Commuter Bible OT

Moses has just given a song to Israel which predicts that they will abandon God’s ways. After this warning, the Lord told Moses that it was time to ascend Mount Nebo, where he will see the Promised Land before he dies. It’s at this point we enter into today’s reading where Moses has a final word for the people of Israel before he departs: a pronouncement of blessings on each tribe of Israel. Tradi...

Now that Moses has given the statutes and ordinances to Israel a second time, he faces the end of his days at the direction of Almighty God. It is time to appoint and commission Joshua to lead the people in the stead of Moses, and God does so by appearing at the tent of meeting in a cloud. Sadly, the Lord tells Moses that the people he shepherded for so long will soon abandon God and His ways. Mos...

Moses continues to explain to Israel that they will be blessed if follow the Lord and cursed if they follow other gods. He calls out that thought which is so common to mankind: I am the exception to the rules, and as Moses puts it, “I will have peace even though I follow my own stubborn heart.” Contrary to what much of western society teaches, we are not called to pursue out heart’s desires; we ar...

In our reading today, Moses outlines the blessings and the curses that will fall upon Israel: blessings if they keep the covenant of the Lord, and curses if they abandon the Lord’s covenant. Keep in mind that these statutes include prescribed ways in which Israel can repent of sin and execute justice. To reject the statutes and ordinances is to reject a good God who loves His people, denying that...

Our reading today contains some statutes that seem harsh, some that seem odd, and others that could easily be incorporated into daily interactions today. A few things to remember: first, the covenant with Israel was one in which the entire community had to remain holy because the Lord is holy and lived among them; sometimes this means being set apart and pure in simple daily routines as a reminder...

Moses continues to speak to the Israelites before his impending death, reminding this new generation about the laws and statutes that have been put in place. Many of the structures given here for a system of justice continue to provide a template for our judicial systems in the west today, including concepts such as the testimony of multiple witnesses, a hierarchy of courts, and varying degrees of...

There is a beautiful picture on display in the act of bringing a tenth of your produce to the Lord as an offering. The instructions given to Israel are that they should bring the tenth to where the Lord resides and have a feast in the presence of God. So get this: God provides all the food as a gift, the Israelite brings some of it back to supply the party, and then in a way the Israelite and God...

If Israel enters the land and follows the Lord’s statutes and ordinances, they will be blessed by the Lord. If, however, they turn from keeping his law, they will receive a curse from the Lord, rather than a blessing. After warning the Israelites of what’s at stake, Moses begins to give a second presentation of the law of God to a new generation, hence “Deuteronomy,” meaning “second law.” Among hi...

Today, Moses preaches against the very sins that end up bringing a curse upon Israel. As Moses continues his prelude to a recounting of the Law to Israel’s next generation, he warns them against both idolatry and self-righteousness, which in both cases is a means of robbing God of the glory that is due Him and Him alone. He urges them to remember that the land they are entering has been given to t...

You can hear a sense of desperation and heartfelt pleading as we read the words of Moses today, as he continues to urge a new generation to trust the Lord and obey His statutes so that they might flourish. When they are given to fear, when they are tempted to worship other gods, when they get comfortable in the land they are being given, in all these things, they are told to remember what the Lord...

We began the book of Deuteronomy in our last episode and we’ll pick up where we left off today. Deuteronomy loosely translated means “second law,” because it’s in this book that Moses reviews the Law and the promises of God for a new generation before he, himself, passes away. The former generation has all died because of their iniquity, just as the Lord had sworn, which means that the next genera...

Today, we’re wrapping up Numbers and proceeding straight into the book Deuteronomy. Looking back on our time in the book of Numbers we notice a few things. First, God is faithful to keep His promises; even when His chosen people are incredibly unfaithful, God fulfills His promises. Second, God does not take grumbling and complaining lightly; he punished those who forgot His salvation and who chose...

Israel has just defeated Midian and they entire community is getting ready to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land and begin their military campaign against the inhabitants of the land. When the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manassah, see that the land of the Midianites is good for cattle, they ask if they can settle there. Moses wrongly assumes that they are trying to avoid goin...

God is giving Moses final instructions to hand down to the Israelites because Moses is about to die at the Lord’s hand. Our reading opens with instructions on three festivals which are to be held in the seventh month. This is followed by instructions on how one should consider the validity of vows made to the Lord under different conditions. Finally, God instructs Moses to go to war with Midianite...

When we last left Israel, they had just prostituted themselves with the women of Moab as an act of Baal worship. The Lord sent a plague among them that was only stopped when Phinehas impaled a fornicating couple through with his spear. In the wake of this tragic display of unfaithfulness, the Lord tells Moses in today’s reading that he will soon die because he didn’t obey the Lord’s command at the...

In our last reading King Balak of Moab had hired Balaam, the professional soothsayer and prophet for hire, to come and put a curse on Israel. The king had heard about how Israel had plowed through the Amorites when that nation refused to let Israel pass through, and he was scared. After two attempts, Balaam finds himself unable to curse Israel, because the God of Israel is so powerful that Balaam...

Our reading opens with another instance of Israelite rebellion, and this time, the Lord punishes them by sending poisonous snakes into their camp. In order to be healed, they must lift their eyes upward to look at a bronze snake mounted to a pole. You’ve probably seen an image of this on the side of an ambulance as a symbol of healing. By acknowledging their need for salvation and looking upon tha...

In our last episode, Korah and his posse decided that they wanted to present offerings to the Lord, but the Lord God has made clear, that Aaron and his sons were to receive the priesthood as an inheritance. When this rebellious cohort presented offerings, the ground beneath them opened up and swallowed them alive. Today, the Lord makes it clear that Aaron and his sons are to guard the tabernacle a...

You’d think that by this point, the people of Israel would have settled on the well-established conclusion that Moses is in charge by command of the Lord and by the signs and wonders performed that confirm he is God’s chosen leader. Even so, in today’s reading, a man named Korah incites a rebellion against Moses, questioning his authority. Armed with the conclusion that the entire community of Isr...

Israel has finally arrived just outside the Promised Land, and all that’s left to do is enter it and take from those people whom God has set apart for destruction. Their journey should have ended here with a military campaign against the inhabitants of the land, but instead of confronting their enemies as the Lord had commanded, they cower, complain, and make excuses. Lacking faith and conviction,...

Just like any family trip to a far away place, everyone starts getting grumpy quick . New complaints arise about not being able to take the Passover while unclean. After Israel leaves Mount Sinai for the Promised Land they all become dissatisfied with what the Lord provides, complaining that the food they had in Egypt was better than manna from the Lord. Moses complains to the Lord that these peop...

As noted in previous episode introductions, we are in a section of Numbers that includes a lot of numbers and repetition, but take heart: after this episode, we’ll begin the narrative section of Numbers that covers the 40 years of Israel wandering in the wilderness. With that being said, take note in today’s episode that things begin well in Israel, and leaders from every tribe bring an equal offe...

We’re continuing in the book of Numbers today, which has a reputation for putting people off both because of the title and because the first seven chapters (or so) contain a good bit of repetition. You’ll experience some of that repetition today, so if you want to put me on 2x speed for that section, I won’t judge! Consider, though, that the repetition is intentional. When you’re writing everythin...

Numbers are boring, right? I mean, who gets excited about counting things? Well, did you ever count your Christmas presents as a kid? Have you ever memorized the stats of your favorite athletes, or checked the number of likes on a post, or rejoice over the number of indigenous believers saved through the work a missionary? The numbers presented in these first few chapters may seem boring to us, bu...

Our time in Leviticus comes to a close today as we hear a foreshadowing of the coming exile of Israel some 900 years before it occurs, as the Lord God makes plain that to abandon the covenant is to exchange blessing for a curse. God warns that the covenant is not to be taken lightly, for if Israel fails to observe the Lord’s commands, they will be cut off from the Lord, and their sacrifices will n...