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
In our Old Testament reading, Numbers 11:24 - 13:33, we continue the story about the people's complaints about the food. Moses, at God's direction anointed seventy more leaders to help carry the burden of listening to the people and solving their problems, and then told the people God's response to their complaint about meat. Countless quail flew in among the camp and the people killed as many as they wanted, and ate their fill, but a terrible plague broke out. (Not surprising really, since birds are such dirty animals and that much butchering done in an unsanitary way likely brought with it quite a few germs.) But this was a consequence of their complaining.
The discontent wasn't limited to the people though. Even some of the leaders were beginning to question Moses' leadership. Chapter 12 gives us a strange little episode of jealousy and politics. Miriam, Moses' elder sister and Aaron, started to speak out because Moses had married a Cushite woman (Early anti-black racism, perhaps? Cush is modern-day Ethiopia.) They pointed out that they had been used by God as well, perhaps suggesting that they should have a more powerful role. Moses didn't defend himself because he was a humble man, but God did defend him. In a powerful statement, God placed Moses above the prophets because God and Moses spoke face to face. As a punishment for her pride, Miriam had a leprous outbreak and had to live outside the camp seven days as an unclean person.
In chapter 13 we turn our attention to Canaan, the destination of this trip. The purpose of this journey through the desert was to take Israel to the promised land that had been given to Abraham and his descendants. In Chapter 13, God instructed Moses to send some spies into the land. This was a turning point in the journey. Twelve spies were sent with instructions to learn everything they could about the land and to return with that information. 40 days later they returned with their report.
Their report was that the land was rich and plentiful, but that the inhabitants were fierce and large. There were even giants! Caleb told the people that they should go up and possess the land. But the other spies disagreed. With the exception of Joshua, they thought it was a suicide mission, and they began to spread discontent among the people. This was not good.
The New Testament reading for today is Mark 14:22-52, moving us forward into the events of Jesus' last three days.
We begin with the second half of the upper room meal, where Jesus and the disciples celebrated the passover meal. During the meal Jesus referred his disciples to the bread and wine, using these elements of the meal as symbols of his body and blood, pointing the disciples toward what was about to happen, and then He makes a promise to them that He won't drink the fruit of the vine until He does so again with them in the new-come Kingdom of God.
On the way out of the upper room all the familiar elements of the story fall into place. The prediction of the disciples falling away. Peter's response that this could never happen. Heading to the garden of Gethsemene. Jesus stepping away to pray, taking the three disciples with Him who fall asleep. Jesus waking them; falling asleep again. And the Judas showing up with the crowd of soldiers and thugs. Judas kissed Jesus, the soldiers arrested him, and the disciples fled. The final image of a young disciple fleeing naked is a compelling one. Tradition has it that this was in fact Mark, the author of this gospel.
The Psalms reading for today is Psalms 52:1-9. This presents us a contrast between an evil and selfish man and a righteous man; one who trusts in his wealth and power for his security, and one who trusts in God.
The Proverbs reading, Proverbs 11:1-3, includes three proverbs about humility and integrity. First, God hates when people stack the scales for dishonest gain. When a merchant sells a pound of something, the only right thing is for him to sell a pound. Prevaricating on the merchandise or cutting corners is not acceptable. For us an application of this would be that it violates our integrity to give someone less than what they are due.
The second proverb points out that disgrace follows pride, but humility leads to wisdom.
The third proverb points out that integrity alone is enough to be a guide. When we don't know which direction to go, we always know we can be honest, faithful, and forthright. Any deceit or double-mindedness will bring destruction.
2007 Cohort Comments
Comments (6)
Nate Burton said
at 4:23 pm on Mar 9, 2009
I understand God defending Moses because He met with him regularly and gave him the law. So, even though God had instructed the Hebrews not to marry into other cultures because of idolatry and stuff, He defended Moses to the point of punishing someone else. Wierd.
I really admire Caleb's attitude, though, just gung-ho because He knows that the Creator of the universe is behind him, and not even a giant can stand in his way. Sometimes I feel like a determined person, but usually on my own strength and only when I feel up to it. That kind of courage also takes a level of faith I haven't gotten to. Lord, I need to trust you more, you are far more capable than I could ever be.
Rich Rawlins said
at 5:14 am on Mar 10, 2009
A lot more I do not understand.
Fist, we have God zipping around quite a bit in his "cloud." Then he brings in a pile of birds (side note, what's a homer?) but gets royally ticked off again and stikes everyone with some kind of plaque because they complained about having to eat manna for every meal for years. I find myself wondering why He didn't create man to be satisfied with a steady diet of manna in the first place. This seems in great contrast to me with God in the NT that states somewhere that he loves us more than a parent loves their own children. I know this sounds really bad you guys, but I just don't see myself putting my son through the things God puts these people through, do you? I'm still not 100% sure the OT God and the NT God are the same guy.
Then God talks to Moses face to face. Based on a few chapters back, I didn't think that could happen.
It never really hit me before today, but when the spies return and describe themselves as grasshoppers size wise, that would make the Anak beyond huge. In doing a bit of research this morning, I read in the book of Enoch, which is from The Apocrypha of the Old Testament, that was also found in the dead seas scroll from Qumran, that the Anak were 300 cubits tall. I think that's like 450, isn't it? Do you think they were really that big? I also wonder how they got there. Did they survive the flood or did the "sons of god" stop back by for another fling with the daughters of men?
...rich
Jacqui Wheelhouse said
at 7:09 am on Mar 10, 2009
Hey guys, I have not been on the wiki to read since last week. Feel VERY out of the flow right now. Will jump back in.
Just wanted to let you know that I will recommit to the daily process.
Marc Schelske said
at 9:13 am on Mar 11, 2009
Hey Nate - the punishment of Miriam, I think had to do with pride and refusal to accept the authority God has placed in Moses. I don't think it was about her speaking up, or pointing out Moses' wife. I think it was about her wanting more authority than God has seen fit to give her.
Rich - two things in details in Hebrew. Ancient Hebrew is a very basic language. In comparison to ancient Greek it seems almost childish. The vocabulary is limited, the tenses are few, and everything is built around the verbs. It's a language meant for expressing action, not describing things. In some ways it feels like the opposite of Greek which is abounding in vocabulary and declensions and complicated ways to explain things. All of this means that translating from Hebrew has a few pitfalls. One of these has to do with numbers. Hebrews didn't relate to numbers in quite the same way that we do, often times using them as symbolic figures. So for example the number twelve doesn't always mean twelve actual things. It often means "the complete amount" of something - probably based on the number of tribes in Israel. When you said there were twelve of something, you were basically saying the whole set was present. So - that means that when we read figures in the Hebrew OT, especially the ancient part, we have to take them with a grain of salt. Second, is the trouble with measuring units.
Marc Schelske said
at 9:13 am on Mar 11, 2009
(continued...)
There is no handy "conversion chart" from ancient hebrew measuring units to ones that we have. So, online or in various commentaries, you can find a crazy wide variety of explanations for the size of various ancient measuring units. While there are people who will say exactly how much an ephah or a gomer or a cubit was, these answers are all conjecture, based on hopefully best scholastic guesses. But we cannot use these with scientific accuracy. Finally, all of these things are complicated by the fact that Hebrew is a language that naturally uses hyperbole as a part of explanation. So, for example, the phrase "we were like grasshoppers in our own eyes," really means "we felt tiny and weak in comparison to them," and really doesn't have anything to do with the actual size difference.
Marc Schelske said
at 9:15 am on Mar 11, 2009
So, when we come to the anakim (the sons of anak), our very best scholastic guesses put them between 7 and 9 feet tall. But of course, even that we have to take with a grain of salt because we're trying to draw inferences from the various ancient texts, as well as archaeology and anthropology - and frankly we just don't know.
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