Numbers 20-21

“And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? ... there is no water to drink” (v5). In the wilderness of Zin, the people were desperately thirsty and viewed their surroundings as hopeless and “evil”. As always, God responded to them and appeared in “glory” to Moses and Aaron. The rock yielded water, but Moses and Aaron gave in to anger, and they failed in their task to help the people see God’s holiness (20:12; 21:4-9).   

 “When we cried t

Numbers 18-19

“This is the law when someone dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent shall be unclean seven days” (19:14). Touching a dead body in ancient Israel made a person ritually “unclean” (19:11). Even objects near the body were “unclean” (19:15). These rules emphasized the terrible disruption and tragedy of death, which sin brought into creation. The ashes of a red heifer, slain “outside the camp”, were mixed with water to cleanse the peo

Mark 6:30-56

“And they ran there on foot from all the towns ... When he went ashore he saw a great crowd ...” (v33-34). A few verses later, Mark repeats that people in another place “ran” to Jesus (v55). Their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs were desperate, and Jesus was the Savior they were seeking. Even the apostles who were his co-workers (v30), helping to minister to others, found themselves at sea, rowing against the wind. They too were afraid and desperate, and Jesus go

Mark 6:1-29

“It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife” (v18). After speaking truth about marriage and morality to the king, John the Baptist was beheaded. Jesus’ followers – like their Savior - were empowered to preach and heal and cast out demons (v7-13), yet only when people were willing (v1-6,11). Jesus’ followers suffered, like John, because their allegiance to Jesus put them at odds with the sinful powers of the world. John’s courage led to his death, but his witness

Mark 5

“And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man ... sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid” (v15). When Jesus healed the woman who touched his cloak (v27) and brought a girl back to life (v42), people were astonished. But when he healed the man possessed by demons who had lived among the tombs, the man no one could control, they were “afraid”. Jesus had power not only over physical sickness, but also over the invisible forces that cause

Psalm 23

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (v4). David’s most comforting psalm speaks honestly about life under the “shadow of death”. Despite being surrounded by enemies, the psalmist declared that he would not fear evil, because the Good Shepherd’s presence brings light into darkness. When circumstances cause anxiety, fear, or sadness, his presence with us is like “green pastures” and “quiet waters”, and he r

Numbers 16-17

“And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation” (16:19). Shockingly, the Israelites who saw this glory and had experienced countless miracles still chose to actively rebel against God by following Korah in his coup (16:1-3). They had seen the Red Sea part and had eaten manna from heaven, yet they dared to defy the Lord and his chosen leaders. And when Korah and the others were “swallowed up” by an earthquake, the congregation protested instead of repenting (1

Numbers 14-15

“Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” (14:4). Despite the pleadings of Moses and Aaron, Caleb and Joshua, the rest of the Israelites rejected God’s promise of a new life and wanted to go back to their slavery in Egypt. Only Moses’ appeal to God’s character - “slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” - kept them from being wiped out. The Promised Land was closed to them, although their children went in. 

The Promised Land, Canaan, pointed toward the life God

Numbers 13

“We seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers” (v33). The appointed Israelite soldiers who “spied out” the Promised Land saw all its amazing potential, including “milk and honey” and abundant fruit. Yet their attention was focused on the people they saw, descendants of Anak, related to the infamous, dangerous Nephilim (Gen 6:4). Caleb saw the same threat but declared, “We are well able to overcome it” (v30). The others, seeing only their weakness compared to the enemies’ stre

Numbers 11-12

“And the people of Israel also wept again and said, ‘Oh that we had meat to eat!’” (11:4). The anger of the Lord “blazed” at the Israelites not about meat, but because they had rejected his presence (11:20). They let the cravings of the “rabble” convince them to scorn their rescue from slavery and the miraculous manna that sustained them (11:4-6). Moses was so disgusted that he said to the Lord, “Kill me at once” (11:15). Miriam and Aaron showed a similar disregard for Go

Mark 4:21-41

 “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (v41). Jesus taught about the kingdom of God to a very religious society that had, in many ways, domesticated the faith of Abraham and Moses by putting it under human control. Jesus’ stories cut through cultural misunderstandings, insisting that God’s kingdom requires real participation (v24), grows in unexpected ways and places (v27) and might look insignificant in the world’s eyes (v31). 

“Peace, be still!” (v

Mark 4:1-20

 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow” (v3). Jesus’ teaching stories (parables) invited listeners to ask more questions and go deeper (v9). Through the image of a seed, Jesus indicated what might prevent people (us) from believing the gospel, understanding, growing, and bearing fruit. We can simply disregard truth (v15), or we can ‘believe’ in a shallow way that wilts under difficulty. Or, the “cares of the world” and “desire for other things” may displace loyalty to

Psalm 22

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (v1). In his darkest moment, Jesus uttered these painful words on the cross. The psalm expresses the despair and abandonment that is common to humanity because of sin, disaster, illness, and loneliness. For our sakes, the Messiah lived this experience: “I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but I find no rest” (v2). Yet his life affirmed that the Father is holy and faithful (v3-5), and through his resurrection our o

Numbers 8-10

“At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out” (9:23). During their long wilderness journey, the Israelites were learning to obey God. They learned to follow set rhythms of work, rest, and worship, such as Sabbaths and yearly feasts like Passover. They also learned to watch for God’s presence in the cloud over the tabernacle; when it lifted, they moved. Whether they had been camping “two days, a month, or a longer time”, they obeyed

Numbers 6-7

“The chiefs of Israel ... approached and brought their offerings before the Lord” (7:1-3). On the day when the tabernacle was completed, the first to approach with offerings and sacrifices were the “chiefs” of each tribe. These leaders demonstrated to everyone what it looked like to belong to God’s community. While the Levites served in place of Israel’s first-born (8:11,18), the chiefs led in generous giving. They offered resources (wagons and oxen), gifts for the sanctu