April

April 1: Judges 2-5

April 2: Judges 6-8

April 3: Judges 9

April 4: Judges 10-12

April 5: Judges 13-16

April 6: Judges 17-19

April 7: Judges 20-21

April 8: Ruth

April 9: 1 Samuel 1-3

April 10: 1 Samuel 4-7

April 11: 1 Samuel 8-10

April 12: 1 Samuel 11-13

April 13: 1 Samuel 14-15

April 14: 1 Samuel 16-17

April 15: 1 Samuel 18-19, Psalm 59

April 16: 1 Samuel 20-21, Psalm 56,34

April 17: 1 Samuel 22-23, 1 Chronicles 12:8-18, Psalm 54,63,142

April 18: 1 Samuel 24, Psalm 57, 1 Samuel 25

April 19: 1 Samuel 26-29, 1 Chronicles 12:1-7,19-22

April 20: 1 Samuel 30-31, 1 Chronicles 10, 2 Samuel 1

April 21: 2 Samuel 2-4

April 22: 2 Samuel 5:1-6:11, 1 Chronicles 11:1-9, 12:23-40, 13-14

April 23: 2 Samuel 22, Psalm 18

April 24: 1 Chronicles 15-16, 2 Samuel 6:12-23, Psalm 96

April 25: Psalm 105, 2 Samuel 7, 1 Chronicles 17

April 26: 2 Samuel 8-10, 1 Chronicles 18-19, Psalm 60

April 27: 2 Samuel 11-12, 1 Chronicles 20:1-3, Psalm 51

April 28: 2 Samuel 13-14

April 29: 2 Samuel 15-17

April 30: Psalm 3, 2 Samuel 18-19

Deuteronomy 31 - Joshua 19

Rahab. The crossing of the Jordan. Jericho. The defeat at Ai. The deception of the Gibeonites. The day the sun stood still. The book of Joshua reads like the script of an action movie. So much going on. (The first time I read about the crossing of the Jordan, I wondered why it didn't get as much attention as the crossing of the red sea. I always thought Joshua got cheated out of a major story line.)

While all the goings on fascinated me this week, there was one section in particular that caught my attention. I've turned this over and over in my mind all week and can't seem to get away from it. At the very beginning of the book, Joshua is speaking with the Israelites, instructing them to get their supplies ready, that they would be crossing over into "the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own." He's reminding the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh that they are to help their brothers until "the LORD gives them rest."

And this is how they respond. "Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. (Joshua 1:12) My first reaction to this statement was surprise, then amazement and finally disbelief as I wondered who on earth they thought they were talking about. Fully obeyed Moses? When? Where was I when scripture was mentioning this phenomenon? I was sitting on my bed, scribbling notes in the margin, feeling rather smug and superior (uh oh...you know what's coming when you start to feel smug and superior), when a thought popped into my mind. And how, exactly, do I see myself? How many times do I sit and extol my obedience when I should be face down on the floor, pleading for forgiveness and mercy? Or how many times do I think I've gotten it right (and everybody else has obviously gotten it wrong) when I am so far off from where I should be that it's not even funny. Granted, there are days when I am my own harshest critic, but I wonder if how I see myself is anywhere near how God sees me. Or the non-christian sees God through me. I guess I not only need God's eyes to see others but also to see myself. Something more to ponder along the journey.

I pray that your week be blessed...

Deuteronomy 8-31

I hope by now that you are beginning to be captivated by the Word. I remember the first time I actually studied the Old Testament for any length of time and how amazed and humbled I was by the depth of love that God has for us. I mean, the New Testament offers us such a beautiful picture of sacrificial love and I get that, but the Old Testament shows His pursuit of His people on most every page. Prior to that, I thought the OT was a dry, dusty book full of rules, laws and anger. Oh, how sadly mistaken I was. Last year, when we finished reading the OT, I remembering being in tears as I was trying to explain to God how much I was going to miss Him. (makes me sound like a dork, huh?) Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg have a new book called Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus that is totally fascinating. This statement about the OT caught my eye last week: "For them the Torah was not an onerous rulebook or a vast catalog of laws as we might think, but a gift from God that taught them how to live. (p25) A gift from God. I'm going to try and remember that the next time I get caught up in cubits and warriors.

Oh, as a side note, one thing our amazing little book of wonders apparently missed was Psalm 90. Moses apparently wrote this at the end of his life and for some reason it was not included with our readings. I would encourage you to read it sometime this week as we finish up Deuteronomy and say goodbye to him.

Now, onto the good stuff. Here are a collection of scriptures that leaped off the pages at me this week:

And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, so serve the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? 10:22 Do you ever wonder what it would be like if we could/would just obey?

...is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end. 11:11-12 This verse speaks to the poet in me. (I know she's in there somewhere.) I also love the idea that the eyes of the Lord are on me continually.

...to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to hold fast to Him...11:22 Why is it that I only want to cling to Him when troubles come or when I'm feeling sentimental or poetic?

Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be His treasured possession. 14:2 Oh, let me tell you, this is a word that I need to hear. Over and over again. It soothes those parts of my soul that have been trampled over too many times. Chosen. Me. Treasured Possession.

Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. No, the Word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. 30:11,14

My prayer for each of us this week is that we will remember Whose we are...and that we will strive to live, knowing that we are chosen, His treasured possession.

And, um, here's two additional random thoughts that I couldn't pass up.

If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. 25:11-12 I honestly cannot think of any circumstance where I might be tempted to do this. Can you?

Also, Halleys Bible Handbook has this note about Moses. "In medieval and Renaissance art, Moses was often represented with horns on his head, due to a mistake in the Latin translation of Exodus 34:29. (horns instead of was radiant.)p174

And on that note, I hope you have a wonderful week!

Finally, a post!

I like Moses. I love the relationship that he had with God. That he had intimate, personal conversations with Him. That he knew Him. That God chose him. And, to be honest, I like the fact that Moses had flaws. That he wasn't perfect. It reminds me that God isn't looking for flawless people. In fact, He takes our flaws and uses them for His good.

One of the reasons that I can relate to Moses is that he has a temper. And on more than one occasion, that temper has gotten him in a heap of trouble. (Remember forty year old Moses murdering the Egyptian for beating the Hebrew slave?) And yet, God had a plan. One that didn't involve Moses living as the adopted son of Pharaoh, but as a humbled man tending flocks for his father-in-law. I wonder sometimes how receptive Moses would have been to a burning bush if he had still been living the high and mighty life. Was he more willing and able to see God because his "future" was damaged beyond repair? Did he ever realize that this was the future God had for him all along?

This past week, in our readings, Moses has begun preparing the Israelites for his death. As I read, one thing caught my eye repeatedly. At least three times Moses said this: "Because of you, the Lord became angry with me..."(Deut. 1:37) "But because of you the Lord was angry with me..."(3:26) "The Lord was angry with me because of you..." (4:21) However, if we look back in Numbers, we get a different picture of what happened. "The Lord said to Moses, 'Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water....So Moses took the staff from the Lord's presence, just as He commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, 'Listen, you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock?' Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff....But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.' " (Numbers 20:7-12) So, whose fault was it?

It's easy for me to lose my temper. As a matter of fact, there are times when I purposefully loosen the reigns and behave poorly. I justify it to myself in many ways, but the bottom line is that I am responsible for my actions. And often the consequences for my choosing to lose my temper are not worth the momentary satisfaction I receive from "blowing a gasket." Others are hurt by my choosing to behave badly. (Just as Aaron paid for Moses' choice.) And once the words leave my mouth, they cannot be "taken back." (Moses apparently pleaded with God to change His mind but God chose not to relent. Check out Deut. 3:21-29.)

So, three things linger with me this week. One---Stop whining, grumbling and complaining. (which I have done my share of this past week with our inventory.) My bad attitude can push someone else's bad attitude to the point of anger. Two---Hang onto my temper. Things said in the heat of anger cannot be taken back and may have far reaching consequences. Three--- Accept responsibility for my actions. Don't blame others for my bad attitude. I control my temper (or, as my mother used to say, my temper controls me.)

Is it just me?

Surprisingly enough, I found this weeks readings to be rich in content. (Why does that surprise me? I guess I have these preconceived notions of how dry certain sections of the Bible must be. Silly me.) I found irony, humor, hope, encouragement, inspiration and JESUS this week. I just the Word!

We'll start with the irony. Did anyone see anything...um...ironic about this?

We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost--also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. Numbers 11:5

Never mind that we had to make bricks without straw, that we had no land of our own, that Pharaoh wanted to kill our babies...by golly, at least we had cucumbers. My soul is shouting, "at no cost?!? Where have you been living?" Then a gentle voice reminds me of how I cling to my sin, to things that aren't the best for me, things that I'm sure no one could replace with anything better. And I'm humbled.

Then there's Balaam and his donkey. Balaam beats his donkey until finally the donkey looks at him and says, "what's up with this?" Then...Balaam answered the donkey. (Numbers 22:29) So tell me, if you had a donkey and you were whopping him upside the head and he turns around and talks to you...are you going to answer him? 'Cause believe me, if that were to happen to me, after I recovered from my fainting spell, I'd be hustling that donkey off to Disney studios or the National Enquirer. I certainly would not be saying, "You have made a fool of me." (I'd be more likely saying, "You have made me rich!"

I also got tickled at the whole quail thing. I realize that God is angry and rightfully so. But honestly, there is some humor in his response. "You will not eat it for just one day or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, but for a whole month--until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it--because you have rejected the LORD who is among you, and have wailed before him saying, "Why did we ever leave Egypt?" (Numbers 11:20) Doesn't that just sound like a parent? An exasperated one at that? (which brings to mind a story of my childhood that I will NOT share here.)

Then there's the whole, "Gee, I'm sorry. And since I'm sorry, that should be enough, let's head off to the promised land now" thing. I don't know that I caught the phrase "Nevertheless, in their presumption" (14:44) before. And doesn't that sound like me? After all, I've apologized. Of course there's no need for consequences. I'll just head off now and go do what I think you might want. Now that it's convenient for me. I have to say, every time I get aggravated with the Israelites and their whining pigheadedness, I see myself. Sigh. Which may very well be one of the reasons that the Lord has me reading these verses.

In spite of all of the complaining, anger, disappointment and turmoil, there were some reassuring verses as well. Last month, one of my memory verses was Joel 2:13. I was delighted to see a portion of it here. The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. (Numbers 14:18) Oh, how I love those words!

I love His description of Caleb as well: But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly...(Numbers 14:24). What a confirmation of his character. It's also a reminder to me that even though the inhabitants of the promised land seemed invincible, Caleb knew his God. He knew that if this was the land that the LORD wanted them to have, then He would make it happen. I need to remember that. The LORD also reminds Aaron that even though he will not have land, "I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites." (Numbers 18:20) Sitting here, in front of my Bible, reading this verse, my heart is shouting that it's enough. But is it really? Do I act like it is or do I want more? More things, more stuff? Something to ponder.

I'll close this weeks reading with my JESUS. Balaam's fourth oracle says, "A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel."(24:17) Once again, in the midst of turmoil, there's hope. His promise. What a blessing. To me, there's nothing sweeter than reading along and finding Him. May your week be filled with glimpses of Him as well.

Our weekly recap may be delayed a bit this evening due to severe weather. It's hard to post when you are huddled in the "tornado closet." (I suspect that most of the weather is just "bluster" but it is tornado season in Kentucky. Hooray for spring!)

Leviticus 21 through Numbers 7

One thing I enjoy about Leviticus is the description of the appointed feasts. I've wondered about these and the purpose behind each one for several years. I found a wonderful book that gives a great deal of information about them called The Feasts of the Lord by Kevin Howard and Marvin Rosenthal. Mr. Rosenthal begins the book by saying, "The Hebrew word translated 'feasts' means appointed times. The idea is that the sequence and timing of each of these feasts have been carefully orchestrated by God himself. Each is part of a comprehensive whole. Collectively, they tell a story. These feasts are also called 'holy convocations'; that is, they are intended to be times of meeting between God and man for 'holy purposes.' Since these seven feasts of the Lord are 'appointed times' for 'holy purposes,' they carry with them great sacredness and solemnity." (p.13)

He goes on to say that the first four feasts have been fulfilled in God's prophetic calendar. "Passover speaks of redemption. Messiah, the Passover Lamb, has been slain for us.

Unleavened Bread speaks of sanctification. He was set apart. His body would not decay in the grave.

First fruits speak of resurrection. Death could not hold her Foe. On the third day, Jesus rose triumphantly from the grave. (The Lord's acceptance of the first fruits is an 'earnest' or pledge, on His part of a full harvest. When God accepted the first fruits, they became the guarantee that the rest of the crop would be harvested. p20-21.) We are the rest of the crop, praise God.

The Feast of Weeks speaks of origination. The coming of the Holy Spirit inaugurated the New Covenant and Church Age which the Messiah instituted in the Upper Room. The middle wall of separation between Jews and Gentiles has been broken down. From the two, the Lord is calling out the Church, which is His Body.

Each major event of the Messiah's first coming occurred on the precise date of the appropriate Jewish holiday." (p.23)

I have come to a place of peace about the Sabbath. For the moment. I will continue to pray and seek His will over it but for now, I believe that we are called to treat the Sabbath as a holy day. One that isn't like all the others. One that is "set apart." It is my desire and goal to use the Sabbath to worship, pray, and study the Word. I realize that life will continue to intrude and each Sunday may not be the perfect example of living a Sabbath life but I am committed to trying. "Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for My sanctuary, I am the Lord. Lev.26:2"

As we entered the book of Numbers, I was fascinated by how God wants to be a part of everything, even down to telling which tribe where to set up each camp. (Numbers 2) By doing this, in my eyes anyway, it shows their importance to Him. Each one had a specific, special place. None were forgotten. And that makes my heart glad.

Ray Stedman, in his book Adventuring through the Bible, says that "Trust is the theme of the book of Numbers. In this book, God dramatically sets forth what is perhaps the hardest lesson any of us has to learn: our need to trust God rather than our own reason. The issue of trust is a major struggle for many Christians. The hardest struggle we have is the same struggle that the Israelites had--the struggle to believe and trust that God is in control, He knows what He is doing and what He's talking about, and He doesn't make mistakes. We struggle to believe that everything that He tells us in His Word is true and that it is for our good. (96)" Oh my, that smacks me upside the head. My issue is often who knows what's best for me. Not that I don't believe that God doesn't know what's best for me, it's just that some of that other stuff looks...appealing. Attractive. Fun. You know, if sin didn't look attractive in the beginning, Satan would have a lot more trouble getting people to fall into those pits. So while I will probably find it easy to sit in judgement of our whiny band of travelers over the next few weeks, I need to remember that I'm really not so different from them.

I want to offer this blessing for each of you as I close out this week's post. I love these scriptures and am happy to run across them in our reading this week. After a difficult few weeks lately, I can think of nothing better than being blessed by the Lord's peace.

The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make His face shine upon you

and be gracious to you;

the Lord turn His face toward you

and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26

shalom!

LPM Scripture Memory Verse 5