NL-Day328 Nehemiah 7; Isaiah 37; Colossians 1
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
Release Date: 11/24/2024
NL-Day074 Numbers 10-11; Psalm 32; Luke 21:1-19
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
NUMBERS 10-11:Yesterday we heard about the position of the lamps on the lampstand in the Holy Place, and the Levites were dedicated for service. The second Passover was celebrated. The Israelites received their marching orders based on when the cloud moved from over the sacred tent. PSALM 32:Psalm 32 gives essential spiritual principles conveyed in David's testimony. I encourage every listener to camp out a while in this psalm. LUKE 21:In the last confrontation in Luke 20, Jesus soundly refuted the Sadducees. After this, his teaching further embarrassed and offended the religious teachers. NLT...
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NL-Day075 Numbers 12-13; Psalm 33; Luke 21:17-38
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
NUMBERS 12-13:In Numbers 10 we heard about the signals given to the people using two silver trumpets, and about the first journey leaving Mount Sinai. Then we heard of the start of the grumbling against Moses and God. Moses appointed 70 leaders, and God sent quail in response to the people's complaints. Even Moses said some things that sound like complaining to me. But remember the name Kibroth Hattaavah. We have strong evidence that God doesn’t like complainers. PSALM 33:This psalm is full of important wisdom for us! This is the 4th Psalm without a title given by the rabbis. LUKE...
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NL-Day073 Numbers 8-9; Psalm 31; Luke 20:20-47
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
NUMBERS 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...
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NL-Day071 Numbers 5-6; Psalm 29; Luke 19:20-48
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
NUMBERS 5-6:Yesterday we heard the assignments for the Kohathite, Gershonite, and Merarite clans in regard to the care and moving of the sacred tent, all under the direction of Aaron's sons. PSALM 29:This is one of my personal favorite psalms because of the response of the people in the temple to God's glorious revelations of himself in nature. LUKE 19b:In yesterday's reading, Zacchaeus— a notorious sinner, dramatically came to Jesus. Then Jesus told a very thought-provoking parable. He is the King who will return and He will ask for an accounting from each of us— his servants. NLT...
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NL-Day072 Numbers 7; Psalm 30; Luke 20:1-26
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
NUMBERS 7:Yesterday we heard how people had to follow through with God’s commands, and those with defiling diseases were expelled from their camp until such time as they could be declared ritually clean again. And we heard about cleansing for issues involving the conscience, and what a man might do if he suspected his wife of unfaithfulness. (A man would have to be a terrible jerk to do this to his wife if he didn't have good reasons for his suspicions!) The 6th chapter dealt with the Nazarite vow, and the ended with the famous Aaronic blessing. In today’s chapter 7 of Numbers, the GNT has...
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NL-Day070 Numbers 4; Psalm 28; Luke 19:1-27
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
NUMBERS 4:Yesterday we learned that the Levite clans were given separate tasks in the care of the sacred tent. The 22,000 Levites became substitutes for Israel's 22,273 first-born sons. PSALM 28:David cries out to the Lord with all his heart. I love the imagery of the Lord as David’s ‘rock’, ‘shield’, and ‘shepherd’. (v1, 7, 9) Bible translators who translate into ethnic languages often need to make the difficult choice of whether to retain a figure of speech more literally, or just to give its meaning. For instance, at the first of v1 and 7, the GNT chose to give the meaning...
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NL-Day069 Numbers 3; Psalm 27; Luke 18:18-43
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
NUMBERS 3:Yesterday we heard about the organization of Israel's camp, having three tribes on each of the four sides of the tabernacle. This also determined their marching position when the whole group moved. PSALM 27:This is a beautiful song, expressing David's confidence in the Lord’s protection, and he asks the Lord to vindicate him. The Hebrew of this psalm can be interpreted as a personal prayer addressed to the Lord all the way through. I have reworded the NLT to be more like the CEV in this regard. LUKE 18b:Yesterday in the first half of the chapter, Jesus told the parable of the...
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NL-Day068 Numbers 2; Psalm 26; Luke 18:1-30
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
NUMBERS 2:Yesterday in chapter 1, God ordered a census of the men capable as soldiers in war. And we heard the list of the clan leaders of the 12 listed tribes— excluding Levi. (The number of tribes remains at 12 because the tribe of Joseph is split in two.) PSALM 26:This poem is a personal lament. It is similar to Psalm 25, but does not contain confession. David asks for God’s vindication because of his personal integrity, and shows his love for God by his devotion to God’s sanctuary. LUKE 18a:Yesterday we heard about the suddenness of the coming of Jesus as the Son of Man, and...
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NL-Day067 Numbers 1; Psalm 25; Luke 17:20-37
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
NUMBERS 1:Numbers is the 4th of Moses' 5 books. And this is the one that I have looked forward to as the hardest book of all to read in the podcast! In this book we will see that unbelief hinders God's blessings for Israel. HC Mears says, “Numbers might be called the Wilderness Wanderings,” because it chronicles the journey. And “Numbers might be called the book of the March and the Roll Call. ... It might, too, be called the Book of Murmurings, because from beginning to end it is filled with the spirit of rebellion against God.” “Leviticus dealt with the believers' worship—...
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NL-Day066 Leviticus 26-27; Psalm 24; Luke 17:1-21
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
LEVITICUS 26-27:Yesterday we heard about the Sabbath year and the year of Restoration/Jubilee. Before the Year of Restoration, property could be bought back//redeemed. In the Restoration year property was returned to the original owners and poor people who had become enslaved were set free. I suspect these laws were never done in all of Israel's history. If they were, perhaps only once— fifty years after Israel entered the land of Canaan. PSALM 24:This Psalm is one of the most majestic psalms! This ends with the song for welcoming the triumphant Messiah into Jerusalem. LUKE 17a:Yesterday in...
info_outlineNEHEMIAH 7:
Yesterday we read how Nehemiah stood up for all the common people in their financial difficulty. The nobles were rich, but everyone else was suffering— some even having no option but to sell their own children into slavery. Amazingly, he succeeded in convincing the nobles to forgive debts, and forced them take a solemn oath about that. The wall was finished in just 52 days, but Nehemiah was getting more and more threats from Sanballat and his cronies.
ISAIAH 37:
We heard the challenge and mocking of the Assyrian chief of staff— who brought the Assyrian King’s message to Jerusalem with a huge show of force. The challenge was shouted out in Hebrew for all the people to hear. (I always wonder how it was that the Assyrian commander was fluent in Hebrew!) What a thing to happen to a king that 2Kings 18 praises with these words:
2Kings 18:5 NLT Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time.
COLOSSIANS 1:
We finished the wonderful book of Philippians yesterday. I count three great promises in that 4th chapter. But note: This time I feel that all of them are really conditional promises— even the last one. If we are going to have God’s peace guarding our hearts and minds, and if we want God to supply our needs, then we must give attention to how Paul told the Philippians to live and how they were giving to support Paul’s mission.
I encourage everyone to spend more time looking at the treasures of Philippians, and the same goes for the book we start today— Colossians.
Colossians was written around the same time as Philippians, and Philemon was a member of this church. This letter has another wonderful poetic portion in chapter one exalting Christ. In most of my presentations in Indonesian seminaries, I introduce our translation by reading Colossians 2. The things Indonesians don’t understand in their Bibles— and the things I hope you will understand in the GNT or NLT, are spiritual realities. These are things that are true of us spiritually which cannot be seen with physical eyes. If you understand spiritual realities, you get the opportunity to believe them. If you believe them, meditate on them. If you meditate on them, you will find them working powerfully in your life to transform you and release you from sinful desires.
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.