March 13th Bible in a Year Readings

Numbers 19:1-20:29 + Luke 1:1-25 + Psalm 56:1-13 + Proverbs 11:8
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Old Testament - Today in Numbers chapter 20 verse 12 we read about God pronouncing that Moses & Aaron would not enter the Promised Land - "But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!""  Why did this happen?  Well, it's best to stick with Scripture - God says that Moses & Aaron did not trust God enough.  They did not trust God enough to demonstrate his holiness to the people of Israel.  Thus they will not lead them into the Promised Land.  Where was the lack of trust?   Go back to verse 8 and you'll see God tell Moses to "command the rock" for water - command meaning verbally... then in verse 11 we see Moses strike the rock twice - not using the verbal command God instructed him on, but using an action.   There also may have been a pride issue when Moses in verse 10 says "must we bring you water from this rock?"  You'll notice the little word WE - We being Moses & Aaron? -this is probably not the way to best recognize God for God bringing water out of the rock...  It looks like Moses is taking credit.   How about us in our lives today?  Are there times when we disobey God's direct commands to us?  Are there times when we take credit for God's work?  Even if we generally follow God's instructions - as Moses clearly does for the majority of his life - should we be on constant watch that we do not disobey God?

New Testament - Today we begin the Gospel of Luke!

Author: Luke
Place: Perhaps Caesarea
Date: A.D. 60-65
Content: Luke was a physician and a traveling companion of the Apostle Paul. He wrote his Gospel for a cultured Greek named Theophilus in order to show the true humanity of Jesus and his place in history. For this reason Luke was careful to examine all the evidence very carefully and give precise dates for the events that took place. He begins with an account of Jesus' virgin birth, giving many details not found elsewhere. Jesus' Galilean ministry is described, followed by a lengthy account of Jesus' trip to Jerusalem. After Jesus' death and resurrection, the disciples are left rejoicing, waiting for the promised power of God from heaven to fill them.
Theme: Whereas Matthew shows Jesus to be the Jewish Messiah and Mark shows Jesus as the servant of God, Luke depicts Jesus as the perfect God-man whose genealogy may be traced back to Adam. Jesus is the greatest man in history and is placed within the flow of world events by Luke. He is the greatest man because of what he taught, what he did, why he died – and because he rose again from the dead. For this reason we ought to accept him as our Lord. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers "The One Year Bible Companion" p. 22) More commentary on the Gospel of Luke is at this link.  Below is "Saint Luke" from an illuminated manuscript, circa 1130:

Bible Project: Here is a great video overview of the Gospel of Luke!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIb_dCIxzr0

In today's readings in Luke chapter 1 we read about the birth of John the Baptist being foretold by the angel Gabriel.   Gabriel shares with Zechariah this powerful message about John in verses 16 & 17 - "He will persuade many Israelites to turn to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah, the prophet of old. He will precede the coming of the Lord, preparing the people for his arrival. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will change disobedient minds to accept godly wisdom.""  This is a message for us to consider today - do we need to be persuaded to turn to God?  Do we need our disobedient minds changed to accept godly wisdom?  Can we open our ears to the message of John the Baptist some 2,000 years later?  Will we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord?  One interesting side note - only two angels are mentioned by name in the Bible - Michael and Gabriel.  And here is Gabriel delivering the message from today's readings to Zechariah:

Psalms - Psalm 56 verse 10 makes a One Year Bible blogger quite happy :) "O God, I praise your word. Yes, LORD, I praise your word."  Does this verse make you happy?  Do you praise God for the gift of the Bible?  Do you praise God's very Word, the Bible?

Proverbs - Proverbs Chapter 11 verse 8 today teaches us: "The godly are rescued from trouble, and it falls on the wicked instead." This is a great reminder that God rescues those who trust in Him! 

Worship Video: Today's readings in Numbers 19 reminded me of Nicole Nordeman's song "Holy:"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6a80TfszMU

Are you pursuing holiness in your life? Click here and cry Holy!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on two verses of Scripture today: "Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Luke 1:16-17 NIV

Prayer Point: Pray that you, like John the Baptist, will live a life that brings many people back to the Lord. Pray that you will be as zealous for God as John the Baptist was zealous for God.

Comments from You & Questions of the Day:  Based on our Proverb today, has God ever rescued you?  More than once?  Are you willing to share with us in the Comments section below a time that without a doubt God rescued you?  Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings?  Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

Love, Trust and Obey Jesus,
Mike

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.

p.s. #2 - Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

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Comments

[Ramona]

Numbers 19:1-20:29

Numbers chapter 19 has given me a new perspective on Jesus’ Parable of the Good Samaritan. Although it isn’t mentioned in this section of today’s readings, it was mentioned previously and I didn’t “Get It,” then but I get it now, I think.

That teaching began with a question (Luke 10): 29 “But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" (The complete Parable is Luke 10:30-37)

I’ve always looked at this Parable as a rebuke to the Priests and Levites and a praising of the Samaritan, but I now think this was an expansion of who the Jews’ neighbors were not a rebuke. Based on the Laws given by Moses to Israel, both the Priests and the Levites were not to touch or be in the same room or place as a “dead” body because they were to be undefiled (Lev 5, 6; 10) Since the man may have appeared to be dead to them they obeyed the law of Moses. Now one could argue that their duty to a human being took precedent over God’s command, but I’m not sure if that argument could be won and if won would it be correct? Jesus could touch a leper, the dead the blind and lame because He had life within in, not life like we have but life that made things whole again. I’m really going to have to look and ponder this Parable under new light.

Ah, chapter 20 and rebellion, again: complaining and murmuring against God again. In this chapter we are told that because Moses struck the “Rock” twice he would not take Israel into the Promise Land. We are also told in this chapter that Miriam dies, then Aaron because he along with Moses struck the “Rock” when they were told to speak to it. What’s the Big Deal! Could never figure that one out; however, notice that I put rock in quotes and capitalized the letter R. I just realized whom that “Rock” represented, Jesus Christ. In Genesis the forty-ninth chapter, while Israel (Jacob) is blessing Joseph, this statement is made, 24 “Yet his bow remained steady, and his strong arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, …”

When they began their journey in the desert they cried out for water the first time for water and complained against God at Mount Horeb (Sinai) where Moses was told the first time to “Strike the Rock,” (Exodus 17:6) also a reference to Jesus. If I am right and I could be wrong, the first striking of the Rock foretold Jesus being struck for our sins, which would only happen once. After Jesus’ death burial and resurrection we would only have to “Speak the Word!” This was not only a violation of God’s Word, striking the rock twice; it was a perversion of the soon coming work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

For all those who haven’t heard me state this before, I’ve been reading through the entire Bible for over twenty years and each and every time the Word speaks to me, reveals to me things I have never seen before. The more I read the more I know that I don’t know.

Luke 1:1-25

Hmm, I’m intrigued about Elizabeth’s seclusion once she became pregnant. Her seclusion may have been because she had complications but remember there were no fetal monitors or sonograms to give us pictures of the health of the baby. Besides God ordained this pregnancy and I’m betting that God, the great physician that He is kept every cell in Elizabeth and John’s body working perfectly.

Tradition during that time in Judaism, and maybe even today in some orthodox sects said that if a woman was barren she was under a curse from some sin. So this pregnancy would have caused a lot of talk and speculation amongst the town’s folk. Also John was suppose to be raised a Nazirite which meant separation from a lot of things going on in the world (Read Numbers 6). Since she had to take on that oath because he was suppose to be a Nazirite before birth, she may have only been protecting him.

Then there is that other thing that people do, gossip and speculation. Again, she was past the age of childbirth by man’s understanding, but not God’s. Have you ever heard the talk that goes on when a woman who is in her fifties and or sixties gives birth? It hits the news and there are discussions all over the place on whether woman (it’s never about men) should have babies at THAT age. Well, obviously they never took the question to God. Elizabeth may have wanted to forego the drama. There is nothing new under the sun and folks like to run off at the mouth now and they did back then.

Come to think about it Elizabeth’s seclusion was a voluntary being shutting of the mouth that God did, through the Angel Gabriel, to her husband Zechariah involuntary. Our words create our world (Proverbs 18:21) and maybe Elizabeth didn’t want other people’s words constructing a world she didn’t want to live in.

Psalm 56:1-13
When it seems that the enemy has surrounded you, surrounded me this is the Psalm to pull out, study and pray.

Proverbs 11:8
This Proverb is a great companion to today’s Psalm. Ain’t God Good!!

8 God rescues the godly from danger, but he lets the wicked fall into trouble.

Grace and peace, and a whole lot of love,
Ramona