March 22nd One Year Bible Readings
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~
Numbers 33:40-35:34 ~ Luke 5:12-28 ~ Psalm 65:1-13 ~ Proverbs 11:23
~ Listen to today's Scripture on DailyAudioBible.com (podcast) ~
Old Testament - Today in Numbers chapter 33 we read about the other nations in Canaan. In chapter 34 we read about the boundaries of the Promised Land. Below is a map of how the tribes will divide Canaan - which we will read about later in the Bible in more detail:
In chapter 35 verses 10-12 we read about the Cities of Refuge - "`When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, designate cities of refuge for people to flee to if they have killed someone accidentally. These cities will be places of protection from a dead person's relatives who want to avenge the death. The slayer must not be killed before being tried by the community." Reading about the Cities of Refuge reminds me of our current day laws of "innocent until proven guilty." It seems like the Cities of Refuge idea still lives on in our justice system today in some regards.
New Testament - In Luke chapter 5 we read one of my favorite healings' of Jesus - where he heals the paralyzed man on the mat - in very large part because of the paralyzed man's friends who carry him to Jesus! I love that his friends did this. I pray if I was paralyzed I would have friends like these! Check out verses 18 through 20 - "Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to push through the crowd to Jesus, but they couldn't reach him. So they went up to the roof, took off some tiles, and lowered the sick man down into the crowd, still on his mat, right in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, "Son, your sins are forgiven."" I am fascinated by this - "seeing their faith" - I don't know if this is a quirk of the New Living Translation or if indeed Jesus literally saw the faith of the paralyzed man's friends. My hunch is that he did. And this makes me realize that sometimes when our faith is at a low point, maybe our friends can help carry us along and bring us closer to Jesus. And maybe we should act like these friends for someone in our life who is "paralyzed" by something.... Is there someone in your life that you can help "carry the mat for" and in doing so bring them closer to Jesus? Wow. I pray I have friends like this - and I pray I can be a friend like this to others...
Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Luke chapter 5 titled "Stretcher Carriers and Sermon Critics" is at this link.
Psalms - Psalm 65 has some amazing verses about nature! I love verse 8 - "Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy." When is the last time you have been inspired to shout for joy to God for the beautiful sunset he created?
Verse 7 of the Psalm says this - "You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves and silenced the shouting of the nations." When is the last time you have stood in complete silence before God because of his beautiful Creation?
Proverbs - Today's Proverb 11:23 teaches us: "The desire of the righteous ends only in good, but the hope of the wicked only in wrath." This is a great teaching that leading a godly life will lead to happiness. And leading a wicked life.... brings wrath. This is sobering to really ponder. It's a choice each one of us must make. What type of life will we lead? And where will that life choice ultimately lead us. I pray each of us are on the Path of Life toward and with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. It's the only path that leads to eternal happiness.
Worship God: Psalm 65 reminds me of the fantastic song "God of Wonders" by Third Day and Caedmon's Call. Enjoy this beautiful video of this song!
Do you know our God of Wonders? Click here for Wonderful!
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture this week: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
Comments from You & Questions of the Day: Based on our readings in Luke today, have you ever had someone "carry you on a mat" when you were in a time of need? Have you ever had friends that demonstrated great faith in you? Conversely, have you ever carried friends on their mat when they were in need? Do you think we are called to carry each others burdens? Why or why not? Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
God bless,
Mike
The verses that stand out for me in today's readings are the OT-Num33:55-56. The Israelites did not follow God's command and drive out the people fom the Promised Land. "Those wo remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live." Thousands of years later, Israel is still being harassed in the land that God gave to them.
Posted by: Margaret | March 22, 2008 at 12:57 PM
It is important to remember that Greek and Hebrew were crude languages (without even any punctuation) and that words like "their" often had to be added. That Jesus saw the faith in the man's friends in today's reading comes from only two words, “eido pistis” which simply means to perceive moral conviction.
Cloud and Townsend (we just talked about their series of books on Boundaries), however, showed in “How People Grow” that the four commonly used Christian counseling models of the Sin Model (Good is good, you’re bad… stop it), the Truth Model (just think it and do it), the Experimental Model (dig up pain for praying as in the popular but dangerous Theophostic therapy), and the Charismatic Healing Model never help as much as one might expect (generally only helping people be happy with where they're at rather than thirst for being more) and that only a Relational Model (with both checks and support) can get one past growth ceilings.
It therefore is only through a community of faith and moral convictions that there are any real opportunities for personal growth (also the conclusion of the psychiatry industry and the basis for the modern emotional intelligence theory). Even top management consultants like Senge come to the same conclusion.
But, a true environment of morals will not be peaceful - Jesus Himself wasn't the sort we would normally like to invite to a barbecue (Buddha had much nicer things to say, but then Buddha didn't get crucified). And, Social Constructionism shows, in fact, that diversity (in opposition to a third of companies today giving unscientific personality tests in foolish attempts to only hire people that “fit in”) and the free flow of information (based on the right rather than the need to know) creating actual tornadoes of energetic discussion rather than static “happiness” are required for true stability in any community.
Sadly, a major theme in most self-help books is only the new age concept of “positive visualization” (that Covey even has written is supposed to be able to reprogram us into being Gods - LOL) that again provides happiness without any real growth by wholly misunderstanding that the often quoted Proverbs 23:7 (“As a man thinks in his heart so he is”) has more to do with the source of our motivations and joy than just feelings of happiness.
In a similar fashion, we can distrust anyone suggesting an action is Godly because it simply feels good and makes them happy. All of the ten example conversions in Acts, for instance, involved audible instructions from God or a holy agent. Never did things “just happen” for good - good came from direct obedience. Too often today, we can't wait on a clear voice (which is speaking, but we're ignoring) and we simply don't fear the wrong answer (our own) enough to wait until we are still enough to listen. Amy Carmichael once said, “If you have never been hurt by a word from God, it is probably that you have never heard God speak.” And Jesus said, “And, he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” Matthew 10:34-38
Posted by: Jim | March 22, 2008 at 03:36 PM
A quick comment about how much the Jews have been harassed over the millennia... throughout the times of the Bible, there were over ten million Jews and no Muslims - today, there are still only about 14 million Jews (almost half in Israel and almost half in the U.S. - being driven out of most other countries including Europe) while there are over a billion Muslims (many who want the last 12 million Jews gone). Moreover, every single one of my Jewish friends (dozens) were at some time in their youth sadly beaten up or taunted by Christian kids for being Christ killers (which, of course, we all did with our sins). God has insured His Chosen (the Jews) to survive even though most of the peoples mentioned in the Bible are now gone.
Posted by: Jim | March 22, 2008 at 04:01 PM