NUMBERS 14: Yesterday we again found out what the Lord thinks when we grumble against him! Let's remember Miriam. Then the Lord commanded to send out the spies, but after taking stock of the land of Canaan, they brought an evil, unbelieving report— forgetting all the miracles the Lord had done to bring them out of Egypt. Psalm 34: This is an acrostic psalm. I cannot write an introduction that is better than the one already written by the ancient Rabbis. LUKE 22a: Yesterday in chapter 21, we hear...
Mar 16, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 76
NUMBERS 12-13: In Numbers 10 we heard about the signals given to the people using two silver trumpets, and about the first journey leaving Mount Sinai. Then we heard of the start of the grumbling against Moses and God. Moses appointed 70 leaders, and God sent quail in response to the people's complaints. Even Moses said some things that sound like complaining to me. But remember the name Kibroth Hattaavah. We have strong evidence that God doesn’t like complainers. PSALM 33: This psalm is full of...
Mar 09, 2025•17 min•Season 1Ep. 75
NUMBERS 10-11: Yesterday we heard about the position of the lamps on the lampstand in the Holy Place, and the Levites were dedicated for service. The second Passover was celebrated. The Israelites received their marching orders based on when the cloud moved from over the sacred tent. PSALM 32: Psalm 32 gives essential spiritual principles conveyed in David's testimony. I encourage every listener to camp out a while in this psalm. LUKE 21: In the last confrontation in Luke 20, Jesus soundly refut...
Mar 09, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 74
NUMBERS 8-9: In Numbers 7, we heard about the gifts given by the leaders of Israel following the dedication of the sacred tent. Translation note: How the ‘waving’ of the ‘wave offering’ was done is variously interpreted in 8:13. And it could be taken simply as a presentation, because it would be rather hard to ‘wave’ some objects. NLT: Then have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons, and raise your hands and present them as a special offering to the LORD. HCSB: … and you are to presen...
Mar 09, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 73
NUMBERS 7: Yesterday we heard how people had to follow through with God’s commands, and those with defiling diseases were expelled from their camp until such time as they could be declared ritually clean again. And we heard about cleansing for issues involving the conscience, and what a man might do if he suspected his wife of unfaithfulness. (A man would have to be a terrible jerk to do this to his wife if he didn't have good reasons for his suspicions!) The 6th chapter dealt with the Nazarite ...
Mar 09, 2025•17 min•Season 1Ep. 72
NUMBERS 5-6: Yesterday we heard the assignments for the Kohathite, Gershonite, and Merarite clans in regard to the care and moving of the sacred tent, all under the direction of Aaron's sons. PSALM 29: This is one of my personal favorite psalms because of the response of the people in the temple to God's glorious revelations of himself in nature. LUKE 19b: In yesterday's reading, Zacchaeus— a notorious sinner, dramatically came to Jesus. Then Jesus told a very thought-provoking parable. He is th...
Mar 09, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 71
NUMBERS 4: Yesterday we learned that the Levite clans were given separate tasks in the care of the sacred tent. The 22,000 Levites became substitutes for Israel's 22,273 first-born sons. PSALM 28: David cries out to the Lord with all his heart. I love the imagery of the Lord as David’s ‘rock’, ‘shield’, and ‘shepherd’. (v1, 7, 9) Bible translators who translate into ethnic languages often need to make the difficult choice of whether to retain a figure of speech more literally, or just to give it...
Mar 09, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 70
NUMBERS 2: Yesterday in chapter 1, God ordered a census of the men capable as soldiers in war. And we heard the list of the clan leaders of the 12 listed tribes— excluding Levi. (The number of tribes remains at 12 because the tribe of Joseph is split in two.) PSALM 26: This poem is a personal lament. It is similar to Psalm 25, but does not contain confession. David asks for God’s vindication because of his personal integrity, and shows his love for God by his devotion to God’s sanctuary. LUKE 18...
Mar 02, 2025•15 min•Season 1Ep. 68
NUMBERS 1: Numbers is the 4th of Moses' 5 books. And this is the one that I have looked forward to as the hardest book of all to read in the podcast! In this book we will see that unbelief hinders God's blessings for Israel. HC Mears says, “Numbers might be called the Wilderness Wanderings,” because it chronicles the journey. And “Numbers might be called the book of the March and the Roll Call. ... It might, too, be called the Book of Murmurings, because from beginning to end it is filled with t...
Mar 02, 2025•15 min•Season 1Ep. 67
LEVITICUS 26-27: Yesterday we heard about the Sabbath year and the year of Restoration/Jubilee. Before the Year of Restoration, property could be bought back//redeemed. In the Restoration year property was returned to the original owners and poor people who had become enslaved were set free. I suspect these laws were never done in all of Israel's history. If they were, perhaps only once— fifty years after Israel entered the land of Canaan. PSALM 24: This Psalm is one of the most majestic psalms!...
Mar 02, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 66
LEVITICUS 25: Yesterday we heard about the seven important yearly celebrations of the Jewish religion. Then we heard about oil and bread for the tabernacle, and then there was the example of a law-breaker who was stoned to death for his crime of blasphemy. PSALM 23: Today we read the most famous psalm of all. My wife has often said: Psalm 23 is so often quoted at funerals, but this is a psalm about living, not dying! LUKE 16: Yesterday in Luke 15, we heard the three-part parable of the lost shee...
Mar 02, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 65
Today I would like to give pointers for understanding Jesus’ parables. I consider the parable to be one of the greatest of all teaching devices, and a legacy of the Greatest Teacher. I will end this episode by sharing a non-Biblical parable. One little detail to understand is that the word ‘parable’ (Greek paraboles ) had a wider meaning than we normally think of in English, and you may see this sometimes in the New Testament. In English, we normally think of a parable as a story that points to ...
Mar 02, 2025•23 min•Season 1Ep. 83
LEVITICUS 23-24: Yesterday we heard two chapters of regulations for the priests, all for the purpose of preserving their holiness. Again and again the Lord says, “I am the Lord”, emphasizing that, as He is holy, so the priests and the people of Israel must be holy. PSALM 22: We turn to a famous psalm today, Psalm 22. This is one of the chief Messianic psalms, containing moving prophetic words about how Jesus would die on the cross. And then words about what Jesus has done and is doing even now. ...
Mar 02, 2025•25 min•Season 1Ep. 64
LEVITICUS 21-22: Yesterday we heard various laws that are for preserving the holiness of God's people, and various kinds of punishment for disobedience. PSALM 21: This poem is a companion to yesterday's, which was for the nation and the king in time of war. Today’s poem is the corresponding victory song. Luke 14: As we heard yesterday, Luke chapter 13 containes 4 parables. Jesus warned the people sternly to repent, and he grieved for the persistent stubbornness and hardness of heart of the peopl...
Mar 02, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 63
LEVITICUS 19-20: Yesterday we learned about the rule that all sacrifices be done at the tabernacle, the prohibitions of eating anything containing animal blood, and forbidden sexual practices. PSALM 20: This is a prayer for the nation of Israel and their king, asking for national security in time of war. LUKE 13: In the second half of Luke 12, Jesus taught about being ready for his return, and warned us to be ready for suffering. He prophesied about the suffering that now happens because of divi...
Mar 02, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 62
LEVITICUS 17-18: Yesterday we learned about regulations concerning uncleanness caused by bodily discharges of all kinds. Then we heard the procedures for the high priest to perform yearly on the day of atonement. PSALM 19: Today’s Psalm is a famous poem celebrating the heavens and God's creation, and secondly celebrating the perfection of God's Word. LUKE 12b: In yesterday’s reading in this chapter, Jesus warned about hypocrisy, and one of our biggest fears— fearing what other people will think ...
Mar 02, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 61
LEVITICUS 15-16: Yesterday we heard about sacrifices following the healing of skin diseases and after getting rid of house mildew. Chapter 15 is about defiling bodily discharges. Chapter 16 is about the Day of Atonement, and the chapter contains a translation problem in the word or name ‘azazel’. If you are interested in this problem, see the Translate notes in today’s episode notes. PSALM 18: This poem reveals David’s intimacy with God. Even though he frequently refers to himself, we see that G...
Feb 23, 2025•28 min•Season 1Ep. 60
LEVITICUS 14: After hearing about the serious skin diseases yesterday, today we hear of the regulations if someone is healed from one. Note that these regulations were probably almost never done— until perhaps when Jesus caused a wave of men who had been healed to come with offerings. Note that our modern translations use either ‘serious skin disease’ or ‘contagious skin disease’ instead of calling these ‘leprosy’ as in older translations. Leprosy— also called Hanson’s Disease, is a very differe...
Feb 23, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 59
LEVITICUS 13: Yesterday in Lev. 11-12, we learned the animals considered clean and edible, and those that were considered unclean and detestable. Then we heard about the sacrifices for purification after a woman gives birth. PSALM 16: E.C. Olsen says that the Old Testament is like a sundial. “It is not difficult to read the hour marks on a sundial. Anybody can read them and at any time, but one can only tell time when the sun shines upon the sundial. Thus, while the Bible is the Word of God and ...
Feb 23, 2025•23 min•Season 1Ep. 58
LEVITICUS 11-12: Yesterday in Leviticus, Aaron and his sons started their work, and the glory of the Lord was revealed. But right after that Nadab and Abihu died because they offered an unauthorized kind of fire to the Lord. PSALM 15: This is a psalm showing the kind of people who will be welcomed into God's presence. LUKE 10: Yesterday in the first half of the chapter, Jesus sent the 72 disciples out ahead of Him with interesting instructions. A worker will be given his pay as he trusts in the ...
Feb 23, 2025•17 min•Season 1Ep. 57
LEVITICUS 9-10: Yesterday in Leviticus, we heard more regulations for the priests (mainly), and then heard the story of the ordination ceremony that Moses performed for Aaron and his sons. PSALM 14: Psalm 14 can be classed as a messianic psalm because of v7. (However that is made clearer in other translations.) David shows us what God sees when He looks at this world. And that is why Paul quoted from this psalm in Romans 3. LUKE 10: In the second half of Luke 9, Jesus came down from the mountain...
Feb 23, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 56
LEVITICUS 7: Yesterday we heard about sin and guilt offerings and about the ordination offering for priests. In today’s reading, it sounds to me that for repayment offerings (repayment being a sin which would usually be intentional), the person offering the sacrifice would not be entitled to receive any of the meat. PSALM 13: David starts by crying out “How long?” and ends with a note of praise. We can be thankful for his difficult experiences which give us these Psalms. LUKE 9b: Yesterday we he...
Feb 23, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 55
LEVITICUS 5-6: Yesterday we read about sacrifices given for unintentional sins and for peace offerings. And I said that we would hear about offerings for intentional sins today. PSALM 12: In Psalm 12, we hear of trusting in God's promises even in the midst of hard times. LUKE 9a: Yesterday to the woman healed of bleeding, Jesus said, “It is because you believe in me that you are healed.” And to Jairus, He said, “ Don’t be afraid. Just keep on believing in Me.” NLT Translation notes: Ps. 12:5 The...
Feb 16, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 54
LEVITICUS 3-4: Yesterday we heard about burnt offerings and grain offerings. Andrew Bonar states about Leviticus: “There is no book in the whole compass of that inspired Volume which the Holy Spirit has given us, that contains more of the very words of God than Leviticus. It is God that is the direct speaker in almost every page; His gracious words are recorded in the form wherein they were uttered.” Note this in our reading in Leviticus today: By and large, the sacrificial system was set up to ...
Feb 16, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 53
LEVITICUS 1-2: Yesterday at the end of Exodus, the worship in the completed and dedicated tabernacle was started. Leviticus is a continuation of Exodus, in the same way that Exodus is a continuation of Genesis. Leviticus also starts with the word ‘And’. The title once again comes from Latin Vulgate which was based on the name in the Septuagint. So the name does not come from the Hebrew. Because of the name, many think that this book is a handbook only for the priests. Not so. Wenham (from Consta...
Feb 16, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 52
EXODUS 40: Yesterday we read about Bezalel making the outside articles for worship— like the altar for burnt offerings. There was a listing of materials used, and then we heard of the making of the priests' clothes— all according to how Moses was instructed by God. And Moses inspected everything and blessed the people. The stage is set for the start of worship according to God's instructions. PSALM 9: Psalm 9 is a song celebrating God sitting on his throne and judging justly. LUKE 7b: Yesterday ...
Feb 16, 2025•15 min•Season 1Ep. 51
EXODUS 38-39: Yesterday we heard of the building of the tabernacle, the Covenant Box, and the other furniture of the Holy Place and Most Holy Place. Everything was done precisely as God had described before. The actor ‘he’ as we start this chapter is again Bezalel. PSALM 8: This psalm is quoted in Hebrews 2 and is frequently misunderstood. “Son of man” does not refer to Jesus in this Psalm or in Hebrews 2, and the NLT is correct in not using that term here. This is a psalm of praise for the awes...
Feb 16, 2025•23 min•Season 1Ep. 50
EXODUS 36-37: Yesterday we read about how Moses returned to the top of the mountain, taking two stone tablets which he had made, and God repeated many of the terms of the covenant. In the Hebrew text, chapter 34:28 says that ‘he’ engraved the 10 commandments over again on the second set of stone tablets. Because Moses is the last actor mentioned, some translations take it that Moses engraved the second set of tablets. But we know from Ex. 34:1 and Deut. 10:2-4 that God engraved both sets. Then a...
Feb 16, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 49
EXODUS 34-35: Yesterday, we read about how God's meeting with Moses was interrupted because of the people making the golden calf. (Don’t ya’ hate interruptions!) Aaron caved in to the people's desires. Moses interceded for the people, and God agreed not to destroy them. God eventually agreed to go with the people to the promised land. As we closed chapter 33, Moses had asked to actually see God. God will hide Moses in a cleft in a rock, and allow Moses to see his back. PSALM 6: This Psalm is a p...
Feb 16, 2025•24 min•Season 1Ep. 48
EXODUS 32-33: Yesterday we read about the plans for the incense altar, and about the making of incense and anointing oil. We heard also of God's choosing and giving ability to Bezalel and Oholiab for making everything required in the worship of God. And God emphasized the importance of keeping the Sabbath as a covenant responsibility. PSALM 5: Psalm 5 is a song for early morning (when arising from a night of sleep). Erling Olsen comments that this Psalm says that God hates or detests evil doers....
Feb 09, 2025•25 min•Season 1Ep. 47
