January 1: Genesis 1-2 and Matthew 1

Genesis opens with the line “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  The original Hebrew is in seven words.  These seven words give us seven truths in which the rest of the Bible is based.  1.  God exists.  2.  God existed before there was a universe and will exist beyond it.  3.  God is the main character of the Bible.  4.  As Creator, God has done what no human can do.  5.  God is mysterious.  The Hebrew word for God used here is “Elohim”.  The name used for God is plural, but the verb form is singular.  This points to God’s triune nature.  He is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 6.  God is the creator of heaven and earth.  He didn’t just find some unfinished works and form it the way He wanted it.  Instead, He created it all.  7.  God is not dependent on the universe, but the universe is dependent on Him. 

After this opening line, we are treated to how God put it all together.  He forms light first and separates the light from the darkness.  Then He separated the waters making an expanse and calling it the sky.  From there, He gathered the waters so that there would be dry land.  Then He puts plants on the earth, then living things in the ocean and waters, then He makes animals to roam the earth.  In His final act of creation, God creates man and woman. 

Genesis two gives a second account on the creation of man and woman.  It is not good for Adam to be alone.  So God forms Eve from Adam’s rib.  It is interesting to note that God forms her from Adam’s rib.  Some folks have used the creation narrative to try to put one sex over the other.  Some will say that since man was created first, man is superior.  Others will claim that since woman was created second, women are more refined than men and therefore are superior.  However, the fact that God pulls the rib instead of anything else shows that the two are to be equal partners.  He uses the rib, pulled from Adam’s side.  God didn’t use Adam’s feet or part of Adam’s head to create Eve.  Instead, He pulled from the side.  They were to be side by side, not one above the other.  

From Genesis, we go all the way to Matthew one.  This chapter gives us the genealogy of Jesus.  Matthew’s intent is to show us just how Jesus ties in with the line of David.  God’s covenant with David ensured that one of David’s offspring would reign on the throne forever.  Jesus traces His lineage back to David and even further back to Abraham.  Mary, a virgin, become pregnant.  Her fiancé Joseph is going to call it off, but he will do it in secret because he is honorable and does not want to dishonor Mary.  Joseph is visited by an angel and he is told what is about to happen.  Mary is going to give birth the long awaited Messiah.  He will be called Immanuel, meaning “God with us”.

January 2: Genesis 3-5 and Mathew 2

Genesis three gives us the account of the fall of people.  Adam and Eve had been given a pretty easy set of commands.  Be fruitful and multiply and DON’T eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Some things to note about this encounter.  The first thing the serpent does is question God’s commands.  Eve tries to fight back, but she adds to God’s commands.  He had told them not to eat from the tree.  She added that they were not to even touch it.  We don’t know whether she was adding that or if Adam had added it.  I think once Eve gave more to the command, the serpent knew that he had them.  The enemy appealed to their sense of pride, telling them that if they eat the fruit, they would be just like God, knowing good and evil.  Both Adam and Eve were culpable in the fall.  Adam was there when the interaction with the serpent began.  It’s questionable why he didn’t intervene and help out.  While it is easy to sit back and blame all the problems on these two, I am pretty certain that even if Adam and Eve had not succumbed to the temptation, someone would have.  Fortunately, God already had the salvation plan in place.  We read the protoevangelium in Genesis 3:15.  

Adam and Eve could not have known the consequence of their sin.  They did not die physically, but their fellowship with God had been destroyed.  They are banished from the garden and now they see just how terrible their sin was in Cain and Abel.  Cain and Abel both take a sacrifice to God.  Abel brings what is good to God and he is honored.  Cain throws some stuff together and God does not have regard for him.  God gives Cain the chance to do right and make a better sacrifice. Instead, Cain kills his brother.  God gives Cain a mark and sends him on his way.  Cain goes and establishes a city.  One of his offspring is Lamech, the first ever recorded person in the Bible to be a polygamist.  The line of Cain will prove to be a wicked group.  Genesis five tells us about the line of Seth.  Seth’s line honors God.  One person worth mentioning is Enoch.  Enoch was so faithful and had such a deep fellowship with God that one day God took him.  He was taken, body and all to heaven. 

Matthew two talks about the Wise men seeking the newborn King of the Jews.  They were astrologers.  They knew nothing of Yahweh, but they knew enough to seek out the new king because of the new star.  It took them approximately two years to get to Jerusalem.  They ask Herod where the new king is.  Herod is greatly disturbed because his kingdom was now threatened.   The rest of Jerusalem was disturbed because they knew that Herod was one to fly off the handle and go to extremes to preserve his reign.  In fact, he had murdered several family members, including some of his children. Herod asks that the Wise Men let him know where the Baby is so that he can worship Him.  They are warned about Herod, so they divert.  Joseph is warned about Herod and told to flee to Egypt.  Herod has every boy in and around Bethlehem two years old and younger slaughtered.  After Herod died, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus left Egypt and settled down in Nazareth.

January 3: Genesis 6-8 and Matthew 3

Mankind has been multiplying on the earth.  The sons of God saw that the daughters of mankind were beautiful and took them as wives.  This verse shows that something has gone terribly wrong from God’s initial command to multiply.  There is controversy around who the sons of God actually were.  This is one of those things that we will not know the answer to on this side of heaven.  There are three mainline ideas as to who these men were. 

1.  The sons of God refer to the sons of kings or aristocrats.  The proponents for this interpretation argue that the word used for God in Hebrew is also sometimes used for people with strong social power.

2.  The sons of God were the godly line of Seth.  

3.  The sons of God were actual angels that created offspring with women.  The book of Jude refers to an incident with angels finding women attractive because of their long hair.  Another argument for this interpretation are that this term is used solely for angelic beings in the Old Testament.  

The world is in a sorry state.  God decides that He is going to wipe away humanity from the earth.  He tells Noah to build an ark so that he and his family can be spared.  Noah is faithful and builds the ark.  Once the ark is completed, he and his family enter the ark along with all of the animals needed to repopulate the earth when the flooding receded.  Seven days went by when no rain happened.  Then, in Noah’s 600th year, the flood came.  The water surged.  Noah and his family floated along for quite a while before the flood recedes and they land on Mt Ararat.  This narrative about the flood is often looked at as if it was mere allegory.  However, many civilizations have some kind of an earthly flood narrative.  There is the Epic of Gilgamesh and the story of Pyramus and Thisbe in Ovid’s Metamorphoses.  Further, Native American tribes have great flood stories in their folklore as well. 

Matthew three introduces John the Baptist.  John acts as an Elijah figure, proclaiming Messiah’s arrival.  John wore a camel hair coat and ate locusts and wild honey.  The people in Jerusalem, Judea, and all the vicinity of the Jordan were flocking to him.  In John’s Gospel, we will see that these folks are flocking to him at first because they think he might be the Messiah.  John informs everyone that he is not the Messiah, he is merely the herald.  Jesus approaches John and is baptized by him.  John protests at first, but ultimately performs the baptism.  Jesus had no real need to be baptized.  He was perfect in every way.  Jesus is baptized because it was part of the Father’s will.  Jesus was following His Father’s commands.  He will spend all of His life upholding God’s law.

January 4: Genesis 9-11 and Matthew 4

God establishes His covenant with Noah in Genesis Nine.  He again tells them to be fruitful and multiply.  God also informs them that the animals will be terrified of them.  The animals are placed under their authority and they are now allowed to eat the animals.  Prior to the flood, they were on a vegetarian diet.  One caveat to eating the meat is that they are not allowed to eat anything with its blood still in it.  God also promises that He will not flood the earth again.  We certainly still deal with floods today.  As bad as the flooding can be, it is not global.  Genesis 10 provides us with the Table of Nations, explaining the descendants of Noah’s sons.  

We read about the Tower of Babel.  The people had not spread out throughout the land like they were supposed to.  They all shared the same language and enjoyed many conveniences of centralized.  However, that ease of life leads them to some wayward thinking.  Collectively, they decide that they are going to build a city with a tower that reaches all the way to heaven.  Their intent is to make a name for themselves and not be scattered over the face of the earth.  The LORD comes down and sees what the people are doing.  He changes their language and they all scatter across the earth.  Ironic since this is exactly what they did not want to happen!

Matthew Four deals with the temptation of Jesus.  Jesus is led into the wilderness by the Spirit.  He remains in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights.  When he is hungry, the devil tempts Him to make some bread out of the stones.  Jesus certainly could have done that.  The enemy goes right after where he knows the most temptation will be, to fill a hungry stomach.  Jesus does not give in to the temptation.  Instead, He quotes Scripture to the devil to ward him off.  Then the devil takes Jesus to a high point and tells Him to throw Himself down, citing Scripture trying to get Jesus to fall. Jesus fights back with more Scripture.  Finally, the enemy takes Jesus and shows Him all of the kingdoms and promises them to Jesus if He will simply bow down and worship.  Once again Jesus does not fall for it.  The ridiculous part of this third temptation is that Jesus is already King of Kings.  He has ultimate authority over them. 

Some things we can learn about sin from here.  In the first temptation, it is going to meet an immediate need.  However, it would require Jesus to go against the Father’s will.  Sometimes we will be presented with the idea that we need something, there is something lacking in our lives that needs to be fulfilled, and we can be tempted to fill that void with sin.  Sin over promises and under delivers.  Another thing we learn is that sometimes folks will come along with Scriptures to try to justify sinfulness.  As believers, we need to know exactly what the Word says so that when someone tries to bamboozle us we will know better.  Finally, sin sometimes will tempt us to take the easy way.  The easy way is not always the best way.

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January 4: Genesis 9-11 and Matthew 4

God establishes His covenant with Noah in Genesis Nine.  He again tells them to be fruitful and multiply.  God also informs them that the animals will be terrified of them.  The animals are placed under their authority and they are now allowed to eat the animals.  Prior to the flood, they were on a vegetarian diet.  One caveat to eating the meat is that they are not allowed to eat anything with its blood still in it.  God also promises that He will not flood the earth again.  We certainly still deal with floods today.  As bad as the flooding can be, it is not global.  Genesis 10 provides us with the Table of Nations, explaining the descendants of Noah’s sons.  

We read about the Tower of Babel.  The people had not spread out throughout the land like they were supposed to.  They all shared the same language and enjoyed many conveniences of centralized.  However, that ease of life leads them to some wayward thinking.  Collectively, they decide that they are going to build a city with a tower that reaches all the way to heaven.  Their intent is to make a name for themselves and not be scattered over the face of the earth.  The LORD comes down and sees what the people are doing.  He changes their language and they all scatter across the earth.  Ironic since this is exactly what they did not want to happen!

Matthew Four deals with the temptation of Jesus.  Jesus is led into the wilderness by the Spirit.  He remains in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights.  When he is hungry, the devil tempts Him to make some bread out of the stones.  Jesus certainly could have done that.  The enemy goes right after where he knows the most temptation will be, to fill a hungry stomach.  Jesus does not give in to the temptation.  Instead, He quotes Scripture to the devil to ward him off.  Then the devil takes Jesus to a high point and tells Him to throw Himself down, citing Scripture trying to get Jesus to fall. Jesus fights back with more Scripture.  Finally, the enemy takes Jesus and shows Him all of the kingdoms and promises them to Jesus if He will simply bow down and worship.  Once again Jesus does not fall for it.  The ridiculous part of this third temptation is that Jesus is already King of Kings.  He has ultimate authority over them. 

Some things we can learn about sin from here.  In the first temptation, it is going to meet an immediate need.  However, it would require Jesus to go against the Father’s will.  Sometimes we will be presented with the idea that we need something, there is something lacking in our lives that needs to be fulfilled, and we can be tempted to fill that void with sin.  Sin over promises and under delivers.  Another thing we learn is that sometimes folks will come along with Scriptures to try to justify sinfulness.  As believers, we need to know exactly what the Word says so that when someone tries to bamboozle us we will know better.  Finally, sin sometimes will tempt us to take the easy way.  The easy way is not always the best way.

January 5: Genesis 12-14 and Matthew 5:1-26

Abram is called by the LORD.  He is told to leave his father and everything he knows and go to the land that God will show him.  Abram follows the command and takes his family along with his nephew Lot and his family.  He had been in the land for 75 years, but he willfully did what God had told him to.  They came to the oak of Moreh.  The Canaanites are there, but God promises that He will give this land to Abram and his descendants.  In response to God’s promise, Abram builds an altar to The LORD.  Time goes by and famine breaks out.  So Abram follows along with what the other people are doing and heads to Egypt.  Since his wife is so beautiful, he fears for his life and asks that Sarai tell everyone that she is his sister.  Pharaoh takes a romantic interest in Sarai, but God strikes him with severe plagues.  He kicks Abram out of Egypt, but he also sends Abram with all that he had acquired during his time in Egypt.  

Times are good for Lot and Abram.  They are both so wealthy that a dispute breaks out between their workers due to a shortage of land for their livestock to graze on.  They decide to separate.  Abram had every right to take the first pick and send Lot wherever.  However, Abram gives Lot the first choice.  Lot looks out and sees the lush lands and the opulence of Sodom and Gomorrah and chooses that land for himself.  He first sets his camp up outside of the city, but will eventually move into the city walls.  Over time, kings rise up and decide to go against the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah.  They rush the land and take many captive, including Lot.  Abram goes and rescues Lot.  When the kings are defeated, Melchizedek, a priest of the Most High, brings out bread and wine and blesses Abram.  The king of Sodom tries to bless Abram afterwards, but Abram refuses anything from the king.  

Matthew five contains the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus starts with what are known as the Beatitudes.  He delivers a message of hope to the hopeless, comfort to those that are mourning, and the gentle because they will inherit the earth.  Jesus calls the people to be salt and light.  Salt when it is no longer salty is not useful and it is thrown out.  A light bulb isn’t useful when it no longer gives light and it is thrown out.  My hope and prayer is that we will continue being the salt and light that God has called us to be.

January 6: Genesis 15-17 and Matthew 5:27-48

God establishes His covenant with Abram in Genesis 15.  He promises that Abram will receive a great reward.  Abram is not interested in the reward since he does not have a son to pass the reward onto.  Instead, his servant Eliezer will inherit everything.  God assures Abram that he and Sarai will have a son.  Abram is super happy about the news and takes it to Sarai.  Sarai says that there is no way that she will be giving him a child since she has been barren and offers up her concubine Hagar.  This is where Abram really messed up.  Rather than say, “Oh no, Sarai, the child is going to be with you” he goes along with Sarai’s plan.  Hagar becomes pregnant with Ishmael and now Sarai shows her disdain.  Hagar leaves the house because Sarai is so abusive.  In her travels, she encounters the Angel of the LORD.  He tells her to go back to her mistress and He will greatly multiply her offspring.  However, her son Ishmael will be like a wild donkey and he will live at odds with all of her brothers.  One thing to note about this is that the unrest in the Middle East was prophesied all the way back here in Genesis.  We see the result of this prophecy today in Israel and the surrounding areas.  

At the age of 99, God appears to Abram and tells him that he is going to establish his covenant.  This covenant would require that every male, sons and servants, must be circumcised.  Abram takes all of the men in his household and has them circumcised.  Anyone that did not submit to this was sent away.  God also promises a son through Sarai.  Abram laughs because he thinks it is impossible for his wife to give birth at such an advanced age.  He wishes that Ishmael would be a suitable heir instead.  God promises that Ishmael will become a great nation.  But He will confirm His covenant with Isaac, the son to be born of Sarai.  

Our reading in Matthew continues with the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus explains that sin is born in the heart.  To merely think of killing someone or lusting after someone is to commit the act of murder or adultery.  For so long, the law was focused on not committing sins in the flesh.  Jesus is warning here that sin begins in the heart.  The heart has to be clean in order to live a holy life.  Jesus warns the people that it would be better for them if they cut their eye out or their hand off if it caused them to sin.  Sin is just that serious.  As believers, we are to cut out the sinful things in our lives.  If we want to get away from sin, we must take it seriously!

January 7: Genesis 18-19 and Matthew 6

Abraham (formerly Abram) is sitting at the entrance of his tent when he sees three visitors at the oaks of Mamre.  One of them was God Himself and the other two were angels.  Abraham immediately runs to them and bows.  He asks them to stay and freshen up with some water and have some bread.  They agree.  Abraham goes above and beyond.  He has Sarah (formerly Sarai) take out three measures of fine flour and make the visitors bread.  Abraham also ran to the field and got a tender choice calf and had it prepared.  He fed the visitors remaining in a servant position.  They ask where Sarah is.  She was in her tent at the time.  The LORD tells Abraham that Sarah is going to be pregnant within the year.  Sarah laughs when she hears what is said.  God asks her why she laughed, but she denied laughing.  He simply responds, “No, you did laugh.”  We cannot hide anything from God.  

Abraham is brought in on what is about to happen to Sodom and Gomorrah.  Abraham asks if God will spare the city if He finds 50 righteous people.  God agrees to not destroy the city.  Eventually, Abraham whittles that number down to ten righteous people in the city.  The men depart and arrive in Sodom.  Lot tries to play host to the two visitors that enter the city.  However, he does not have the same kind of time that Abraham had to prepare a meal.  Instead, he gives them unleavened bread.  Lot enjoyed a prominent position in Sodom.  As he is in his house, all of the men demand Lot send them out.  Lot tries to give his daughters instead.  The angels let Lot know they are about to destroy the city.  Lot goes to his would be sons in law and tells them what is about to happen.  They do not believe it.  To a degree, it looks like Lot and his family do not believe it either because they have to be led out of the city.  As they are leaving, Lot’s wife looks back on the destruction and turns to salt.

Matthew six continues on with the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus encourages the people to be careful when they are giving.  They should not strive to appear righteous in front of people. Instead, they should just be righteous.  If they are giving to the poor to gain accolade from other people, then that is their reward.  Jesus also gives them the model prayer.  This prayer is the basis for the ACTS model of praying.  Adoration- give God the glory!  Confess- confess your sins to God.  Thanksgiving- give thanks for all He has done!  Supplication- ask Him for what you need.  God hears and answers all prayers.  He either says “yes”, “no”, or “wait”.  Jesus also encourages the people not to worry about what they will eat or drink.  God provides for the birds of the air and He cares about us a lot more than them.  No need to fear, God will take care of us!

January 8: Genesis 20-22 and Matthew 7

Abraham travels to the Negev, settling between Kadesh and Shur.  Having learned absolutely nothing from his time in Egypt, he once again tells the people in Gerar that Sarah is his sister.  Abimelech, the king of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.  God came to Abimelech and told him what sin he was about to commit since Sarah was a married woman.  Abimelech has Abraham brought to him and confronts him about the lie he had told.  Abimelech then returns Sarah, giving Abraham 1,000 pieces of silver and servants.  

Sarah became pregnant with Isaac.  As Isaac grew, Sarah catches Ishmael mocking him.  She goes to Abraham and demands that he and Hagar be sent away.  Abraham struggles with this at first, but God promises to take care of them and tells him to go with what Sarah wants.  Hagar and Ishmael depart and then God sends a big test to Abraham.  He is told to take Isaac out to the land of Moriah, build an altar, and sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering.  Abraham dutifully packs up what he needs to and heads out with Isaac.  Isaac asks Abraham where the lamb for the burnt offering is.  Abraham declares that God will provide the offering.  God had promised Abraham that Isaac would have a lot of offspring.  He must have held onto that promise, he just did not know how God would keep His promise if Isaac was sacrificed.  Abraham begins performing the sacrifice and is told to stop at the last minute.  Abraham has proven that he loves God and obeys Him before anything else.  After that, they see a ram caught in a thicket and sacrifice it. 

Matthew seven closes out the Sermon on the Mount.  It begins with one of the most often quoted Scriptures.  The people are told not to judge.  I have heard “do not judge” thrown around a lot.  As believers, we are not to judge.  If we judge others by our standards then that is a standard that we will be judged by.  As it stands, everyone is sinful.  Everyone struggles with sinfulness and wickedness.  Everyone is guilty of offending God.  However, there will be judgment one day.  We are not to judge one another, but we should hold one another accountable.  Folks that hold us accountable are not looking to judge us.  Instead, they are looking to help us get better.  As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)

January 9: Genesis 23-24 and Matthew 8.

Sarah, Abraham’s wife, passes away at the ripe age of 127.  Abraham goes into mourning and then approaches the Hittites about a burial site for his wife. Though the Hittites were a pagan people, they recognized Abraham as ”God’s chosen one” among them.  Abraham had a lot of money and status at this time, but he approaches in humility, bowing to them.  They reach an agreement to for Abraham to purchase the field at Machpela.  

In Abraham’s culture, the surviving family members were required to preserve the deceased bones, preferably in a cave. The cave would become a family burial tomb where other family members would rest.  This tomb for Sarah was no different. Abraham buries Sarah in this cave.  He too will rest in that cave one day. 

Abraham is getting older.  So is Isaac.  One mark of Abraham’s life is his concern about his posterity, preserving his family line.  He makes his servant pledge an oath that he will not allow Isaac to take a wife from among the Canaanites.  Instead, he is to go back to Abraham’s land and family to find a wife for Isaac.  He assures the servant that a bride will be found for his son there.  The servant sets out for Aram-naharaim.  Sure enough, he finds Rebekah.  She willingly returns with Abraham’s servant even though it was customary for a bride to wait several days before leaving her family.

Matthew gives us information about what Jesus did after the Sermon on the Mount.  A man with a serious skin disease (most likely leprosy) approaches Him and proclaims that if Jesus is willing, He can heal him.  Jesus says that He is willing and heals the man.  He also tells the man not to tell anyone what He has done.  Instead, he is to show himself to the chief priests so that they can proclaim him clean.  This was a customary Levitical Law practice.  When a person had a skin disease, it was the priests that determined whether the person was clean.  It may seem odd that Jesus tells the man not to tell anyone who healed him.  However, when we remember to earlier in our reading in Matthew, Jesus warned the people that if they are practicing righteousness to be seen by people, then that is their reward (Matt 6:1-2).  This is just one example of many where Jesus practices what He preaches!

January 10: Genesis 25-26 and Matthew 9:1-17

Abraham married another woman.  He fathered children with her, but he did not have the same devotion to these children as he did to Isaac.  He gave everything he owned to Isaac, whereas he only gave gifts to the sons of his concubines.  One way to phrase it would be to say that these other children had been taken out of the will.  He gave them things, but they would not inherit anything from him.  they are sent eastward to the Arabian peninsula.  Abraham passes away at 175 years.  Ishmael and Isaac unite briefly to bury their father.  The descendants of Ishmael are recorded.  

Isaac’s wife becomes pregnant with Jacob and Esau.  Though Esau will be born first, he will serve Jacob.  Esau was a hunter and favored by Isaac.  Jacob was favored by his mother.  Esau is a lesson in why it is important to not make rash decisions.  When he comes back from a hunt, Jacob is making a stew.  At this point, Esau decides that he is so hungry that if he does not eat anything then he will die.  So, he offers up his birthright in exchange for the ”red stuff”.  Esau was impatient and it costs him dearly. 

There is a famine in the land.  When famine hit during Abraham’s time, he went to Egypt.  God warns Isaac not to go to Egypt.  Instead, he is to go where he has told him to go.  Isaac winds up in Gerar, just like his dad did in Genesis 20. Unfortunately, we see Isaac make the same mistake Abraham did.  He tells Abimelech that his wife is his sister. 

In the New Testament reading, Jesus heals a man.  This time He does it in front of some scribes and tells the man that his sins are forgiven.  The scribes accuse Jesus of blasphemy.  From there, Jesus meets Matthew, a tax collector and tells him to follow him.  Matthew obeys.  This displeased the “religious” types.  Tax collectors were a hated group.  They were disliked by the Israelites because they were notoriously greedy.  The tax collector was able to collect whatever he wanted to from a family.  The Romans did not simply give them a paycheck from the taxes these men collected.  Instead, the tax collectors took their paychecks from the people.  Jesus is caught dining with more tax collectors and sinners.  The religious elite are upset by this.  Jesus informs them that He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.  

The trick here, of course, is that the ”righteous” that Jesus was talking to were not righteous at all.  They were in need of cleansing from the Messiah as well.  They were just too wrapped up in themselves and their position to see it.  All fall short of the glory of God.

January 11: Genesis 27-28 and Matthew 9:18-38

Isaac has grown older and it is time for him to bless Esau.  He sends Esau away to bring him back some game.  We see just how calculating Jacob and Rebekah are.  Rebekah warns Jacob that Isaac is about to give the blessing to Esau.  She hatches a scheme.  Isaac’s eyesight is failing in his old age.  She puts some goat skins on Jacob’s arms and dresses him in Esau’s clothes.  Jacob goes to his father with some lambs that his mother prepared.  Isaac questions whether it is really Esau or not, stating that the voice is Jacob’s but the hands are Esau’s.  Jacob keeps up with the lie and Isaac gives him the blessing.  As soon as Jacob leaves, Esau shows up and Isaac trembles as he realizes what he has just done.  Esau is enraged!  

This is one event where I question how anyone can think that the Bible is a boring book!  This has all the makings of a modern-day drama with deceit and treachery amongst family members!

Jacob leaves having been instructed to not take a wife from the Canaanites (just as Abraham had commanded for Isaac).  Esau learns this.  Thinking that it is his father that despises the Canaanite women, he goes to Ishmael and married several women of Canaanite descent.  A relationship is forged between Isaac’s descendants and Ishmael’s descendants all based on spite for his father and the lost blessing. 

In the New Testament, we read about more healings.  Jesus heals a young girl that is dying.  He also heals a woman that has been suffering with bleeding for 12 years and restores the sight of two blind men.  In chapter 9:36 we see the compassion that Jesus has for the people.  He sees that there are so many that do not have a shepherd.  He doesn’t have anger toward them.  He doesn’t look down upon them for being lost.  Instead, Jesus has compassion for them.

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January 11: Genesis 27-28 and Matthew 9:18-38

Isaac has grown older and it is time for him to bless Esau.  He sends Esau away to bring him back some game.  We see just how calculating Jacob and Rebekah are.  Rebekah warns Jacob that Isaac is about to give the blessing to Esau.  She hatches a scheme.  Isaac’s eyesight is failing in his old age.  She puts some goat skins on Jacob’s arms and dresses him in Esau’s clothes.  Jacob goes to his father with some lambs that his mother prepared.  Isaac questions whether it is really Esau or not, stating that the voice is Jacob’s but the hands are Esau’s.  Jacob keeps up with the lie and Isaac gives him the blessing.  As soon as Jacob leaves, Esau shows up and Isaac trembles as he realizes what he has just done.  Esau is enraged!  

This is one event where I question how anyone can think that the Bible is a boring book!  This has all the makings of a modern day drama with deceit and treachery amongst family members!

Jacob leaves having been instructed to not take a wife from the Canaanites (just as Abraham had commanded for Isaac).  Esau learns this.  Thinking that it is his father that despises the Canaanite women, he goes to Ishmael and married several women of Canaanite descent.  A relationship is forged between Isaac’s descendants and Ishmael’s descendants all based on spite for his father and the lost blessing. 

In the New Testament, we read about more healings.  Jesus heals a young girl that is dying.  He also heals a woman that has been suffering with bleeding for 12 years and restores the sight of two blind men.  In chapter 9:36 we see the compassion that Jesus has for the people.  He sees that there are so many that do not have a shepherd.  He doesn’t have anger toward them.  He doesn’t look down upon them for being lost.  Instead, Jesus has compassion for them.

January 12: Genesis 29-30 and Matthew 10:1-23

Jacob continues on his journey when he meets Rachel.  He is thrilled to have found her.  Rachel reports to Laban who Jacob is and that he is present.  When Laban hears this, he is thrilled and runs to greet Jacob.  Jacob stays with Laban for about a month.  We can infer that he had been working, earning his keep around the house since Laban feels it is not right for him to work for nothing.  They strike a deal.  After seven years of work, Jacob can take Rachel as his wife.  The seven years pass quickly because he loves her so much.  At the end of his work, Jacob demands Rachel.  Laban then sets up the wedding feast inviting all the men of the place.  However, he does not give him Rachel.  Instead, he gives Leah.  The deceiver has become the deceived.  

Laban dismisses his actions saying that it is customary to marry the older daughter first.  Jacob still wants Rachel so he agrees to work for another seven years.  He loved Rachel more than Leah.  Unfortunately for Rachel, she was barren, but Leah provides six sons to Jacob.  In desperation, Rachel cries out to The LORD.  He opens her womb and she conceives a son and names him Joseph.  

In Matthew, Jesus appoints the 12 disciples.  He sends them out to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, and drive out demons.  They are not to charge anyone for the works they will perform since they have received freely.  Jesus tells them not to take any provisions for travel.  God will provide what they need.  He also tells them to not waste their time in a town.  If the town is refusing the message of Christ, they are to shake the dust off of their sandals and move on.  Jesus warns them of the trouble ahead for them.  Walking with Him is not for the faint of heart!

January 13: Genesis 31-32 and Matthew 10:24-42

Laban begins to look at Jacob with contempt.  Even Laban’s sons are complaining about Jacob taking wealth from their father.  Jacob’s wages were the spotted and striped sheep.  Even though he had set the poplar branches out when the stronger of the flock were breeding, Genesis 31 makes it abundantly clear that it was God that made Jacob’s flocks stronger than Laban’s.  Jacob leaves with his wives and sons.  Laban pursues them.  After Jacob airs his grievances about Laban’s treatment, they establish a covenant and build a stone mound to commemorate the agreement.  Laban calls the mound Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob calls is Galeed.  Both mean “Mount of Witness”.  Jacob named it in Hebrew and Laban named it in Aramaic.

Jacob continues on his way.  He has just dealt with his father in law and now he is about to meet up with his scorned brother Esau.  Jacob is terrified after he receives the report of how many men Esau has with him.  So, he sends many gifts to his brother with some servants ahead of the traveling party.  Keep in mind that money was not a thing back then.  Instead, wealthy as measured by livestock and land.  Jacob is parting with a hefty amount of his wealth in his attempt to appease Esau.  Jacob actively works to set several barriers between himself and his brother. 

During the night, Jacob sends his family to Jabbok.  After the family had crossed the stream, Jacob was left alone, or so he thought.  He spends the night wrestling a man.  The Hebrew language changes to show that this was no ordinary man.  Jacob is wrestling with God.  He puts up a good fight and he demands that God bless him.  Jacob will now be named Israel.  

We get assurance from Jesus in our New Testament reading.  We have no need to fear because God is going to take care of us.  He takes care of all the wildlife.  They are fed and have what they need to survive.  God will do the same for us.  Jesus also promises that if we acknowledge Him in front of others, He will acknowledge us before the Father in heaven.  He also warns that if we do not acknowledge Him, He will not acknowledge us.

January 14: Genesis 33-35 and Matthew 11

Jacob, now Israel, continues moving toward Esau.  He looks up and sees that Esau is before him with 400 men.  Jacob divides up his family behind him according to their status.  He goes ahead of them and bows seven times before Esau, a sign of unparalleled respect at the time.  Esau rushes to greet Israel.  This encounter is completely different than we would expect it to have been.  Esau is no longer bitter.  He explains that he has enough.  The men go their separate ways.  

Shechem is infatuated with Leah’s daughter, Dina.  He rapes the woman and Jacob finds out about it.  Hamor, Shechem’s father, approaches Jacob about giving Dinah to his son as a wife.  When Jacob’s sons return, Hamor explains to them how much Shechem loves their sister.  He encourages them all to intermarry.  The men explain to him that it would be a disgrace since his son is uncircumcised.  They tell Shechem that if he has all of the men in his camp circumcised, then they will allow the marriage.  This seems like a great idea to Shechem, so he goes and does just that.  On the second day after the circumcision, when the men were still in pain, Jacob’s sons Levi and Simeon, went in and slaughtered every Hivite man. 

From there Jacob is told to go to Bethel.  He packs up his things, buries the foreign gods by a tree, and terror falls on the surrounding people so that they will not pursue him.  God blesses Jacob once again, repeating the blessing that his name will now be Israel.  Rachel gives birth to one more son, but the birth is difficult and she passes away shortly after delivering Benjamin. 

We learn more about an interaction between Jesus and John the Baptist’s disciples.  John is in prison, so he sends some of his men to ask if Jesus is the Messiah.  He sends them back with a message that affirms He is the One.  Jesus also tells the people that John was the one identified in Isaiah as the messenger that would herald the Messiah.  Of course, many did not believe John because he came in a hairy garment with wild hair, eating wild honey and locusts.  They claimed he had a demon because he did not come eating or drinking like the other Israelites.  At the same time, they denied Jesus’s Messiahship because He came eating and drinking, saying that He is a drunkard and glutton.  

Some people will do what they can to find fault no matter what.  Some people just refuse to accept something for what it is.  They will change up the standard of measurement, not because it is right, but because it protects what they want to believe.

January 15: Genesis 36-37 and Matthew 12:1-21

Genesis 36 details the descendants of Esau.  While some of us might be tempted to gloss over this reading, it is important to showing God fulfilling His promise to Abraham.  The Edomites, a nation founded by Esau, will later have squabbles with the Israelites.  However, they also grow, fulfilling God’s promise that Abraham would have many descendants.  The text here also shows that the Edomites had established their kings well before Israel installed king Saul.  

Israel, aka Jacob, remained in Canaan.  He has his favorite son Joseph that begins having a series of dreams.  All of these dreams point to the future where all of his brothers will bow down before him.  As you can imagine, this does not set well with them.  They already have a certain amount of disdain for him since he is Israel’s favorite.  The brothers decide that they will kill him, but Reuben reasons with them.  Instead of killing him, they are just going to make it look like he was killed and throw him into a pit instead.  Reuben’s plan was to go back and rescue Joseph later.  However, Joseph never makes it into the pit.  Instead, he is sold into slavery and taken to Egypt.  The brothers think this is the last they have seen of Joseph.  They are incredibly wrong!

In our New Testament reading, we see that Jesus is showing the true meaning of the Sabbath.  The Pharisees and Sadducees were too wrapped up in the Law itself.  They were making the Sabbath something they served rather than it being something for them.  So, Jesus heals a whole lot of people on the Sabbath.  The Sabbath was meant to be a day of rest.  It was meant to be a blessing to the people, not something that forbid them from doing good.

January 16: Genesis 38-40 and Matthew 12: 22-50.

Judah breaks away while Jacob is still grieving Joseph’s supposed death.  This was most likely because of the guilt he bore in the plot.  He finds a wife for his firstborn son, but he is deemed evil, so The LORD strikes down the son.  Judah goes to his second son, Onan, telling him to impregnate his brother’s widow, Tamar.  This might seem odd to us, but this was a common practice in the Ancient Near East.  Onan is deceitful and ensures that he will not get her pregnant.

Judah’s wife passes away and he goes into mourning.  After he is done mourning, Tamar removes her mourning clothes and covers her face.  Judah believes she is a prostitute, sleeps with her, and impregnates her.  Later, when Tamar is dressed normally, she is confronted about her pregnancy.  Tamar proves that the father is in fact Judah.

Meanwhile, Joseph is alive and well.  He was working hard for Potiphar and there was nothing that was withheld from him.  Potiphar’s wife takes an interest in him because he was well built.  She continually harasses him, asking him to sleep with her.  This was a constant thing and in her final temptation, she managed to get ahold of his garment and keep it with her.  She then cries foul, telling everyone that Joseph attempted to rape her.  This results in Joseph going to prison where he tends to the chief cupbearer and the chief baker.  He interprets dreams for the two.  The cupbearer receives good news.  The chief baker does not. 

In Matthew, Jesus is accused of driving out demons by Beelzebul.  Jesus refutes the accusations, stating that a house divided against itself cannot stand.  Jesus also warns them that a good tree will bear good fruit and a bad tree bears bad.  One thing that we must ask ourselves regularly as believers is if we are in fact bearing the fruit of the Spirit or the fruit of the world.

January 17: Genesis 41 and Matthew 13:1-32.

Pharaoh is having some disturbing dreams.  No one is able to interpret the dream.  The chief cupbearer overhears the problem and confides in Pharaoh that the Jewish man he was in prison with is able to interpret dreams.  Pharaoh has Joseph brought to him and explains that no one can interpret the dreams.  Joseph explains that he cannot explain the dream.  Instead, God Almighty is the one that will interpret it.  Egypt is in store for seven great years of abundance, but seven years of severe famine will follow them, making people forget about the great abundance from before.  Joseph is given a place of honor and put in charge of the effort to prepare for the coming famine.  Joseph, whether in a good or bad situation, constantly did well and sought The LORD.  Due to his diligence and hard work ethic, he finds himself in a place of prominence! 

In our Matthew reading, Jesus teaches in parables.  He teaches about the seed Sower that spreads his seed.  Some of the seed falls among the weeds and is choked out.  Some seed gets into shallow soil and sprouts quickly, but it is quickly withered by the sun.  Other seed falls on the hard ground and never grows any root.  Still some of the seed lands in good soil and develops a great crop.  Jesus also tells the parable of the wheat and the weeds.  The farmer plants the wheat, but an enemy comes in and plants weeds among the wheat.  The men that tend to the land ask if they should pull the weeds up.  The farmer tells them to leave them both.  If they pull the weeds, they may pull the wheat as well.  They will both grow.  At harvest the wheat will be gathered and put in the barn.  The weeds will be gathered first, bundled, and thrown into the fire.

January 18: Genesis 42-43 and Matthew 13:33-58.

The famine hits not just Egypt, but all of the surrounding areas.  Jacob finds out that there is grain in Egypt, so he sends his sons there.  It is interesting to note that when famine hit earlier in Genesis, Abraham went to Egypt for a safe haven. The sons go with the exception of Benjamin.  He was the last of Rachel’s children and Israel did not want to part with him.  The men arrive in Egypt, where they find themselves bowing down to their brother Joseph, just as his dreams had indicated.  They do not recognize their brother, nor do they think that he can understand them.  Since Joseph held such a high place within the Egyptian government, he was adorned with the common Egyptian dress.  Joseph has also spent many years in Egypt, so he would be very familiar with the language and use it often.  There was no google translate back then, so he would have had to adjust to the language, dress, and culture.  He sends his brothers back with grain and all of their money, but holds Simeon back as collateral.  They return and explain what has happened.  Israel in a moment of self pity cries, “Everything happens to me!”

The brothers do not return to Egypt until their grain runs out.  They know that they are coming under judgment because of what they had done to Joseph so many years ago.  The crime they committed still haunts them and their fear is intense.  

In our New Testament reading, we have more parables.  Jesus gives them the parable that shows how precious the kingdom of God is.  It is like a priceless pearl that a merchant sells everything he has just to purchase it.  When we come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, the things of this world aren’t as shiny and nice anymore.  We don’t have residence on earth.  Instead, we belong in God’s kingdom.  As believers, we know that our salvation through Christ is more precious than anything this world has to offer.  

There is an interesting problem Jesus runs into in Nazareth.  The people from His hometown reject Him.  They merely see Him as Joseph’s kid, the son of a carpenter.  They do not see Him as Messiah.  We can run into similar problems with people that know us from our past.  I was a completely different person before coming to faith.  The folks that knew me prior to conversion would probably still look on my past to downplay my faith.  Not to worry, God doesn’t hold our past against us.  We might, our friends might, and the enemy sure will, but God holds no record of wrong when we are washed with the blood of Jesus.

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January 18: Genesis 42-43 and Matthew 13:33-58.

The famine hits not just Egypt, but all of the surrounding areas.  Jacob finds out that there is grain in Egypt, so he sends his sons there.  It is interesting to note that when famine hit earlier in Genesis, Abraham went to Egypt for a safe haven. The sons go with the exception of Benjamin.  He was the last of Rachel’s children and Israel did not want to part with him.  The men arrive in Egypt, where they find themselves bowing down to their brother Joseph, just as his dreams had indicated.  They do not recognize their brother, nor do they think that he can understand them.  Since Joseph held such a high place within the Egyptian government, he was adorned with the common Egyptian dress.  Joseph has also spent many years in Egypt, so he would be very familiar with the language and use it often.  There was no google translate back then, so he would have had to adjust to the language, dress, and culture.  He sends his brothers back with grain and all of their money, but holds Simeon back as collateral.  They return and explain what has happened.  Israel in a moment of self pity cries, “Everything happens to me!”

The brothers do not return to Egypt until their grain runs out.  They know that they are coming under judgment because of what they had done to Joseph so many years ago.  The crime they committed still haunts them and their fear is intense.  

In our New Testament reading, we have more parables.  Jesus gives them the parable that shows how precious the kingdom of God is.  It is like a priceless pearl that a merchant sells everything he has just to purchase it.  When we come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, the things of this world aren’t as shiny and nice anymore.  We don’t have residence on earth.  Instead, we belong in God’s kingdom.  As believers, we know that our salvation through Christ is more precious than anything this world has to offer.  

There is an interesting problem Jesus runs into in Nazareth.  The people from His hometown reject Him.  They merely see Him as Joseph’s kid, the son of a carpenter.  They do not see Him as Messiah.  We can run into similar problems with people that know us from our past.  I was a completely different person before coming to faith.  The folks that knew me prior to conversion would probably still look on my past to downplay my faith.  Not to worry, God doesn’t hold our past against us.  We might, our friends might, and the enemy sure will, but God holds no record of wrong when we are washed with the blood of Jesus.

January 19: Genesis 44-45 and Matthew 14:1-21.  

Joseph gives one more test to his brothers as they depart.  He has the steward fill his brother’s bags to the brim.  He also has a cup, a cup that he labels as special, placed in Benjamin’s sack.  When the brothers leave, they are approached and asked how they could have done such evil.  The men, not realizing that the cup was with them, agreed that if the cup is found then the guilty person will stay behind.  The cup is found in Benjamin’s bag.  Judah throws himself at the mercy of Joseph, explaining that if Benjamin does not come back with him, then his father will die of grief.

This moves Joseph to order everyone else out of the room and identify himself as their brother.  They are all terrified at his presence.  The man that they had betrayed in such a way, selling him into slavery, now stands before them as one with authority!  Of course they were terrified!  Joseph, though, tells them not to worry.  He sees that what they meant for evil, God had meant for good.  Joseph encourages them to go home and get his father and their families and come back to Egypt to live. 

In our reading in Matthew, we learn of John the Baptist’s fate.  John was imprisoned by Herod because John was speaking out about his illegal marriage to his brother Herodias’s wife.  Herod was one of those crazy rulers that believed he could do whatever he wanted.  So he locked John up.  Up to this point, John remained alive because the people regarded him as a prophet.  Herod kept John alive to maintain political peace.  However, after John’s head is demanded, Herod has to give his head over to maintain political peace.  

We also read about the feeding of 5,000.  Jesus feeds a large crowd with just five loaves of bread and two fish.  The loaves that the text describes would have been about the size of a Twinkie, not like what we get at the grocery store today.  Still, with that, Jesus feeds all those people with very little.

January 20: Genesis 46-48 and Matthew 14:22-36

Jacob and his entire family go to Egypt.  In total, there are 70 people that come to Egypt.  Joseph explains that shepherds are abhorrent to the Egyptian people.  He directs them to tell Pharaoh they are shepherds so they will be sent to the land of Goshen.  They do as they are instructed and settled down.  Unfortunately, the famine still rages on.  The money dries up, so the people offer their livestock to pay for their grain.  Then the livestock is already owned by Pharaoh, so the people give their land for the grain.  Pharaoh winds up owning all of the land before the famine lets up.  

Jacob realizes that his time is coming to an end.  He gives praise because he has not only been allowed to see Joseph one more time, but he has also been able to see his grandsons.  Jacob goes to bless Ephraim and Manasseh.  Joseph realizes that Jacob is placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head and tries to redirect his father.  Manasseh should have been the one receiving the greater blessing since he was older.  Jacob assures Joseph that Manasseh will be great, but Ephraim will be greater.  Throughout the course of Genesis, we have seen the younger brother being greater than the older.  This should not have surprised Joseph at all.  God is going to do what He wants to do.  Even though the blessing of the younger went against the worldly standards of the time, God is not bound to our norms and standards.  

In Matthew, we read about Jesus walking across the water.  The disciples are headed across the Lake of Galilee when they see a figure walking toward them in the middle of the night.  They all become afraid because they think it is a ghost.  Sailors see some weird stuff at sea, all the years I spent at sea, I never saw a person walk on the water.  Peter asks that if it is Jesus that He would command him to walk out on the water to Jesus.  Jesus grants the request and Peter makes his way toward Jesus.  He sees the strength of the wind, though, and becomes afraid.  He starts to sink and cries out to Jesus to save him.  Peter’s problem was that he took his eyes and focus off of Jesus.  Rather than focus on how big God is, he focused on how strong the wind was.  When we are going through the storms of life it might not be pleasant, but we can weather the storm because we know our God is bigger than anything the world can throw at us. 

I do not like to beat up Peter too much with this narrative.  Out of all of the men, he is the only one that got out of the boat.  Peter at least took the initial leap of faith and walked on the water.  The rest of the disciples did not.  As believers, let’s step out on faith with God.  If He is calling you to do something, even though it might seem terrifying, the best thing you can do is to step out and follow Him.

January 21: Genesis 49-50 and Matthew 15:1-20

Jacob knows that his time is coming to an end, so he gathers all of the patriarchs so that he can tell them what their futures hold.  Reuben would have been the one chosen to lead since he was the oldest.  However, since he slept with Bilhah, Jacob’s concubine (Gen 35:22), he will no longer lead.  Simeon and Levi are angry men which drives them to kill.  They will be dispersed.  Judah is told that the scepter will not depart from Judah or the staff between his feet.  The scenter and staff were symbols of royalty in Egypt.  This is a prophetic vision of the Davidic covenant that will one day be established.  David, who will come many generations after this pronouncement, is of the line of Judah.  Even all the way back then, we see glimpses of God’s ultimate plan of salvation. 

Jacob passes away and his body is returned to rest with his fathers.  They take him back to Mamre and bury him there.  This is the same place that Sarah and Abraham were buried.  Jacob also grows older and he passes away.  Rather than take him back to rest with his fathers, he is embalmed in a coffin in Egypt.  One day, that coffin will be carried into the promised land. 

In the Matthew reading the Pharisees and the scribes are upset that the disciples are not washing their hands before they eat.  We should wash our hands before we eat, so we might wonder why the Pharisees were so upset about it.  The problem is that the disciples were not following the ritual cleansing practice.  It was a long process that was less about cleansing and more about the “show”.  Jesus asks them why the Pharisees break the tradition by not following the Law.  He then goes on to explain that it is not what goes into the person that makes him or her defiled, but what comes out of them.  Sin is born in the heart.  Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable - who can understand it?”  As believers, we must guard our hearts and keep them clean.

January 22: Exodus 1-3 and Matthew 15:21-39.

Exodus starts with a quick recap of how the Israelites came to be established in Egypt.  Joseph and his family were well loved by the Pharaoh.  As time went by, though, a new Pharaoh came around that did not know Joseph.  He looked at the Israelites as a threat.  So he ordered the Egyptian midwives to kill any Jewish male babies.  Jewish boys continue to be born and when the midwives are asked about it, they simply respond that the Jewish women are tough and have already delivered the baby by the time the midwives arrived to help. 

Moses, a son born to a Levite man and a Levite woman, is placed by his mother in a papyrus basket in the Nile river.  The baby floats down to the place where Pharaoh’s daughter is bathing.  She feels bad for the boy and adopts him.  Moses spend the first few years of his life being raised by his mother.  Moses grows to be a man and witnesses the oppression of his people.  He kills an Egyptian that is treating an Israelite cruelly.  He thought no one had noticed it, but when he approaches two Israelites arguing they ask him if he will kill them the way he killed the Egyptian.  So Moses flees to Midian.  

One day Moses is out shepherding his father in law’s flocks when he sees a burning bush.  There is fire, but the bush is not consumed.  Moses investigates.  He is directed to take off his sandals because he is standing on holy ground.  From there, The LORD directs Moses to go back to Egypt to free His people.  

In the New Testament reading we discover the faith of a Gentile mother.  Jesus heals her daughter, showing that He has not just come to bless the Israelites, but all people.  Jesus continues moving around the Sea of Galilee healing many people.  A crowd follows Him for three days and He has compassion on them.  He tells the disciples to feed this crowd of 4,000.  Jesus once again shows that He provides.

January 23:  Exodus 4-6 and Matthew 16

Moses pushes back asking why Pharaoh would believe him and his message.  God proclaims that he will give Moses signs and wonders for Pharaoh and then demonstrates a small sample of what He can do.  Moses continues to complain, stating that he is not an eloquent man.  It is believed that Moses probably had a stuttering problem.  Nevertheless, God is going to use Moses to free the people. 

On his way back to Egypt, we read about Moses’s son being circumcised by his mother.  This might seem like it is out of left field, but it shows Moses’s mentality versus his wife Zipporah’s.  Moses would have been accustomed to the rituals of the Egyptians.  They circumcised their males at the age of 14.  Zipporah, having grown up in a Hebrew home, knew that they were currently out of God’s covenant because they had not yet had their son circumcised.  This shows how seriously Zipporah is taking this mission! 

Moses meets with Pharaoh and he is less than pleased.  He does not free the people.  Instead, he makes their lives even more difficult, not providing them straw for the bricks.  Even though they make production more difficult, the Israelites are expected to meet their current output. 

In the New Testament reading, the disciples are confused.  Jesus tells them to beware the yeast of the Pharisees.  The men thought that He meant literal bread.  Jesus was speaking about their inflammatory words that go against God’s word and His kingdom.  Peter makes the first proclamation of Jesus Christ as Messiah.

January 24: Exodus 7-8 and Mathew 17

Moses and Aaron stand before Pharaoh.  Pharaoh demands a sign.  Moses, as The LORD commanded him, throws his staff down and it becomes a snake.  Pharaoh’s magicians and sorcerers are able to do the same with their staffs.  The serpent from Moses’ staff eats the other serpents.  Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, though.  He will not budge.  So the Egyptian water is turned to blood.  Everything in the Nile died as a result of this first plague.  Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened because his magicians could also turn water to blood through their occult practices.

Frogs came upon the Egyptian land and plagued the people.  Pharaoh tells Moses to ask God to remove the frogs.  Moses agrees, but only if Pharaoh lets the people go.  The next day, Moses is true to his word and God removes the frogs. Unfortunately, since there was relief, Pharaoh no longer feels the need to uphold his end of the bargain and changes his mind.  They will NOT be freed.

From there, gnats plague the people, followed by swarms of flies.  The land of Goshen, where the Israelites live, is spared the plague.  Yet Pharaoh’s heart remains hardened.  He would not let the people go.  This is not the first time that Egypt suffered plagues because of the Israelites.  We would think that Pharaoh would have learned from history or he would see that Goshen is spared from some plagues to make his decision.  He does not, though.  Pharaoh’s heart remains hardened.  The message does not penetrate.  Things will only get worse for him as time goes on. 

In Matthew, Jesus goes to a mountain with Peter, James, and John.  When He is there with them, He is transformed in front of them.  His face shines like the sun and His clothes become white as the light.  Moses and Elijah appeared to Him and they were talking.  Seeing this, Peter runs to Jesus to say that he will build a tent for all three of them.  Again, a voice from heaven proclaims “This is My beloved Son.  I take delight in Him.  Listen to Him!”

January 25: Exodus 9-10 and Matthew 18:1-20

Pharaoh still just does not get it.  Well, he gets it, but his heart remains hardened.  The Egyptians suffer through a few more plagues.  There is the mass death of their livestock.  This is followed by boils that infect all of the Egyptians, including the sorcerers and magicians.  Then large hail comes.  The people are warned to seek shelter for themselves and their animals that are outside or they will die.  Some took heed of the advice, others did not.  Crops were destroyed and what was left were soon devastated by the plague of locusts.  Never before had there been such a large number of locusts, and there never will be again (Ex10:14).  After the locusts darkness falls over all of Egypt, except where the Israelites live. 

Throughout these chapters we see Pharaoh struggle with everything that is going on.  Several times he relents and decides to let them go.  Sometimes he agrees to just let a few go.  He agrees to let everyone go, but the flocks have to remain behind.  Moses insists that all of the livestock needed to come with them since they did not know what God would require them to sacrifice when they were freed.  

To a degree, Pharaoh reminds me of someone who knows the truth, but they do not want to accept the truth because they are afraid of what they are giving up.  In Pharaoh’s case, he is giving up the people.  In the case of folks today, it is a matter of not wanting to give up sin.  There are some that know who Jesus is, but they do not want to make Jesus lord of their lives because they do not want to give up their sin.  Sin can harden hearts.  

In the New Testament reading, Jesus is asked who is the greatest.  Jesus shocks them all by pointing to the children and saying that they are the greatest.  His point is that if people want to be great in the Kingdom of God, they must give up their understanding and trust in the Lord.  As believers, we have to trust Him first and foremost.  Jesus also gives a great example of how to properly enforce church discipline.  If someone has a problem with a person, they should go directly to the person in private.  If that does not work, then take a couple of witnesses to have the chat.  If that still does not work, then get the whole church involved.  Nowhere in there does it say to go and gossip about the person! 

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January 25: Exodus 9-10 and Matthew 18:1-20

Pharaoh still just does not get it.  Well, he gets it, but his heart remains hardened.  The Egyptians suffer through a few more plagues.  There is the mass death of their livestock.  This is followed by boils that infect all of the Egyptians, including the sorcerers and magicians.  Then large hail comes.  The people are warned to seek shelter for themselves and their animals that are outside or they will die.  Some took heed of the advice, others did not.  Crops were destroyed and what was left were soon devastated by the plague of locusts.  Never before had there been such a large number of locusts, and there never will be again (Ex10:14).  After the locusts darkness falls over all of Egypt, except where the Israelites live. 

Throughout these chapters we see Pharaoh struggle with everything that is going on.  Several times he relents and decides to let them go.  Sometimes he agrees to just let a few go.  He agrees to let everyone go, but the flocks have to remain behind.  Moses insists that all of the livestock needed to come with them since they did not know what God would require them to sacrifice when they were freed.  

To a degree, Pharaoh reminds me of someone who knows the truth, but they do not want to accept the truth because they are afraid of what they are giving up.  In Pharaoh’s case, he is giving up the people.  In the case of folks today, it is a matter of not wanting to give up sin.  There are some that know who Jesus is, but they do not want to make Jesus lord of their lives because they do not want to give up their sin.  Sin can harden hearts.  

In the New Testament reading, Jesus is asked who is the greatest.  Jesus shocks them all by pointing to the children and saying that they are the greatest.  His point is that if people want to be great in the Kingdom of God, they must give up their understanding and trust in the Lord.  As believers, we have to trust Him first and foremost.  Jesus also gives a great example of how to properly enforce church discipline.  If someone has a problem with a person, they should go directly to the person in private.  If that does not work, then take a couple of witnesses to have the chat.  If that still does not work, then get the whole church involved.  Nowhere in there does it say to go and gossip about the person! 

Jesus also gives assurance that where two or three are gathered in His name, He is there among them.

January 26: Exodus 11-12 and Matthew 18:21-35

One more plague is in store for the Egyptians.  Pharaoh has not let the people go, but this final plague will break his heart long enough for him to send the Israelites away.  Every first born Egyptian male will die.  Every single one of them, regardless of societal class, will perish.  Then a great cry will be heard throughout the land of Egypt.  In order for the Israelite males to be spared, they are given instructions for the first Passover.  They are to take an unblemished sheep or goat.  They will then take the animal and slaughter it, taking some of the blood and putting it on the doorposts and lintels of their houses.  This way, when death sees the blood, it will Passover the house.  They are also given a very specific meal to commemorate this event in Jewish history.  The Passover is still celebrated today. 

The LORD did just as He said He would and struck down every firstborn Egyptian male.  The anguish is heard and Pharaoh summons Moses and Aaron and kicks them out of Egypt.  They are instructed to take everything with them, including their livestock.  Pharaoh wants them gone.  The Israelites then ask the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and clothing.  They leave with a blessing from the Egyptian people.  This harkens to the time that Abraham was kicked out of Egypt.  The Pharaoh was mad at Abraham for what he had done, but he still sent Abraham away with more than he came with.  God again gives provision to His people.  The Exodus is now underway! 

The reading in Matthew has one of my favorite parables.  Jesus tells the parable of the unforgiving slave.  There is a man that owes a lot of money to the master.  He owes so much money that he will never be able to pay it off as long as he lives.  Essentially, he would have to work three lifetimes to make the amount of money he owes.  He begs for mercy from the master.  He takes pity on the debtor and forgives the debt.  We would think the debtor would be relieved and ready to celebrate his forgiveness.  Instead, he runs into a man that owes him money.  It is just a fraction of what he owed the master, but he demands it nonetheless.  When the man cannot pay, he is thrown into prison.  Everyone that sees it is distressed and report it back to the master.  He then sends the man to prison.  He had been forgiven for a lot, but he refused to forgive very little. 

As believers, we have been forgiven of the debt that we could never repay.  We have been forgiven our sins, the debt that leads to death.  Since we have been forgiven in much, we should also forgive.

January 27: Exodus 13-15 and Matthew 19:1-15

The Israelites have been freed.  God commands that every firstborn male from every Israelite woman be consecrated to Him.  They are His.  Moses commands the people not to forget what God has done for them that day by freeing them from their oppression.  They are given a special way to commemorate their freedom.  From what we read here, the people are happy, but that happiness will soon turn to fear and anger. 

The Israelites turn their praise into groaning when they realize that Pharaoh and his army is after them.  The previous Pharaoh had treated them harshly because he was afraid the Israelites would ally themselves with an enemy and leave the land.  Now that the fog of losing all of the firstborn males has lifted, Pharaoh believes he has made a mistake and gives chase.  The Israelites turn on Moses, saying that it would have been better for them to live as slaves in Egypt than to die in the wilderness.  God proclaims that He is going to put them in a position that will be impossible to get out of.  He is going to put them between the Red Sea and the Egyptian Army.  God then rescues them by separating the Red Sea so that the Israelites can walk across on dry ground.  When Pharaoh and his army pursue into the sea, they are overtaken by the water and they drown.  

There is debate as to where the Israelites crossed the Red Sea or if it was in fact the Red Sea.  The Hebrew in the text is “Yam Suph” which translates to “Sea of Reeds.”  The Red Sea during this time of the Exodus was known as the Gulf of Suez.  Today, the Suez Canal takes ships from the Mediterranean Sea into the Red Sea.  There are varying theories as to where this miracle occurred.  Regardless of where it happened, we know that they crossed over and sang praises to God for their deliverance.  Shortly after their deliverance, though, they complain about lack of fresh water.  Again, the LORD provides.  Through the reaction of the Israelites, we see the trap that we can fall into when it comes to following God.  He gave them everything they needed, but as soon as they thought they lacked something, their faith disappears.  God is faithful, so we should be faithful.  This response will be common from the people as they wander the wilderness. 

In the Matthew reading, Jesus explains how the hardness of people’s hearts can drive people to not follow His commands.  Moses allowed the people to give certificates of divorce, but that was not God’s intention.  God’s intent was that a man leaves his father and mother and be joined to his wife.  Jesus also shows again how much He cares for the children.  They were brought to Him so that He could pray with them, but the disciples rebuked the children.  Jesus is not happy about the actions of the disciples.  Jesus explains that the kingdom of heaven is made up of “people like this”.  As believers, we are called to have childlike faith in The One True God.

January 28: Exodus 16-18 and Matthew 19:16-30

The Israelites, having been provided for just a little while ago, are now complaining about lacking again.  They complain to Moses and Aaron saying that they are going to die because they brought them out to the wilderness.  Moses explains that they are not complaining about him and Aaron.  Instead, they are complaining about God.  God is the One that brought them out of Egypt, He simply used Moses and Aaron as a means to His purpose.  God sends the people quail that night and sends them manna after that.  They would collect manna six days out of the week.  On the sixth day, they would gather a double portion because manna would not fall on the Sabbath.  They were to take that day to rest.  Some people gathered a lot, some people gathered a little.  However, both had the same amount when they were done harvesting.  They not to keep any extra (except for the sixth day).  Some folks tried to keep extra, but found that it had worms in it the following day.  Others tried to gather on the Sabbath and found that there was no manna that day. 

When Jesus gives an example on how to pray, He asks” Give us this day, our daily bread.”  He doesn’t ask for future bread.  He asks for what is needed that day.  God is providing for the wandering Israelites daily.  He continues to provide for us.  The challenge is to remain grateful for what God has given us in our daily bread and not to worry about the future.

The Israelites are happy about the manna, but then complain about the lack of water.  Moses strikes a rock with his staff and it produces water.  This was all done through God’s power. 

Moses receives a nice visit from his father-in-law.  Jethro sees how hard Moses is working.  He is the head guy and there is no one assisting him in his ministry efforts.  Jethro warns him that it is not good and he needs to appoint help. Otherwise, he is going to wear himself out and the people will become worn out as well.  Today, as believers, we all belong to the “priesthood of believers.”  We are all called into a level of ministry.  Just like faith is not a spectator sport, neither is ministry.  As believers, God will empower us to serve Him to further His kingdom.

In the New Testament reading, a rich young ruler approaches Jesus asking about eternal life.  Jesus tells him to follow some of the Ten Commandments.  The ruler states that he has followed them.  Jesus tells him he is lacking one thing.  He has too much stuff.  He needs to sell it and give the proceeds to the poor.  The man walks away sad.  The problem is that the man had more faith in the wealth that he had amassed than he did in Jesus.  As believers, let us have complete faith in Christ and what He has done for us, not the things of the world.  The things of this world will wither and fade, but the things of God are eternal!

January 29: Exodus 19-21 and Matthew 20:1-16

Israel is in Sinai.  Moses goes up the mountain to God.  God says that if they will listen to Him and carefully keep His covenant, they will be His people.  Unlike other covenants we have seen up to this point, this covenant has conditions on it.  Moses goes back down the mountain to warn the people that God is going to come down on the mountain with thick fog.  They are not to break through the fog or they might see God and die.  

While on the mountain, God gives Moses the Ten Commandments.  The people are not to have any other gods.  They are not to make idols.  They are not to misuse the Lord’s name.  They are to keep the Sabbath. They are commanded to honor their father and mother.  They are commanded to not murder, commit adultery, steal, lie, or covet their neighbor’s possessions.  Ten Commandments that we would think would be easy to follow!  However, they are not.  On the surface, they seem so simple, but they are incredibly difficult to keep.  

God also gives additional laws.  Through these laws, we can see just how concerned God is with the preservation of life.  If an ox gores someone, the ox is to be put to death, but if the owner of the ox knew that it had a goring problem, then the owner was guilty as well.  If someone hits a guy hard enough that he is unable to work for a few days, the man that assaulted the person is not punished, but he is responsible for making up for lost wages.  However, if the person dies, then the person is guilty. 

In Matthew Jesus tells a parable about the vineyard workers.  The owner goes and offers a denarius for working the vineyard.  A denarius was roughly a day’s wage.  Later in the day, the owner finds other men standing around.  He hires them to work the vineyard.  He also offers them a denarius for their work.  The men hired earlier on in the day are upset that they are getting paid the same amount as the men that worked less.  

The thing about following Christ is that the reward we get is eternal life in heaven.  That reward is given to anyone that comes to faith in Him.  Some of us come to faith early on in our lives.  Others come to know Him as Lord and Savior later.  Regardless of when we come to know Jesus, we cannot assume that we will get more of a reward when we are in heaven because we have been working for God so much longer.  This seems counterintuitive to our worldly standard where more work equals more pay. 

If we are struggling like the workers hired one earlier in the day were, we do have a great consolation.  The earlier we come to know Jesus and commit our lives to Him, the less we have to walk in doubt and darkness with the yoke of sin upon us.

January 30: Exodus 22-24 and Matthew 20:17-34

God explains how to handle thievery, crops, and a variety of other issues.  God’s laws protect everyone.  If a thief is caught and beaten during the night, no one is guilty of bloodshed since the victim does not know the level of danger the thief poses.  However, if the sun has risen, then there is guilt of bloodshed.  Even in the act of thievery, the thief has some level of protection! 

Further, the people are able to work their fields for six years, but on the seventh they have to let it rest.  They let the field rest so that the poor among them and the wild animals can consume what is left.

Throughout these laws that God establishes, He makes is very clear that His people are to make sacrifice only to Him.  God wants fellowship with His people and they are expressly forbidden from fellowshipping with any other gods.  We will see that the people have a hard time with this later in Exodus.

In our New Testament reading, Jesus again predicts that He will die.  He makes it abundantly clear to His followers what is going to happen.  Nevertheless, the mother of the “Son’s of Thunder” comes to Jesus and asks that they will sit at Christ’s right and left hand in His kingdom.  He asks if they can drink the cup that He is about to drink.  They say that they are, but they still do not know quite what they are agreeing to.  Jesus explains that they will drink the same cup.  Both men will be martyred for their faith. 

The question applies to us today.  Are we willing to drink the cup that Christ drank?  Will we go all in for Him as He did for us?  As believers, we are called to die to ourselves and make Christ The LORD of our lives.

January 31: Exodus 25-26 and Matthew 21:1-22

God now moves on to building the Tabernacle.  This will essentially be a holy tent that they take around with them as they wander the desert.  It serves as a precursor to the Temple in Jerusalem.  There is a level of irony here.  During Jesus’s time, the Temple was considered holy and the only place that a person could go and worship The LORD when the Israelites wandered the desert worshipping God at the Tabernacle for decades.  The point is that worship is not confined to one spot and one time.  Worship can be conducted anywhere and anytime.  God is not confined to one place, so our worship of Him should not be confined to one place.  

Moses is told to take up an offering to build the Tabernacle.  One thing to note is that in the very first verse of chapter 25, God tells Moses to “Take My offering from everyone who is willing to give.”  Moses was not supposed to go in and demand money.  He is taking offerings from willing people.  Believers are called to be cheerful givers.  The Tabernacle was funded by a group of people that were willingly giving to God, not begrudgingly giving.  

In our Matthew reading, Jesus enters Jerusalem in His triumphal entry.  Jesus sends two disciples ahead of Him to get a donkey that had never been ridden before.  If they are asked what they are doing, they should just say that “The LORD needs them.”  Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a colt, fulfilling the prophecy given in Zechariah 9:9.  

Jesus proceeds to enter the Temple complex and begins to clean house.  He drives out the money lenders and the people selling animals.  In those days, a sacrifice still had to be made to atone for sins.  Israelites from all over traveled once a year to Jerusalem to make the sacrifice.  Rather than bring their own sacrifice, it was common to purchase an animal there to offer.  These money lender and animal merchants were merely offering a convenience.  That was not necessarily a problem.  The problem is where they had set up their tables to sell and trade.  There was no reverence from the people buying or selling.  It was a rote ritual that they did because it was “customary”.  My hope and prayer is that our walk with the Lord never becomes a rote ritual.  I pray that our service to Him never comes down to a matter of convenience.  I pray that our days are filled with reverent worship to the Mighty God that saved us from our sin.  I pray that we worship Him with all our hearts, minds, and souls.

February 1: Exodus 27-28 and Matthew 21:23-46

God continues to give Moses guidance on constructing things for the tabernacle.  We learn about the precise requirements God has for the altar, the courtyard, and who stands watch over the lampstand oil at night.  We also learn about what the priestly garments were to look like.  One thing that we can learn from these measurements is how precise God wants things.  We don’t follow the sacrifices the way that Moses and the Israelites did.  However, we are still called to obedience.  God desires our obedience before our sacrifice.  I humbly submit that if we are obedient, it will drive us to sacrifice.  

The priestly garments were ornate and beautiful.  They were adorned with twelve gemstones bearing the name of one of the twelve tribes.  On the priest’s forehead was a golden plaque that said, “HOLY TO THE LORD”.  This was not to say that the priest himself was holy to the LORD.  Instead, the entire people group, the Israelites, they are Holy to The LORD. 

In our New Testament reading, Jesus gives one of my favorite parables.  He tells about the two sons.  One is told to go and work the vineyard.  He says he will, but he never does.  The second son is told to work the field, but he says no.  Later, he changes his mind and goes to work the field.  Jesus then asks who did the father’s will.  The answer of course was the second son.  Even though he had initially denied doing what God wanted him to do, he repents and follows instructions.  The first son merely looks the part of doing what God wants, but there is no action behind it. 

When it comes to faith, it’s not about” looking the part.”  We are called to follow Jesus.  Not all of us are going to look the same, come from the same area, have the same cultural norms.  As believers we might have different cultures, but we have One Savior and He unites us as a body of believers.   Some of us are going to have pasts that seem crazy compared to our upbringing.  When it comes to the things of The LORD, the past doesn’t matter because Christ’s blood wipes away all of our transgressions.  Further, it is not our actions that will get us into heaven.  It’s not about “looking good” for people to see what good acts we are doing.  The fact is that there are no good works we can do to enter heaven.  The only thing that saves us is the blood of Jesus.  It was His work on the cross that paved our way to salvation, not ours.

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February 1: Exodus 27-28 and Matthew 21:23-46

God continues to give Moses guidance on constructing things for the tabernacle.  We learn about the precise requirements God has for the altar, the courtyard, and who stands watch over the lampstand oil at night.  We also learn about what the priestly garments were to look like.  One thing that we can learn from these measurements is how precise God wants things.  We don’t follow the sacrifices the way that Moses and the Israelites did.  However, we are still called to obedience.  God desires our obedience before our sacrifice.  I humbly submit that if we are obedient, it will drive us to sacrifice. 

The priestly garments were ornate and beautiful.  They were adorned with twelve gemstones bearing the name of one of the twelve tribes.  On the priest’s forehead was a golden plaque that said, “HOLY TO THE LORD”.  This was not to say that the priest himself was holy to the LORD.  Instead, the entire people group, the Israelites, they are Holy to The LORD. 

In our New Testament reading, Jesus gives one of my favorite parables.  He tells about the two sons.  One is told to go and work the vineyard.  He says he will, but he never does.  The second son is told to work the field, but he says no.  Later, he changes his mind and goes to work the field.  Jesus then asks who did the father’s will.  The answer of course was the second son.  Even though he had initially denied doing what God wanted him to do, he repents and follows instructions.  The first son merely looks the part of doing what God wants, but there is no action behind it. 

When it comes to faith, it’s not about” looking the part.”  We are called to follow Jesus.  Not all of us are going to look the same, come from the same area, have the same cultural norms.  As believers we might have different cultures, but we have One Savior and He unites us as a body of believers.   Some of us are going to have pasts that seem crazy compared to our upbringing.  When it comes to the things of The LORD, the past doesn’t matter because Christ’s blood wipes away all of our transgressions.  Further, it is not our actions that will get us into heaven.  It’s not about “looking good” for people to see what good acts we are doing.  The fact is that there are no good works we can do to enter heaven.  The only thing that saves us is the blood of Jesus.  It was His work on the cross that paved our way to salvation, not ours.

February 2: Exodus 29-30 and Matthew 22:1-22

We see the holiness practices that Aaron and his sons must go through in order to serve as priests.  There is a lot of blood involved.  Further, the sacrificial requirement is given.  They are to sacrifice two two-year-old lambs every day.  One is sacrificed in the morning, the other at night.  Sin is a bloody business.  As pretty and ornate as the priests’ garments were, it seems to me they would be constantly covered in blood from the sacrifice requirement.  Throughout the history of the Israelites, blood was shed for the atonement of sin.  It seems a lot cleaner to us these days because Christ’s blood gives us atonement.  No longer are we required to sacrifice two lambs a day.  Instead, The Lamb was given as the ultimate sacrifice. 

I have always been curious about the anointing oil they are told to make.  I wonder what it smelled like.  I also wonder if anyone has made this oil since the text expressly forbids anyone from making it for unauthorized purposes.  

In the Matthew reading Jesus continues to explain that He has come not just to save the Israelites.  He has come to save everyone.  Unfortunately, since the Israelites were expecting the Messiah to come and free them from the Romans, they would wind up missing Him whereas the Gentiles and other sinners would follow Him with no problem.  The individual mentioned in verse 11 that is not dressed for the wedding is an interesting occurrence.  This particular man did not belong to the wedding party.  He said he belongs, but his clothes do not match the celebration.  This man represents the people that call Jesus Lord, but their lack of true faith and repentance offends Him.  Faith costs us something.  We are supposed to repent of our sins and follow Him as Lord and Savior.  To be sure, we will continue to be sinful until the day we die.  However, we should be working toward being more like our Savior every single day.  What the text is warning against is the notion that we can do whatever we want, willfully sin in any way, pay lip service to Christ, and then still join eternity with Him.  Faith costs us more than mere lip service.

February 3: Exodus 31-33 and Matthew 22:23-46

God calls Bezalel by name to be the skilled worker to fashion all the ornate things in the Tabernacle.  God also gives instructions about the Sabbath.  The Sabbath was meant to give the people a day of rest.  To be sure, rest is important.  It is so important that God makes it a commandment.  As believers, we should strive to have a day of rest throughout the week. 

While Moses is up on Mount Sinai, the people go to Aaron and have them make a god for them.  Rather than deny their request, he takes their gold, melts it down, and fashions a golden calf.  This was no accident.  Moloch, a false deity worshipped by other nations at the time, took the form of a calf.  God is upset about what His people have done and He is ready to wipe them from the earth.  Moses intervenes on their behalf.  

Moses comes down from the mountain and is so mad when he sees the people worshipping this man-made object, he throws the tablets down and breaks them.  He confronts Aaron.  Notice that he puts the blame on Aaron for what is happening here.  He asks him, “What did these people do to you that you led them into such a grave sin?”  Aaron should have been a leader and stopped the bad idea rather than going along with it.  He did not and rather than take the responsibility, he puts the onus on the people, stating that they are intent on evil.  Regardless of whether the people around us are intent on evil or not, that does not give us the excuse to go against God’s Law. 

Moses assembles the Levites.  They take up arms against those that were worshipping the golden calf.  Remember back in Genesis 49, when Jacob is describing his sons, he talks about Levi being violent.  We see his tribe’s violence on display in Exodus 32. 

In the Matthew reading, we see two different religious groups trying to catch Jesus with a trick.  The Sadducees do not even believe in the resurrection of the dead.  However, they go to Jesus and ask what happens if a woman’s husband dies and she remarries, who she will be married to in heaven.  Jesus explains that in heaven there is no giving in marriage.  The Pharisees see that the Sadducees did not have any luck tricking Him, so they ask Jesus what command in the law is the greatest.  Jesus responds that the first is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”  That is the greatest command.  The second is similar.  It is to love your neighbor as yourself.  If we take these two commands seriously, the rest of the commandments will fall into place.  If we love God, then we are going to worship Him only, we will not use His name in vain, and we will live lives that honor Him.  If we love our neighbor as ourselves, then we will not lie, steal, or covet.

February 4: Exodus 34-36 and Matthew 23:1-22

Since Moses had broken the first two tablets that contained the Ten Commandments, he had to go back up Mount Sinai with two new tablets.  While there, God reiterates His covenant with His people.  God promises that He will drive out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perrizites, Hivites, and Jebusites.  They are not to make a treaty with any nations inhabiting the land they are going to enter.  God gives commands again about not worshipping gods of the other nations and orders that the temples, idols, and Asherah poles be torn down in the land.  

Moses comes down from Mount Sinai and we are told that his face is radiant.   This causes him to cover his face with a veil when he is not speaking.  Today, we have interactions with The LORD.  However, we are not necessarily radiant from our walk with Him.  Can others tell that something is different about us from our walk with The LORD?

The people begin building the tabernacle.  Free will offerings abound.  In fact, it gets to the point that the people are ordered not to bring any more.  The Israelites are being generous with what The LORD has given them.  Are we generous with what He has given us? 

In the New Testament reading, Jesus goes up against the religious hypocrites.  Let’s face it, none of us like a hypocrite.  I had a” leader” on one of my ships that was incredibly hypocritical and toxic.  No one wanted to do what he said because he himself was unwilling to abide by what he was telling folks to do.  As you can imagine, it was hard to get anyone to do anything.  If the leader did not take the mission seriously, why should they?

As believers, we should strive to lead by example.  The problem during Christ’s time was that the religious elite were making the people do things that they were unwilling to do.  They merely told people how to live while not living that way themselves.  Unfortunately, in some pockets, that problem persists today.  Whenever someone starts a conversation by saying, “I am a good Christian”, I know that the conversation is getting ready to go south very quickly.  Generally, there is a “but” after the statement and then comes the judgment of someone else.  As believers, the more we walk with Jesus, the more sinful we realize we are.  The more sinful we realize we are, the more we realize just how much we need Jesus.  As believers, we know there is no way that we will get into heaven by our own works or merits, it all comes down to Jesus and what He did for us.  I humbly submit that it is our job as believers not to change someone, but instead introduce that person to the One who changed us.  We cannot change someone, but Jesus sure can!

February 5: Exodus 37-38 and Matthew 23:23-39  

Bezalel is hard at work.  He uses the exact measurements given to him and constructs the Ark of the Covenant.  God will use the space in between the two cherubim on top of the ark as a throne.  He also makes the table, the lampstand, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering, the bronze basin, and the courtyard.  The text indicates that Bezalel made the bronze basin and its stand from the bronze of the women who served at the tent of meeting.  Very little is known about these women since they are not referred to much throughout the Bible.  They are mentioned again in 1 Samuel 2:22-25.  This is one of those mysteries that we will not know about on this side of heaven.  Clearly, they played some important role because they were mentioned in the Bible, but exactly what it was, we are unsure of. 

In the New Testament reading, Jesus continues His diatribe against the religious hypocrites.  What Jesus is trying to get through to them is that it does not matter how nice something looks on the outside, it is what is on the inside that counts.  Many years ago, when I was very junior in the navy, I said something to the effect of “looking good on paper.”  To which someone in my chain of command said,” Rather than look good, why not be good?”  That statement stuck with me through my career.  Looks can be deceiving.  The Pharisees and the Sadducees looked nice and shiny on the outside.  The looked like they followed the law, but inside of them was death.  They were like whitewashed tombs.  My hope and prayer is that we don’t worry about looking nice and shiny on the outside.  Truly what matters is what is on the inside.

February 6: Exodus 39-40 and Matthew 24:1-22

Bezalel makes the priestly garments.  They are completed exactly as The LORD has required.  The priestly garments were so ornate and covered in expensive jewels.  It is hard to imagine that these folks were responsible for going and sacrificing two sheep a day.  I have never been a butcher, but I have seen how bloodied their garments can become.  The same would have happened for these priests.  

The Tabernacle and everything that was supposed to be in it are complete.  They assemble the tent, Aaron and his sons are anointed and consecrated as priests.  The glory of The LORD fills the Tabernacle and not even Moses can enter it.  When the cloud covers the tent of meeting, the Israelites remain in their spots.  When the cloud is gone, the Israelites travel in the wilderness.  

In our New Testament reading, Jesus tells the people that the Temple will be destroyed.  He also warns them about the end of the age.  Jesus tells them that tribulation is on the way.  There will be wars and rumors of wars.  There will also be famines and earthquakes.  False teachers will rise up and lead people astray.  The LORD also uses imagery from Daniel about the “abomination that causes desolation.”  

I am not one to get into the debate of when will it all end.  I think I was around ten years old when I remember people telling me that the world was coming to an end soon.  That was many years ago.  The fact is that these things have been happening for a very long time.  As believers, it is not for us to worry about the end and when it will happen.  Instead, we should be out there serving and teaching the Gospel.  We have not been called to live in fear of the future and the persecutions ahead.  Instead, we are called to have full faith in The LORD.  He will give us the peace that surpasses all understanding!

February 7: Leviticus 1-3 and Matthew 24: 23-51  

The name for Leviticus comes from the Greek translation of the Old Testament, meaning “relating to the Levites”.  This book contains information for their priestly duties and service in the Tabernacle, but it contains several other laws. 

The burnt offering is the first of five offerings that can be made.  The first three that are mentioned are voluntary gifts.  The last two are required.  The burnt offering was more of an offering for general sinfulness.  The “he” that the text directs to place his hands on the animal’s head is the person making the offering, not Aaron or his sons.  The grain offering was made to acknowledge God as the source of prosperity and provision.  It was an offering made to give thanks to God for what He has given the individual. The fine flour referred to wheat that produced a fine white flour.  

There were three kinds of fellowship offerings.  They were thanksgiving, votive, and freewill.  The fellowship offering was given to signify communion between the believer and God.  This was the ONLY sacrifice that the worshiper ate the shared meal with the priests. 

In the New Testament reading, Jesus is telling the people that no one knows the day or hour in which the end will come.  It will be just like in the days of Noah.  The people were eating and drinking and giving in marriage.  Then it started to rain.  Likewise, people will have stopped looking for His return.  Christ explains that if a homeowner knew when the thief was coming, he would not have left his home.  Instead, he would have stayed and waited for the thief.  We do not know when He will return, so we must remain vigilant.  Jesus speaks of the two men working the field and two women grinding at the mill.  One remains while the other disappears.  Since we do not know the day or hour, we continue to be Christ’s hands and feet in our communities.

February 8: Leviticus 4-6 and Matthew 25:1-30

We read about the requirements for a sin offering.  Sins committed unintentionally must still be accounted for even though the individual did not mean to.  The result of the sin is still there and must be atoned for.  Sin is serious business whether we meant to engage in the sinful activity or not.  The text refers to the “anointed priest” indicating the high priest.  The sin offering varied based on the degrees of responsibility for the one that committed the sin.  The high priest would have to provide an unblemished young bull when he sinned.  The collective congregation required a young bull for theirs.  A leader in the community had to bring an unblemished male goat.  A common person had to provide an unblemished female goat. 

The text gives us explanations on when sin offerings are required.  If a person swindles his neighbor, he has to make it right with the neighbor, but still must make a sacrifice for the sin.   

God also explains how Aaron and his sons are to handle these offerings.  The burnt offering’s ashes must be taken outside of the camp.  For the grain offering, the priest is to remove a handful of the fine flour and olive oil and burn it on the altar.  The sin offering has to be slaughtered before The LORD in a holy place. 

In our New Testament reading, Jesus continues to warn about remaining vigilant for His return.  He tells the parable of the ten virgins that are waiting outside for the bridegroom.  Five of them brought all the oil they needed, the other five were foolish and figured they would get it when they needed it.  The groom was delayed and showed up in the middle of the night.  ALL the women were sleeping when he arrived.  Only the five that had enough oil were allowed into the banquet.  The other five had to go back into town to find someone to sell them the oil.  By the time they made it back, it was too late.  I have known people in my life that knew they needed The LORD.   They knew that He was the way, but they were intent on not making Him Lord of their lives until they were close to death.  The idea was that they wanted to have as much fun as possible and then at the last minute make a deathbed confession of Jesus Christ as Lord.  To a degree, this parable teaches against that mentality.  We do not know when we are going to draw our last breath.  If we know that Jesus is Lord, better to confess Him now and be ready than to wait until later.   If you are feeling called to follow Christ, there is no time like the present!

Jesus also teaches the parable of the talents.  In this case, they are dealing with money.  One servant receives five talents, the second servant receives two, and the third receives one.  The first two talents put the money to work and double the investment.  The third one hides his talent.  When it comes time to present the talents back to the master, he is furious with the one that did nothing with what he was given.  God has given us talents and other abilities.  We should use these the way God intended us to use them.

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February 8: Leviticus 4-6 and Matthew 25:1-30

We read about the requirements for a sin offering.  Sins committed unintentionally must still be accounted for even though the individual did not mean to.  The result of the sin is still there and must be atoned for.  Sin is serious business whether we meant to engage in the sinful activity or not.  The text refers to the “anointed priest” indicating the high priest.  The sin offering varied based on the degrees of responsibility for the one that committed the sin.  The high priest would have to provide an unblemished young bull when he sinned.  The collective congregation required a young bull for theirs.  A leader in the community had to bring an unblemished male goat.  A common person had to provide an unblemished female goat. 

The text gives us explanations on when sin offerings are required.  If a person swindles his neighbor, he has to make it right with the neighbor, but still must make a sacrifice for the sin.   

God also explains how Aaron and his sons are to handle these offerings.  The burnt offering’s ashes must be taken outside of the camp.  For the grain offering, the priest is to remove a handful of the fine flour and olive oil and burn it on the altar.  The sin offering has to be slaughtered before The LORD in a holy place. 

In our New Testament reading, Jesus continues to warn about remaining vigilant for His return.  He tells the parable of the ten virgins that are waiting outside for the bridegroom.  Five of them brought all the oil they needed, the other five were foolish and figured they would get it when they needed it.  The groom was delayed and showed up in the middle of the night.  ALL the women were sleeping when he arrived.  Only the five that had enough oil were allowed into the banquet.  The other five had to go back into town to find someone to sell them the oil.  By the time they made it back, it was too late.  I have known people in my life that knew they needed The LORD.   They knew that He was the way, but they were intent on not making Him Lord of their lives until they were close to death.  The idea was that they wanted to have as much fun as possible and then at the last minute make a deathbed confession of Jesus Christ as Lord.  To a degree, this parable teaches against that mentality.  We do not know when we are going to draw our last breath.  If we know that Jesus is Lord, better to confess Him now and be ready than to wait until later.   If you are feeling called to follow Christ, there is no time like the present!

Jesus also teaches the parable of the talents.  In this case, they are dealing with money.  One servant receives five talents, the second servant receives two, and the third receives one.  The first two talents put the money to work and double the investment.  The third one hides his talent.  When it comes time to present the talents back to the master, he is furious with the one that did nothing with what he was given.  God has given us talents and other abilities.  We should use these the way God intended us to use them.

February 9: Leviticus 7-9 and Matthew 25:31-46  

Moses is given instruction on how to handle the restitution offering and fellowship sacrifice.  The restitution offering was especially holy.  In this instruction, God also explains that they are not to eat any fat or anything with blood in it.  We also read about the ordination service for Aaron and his sons.  I am glad they have changed the process since then!  There was a lot of blood involved again.  After they were done with the sacrifices, the newly ordained people were not allowed to leave the entrance of the tent of meeting for seven days.  The number seven symbolized completion for the process.  These men dared not to go against God’s commands and leave before the seven days were up.  They are to set the example of obedience for everyone else.  Since they are examples for the people, they will have a special accountability as religious leaders.  Woe to them that would lead someone astray from God Almighty. 

In the Matthew reading, Jesus tells the parable of the sheep and goats.  They are divided up.  The sheep go to the right and the goats go to the left.  The sheep are told by the King to inherit the kingdom prepared for them.  They ask why and they are told that when He was hungry, they fed Him.  When He was in prison, they visited Him.  He was given water by them when He was thirsty.  Even though they were not serving Him directly, they were still serving Him.  This is a call to action to take care of people.  As believers, we should feel the need to help where we can.  

I know that some folks do not like to give because they do not necessarily trust what the receiving person is going to do.  One thing is for sure, we won’t be held accountable for their behavior.  We will be held accountable for ours.  Sometimes we might help someone that didn’t really need it.  Other times, the help will go to someone who genuinely needs it. 

I think this is an “Andy Wood original” parable.  I call it “The Birds and the Squirrels”.  I love to watch birds.  We have some nice windows in the back of my house with a lovely maple tree behind our patio.  During the summer, I get a lot of birds at my feeders.  I even have a nice set of binoculars to watch them.  We get cardinals, blue jays, woodpeckers, chickadees, hummingbirds, and all kinds of other winged creatures hanging out in the back yard through the summer.  Unfortunately, we also get squirrels.  The seed isn’t there for them, but they are constantly getting into the feeders, taking seed that was intended for the birds.  I have two options.  I can either let the squirrels get in the seed and take it.  Or I can take the bird feeders away.  If I take the feeders away, the squirrels will go away, but the birds will go away as well. Why remove the birds to get rid of the squirrels?  So, I will continue to feed the birds through the year.  No sense in taking away their benefit because of the squirrels.

February 10: Leviticus 10-12 and Matthew 26:1-19 

Nadab and Abihu, two of Aaron’s sons, decide that they are going to do their own thing.  They took their fireman, put fire in it, put incense in it, and made unauthorized fire.  As a result, they were struck down by The LORD.  This should serve as a warning to folks in ministry.  These two probably thought they could do whatever they wanted because they were anointed and set apart from the rest of the Israelites.  Rather than understand the gravity of their position and acting accordingly, they figured it allowed them to make up their own rules.  Their disobedience cost them their lives. 

God defines what animals are clean and unclean.  He gives very detailed instructions to identify what can and cannot be eaten.  These rules do not apply to Christians today, but we can see God’s purpose for them when He first established them.  If we look at the Levitical instructions from a medical standpoint, it makes sense.  The animals that are deemed ”unclean” were not as sanitary as the ones deemed “clean”.  Pigs in those days would wallow in filth.  If they were not prepared properly, it could make the person sick.  The scaleless fish and the shrimp and lobsters are all bottom feeders.  They are eating all the garbage on the bottom of the sea floor.  It would make sense that they were told not to eat these types of animals. 

In the Matthew reading, Jesus has made the religious elite so mad that they decide to devise a plan to kill Him. Meanwhile, Jesus is in Bethany.  A woman approaches Him with very expensive oil.  The oil in this jar was worth about one year’s wages.  She takes the year worth of wages and anoints The LORD with it.  Some look at this like an act of reverent worship because it is!  However, there is one in the midst that wants to complain about the waste.  He complains saying that they could have sold the oil and given to the poor.  I was not there, but I have the feeling that what this disciple was trying to do was make it look like he cared about the poor.  He wanted to say that he cared, but when it came to actually doing the work of helping, he would not.  Instead, this particular disciple will join the plot with the chief priests to kill Christ. 

My hope and prayer as we walk through this world, that we back our words up with action.  “Facta non verba”.

February 11: Leviticus 13 and Matthew 26:20-54

The text breaks down a variety of skin diseases and what to do in the event that someone has one.  They are given ways to determine whether the disease is serious enough for them to be permanently cut off from the rest of the people or not. This seems harsh from our perspective, but we must remember that they did not have hospitals back then.  The intent of the Levitical Law was to show the other nations how a holy and set apart people behave and follow the One True God.  However, the secondary point of the Law was to preserve the people. 

In our New Testament reading we read about the first Lord’s Supper.  Jesus knows the hour is at hand, He tells the disciples that one of them will betray Him.  Each of them were distressed when they heard that one would betray Him.  Each of them are concerned that they are the one that will betray.  It seems like a small nuance, but the first 11 disciples refer to Christ as Lord.  Judas, the one that will betray Him, adressed Jesus as Rabbi.  After the dinner, Jesus tells them that they will all run away because of Him.  They all deny that they could ever run from Him.  However, we will see that they all will disperse as the events around Christ’s crucifixion unfold.  

Jesus goes to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.  He asks for Peter, James, and John to go further into the garden to pray.  They are asked to remain vigilant while Jesus is praying.  When He comes back, He sees that the three have fallen asleep.  These three men that were adamant about standing firm in their faith in Jesus, could not even keep watch for an hour.  

Judas arrives with a mob and hands Jesus over to them.  Jesus could have brought down 12 legions of angels to sweep away His enemies, but He does not.  The cross was part of the Father’s plan and Jesus was not going to deviate from it.

February 12: Leviticus 14 and Matthew 26:55-75  

We read the instructions for cleansing of skin diseases.  When the people are cleaned, they are to make an offering to The LORD.  We notice that what is offered depends on the wealth of the victim.  Poor people do not have to give like the richer folks do.  In both cases, though, the person is required to give something.  We also read instructions about what to do with mildew outbreaks in homes.  If the mildew does not spread after they scrape the inside out, then the house can remain upright.  If it spreads, though, then the entire thing has to be torn down and taken outside of the city.  

In the New Testament reading Jesus is brought before Caiaphas, the high priest.  They question Him about His statement that He could demolish God’s sanctuary and rebuild it in three days.  Jesus remains silent to that question. When the high priest demands that Jesus tell them if He is the Messiah, Jesus simply replies, “You have said it.”  With this, the high priest tears his clothes and asks what more they need to condemn Him for blasphemy.  What amazes me about this group of men is that they knew the Scriptures.  They knew the prophecies and they knew that Jesus had fulfilled these prophecies.  They were so blinded to what they wanted the Messiah to be, they completely missed Him.

While He is there, Peter is watching from afar.  Someone recognizes him as being with Jesus, he denies knowing Christ.  Another person recognizes him.  He denies one more time.  He is confronted a third time and this time Peter swears an oath that he does not know Jesus.  The rooster crows and Peter is reminded that Jesus told him he would betray Him three times before the rooster crowed.

February 13: Leviticus 15-17 and Matthew 27: 1-31 

They are given instructions for the day of atonement.  Aaron is given specific instructions on how to enter the most holy place to make this offering.  He brings one bull and two goats.  The bull is sacrificed to atone for Aaron and his family’s sin.  The goat chosen for sacrifice is decided by casting lots.  One will be released and the other will be sacrificed to atone for the sin of the people.  

The goat that is released is sent into the wilderness for azazel.  This word only occurs in chapter 16.  There are three mainline interpretations as to what azazel is.  The first view has it translated as “the one carrying away evil”.  This interpretation is where we derive the modern term “scapegoat”.  The second view is that azazel means “a rough and difficult place”.  The third view is that azazel is actually Azael.  Legend identifies Azael as the leader of the fallen angels.  The first view is the widely accepted view for interpreting this mysterious word.  

God also identifies forbidden sacrifices.  The people must bring their sacrifice to the entrance of the tent of meeting.  This direction makes sense given the fact that the people had a propensity for worshipping other gods.  By bringing the sacrifice to the entrance of the tent of meeting, no one can confuse who the animal is being sacrificed to.

Our reading in the New Testament deals with Jesus being turned over to Pilate.  Judas realizes what he has done.  He confesses his sin to the chief priests.  The chief priests ask him what his sin is to them.  They got what they needed out of Judas and now they don’t care about his remorse.  Beware people that will lead you to sin for their benefit.  

Pilate asks Jesus if He is the King of the Jews.  Jesus simply responds, “You have said it.”  After that, He remains silent.  Pilate’s wife warns him about Jesus.  She says that she has been tormented by dreams about Christ.  

The crowd is asked whether they would like Barabbas or Jesus freed.  The crowd cries out for Barabbas to be freed.  Pilate washes his hands from the situation, stating that the blood of Christ is not on his hands.  The people proclaim that Christ’s blood is on their hands and their childrens’ hands.  Unfortunately, over time, this piece of Scripture was used to justify being antisemitic.  That notion is false.  The fact of the matter is that the blood of Jesus is on the hands of all sinners.  Christ died to atone for everyone’s sins.  He died for you and me.  Since that is the case, His blood is on all of our hands.

February 14: Leviticus 18-19 and Matthew 27:32-66

The people are warned against pagan practices.  As we read through Leviticus 18, we see a variety of sexual sins that are deemed as pagan practices.  Humans tend to have three besetting sins; greed, anger, or sex.  Many of the pagan practices of the time dealt with sex.  The Israelites are forbidden from engaging in these practices.  God is going to give the Promised Land over to them.  The people that they will displace are being driven out of the land because of the pagan practices they routinely engage in.  

God also gives laws of holiness.  When they plant a field, they are not to strip it bare.  Instead, they are to leave some for the poor to glean.  They are warned not to be prejudicial against poor people when deciding cases.  They are to be fair.  They are told not to harbor hatred agains their neighbors.  Instead, they are to love them.  These commands are just as important today as they were when God first gave them to His people.  Are we keeping them?

In the Matthew reading, we read about Christ’s death.  He is crucified between two criminals.  We have a tendency to think that Christ was crucified far away from the crowd.  However, that is not the case.  The crowd would have been up close to Jesus as He hung from the cross.  So He could look in their eyes as they were hurling their insults at Him.  Christ’s charges were put in writing above His head.  The charges were not really charges, they were an admission: “This is Jesus the King of the Jews”.  Jesus draws His last breath and is placed in a tomb purchased by Joseph of Arimathea. The tomb will not be used very long…

February 15: Leviticus 20-21 and Matthew 28

The LORD tells Moses to prohibit worship of Molech.  Infant sacrifice was one of the tenets of worshiping Molech.  The Israelites are not to offer their children to Molech.  The Israelites are not to turn to mediums or diviners.  God is their source of knowledge and protection.  God also gives another warning against pagan sexual practices.  

The people are to keep all of The LORD’s statutes and ordinances.  They are to be holy and set apart.  They are to be holy, just as the LORD is holy.  

Any of Aaron’s sons that have physical defects are forbidden from coming near to present the food of his God.  However, this does not mean that these men are cut off from doing priestly duties.  In fact, they are allowed to eat the food, they simply cannot present it.  This demonstrates God’s demand for perfection.  God is holy and perfect. 

The only way that we can become holy and perfect is to repent and confess Christ as Lord.  In the Matthew chapter, we see that Christ holds the victory over death.  The women were coming to anoint Him in His tomb, but when they arrived, they found that He was not there.  Death could not hold Jesus.  Since we are His, death does not hold victory over us either.  Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice.  His blood not only covers our sins, but it wipes it completely away, like it never even happened.  Praise God Almighty that sent His only begotten Son to free us from our sins and the grip of death!

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February 15: Leviticus 20-21 and Matthew 28

The LORD tells Moses to prohibit worship of Molech.  Infant sacrifice was one of the tenets of worshiping Molech.  The Israelites are not to offer their children to Molech.  The Israelites are not to turn to mediums or diviners.  God is their source of knowledge and protection.  God also gives another warning against pagan sexual practices.  

The people are to keep all of The LORD’s statutes and ordinances.  They are to be holy and set apart.  They are to be holy, just as the LORD is holy.  

Any of Aaron’s sons that have physical defects are forbidden from coming near to present the food of his God.  However, this does not mean that these men are cut off from doing priestly duties.  In fact, they are allowed to eat the food, they simply cannot present it.  This demonstrates God’s demand for perfection.  God is holy and perfect. 

The only way that we can become holy and perfect is to repent and confess Christ as Lord.  In the Matthew chapter, we see that Christ holds the victory over death.  The women were coming to anoint Him in His tomb, but when they arrived, they found that He was not there.  Death could not hold Jesus.  Since we are His, death does not hold victory over us either.  Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice.  His blood not only covers our sins, but it wipes it completely away, like it never even happened.  Praise God Almighty that sent His only begotten Son to free us from our sins and the grip of death!

February 16: Leviticus 22-23 and Mark 1:1-22  

God gives commands about how the priests are to conduct themselves.  Just like everyone else in the camp, they can also become unclean.  They are not more holy than anyone else in the camp, they can still have issues, they can still sin.  When this happens, they must go through the cleansing ritual.  Otherwise, if they show up to offer the sacrifice, God is going to strike them down.  Over time, we will see the role of priest change to an attitude of “Holier than thou”.  Christ will spend a fair amount of time decrying their hypocrisy.  (We read some of that already in Matthew’s Gospel account).  

Again, they are given instruction on what kind of animal to bring.  It must be without blemish.  If there is a discharge or somethign is wrong with it from an outward appearance, odds are there was something wrong with it internally as well.  The animal would not be used by the people, so they certainly should not offer it to God.  

God gives instructions for holy days.  He is serious about the people enjoying a Sabbath.  They are to take a day of complete rest and practice self denial.  The point of the rest day is to sit back and let God do all of the work.  When we step back, take a break for a bit, and then get back into doing whatever it is, we will find that many times God has still been working while we were resting.  The point of the Sabbath is to give us rest, but it is also to remind ourselves that we are reliant on God, not on ourselves. 

We start the Gospel account of Mark.  Mark is the Gospel that gets right down to business.  He does not give us a whole lot of detail, but he hits the high points.  It’s almost like a “Cliff’s Notes” version.  John the Baptist comes to herald Messiah, just as the prophets had said.  Jesus is baptized and immediately goes into the wilderness for His temptation.  After that He goes to Galilee and calls the first disciples.  Mark’s Gospel emphasizes action and deeds.  Jesus is on the move!

February 17: Leviticus 24-25 and Mark 1:23-45

There is a case of blasphemy that arises.  The son of an Israelite woman and Egyptian father cursed and blasphemed the Name.  To blaspheme the Name of God was to blaspheme God Himself.  Because the name Yahweh was considered so sacred, the Jews stopped using it altogether and referred to God as “the Name”.  God pronounces that the person committing the sin bears responsibility for the sin.  That truth remains today.  A popular refrain when we mess up is to say “the devil made me do it.”  That is not entirely true, though.  We are merely tempted.  Being tempted is not committing sin.  However, giving into the temptation is.  The enemy cannot make us do anything.  We bear the responsibility of the sin.  However, as believers, our sins are washed away by the atoning work of Christ on the cross.

God gives specific instructions about observing Sabbath years and the year of Jubilee.  The year of Jubilee was very special because that is when debts were canceled and slaves were set free.  God commands them to be fair in how they handle selling land and other goods.  God expect fair treatment of everyone in the camp. 

In the New Testament reading, Jesus continues working.  A man with an unclean spirit was in the synagogue.  The spirit cried out asking why He has come.  Jesus rebukes hmim and the unclean spirit comes out of him.  After this, Jesus goes to Simon and Andrew’s house with James and John.  Simon’s mother in law was lying in bed with a fever.  Jesus heals her.  Her first response to being healed by Jesus is to get up and serve.  Did we do the same when we came to faith in Christ? When He wiped away our sin did we get up and serve Him?  

Jesus goes to preach in Galilee.  He had come to preach and He was going to fulfill that mission.  A man with a serious skin disease (most likely leprosy) came to Christ and stated that “if You are willing, You can make me clean.”  Jesus responds that He is willing and heals the man.  Jesus tells the man not to let anyone know what He has done for him.  The man paid no attention to the command and went out and told the people about the power of Christ.  As a result, Jesus could not go into a city with people asking Him to do some miracle in their lives.  Even when He remained out in the deserted places, they would come find Him.  When do we seek Jesus?  Is it only when we need something?  Part of the problem with some of these folks is they were looking at Jesus as a magic genie that could cure what ailed them, not the Messiah.  As believers, we should strive to walk with God and fellowship with Him daily, not just when we are in trouble and need Him to bail us out.

February 18: Leviticus 26-27 and Mark 2

God gives the people a conditional covenant.  If they will walk in His ways and follows His statutes, then He will give them rain when the time is right.  They will enjoy land that produces abundantly and their trees will bear fruit.  God has some covenants that are unconditional.  His covenant with Abraham was unconditional.  God told Abraham that He would give him a lot of offspring, so many that it would be like counting the stars of the sky.  In Abraham’s life, he had a few missteps, but God kept His covenant.  This covenant in Leviticus 26 requires a response from the people.  Unfortunately, the people will eventually fall so far away that He will send them on the exile.  They do not hold up their end of the bargain, so God allows it to play out the way that He said He would.  In all that, though, He promises that if the people turn from their ways, humble themselves, and seek Him, He will be there to receive them.  No matter how far we may think we have gotten away from God, we merely need to turn around and He is there. 

We read about paying money to redeem people.  If someone was dedicated to the LORD, the person could be purchased for a set amount of money.  We also read about redemption of consecrated fields and consecrated homes.  

In Mark, Jesus is in Capernaum.  The people find out that He is there, so they all crowd into the home that He is in.  There are so many people there that there is no room in the door.  Four friends bring their paralytic friend, but seeing that they cannot get their friend into the house, they climb up onto the roof, open it up, and lower their buddy into the room.  It was not just the faith of the paralytic man that got him to Jesus to be healed; it was the faith of his friends.  As believers, our circles matter.  That is not to say we should not have secular friends.  However, it is vitally important that we have believing friends that we can bear burdens with. 

Matthew, a tax collector is called to be a disciple.  The religious elite find that Jesus is dining with tax collectors and sinners.  When they question Jesus about it, He responds that healthy people do not need a doctor.  We do not go to a hospital expecting to find healthy people.  Similarly, we should not go to a church expecting to find perfect people.  The only One that is perfect is Christ Himself.  

Jesus explains that they need to get ready for things to be different through the parable of the wine skin and cloth.  The new teachings will not necessarily be compatible with the old way of the Pharisees and Sadducees methods.  It should be noted that the standard of perfection and the standard for redemption of sin did not change at all.  Jesus will later say that He did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it.  The method of atonement was completed in the work of Christ.  His sacrifice ended the offering of animals for forgiveness of sin.  Further, the Pharisees and Sadducees had taken God’s law and twisted it.  Jesus had come to correct them, live a perfect life, die on the cross to atone for our sins, and resurrect, showing His power over death.  The Pharisees and Sadducees could not see it then and they will not see it throughout the Gospel narratives.

February 19: Numbers 1-2 and Mark 3:1-21

The English name for Numbers is derived from the two military censuses conducted in the book.  The Hebrew title, Bemidbar (במדבר), means “In the Wilderness”.  The Hebrew title describes the geographical setting for this book.  They will travel from the wilderness of Sinai to the Plains of Moab, and across the Jordan River from Jericho.  

Their first order of business is to conduct a military census.  Any male 20 year old or more was to be registered.  When they finished conducting the census, the total of military men came out to 603,550.  The Levites are not among those counted.  They have special duties surrounding the Tabernacle.  They are responsible for moving it and setting it back up as they travel.  The Levites were given this task because of their zealous actions defending the faith after the incident with the golden calf.  

The LORD gives guidance on how the ancestral houses are supposed to camp around the Tabernacle.  If we were to get an aerial view of the Israelites at camp, we would see that they fan out in the shape of a cross. 

In our New Testament reading, the Pharisees are watching to see what Jesus will do when a man with a paralytic hand is brought to Him.  Jesus asks them point blank if it is lawful on the Sabbath to do what is good.  They all remain silent.  Jesus heals the man and then suddenly they are in an uproar with charges of blasphemy. 

We might think that it was just the Pharisees and the Sadducees that had a problem with Jesus.  We read in chapter 3:20 that even Christ’s family members thought that He was crazy and tried to restrain Him.  So, if our family or friends ever look at us like we are crazy for believing in Christ, we can take heart, because even our Savior’s family members thought He was insane and tried to stop Him.

February 20: Numbers 3-4 and Mark 3:22-35

We read about all of the duties of the various Levite clans.  The Kohathites were responsible for the ”most holy objects”.  The most holy objects included the ark of the covenant, the bronze laver, and the seven tiered menorah.  They are given specific instructions on how to handle these items.  I am certain that they dared not violate what God’s commands were after they heard about Nadab and Abihu and the consequences for offering unauthorized fire.   The Gershonites are responsible for transporting the tabernacle curtains.  The Merarites are responsible for carrying the supports of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, and bases. 

This leaves us to the question of who had the most important job?  They all did.  Every single person was needed to make the movement of the tabernacle happen.  The same can be said of serving The LORD today.  God has given us all gifts and talents to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  Fulfilling the Great Commission is a team effort!  

In the New Testament reading Jesus is accused of having a demon.  He rebuts the accusation, stating that a house divided against itself cannot stand.  Jesus also warns about the danger of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit.  

As Jesus is teaching this the crowd informs Him that His mother and brothers are there.  Jesus states that His family are the people that do the will of God.  This might seem harsh, but we must remember that just a little while ago His family thought He was crazy for doing the things He was doing and saying the things He was saying.  To be part of the family of God is to do the Father’s will.

February 21: Numbers 5-6 and Mark 4:1-20

Numbers five gives instructions on separating the clean from the unclean.  God also gives instructions on what to do when someone sins against another.  Not only could they sin against God, but against each other.  The people are also given instructions for husbands when they become jealous.  The text indicates that the hypothetical wife has had an adulterous affair.  She has not admitted to it, but the husband has a sneaking suspicion.  Rather than take matters into his own hands, the husband is to take her to the priest with a jealousy offering.  While this might seem like the husband is airing out dirty laundry in the family, I think it was more to prevent abuse.  The husband would not know one way or another, so he was not to lob allegations one way or the other.  He could not discern the truth, so the matter needed to be taken elsewhere. 

We read about the requirements for a Nazirite vow.  One of the more famous Nazarenes was Samson.  He was a Nazirite from birth.  Not all Nazirite vows were lifelong vows.  They were expected to abstain from anything derived from grapes. The vineyard denoted a sedentary lifestyle, to eat grapes could cause them to lose total devotion to The LORD.  They also were not to cut their hair, an outward symbol so that others could recognize the vow they had taken.  

In the New Testament reading, Jesus gives the parable of the sower.  The sower goes and sews seed.  Some falls on the hard ground, some falls in the shallow soil, some in the weeds.  Those groups do not yield a fruitful crop.  However, some of the seed landed in the good soil.  This seed produces a crop that is 30, 60, and 100 times greater than what was sown.  As believers, we are called to spread the seed of the gospel.  Thankfully, The LORD takes care of the rest.  If we sew, the word might fall on hard hearts, in shallow hearts, or hearts bogged down by the worries of the world, but that does not mean we should just stop.  Keep sewing knowing that God will take it from there.

February 22: Numbers 7 and Mark 4:21-41 

There is a lot of repetition in Numbers 7.  We see that all of the tribal representatives bring the same offerings tot he tabernacle.  This shows that all of the tribal leaders had an equal role in religious practices.  No tribe had more of a share in the religious practices and no tribe had less responsibility.  The same is true today.  Believers are all equals in the sight of God.  There is no hierarchy, we all unite under the banner of Christ.  Our chief end is to worship God and enjoy Him abundantly.  My prayer is that we all go into the world with a spirit of worship and that we give ourselves over completely to The LORD acting as living sacrifices for Him.

In Mark, Jesus continues to use more parables.  He compares the kingdom of God to a field that had been planted.  The farmer sowed the seed, but after that, he does not do anything else.  Instead, he wakes up and goes to bed and the crop grows.  God does the work of producing the crop.  We simply sew the seed.  

We also read about when they are crossing the Sea of Galilee.  A storm comes up and they are all terrified.  The boat is rocking all over the place, it is swamped.  The disciples are worried they are going to sink.  During this time of distress, they find Jesus sleeping in the stern.  They wake Him and He calms the sea by telling it to be still and silent.  As believers, we can rest in the fact that God has it all under control.  Life comes at us fast and sometimes things go wrong from our perspective.  This is nothing that God cannot get us through.  We can relax and let God do the work.  In the bitter storms of life, we can take a nap and relax, God is greater than any problem we might come up against.

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February 22: Numbers 7 and Mark 4:21-41 

There is a lot of repetition in Numbers 7.  We see that all the tribal representatives bring the same offerings to the tabernacle.  This shows that all the tribal leaders had an equal role in religious practices.  No tribe had more of a share in the religious practices and no tribe had less responsibility.  The same is true today.  Believers are all equals in the sight of God.  There is no hierarchy, we all unite under the banner of Christ.  Our chief end is to worship God and enjoy Him abundantly.  My prayer is that we all go into the world with a spirit of worship and that we give ourselves over completely to The LORD acting as living sacrifices for Him.

In Mark, Jesus continues to use more parables.  He compares the kingdom of God to a field that had been planted.  The farmer sowed the seed, but after that, he does not do anything else.  Instead, he wakes up and goes to bed and the crop grows.  God does the work of producing the crop.  We simply sew the seed.  

We also read about when they are crossing the Sea of Galilee.  A storm comes up and they are all terrified.  The boat is rocking all over the place, it is swamped.  The disciples are worried they are going to sink.  During this time of distress, they find Jesus sleeping in the stern.  They wake Him and He calms the sea by telling it to be still and silent.  As believers, we can rest in the fact that God has it all under control.  Life comes at us fast and sometimes things go wrong from our perspective.  This is nothing that God cannot get us through.  We can relax and let God do the work.  In the bitter storms of life, we can take a nap and relax, God is greater than any problem we might come up against.

February 23: Numbers 8-19 and Mark 5:1-20

The Levites are consecrated.  Then the people celebrate the second Passover.  They followed the Passover instructions to the letter.  Unfortunately, there were some people that had been defiled by a corpse and were unable to celebrate the Passover.  God makes provision for them and anyone else defiled or unable to celebrate due to traveling.  They are to celebrate the Passover in the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight.  God even makes a provision for foreigners among them that want to observe the Passover.  This shows us that very early on, God is inclusive.  The Israelites were holy and set apart from the other nations, but that was supposed to be an example for the other nations as to how a holy and set apart people interacted with the Most High God.  It was not meant to keep people away, instead it was meant to show people The Way.  

God gives instructions on how to assemble the people by giving blasts from the trumpets.  There were thousands of people in the camp, so developing these signals made sense.  It kept everyone abreast of what was happening.  Similar practices are used today.  On the ships I served on, there were a variety of different sounds that would be played over the 1MC to keep the crew in the loop. 

In the New Testament reading, Jesus comes across a man that is tormented by many demons.  When Jesus asks the name, the demon responds that it is “Legion because we are many.”  The demons did not want to be sent out of the region.  They beg Jesus to let them enter a herd of pigs on a nearby hillside.  Jesus allows them to enter the pigs and they promptly run down the steep bank and drown in the sea.  The fact that it was a herd of pigs shows us that this happened in a Gentile region.  The man that was tormented is healed, but the people in the area are not happy about it for one reason.  They have lost a lot of money because of the dead pigs.  They wanted Jesus out of there because they were afraid of lost revenue.  I think the same thing happens today.  Sin sells and the manufacturers of vices don’t want people to turn to Jesus lest they lose business.  They do not care about harming the people, the concern is more about profit.  God loves you more than anything in this world ever will.  Don’t believe the lies of the world.

February 24: Numbers 11-13 and Mark 5: 21-43

The Israelites become restless.  They are upset that they only have Manna to eat.  They whine and complain about not having anything but manna.  There is no meat.  They then go so far as to say that back when they lived in Egypt, they enjoyed fish and a variety of vegetables for “free”.  That food was not free.  They were slaves!  Yet now, in their freedom, they crave oppression because at least their bellies were full with a variety of things.  God is stirred to anger.  Moses is stirred to anger as well.  God has 70 men appointed to help Moses out and then He sends so much quail that there was three feet of quail in all directions for a day’s journey (about 25 miles).  The people that ate the meat became sick.  The natural cause was most likely food poisoning since the meat was left out in the open.  

Miriam and Aaron cause problems and bring an insurrection against Moses.  They think that Moses is no different than them.  Miriam breaks out in a disease.  Rather than tell Miriam that she got what she deserved, Moses interceded on her behalf, asking God to heal her.  God grants Moses’s request.  Miriam is then sent out of the camp for seven days.  

Moses sends scouts into the land flowing with milk and honey.  The scouts bring back a report of giants in the land.  They invoke fear in the people, telling them how big their enemy is.  Only one of the scouts, Caleb, had the faith to quiet the people.  He tells them that they should go and take possession of the land so that they can conquer it.  Caleb knew that the enemy stood no chance against them, not because of their physical prowess or might, but because God would give them the victory.  In a world full of fear and problems, be like Caleb.  Remember that God is bigger than anything this world can throw at you.  He is our victory.  Our God is so strong and mighty, there is nothing He cannot do. 

In the New Testament reading, we read more of Jesus’s healing.  A crowd presses on every side of Jesus, but a woman that has been suffering from bleeding for a long time touches His robe and is healed.  Jesus feels power go out of Him the moment she touches His robe.  When Christ asks who touched Him, the disciples all say that there is such a crowd that everyone is touching Him.  The healed woman makes her presence known and Christ sends her on her way, stating that her faith has made her well.  Then Christ goes to heal a girl that had died.  Jesus sends the people away, stating that the girl is not dead, but merely asleep.  He commands her to get up.  The 12 year old girl gets up and walks around.  Jesus then tells them to feed her and not tell anyone about what they had witnessed.

February 25: Numbers 14-15 and Mark 6:1-32 

The people hear the report about how large the people are in the Promised Land and lose heart.  They moan and complain, stating that they should never have left Egypt.  Despite Caleb and Joshua telling them that the land is good, the people would not advance.  The LORD is frustrated with them.  They have forgotten all of the wonderful things that He had done for them up to this point.  God had been faithful to them, but they had not been faithful to Him.  So, God sends them in a different direction.  At this, the people decide that maybe they have made a mistake and they should turn back.  However, that will lead to ruin.  God has ordered them to go in this direction.  If they go against His way, it will not succeed.  Moses warned them, but they still go and are then routed by Amalekites and Canaanites.  The irony here is that they were afraid when they had God’s blessing to go up against them.  Surely they would have succeeded if they had gone when God had ordained it.  Now that He has withdrawn His promise of victory, they suddenly become brave and it leads to destruction.  What lesson can we learn from them?

In the New Testament reading, Jesus has returned home.  The people listen to Him at the synagogue, but then become cynical.  They know Jesus as the son of Joseph.  Since they have watched Him grow up, they have a hard time accepting His authority.  J Vernon McGee hypothesizes that it was probably harder for people to believe Jesus as the Son of God when He was walking on earth because they could physically see Him.   They knew His habits and other “human” attributes, which would have made it difficult for some to come to know Him as Lord.  

We also learn about John the Baptist’s fate.  He was beheaded for telling the truth.  Herod did not like the fact that John was calling him out for having a relationship with his brother’s wife.  John stood boldly for the truth and it cost him his life.  My hope and prayer is that we will boldly proclaim the truth regardless of opposition.

February 26: Numbers 16-17 and Mark 6:33-56

There is rebellion in the camp.  Korah leads a group against Moses and his authority.  The way that he sees it, everyone in the community is holy, not just Moses.  To a degree, he has a point.  The fact is that the entire community was set apart. However, no one else in the camp enjoyed the same level of communication with God that Moses did.  Korah did not want to recognize that so he bucked against The LORD.  This rebellion caused the earth to open up and swallow all of Korah’s people and their possessions.

Staffs from the twelve tribes are brought to the tent of the testimony.  God shows that He has chosen Aaron and his line to be priests in the fact that the staff sprouted, formed buds, and produced almonds.  Aaron’s staff is placed in front of the testimony to remind people who He has appointed. 

In the New Testament reading, Jesus and His disciples had tried to get away from it all.  Yesterday, we closed with the reading that they had gone away from the crowd.  It is good to get away and spend quality time with God.  Jesus made it a priority and we should as well.  

The peace and time of reflection they were seeking did not last long.  A large crowd comes in.  Rather than telling them to go away, Jesus starts to minister to them, teaching them about the ways of the Father.  After a while, the disciples realize that the crowd does not have anything to eat, so they ask Jesus to send them to a nearby village to buy food.  Jesus tells them to feed the crowd.  With five loaves of bread about the size of a twinkie and two fish, they feed 5,000 people and have leftovers.  We read Matthew’s account of Christ walking on water and the healings that Jesus performs at Gennesaret.

February 27: Numbers 18-20 and Mark 7:1-13  

God gives Aaron instructions about the priesthood.  One thing that sticks out to me is that He says that they are responsible for sin against the priesthood.  They are responsible for doing what is right when it comes to the priesthood.  If they mess it up, they are the guilty party.  God also gives instructions for the purification ritual.  I know a lot of these regulations might seem excessive, but they are communicating their (our) need to be purified.  They are unable to make themselves pure, so they put their guilt and shame on the red cow that is then sacrificed and burned up.  God expects holiness of His people.  He expects us to be pure.  Thankfully, He sent us His Son Jesus to atone for our sins.  Unlike the cow that just covered up the sins and impurities, the blood of Jesus wipes it away, like it never even happened.

The people become upset because they do not have any water.  In their typical fashion, they gather up against Moses and Aaron.  When Moses and Aaron go to the tent of meeting God tells them to assemble the people and water will be provided from the rock.  The people do as they are told.  Moses responds in an atypical way.  This time he asks ”must we bring water out of this rock for you?”.  Moses made a terrible mistake.  He was equating himself with The LORD.  The power to draw water from the rock was not from Moses, it was from God, but rather than give God the glory, Moses gives glory to himself.  As a result, Moses will not be able to enter the Promised Land.

As they travel, they get to Edomite territory and try to pass through.  The Edomites dent their request.  It is worth noting that the Edomites are descended from Esau, Jacob’s older brother who was swindled out of his blessing and sold his birthright for some stew.  As time goes on, there will be more bitterness between the Israelites and Edomites.

In the New Testament reading, Pharisees and some of their scribes are worried about the cleanliness of the disciples since they were eating bread with unwashed hands.  We should wash our hands before eating.  However, our standard of washing today would not be up to snuff with the Pharisees and their ritual hand washing.  Jesus points out that they are worried about the outward signs of purity, but they are not worried about what is inside. 

If the inside is cleaned out by the Holy Spirit, then there will be outward signs.  Looking nice and shiny on the outside, but corruption on the inside will not save us.

February 28: Numbers 21-22 and Mark 7:14-37

Arad, the Canaanite king, rises up to fight against the Israelites as they travel.  The people prayed to The LORD and promised that they would destroy Arad’s cities if He delivered them.  The LORD does just as they requested.  It does not surprise us that shortly afterward, there is grumbling and complaining from the people again.  They had just had a great victory over Arad and his army, but now because there is no bread or water, they wish they were back in Egypt.  They even go so far as to curse the manna that God has been providing them as they travel.  So, poisonous snakes were sent among them.  Many Israelites died because they were bitten.  The surviving Israelites then go to Moses and make a confession of sinning against God.  God orders Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole.  When a person is bitten by a snake and looks at the snake on the pole, he or she will recover.  

The snakes were not removed from their presence.  The people would still be bitten which I am sure was painful.  So they feel the consequences for their sin, but now as long as they look at the snake, they will recover.   Similarly, God does not remove all of the difficulties and hardships from our lives, nor has He eliminated all the evil in the world.  God also allows the natural consequences of our sins to play out.  However, He gives us a way out of it.  He  sent His Son to free us from our sins and make us clean so that even though we have the sting of sin in our lives, we will not die because of our faith in Christ and what He did for us. 

We get into an interesting story about Balaam and Balak.  Balaam was a renowned pagan divination expert.  Balak wants him to come and ensure Israel’s demise. 

In the Mark reading, Jesus teaches that it is not what goes into the person that defiles them, but instead it is what comes out of them.  This is absolutely true.  One discussion I have with my children is about the kind of stuff they consume for entertainment.  This is where it gets a little tricky.  Depending on what kind of music they are listening to, shows they are watching, or video games they are playing, their behavior sometimes matches what they are taking in.  While it is true that it is not what goes in that defiles us, I think it is prudent to watch what we are plugging ourselves into.   If we plug ourselves into fellowship with God, then that is what is going to come out of us, but if we plug ourselves mostly into the worldly things, that is more likely what will come out.  To put it another way, if I were trying to lose weight, but all I did was eat donuts every day for every meal, then I am setting myself up for failure.

March 1: Numbers 23-25 and Mark 8:1-21

We read about Balaam’s oracles, the pagan diviner hired by Balak to curse the Israelites.  Balak and Balaam do a fair amount of traveling as they are trying to bring the Israelites to ruin.  In the first oracle, God’s love for Israel is proclaimed.  The question is asked: How can I curse someone who God has not cursed?  It is a fair question.  If God has not given judgment against the Israelites, how is Balaam going to pronounce judgment against them?    Certainly there have been many groups that have tried to decimate the Israelites, yet they are still here.  God makes a way for them even when the opposing forces are against them. 

God continues to put words in Balaam’s mouth.  The pagan has now become the mouthpiece for the One True.  In the second oracle, God shows that He is not like the other gods of Mesopotamia.  The Mesopotamian gods were often shown as whimsical and easily manipulated by bribery.  God is not like that.  He cannot be bribed with sorcery and divination. He is unchanging. 

The third oracle given by Balaam pronounces that God will provide for the Israelites.  There will be plenty of water, indicating that the crops will do well.  This oracle also reminds them where their strength comes from.  Their power comes from The LORD.  The fourth oracle prophesies a future in Israel when she is a great kingdom.  The star and scepter in verse 17 are symbols of a powerful and glorious kingdom that will subdue her enemies.  God is using pagans to pronounce His words.

Meanwhile, the Israelites are camped in Acacia Grove in the lower Jordan River Valley.  The men find the local Moabite women attractive and enter into relations with them.  This does not bring the Moabite women to the Almighty God.  Instead, it draws the Israelite men to begin serving Baal.  God has been pronouncing blessings on them, but here they are going against His commands. 

In the New Testament reading, we read about the feeding of the 4,000.  This is another instance where Christ feeds many with very little.  After the feeding, Jesus and the disciples go to the district of Dalmanutha.  While they are there, the Pharisees demand a sign.  Jesus assures them that no sign will be given.  The fact is, even if He had given them a sign, the Pharisees still would not have come over to Christ’s side.  They would have remained in their hostility toward Him.  

Jesus warns the disciples to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees.  In those days, yeast was a symbol for evil.  It permeates, grows, and spreads.  Just as the disciples were told to watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees, we should as well!

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March 1: Numbers 23-25 and Mark 8:1-21

We read about Balaam’s oracles; the pagan diviner hired by Balak to curse the Israelites.  Balak and Balaam do a fair amount of traveling as they are trying to bring the Israelites to ruin.  In the first oracle, God’s love for Israel is proclaimed.  The question is asked: How can I curse someone who God has not cursed?  It is a fair question.  If God has not given judgment against the Israelites, how is Balaam going to pronounce judgment against them?    Certainly, there have been many groups that have tried to decimate the Israelites, yet they are still here.  God makes a way for them even when the opposing forces are against them.  

God continues to put words in Balaam’s mouth.  The pagan has now become the mouthpiece for the One True.  In the second oracle, God shows that He is not like the other gods of Mesopotamia.  The Mesopotamian gods were often shown as whimsical and easily manipulated by bribery.  God is not like that.  He cannot be bribed with sorcery and divination. He is unchanging.  

The third oracle given by Balaam pronounces that God will provide for the Israelites.  There will be plenty of water, indicating that the crops will do well.  This oracle also reminds them where their strength comes from.  Their power comes from The LORD.  The fourth oracle prophesies a future in Israel when she is a great kingdom.  The star and scepter in verse 17 are symbols of a powerful and glorious kingdom that will subdue her enemies.  God is using pagans to pronounce His words…

Meanwhile, the Israelites are camped in Acacia Grove in the lower Jordan River Valley.  The men find the local Moabite women attractive and enter into relations with them.  This does not bring the Moabite women to the Almighty God.  Instead, it draws the Israelite men to begin serving Baal.  God has been pronouncing blessings on them, but here they are going against His commands. 

In the New Testament reading, we read about the feeding of the 4,000.  This is another instance where Christ feeds many with very little.  After the feeding, Jesus and the disciples go to the district of Dalmanutha.  While they are there, the Pharisees demand a sign.  Jesus assures them that no sign will be given.  The fact is, even if He had given them a sign, the Pharisees still would not have come over to Christ’s side.  They would have remained in their hostility toward Him.  

Jesus warns the disciples to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees.  In those days, yeast was a symbol for evil.  It permeates, grows, and spreads.  Just as the disciples were told to watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees, we should as well!

March 2: Numbers 26-27 and Mark 8:22-38

A second census is conducted.  In the normal fashion, the Levite members are counted separately from the men that could serve in the army.  It would make sense that another count needed to be conducted since they had lost many people due to their sinfulness. This census shows that there are 601,730 registered Israelite men.  This number is large, but it also shows there was a net loss of 1,820 warriors.  The loss is already high, but that is not the total amount that fell off lost.  There was a little over 38 years in between the censuses.  (Yes, that is the plural for census, I know it looks funny, I had to look it up).  Because 38 years had passed between them, more fighting age men would have been added to their ranks over those decades.  Some of the men would have aged out.  Based on this information, we can conclude that there were many more lost that were not accounted for in this census.

We read an interesting case of the daughters’ inheritance.  Zelophehad died and had no sons to pass his inheritance to.  The daughters pleaded their case to Moses saying that they should inherit his property.  Moses consults The LORD and He agrees that the daughters should get the inheritance.  I know this is common practice today, but this was a big deal back in the time of Moses.  Up to this point, the inheritance always went to a male in the family line, even if the deceased had daughters.  

Moses is getting on in years.  He realizes the need for someone who will step in and take the mantle of leadership when he is gone.  He asks The LORD about it and Joshua is chosen.  

In the New Testament reading, Jesus heals a blind man.  This time, when the man is healed, He tells the man not to enter the village.  Up to this point, when He has healed folks, they would go to the priests to present themselves to be declared unclean.  Unfortunately, when Jesus heals these people, all it does is bring condemnation on Him.  Jesus has a conversation with the disciples about who He is.  Peter proclaims Jesus the Messiah.  Jesus then tells them about His upcoming death and resurrection.  Peter, not understanding that this was the plan for salvation, rebukes Jesus.  In turn, Jesus rebukes Peter.  Peter was not thinking about God’s plans, instead he was concerned with man’s.  Sometimes God is going to lead us to some strange places.  Trust the process.  It might not make sense in the eye of people, but it is part of His plan.

March 3: Numbers 28-29 and Mark 9:1-29 

God gives instructions on what offerings are to be made.  These commands reiterate the bloodiness of sin.  At the Festival of Trumpet Offerings, the people are to not do any daily work.  Instead, they are told it is to be a day of joyful shouting.  When is the last time we gave joyful shouts to The LORD?  

The Day of Atonement was the holiest day of the year.  It required that the people hold a sacred assembly and practice self-denial.  One act of self-denial is fasting, which led to this event being referred to as “The Fast” in later Judaism.  The Festival of Booths required that the people stay in a tent or hut, imitating the early homes of the Israelites.  It was important that the people remembered where they had come from.  This act was to remind them of the protection that God gave them through their journey in the wilderness.

In the New Testament reading, we read about Christ’s transfiguration witnessed by Peter, James, and John.  His clothes became dazzling white. Elijah and Moses appeared and they were talking with Him.  One thing I am curious about is how old Moses and Elijah looked when they were talking with Jesus on the mountain there.  That is one thing that I will not know on this side of heaven.  A while back, someone asked me what happens when we pass away.  Do we go into holding pattern, or do we go to be with The LORD immediately.  Believe it or not, there is disagreement in the scholarly world about that topic.  Based on the fact that Elijah and Moses were both talking with Jesus, this indicates that the moment we draw our last breath, we are joined up with Him.  

After the transfiguration, they go to join the rest of the disciples.  There is a large crowd gathered.  There is a problem because a man has brought his son to be healed of a demon, but no one can get the demon out of him.  Jesus rebukes the unbelief of the generation.  In the man’s request of Jesus, he says ”If You can.”  Jesus’s response indicates that it is the father’s unbelief that is preventing the boy from healing.  Christ is able.  God can do anything.  The father responds that he does believe, but in the same breath prays that He will help him in his unbelief.  Have we ever felt like that?  We have faith in God and know that He ultimately has everything worked out for our good.  However, sometimes things can happen that make it seem quite the opposite.  We can trust Him and have faith in His plan.  Some days will be harder than others.  When that happens, we have to faith it until we make it.

March 4: Numbers 30-31 and Mark 9:30-50 

The importance of vows and fulfilling them are explained.  A vow was a conditional promise, generally made in the context of a petitioning prayer.  “If You do this, then I will do this”.  People that made oaths and vows to The LORD were required to fulfill them.  However, there were certain circumstances where the vow would not be binding.  

God then commands Moses to go to war against the Midianites.  The Midianites were descended from Abraham and his wife Keturah.  Sometimes they were aligned with the Moabites, the Ishmaelites, and the Amalekites.  This group had led the men to fall into the sin of worshipping Baal earlier in their journey.  Each tribe provides 1,000 men for a total of 12,000 to war against the Midianites.  The Israelites easily defeat the Midianites and bring the spoils of war to Moses.  We would think Moses would be happy with what they brought back.  However, this was meant to be a holy war against the Midianites.   In a holy war, all impure things are supposed to be eradicated.  The army failed to do what they were supposed to do.  That is why Moses is upset.

In the Matthew reading, Jesus and His disciples are on the way to Capernaum.  They were arguing amongst themselves on the way.  When they get there, Jesus asks what they were arguing about and they are ashamed to answer since they were arguing about who was greater.  He tells them that if anyone wants to be first, he must be the last of all and servant of all.  Jesus also uses a child as a lesson for them.  Whoever welcomes a child in His name welcomes Him.  If the child is not welcomed, then He is not welcomed either.  Jesus then warns that it is better to have a millstone to thrown around their neck and thrown into the sea than to cause a little one that believes in Him to stumble.  As believers what we do and how we treat people matters.  If we are loving toward people and helping where we can, we are truly acting as the hands and feet of Jesus.  However, if we are hateful or rude, we are not just representing ourselves, but representing Jesus and that very well could turn someone away from Him.  I would hate to one day stand before The LORD and have to give account for the times I drove people away from Jesus based on my behavior.  So the challenge is to treat people the way Jesus taught us to and not cause anyone to stumble.

March 5: Numbers 32-33 and Mark 10:1-31  

The Israelites are preparing to enter the Promised Land.  The Gadites and Reubenites are growing in number.  They go to Moses and request to stay on their current side of the Jordan.  Their intent is good, but Moses does not see it that way at first.  Instead, he accuses them of being like the ones that deterred Israel from entering the Promised Land when they first got there.  That denial to follow God’s command cost them more years in the wilderness.  The leaders of the tribes explained that the would send their fighting men over, but when the battle was done, they would come back and settle there, not in the Promised Land.  Moses agrees to their proposal, but he warns them that if they flee the fighting before the war is over, they will certainly sin against The LORD.  

From there we get a review of their travels in the wilderness.  Their time of wandering is coming to a close.  They are looking at where they have been before they focus on where they are going.  God gives instruction to Moses that when they get to Canaan, they must first drive out all of the inhabitants before they destroy their gods and demolish the high places.  He warns them that if they do not drive out the inhabitants like they have been ordered, they will become thorns and harass them in the land that they now live.  

In the New Testament, Jesus speaks about marriage and blesses the children.  Then we read the case of the rich young ruler.  This young man has it all, he has money, he has fame, he has youth, but he does not have eternal life.  He asks Jesus what he must do.  He explains to Jesus that he has followed all of the commands.  Jesus explains that the young man lacks one thing.  In order to gain what he lacks, he must go and sell all he has and give the proceeds to the poor.  The young man walks away upset.  The problem is not that the man had many possessions, the problem is that the man was owned by his possessions.  He was not willing to part with them.  He viewed the things of this world as being of more value than the kingdom of heaven.  

Do not be fooled.  The things of this world will fade away.  Nothing in this world lasts forever, except for your soul, my soul, and the eternal world of God.  Everything else fades.  For example, Dania and I recently got a new car.  This was completely unexpected, but necessary.  The van we had owned for about six years and planned on having for at least five more died on us and the cost to repair was way more than what the vehicle was worth.  While we did not necessarily have faith in the material possession, we did have an expectation of it and it spectacularly failed our expectations.  The point is that material things will fail us.  God will not.

March 6: Numbers 34-36  and Mark 10: 32-52  

The Israelites are gearing up to go into the Promised Land.  God establishes the boundaries of the Promised Land with the Israelites.  He also gives them the rules on their cities and the requirement for six cities of refuge.  These refuge cities were intended for folks that accidentally killed someone.  If a person accidentally killed someone, they were put into a sanctuary city.  The city of refuge was not meant to be a punishment, but instead for protection.  If they had accidentally killed someone and remained among their people, someone that loved the person they killed might decide to avenge the loved one’s blood.  As long as they were in the city of refuge, they were protected.  It is interesting to note that if they left the boundary of the refuge city and were killed by an avenger, then the avenger was not guilty. 

God gives them instruction on how to tell if someone accidentally killed someone or not.  It generally comes down to intent.  If someone picks up a rock with the intent to harm someone, that person is clearly guilty of murder.  However, if the person drops a stone not knowing someone is under it and the person is killed, then the one dropping the stone is not guilty.  

Earlier, we read about Zelophehad’s daughters and their right to keep their father’s inheritance since he had no sons.  This causes a potential issue with land distribution amongst the clans.  The tribe of Joseph’s descendants are specifically worried that if these women marry, then their land will become their husband’s and now part of that tribe’s land.  As a result, a decree is made that marriage must happen within the clan of the ancestral tribe to prevent the land changing tribal ownership. 

In the New Testament reading, some disciples are trying to make themselves prominent within their group.  They request to sit at Jesus’s right and left hand.  Jesus asks if they can drink the cup that He is about to.  The claim they can.  Eventually, they will both be martyred.  Jesus explains to them that to become great, they must become servants.  It is a difficult concept for us to grasp.  In the kingdom of heaven, there really isn’t much of a hierarchy.  There is God and then there is everyone else.  We won’t have power or position over each other in heaven.

March 7: Deuteronomy 1-2 and Mark 11:1-9

Deuteronomy means “second law” or ”repetition of the law”.  As we read through Deuteronomy, we will see many of the laws in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers repeated.  

Moses speaks to the Israelites across the Jordan.  The reference here is from the perspective of one standing in Canaan to the west.  It has been 40 years since the Exodus from Egypt.  Moses recounts their travels and the issues of sin that have kept them from moving into the Promised Land.  We read more about a race of giant people, the Anakim.  The Anakim were named for Anak, a descendant of the founder of Hebron.  Some of them moved to Philisitia and may have been related to Goliath and other giant Philistines.  

The people are reminded of the various lands they have traveled through.  They are also reminded of battles they engaged in.  

In the New Testament reading, Jesus makes His way into Jerusalem for the last time.  His disciples bring Him a colt to ride into town on, fulfilling prophecy.  As Jesus enters the city, people are placing palm fronds and their coats in front of Him, identifying Him as Hosanna in the highest.  Unfortunately, their delight with Him is short lived.  Jesus goes to the temple complex and drives out the money changers and those selling livestock.  This draws the ire of the chief priests and scribes.  They are afraid of Him because of the crowd’s reaction to Jesus.  The chief priests and scribes were not going after Jesus because He was teaching incorrect things.  They were going after Him because Jesus was taking away their captive audience.  They were worried that Jesus would take away their stature and clout.  As a result, they began seeking a way to destroy Him.

March 8: Deuteronomy 3-4 and Mark 11:20-33

We continue to read about more of Israel exploits against the nations as they traveled the wilderness.  Chapter 5 verse 11 refers to the ”bed” of the king of Bashan.  This most likely is referring to Og’s sarcophagus.  The Israelites had been called to completely wipe out their enemies.  The king of Bashan would be included in that list.  Moses is stating that the only thing left of Bashan is the king’s burial place. 

Moses begs The LORD to let him come into the Promised Land.  He proclaims how wonderful and mighty God is.  Moses confesses that there is no god that can do what He does.  However, The LORD will still not allow Moses to enter the land.  Rather than put the blame on himself, Moses puts the blame on the Israelites.  He does this in both chapters of today’s reading.  Moses had been barred from entering the Promised Land because of how he handled drawing water from the rock in Numbers 20.  Moses does the right thing at first, asking God what to do.  However, when he asssemble the people, he calls the people rebels and asks if “we must draw water” for them.  What Moses did there was put himself on equal footing with God.  He was judgmental toward the Israelites.  Further, rather than give God the credit for drawing water, he takes some credit too.  Moses was prideful.  We could even go so far as saying that he was guilty of hubris. Hubris is one of my favorite terms from the classic Greek tragedies.  It is the excessive pride that makes a person think they have the same power as God.  

The fact that Moses blames the people is not quite fair.  Certainly, it was their rebellion that caused his frustration.  However, they were not responsible for his reaction.  Moses was.  It cost him the ability to enter the Promised Land.  When it comes to sin, it is easier for us to put the blame on someone else.  However, when it comes down to it, people can only tempt us to sin.  Us as individuals are the ones that commit the sin, not those that tempt us. 

In the Mark reading, Jesus talks to the disciples about having faith that can move mountains.  As believers, we can have faith that God is going to answer our prayers.  God always answers our prayers.  His answer is either a “yes”, ”no”, or “wait”.  Whatever His answer is, we can be sure that it is for His glory and our benefit.  Jesus’s authority is also challenged by the chief priests, scribes, and elders.  They want to know who gave Him the authority to do what He is doing.  Jesus asks them where John’s baptism came from.  Was it from men or heaven.  The religious elite do not want to answer because they know that no matter what answer they give, it will not go in their favor.  If they answer from heaven, then they are admitting that Jesus is worthy of belief.  If they say from man, then the people will be mad at them because they considered John a prophet.  I think one of the biggest problems these folks ran into is that they knew the truth, they just did not want to believe it because it meant they would have to change their ways.

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March 8: Deuteronomy 3-4 and Mark 11:20-33

We continue to read about more of Israel exploits against the nations as they traveled the wilderness.  Chapter 5 verse 11 refers to the ”bed” of the king of Bashan.  This most likely is referring to Og’s sarcophagus.  The Israelites had been called to completely wipe out their enemies.  The king of Bashan would be included in that list.  Moses is stating that the only thing left of Bashan is the king’s burial place. 

Moses begs The LORD to let him come into the Promised Land.  He proclaims how wonderful and mighty God is.  Moses confesses that there is no god that can do what He does.  However, The LORD will still not allow Moses to enter the land.  Rather than put the blame on himself, Moses puts the blame on the Israelites.  He does this in both chapters of today’s reading.  Moses had been barred from entering the Promised Land because of how he handled drawing water from the rock in Numbers 20.  Moses does the right thing at first, asking God what to do.  However, when he asssemble the people, he calls the people rebels and asks if “we must draw water” for them.  What Moses did there was put himself on equal footing with God.  He was judgmental toward the Israelites.  Further, rather than give God the credit for drawing water, he takes some credit too.  Moses was prideful.  We could even go so far as saying that he was guilty of hubris. Hubris is one of my favorite terms from the classic Greek tragedies.  It is the excessive pride that makes a person think they have the same power as God.  

The fact that Moses blames the people is not quite fair.  Certainly, it was their rebellion that caused his frustration.  However, they were not responsible for his reaction.  Moses was.  It cost him the ability to enter the Promised Land.  When it comes to sin, it is easier for us to put the blame on someone else.  However, when it comes down to it, people can only tempt us to sin.  Us as individuals are the ones that commit the sin, not those that tempt us. 

In the Mark reading, Jesus talks to the disciples about having faith that can move mountains.  As believers, we can have faith that God is going to answer our prayers.  God always answers our prayers.  His answer is either a “yes”, ”no”, or “wait”.  Whatever His answer is, we can be sure that it is for His glory and our benefit.  Jesus’s authority is also challenged by the chief priests, scribes, and elders.  They want to know who gave Him the authority to do what He is doing.  Jesus asks them where John’s baptism came from.  Was it from men or heaven.  The religious elite do not want to answer because they know that no matter what answer they give, it will not go in their favor.  If they answer from heaven, then they are admitting that Jesus is worthy of belief.  If they say from man, then the people will be mad at them because they considered John a prophet.  I think one of the biggest problems these folks ran into is that they knew the truth, they just did not want to believe it because it meant they would have to change their ways.

March 9: Deuteronomy 5-7 and Mark 12:1-27

Moses reiterates the Ten Commandments to the people.  These laws were special because it established a covenant with the people that the other patriarchs did not have.  These laws were to keep the people focusing on loving God and loving their neighbors.  I want to make mention of just a couple of these commandments.  The people are told not to use The LORD’s name in vain.  If someone exclaims “Oh my G—” then this is an example of misusing God’s name.  At the same time, if someone makes a vow, invoking the name of God, but they fail to fufill the vow, that can also be considered using God’s name in vain.  We must be careful when we invoke the name of God into trivial things of the earth.  The second commandment I wanted to point out is the commandment against adultery.  There are several ancient Near East texts outside of Biblical documents that label adultery as “the great sin”.  This tells us that even pagans were aware of how serious the sin of adultery is. 

The people are also given the greatest command.  The greatest command is to love The LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.  I submit that if we truly follow the greatest command and really give ourselves over to Him, the rest of the commandments will fall into place.  

The Israelites are ordered to destroy the pagan nations that they are entering.  This was intended for their protection.  If they allowed some of them to live, then there was the possibility that they would intermarry.  Intermarriage would most likely cause them to start following the false gods of that nation.  It was important that they destroy any possibility of falling into idolatry.  These people had fallen into idolatry when there was no pagan influence around them.  How much more would they be tempted to fall into it if they were living amongst it? 

In the Mark reading, Jesus tells the parable of the vineyard owner.  The vineyard symbolizes Israel.  The tenant farmers represent the leaders of Israel.  The mistreated slaves symbolize the Old Testament prophets.  We look at the prophets of old with renown, but while they were in Israel making their prophecies, they were hated by the leaders because they were not telling them what the leaders wanted to hear.  The beloved son represents Jesus.  The owner of the vineyard thinks that surely they will treat the son better than the slaves.  Instead of simply beating the son, they kill him and throw him out, indicating that he did not receive a proper burial.  God knew that Jesus would go and the people would reject Him and kill Him, but He sent His Son anyway.  That is the depth of His love for His creation. 

Jesus is asked about a woman who had multiple husbands on earth.  Who will be her husband in heaven?  Jesus responds that none of the men will be her husband.  He explains that when we rise from the dead, we will be like angels in heaven.  Often when heaven is portrayed in movies and cartoons, the deceased are shown with harps and wings.  That is not what Jesus is talking about here.  He is simply stating that the eternal life will not be like it is here on the temporal plane.

March 10: Deuteronomy 8-10 and Mark 12:28-44

The people are implored to remember The LORD.  There were so many times in the wilderness that God provided for them, even when they were complaining.  They spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness, but their clothes never became ratty and their feet did not swell.  There were times in their journey that The LORD disciplined His people, but it was for a purpose.  Though parents do not enjoy giving discipline to their children, it is necessary for their development.  This discipline was necessary for the Israelites’ maturity.  

They are warned not to get too puffed up with themselves thinking that the reason they are entering the land is because of their righteousness.  It is not their righteousness that is earning their way into the Promised Land, it is God’s righteousness.  Similarly, it is not our righteousness that will earn our way into heaven.  Instead, God redeemed us with His righteousness.  There is not one of us out there that is sinless.  We all sin and fall short of the glory of God.  So, if we are going to boast in anything, we should boast in The LORD and His righteousness.

To prevent the people from getting too full of themselves, they are reminded of the various sins they committed through their journeys.  They are reminded that The LORD asks them to “fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, and to worship The LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul”.  How are we doing with that in our lives? 

In the New Testament reading, Jesus gives them the most important command.  It is to Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.  The command given to the Israelites in Deuteronomy and this one here are one and the same.  This is just one example of how God is steadfast and unchanging. 

Jesus gives the second command which is to love your neighbor as yourself.  A scribe exclaimed that He is correct and that these two commands are greater than the burnt offerings and sacrifice.  Jesus affirms the statement.  God is more pleased with obedience than He is with sacrifice.  If we are living an obedient life, sacrifice will follow.  

The disciples and Jesus watch as people are making offerings at the temple.  A widow puts two tiny coins worth very little in the offering.  Jesus explains that she has given more than any of the others because she gave all she had.  The rest were giving out of their surplus.  In this instance it comes down to the matter of the heart.  The people giving in their excess essentially made sure that they had what they needed before giving to The LORD.  This woman did not worry about what she needed.  Instead, she gave to God, showing incredible trust in Him.

March 11: Deuteronomy 11-13 and Mark 13:1-13

The Israelites are instructed to teach their children about what they endured during their wilderness journey.  They have a rich past of God taking care of them.  He pulled them out of Egypt, giving them a lot of riches on the way out.  He made a way through the Red Sea so that they could escape from Pharaoh’s army.  When they were thirsty, God provided good water at Mara.  He also provided water from the rock.  Further, when they were hungry, He had manna rain from the sky for them.  It was imperative that the Israelites teach these things to their children so that the children would grow up trusting in The LORD as well.  

God gives instructions about eating meat.  They can eat meat any time they like as long as it is on the clean list.  They also must drain all of the blood from the meat.  They can eat the meat whether they themselves are clean or unclean.  However, when it comes to making sacrifice to The LORD that is when things become more stringent.  There are certain rituals they must follow to present and they must be clean to present the burnt offerings.  

They are given instructions about the chosen place of worship.  They are to destroy all of the idols and Asherah poles so that they are not tempted to worship the false gods of that nation.  The people had already once shown their propensity to fall into idol worship and that is when they were alone.  How much more tempted would they be if the idols remained in the land with them?  They are not to worship other gods.  They are not to tolerate idolatry from anyone.  They are also supposed to get rid of the false prophets.  There will be people that rise up in the ranks with the sole intention of pulling them away from God.  Unfortunately, the same thing happens today.

In the Mark reading, the disciples are walking along and they see the big impressive stones of the temple.  One exclaims how impressive they are.  Jesus tells them a time is coming when every stone will be thrown down.  Jesus also gives the signs of the end of the age.  Many today are looking at the news and thinking that we are coming to the end of the age.  In fact, I was just talking to someone about that last night.  I think rather than worry about when the end is coming, we should be more worried about getting out there and loving them like Jesus, showing the people who He is.  

Jesus gives warnings to the believers about the problems and persecution they are going to run into.  As believers, they will suffer for His name.  Here in the states we don’t suffer like some believers do.  There are people in foreign nations sharing the Gospel at great risk to their lives.  If they are caught, they will be imprisoned and martyred.  Following Christ is not for the faint of heart.

March 12: Deuteronomy 14-16 and Mark 13:14-37

When a person is mourning, they are not to cut themselves or shave a bald spot in their head.  Cutting and making bald spots were pagan traditions when it came to mourning.  They are told again what they can and cannot eat.  It makes sense from a medical standpoint when we look at the things they are not allowed to consume.  The scaleless fish and shellfish were all bottom feeders.  There is no telling what they were eating on the sea floor.  They are not allowed to eat any of the carrion birds.  These birds ate dead carcasses and there was the possibility the people would be contaminated by it.  

In the seventh year, they are to cancel the debts owed them and set their servants free.  They are warned against following human nature.  If someone came to them asking to borrow money the year before the debts were supposed to be canceled, then the investor is not going to get back much of his money.  As a result, they might be inclined to not loan to the person in need.  They cannot do that.  They should give freely.  The servants are to be set free in the seventh year as well.  However, if the servant really likes where he is at, then he can have his ear pierced and become a servant for life.  From today’s standpoint, that statement seems weird.  However, servitude back in these times was very different than in the modern context.  

The text also repeats the various festivals the people are supposed to observe.  They are also given instructions on appointing judges.  The judges that are appointed must be upright and not willing to take a bribe.  They must be fair in their judgment. 

In the Mark reading, there is more information about the end times.  Sometimes I am asked if we are in the end times.  The best answer I can give is “maybe?”.  The reason for uncertain answer is what we read here in Mark 13:32-37.  No one knows the day or hour.  Since no one knows, it’s better not to stand and watch the sky, waiting for the end to come.  Jesus spent a lot more time preaching and teaching about loving Him and serving others.  I dare say that it is better for us to focus on doing that rather than waiting for the end.  The end is inevitable.  One day we will draw our last breath.  The hope and prayer is that we will be good and faithful servants to Him while we are here.  We have a limited amount of time here on earth.  Let’s make the most of it.

March 13: Deuteronomy 17-19 and Mark 14:1-25

The people are given instructions about sacrifices to The LORD.  They have to sacrifice an animal that is perfect and without blemish.  To sacrifice anything else was detestable.  It makes sense that the animal had to be without blemish.  It would be easy enough for someone to take an animal that was messed up and present it to The LORD.  They could not really do anything with the animal, so they were not really making a sacrifice.  To present a blemished animal would be giving The LORD something useless to them, and therefore easy to give up.  

God provides instruction on what to do if they find someone in their midst guilty of idolatry.  If a person is caught worshipping the moon, the stars, or the sun, they are guilty of idolatry.  The sun, moon, and stars are all created beings.  The Israelites (and we) are called to worship the Creator, not the created.  In order for the accused person to be found guilty, though, there have to be at least two or three witnesses.  The people could not simply fabricate lies against someone and have them condemned. 

Eventually, the people will get a king.  However, their king must be different than the other kings.  They are not to use their position to gain large amounts of gold and silver for himself.  He is to have a healthy fear of The LORD.  As the physical leader of the Israelites, it will be important for him to remember that he still has a boss.  Though the king might not be accountable to anyone on the earth, he is still accountable to The LORD.

The people are promised prophets to give them the Word of The LORD.  The passage in chapter 18 dealing with prophets has Messianic undertones to it, but the text is more indicative of the prophets like Isaiah, Nehemiah, and the others that will speak God’s words to the people in the Old Testament period. The people are also reminded about the sanctuary cities that they are to maintain.  They are also told not to move their borders and take land away from their brothers.

In the Mark reading, Jesus is anointed at Bethany.  A woman comes in and pours a bottle of oil of nard on His feet that was worth about a year’s worth of salary.  Though the disciple that takes issue with this is not mentioned, we know from other texts that it is Judas.  Judas’s claims that if they had sold the nard, they could have given the money to the poor.  This is ironic of course since he had no concern for the poor whatsoever.  He was worried about filling his own coffers, not about blessing others.  When Jesus rebukes him for complaining about this woman’s gift, Judas goes and makes a deal with the chief priests to betray Christ.  Beware the self righteous that are only concerned with themselves.  Though they have an agenda, it is not The LORD’s.

March 14: Deuteronomy 20 -22 and Mark 14:26-50

The rules for their war are spelled out.  In certain cases, they are allowed to let some of the inhabitants live.  However, in the case of the lands they are being told to occupy, they are told to go in and eradicate it all.  God wants them to do this because He knows that if they don’t, then they will be tempted to follow their gods, not Yahweh, the One who delivered them from Egypt.  God calls for them to eliminate all of it because He knows that if they don’t completely pull the roots of their paganism out, then it will come back.  

God also gives provision for those getting ready to fight in war.  If they have built houses, but not dedicated them then they should go back and dedicate it so that they can enjoy the fruit of their labor.  He is not guaranteeing that all of them will come back.  Instead, He is allowing for the soldiers that have started something to go back home and complete it before making their way to battle.  

Favoritism is forbidden in the passing of land to the firstborn.  Even if the firstborn was born to an “unloved” wife, then that child should receive the double inheritance.  We saw before how the favorite of Jacob was treated by his brothers. 

The people are also warned again about adultery and lying to prospective spouses.  Adultery terrible even by pagan standards, so it is fitting that God’s people would continue warning against it.  

In the New Testament reading Jesus and the disciples walk from the Upper Room to the Garden of Gethsemane.  Jesus tells them all that they will run away from Him, but Peter puffs himself up and says that he will not, even if he has to give his life up for Jesus.  I admire Peter’s bravado here, but he will eventually deny Jesus three times in that single night.  It is a lot easier to say what we are going to do in a situation before the situation arises.  As believers, we should have a plan for when people come after us for our belief.  Further, we should practice it out since we don’t know when we are going to be challenged.  My Navy friends will remember it being beaten into our heads that we “Train like you fight and fight like you train”.  We would run all kinds of drills to make sure that when the real thing happened, we would know what to do.  

As Jesus prays in the garden, Judas shows up with the temple police to arrest Jesus.  Peter, in a rage draws his sword and cuts off the ear of the high priests slave.  Though this account does not say it, Jesus heals the ear of the servant.  Just as Jesus said, they all deserted Him when He was arrested.

March 15: Deuteronomy 23-25 and Mark 14:51-72

In Deuteronomy, we read about fairness laws and other commands for the people.  If a slave escapes from his master and moves within their gates, they are not to return him.  Instead, he is allowed to stay.  Both men and women are forbidden from being cult prostitutes.  We would think this was a ”No brainer.”  However, one thing about the cult practices of the time (and why they were so popular), is that they had to do with sex.  In these cults, that is how they worshipped their deity.  The people are also forbidden from charging interest on loans.  Further, if they keep collateral, such as the cloak of a poor person, they are to return the cloak at night so that the borrower can keep warm while he sleeps.  One thing is certain from these rules and regulations that God is giving: He is concerned with taking care of the poor, the widow, and the fatherless.  As His followers, we should do the same. 

They are instructed on how to keep the family line going in the event two brothers live on the same property.  If one dies without a son, the brother is to marry his sister in law with the intent of having a son with her to carry on the family name.  This was known as the levirate custom from the Latin “Levir” meaning brother in law.  Progeny was important to them.  If we look at Abraham’s call, we see that there is the promise of lots of descendants.  The people wanted children to pass their property and possessions to.  Preserving the family name was incredibly important to them! 

In the New Testament reading we read about the effects of Judas’s betrayal.  Yesterday, we learned that every one of Christ’s disciples abandoned Him when He was arrested.  Now, Mark tells us of a certain young man that was wearing a linen cloth around his body.  They grabbed at the cloth and he was so determined to get away, he left the cloth behind and ran away naked.  He would rather run through town naked than be identified as being with Jesus.  Though we are not told who this person was, most scholars believe that it was none other than John Mark, the author of this Gospel narrative.

Jesus goes before the Sanhedrin while Peter follows from a distance.  Jesus is accused of threatening to destroy the temple and raise it in three days.  Rather than answer their accusations, Christ keeps silent.  He knows that no matter what He says, their minds are made up.  The only time He speaks is when He is asked by the high priest if He is the Messiah.  Jesus replies, “I am, and all of you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”  With that, the scribes, priests, and the rest of the religious elite decide they have enough to charge Jesus with blasphemy.

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March 15: Deuteronomy 23-25 and Mark 14:51-72

In Deuteronomy, we read about fairness laws and other commands for the people.  If a slave escapes from his master and moves within their gates, they are not to return him.  Instead, he is allowed to stay.  Both men and women are forbidden from being cult prostitutes.  We would think this was a “No brainer.”  However, one thing about the cult practices of the time (and why they were so popular), is that they had to do with sex.  In these cults, that is how they worshipped their deity.  The people are also forbidden from charging interest on loans.  Further, if they keep collateral, such as the cloak of a poor person, they are to return the cloak at night so that the borrower can keep warm while he sleeps.  One thing is certain from these rules and regulations that God is giving: He is concerned with taking care of the poor, the widow, and the fatherless.  As His followers, we should do the same. 

They are instructed on how to keep the family line going in the event two brothers live on the same property.  If one dies without a son, the brother is to marry his sister-in-law with the intent of having a son with her to carry on the family name.  This was known as the levirate custom from the Latin “Levir” meaning brother-in-law.  Progeny was important to them.  If we look at Abraham’s call, we see that there is the promise of lots of descendants.  The people wanted children to pass their property and possessions to.  Preserving the family name was incredibly important to them! 

In the New Testament reading we read about the effects of Judas’s betrayal.  Yesterday, we learned that every one of Christ’s disciples abandoned Him when He was arrested.  Now, Mark tells us of a certain young man that was wearing a linen cloth around his body.  They grabbed at the cloth, and he was so determined to get away, he left the cloth behind and ran away naked.  He would rather run through town naked than be identified as being with Jesus.  Though we are not told who this person was, most scholars believe that it was none other than John Mark, the author of this Gospel narrative.

Jesus goes before the Sanhedrin while Peter follows from a distance.  Jesus is accused of threatening to destroy the temple and raise it in three days.  Rather than answer their accusations, Christ keeps silent.  He knows that no matter what He says, their minds are made up.  The only time He speaks is when He is asked by the high priest if He is the Messiah.  Jesus replies, “I am, and all of you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”  With that, the scribes, priests, and the rest of the religious elite decide they have enough to charge Jesus with blasphemy.

March 16: Deuteronomy 26-27 and Mark 15:1-26

As the Israelites prepare to enter the Promised Land, the land “flowing with milk and honey”, they are given instruction on what offerings to bring to The LORD.  They are to take some of the first of all the land’s produce, put it in a container, and present it to The LORD.  In the third year, rather than present the tenth to The LORD, the produce will be given to the poor.  Back then, there were no social welfare programs, and the poor were reliant upon friends, neighbors, and clergy to help them get by.  

The covenant is summarized for the people.  They are commanded to keep their end of the covenant.  If they do what The LORD requires of them, then He will bless them abundantly and protect them from their enemies.  However, if they do not, then God will not offer them protection.  As we continue our reading, we will see that they chose not to uphold their end of the covenant as the course of Old Testament history plays out.  It begs the question why they would think The LORD would bless them if they were rebellious.  Do we do the same today?  Do we expect blessings from The LORD even when we are in states of rebellion?  

When they enter the land, they are to write the laws on stones so that they have a reminder of what God commands.  It is to serve as a reminder of this covenant and help keep them on track.  

In the New Testament reading, Jesus is sent to Pilate.  The Pharisees and Sadducees did not have the authority to impose the punishment of crucifixion.  The Roman governor had to do that.  Pilate asks Jesus if He is king of the Jews.  Jesus simply responds, “You have said it.”  Pilate then offers to either release Jesus or release Barabbas, which was customary of that time.  The people scream for Barabbas to be released.  

Notice that Pilate knows that Jesus is innocent.  He knows the only reason the chief priests are upset with Jesus is because of their envy of Him.  They are upset that He came in and challenged their authority.  The fact is that they had abused their authority.  Their “holiness” was a spectacle as they sought for people to look on them with great awe at how holy and close to God they were.  They had made it about themselves.  It was never meant to be about them; it was meant to be about God.  The same is true of the Gospel.  It’s not about us.  It’s about God and what He has done for us. 

Jesus is hung between two common criminals.  Above His head are His charges, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.”  Though Pilate and the rest of the Romans followed their own pantheon of gods, they at least knew enough to identify Christ by His true identity.

March 17:  Deuteronomy 28 and Mark 15: 27-47

God promises that if the Israelites are obedient to Him, then they will receive plenty of blessings from Him.  He has blessed them up to this point and the blessings will continue if they do as they have been commanded.  However, they are also taught that if they do not follow God’s commands, then they will suffer for their disobedience.  He promises that they will be uprooted from the Promised Land and other nations will mock them.  In a more upsetting prophecy regarding future problems is that they will result to eating their young because they will be so hungry.  Sadly, this prophecy does play out in the history of the Israelites.  2 Kings 6: 26-29 catalogs an instance of cannibalism in their history. 

What amazes me is that these folks have seen how well God took care of them.  Their ancestors had been freed from Egypt.  He provided manna for them and water from the rock.  God consistently takes care of them, but when things start going easy, they begin to depart from Him.  Maybe that is human nature?  For some reason, people can be inclined to only cry out to God when things are not going well.  Then when things are fine, they just kind of forget about what He did to make things well.  The goal as believers is to cry out to The LORD regularly, whether it is a cry of despair or a cry of joy.  

In the New Testament reading, Jesus is hung between two criminals.  The people stand and yell at Him to save Himself.  When He does not, they begin to mock Him saying that He saved all these other people, but He cannot save Himself.  Then they tempt Him by saying that if He would simply take Himself off the cross, then they will believe.  I call balderdash.  These people had seen all the other miracles Christ performed before this moment.  Even though they were eyewitnesses to what He had done, they still do not believe.  If Jesus had saved Himself, which He could have, then they still would not believe.  Jesus remains on the cross, suffering for the sins of all people, and succumbs to death after a few hours.  

Joseph of Arimathea is given Christ’s corpse.  He anoints the body as best he can and places it in a tomb.  The tomb will not be used for very long, though.

March 18: Deuteronomy 29-30 and Mark 16

The warnings of disobedience continue.  Yet in all of these warnings, there is the hope and promise of restoration.  God has established this covenant with them.  They are warned to not get puffed up and full of themselves because of this covenant.  In fact, they are given the example of someone that hears the words of the oath and he considers himself exempt, thinking that he will enjoy the peace even if he goes his own way.  That will not work.  If the person is to receive the blessing, then he or she needs to obey God’s commands. 

If they do not uphold their end of the covenant and The LORD gives them over who is to blame?  This Scripture makes it abundantly clear that it is their fault, not The LORD’s.  Rather than other nations coming alongside and having pity on them for losing their status, will put the blame squarely on the Israelites, not The LORD.  If they start chasing other gods again and worshiping idols and The LORD uproots them, it is their fault, not God’s. 

They are encouraged to love The LORD with all their hearts and do His will.  That is how they will prosper. 

In the Mark reading, some of the women that had been following Jesus arrive at the tomb to finish anointing His body.  They find that the tomb is in fact empty.  Jesus is alive.  He has defeated the grave.  They dutifully report these findings to the disciples and let them know that Jesus has resurrected.    It is worth noting how the disciples respond.  They respond with disbelief.  The story is so incredible, that they refuse to believe the first witnesses.  Even though Christ had told them what was going to happen, they first respond with unbelief.  If these first witnesses had a difficult time getting the people that followed Him to believe that He overcame the grave, we can be assured that there will be folks we interact with that will not believe it.  However, our job as believers is to continue witnessing to folks, showing them how awesome God is and what He has done by both deed and word.  

The disciples come around to believing that Jesus has resurrected, but they are all sternly rebuked by Jesus for not believing the women that brought the news to them.

March 19: Deuteronomy 31-32 and Luke 1:1-23

Moses is 120 years old now and cannot continue to lead the people.  Joshua is chosen to lead them into the Promised Land.  Moses will be able to see the land, but he will not enter it because of the instance where he drew water from the rock without giving God credit.  God tells Moses that his time is ending.  He also tells him that the people will soon commit adultery with foreign gods.  That had to have been pretty tough for Moses to hear.  He has devoted most of his life to helping these people out, but they are still just not getting it.  

God tells Moses to teach the people a song to remember in their destitution.  The song begins speaking about what God had done for them, showing His power and glory.  From there, it catalogs the various sins of the people and closes with a promise that God will take vengeance upon the enemies.  Though the point of the song might seem to be one of vengeance, the overarching theme is God’s sovereignty and fairness.  He is faithful, without prejudice, righteous and true. 

We get into Luke today.  Luke was a medical doctor.  He wrote this book and the book of Acts.  Both books are dedicated to Theophilus.  We do not have any information about Theophilus other than the fact that the name means “lover of God”.  Luke is seeking to give his eyewitness account of Christ’s life.  He gives the pertinent data that he observed starting with John the Baptist’s dad Zechariah.  Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were both righteous people, but they had not had children.  They were on in years and they thought the window was closed.  But God makes a way that Elizabeth will bear John the Baptist.  He will announce the coming of Messiah and will be filled with the Holy Spirit even in the womb.  Zechariah asks how he can know this and he is immediately unable to speak because he questioned the announcement.  When he finally leaves the sanctuary, the other people know that he had to have a vision while he was there.

March 20: Deuteronomy 33-34 and Luke 1: 24-56

Moses gives the Israelites blessings before he passes away.  He goes over the various tribes and talks about what they have done and what is in their future.  Moses goes up from the plains of Moab to Mt Nebo where he can see Jericho.  God then reminds Moses that the land is promised to his descendants, but he is not allowed to enter the land. However, God allows him to see it with his own eyes.  Moses’ mission is complete.  He breathes his last and is buried.  We do not know where he was buried.  The text says that his grave was there “to this day”.  That was true at the completion of Deuteronomy.  Later, in the New Testament times, Jude will write about the mystery surrounding Moses’ burial spot. 

We are told that Moses did not lose any of his vitality for the 120 years that he walked the earth.  Feasibly, if he had not messed up by bringing water from the rock and equating himself with God, he could have lived a while in the Promised Land and enjoyed some of its blessings.  Or he could have lived for a while in the wilderness without crossing into Jericho.  However, it was his time to go.  He lived a full life and was remembered as enjoying a special relationship with God Almighty.

In the Luke reading, Mary is visited by Gabriel.  He informs Mary that she will give birth to a son.  She is curious as how that could happen since she has not been intimate with a man.  Gabriel informs her that nothing is impossible for God.  He invites her to consider that her cousin Elizabeth is pregnant in her old age.  Mary goes to visit Elizabeth in her sixth month of pregnancy.  When she arrives, the baby John leaps in utero since he feels the presence of the pre-born Jesus.  We are told that Mary stays with Elizabeth for three months.  It is unclear whether she is there for the birth of John the Baptist, but most think that she probably remained long enough to see him born. There was a spiritual bond between the two babies and both would play important roles in the future of God’s people.

March 21: Joshua 1-3 and Luke 1: 57-80

Moses is dead.  Joshua has command of the people now.  It is fitting that he would receive encouragement from The LORD.  Many of the things that He is commanding Joshua will be repeated to other Israelite leaders throughout the Old Testament.  The command to be strong and courageous was already spoken by Moses.  It will be used before big undertakings like David’s charge to Solomon to build the Temple, King Hezekiah’s encouragement to his people to withstand a siege, and Joshua’s charge to Israel to fight. 

Joshua sends spies to Jericho.  They come to the house of Rahab a prostitute.  Jericho’s king sends men out looking for the spies.  When they approach Rahab’s house, she tells them that the spies had already left and she did not know which way they went.  The truth is that the spies were in the stalks of flax on her roof.  This is another one of those instances where we see an example of someone lying and benefitting from it.  We saw the same thing when it came to the midwives delivering Hebrew babies.  Rahab explains that the entire land is overcome with fear since word of God drying up the Red Sea and the defeat of Og and Sihon.  The people of Jericho know that God is with them and so their courage has failed them.  

Rahab is different from the rest of the people.  The news of what God had done for the Israelites brings her to belief in God.  She helps them with the agreement that she and her family will be spared at the onslaught.  The spies agree.  If someone in her family is harmed, the blood is on their hands, but if she reports their mission, then their oath to her is null and void.  This indicates that even if the king found out about their mission, they are still planning to enter the land unlike last time.  The first time they got here, they were afraid and decided not to go in.  As a result, they wandered for forty years in the wilderness.  They were not going to make the same mistake again! 

Again we see The LORD make a pathway through water for them to cross.  This time, the people will cross the Jordan into Jericho on dry land.  We are told that the Jordan would overflow its banks in harvest season.  Sadly, that is no longer the case.  I had the privilege to visit Israel a while back and several spots within the Jordan are not nearly as deep or wide as they used to be.  In fact, the flow of water through the Jordan has been so slow, that the Dead Sea’s water level is falling.  

In the Luke reading, John the Baptist is born.  When it comes time for the boy to be circumcised and named.  It was customary for the first born to be named after the father, that is why they looked to Zechariah when Elizabeth stated the child would be called John.  Zechariah writes out on a tablet that his name is John.  At that, he was able to speak again.  Zechariah then delivers a prophecy about what great things his son will do to prepare the way of Messiah.

March 22: Joshua 4-6 and Luke 2:1-24

The entire nation crosses the Jordan on dry land.  Twelve men from the people, one from each tribe, are told to take one stone each and place it in the middle of the Jordan where the priests are standing.  These stones are to remind the people about what God has done for them as they traveled into Jericho.  The Lord again dried up the water, just as He had when the Israelites were traveling across the Red Sea.  They are reminded to tell their children about what God had done for them.  They are to give their testimony.  The testimony of a believer is important.  We can read what God has done for the people in the Bible, but we all have stories about the things that God has done for us.  It is important to let people know that God is working in our lives.

A rather unpleasant thing happens for the people.  Since they have been wandering the wilderness for so long, the entire generation of men were not circumcised.  The LORD commands Joshua to circumcise the men “again”.  By stating “again” God is reinstituting the covenant He had established with Abraham.  They have a feast from the produce of the land.  The very next day, the manna stopped.  From here on out, they will eat from the fruit of the land.

The defeat of Jericho was relatively simple.  Joshua, priests carrying the ark of the Lord, seven priests with seven trumpets, and the armed men marched once around the city for six days blowing the trumpets.  On the seventh day, they marched around the city seven times in the same way.  After the seventh time, the people shouted and the walls of Jericho fell.  They are warned to not take the set apart things when they go in to take the city.  The treasure is set apart for The LORD.  Rahab and her family are rescued, just like the spies had guaranteed they would be. 

In the New Testament reading, Caesar Augustus decrees a census must be taken.  So Joseph takes Mary to Bethlehem to be registered.  While she was there, she gives birth to Jesus.  The shepherds outside of Bethlehem were keeping their flocks when an angel of the Lord appeared to them and told them the great news that the Messiah had been born. The sheep these shepherds were keeping were no ordinary sheep.  Those were the sheep that were sacrificed for atonement at the temple.  Now that the Messiah is here, there will be no need for keeping these special sheep anymore.  Instead, it will be the Messiah that will reconcile His people to Him.

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March 22: Joshua 4-6 and Luke 2:1-24

The entire nation crosses the Jordan on dry land.  Twelve men from the people, one from each tribe, are told to take one stone each and place it in the middle of the Jordan where the priests are standing.  These stones are to remind the people about what God has done for them as they traveled into Jericho.  The Lord again dried up the water, just as He had when the Israelites were traveling across the Red Sea.  They are reminded to tell their children about what God had done for them.  They are to give their testimony.  The testimony of a believer is important.  We can read what God has done for the people in the Bible, but we all have stories about the things that God has done for us.  It is important to let people know that God is working in our lives.

A rather unpleasant thing happens for the people.  Since they have been wandering the wilderness for so long, the entire generation of men were not circumcised.  The LORD commands Joshua to circumcise the men “again”.  By stating “again” God is reinstituting the covenant He had established with Abraham.  They have a feast from the produce of the land.  The very next day, the manna stopped.  From here on out, they will eat from the fruit of the land.

The defeat of Jericho was relatively simple.  Joshua, priests carrying the ark of the Lord, seven priests with seven trumpets, and the armed men marched once around the city for six days blowing the trumpets.  On the seventh day, they marched around the city seven times in the same way.  After the seventh time, the people shouted and the walls of Jericho fell.  They are warned to not take the set apart things when they go in to take the city.  The treasure is set apart for The LORD.  Rahab and her family are rescued, just like the spies had guaranteed they would be. 

In the New Testament reading, Caesar Augustus decrees a census must be taken.  So Joseph takes Mary to Bethlehem in order to be registered.  While she was there, she gives birth to Jesus.  The shepherds outside of Bethlehem were keeping their flocks when an angel of the Lord appeared to them and told them the great news that the Messiah had been born. The sheep these shepherds were keeping were no ordinary sheep.  Those were the sheep that were sacrificed for atonement at the temple.  Now that the Messiah is here, there will be no need for keeping these special sheep anymore.  Instead, it will be the Messiah that will reconcile His people to Him.

March 23: Joshua 7-8 and Luke 2:25-52

Unfortunately, some of the Israelites were not faithful and took some of the forbidden things.  Obviously, most of them thought everyone was faithful since when it came time to take Ai, the scouts say to only send 2,000-3,000 warfighters into Ai.  They assume it will be a simple victory so there is no need to exhaust all their military forces.  The army goes in and Ai fights back, killing 36 Israelites.  The Israelites are disheartened and Joshua gives a similar refrain that we have seen from the people wandering the wilderness.  He asks why God would do that to them.  God responds that there are people that have sinned against Him in their midst.  They identify the man responsible and take care of him as The LORD commanded them to.