NL-Day073 Numbers 8-9; Psalm 31; Luke 20:20-47
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
Release Date: 03/09/2025
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
2SAMUEL 3-4:In yesterday's story, David was anointed as king over his own tribe of Judah, while all the rest of Israel followed Saul's son, Ishbosheth. Ishbosheth was not a strong leader, but was put in place by Abner, the general. Joab was David's military commander. In the first battle, it is significant that Abner killed Joab's brother Asahel. David's troops decisively won their first battle in the civil war. PSALM 108:This is a psalm of exalted praise, and a song asking God for military victory. ROMANS 12a:Yesterday at the end of Romans 11, we came to the end of the long parenthesis. God...
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2SAMUEL 2:David heard of Israel’s terrible defeat and of Saul and Jonathan's deaths, and he exacted the death sentence from the lying messenger. David and his men mourned for the deaths of Saul and Jonathan, and David composed a funeral song for them. PSALM 107b:Yesterday I commented on how quickly our culture forgets about God. After a natural disaster, it becomes popular in the media to talk about praying for the victims. But God is not even mentioned, and soon any pretense of awe or fear of God is dropped. But Psalm 107 speaks of people who see God’s hand at work and make lasting...
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2SAMUEL 1:David returned from being sent home from the battle with Israel only to find that his town had been ransacked by the Amalekites. He found strength in God, asked for God to direct him, and succeeded in retrieving everything, and even much more. However in Israel, Saul and his three sons died, and the Israelite army was completely defeated. PSALM 107a:We come to another of my favorite psalms. In E.C. Olsen’s book on the psalms (which is a transcription of his radio programs) he said that this psalm has a message for America. That message is in the repeated refrain found in this...
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1SAMUEL 30-31:The Philistines mustered their armies for full-scale war with Saul and the Israelites. Saul had already done a right thing in expelling all the mediums from Israel. But, since God had turned from him and would not answer him, he resorted to a medium during his darkest hour. It does not bother me too much to say that God spoke through that medium. It seems so by the evidence. But if so, it was an exception. God's word says to never consult a medium. In fact, mediums are to be stoned to death. David was preparing to go to war in support of Achish, or was he really?! PSALM...
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1SAMUEL 28-29:Saul came after David again with 3,000 men, and David showed his integrity again and his daring. But even though Saul repented again, David made the decision to get out of the country so that he would not continually be in danger. He went to Achish the Philistine king in Gath. The part about the raids upon three enemy people groups is not one of the noble chapters of David's life. PSALM 106a:Psalm 106 is a companion to 105, as it again is a historical psalm. I see a very significant correspondence with the section of Romans we are now reading. Can you see it? ROMANS 10a:In our...
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1SAMUEL 26-27:Yesterday we heard the story of the cur Nabal and his intelligent and beautiful wife, Abigail. After Nabal was struck down by the Lord, Abigail became one of David's wives. PSALM 105b:Today’s psalm is for teaching and reminding each generation of the children of Israel about the great things God has done for the Jewish people. ROMANS 9b:Note that we have entered a difficult section of Romans. Romans 12 starts with, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercies, …” But if you look back at what goes right before that in chapter 11, that doesn’t...
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1SAMUEL 25:God gave protection and victory to David. In a scene that must have caused Saul's men to roll their eyes several times, Saul was humbled before them as David directly confronted him. But after making peace, they didn't go back to the capital together. PSALM 105a:Today’s psalm is for teaching and reminding each generation of the children of Israel about the great things God has done for the Jewish people. ROMANS 9a:What wonderful promises God has given to us in chapter 8 of Romans! That chapter always reminds me of a time when a Christian leader did wrong to me, and then said that...
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1SAMUEL 23-24:As David fled from Saul, he went for help to Ahimelech the priest. He needed food and wanted to consult with the Lord, and it happened that Ahimelech also gave him Goliath's sword. This resulted later in Ahimilech's death and the deaths of all of Ahimilech's family— except one, Abiathar. PSALM 104b:This psalm starts and ends with the same refrain, and it is the same refrain as in Psalm 103. This psalm expounds on the majesty of God— especially as seen in His creation. ROMANS 8b:The power behind the new lives that God wants us to live is the Holy Spirit. A side observation...
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1SAMUEL 21-22:Yesterday we heard the touching story of David and Jonathan's deep friendship, and how Jonathan realized at last the secret plot that his father, Saul, had against David. Jonathan seems to have been a prophet, for he realized that he would not succeed his father as king. PSALM 104a:This is a companion with Psalm 103. This psalm also starts and ends with the same refrain as the one in Psalm 103. This poem expounds on the majesty of God. ROMANS 8a:Paul said something in 7:5 that he felt needed to be explained from verse 7 to the end of chapter 7. (Of course there were no chapters...
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1SAMUEL 18-19:In yesterday's story, David showed that he was more concerned with God's reputation than for his own safety. May we all face our imposing enemies with more belief in the unseen God than in the very present enemies! PSALM 102:This psalm starts out like the prayer of anyone in distress and trouble calling out to God. As we read further, many see parallels with what our Savior would have prayed in his darkest days on earth. ROMANS 6:19—7:The last verse of yesterday’s reading shows why it is better to take what we are given, rather than what we have earned! This is a big problem...
info_outlineNUMBERS 8-9:
In Numbers 7, we heard about the gifts given by the leaders of Israel following the dedication of the sacred tent.
Translation note: How the ‘waving’ of the ‘wave offering’ was done is variously interpreted in 8:13. And it could be taken simply as a presentation, because it would be rather hard to ‘wave’ some objects.
NLT: Then have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons, and raise your hands and present them as a special offering to the LORD.
HCSB: … and you are to present them before the Lord as a presentation offering.
CEV: They will stand at my altar in front of Aaron and his sons, who will dedicate the Levites to me.
GNT: “Dedicate the Levites as a special gift to me, and put Aaron and his sons in charge of them.
PSALM 31:
Psalm 31 is a desperate, yet confident, prayer for protection. This prayer models the secret of effective prayer— praying with full belief in the Lord.
LUKE 20b:
Yesterday’s reading in first part of Luke 20 showed how the Jewish leaders tried to confront and discredit Jesus. I remember reading these passages in the summer after 6th grade and being so impressed with Jesus' wisdom.
NLT Translation notes:
Num. 8:13 [NLT Then have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons, and raise your hands and present them as a special offering to the LORD.//
HCSB: … and you are to present them before the Lord as a presentation offering.]]
CEV: They will stand at my altar in front of Aaron and his sons, who will dedicate the Levites to me.]
[Who it is who does the ‘waving’ in this ‘wave offering’ is variously interpreted.]
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Ps. 31:21 Praise [you/the] LORD,
for [you have//he has] shown me the wonders of [your/his] unfailing love.
[You have//He] kept me safe when my city was under attack.
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Luk. 20:8 And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you [either/0] by what authority I do these things.”
16 “I’ll tell you—he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others.”
[His listeners protested, “Oh, may such a thing never happen!”//“How terrible that such a thing should ever happen.”]
19 The teachers of religious law and the leading priests wanted to arrest Jesus immediately because they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. But they [did nothing because//0] they were afraid of the people’s reaction.
23 He saw through their [duplicity/trickery] and said, 24 “Show me a Roman coin. Whose picture and title are stamped [here/0] on it?”
37 “But now, as to whether the dead will be raised—even Moses proved this when he wrote about the burning bush. Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, he referred to the Lord d as ‘[the God Abraham worships//the God of Abraham], [the God Isaac worships//the God of Isaac], and [the God Jacob worships//the God of Jacob].’
41 Then Jesus presented them with a [problem/question]. [“Note that there is a problem with the teaching that the Messiah will come as a descendant of David.”//”Why is it,” he asked, “that the Messiah is said to be the son of David?”]
44 Since David called the Messiah ‘Lord,’ [it is clear that the Messiah cannot just be his descendant!//how can the Messiah be his son?]”
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.