The Bible Reading Challenge Presented by VCY

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Numbers 11:24-13:33
  Mark 14:22-52
  Psalm 52:1-9
  Proverbs 11:1-3

The Twelve Spies

Numbers 11:29 — We’re currently in a special time when the LORD has put His Spirit on all His people.

Numbers 12:2 — Moses did not need to justify his authority – God blesses the meek.

Numbers 12:11 — Aaron seems to have learned his lesson from the golden calf.

Numbers 13:2 — Twelve men went to spy on Canaan.

Numbers 13:23 — Caleb saw the land at age 40 (Joshua 14:7), and yet he would not possess it for 45 more years – age 85 (Joshua 14:10). Caleb would ask Joshua, his fellow spy, for the mountain (Joshua 14:12). Interesting contrast to the insurrection of Numbers 12:1 where Aaron and Miriam felt equal to Moses; Caleb who travelled with Joshua and stood with Moses (Numbers 13:30) would voluntarily submit and seek permission from Joshua, his peer. By the way, there’s a song based on this incident – “I Want That Mountain!”

Mark 14:24 — Remember, Jesus is not talking about the blood of the last twenty-seven books of the Bible (the portion of the Bible we often refer to as the New Testament), rather He’s referring to a testament as in the “last will and testament” variety. Hebrews 9:16 tells us, “For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.”

Mark 14:31 — Many will claim to be willing to die for Jesus, but few will live for Jesus, or even just pray for an hour (vs. 37).

Mark 14:51 — Many scholars think this is a secret reference to the author.

Psalm 52 — We have a clear contrast between the actions, thoughts, methods, desires, preferences, affections, and the end of the “mighty man” compared to the “righteous man.”

Proverbs 11:1 — God cares how we conduct our business.

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Image Credit: Hult, Adolf, 1869-1943; Augustana synod. [from old catalog], No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Numbers 10:1-11:23
  Mark 14:1-21
  Psalm 51:1-19
  Proverbs 10:31-32

Numbers 10:26 — Ever thought about why lists of names seem unimportant? I worked on political campaigns in the past and heard that people would pour through mailers that had long lists of names. What’s the difference between the biblical lists of names and a campaign mailer? If you’re a voter, you may check a list of endorsers of an unfamiliar candidate to see if there is anyone you know or have heard of. Unfortunately, we don’t know or haven’t heard of the people on these biblical lists – Pagiel the son of Ocran, etc. – but these were real people who really lived and were recognized by God for their faithfulness in leadership.

Gold Strip Inscribed in Latin with a Biblical Version¹

Numbers 10:35 — This verse was inscribed in Latin on a silver gilt in the seventh century AD and was uncovered as part of the Staffordshire Hoard in England.

Numbers 11:1 — Patch the Pirate wrote a song about people who complain – “Wah, Wah, Wah, Call the Wahmbulance.”

Mark 14:5 — I’ve thought about different events in church history where someone used their financial resources to make a significant gift for ministry, e.g. imagine if you owned a printing press and were friends with William Tyndale. This definitely makes the list. Talk about a legacy of giving (vs. 9), but it seems to have played into Judas’ different financial priorities (vs. 10)!

Psalm 51 — Patch the Pirate (Ron Hamilton) recorded a song based on Psalm 51:3 – “My Sin is Ever Before Me, Lord.” May we take our sin as seriously as David did.

Proverbs 10:31-32 — The mouth seems to be powerful, and we’re not even to James 3 – the classic passage on the tongue! You can still listen to a Patch the Pirate song on the tongue.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Numbers 8:1-9:23
  Mark 13:14-37
  Psalm 50:1-23
  Proverbs 10:29-30

Menorah

Numbers 8:2 — Ever wonder where the Menorah came from? Not just for Hanukkah, the Menorah was designed to light the Temple. The seven lamps from one candlestick make up the Menorah. This Menorah is made for the coming Third Temple that will be built someday on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. On my trips to Israel, I’ve seen it, but it’s hard to miss. It sits in view of the Temple Mount near the headquarters of the Temple Mount Institute.

Numbers 8:12 — Do you think sin is important and offensive to God?

Numbers 8:25-26 — An interesting take on retirement. You may need to change your field of service, but you can’t check out from service.

Numbers 9:8 — Great words of wisdom when we don’t know what to do. Unfortunately, others did not always follow.

Mark 13:35 — Are you watching and ready for the return of the Lord?

Psalm 50:10 — Does God need our sacrifices? We merely offer to God a portion of what He has given us.

Psalm 50:15 — Very similar to the verse that has been called “God’s Telephone Number” (Jeremiah 33:3).

Proverbs 10:30 — Are you living for this century or the next century?

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

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Image Credit: ariely, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Numbers 6:1-7:89
  Mark 12:38-13:13
  Psalm 49:1-20
  Proverbs 10:27-28

Numbers 6 — According to John MacArthur, there were three people in the Bible who were lifelong Nazirites: Samuel, Samson, and John the Baptist. So, what is the purpose of the Nazirite vow? John MacArthur preached a great message on this subject:

Now, let’s look at Numbers chapter 6 and I’ll show you that not only the kings and the princes and the priests and the high priests but there were certain people in the congregation of Israel who chose this standard, too.  Anybody could choose to step up to this standard – this was the highest standard.  And you’ll remember in Numbers chapter 6 verse 1, the Lord spoke to Moses saying, “Speak to the children of Israel and say unto them, when either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazirite, to separate themselves unto the Lord.”

Read more from John MacArthur at GTY.org.

Numbers 7:3-5 — God is blessing them with the gift of technology for the use of the ministry, but in vs. 9 we find that there is some technology that can’t be used in ministry. There are times I am unable to be at my church, and I appreciate the livestream that lets me watch it online. But if I can be at church, I shouldn’t use the livestream as an excuse to avoid Hebrews 10:25.

Numbers 7:89 — The inventory of the offering is over, now Moses enters into the tabernacle, and the LORD God of Heaven has chosen to locate His presence in a human creation.

Mark 13:1 — If you’ve been to Jerusalem, you’ve seen the ruins of the Temple’s foundation, but the Temple is no more. All that’s left is a model outside of the Israel Museum.

Model of the Temple

Psalm 49:3 — The opening structure of this psalm is similar to the Book of Proverbs: the calling for attention to wisdom. Roughly 3,000 years ago, the psalmist had to warn his people that trust in wealth and riches cannot save a soul from death. But God can redeem me! I’ll never be on the Forbes Real-Time List of the Richest People in the World. I may be poor for the next 50 years or so, but I can be rich for the next million years!

Proverbs 10:27-28 — Interesting how this passage matches up with the psalm passage. Long days and gladness are the results of following God.

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

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Image Credit: FOTLbill, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Numbers 4:1-5:31
  Mark 12:18-37
  Psalm 48:1-14
  Proverbs 10:26

Numbers 4:5 — This may be the first recorded instance of a professional moving company handbook. The Kohathites were given precise instructions on how to move the Tabernacle. Just stepping back to overview the Tabernacle, this is fairly important:

God created the whole world in six days, but he used forty to instruct Moses about the tabernacle. Little over one chapter was needed to describe the structure of the world, but six were used for the tabernacle.

Bible.org

Why was the Tabernacle so important? Because it was the dwelling place of the LORD (Exodus 25:8). Interestingly, as we look at the New Testament, Joseph was given precise instructions on what to do with the physical presence of the LORD as the baby Jesus (Matthew 2:13). Someday there will be a new Tabernacle where God will dwell with man eternally (Revelation 21:3).

Numbers 5:7 — We see an important principle of the Bible: sin must be met with confession, i.e. the admission of guilt – “I was wrong.” This concept of repentance is not limited to 1 John 1:9 – it is declared in Leviticus 5:5, 16:21, 26:40; Joshua 7:19; 1 Kings 8:33 and 35; 2 Chronicles 6:24 and 26, 30:22; Ezra 10:1 and 11; Nehemiah 1:6, 9:2, 9:3; Psalm 32:5; Proverbs 28:13; and Daniel 9:4 and 20.

Numbers 5:12-31 — This passage is called the “Ordeal of the Bitter Water” or “Sotah.” While it seems unusual today, one observation may be helpful:

Nahmanides points out that of all the 613 commandments, it is only the sotah law that requires God’s specific co-operation to make it work. The bitter waters can only be effective miraculously.

Wikipedia

In the same Wikipedia article, “According to Mishnah, Sotah 9:9, the practice was abolished sometime during the first century CE under the leadership of Yohanan Ben Zakkai.” While they cite that the fall of the Temple led to the abolishment of the sotah, could it be the lack of belief in miracles?

Mark 12:27 — Jesus is talking to the “Sad-you-sees” (so-called because of their rejection of the resurrection). Could it be that their lack of belief in the resurrection was related to their lack of belief in God’s miraculous leadership in other areas?

Psalm 48:1-2 — We have a Scripture memory song for you! “Great is the LORD and Greatly to be Praised!” is word for word from the KJV version. This version is sung by the wife of a pastor friend of mine. If you want a second verse, check out this guitar rendition.

Proverbs 10:26 — A warning to the lazy!

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Numbers 2:1-3:51
  Mark 11:27-12:17
  Psalm 47:1-9
  Proverbs 10:24-25

Numbers 2:2 — What was the configuration of the tribes? Some say it was in the shape of a cross …

Configuration of the Tribes¹

While others say it was more of a circle …

Configuration of the Tribes²

Numbers 3:39, 43, 46, 47, and 50 — Throughout history, God has used people of various professions. Even accountants can be used for precise work in God’s service!

Mark 12:12 — Everything works for God’s plan, even fear of the crowds!

Psalm 47 — We see a repetition format of synonymous parallelism:

1. clap/shout
2. terrible*/great
3. people/nations
4. inheritance/excellency
5. shout/trumpet
6. God/King
7. (no easily discernible parallelism)
8. reigneth/sitteth
9. princes/people

*Most people associate terrible with “extremely or distressingly bad,” but it also is “causing or likely to cause terror.” There is a healthy fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom!

Proverbs 10:24 — In contrast to the fear of the Lord, Proverbs warns about the fear of the wicked.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Leviticus 27:14-Numbers 1:54
  Mark 11:1-26
  Psalm 46:1-11
  Proverbs 10:23

Leviticus 27:15 — Some people dedicate their house to the Lord today, and they invite their church family and the pastor over to pray that their new house can be used for the Lord’s glory. That’s an admirable thing to do. Showing hospitality is often mentioned in the Bible (Isaiah 58:7, 1 Timothy 5:10, Titus 1:8, 1 Peter 4:9), but sanctifying and redeeming your house was a lot more expensive under the Age of Law.

Congratulations on finishing your fourth book of the Bible! Great job and
welcome to Numbers!

Numbers 1:2 — A census! We read about the census in Exodus 30:11-16. We can assume that they paid the census tax. So, as you read this list, it seems rather dull, but what is amazing is the precision to detail!

Map of Jerusalem

Mark 11:6 — Often we poke fun at the disciples, but in spite of their failings, sometimes they did obey. And when they did, they saw His plan.

Psalm 46 — There are many great hymns based on this passage, including the Psalter version by Charles Spurgeon’s Metropolitan Tabernacle, London.

Psalm 46:10 — Stop worrying! Be still and know who your God is!

Proverbs 10:23 — Good instruction for young boys who want to cause mischief!

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

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Image Credit: http://www.christianholyland.com/bethphage-church-in-holy-land-israel-jesus-enters-jerusalem.html

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Leviticus 25:47-27:13
  Mark 10:32-52
  Psalm 45:1-17
  Proverbs 10:22

Leviticus 26:1-4 — As a follower of the historical-grammatical method, I want to know what the biblical authors meant when they wrote the text. To do that, I need to understand what their challenges and situations were. Moses is warning the Israelites how they are to behave in the land.

The Israelites are:

• Prohibited from making idols
• Mandated to keep the sabbaths, and
• Promised that God would bless with rain, increase, and fruit.

They had a choice (Joshua 24:15) between Baal and the LORD. Interestingly, Baal was the god of fertility and rain. The Israelites would be tempted to worship Baal for fertile crops, but God would withhold the rains creating a famine until the prophets of Baal were slain (I Kings 18).

Interestingly, Baal’s fertility came in seven-year cycles. But the LORD says if you trust Him with observing the Sabbaths (both the seventh day of rest and the seventh year of rest), He will give you rain, increase, and fruit, so much that “you shall eat your bread to the full.” Not only will they have physical blessing, but “I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people.”

Leviticus 26:14, 18, 21, and 27 — Obedience brings blessing, disobedience brings judgment. As the old hymn goes:

When we walk with the Lord,
In the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way;
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Trust and obey,
For there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.

Mark 10:34-41 — Jesus unveils His master plan – His trial, death, and resurrection. But His disciples are busy planning where they’re sitting when the Kingdom comes, and they get upset with each other for not asking first.

Mark 10:46 — Another gospel song is based on this verse:

One sat alone beside the highway begging
His eyes were blind the light he could not see
He clutched his rags and shivered in the shadows
Then Jesus came and bade his darkness flee

When Jesus comes the tempter’s power is broken
When Jesus comes the tears are wiped away
He takes the gloom and fills the life with glory
For all is changed when Jesus comes to stay

Psalm 45:6 — This verse is quoted in Hebrews 1:8 as applying to the Son. In verse 2 of this psalm, God is referred to in the 3rd person, while in verse 6 He is referred to in the 2nd person.

Proverbs 10:22 — A great comfort to those who need comfort and provision.

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Leviticus 24:1-25:46
  Mark 10:13-31
  Psalm 44:9-26
  Proverbs 10:20-21

Leviticus 24:11 — Reading this verse reminded me of a scene from the movie “Time Changer” … amazing how few Christians are bothered to see the name of the Lord blasphemed.

Leviticus 25:10 — “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” Does this sound familiar? The 1752 Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, contains this phrase around the top of the bell.

Leviticus 25:23 — As we discussed earlier, the land is the Lord’s, and He governs its use.

Mark 10:14 — Let’s memorize this verse with Earl Martin:

Mark 10:17 — We discussed this passage in depth in a previous post on the parallel passage in Matthew.

Psalm 44:22 — This verse is quoted in Romans 8:36. God’s people have always suffered.

Proverbs 10:20 — The sharp contrast is a feature of Hebrew contrarian poetry. Choice silver vs. little worth.

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

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Image Credit: Tony the Misfit on Flickr, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Leviticus 22:17-23:44
  Mark 9:30-10:12
  Psalm 44:1-8
  Proverbs 10:19

Two months in! Great work staying faithful in God’s Word!

Leviticus 22:20 — Why the concern about blemishes? 61 times in the Old Testament it talks about blemishes.

• 35 verses of sacrifices being without blemish in the Pentateuch
• 5 verses of priests without blemish in Leviticus 21
• 8 verses on the Millennial Temple sacrifices without blemish in Ezekiel
• 1 verse in the New Testament explaining (1 Peter 1:19) that Christ was without blemish
• 1 verse in the New Testament telling (Ephesians 5:27) that the church will be without blemish

Biblical Holidays

Leviticus 23 — Welcome to the festivals! This is the Holiday Calendar, rather the Holy Day Calendar of the Israelite nation! Jimmy DeYoung discusses these feasts:

Each of the feasts has at least a historic and/or prophetic significance. These first three “spring feasts” are related to Israel’s past. The “Passover” is to remember the Exodus from Egypt and the journey to the Promised Land.

The second feast, the “Feast of Unleavened Bread”, is also associated with Passover. For seven days, the Children of Israel were to stop eating the “sourdough bread” to eat “unleavened bread” for the purpose of “separating” the bondage and the journey into the Promised Land.
The third feast, the “Feast of First Fruits”, was to be the celebration and thanksgiving of the very first of the “barley harvest”. These thoughts cover the historic aspect of the first three Jewish feast days. These feasts also have a prophetic significance.

The “Passover” was a prophecy of the “Crucifixion” or sacrifice of Jesus. “Unleavened Bread” was to honor the “burial” of Jesus Christ. Then on the first day after the Sabbath, after Unleavened Bread begins, or Sunday, would be the celebration of “First Fruits”, and that pictures the day of the “resurrection” of Jesus.

The historic record indicates that Jesus was indeed crucified on Passover, buried on Unleavened Bread, and did, in fact, resurrect from the dead on First Fruits, thus Jesus fulfilled the first three of the Jewish Feasts, in the proper day sequences.

There are three “Fall Feasts” when Jesus will come back, enter into the Temple, and set up His Kingdom on these three Jewish feast days. In our next devotional from the book of Leviticus, we will look more in depth into these future events, which are foretold in these feasts that God has given the Jewish people.

http://devotional.prophecytoday.com/2018/10/leviticus-232.html

Leviticus 23:22 — Bible Trivia: Who would be a beneficiary of this Levitical command? The young Moabitess who would fall in love with the owner of the fields she came to glean (Ruth 2:3)!

Mark 9:42 — If Jesus is advocating the death penalty for those who offend the little ones from their faith in Him, what would He say about the secular education systems today? Ray Moore of Exodus Mandate and Jeff Keaton of Renewanation.org are encouraging pastors and church leaders to commit to Christian Education.

Mark 10:11 — Notice how Jesus reproves the fastidious legal observers for their neglect of the importance of marriage. Jesus is teaching about the true meaning of adultery in connection with the Pharisees. Luke 16:14-18 reiterates this teaching.

Psalm 44:1, 4, 5, and 8 — Notice the changes in the verb tense. Testimonies of God’s past actions prompt current faith, and hope in future victory.

• “We have heard” – past perfect
• “What work thou didst” – past
• “Thou art my King” – present
• “We will push down” – future
• “Praise thy name forever” – eternal

Proverbs 10:19 — Or as our modern proverb says, “Silence is golden.”

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

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Image Credit: John Henry/Landmark Bible Baptist