Day 57, February 26: Bible reading & prayer

Numbers 7 (chronological); Numbers 16-17, Mark 6:33-56 (OT/NT)

Our reading yesterday in the book of Numbers was difficult. There are days that our reading requires more discipline than others. I love that our discipline pays off with finding, at the end of these difficult chapters, the now much beloved Aaronic blessing:

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them:

“The LORD bless you, and keep you;

The LORD make His face shine on you,

And be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up His countenance on you,

And give you peace.”

So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.’”

Remembering that our holy God dwelt in the midst of the Israelites helps with our understanding when His instructions, like in yesterday’s reading, seem otherwise confusing. With this blessing, He reminded them of the protection of His presence. At the outset of yesterday’s reading, God reminded the Israelites to send the unclean outside the camp so as not to defile the camp where the Lord dwelt in their midst. His presence was protective, but His holiness was dangerous. He constantly reminded them that they needed to cleanse themselves so they would not be destroyed because of His holiness. He also reminded them that the sins of mankind require confession, restitution, and sacrifice, one of many instances where the Old Covenant foreshadows the New Covenant.

Next, He explained the confusing law of jealousy for determining if a woman had been unfaithful to her husband. When I’m confused, I try to reflect on God’s nature and His protection. This law required public shaming, which would seem to deter unfaithfulness and sin, which is to our benefit. It is also required a supernatural result to pronounce guilt on the woman. God’s living among them would have made this miraculous result possible. Only God could intervene to declare the woman guilty, which protected her from the incorrect judgment of men.

Finally yesterday, God explained the law of the Nazirite, for when someone wanted to make a special vow to dedicate themself to the Lord. Note that both men and women could do this, and it may have been protective against jealousy toward the priests and the Levites by allowing others to set themselves aside in a special role.

An outline and “What I Learned” for Numbers are available, as well as my personal essay on “the number of the names.”

I include housekeeping details daily for those who have newly joined this study. I usually try to schedule the timing of each day’s post so there is consistency, but sometimes I fail due to my own schedule. If you are looking for the day’s reading earlier than the post is available, you can always search for the same day’s reading from last year.

An overview of our yearly Bible reading plan, with all edited summaries so far, can be found here. My appeal for the resolution to read your Bibles is here. My challenge for us to read in wonder, recognizing the Bible is true and has consequence for our lives is here.

I use blueletterBible.org (NASB95) as my Bible study tool.

I do find typos in my writing after the fact. I schedule these posts early, but always re-read and edit them on the morning they’re posted. So, if you notice a lot of typos in an email version, just check back on Substack for an edited version.

February 26 chronological reading: Numbers 7

Numbers 7

v1-9 “Now on the day that Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed it and consecrated it with all its furnishings and the altar and all its utensils; he anointed them and consecrated them also. Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of their fathers’ households, made an offering (they were the leaders of the tribes; they were the ones who were over the numbered men). When they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered carts and twelve oxen, a cart for every two of the leaders and an ox for each one, then they presented them before the tabernacle. Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Accept these things from them, that they may be used in the service of the tent of meeting, and you shall give them to the Levites, to each man according to his service.’ So Moses took the carts and the oxen and gave them to the Levites. Two carts and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service, and four carts and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. But he did not give any to the sons of Kohath because theirs was the service of the holy objects, which they carried on the shoulder.

v10-11 “The leaders offered the dedication offering for the altar when it was anointed, so the leaders offered their offering before the altar. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Let them present their offering, one leader each day, for the dedication of the altar.’

v12-17 “Now the one who presented his offering on the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah; and his offering was one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; one bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

v18-23 “On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, leader of Issachar, presented an offering; he presented as his offering one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; one bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Nethanel the son of Zuar.

v24-29 “On the third day it was Eliab the son of Helon, leader of the sons of Zebulun; his offering was one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; one young bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon.

v30-35 “On the fourth day it was Elizur the son of Shedeur, leader of the sons of Reuben; his offering was one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; one bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur.

v36-41 “On the fifth day it was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, leader of the children of Simeon; his offering was one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense;one bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

v42-47 “On the sixth day it was Eliasaph the son of Deuel, leader of the sons of Gad; his offering was one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; one bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

v48-53 “On the seventh day it was Elishama the son of Ammihud, leader of the sons of Ephraim; his offering was one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; one bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud.

v54-59 “On the eighth day it was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, leader of the sons of Manasseh; his offering was one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; one bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.

v60-65 “On the ninth day it was Abidan the son of Gideoni, leader of the sons of Benjamin; his offering was one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; one bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni.

v66-71 “On the tenth day it was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, leader of the sons of Dan; his offering was one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; one bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.

v72-77 “On the eleventh day it was Pagiel the son of Ochran, leader of the sons of Asher; his offering was one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bow lof seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; one bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ochran.

v78-83 “On the twelfth day it was Ahira the son of Enan, leader of the sons of Naphtali; his offering was one silver dish whose weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense; one bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan.

v84-88 “This was the dedication offering for the altar from the leaders of Israel when it was anointed: twelve silver dishes, twelve silver bowls, twelve gold pans, each silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty shekels and each bowl seventy; all the silver of the utensils was 2,400 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; the twelve gold pans, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, all the gold of the pans 120 shekels; all the oxen for the burnt offering twelve bulls, all the rams twelve, the male lambs one year old with their grain offering twelve, and the male goats for a sin offering twelve; and all the oxen for the sacrifice of peace offerings 24 bulls, all the rams 60, the male goats 60, the male lambs one year old 60. This was the dedication offering for the altar after it was anointed.

v89 “Now when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim, so He spoke to him.”

February 26 OT/NT readings: Numbers 16-17, Mark 6:33-56

We are also reading the book of Numbers in the Old Testament plan. The chronological reading plan will continue to be behind the Old Testament plan until March 28 (Day 87), when our readings start to overlap. Since I think the Old Testament is better understood read chronologically, I address it chronologically, but I still share where the Old Testament readings can be found in our reading from last year: Numbers 16-17 are available on Day 61 of the chronological reading plan.

We are reading the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament plan. Most scholars believe the Gospel of Mark was written by John Mark, Barnabas’ cousin who accompanied, but then left, Paul on his first missionary journey. We know from Paul’s letters that they later reconciled (Colossians 4:10, 2 Timothy 4:11). We also know he later spent time with Peter (1 Peter 5:13), which is likely when he wrote his Gospel account, from the recollections of Peter, who also walked with Jesus as His disciple. Mark’s Gospel is the most concise of the four Gospels. Mark’s Gospel is also appropriate to our reading in wonder because, if you look for it, he makes frequent reference to supernatural events.

Two days ago we read about the woman whose faith in Jesus made her well because she believed, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” But yesterday we read about Jesus in His hometown of Nazareth where, “they took offense at Him.” “And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief.” I think our faith in healing causes us much confusion. We do not possess special personal power because of our faith (though we do possess the power of the Holy Spirit indwelling us), and Jesus does not lack power because of our lack of faith. Jesus rewards the faith that believes He is Who He says He is. He is the object of our faith and He is the possessor of the power to heal, according to His will. He is a rewarder of those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6), but not necessarily a rewarder of those who seek Him only for what He can give them. He Himself served as our example in the Garden of Gethsemane before His crucifixion when He prayed to His Father, “not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). He also taught us to pray, “Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10). May the Holy Spirit comfort us when we seek Him for healing and it is not according to His will. May it not shake our faith in Him, and may we not believe the lie that we simply did not have enough faith in the healing. May the Holy Spirit give us understanding regarding this confusing topic.

There is so much that teaches and convicts as we read the Gospels. I resist commenting on everything in our daily readings. I have recorded observations in What I learned for Mark and, if you are interested in that content, it’s probably more helpful to look at it as we go along, making it less cumbersome to digest. An outline for Mark, as well as a comparison between Matthew and Mark, are also available.

If you desire to read the four Gospel accounts chronologically, with more commentary than these daily readings/prayers (generated by my leadership of my church’s women’s Bible study), you can subscribe for that content here.

Mark 6

v33-44 “The people saw them going, and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them. When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. When it was already quite late, His disciples came to Him and said, ‘This place is desolate and it is already quite late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.’ But He answered them, ‘You give them something to eat!’ And they said to Him, ‘Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?’ And He said to them, ‘How many loaves do you have? Go look!’ And when they found out, they said, ‘Five, and two fish.’ And He commanded them all to sit down by groups on the green grass. They sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish. There were five thousand men who ate the loaves.

v45-46 “Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away. After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray.

v47-52 “When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. Seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them. But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, ‘Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.’ Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished, for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.

v53-56 “When they had crossed over they came to land at Gennesaret, and moored to the shore. When they got out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, and ran about that whole country and began to carry here and there on their pallets those who were sick, to the place they heard He was. Wherever He entered villages, or cities, or countryside, they were laying the sick in the market places, and imploring Him that they might just touch the fringe of His cloak; and as many as touched it were being cured.”

Dear Lord,

“He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd”

This sequence of events always convicts me. Jesus had sent His disciples out to minister, and they had just returned. And they had learned that John the Baptist had been killed by Herod. Jesus had told them, “‘Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while."‘ (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves.” But the crowds beat them there, and Jesus, having compassion, allowed their rest to be interrupted in order to minister. Yet He still made time to pray later. May we be compassionate enough to have our rest interrupted to minister. But in our busyness and tiredness, may we still make time to pray to You.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.