Daily Bible Reading: August 11-17
Date Added: 8/11/2008 10:50:11 AM Here is this week's Bible Reading - may you be blessed and encouraged by God's Word this week
Date: August 11
Reading: Numbers 26:12-37
The very last verses of Numbers chapter 25 state the the Lord has called upon Moses to bring the Israelites against the Midianites that brought Israel into sin. This was a call to war. Thus, in preparation for war, the Lord has Moses number all the en 20 years of age and older that are able to go to war. You started the reading of this counting yesterday and today’s reading is only a listing of several tribes names, their prominent families and the counting of their able-bodied men. The Israelites have been wandering in the wilderness and it is time to take the steps to conquer the Promised Land.
There will be times in our lives when we believe God has called us to do a certain task. Even in the tasks God calls us to He wants us to prepare ourselves for them. At this time in your life, as a young person, you are in a stage of preparation. It is time for you to become equipped and prepared for when you are on your own or leading a family. Pray to God to continue preparing you spiritually and mentally for your future calling.
Date: August 12
Reading: Numbers 26:38-65
In today’s reading, Moses and Eleazar complete the numbering of Israel, and we learn two interesting facts. First, we learn that an additional reason for numbering the Israelites had to do with the inheritance of the Promised Land. The land was to be divided among the tribes of Israel and it would be divided according to the size of the tribes. The larger tribes would get more and the smaller tribes would get less.
The second interesting thing we learn is that none of the people numbered in the original numbering we read in the first chapter of this book are alive at this time. That is why Moses had to renumber the people. He counted them at the beginning of this book as they neared the promised land the first time. But, after the spies brought back their report and the people refused to go forward and take the land, God banished them into the wilderness to wander for 40 years. That is what has been taking place over the last several chapters. Now that 40 year period is up and it is time to take the promised land. Thus, Moses had to re count the people.
A new generation had risen up, this is the generation on whom the responsibility for taking the land will fall. You as a young person represent a new and rising generation as well. God will have special challenges and callings for you and your generation. Pray that God would continue to prepare you for your calling.
Date: August 13
Reading: Numbers 27:1-23
The inheritance laws were established that the land would be divided among the sons. However, even before they enter the promised land, a potential exception to this rule arises. The five daughters of Zilophehad have no brothers to inherit the land that would have gone to their father. Part of their argument for the right of inheritance is that their father was not among those that rebelled with Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Yet, because their father was among the generation that did not trust the Lord and enter the promised land at the first opportunity, then he had to wander in the wilderness with the rest until he died. All the other fathers that died had sons to carry on their name and to inherit the land. This was not the case for the children of Zelophehad, because he had no sons.
Moses took this matter to the Lord and the Lord affirmed that the daughters were speaking correctly. They are to receive the land. Then the Lord detailed the law of inheritance for other situations where the one who would typically gain the land inheritance is not alive.
Inheritance is important in Scripture. We see that with the time and care taken here to detail how a land inheritance is to be handled. However, there is another inheritance that we all can receive whether we are sons or daughters. That is the spiritual inheritance from our parents. If your parents are Christians, then they can pass on a spiritual inheritance to you by teaching you about Christ and demonstrating a Christian life to you. If your parents are not Christians, pray for them, that they would come to know Christ. Also, pray that you will grow up as a Christian and be able to pass on a Christian spiritual inheritance to your children.
Date: August 14
Reading: Numbers 28:1-31
Reading Numbers chapter 28 and really considering what is being said can give one an overwhelming feeling. Sometimes when we read something and then the writer changes to a slightly different but related topic, we forget that the first part that we read still applies. What I am getting at is this, In verses 3-8 the Israelites were instructed about the daily offering and sacrifice they were to make. Every day they were to offer a lamb in the morning and a lamb in the evening. There were their daily sacrifices. In addition to the burnt offering they had additional meal and drink offerings they were to make. Every day, day in and day out, 6:00 in the morning and 6:00 in the evening, these sacrifices had to be made.
Just trying to comprehend that fact would be overwhelming enough. But the rest of the chapter talks about other sacrifices and offerings that would occur on Sabbaths, feast days and holy convocations. On these special days, the Israelites did not just have a different sacrifice to make, they had additional sacrifices to make, as well as the additional meal and drink offerings. If you were not overwhelmed with the daily sacrifices, you probably are once you start taking in the additional sacrifices.
These sacrifices and offerings were God’s way of having Israel worship Him in the Old Testament. We do not carry out these same sacrifices and offerings, but we too are called to bring spiritual sacrifices and offerings to God. In fact, we are called to bring daily sacrifices to God. Our daily sacrifices come to God in the form of prayer and praise. Everyday we are to pray to God and praise God for who He is and for what He provides for us. Did you bring your sacrifice to God today? Let’s bring a sacrifice of praise and an offering of prayer to God right now.
Date: August 15
Reading: Numbers 29:1-40
The list continues with more and more sacrifices for each of the special days in Israel. I did not take time to count up the animals that were sacrificed each year, but it had to be near two thousand. Just in the regular daily sacrifices of one lamb in the morning and one in the evening there were nearly 750 lambs sacrificed.
These numbers should overwhelm us in at least two ways besides the fact that it was a lot of animals that were offered. First, they should speak to us in terms of the commitment to worship God that He required of the Israelites of old and of us today. Second, they should speak to us in terms of the sin in our life that needs to be covered by the blood of Jesus Christ our true sacrifice.
In your prayer today, ask God to give you a heart of commitment to Him to worship Him daily in prayer and praise.
Date: August 16
Reading: Numbers 30:1-16; 31:1-20
The time comes for Israel to go to war against the Midians. This is told about in Numbers 31. I know I have skipped over Numbers 30, and those verses are very important. I will speak directly to those verses the third time you read through the Bible. That section will speak more directly to you at that time in your life. For now, it’s the continuation of the story of the battle with the Midianites.
Remember from chapter 25 that the women of the Midians had caused the Israelites to commit adultery and idolatry. God was very angry with this and brought a plague upon Israel that killed 24,000 people. Following this event, God told Moses that Israel would one day go to war against the Midians because they enticed Israel to sin. We read that in verses 16-18 of Numbers chapter 25. Well, the time has come for that battle.
God calls upon Moses to ready Israel for war and Moses draws upon 1000 men from each tribe. Thus 12,000 men along with Phineas, the son of the Priest Eleazar, go to war and God gives them a great victory. Though we learn latter that Moses is angry with the Israelites for capturing and not killing all the women and male children, we can still learn from their actions of faithfully going to war when the Lord commanded.
Remember, these are the children of those who refused to be brave and faithful to God when they were to conquer the promised land in the early chapters of the book of Numbers. This generation has learned to listen and follow the voice of the Lord. We may not be called to physically go to battle against a nation that hates God, but we will often face “battles” in our life. We need to be in relationship with God so as to know when He desires for us to “attack” those that stand against Him and His truth, and when to remain silent for a time. Pray that God will continue to give you a discerning heart for His will.
Date: August 17
Reading: Numbers 31:21-54
In the custom of the age, the spoils of war were divided up among the members of the military and the ruler. The ruler usually got the greater portion. God gives Moses some different instructions. God tells Moses to divide the total spoils in half. The first half would be divided among the military that went to war and the second half would be divided among the whole congregation. Then, from the two halves a portion would be given to Eleazar as an offering to the Lord, and another portion would be given to the Levites for their service in the tabernacle. Eleazar received one out of every 500 of each group of items that was given to the military. The Levites received one out of every 50 of each group of items that was given to the congregation.
One thing that we can gain from this is that God was not bound to the traditions of men. We need to realize that as well and seek what the Lord desires through His Word in all things and not be caught up in doing something simply because of tradition. Doing something because “that’s the way we always do it” or because “that’s the way everyone else does it” is not a safe reason. We need to do each thing because we understand it to be the way God would have us do it.
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