Week 9: Deuteronomy 26 - Joshua 12

This week's reading plan covers:

• Weekend:   Deuteronomy 26 - 29
• Monday:    Deuteronomy 30 - 32
• Tuesday:   Deuteronomy 33 - 34
• Wednesday: Joshua 1 - 5
• Thursday:  Joshua 6 - 8
• Friday:    Joshua 9 - 12

This week’s reading is about transition…in which the Israelites cross the Jordan River and take possession of the Promised Land. 

Deuteronomy closes with a series of blessings and curses, which anticipate the unfolding history of God’s people – from the conquest of the land of Canaan…to the scattering of Israel among the nations in the wake of the people’s rebellion…to the restoration of God’s remnant people after Babylonian captivity.  The first twelve chapters of Joshua record Israel’s “moving in.”

Throughout the week, you will encounter a number of stories that underscore the need to trust and obey.  Enjoy!
 

Week 8: Deuteronomy Chapters 1 - 25

Four books down and 59 to go!!! 

When you have a moment, please drop a line to the blog letting us know how your reading experience is going- is the plan going well or are you having a hard time keeping up?  Are you understanding the material or so you have a pressing question?  Once again, the purpose of this blog is to allow us to read the Bible together, so please feel free to join in the discussion at any point- there are no bad posts!

So, we are beginning Deuteronomy this week- this is a very important book in the Bible as this is Moses' last message to the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land.  As you may remember, Moses will not be allowed to enter the land due to his failure to follow instructions at Meribah (Numbers 20: 2-13).  But rather than be embittered, Moses takes this opportunity to reiterate to Israel the laws that God has designed for the Hebrew nation to follow.  Also, Moses is passing the torch to Israel's new leaders as they begin the task of moving the people into the Promised Land.

The reading plan for this week is this:

* Weekend:  Deuteronomy 1-4
* Monday:  Deuteronomy 5-7
* Tuesday:  Deuteronomy 8-11
*  Wednesday:  Deuteronomy 12-16
*  Thursday:  Deuteronomy 17-20
*  Friday:  Deuteronomy 21-25

The Ten Commandments are restated in Chapter 5 and in Chapter 6, verses 4-9, Moses tells the Hebrew nation (and us!) why we follow His commands.  This passage is called the "Shema" in traditional Jewish worship, and it a very important part of Jewish prayer life.

If it seems like a lot of this material is familiar, it is because we have already read much of this in the previous three books.  But please do not skim.  There is some great material here and may help fill in some gaps of understanding or maybe this material will spark some new questions.

Have a great week reading and we look forward to hearing from you!

Mike

Week 7: Numbers 13 - 36

First off, let me tell you how excited I am that so many people are following along. I hope you still enjoy the reading. I'm sure by now you've noticed that it's not hard IF you keep up daily. It's about 15 to 20 min. a day, so if you miss a day, the next day it's 30 to 40 min. of reading! That can easily add up. If you fall behind, don't get discouraged. You can either pick it up on the current week and come back later, or try to catch up. Weekends are good to catch up. The reading is about the same as any other day, but it's spread out over 2 days, so there's some extra time.

This week we'll finish the book of Numbers:

• Weekend:   Numbers 13 - 16
• Monday:    Numbers 17 - 20
• Tuesday:   Numbers 21 - 25
• Wednesday: Numbers 26 - 30
• Thursday:  Numbers 31 - 33
• Friday:    Numbers 34 - 36

The people of Israel arrive at the border of the Promised Land. But their faith has been tested, and they haven't done well on the tests... When the 12 explorers come back from exploring Canaan, they bring back good news and 'bad' news. The good news is that the Promised Land is indeed what God had promised: a land of milk and honey. The bad news is that the land is inhibited by seemingly mighty people and giants. Apparently, they have forgotten how mighty their God is, and that He was the one who fought for them against the Egyptians and the Amalekites. Again their faith is lacking.

How are you doing when your faith is tested? Do you believe that Almighty God has power to overcome any obstacles in your life? I hope you do.

The Israelites don't and the result is disastrous. Read for yourself in Numbers 14. All this is not easy on Moses, the mediator between God and the people. Moses faces some serious opposition from the people, and even from his own brother and sister. Must have been a very lonely position for him from time to time.

And there is the story of Balaam and the talking donkey. Again a week full of interesting and detailed stories. What an amazing book the Bible is!!

Dick

Week 6: Leviticus 16 - Numbers 12

The reading plan for this week is:

• Weekend:   Leviticus 16 - 20
• Monday:    Leviticus 21 - 23
• Tuesday:   Leviticus 24 - 27
• Wednesday: Numbers 1 - 4
• Thursday:  Numbers 5 - 8
• Friday:    Numbers 9 - 12 

We are more than halfway through the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament)…and well into some of the most technical material in Scripture.

The Bible, in its entirety, is God’s word. Even the most technical (and seemingly irrelevant) portions of Scripture are valuable to Christ-followers. The Apostle Paul writes,  “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17, New Living Translation).

What can we glean from this section of God’s word?  Much indeed!

In Leviticus 16, we see that God provided the Day of Atonement as the means by which to absolve the sins of the Israelites (v. 34). The Day of Atonement prefigured Jesus’ atoning sacrifice on the cross. Hebrews chapter 9 provides a helpful theological explanation of the once-for-all atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and how Jesus’ death on the cross supersedes the first covenant and the sacrificial system associated with it. The writer of Hebrews says that the tabernacle that God had Moses build in the wilderness was a mere copy of heavenly reality. And the sacrifices were but a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice of God’s Son:

"For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice" (Heb. 9:24-28).

The balance of Leviticus underscores the need for God’s people to be “holy,” which means “set apart” as uniquely belonging to God. While God provides the means of forgiveness through atonement, God also calls on his people to be holy, as he is holy (19:2). This includes sexual purity (ch. 18), respect for our parents (19:3), undivided devotion to the one true God (v. 4), care for the poor (vv. 9-10), honesty (vv. 11-12), fairness (v. 13), care for the physically challenged (v. 14), justice that is impartial, (v. 15), avoidance of gossip and slander (v. 16), regard for our neighbor’s safety (v. 17), and love for others as for ourselves (v. 18).

The book of Numbers highlights the mediatory role of Moses as God’s spokesperson. A distinguishing feature of this book, which sets Numbers apart from the other books of the Pentateuch, is the statement that the Lord spoke to Moses…who in turn spoke to the people.  Phrases to this effect occur more than 150 times and in more than 20 different ways. Moses’ role as mediator and spokesperson prefigures Jesus Christ (compare Deut. 18:18 and Acts 3:19-23).

This is a small sampling of what’s in store for you this week.  There is much to learn from this portion of God’s word!

Enjoy this week’s readings!

Week 5: Exodus 36 to Leviticus 15

Here is this week's reading plan:

*  Weekend:  Exodus 36-40
*  Monday:  Leviticus 1-3
*  Tuesday:  Leviticus 4-6
*  Wednesday:  Leviticus 7-9
*  Thursday:  Leviticus 10-12
*  Friday:  Leviticus 13-15

In the New Testament, John 14:15 quotes Jesus:  "If you love me, obey my commandmants."

God expects obedience, and He expects us to pay attention to the details of His commands.

As we read together this week, think about how our laws and application of our laws today compares and contrasts to the laws passed down to the Hebrews in these books.

Looking very much forward to some great discussions this week!!!

God Bless,

Mike

Week 4: Exodus 16 - 35

The reading plan continues in the book of Exodus:

• Weekend:   Exodus 16 - 18
• Monday:    Exodus 19 - 21
• Tuesday:   Exodus 22 - 24
• Wednesday: Exodus 25 - 27
• Thursday:  Exodus 28 - 31
• Friday:    Exodus 32 - 35

This week's reading is full of exciting passages. Last week ended with the destruction of Pharaoh's army in the Red Sea and the deliverance of Israel. Exodus 14:14 says: "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."  And that is how the Lord continues to protect His people during their journey in the dessert. He gives them water in the dessert multiple times. He provides food for them from heaven: manna & quail. He fights for them against the Amalekites. After the battle with the Amalekites, Moses appropriately calls the Lord: Jehovah Nissi, the Lord is my Banner.

In Exodus 18, we also see the first MBA class taught by Jethro, Moses' father in law. He tells him: if you want this business to succeed, you better introduce some organizational structure, cause you can't run this enterprise - comprising over 1 million people - all by yourself!

It is obvious that God wants to be involved in the lives of His people. But He does expect something in return, and that is obedience. Under the old covenant, the people of Israel did not have the Holy Spirit poured out on every individual like we who live under the new covenant. So God gives them some 'simple' rules to live by. Like a Father who wants to protect His children, He tells them what they can do and what they can't by giving them the 10 commandments and the accompanying rules and regulations. He tells them in Exodus 19:6: "Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."

The people are excited, and in verse 8 they all respond together: "We will do everything the Lord has said." Well, will their actions follow their words as they proclaimed? That's a question that is relevant for our everyday lives as well. Read on to find out how the people of Israel did.

Dick

Week 3: Genesis 48 - Exodus 15

The reading plan for week 3 is:

* Weekend: Genesis 48-50
* Monday: Exodus 1-3
* Tuesday: Exodus 4-6
* Wednesday: Exodus 7-9
* Thursday: Exodus 10-12
* Friday: Exodus 13-15

This week's reading encompasses some of the most important historical and theological matter in Scripture. From the concluding chapters of the Joseph story in Genesis to the unfolding of God's deliverance of Israel from Egyptian slavery under the leadership of Moses, this section of God's Word underscores God's faithfulness and deliverance.

No matter the dire circumstances we encounter in life or the evil designs of people who intend to do us harm, God will never leave us or forsake us. Joseph's observation in the final chapter of Genesis fittingly highlights the truth that even if the enemy of our souls prevails in the short term, God's will for our lives will never be unraveled: "You intended to harm me," said Joseph, "But God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Gen. 50:20).

The book of Exodus opens by highlighting the fulfillment of two truths that God announced to Abraham more than 400 years prior: namely, that Abraham's descendents would become a great nation and that this nation would be subject to slavery in a foreign land (see Gen. 12:2 and 15:12-14).

The Egyptian king that had shown favor to Joseph and his relatives was long gone, and a new monarchy was now in place...a monarchy that had no memory of Joseph and Jacob...no memory of the promises that had been made to the Hebrews. The Israelites found themselves in the crucible of oppression and heartache.

The word Exodus means deliverance. And that's exactly what the book is about! From Moses' retreat to Midian (chapter 2) to his burning-bush encounter with God (chapter 3) to all that follows in the vanquishing of Israel's enemy (chapters 5-15), the message of God's faithfulness and deliverance is front and center.

Enjoy!