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

Old Testament reading for today is Numbers 26:52 - 28:15. In this passage we see God starting to give instructions for how land in Canaan is going to be divided up among the twelve tribes. The 40 years of wandering is almost past, and so it was time to start thinking about these things.

As a result of these discussions the adult daughters in one of the clans of the tribe of Manasseh, came forward asking for justice, since their father had passed away and there was no son to claim the inheritance. This would mean that their clan would pass out of existence, and they would get no land in the apportionment. They asked that the inheritance be passed on through them. This was a new thing. Women so far have not had the right to own land, property, or even be a part of the inheritance process. But God, through Moses, agreed with the women, and declared that they could receive their father's inheritance. This was a very significant moment legally, morally and for the culture of the nation. This took the place and value of women in the culture up a significant amount.

The reading closes with God letting Moses know that He was going to let him see the promised land, even though he would not be able to enter. At this point, Moses wisely asked who was going to succeed him in leadership. God selected Joshua, and had Moses commission Him and anoint him to leadership before the people.

the New Testament reading today, Luke 3:1-22, gives us the most in-depth perspective on John the Baptist that we have in scripture. Here we have the dates of his ministry, and a concise summary of his teachings. People thought he might be the messiah, but John himself consistently pointed forward to one who was coming after him. We even see a very quick summary of the baptism of Jesus at the end of this section. John was a powerful preacher and leader, who single-mindedly followed his mission, and spoke the truth. He ended up going to prison (and later, as we shall see) being executed for this. In some ways, John was an early warning about the cost of following Jesus completely.

Psalms 61:1-8 is the Psalms Reading today. This is a simple and beautiful prayer of worship. You'll come across a number of lines that have made their way into hymns and worship songs that you might know. It's an affirmation of God's love and protection, a recognition of the need for God, and an expression of the desire to grow deeper in that relationship. This is another Psalm that would make a great personal meditation.

The Proverbs reading, Proverbs 11:16-17, is two proverbs contrasting the strong and the weak, and the benefits of cruelty. A person without influence or power (what the woman stands for in this passage) gains respect through their kindheartedness. They may not get wealth, but in the end this is worth more, because in the end the cruel person brings trouble on themselves as a result of their cruelty. It really comes down to this: cruelty begets fear and more cruelty. Kindness begets love and more kindness.

2007 Cohort Comments