Commuter Bible OT

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...

Deuteronomy 18 - 1:02 .  Deuteronomy 19 - 4:41 .  Deuteronomy 20 - 9:57 .  Deuteronomy 21 - 13:54 .  Psalm 65 - 18:16 .  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...

Deuteronomy 14 - 1:01 .  Deuteronomy 15 - 5:18 .  Deuteronomy 16 - 10:14 .  Deuteronomy 17 - 14:17 .  Psalm 64 - 18:18 .  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...

Deuteronomy 11 - 1:01 .  Deuteronomy 12 - 7:33 .  Deuteronomy 13 - 14:39 .  Psalm 63 - 18:44 .  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 present...

Deuteronomy 8 - 1:01 .  Deuteronomy 9 - 4:42 .  Deuteronomy 10 - 12:34 .  Psalm 62 - 17:01 .  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 Hi...

Deuteronomy 5 - 4:21 .  Deuteronomy 6 - 10:27 .  Deuteronomy 7 - 14:26 .  Psalm 61 - 20:57 .  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...

Deuteronomy 2 - 1:04 .  Deuteronomy 3 - 7:58 .  Deuteronomy 4 - 13:55 .  Psalm 60 - 20:31 .  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...

Numbers 35 - 1:03 .  Numbers 36 - 7:13 .  Deuteronomy 1 - 9:51 .  Psalm 59 - 17:53 . 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 grumbl...

Numbers 32 - 1:02 .  Numbers 33 - 7:52 .  Numbers 34 - 13:54 .  Psalm 58 - 17:39 .  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 as...

Numbers 29 - 1:04 .  Numbers 30 – 7:07 .  Numbers 31 - 9:52 .  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 condi...

Numbers 27 - 3:15 .  Numbers 28 - 7:36 .  Psalm 57 - 11:59 .  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...

Numbers 24 - 1:05 .  Numbers 25 - 6:26 .  Numbers 26 - 9:20 .  Psalm 56 - 15:55 .  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 hi...

Numbers 21 - 1:01 .  Numbers 22 - 7:29 .  Numbers 23 - 14:43 .  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...

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...

Numbers 16 – 1:01 .  Numbers 17 – 10:49 .  Psalm 53 – 13:05 .  Psalm 54 – 14:22 .  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, qu...

Numbers 13 - 1:01 .  Numbers 14 - 5:23 .  Numbers 15 - 14:04 .  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...

Numbers 9 - 1:01 .  Numbers 10 - 5:13 .  Numbers 11 - 10:55 .  Numbers 12 - 17:37 .  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 E...

Numbers 7 - 1:00 .  Numbers 8 - 13:56 .  Psalm 52 - 18:22 .  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 wel...

Numbers 4 - 1:00 .  Numbers 5 - 8:56 .  Numbers 6 - 15:15 .  Psalm 51 - 20:11 .  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! Co...

Numbers 1 - 1:01 .  Numbers 2 - 9:01 .  Numbers 3 - 13:05 .  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 pr...

Leviticus 26 - 1:02 .  Leviticus 27 - 10:39 .  Psalm 50 - 16:50 .  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 comman...

Leviticus 24 - 1:01 .  Leviticus 25 – 8:40 .  Psalm 48 - 15:21 .  Psalm 49 - 17:08 .  Our reading begins with instructions for the bread and the oil in the tabernacle, but soon thereafter these instructions are somewhat interrupted by a fight. A young man has blasphemed the Name of God, and instructions are given about what must be done, followed by further instruction for punishment of violent cr...

Leviticus 22 - 1:01 .  Leviticus 23 - 7:57 .  Psalm 47 - 16:38 .  Moses continues to receive instructions from the Lord, and today’s episode begins with instructions for the priests in eating their portion of the sacrifices to the Lord. Recall that the Levites will not be given large portions of land when they enter the Promised Land; instead, the Lord will be their portion. For their service in t...