Daily Reading Passages

Click below for access to the passages. Biblegateway.com is an excellent site with many versions of the Bible. The link below opens in NIV.  Youversion.com is a new site that allows you to annotate your own Bible, make notes, and comments once you create an account. That link opens in the TNIV version. Other versions are available at both sites.

Coaching Comments

The Old Testament reading for today starts us off in the book of Leviticus, Leviticus 1:1 - 3:17. This book is very likely going to be a struggle for some of you who get bogged down in the details. This is basically the collection of laws that God gave Moses at Mount Sinai. It's a lot of stuff. It talks about worship, sacrifice, civil law and penalties for breaking them. It's a lot of stuff. The context to remember is that the Hebrews came to Mount Sinai just days out of slavery. They had no cohesive sense of community or focus, other than their miraculous delivery. So, now God is shaping them into a community.

This reading is the conditions and instructions for the burnt offering, the grain offering and the fellowship or peace offering. Feel free to scan it if you like. It reads like a sort of manual for the priests on how to do these. The big idea in these passages amounts to this: When you make an offering to God (of any sort) it needs to be your best. No skimping. No cutting corners. No offering the runt of the litter. When you approach God, you give your best.

Today's New Testament reading, Mark 1:29 - 2:12 centers on a number of healings that Jesus performed. Remember as we read that Mark's main thrust in his gospel is to portray the power and authority of Jesus. For him, and the other early followers of Jesus, this is what sealed the deal. Clearly they were dealing with someone special, someone they came to realize was the promised Messiah.

Two points of interest as we go through this. First, we see Jesus ask for the mysterious silence of those he heals. This is the "Messianic secret" that we encountered in Matthew. Second, we see Jesus do something unexpected. We see him taking time to go into the presence of His father alone. What a compelling example, that the Son of God needed time to recharge His inner life.

Today's reading in the Psalms is the 2nd half of the 35th Psalm, Psalms 35:17-28. This continued the theme of this Psalm, David calling God to his aid. It's good to know that when we cry out to God like this, He hears us.

In the Proverbs reading today we get introduced to a new female character, the woman Folly. (Proverbs 9:13-18) She cries out to the passers by, just like Lady wisdom. And she seems to have the same message, calling people to come and hear her thoughts. But what the people don't know is the destruction that awaits at the end of her path. This is a contrast of the world's wisdom (Folly) with God's wisdom.

2007 Cohort Comments