early this morning feeling very energized because I was able to catch up on a few readings. Thank you so much Brian and Jill…Jill for your readings…oh my gosh. You guys do so much for us and…crown in heaven…I know crown in heaven over all this. So, encouraged by your faithfulness to be there even when… So, I’m out hiking. I’m out enjoying God’s beautiful creation and I’m listening to the community prayer hotline as well as again, catching up with some other days that I have missed and I want to share my heart with Greg from Missouri. Greg, I’m just so thankful for your prayer request for your mom. I know you’ve already heard from several DABbers, so I’m sharing with you that they have had similar situations in their family, that their mom also struggled or maybe one of their parents struggled with some of blank. And I just want to share with you as a mom, from a mom’s perspective. You know, mom’s, we have a very tough gig. And to have a son, a grown son say on the other side of perhaps a very difficult upbringing, could you pray for my mom. That is amazing and I want to tell you that that’s such an encouragement to me as a mother because, you know, we’re not perfect. We make mistakes all of the time. Can I get a witness? And we drop the ball and it seems like so much. It like weighs on us. And, of course, that’s a lie. it’s Jesus that, you know, that ultimately will help our kids when we drop the ball. He is there with us through it. But I will tell you that it is one of the…it is the hardest job I’ve ever done. It’s constant, it comes at you like a freight train. And they tell you, they tell you it’s going to be hard, but oh no, not until you’re in it do you get it, how hard it is and then it changes so often…

[singing] The Lord is my shepherd I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. [singing stops] Good day Daily Audio Bible family. This is Sherry calling from British Columbia Canada. This call is for Candace in Oregon. Candace, it is March 11th. It’s the one-year anniversary of the passing of your husband as I’m sure you’re well aware. And I just wanted you to know that you’ve been in my thoughts and my prayers all this week and especially today. And, so, I wanted to, in honor of your husband Brad, read Psalm 23 for you. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for my namesake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for You are with me. Your rod in your staff they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Candace, please know that you are in my prayers you in my family. I’m praying that the Lord will give you comfort and give you peace at this time. I love you sister. And I love you all DAB family. I hope you have a good evening. Bye-bye.

[singing] After all You are constant. After all You were only good. Not for a moment will you forsake me. Not for a moment will you forsake me Lord. [singing stops]. So, heavenly Father, Lord Almighty, we thank you that Brian is back with us and for Jill’s leadership while he got some well needed rest. We ask for Your continued blessing on the Hardin family and on the support teams and their families. We pray for Dr. John and the Alpha program that he is running and ask that You superintend all details of the program so that through it many will come to know You Lord. We pray also for Your continued blessing on his marriage to Andrea and thank You Lord for the 27 years they have so far. We’re also lifting up Salvation is Mine to you and ask that You stabilize her emotional, financial, and physical health. Let her feel Your presence Lord and know that You will never leave her. We think of Brooks mom, Perry, who had surgery on January 16th and I ask for complete healing for her. For sister Soul who lost her job a few weeks back and had an end of year closing date for her house. We pray that You give her clarity as she maneuvers through these situations and ask that You provide for her and her family. And finally Lord we thank You for bringing Nora to this community and ask that You take her hand as she charts through the puddles to get to clear waters. Be with us as we stand in the gap with her. We pray that You are glorified in all these things Lord and ask for Your mercies in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Diane O. B, his little Sherri, and Asia, hope you’re all doing well. You’re in my prayers. This is Bay from Canada. Thanks for praying with me family.

Good day DAB family I pray that everyone who is on the Israel trip is safe and sound and rested back home. Blind Tony, thank you so much for the shout out. I truly, truly am blessed and especially that you said baby G. And just to give everyone a quick update, I covet your prayers, and I’m thanking God in advance for His blessing of a second baby G. Me and my husband are in the process of trying for second baby G and we just covered all your prayers. I wanted to give an update on Bill B. Blind Tony and a couple of other people have called in asking how he’s doing. I don’t know for whatever reason, I’m assuming he does not have access maybe to a telephone, but I am in contact with Bill quite often on Facebook. So, any time I write him a message he does write me back. I think he is still in a facility. He’s not quite his old self but that’s understandable with everything he’s been going through but I do let him know that we are praying for him and that we love. You can find him on Facebook Bill B. So, I also just want us say Brian and to the rest of the DAB family, I love you, I thank you all for your support. I am praying a hedge of protection over all of you. Jay in New Jersey, Mel in Maryland, I want to let you know you are so loved. You are so loved. You know, being a Christian, none of us are perfect. And it’s oh so sad that in church people who claim to be Christians are the ones who judge us the most. And I just want you to know that I am sending a hedge of protection over you as you now venture off to a new life in Maryland. Stay the course my brother. None of us are perfect. We all sin but no one is as bold as you as to confess the sins as you have done. And I just want to let you know you inspire me. And whatever happens, just know that you are not alone. I love you DAB family. Cheers. Asia in Munich 

Hi Daily Audio Bible family this is Kim from the Yukon. I called in about a week or so ago for my husband Devin and asking for prayer so that he can come to know the Lord. It’s not much of a step but it is one. A couple nights ago we were talking and he says, well, actually I started to think about it again. I don’t know why. I still don’t think it’s for me, but I am thinking about it again. And it was such a leap for me. I was just so happy that I started crying. Because it’s showing me that prayers can work and it’s got his mind on it again. His name is Devin. Please can you guys keep praying for him as I am? And a prayer request is my father is very ill. He has a blood clot in his stomach and he’s now on borrowed time so they are now making him comfortable. His name is Harvey. And strength for my mom. They know that Dad’s on borrowed time now and it’s getting harder. And I hope all of you are well. I listen to all your prayers as much as I can and try to prayer along with you guys. Thank you, Brian for giving this podcast to us. I listen to it every morning before I go to work. You all have a blessed day.

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday March 14, 2018 (NIV)

Numbers 21:1-22:20

Canaanite King Defeated

21 When the Canaanite king of Arad,(A) who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming on the Atharim road, he fought against Israel and captured some prisoners. 2 Then Israel made a vow to the Lord, “If you will hand this people over to us, we will completely destroy their cities.”(B) 3 The Lord listened to Israel’s request and handed the Canaanites over to them, and Israel completely destroyed them and their cities. So they named the place Hormah.[a](C)

The Bronze Snake

4 Then they set out from Mount Hor by way of the Red Sea to bypass the land of Edom, but the people became impatient because of the journey. 5 The people spoke against God and Moses: “Why have you led us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!” 6 Then the Lord sent poisonous[b] snakes among the people, and they bit them so that many Israelites died.(D)

7 The people then came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede with the Lord so that he will take the snakes away from us.” And Moses interceded for the people.

8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake image and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will recover.”(E) 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. Whenever someone was bitten, and he looked at the bronze snake, he recovered.

Journey around Moab

10 The Israelites set out and camped at Oboth.(F) 11 They set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim in the wilderness that borders Moab on the east. 12 From there they went and camped at Zered Valley. 13 They set out from there and camped on the other side of the Arnon River, in the wilderness that extends from the Amorite border, because the Arnon was the Moabite border between Moab and the Amorites. 14 Therefore it is stated in the Book of the Lord’s Wars:

Waheb in Suphah
and the ravines of the Arnon,
15 even the slopes of the ravines
that extend to the site of Ar(G)
and lie along the border of Moab.

16 From there they went to Beer,[c] the well the Lord told Moses about, “Gather the people so I may give them water.” 17 Then Israel sang this song:

Spring up, well—sing to it!
18 The princes dug the well;
the nobles of the people hollowed it out
with a scepter and with their staffs.

They went from the wilderness to Mattanah, 19 from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 from Bamoth to the valley in the territory of Moab near the Pisgah highlands(H) that overlook the wasteland.[d](I)

Amorite Kings Defeated

21 Israel sent messengers to say to King Sihon(J) of the Amorites: 22 “Let us travel through your land. We won’t go into the fields or vineyards. We won’t drink any well water. We will travel the King’s Highway until we have traveled through your territory.”(K) 23 But Sihon would not let Israel travel through his territory. Instead, he gathered his whole army and went out to confront Israel in the wilderness. When he came to Jahaz,(L) he fought against Israel. 24 Israel struck him with the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok,(M) but only up to the Ammonite border, because it was fortified.[e]

25 Israel took all the cities and lived in all these Amorite cities, including Heshbon and all its surrounding villages. 26 Heshbon was the city of King Sihon of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken control of all his land as far as the Arnon. 27 Therefore the poets[f] say:

Come to Heshbon, let it be rebuilt;
let the city of Sihon be restored.[g]
28 For fire came out of Heshbon,
a flame from the city of Sihon.
It consumed Ar of Moab,
the citizens of Arnon’s heights.
29 Woe to you, Moab!
You have been destroyed, people of Chemosh!(N)
He gave up his sons as refugees,
and his daughters into captivity
to Sihon the Amorite king.
30 We threw them down;
Heshbon has been destroyed as far as Dibon.(O)
We caused desolation as far as Nophah,
which reaches as far as Medeba.(P)

31 So Israel lived in the Amorites’ land. 32 After Moses sent spies to Jazer, Israel captured its surrounding villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.

33 Then they turned and went up the road to Bashan, and King Og of Bashan(Q) came out against them with his whole army to do battle at Edrei.(R) 34 But the Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have handed him over to you along with his whole army and his land. Do to him as you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.”(S) 35 So they struck him, his sons, and his whole army until no one was left,[h] and they took possession of his land.(T)

Balak Hires Balaam

22 The Israelites traveled on and camped in the plains of Moab near the Jordan across from Jericho. 2 Now Balak(U) son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.(V) 3 Moab was terrified of the people because they were numerous,(W) and Moab dreaded the Israelites. 4 So the Moabites said to the elders of Midian, “This horde will devour everything around us like an ox eats up the green plants in the field.”

Since Balak son of Zippor was Moab’s king at that time, 5 he sent messengers to Balaam(X) son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates in the land of his people.[i][j] Balak said to him: “Look, a people has come out of Egypt; they cover the surface of the land(Y) and are living right across from me. 6 Please come and put a curse on these people for me because they are more powerful than I am. I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that those you bless are blessed and those you curse are cursed.”(Z)

7 The elders of Moab and Midian departed with fees for divination(AA) in hand.(AB) They came to Balaam and reported Balak’s words to him. 8 He said to them, “Spend the night here, and I will give you the answer the Lord tells me.” So the officials of Moab stayed with Balaam.

9 Then God came to Balaam and asked, “Who are these men with you?”

10 Balaam replied to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent this message to me: 11 ‘Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the surface of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. I may be able to fight against them and drive them away.’”

12 Then God said to Balaam, “You are not to go with them. You are not to curse this people, for they are blessed.”

13 So Balaam got up the next morning and said to Balak’s officials, “Go back to your land, because the Lord has refused to let me go with you.”

14 The officials of Moab arose, returned to Balak, and reported, “Balaam refused to come with us.”

15 Balak sent officials again who were more numerous and higher in rank than the others. 16 They came to Balaam and said to him, “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: ‘Let nothing keep you from coming to me, 17 for I will greatly honor you and do whatever you ask me. So please come and put a curse on these people for me!’”

18 But Balaam responded to the servants of Balak, “If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go against the command of the Lord my God to do anything small or great. 19 Please stay here overnight as the others did, so that I may find out what else the Lord has to tell me.”

20 God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “Since these men have come to summon you, get up and go with them, but you must only do what I tell you.”

Footnotes:

  1. 21:3 = Destruction
  2. 21:6 Lit Burning
  3. 21:16 = Well
  4. 21:20 Or overlook Jeshimon
  5. 21:24 LXX reads because the Ammonite border was Jazer
  6. 21:27 Lit ones who speak proverbs
  7. 21:27 Or firmly founded
  8. 21:35 Lit left to him
  9. 22:5 Sam, Vg, Syr read of the Ammonites
  10. 22:5 Or of the Amawites

Cross references:

  1. 21:1 : Nm 33:40; Jos 12:14; Jdg 1:16
  2. 21:2 : Dt 2:34; 13:16-17; Jos 6:18,21
  3. 21:3 : Nm 14:45; Dt 1:44; Jdg 1:17
  4. 21:6 : 1Co 10:9
  5. 21:8 : 2Kg 18:4; Jn 3:14-15
  6. 21:10-11 : Nm 33:43-44
  7. 21:15 : Nm 21:28; Dt 2:9,18,29; Is 15:1
  8. 21:20 : Nm 23:14; Dt 3:17,27; 4:49; 34:1; Jos 12:3; 13:20
  9. 21:20 : Nm 23:28
  10. 21:21 : Nm 32:33; Dt 1:4; 2:24–4:46
  11. 21:22 : Nm 20:17; Dt 2:26-33
  12. 21:23 : Dt 2:32; Jdg 11:20; 1Ch 6:78
  13. 21:21-24 : Jdg 11:19-22
  14. 21:27-29 : Jdg 11:24; 1Kg 11:7,33; Jr 48:45-47
  15. 21:30 : Nm 32:34; Neh 11:25; Jr 48:18,22
  16. 21:30 : Jos 13:9,16; 1Ch 19:7; Is 15:2
  17. 21:33 : Nm 32:33; Dt 3:1-13; 4:47
  18. 21:33 : Dt 3:1,10; Jos 12:4; 13:12,31
  19. 21:34 : Dt 3:2
  20. 21:35 : Ps 135:10-11
  21. 22:2 : Jos 24:9-10; Jdg 11:25; Mc 6:5; Rv 2:14
  22. 22:2 : Dt 4:46; Jos 10:12
  23. 22:3 : Gn 47:27; Ex 1:7,9; 32:13; 2Sm 17:11; 1Kg 4:20; 1Ch 27:23
  24. 22:5 : Dt 23:3-5; Jos 24:9-10; Mc 6:5; 2Pt 2:15-16; Jd 11; Rv 2:14
  25. 22:5 : Ex 10:5
  26. 22:6 : Gn 27:29; Nm 24:9
  27. 22:7 : Gn 30:27; 44:5,15; Lv 19:26; Nm 23:23; Dt 18:10; 1Sm 15:23; 2Kg 17:17; 21:6; Is 2:6; Jr 14:14; Ezk 12:24; 13:7,23; 21:21; Mc 3:11
  28. 22:7 : 2Pt 2:15; Jd 11
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Luke 1:26-56

Gabriel Predicts Jesus’s Birth

26 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel(A) was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,(B) 27 to a virgin engaged[a](C) to a man named Joseph, of the house of David.(D) The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.”[b] 29 But she was deeply troubled(E) by this statement, wondering what kind of greeting this could be. 30 Then the angel told her: “Do not be afraid, Mary,(F) for you have found favor with God.(G) 31 Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.(H) 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High,(I) and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.(J) 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob(K) forever, and his kingdom will have no end.”(L)

34 Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?”[c]

35 The angel replied to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you,(M) and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.(N) 36 “And consider your relative Elizabeth—even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called childless. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”(O)

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary. “May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.

Mary’s Visit to Elizabeth

39 In those days Mary set out and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah 40 where she entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.(P) 42 Then she exclaimed with a loud cry: “Blessed are you among women, and your child will be blessed![d] 43 How could this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For you see, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped for joy inside me. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill what he has spoken to her!”

Mary’s Praise

46 And Mary said:

My soul praises the greatness of[e] the Lord,(Q)
47 and my spirit rejoices(R) in God my Savior,(S)
48 because he has looked with favor
on the humble condition of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations
will call me blessed,(T)
49 because the Mighty One(U)
has done great things for me,(V)
and his name(W) is holy.
50 His mercy is from generation to generation(X)
on those who fear him.
51 He has done a mighty deed with his arm;(Y)
he has scattered the proud
because of the thoughts of their hearts;(Z)
52 he has toppled the mighty from their thrones
and exalted the lowly.(AA)
53 He has satisfied the hungry with good things(AB)
and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering his mercy
55 to Abraham and his descendants[f] forever,(AC)
just as he spoke to our ancestors.

56 And Mary stayed with her about three months; then she returned to her home.

Footnotes:

  1. 1:27 Lit betrothed
  2. 1:28 Other mss add Blessed are you among women.
  3. 1:34 Lit since I do not know a man
  4. 1:42 Lit and the fruit of your abdomen (or womb) is blessed
  5. 1:46 Or soul magnifies
  6. 1:55 Or offspring; lit seed

Cross references:

  1. 1:26 : Lk 1:19
  2. 1:26 : Mt 2:23
  3. 1:27 : Dt 21:23; Is 7:14; Mt 1:18,23
  4. 1:27 : Mt 1:20; Lk 2:4
  5. 1:29 : Lk 1:12
  6. 1:30 : Mt 14:27; Lk 1:13
  7. 1:30 : Gn 6:8; Ex 33:12-17; Jr 31:2
  8. 1:31 : Is 7:14; Mt 1:21,25; Lk 2:21
  9. 1:32 : Lk 1:35,76; 3:38; 6:35; 8:28; 9:35; Jn 1:34,49; 11:27; Ac 7:48
  10. 1:32 : 2Sm 7:12-13; 1Kg 2:12; Ps 132:11; Is 9:7; Jr 33:17; Mk 11:10
  11. 1:33 : Ex 19:3; Ps 114:1; Is 14:1; 29:22; 46:3
  12. 1:33 : Is 9:6 LXX; Dn 7:14
  13. 1:35 : Mt 1:18
  14. 1:35 : Mt 14:33; Lk 4:3,9,41; 22:70
  15. 1:37 : Gn 18:14; Lk 18:27
  16. 1:41 : Lk 1:67; Ac 2:4; 4:8; 9:17; 13:9
  17. 1:46-53 : 1Sm 2:1-10
  18. 1:47 : Ps 35:9; Hab 3:18
  19. 1:47 : 1Tm 1:1; 2:3; Ti 1:3; 2:10; 3:4; Jd 25
  20. 1:48 : Lk 11:27
  21. 1:49 : Ps 89:8; Zph 3:17
  22. 1:49 : Ps 71:19; 126:2-3
  23. 1:49 : Lv 20:3; 22:2,32; 1Ch 16:10,35; 29:16; Ps 30:4; 99:3; 103:1; 111:9; Is 57:15
  24. 1:50 : Ps 100:5; 103:11,17
  25. 1:51 : Ps 89:10; 98:1; 118:15
  26. 1:51 : Lk 2:35; 9:47
  27. 1:52 : 1Sm 2:7-8
  28. 1:53 : Ps 34:10; 107:9; Lk 6:21,24-25
  29. 1:55 : Gn 17:9,15; 21:12
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Psalm 57

Psalm 57

Praise for God’s Protection

For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David. When he fled before Saul into the cave.(A)

1 Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me,
for I take refuge in you.
I will seek refuge in the shadow of your wings
until danger passes.(B)
2 I call to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.[a](C)
3 He reaches down from heaven and saves me,
challenging the one who tramples me.(D)Selah
God sends his faithful love and truth.(E)
4 I am surrounded by lions;
I lie down among devouring lions—
people whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.(F)
5 God, be exalted above the heavens;
let your glory be over the whole earth.(G)
6 They prepared a net for my steps;
I was despondent.
They dug a pit ahead of me,
but they fell into it!(H)Selah

7 My heart is confident, God, my heart is confident.
I will sing; I will sing praises.(I)
8 Wake up, my soul!
Wake up, harp and lyre!
I will wake up the dawn.(J)
9 I will praise you, Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.(K)
10 For your faithful love is as high as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches the clouds.(L)
11 God, be exalted above the heavens;(M)
let your glory be over the whole earth.(N)

Footnotes:

  1. 57:2 Or who avenges me

Cross references:

  1. 57:title : 1Sm 22:1; 24:1-3
  2. 57:1 : Ru 2:12; Ps 17:8; 91:1,4
  3. 57:2 : Ps 138:8
  4. 57:3 : Ps 56:1-2
  5. 57:3 : Ps 25:10; 40:11
  6. 57:4 : Ps 58:6; 64:3; Pr 30:14
  7. 57:5 : Ps 108:5; 113:4
  8. 57:6 : Ps 9:15; 35:8; Pr 28:10
  9. 57:7 : Ps 59:17; 112:7
  10. 57:8 : Jdg 5:12; Ps 33:2; 81:2
  11. 57:9 : 2Sm 22:50; Ps 9:11; 18:49
  12. 57:10 : Ps 36:5; 103:11; Lm 3:22-23
  13. 57:11 : Ps 113:4
  14. 57:7-11 : Ps 108:1-5
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Proverbs 11:9-11

9 With his mouth the ungodly destroys his neighbor,
but through knowledge the righteous are rescued.

10 When the righteous thrive, a city rejoices;(A)
when the wicked die, there is joyful shouting.

11 A city is built up by the blessing of the upright,(B)
but it is torn down by the mouth of the wicked.(C)

Cross references:

  1. 11:10 : Pr 28:12
  2. 11:11 : Pr 14:34
  3. 11:11 : Pr 14:1; 29:4
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

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03/13/2018 DAB Transcript

Numbers 19:1-20:29, Luke 1:1-25, Psalms 56:1-13, Proverbs 11:8

Today is March 13th. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. And it is great to be here with you around this global campfire we have created as a community. A place to re-center our lives and allow God’s Word to speak over us no matter when it is. No matter what time of day or night it is. No matter where we are on this planet, we’re not alone. And that is a fact. We are in this together. So, let’s dive in and take that next step. And of course, the next step is always the one right in front of the one we just took, so we’ll pick up where we left off in the book of Numbers. And we’ll read chapters 19 and 20 today. And then when we get to the New Testament, we will begin the gospel of Luke. We’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week. Numbers 19 and 20.

Introduction to the Gospel of Luke:

Okay. So, we concluded the Gospel of Mark yesterday in the New Testament, which was the second of the four gospels. We begin today the book of Luke. And Luke had a little bit more of an intriguing story regarding its place in history. Luke is the third of the synoptic gospels, those being Matthew, Mark and Luke. And as we’ve talked about before, they’re called the synoptic gospels because they’re very similar in their composition. They’re very similar in the way they’re laid out and the stories that they tell about Jesus. So similar, in fact, that most scholars would agree that one could not exists without the other, especially the gospel of Mark being the first to be written. And they were all written at different times, but they were used as source material for each other. Now the gospel of Luke is the third in time and the third to appear in the New Testament. And just from a literary perspective is the most tight and concise, well written of the gospels. It flows well. And scholarly opinion is the Luke not only wrote the book of Luke, the gospel of Luke, but he also wrote the book of Acts, which we will get to in due time. And these were probably written one after the other. So, the gospel of Matthew - not to get this all confusing - but the gospel of Matthew probably came about fifteen years after the gospel of Mark. And then Luke and Acts came sometime after Matthew, maybe even fifteen years later. So, just to put us in the ballpark, Mark is the first gospel to be written, maybe a decade, decade and a half later, Matthew is written and then some years later, maybe another decade or a little more after that, Luke and Acts are written. And scholars would point just to the completeness of the gospel of Luke. More of the tradition, more of the story has been developed as the faith begins to emerge and take shape. Because so often we’ll read the Bible and we’ll read the New Testament and just feel like it all happened all at the same time when that’s not the case. It was spread out over decades as the church began to evolve and become what it is. And we’ll be talking about that when we get to Paul’s letters. Now as we’ve encountered Matthew and Mark, we’ve talked about the fact that they were written at specific times to specific audiences. Luke, the gospel that we’re about to delve into, was written to a Gentile audience, which is quite different than, for example, the gospel of Matthew, which was very distinctly written to a Jewish audience. So, Matthew continues to show Jesus fulfilling Jewish prophecy, Hebrew prophecy from the Hebrew scriptures, what we would call the Old Testament, whereas Luke is coming from a Gentile perspective and showing the inclusive nature of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That it’s not only for Jewish people, it’s for anyone who believes. It includes the whole world and welcomes everyone who believes into the family of God. And, so, we begin Luke chapter 1 verses 1 through 25.

Commentary:

Alright, in the book of Numbers, I mean, a lot of stuff happened today and it’s touched on briefly so we don’t necessarily recognize how monumental it is. So, Aaron and Moses have been together in this story of bringing the people out of slavery in Egypt all the way until today and their sister Miriam has been involved all along. In today’s reading, in an understated way, we say goodbye to Miriam. She dies and leaves this story. And then Aaron, who’s been with Moses since the beginning of this, also dies and leaves the story as well, leaving only Moses. Of course, before this, the children of Israel are grumbling out in the desert because they don’t have enough water and Moses ends up excluding himself from leading the people into the Promised Land because of the Waters of Meribah, the incident that happened there. And what happened? Because you can read it and go like, what’s the big deal? Why is Moses not allowed to go into the Promised Land now. And it boils down to this. Moses was told to assemble the assembly, the children of Israel, before the rock and speak to the rock and then God would send the water out. Instead, he said, do we have to do this for you and then he smashed the rock with his staff, taking credit for the miraculous provision of water, rather than obeying God and once again demonstrating to the children of Israel God’s provision. This thing that has to be taught over and over and over to these people in the wilderness. Yeah, this very same thing that has to be taught over and over and over in our own lives. And so after Aaron dies Moses then leads the people and they sent word to the king of Edom asking just for passage. We need to go through your land so we can get to a more suitable place that we’re being led to. We’ll just stay on the King’s road, right?  The trade route. We’re not going go anywhere else. We’re just going to go through. Will you just let us go through? Of course, the Edomites said no. This is actually kind of significant. Let’s go back to our origin here. Abraham, right? Abraham has a son of promise named Isaac. Isaac then has two sons, Jacob and Esau and they’re twins. Later on, Jacob’s name would become Israel and he would have kids. The children of Israel. Those are the people that we’re wandering around in the wilderness with. Esau, on the other hand, has children of his own and as those generations grow and spread out, they become Edom, the Edomites. So, it’s as if Esau is saying to Jacob you can’t come into my land. These people are literally family with each other. And now that Jacob’s children, right? The children of Israel have to wander in the desert and wait for forty years. So, basically while they’re really really down and out, they’re being rejected by their own family. And God is not going to forget that.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. And we thank You for the lessons that we see in the wilderness in the Scriptures. And as difficult as it can be sometimes, thank You for the lessons that we’ve learned in our own wilderness experiences. For the lesson of ultimate and complete trust and dependence upon You. Utter dependence on You for hope and life. It’s a lesson that we confess we’re still learning and we’re sorry when we’ve been stiff necked. When we’ve been grumbling. When we’ve complained. When we’ve done everything but rest in You and trust You for life itself. So we invite You Holy Spirit into that. Because in one way or another, we’re going through these kinds of things continually. And so we continually need Your presence in our lives and a constant reminder that You and You alone are the only hope. Come, Holy Spirit, we pray. In Jesus name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find out what’s going on around here.

And, so, looking at the calendar, we’ve got the 25th of March coming up. I’ll be back out on the road, speaking in Louisville, Kentucky and then on the 8th of April, we’ll be in Washington state in the Tri cities at Columbia Christian Church. You can get the details for either of those events at dailyaudiobible.com in the Events section.

And then on the 11th of April, that’s when More Gathering for Women begins. There’s still time to register, but that window is closing soon. So, if that’s been something that’s on your heart, more, there’s got to be more, then check out the More Gathering for Women. Of course, it’s a women’s conference, so you have to be a woman to come, but check it out at dailyaudiobible.com in the Initiatives section or just go to moregathering.com. All of your questions will be answered there. Looking forward to seeing you soon.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link. It’s on the homepage. Thank you, profoundly humbly for your partnership. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t do this together. That is just a simple fact. So, thank you for your partnership. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner. Or if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, Tennessee, 37174.

And as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today. I am Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

DAB family. This is Blessed from New Jersey good morning or __ as they say in Hebrew. Today’s reading from Numbers 14 was more vivid than I have ever experienced. With their recent return of a life-changing DAB 2018 Israel pilgrimage, I clearly saw the vast wilderness that the Israelites chose instead of the Promise Land of milk and honey. Yes, we today, just like those Israelites then, often choose not to believe God even though He has delivered us or others we know from impossible circumstances. So, Father I thank You for the privilege to read Your word again and again but with fresh eyes and an open heart to receive Your will and hear Your voice. Help us to learn and apply the message in today’s reading from Numbers 14. When You father promise, You will deliver. Help us to listen intently, believe wholeheartedly, and move courageously in the direction that you have planned for our lives. I pray this in Jesus name. Shalom. This is Blessed from New Jersey.

Brian, welcome back, you and the group from Israel. I hope you all have a blessed time. This is Viola from Maryland. Jill, God bless you. I enjoyed your administration. Oh, Nora from Canada. I listened to your prayer request twice. Welcome to the family of God my dear sister and know that nothing you can do can make God push you away. From John 1:9 says that if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So, you have that sister. Of course, as you keep growing in your faith you’ll want to please the Lord, but we do make mistakes. And when we do we go to John 1:9 __. And Lamentations 3:21-23 also says the because of the Lord’s mercies we’ll not be consumed. His compassions do not fail. They are new every morning. Imagine that sister, new every morning. So, welcome, welcome, welcome. God bless you as you grow in your faith. Sunny from Phoenix, I’m praying that God will arrest your husband’s heart in the name of Jesus. It will cause him to repent that the affair will be broken in Jesus’ name. They will have nothing more to do with each other. They will not find any joy in that relationship in the name of Jesus. And I pray for wisdom and peace for you in Jesus’ name. My sister in __, I’m praying that you will pass your boards. I hope you’ve done well. I’m sure you’ve done the exam now. I pray that you will pass it in the name of Jesus. And you had recall understanding __. Laura welcome God bless you. Don, I’m praying for your granddaughter, AJ, that God will just touch her diaphragm and heal her completely in Jesus name. The Lord will make her body __ her well. And the Lord will __ the work of __ and heal her completely and that tissue would be healed on the name of Jesus. Sharon, I’m praying for healing for your husband in Jesus name. Father Lord I pray oh God Lord that you will also heal your daughter and touch her body in the name of Jesus. Father Lord I pray that you would calm Sarah’s heart oh God Lord and give her peace. __ her from discretion in Jesus name. Deborah from Michigan I’m praising God’s voice.

Hi this is Connie in New York again. I have…I think it occurred to me that my name should be or what I like to be is At Home in His Throne Room because I can’t wait to be in His throne room and I think I’ll feel like at home there. So, this is At Home in His Throne Room in New York and I really thank you from Dwayne from Wisconsin and happy to be a mother calling into pray for our children. I have three kids and two of them teenagers and it’s really a difficult time to be a teenager. I can even imagine. I can’t even imagine. So, I just pray for God to illuminate the narrow path for them, take them down, take their hand, take them down that path. Also, I would like to pray for all the pregnant women out there. It’s so beautiful and God is working with them. It’s like a partnership. It’s amazing. And I have three of my coworkers are pregnant right now. And it’s just awesome. So, I hope that __ pregnancies help make people realize the magic of our Creator. So that’s it. This is At Home in His Throne Room in New York. Also, I wanted to say that God laid it on my heart that I should join the Daily Audio Bible or the Hardin’s trip to Israel as soon as I can this year with the following with my youngest daughter __. __. So I think it will be an amazing experience. So, looking to make that happen.

Our Father who is in heaven. Holy is your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who’ve sinned against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. That’s the prayer Jesus taught us to pray as best as, you know, this English translation from the Greek is. This is Candace from Oregon and I’m just a couple hours away from the moment my husband slipped from this earth exactly a year ago March 11. I want to thank everyone who’s helped me through this and my Lord for giving me strength I could not have imagined. I could not have imagined the year that just happened and such strength and beauty. I’m so grateful to God and to the community of Saints who’ve loved on me. I’m so thankful for my new little granddaughter and all the goodness.

Hello daily Audio Bible family this is Jim and Emily in Houston Texas. And why are we calling honey? Well first we want to thank the Daily Audio Bible family for all of their support over the years and the inspiration and the prayers of others. Today we come to you with a prayer request for our daughter-in-law, Christina. And on Wednesday, March, well this week, this coming Wednesday, she’s having yet another spinal tap because she has been unknown autoimmune disease. It’s been going on really since early last year so it’s been going on for about a year. She can’t see properly. She can’t hear properly. And it’s all in her brain apparently. And there’s a lot of fear. She’s a believer. We are praying for healing. So, please pray for healing, but also pray for freedom from fear for her. This all started after she spent a long period of time weeping over the possibility that our grandson, her son, four-year-old Miles, might have retinitis pigmentosa and might go blind. And God’s really kept his eyesight. So, we’d like you to pray both of them. Yes, pray for Miles and Christina, who is our daughter-in-law, and the mother of our grandson. And we love you guys and we appreciate all your prayers over the years and listen faithfully. And a quick mention. We pray for restored marriages because they really do happen. Stand in faith. Love you all. Bye.

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday March 13, 2018 (NIV)

Numbers 19-20

Purification Ritual

19 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, 2 “This is the legal statute that the Lord has commanded: Instruct the Israelites to bring you an unblemished red cow that has no defect and has never been yoked.(A) 3 Give it to the priest Eleazar,(B) and he will have it brought outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence. 4 The priest Eleazar is to take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting. 5 The cow is to be burned in his sight. Its hide, flesh, and blood, are to be burned along with its waste. 6 The priest is to take cedar wood, hyssop, and crimson yarn,(C) and throw them onto the fire where the cow is burning. 7 Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; after that he may enter the camp, but he will remain ceremonially unclean until evening. 8 The one who burned the cow must also wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he will remain unclean until evening.

9 “A man who is clean is to gather up the cow’s ashes and deposit them outside the camp in a ceremonially clean place. The ashes will be kept by the Israelite community for preparing the water to remove impurity; it is a sin offering.(D) 10 Then the one who gathers up the cow’s ashes must wash his clothes, and he will remain unclean until evening. This is a permanent statute for the Israelites and for the alien who resides among them.

11 “The person who touches any human corpse will be unclean for seven days. 12 He is to purify himself with the water[a] on the third day and the seventh day; then he will be clean.(E) But if he does not purify himself on the third and seventh days, he will not be clean. 13 Anyone who touches a body of a person who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord. That person will be cut off from Israel. He remains unclean because the water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him, and his uncleanness is still on him.

14 “This is the law when a person dies in a tent: everyone who enters the tent and everyone who is already in the tent will be unclean for seven days, 15 and any open container without a lid tied on it is unclean. 16 Anyone in the open field who touches a person who has been killed by the sword or has died, or who even touches a human bone, or a grave, will be unclean for seven days. 17 For the purification of the unclean person, they are to take some of the ashes of the burnt sin offering, put them in a jar, and add fresh water to them. 18 A person who is clean is to take hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle the tent, all the furnishings, and the people who were there. He is also to sprinkle the one who touched a bone, a grave, a corpse, or a person who had been killed.

19 “The one who is clean is to sprinkle the unclean person on the third day and the seventh day. After he purifies the unclean person on the seventh day, the one being purified must wash his clothes and bathe in water, and he will be clean by evening. 20 But a person who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person will be cut off from the assembly because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord.(F) The water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean. 21 This is a permanent statute for them. The person who sprinkles the water for impurity is to wash his clothes, and whoever touches the water for impurity will be unclean until evening. 22 Anything the unclean person touches will become unclean, and anyone who touches it will be unclean until evening.”

Water from the Rock

20 The entire Israelite community entered the Wilderness of Zin(G) in the first month, and they[b] settled in Kadesh.(H) Miriam(I) died and was buried there.

2 There was no water for the community, so they assembled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The people quarreled with Moses and said,(J) “If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord.(K) 4 Why have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this wilderness(L) for us and our livestock to die here?(M) 5 Why have you led us up from Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It’s not a place of grain, figs, vines, and pomegranates,(N) and there is no water to drink!”

6 Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting. They fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7 The Lord spoke to Moses, 8 “Take the staff(O) and assemble the community. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock(P) while they watch, and it will yield its water. You will bring out water for them from the rock and provide drink for the community and their livestock.”

9 So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence(Q) just as he had commanded him. 10 Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels! Must we bring water out of this rock for you?” 11 Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that abundant water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.(R)

12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me to demonstrate my holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them.”(S) 13 These are the Waters of Meribah,[c](T) where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord, and he demonstrated his holiness to them.(U)

Edom Denies Passage

14 Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, “This is what your brother Israel(V) says, ‘You know all the hardships that have overtaken us. 15 Our fathers went down to Egypt, and we lived in Egypt many years, but the Egyptians treated us and our fathers badly. 16 When we cried out to the Lord, he heard our plea,[d] and sent an angel,[e](W) and brought us out of Egypt. Now look, we are in Kadesh, a city on the border of your territory. 17 Please let us travel through your land. We won’t travel through any field or vineyard, or drink any well water. We will travel the King’s Highway; we won’t turn to the right or the left until we have traveled through your territory.’”(X)

18 But Edom answered him, “You will not travel through our land, or we will come out and confront you with the sword.”

19 “We will go on the main road,” the Israelites replied to them, “and if we or our herds drink your water, we will pay its price.(Y) There will be no problem; only let us travel through on foot.”

20 Yet Edom insisted, “You may not travel through.” And they came out to confront them with a large force of heavily-armed people.[f] 21 Edom refused to allow Israel to travel through their territory, and Israel turned away from them.

Aaron’s Death

22 After they set out from Kadesh, the entire Israelite community came to Mount Hor.(Z) 23 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor on the border of the land of Edom, 24 “Aaron will be gathered to his people; he will not enter the land I have given the Israelites, because you both rebelled against my command at the Waters of Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and his son Eleazar and bring them up Mount Hor. 26 Remove Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron will be gathered to his people and die there.”

27 So Moses did as the Lord commanded, and they climbed Mount Hor in the sight of the whole community. 28 After Moses removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar, Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 29 When the whole community saw that Aaron had passed away, the entire house of Israel mourned for him thirty days.

Footnotes:

  1. 19:12 Or ashes; lit with it
  2. 20:1 Lit the people
  3. 20:13 = Quarreling
  4. 20:16 Lit voice
  5. 20:16 Or a messenger
  6. 20:20 Lit with numerous people and a strong hand

Cross references:

  1. 19:2 : Dt 21:3; 1Sm 6:7; Heb 9:13
  2. 19:3 : Ex 6:23-25; 28:1; Lv 10:6,12,16; Nm 3:2,4,32; 4:16; 16:37,39
  3. 19:6 : Lv 14:4-7,49-52; Heb 9:19
  4. 19:9 : Lv 4
  5. 19:12 : Nm 31:19
  6. 19:20 : 1Co 6:19-20
  7. 20:1 : Nm 13:21; 27:14; 33:36; 34:3; Dt 32:51; Jos 15:1
  8. 20:1 : Nm 13:26; 27:14; 33:36-37; Dt 1:46; Jdg 11:16-17; Ps 29:8
  9. 20:1 : Ex 15:20-21; Nm 12:1; 26:59; Dt 24:9
  10. 20:3 : Ex 17:2
  11. 20:3 : Nm 16:31-35,41-50
  12. 20:4 : Nm 11:11
  13. 20:4 : Gn 47:15,19; Ex 14:11-12; Nm 21:5
  14. 20:5 : Ex 13:5; Nm 13:23-27; Dt 8:8
  15. 20:8 : Ex 4:2-5; 7:15,17,20; 17:4-9; Nm 17:8; 2Kg 4:31
  16. 20:8 : Gn 49:24; Ex 17:6; Dt 32:13-18; Neh 9:15; Jb 29:6; Ps 78:20; 81:16; 114:8
  17. 20:9 : Nm 17:10
  18. 20:11 : Ex 17:6; Ps 78:15; 1Co 10:4
  19. 20:12 : Nm 27:12-14; Dt 1:37; 3:26; 32:51
  20. 20:13 : Ex 17:7; Nm 27:14; Dt 32:51; Ps 95:8; 106:32
  21. 20:13 : Nm 27:14; Ezk 28:22; 38:23
  22. 20:14 : Gn 25:23-26,30; 36:8
  23. 20:16 : Ex 3:7-10; 14:19; 23:20
  24. 20:17 : Nm 21:22; Dt 2:27
  25. 20:19 : Dt 2:1-7
  26. 20:22 : Nm 21:4; 33:37-41; Dt 32:50
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Luke 1:1-25

The Dedication to Theophilus

1 Many have undertaken to compile a narrative about the events that have been fulfilled[a] among us,(A) 2 just as the original eyewitnesses(B) and servants of the word(C) handed them down to us. 3 It also seemed good to me, since I have carefully investigated everything from the very first, to write to you in an orderly sequence, most honorable(D) Theophilus,(E) 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things about which you have been instructed.[b](F)

Gabriel Predicts John’s Birth

5 In the days of King Herod(G) of Judea, there was a priest of Abijah’s division(H) named Zechariah. His wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 Both were righteous in God’s sight,(I) living without blame(J) according to all the commands and requirements of the Lord. 7 But they had no children because Elizabeth could not conceive, and both of them were well along in years.(K)

8 When his division was on duty(L) and he was serving as priest before God, 9 it happened that he was chosen by lot,(M) according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense.(N) 10 At the hour of incense the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. 11 An angel of the Lord(O) appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.(P) 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified and overcome with fear.(Q) 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid,(R) Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard.(S) Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.(T) 14 There will be joy and delight for you, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and will never drink wine or beer.(U) He will be filled with the Holy Spirit(V) while still in his mother’s womb.(W) 16 He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.(X) 17 And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers to their children,(Y) and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people.”(Z)

18 “How can I know this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.”

19 The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel,(AA) who stands in the presence of God,(AB) and I was sent to speak to you and tell you this good news. 20 Now listen. You will become silent and unable to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah, amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary. 22 When he did come out, he could not speak to them. Then they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He was making signs to them(AC) and remained speechless. 23 When the days of his ministry were completed, he went back home.

24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived and kept herself in seclusion for five months. She said, 25 “The Lord has done this for me. He has looked with favor in these days to take away my disgrace(AD) among the people.”

Footnotes:

  1. 1:1 Or events that have been accomplished, or events most surely believed
  2. 1:4 Or informed

Cross references:

  1. 1:1 : Rm 4:21; 14:5; Col 2:2; 4:12; 1Th 1:5; 2Tm 4:17; Heb 6:11; 10:22
  2. 1:2 : Jn 15:27; Ac 1:21; 2Pt 1:16; 1Jn 1:1
  3. 1:2 : Ac 26:16; 1Co 4:1; Heb 2:3
  4. 1:3 : Ac 23:26; 24:3; 26:25
  5. 1:3 : Ac 1:1
  6. 1:4 : Ac 18:25; Rm 2:18; 1Co 14:19; Gl 6:6
  7. 1:5 : Mt 2:1
  8. 1:5 : 1Ch 24:10
  9. 1:6 : Gn 7:1; Ac 2:25; 8:21
  10. 1:6 : Php 2:15; 3:6; 1Th 3:13
  11. 1:7 : Gn 4:1; 18:11; Jdg 13:2-3; 1Sm 1:2; 2:20; Ps 113:9; 127:3-5; Heb 11:11-12
  12. 1:8 : 1Ch 24:19; 2Ch 8:14; 31:2
  13. 1:9 : Jos 18:6,8,10; 1Ch 24:31; 25:8; 26:13-14; Neh 10:34; 11:1; Ac 1:26
  14. 1:9 : Ex 30:7-8
  15. 1:11 : Mt 2:13-14; 28:2; Lk 2:9; Ac 5:19; 8:26; 12:7
  16. 1:11 : Mk 16:5; Ac 2:33
  17. 1:12 : Gn 21:17; Jdg 6:22-23; 2Kg 1:15; Mt 1:20; 28:5; Lk 2:10; Ac 10:3-4; 27:23-24
  18. 1:13 : Gn 15:1; Mt 14:27; Lk 1:30
  19. 1:13 : Gn 25:21; 1Kg 8:45,49; 2Kg 20:5; Ps 6:9; Is 38:5
  20. 1:13 : Gn 16:11; 17:15,19; Is 8:3; Hs 1:4,9; Mt 1:20,23; Lk 1:60,63
  21. 1:13-15 : Nm 6:3; Jdg 13:3-5; Mt 11:18; Lk 7:33
  22. 1:15 : Ex 28:3; 31:3; 35:31; Dt 34:9; Mc 3:8; Lk 1:41,67; Ac 2:4; 4:8,31; 7:55; 9:17; 13:9; 13:52; Eph 5:18
  23. 1:15 : Is 44:2; Lk 1:41,44
  24. 1:16 : Ps 22:27; Lm 3:40
  25. 1:16-17 : Mal 4:5-6; Mt 11:14; 17:10-12
  26. 1:17 : Is 40:3; Lk 1:76; 3:4
  27. 1:19 : Dn 8:16; 9:21; Lk 1:26
  28. 1:19 : Mt 18:10
  29. 1:22 : Lk 1:62
  30. 1:25 : Gn 30:23; Is 4:1; 25:8
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Psalm 56

Psalm 56

A Call for God’s Protection

For the choir director: according to “A Silent Dove Far Away.” A Miktam of David. When the Philistines seized him in Gath.(A)

1 Be gracious to me, God, for a man is trampling me;
he fights and oppresses me all day long.
2 My adversaries trample me all day,
for many arrogantly fight against me.[a](B)

3 When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.(C)
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?(D)

5 They twist my words all day long;
all their thoughts against me are evil.(E)
6 They stir up strife,[b] they lurk;
they watch my steps
while they wait to take my life.(F)
7 Will they escape in spite of such sin?
God, bring down the nations in wrath.(G)

8 You yourself have recorded my wanderings.[c]
Put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?(H)
9 Then my enemies will retreat on the day when I call.(I)
This I know: God is for me.(J)

10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mere humans do to me?(K)

12 I am obligated by vows[d] to you, God;
I will make my thank offerings to you.(L)
13 For you rescued me from death,
even my feet from stumbling,
to walk before God in the light of life.(M)

Footnotes:

  1. 56:2 Or many fight against me, O exalted one, or many fight against me from the heights
  2. 56:6 Or They attack
  3. 56:8 Or misery
  4. 56:12 Lit On me the vows

Cross references:

  1. 56:title : 1Sm 21:10-11; 22:1
  2. 56:1-2 : Ps 35:1; 57:3
  3. 56:3 : Ps 112:7; Pr 29:25; Is 12:2
  4. 56:4 : Ps 27:1; 118:6; Heb 13:6
  5. 56:5 : Ps 41:7; 2Pt 3:16
  6. 56:6 : Ps 10:8-10; 59:3
  7. 56:7 : Ezk 17:15; Rm 2:3
  8. 56:8 : 2Kg 20:5; Ps 139:3; Mal 3:16
  9. 56:9 : Ps 9:3
  10. 56:9 : Ps 118:6; Rm 8:31
  11. 56:10-11 : Ps 112:7; Pr 29:25; Is 12:2
  12. 56:12 : Ps 50:14
  13. 56:13 : Jb 33:30; Ps 116:8-9
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Proverbs 11:8

8 The righteous one is rescued from trouble;
in his place, the wicked one goes in.(A)

Cross references:

  1. 11:8 : Pr 21:18
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

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03/12/2018 DAB Transcript

Numbers 16:41-18:32, Mark 16:1-20, Psalms 55:1-23, Proverbs 11:7

Today is the 12th day of March. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is great to be here with you. And we have marched our way to the 12th day of this month. And we will march right into it, picking up where we left off yesterday. The children of Israel have had to turn around and go back out into the wilderness and an entire generation is basically going to die out so that the children can rise up and see if they can take the Promised Land, which is causing an incredible amount of unrest. And, so, we’re seeing quite a bit of drama. And, so, we move back in. Numbers chapter 16 verse 41 through 18 verse 32 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, today in the Gospel of Mark we experienced the resurrection and we also concluded the Gospel of Mark today. So, we’ll be starting fresh with the Gospel of Luke tomorrow. And the story of the resurrection, that is our ultimate source of hope. Like, everything we believe as Christians hinge upon this, that Jesus was victorious over sin and death. All of the forces of evil at work in the world. He was victorious. And His resurrection was a rebirth, as we’ll find in the writings of the Apostle Paul, that Jesus was the firstborn into this new family of God that began with Jesus. And, so, through Christ, we no longer have this separation between man and God. Through Jesus we are restored to God and become grafted in or a part of his family. And this is our hope. And this is what gives us hope, that while we were still enemies of God He came and sacrificed Himself on our behalf, restoring us to Him, inviting us into fellowship, inviting us to become a part of His family. We are a part of the family of God. May we revel in that today. And may hope arise in us.

Prayer:

Jesus, thank You is the words. Those are the words. But they fall so flat and so short. What we could never do, ever, for eternity, You have done and invited us to participate fully and completely in relationship with You. And, so, we thank you for your sacrifice. We worship You for Your victory over death and hell and the grave and everything set against us. Come, Holy Spirit. May we never be deceived away from this. May we remain true. As we remain true, we always have hope. Our hope is in You and You alone. And we thank You, Jesus, for coming for us and rescuing us. And may our lives be the example of that gratefulness. We pray in Your name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find out what’s going on around here. So, check it out.

Looking at the calendar, the 25th of this month we’ll be back out on the road. I’ll be speaking in Louisville, Kentucky at New Song Christian Fellowship Louisville. You can get the details at dailyaudiobible.com. This was planned for a little bit earlier in the year but we had a pretty good-sized snow and ice storm come through, so we’ve rescheduled and this will take place on the 25th day of March.

Then looking into April, on the 8th day of April, which is a Sunday, I’ll be in Washington state in the Tri cities area at Columbia Christian Church. Looking forward to being back with our friends there.

And then on the 11th of April, the More Gathering begins. And ladies, I cannot encourage you enough. And that if you can, you should attend the More Gathering. It’s a very, very unique and very, very special experience. And you can get all of the details, everything that you would want to know, all your questions are answered at moregathering.com. So, check it out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link. It’s on the homepage. I thank you. I thank you for your partnership. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner. Or if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, Tennessee, 37174.

And as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today. I am Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello Daily Audio Bible. My name is Ben. I’m from Southeast England in the town of Ashford. I’m ringing today for prayer for my brother-in-law. My brother-in-law is in the Army and he’s part of the skydiving team and he was recently in California with the Army and we learned yesterday that he had a very serious car accident and he’s now in hospital in California on life support. My wife and my sister-in-law left very early this morning and are now on their way to California to be with him. The situation is unclear at the moment, but we’re believing, you know, that God can do anything. Until that final breath God has his life in his hands. His name’s Aaron. And, yeah, he’s in California in hospital. My church is praying. Churches from all over the US are praying. And I just ask you to join with us and pray for healing, pray for recovery, pray for mercy upon his life in the name of Jesus. Thank you, brothers and sisters. Amen.

Hello family this is pastor Gene from Bradenton Florida. And I wanted to say a quick testimony __. And as you guys know I went recently to a very trying couple of months and I ended up being hospitalize three times. The first time planned the two next times completely unplanned. And around a month and half, a month and one week ago, I was in my third hospital. And I was in such agony, pretty much throwing up air, because I had nothing left to throw up and pain, inflammation and the doctors not doing a whole lot for me. And I was in __ but I had such an unexplainable peace in my heart that I felt that if this was death I was ready to go to the Lord. And I told Him, I said Lord, I’m a little concerned about __ Victoria and JC and John but I know that You will take care of them after I’m gone from this world. And I love you with all of my heart. And I can’t think of anything else that I want to do more right now than be in your presence. And the Lord obviously said no, but I want to talk about that perfect peace that fills me and fills me with hope although __ I was completely failing and that peace that allowed me to completely surrender into the hands of the Savior, trusting Him to take my life and do with it as he pleases. And I hope that that peace can be with you as you need it will be with you. I love you family. This is pastor Gene from Bradenton Florida. Bye.

Hello family. And as __ says, Holy Spirit let’s roll. It’s the 9th. And I have to tell you, I was on my way to work listening to the Daily Audio Bible this morning but the flesh is weak. And on my way to work I had this guy that was purposely hitting his breaks and trying to control my car from the front on a narrow road going through the hills to get to my work. And it was really frustrating me. So, at just the perfect time the flesh was weak I passed him, crossed the double yellow line only to get a wave from a motorcycle officer, a nice cop who let me go because I pulled to the side of the road thinking I’m going to get a $500 ticket. But I’m calling because Brian your commentary on the 9th is dead on. The spirit is willing but unless we’re in the spirit and of the spirit the flesh takes over. So, it’s not easy. It’s really not easy. I mean, my heart was pounding. I obviously did the wrong thing. I was frustrated with this guy I should’ve been mad at. I should’ve just relaxed and made it into work on time, not as soon as I’d like to get there. But I love you guys. And that’s the message. Don’t trust your own power. You really have to trust the spirit because we can do it on our own. I need your prayers. I got a promotion. Praise report. Bye guys. Bye.

Hi neighbors. It’s Lisa the Encourager. Yes. Hi neighbors, not friends because of the encouragement and guidance that Jill gave us on the Bible verse that Jesus said, love the Lord your God with all your heart your soul and your mind and love your neighbors as yourself. So, as a reminder to me, I am going to call you guys my neighbors so I remember that I should love each and every one of you just as I love myself. And I certainly cannot say that I do that on a regular basis. So, I want to remind myself that. So, hi neighbors. And with that I want to pray for Sharee. You called in quite a while ago and somehow I missed it on my page but I just want to pray for your needs and her ex fiancé that went to quite a bit of a deep depression after her brothers accident and the death. So, I’m going to be praying for them and I know you said their initials are JC and CRK. So, Sharee I just want to know again, I appreciate your prayers and your calls and I’m going to be praying for them. Also, another little quick shout out to Walking by Faith from New York City. I just wanted to shout out to you and thank you for your call of appreciation and I’m going to be praying for you and your finances and I’m just continuing to pray for that and that the Lord will give you favor. And also, one of the prayer, Victoria from Ohio called in and asked for prayer for her husband for him to get a job and her daughter Cassie also was going to a job interview and just praying that all goes well. So, dear Lord I pray for these requests and needs and financial and…

Good morning Daily Audio Bible community this is Diane O. B. from Newburgh Indiana. It is Saturday, March 10th 2018 and it is 4:56 AM. I’m catching up on my readings and I’m in March 2nd right now and the readings are so wow, you know. And what stood out to me was the attitude of Brian Bartimaeus versus the request from James and John. And I’ve been trying to be his friend and looking at all the people in the Bible that were friends and realizing that I haven’t been that great a friend, but today’s reading was just…I don’t know what…the Lord has been dealing with me as the Old Testament they were very rebellious and God was saying you want to keep rebelling well then this is what you’re going to get and this is what you’re going to get. And then Mark, like I said, the request from James and John versus Brian Bartimaeus just to remind us to be humble and just ask for mercy. You want to be God’s friend? It’s not that easy. I’m asking for a general and quiet spirit. That’s not my nature, but I’m getting one. I have a praise report. My son David is in rehab. That’s a miracle. He’s been there for almost 3 weeks now. He’s been drug-free and it’s so nice. And, so, I just wanted to say community, thank you for…

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday March 12, 2018 (NIV)

Numbers 16:41-18:32

41 The next day the entire Israelite community complained about Moses and Aaron,(A) saying, “You have killed the Lord’s people!” 42 When the community assembled against them, Moses and Aaron turned toward the tent of meeting, and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the Lord’s glory appeared.

43 Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of meeting, 44 and the Lord said to Moses, 45 “Get away from this community so that I may consume them instantly.”(B) But they fell facedown.

46 Then Moses told Aaron, “Take your firepan, place fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Go quickly to the community and make atonement for them, because wrath has come from the Lord; the plague has begun.” 47 So Aaron took his firepan as Moses had ordered, ran into the middle of the assembly, and saw that the plague had begun among the people. After he added incense, he made atonement for the people. 48 He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was halted. 49 But those who died from the plague numbered 14,700, in addition to those who died because of the Korah incident. 50 Aaron then returned to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, since the plague had been halted.(C)

Aaron’s Staff Chosen

17 The Lord instructed Moses: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and take one staff from them for each ancestral tribe,[a] twelve staffs from all the leaders of their tribes.[b] Write each man’s name on his staff. 3 Write Aaron’s name on Levi’s staff, because there is to be one staff for the head of each tribe. 4 Then place them in the tent of meeting in front of the testimony where I meet with you. 5 The staff of the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of the Israelites’ complaints that they have been making about you.”

6 So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and each of their leaders gave him a staff, one for each of the leaders of their tribes, twelve staffs in all. Aaron’s staff was among them.(D) 7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the testimony.

8 The next day Moses entered the tent of the testimony and saw that Aaron’s staff, representing the house of Levi, had sprouted, formed buds, blossomed, and produced almonds! 9 Moses then brought out all the staffs from the Lord’s presence to all the Israelites. They saw them, and each man took his own staff. 10 The Lord told Moses, “Put Aaron’s staff back in front of the testimony to be kept as a sign(E) for the rebels, so that you may put an end to their complaints before me, or else they will die.”(F) 11 So Moses did as the Lord commanded him.

12 Then the Israelites declared to Moses, “Look, we’re perishing! We’re lost; we’re all lost! 13 Anyone who comes near the Lord’s tabernacle will die.(G) Will we all perish?”

Provision for the Priesthood

18 The Lord said to Aaron, “You, your sons, and your ancestral family[c](H) will be responsible for iniquity against the sanctuary. You and your sons will be responsible for iniquity involving your priesthood. 2 But also bring your relatives with you from the tribe of Levi, your ancestral tribe, so they may join you and assist you and your sons in front of the tent of the testimony.(I) 3 They are to perform duties for you and for the whole tent. They must not come near the sanctuary equipment or the altar; otherwise, both they and you will die. 4 They are to join you and guard the tent of meeting, doing all the work at the tent, but no unauthorized person may come near you.

5 “You are to guard the sanctuary and the altar so that wrath may not fall on the Israelites again.(J) 6 Look, I have selected your fellow Levites from the Israelites as a gift for you, assigned by the Lord to work at the tent of meeting. 7 But you and your sons will carry out your priestly responsibilities(K) for everything concerning the altar and for what is inside the curtain, and you will do that work. I am giving you the work of the priesthood as a gift,[d] but an unauthorized person who comes near the sanctuary will be put to death.”(L)

Support for the Priests and Levites

8 Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, “Look, I have put you in charge of the contributions(M) brought to me. As for all the holy offerings(N) of the Israelites, I have given them to you and your sons as a portion and a permanent statute.(O) 9 A portion of the holiest offerings kept from the fire will be yours; every one of their offerings that they give me, whether the grain offering, sin offering, or guilt offering will be most holy for you and your sons. 10 You are to eat it as a most holy offering.[e] Every male may eat it; it is to be holy to you.

11 “The contribution of their gifts also belongs to you. I have given all the Israelites’ presentation offerings(P) to you and to your sons and daughters as a permanent statute.(Q) Every ceremonially clean person in your house may eat it. 12 I am giving you all the best of the fresh oil, new wine, and grain,(R) which the Israelites give to the Lord as their firstfruits.(S) 13 The firstfruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to the Lord, belong to you. Every clean person in your house may eat them.

14 “Everything in Israel that is permanently dedicated to the Lord(T) belongs to you. 15 The firstborn of every living thing, human or animal, presented to the Lord belongs to you. But you must certainly redeem a human firstborn,(U) and redeem the firstborn of an unclean animal. 16 You will pay the redemption price for a month-old male according to your assessment: five shekels[f] of silver by the standard sanctuary shekel, which is twenty gerahs.(V)

17 “However, you must not redeem the firstborn of an ox, a sheep, or a goat; they are holy. You are to splatter their blood on the altar and burn their fat as a fire offering for a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 18 But their meat belongs to you. It belongs to you like the breast of the presentation offering and the right thigh.

19 “I give to you and to your sons and daughters all the holy contributions that the Israelites present to the Lord as a permanent statute. It is a permanent covenant of salt(W) before the Lord for you as well as your offspring.”

20 The Lord told Aaron, “You will not have an inheritance in their land; there will be no portion among them for you. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites.(X)

21 “Look, I have given the Levites every tenth(Y) in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work they do, the work of the tent of meeting. 22 The Israelites must never again come near the tent of meeting, or they will incur guilt and die. 23 The Levites will do the work of the tent of meeting, and they will bear the consequences of their iniquity. The Levites will not receive an inheritance among the Israelites;(Z) this is a permanent statute throughout your generations. 24 For I have given them the tenth that the Israelites present to the Lord as a contribution for their inheritance. That is why I told them that they would not receive an inheritance among the Israelites.”

25 The Lord instructed Moses, 26 “Speak to the Levites and tell them: When you receive from the Israelites the tenth that I have given you as your inheritance, you are to present part of it as an offering to the Lord—a tenth of the tenth. 27 Your offering will be credited to you as if it were your grain from the threshing floor or the full harvest from the winepress. 28 You are to present an offering to the Lord from every tenth you receive from the Israelites. Give some of it to the priest Aaron as an offering to the Lord. 29 You must present the entire offering due the Lord from all your gifts. The best part of the tenth(AA) is to be consecrated.

30 “Tell them further: Once you have presented the best part of the tenth, and it is credited to you Levites as the produce of the threshing floor or the winepress, 31 then you and your household may eat it anywhere. It is your wage in return for your work at the tent of meeting. 32 You will not incur guilt because of it once you have presented the best part of it, but you must not defile the Israelites’ holy offerings, so that you will not die.”

Footnotes:

  1. 17:2 Lit father’s house
  2. 17:2 Lit the house of their fathers, also in vv. 3,6
  3. 18:1 Lit the house of your father
  4. 18:7 Or curtain. So you are to perform the service; a gift of your priesthood I grant
  5. 18:10 Or it in a most holy place
  6. 18:16 A shekel is about two-fifths of an ounce

Cross references:

  1. 16:41 : Ex 16:2,7-8; 17:3; Nm 14:2,27; 16:3; 17:6; 20:2; 26:9; 1Co 10:10
  2. 16:45 : Nm 16:21
  3. 16:47-50 : Nm 25:1-9; 2Sm 24:15-25
  4. 17:6 : Ex 7:12
  5. 17:10 : Heb 9:4
  6. 17:10 : Ex 28:35; 30:20-21; Lv 8:35; 10:6,9; 15:31; 16:2,13; Nm 4:19; 18:3,32; 35:12
  7. 17:13 : Nm 3:10,38; 8:19; 18:7
  8. 18:1 : Nm 10:21
  9. 18:2 : Nm 8:5-26
  10. 18:5 : Nm 1:53; 16; 17:12-13; 1Ch 9:19; Ezk 44:11
  11. 18:7 : Nm 3:10
  12. 18:7 : Nm 1:51; 3:10,38
  13. 18:8 : Ex 36:3; Lv 22:12; Nm 18:19; Dt 12:6,11,17; Neh 10:39; 12:44; 13:5; Ezk 20:40; Mal 3:8
  14. 18:8 : Lv 22:2-7,15-16; Nm 18:32; Ezk 42:13
  15. 18:8 : Lv 10:12-15; Nm 5:9
  16. 18:11 : Ex 29:24-27; 35:22; 38:24,29; 7:30,34; 8:27,29; 9:21; 10:14-15; 14:12,24; 23:15,17,20; Nm 6:20; 8:11-21
  17. 18:11 : Lv 7:34-36
  18. 18:12 : Dt 7:13; 11:14; 12:17; 14:23; 18:4; 28:51; Neh 10:37-39
  19. 18:12 : Gn 49:3; Ex 23:16,19; 34:22,26; Lv 2:12,14; 23:17,20; Nm 28:26; Jr 2:3; Rm 8:23; 11:16; 1Co 15:20,23; 16:15; Jms 1:18; Rv 14:4
  20. 18:14 : Lv 27:28
  21. 18:15 : Ex 13:11-16
  22. 18:16 : Lv 27:6; Nm 3:46-47
  23. 18:19 : Lv 2:13; 2Ch 13:5
  24. 18:20 : Dt 10:9; Jos 18:7; Ezk 44:28-30
  25. 18:21 : Dt 26:12; 2Ch 31:12; Neh 10:37-38; Heb 7:5
  26. 18:23 : Dt 10:8-9; 18:1-2; Jos 13:14,33
  27. 18:29 : Nm 18:12
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Mark 16

Resurrection Morning

16 When(A) the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene,(B) Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they could go and anoint him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week,(C) they went to the tomb(D) at sunrise. 3 They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb for us?” 4 Looking up, they noticed that the stone—which was very large—had been rolled away.

5 When(E) they entered the tomb,(F) they saw a young man(G) dressed(H) in a white(I) robe sitting on the right side; they were alarmed. 6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he told them. “You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth,(J) who was crucified. He has risen!(K) He is not here. See the place where they put him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter,(L) ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee;(M) you will see him there just as he told you.’”

8 They went out and ran from the tomb,(N) because trembling and astonishment overwhelmed them. And they said nothing to anyone,(O) since they were afraid.

[Some of the earliest mss conclude with 16:8.][a]

The Longer Ending of Mark: Appearances of the Risen Lord

[9 Early(P) on the first day of the week,(Q) after he had risen,(R) he appeared first to Mary Magdalene,(S) out of whom he had driven seven demons.(T) 10 She went and reported to those who had been with him, as they were mourning and weeping. 11 Yet, when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe it.(U)

12 After this, he appeared(V) in a different form to two of them walking on their way into the country.(W) 13 And they went and reported it to the rest, who did not believe them either.

The Great Commission

14 Later he appeared to the Eleven(X) themselves as they were reclining at the table. He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who saw him after he had risen.(Y) 15 Then(Z) he said to them, “Go into all the world(AA) and preach the gospel to all creation.(AB) 16 Whoever believes(AC) and is baptized will be saved,(AD) but whoever does not believe will be condemned.(AE) 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;[b] 18 they will pick up snakes;[c](AF) if they should drink anything deadly, it will not harm(AG) them; they will lay hands on(AH) the sick, and they will get well.”

The Ascension

19 So the Lord Jesus, after speaking to them,(AI) was taken up into heaven(AJ) and sat down at the right hand(AK) of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word by the accompanying signs.]

Footnotes:

  1. 16:8 Other mss include vv. 9-20 as a longer ending. The following shorter ending is found in some mss between v. 8 and v. 9 and in one ms after v. 8 (each of which omits vv. 9-20): And all that had been commanded to them they quickly reported to those around Peter. After these things, Jesus himself sent out through them from east to west, the holy and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. Amen.
  2. 16:17 = languages
  3. 16:18 Other mss add with their hands

Cross references:

  1. 16:1-4 : Mt 28:1; Lk 24:1-2
  2. 16:1 : Mk 15:40
  3. 16:2 : Ac 20:7; 1Co 16:2
  4. 16:2 : Jn 5:28
  5. 16:5-8 : Mt 28:5-8; Lk 24:3-8; Jn 20:1-2
  6. 16:5 : Jn 5:28
  7. 16:5 : Lk 7:14
  8. 16:5 : Lk 12:27
  9. 16:5 : Rv 3:4
  10. 16:6 : Mk 14:67
  11. 16:6 : 1Co 15:4
  12. 16:7 : Lk 6:14
  13. 16:7 : Mt 17:22
  14. 16:8 : Jn 5:28
  15. 16:8 : Mk 1:44; 4:40
  16. 16:9-11 : Jn 20:11-18
  17. 16:9 : Lk 24:1; Ac 20:7; 1Co 16:2
  18. 16:9 : Lk 18:33; Ac 2:24
  19. 16:9 : Mk 15:40
  20. 16:9 : Mk 3:15; Lk 8:2
  21. 16:11 : Lk 24:5,11,23
  22. 16:12 : Jn 21:1; 2Co 4:11
  23. 16:12 : Lk 24:13-35
  24. 16:14 : Lk 24:9
  25. 16:14 : Lk 24:38,41
  26. 16:15-18 : Mt 28:16-20
  27. 16:15 : Mt 13:38; 1Jn 2:2
  28. 16:15 : Rm 8:22
  29. 16:16 : Mk 11:24; Jn 3:16; Ac 10:43; Rm 10:9; 1Pt 1:8-10
  30. 16:16 : Ac 2:38; 22:16
  31. 16:16 : Mt 12:41; Jn 3:18,36; 5:11; 20:23
  32. 16:18 : Lk 10:19; Ac 28:3-6
  33. 16:18 : Ac 28:5
  34. 16:18 : Ac 9:12,17; 1Tm 5:22
  35. 16:19 : Lk 24:3
  36. 16:19 : Lk 24:51; Ac 1:2,11,22; 1Tm 3:16
  37. 16:19 : Lk 22:69; Heb 10:12
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Psalm 55

Psalm 55

Betrayal by a Friend

For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.

1 God, listen to my prayer
and do not hide from my plea for help.(A)
2 Pay attention to me and answer me.(B)
I am restless and in turmoil with my complaint,(C)
3 because of the enemy’s words,[a]
because of the pressure[b] of the wicked.
For they bring down disaster on me
and harass me in anger.(D)

4 My heart shudders within me;(E)
terrors of death sweep over me.
5 Fear and trembling grip me;
horror has overwhelmed me.(F)
6 I said, “If only I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and find rest.(G)
7 How far away I would flee;
I would stay in the wilderness.(H)Selah
8 I would hurry to my shelter
from the raging wind and the storm.”(I)

9 Lord, confuse[c] and confound their speech,[d](J)
for I see violence and strife in the city;
10 day and night they make the rounds on its walls.
Crime and trouble are within it;(K)
11 destruction is inside it;
oppression and deceit never leave its marketplace.(L)

12 Now it is not an enemy who insults me—
otherwise I could bear it;
it is not a foe who rises up against me—
otherwise I could hide from him.
13 But it is you, a man who is my peer,
my companion and good friend!(M)
14 We used to have close fellowship;
we walked with the crowd into the house of God.(N)

15 Let death take them by surprise;(O)
let them go down to Sheol alive,
because evil is in their homes and within them.(P)
16 But I call to God,
and the Lord will save me.(Q)
17 I complain and groan morning, noon, and night,(R)
and he hears my voice.(S)
18 Though many are against me,
he will redeem me from my battle unharmed.(T)
19 God, the one enthroned from long ago,(U)
will hear and will humiliate themSelah
because they do not change
and do not fear God.(V)

20 My friend(W) acts violently
against those at peace with him;(X)
he violates his covenant.(Y)
21 His buttery words are smooth,
but war is in his heart.
His words are softer than oil,
but they are drawn swords.(Z)

22 Cast your burden on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;(AA)
he will never allow the righteous to be shaken.(AB)

23 God, you will bring them down
to the Pit of destruction;(AC)
men of bloodshed and treachery
will not live out half their days.(AD)
But I will trust in you.(AE)

Footnotes:

  1. 55:3 Lit voice
  2. 55:3 Or threat, or oppression
  3. 55:9 Or destroy
  4. 55:9 Lit and divide their tongue

Cross references:

  1. 55:1 : Lm 3:56
  2. 55:1-2 : Ps 4:1; 5:1-2; 54:2
  3. 55:2 : Ps 64:1; 142:2
  4. 55:3 : 2Sm 16:7-8; Ps 71:11
  5. 55:4 : Ps 38:8
  6. 55:4-5 : Ps 18:4-5; 116:3
  7. 55:6 : Jb 3:13
  8. 55:7 : Jr 9:2
  9. 55:8 : Is 4:6; 25:4
  10. 55:9 : Gn 10:25; 11:7
  11. 55:9-10 : Jr 6:7; Hab 1:3
  12. 55:11 : Ps 5:9; 10:7
  13. 55:12-13 : Jb 19:13,19; Ps 41:9; 88:18
  14. 55:14 : Ps 42:4
  15. 55:15 : Pr 6:15; Is 47:11; 1Th 5:3
  16. 55:15 : Nm 16:30,33
  17. 55:16 : Ps 119:46
  18. 55:17 : Ps 92:2
  19. 55:17 : Ps 64:1; 142:2
  20. 55:18 : Ps 56:2; 103:4
  21. 55:19 : Ps 93:2
  22. 55:19 : Dt 33:27
  23. 55:20 : Ps 55:13
  24. 55:20 : Ps 7:4
  25. 55:20 : Ps 89:34
  26. 55:21 : Ps 12:2; 28:3
  27. 55:22 : 1Pt 5:7
  28. 55:22 : Ps 37:24; 112:6
  29. 55:23 : Is 38:17; Ezk 28:8
  30. 55:23 : Ps 5:6
  31. 55:23 : Ps 56:3
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Proverbs 11:7

7 When the wicked person dies,
his expectation comes to nothing,
and hope placed in wealth[a][b] vanishes.(A)

Footnotes:

  1. 11:7 LXX reads hope of the ungodly
  2. 11:7 Or strength

Cross references:

  1. 11:7 : Jb 8:13; Pr 10:28; 24:14
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Posted on

03/11/2018 DAB Transcript

Numbers 15:17-16:40, Mark 15:1-47, Psalms 54:1-7, Proverbs 11:5-6

Today is the 11th day of March. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian and here we are crossing the threshold, opening the door on a brand-new shiny, sparkly week. And this week will move us directly into the middle of the month of March. So, we’re moving forward in our year, in our lives, and in the Scriptures. We’ll read from the Christian Standard Bible this week, picking up where we left off yesterday. Numbers chapter 15 verse 17 through 16 verse 40 today.

Prayer:

Jesus as we begin this new week we again experience Your sacrifice, Your death on our behalf in unspeakable fashion in a fashion we can truly comprehend. And yet this is the season that we contemplate. This is the season that we stare full face at what sin can do and we see that were borne out on the cross. And we look into our own hearts and we look at the world and we see what sin can do. And this brings us to a place of lament because You have freed us from the power of sin and yet we continue to choose otherwise. Rather than freedom, we choose to remain in slavery to sin. In so many areas of our lives and we invite Your Holy Spirit because we find ourselves being like the children of Israel in the wilderness wanting to go back. Show us clearly Lord that going back is not only returning to slavery, it is moving away from life and toward death. Your sacrifice changed all of that for the entire world. And this is the good news, that this has all been changed, that humanity and divinity are no longer separated from one another but can be restored in fellowship through Your sacrifice. And, so yes, we invite Your Holy Spirit and we lament and we grieve over what we’ve made of things, but Your cross gives us hope, hope forever, restoration forever, that day by day we can choose to live holy and every day that we choose to live holy as a day of sanctification, that we are being restored day by day, moment by moment. And this gives us hope and brings us to place of gratefulness. And, so, we contemplate these things and we invite Your Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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And that’s it for today. I am Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Father God, we lift up Joey from Missouri’s family to You , especially his mother Joan E. Father God thank You for the shining light that she’s been in that family, that she has been the spiritual leader, leading Joey’s crisis at such a young age. Father God, she is struggling right now. I pray Lord that You’d be shining Your light and Your love into her life, that You would be bringing her out of that darkness and depression. Father God please just be calming her mind and giving her peace. May she know who she is in You and may she hear the truth of You in Your voice rather than the lies of the enemy. Father God I pray that You would be guiding her to people who can help, be that counselors or friends or people who can just help bring her through this time. Father God thank You for her loving family and I pray the Lord that You’d be giving them wisdom on how best to support her through this. Thank You so much for her and her walk in her life and her faith in You. And I pray Lord that you’d just be restoring her. In Jesus’ holy and precious name. Amen. Hi this is Michaela from Gloucester in the UK. Your call really struck me Joey. My parents married in 1982. I am the oldest of three, born in 1987. And they got divorced a couple years ago, probably more than a couple years ago now. And both my parents are really on my heart because my dad doesn’t know the Lord and I really want him to know the Lord but it’s really hard, you know, witnessing to those closest, isn’t it? So yeah, I hope you all have a blessed and lovely day wherever you are. Speak you soon. Bye.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family. This is Diana calling from Minnesota. I just returned from the Israel 2018 trip and would just like to encourage anyone thinking about it to absolutely go. As Brian says, it’s a life-changing event and it really truly is. It was the most impactful two weeks of my life. And I met the most incredible people on that two weeks. And, so I would just highly encourage you to go no matter what that takes. For some of us it was a great sacrifice to be able to save some money and be able to do that, but for me it was just everything and the meant to us a whole lot. I thank you so much for your prayers for all of us. We felt it. We actually did. We had some illnesses go through the bus, one of the buses. And they were very quick illnesses. And, so, people cared for each other and we are very grateful for that. I also wanted to call with a prayer request. During the trip I found out that a dear friend of mine has breast cancer. Her name is Lori and I just ask that you pray for her please. She actually has a really amazing attitude about it and her husband is a quadriplegic and he does have some use of his hands and has a rehab doctor an amazing person. And she is really very much the…it’s hard to say…she really does everything for her family. She’s a really strong woman and I’d just like everyone if you could please pray for her health. She’s going to go through a double mastectomy…

Hi everyone this is Melody from Canada. And I am very convicted when Brian was talking about a reading from God being mad at the Israelites for complaining about meat. I am there right now because in addition to pregnancy __ I have a virus it in my mouth that these really, really hard soars all over. So pretty much all I can eat every day is pea soup. So that’s my Manna. And before I was pregnant I could eat this and that and everything. But also, back then, I was longing for a baby and I wasn’t happy with my life. But it so easy to want to go back and it’s so easy to have a hard time in the wilderness and have a hard time and transition. So, I appreciate your prayers over me and my pea soup and my mouth and my baby. We’re getting the ultrasound in two days on Saturday. So, I’m looking towards that. And, so yeah, I know God is holding us and preparing us. Love you. Bye-bye.

My name is Christina. I’m calling because I just heard Joey from Missouri. And for some reason listening to your prayer request for your mom, I almost started crying and I get had to…I kept praying, you know, with the next caller and then I had to go back and listen to it and I think is what it was…and I think your mom and my sister Stacy have the same problem. It just…I really felt…I really felt that’s why it touched me so deeply. And I want to pray for your mom Sharon and for my sister Stacy as well, that they are set free. Lord, please set free these ladies who know you and who shouldn’t be held captive from the demons of depression and paranoia and anger and hurting the people around them. And I pray as well for Joey and his three siblings and for Stacy’s two little sons because it’s very hard in the people around them. Thank you.

Hi this is Victoria soldier. I’m calling to pray for some of the DABbers. I wanted to…welcome back to Brian and I want to say thank you to Jill for reading those two days that were so beautiful. I enjoyed it. Thank you so much. I also want to pray for Greg in Missouri he was talking about his mom that she’s going through depression and things that are challenging. I wanted to also pray for Nora from Canada and that she’s going through some challenges. I want to pray for Pastor Genne and also for Blind Tony and Viola and my friend Sharon. I’m just concerned about the challenges that she’s going through with her mom. I want to pray for those who will going through depression and those who are going through in their marriages because the enemy is trying to attack the marriages. And also those kids who are having strongholds. I want to pray for them. Lord, in the name of Jesus, I just ask You to have Your way. Lord, Your people lead You Lord. They’re going through challenges, they’re going through depression, they’re going through strongholds. The marriages are having challenges. Lord only You are our God who can do anything like You told Moses, that You are God and You could do anything but fail. Lord we want to pray for Nora Lord. Whatever Nora’s going through, whatever’s going through in her family, that mother that’s going through depression, the mother that went through the challenges with her son, Lord You have Your Way, Lord. Oh Lord, You’re a miracle working God and You can do anything but fail. I just want to tell somebody tonight that feels like giving up, hold on because God is carrying You and God loves You and He wants to let You know that all…that He is got to You in His hand and His hand is on You and to continue to trust Him. Oh Lord continue to bless those who…even if they feel like…