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 (Numbers 33:40 - 35:34) takes us nearly to the end of Numbers. Israel is camped on the bank of the Jordan river, getting ready to go into Canaan and take their inheritance. So, much of what we read in the next few days comes as final reminders before that happens.

In this reading we get more information on how the land is going to be distributed among the twelve tribes. In particular the focus is on the towns that the tribes will set apart for the Levites, who get no inheritance of their own, since their inheritance will be the temple. Among those cities, six were to be designated as "Cities of Refuge." This was in part to prevent the revenge killings of people accused of murder. At this point, the system of judgment for murder was basically this: A trial would be held. If the accused could be confirmed to have murdered someone with evidence from more than one witness, then they were found guilty. Then a family member of the person murdered would be legally and morally free to kill that person as revenge. This person was called the Avenger of Blood. This revenge system was a part of the culture and often happened without regulation. So, in this new system, God added the necessity of the trial, and the cities of refuge. When someone killed another person accidentally, they could flee to the city of refuge nearest to them. The Avenger of Blood was not allowed to kill them there. Then the person could wait in safety until the trial. This whole system of the cities of refuge forms the contextual basis for many of the comments in scripture, and especially the Psalms, about fleeing to God as a refuge, and being protected from the one who pursues you to kill you.

The New Testament reading today is Luke 5:12-28, two pericopes for us showing Jesus establish His ministry.

In the first, a man with leprosy, desperate for healing, throws himself at Jesus' feet. Jesus heals him and send him on his way with two instructions. First, Jesus told him to keep quiet about the whole thing. This is that "Messianic secret" that we've talked about in the past. Second, Jesus told him to go to the temple and complete the necessary rituals for cleaning. You are familiar with this idea, since it wasn't very long ago that we read all the rules about someone who had a skin disease becoming clean again so they could enter society. Jesus asked him to go through these steps "as a testimony to them," presumably the religious leaders and other Jews.

The second scene is the famous story of the man being let down through the roof by his friends. It's a great story. The pivotal sentence is one of the most shocking and heavy with meaning in all of scripture for me: "When Jesus saw THEIR faith, he said, 'Friend, your sins are forgiven you.'" What?? Somehow the faith of the man's friends figured into His healing and forgiveness. I don't know exactly how that works, but the implications of it for me and my relationships with my friends are staggering.

The Psalms reading today is Psalms 65:1-13, the 63rd Psalm. It's a hymn of praise to God for his provision at the harvest. God provides all we have, and this gift is an expression of His love and care for us. These gifts ought to move us to worship and thanksgiving.

Proverbs 11:23 is the Proverbs reading today. Are you detecting a pattern here? There is a path in life. You have a choice. The ends of the path are clear. 

2007 Cohort Comments