Daily Bible Reading Podcast

LEVITICUS 21-22:Yesterday we heard various laws that are for preserving the holiness of God's people, and various kinds of punishment for disobedience. PSALM 21:This poem is a companion to yesterday's, which was for the nation and the king in time of war. Today’s poem is the corresponding victory song. Luke 14:As we heard yesterday, Luke chapter 13 containes 4 parables. Jesus warned the people sternly to repent, and he grieved for the persistent stubbornness and hardness of heart of the people of Jerusalem. In both that chapter and today’s chapter, Jesus healed people on the Sabbath, using those occasions as opportunities to teach and rebuke his enemies.   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.

LEVITICUS 19-20:Yesterday we learned about the rule that all sacrifices be done at the tabernacle, the prohibitions of eating anything containing animal blood, and forbidden sexual practices. PSALM 20:This is a prayer for the nation of Israel and their king, asking for national security in time of war. LUKE 13:In the second half of Luke 12, Jesus taught about being ready for his return, and warned us to be ready for suffering. He prophesied about the suffering that now happens because of divisions between those who believe and obey Jesus, and those who do not. NLT Translation notes:Ps. 20:7 Some nations boast of their chariots and horses,but we boast [because of the reputation //in the name] of the LORD our God.====Luk. 12:18 [Then Jesus introduced his teaching by asking, “What is the Kingdom of God like? Here is how I illustrate it.//Then Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it?][Even though English does use rhetorical questions, we don’t often use them to introduce teachings li

LEVITICUS 15-16:Yesterday we heard about sacrifices following the healing of skin diseases and after getting rid of house mildew. Chapter 15 is about defiling bodily discharges. Chapter 16 is about the Day of Atonement, and the chapter contains a translation problem in the word or name ‘azazel’. If you are interested in this problem, see the Translate notes in today’s episode notes. PSALM 18:This poem reveals David’s intimacy with God. Even though he frequently refers to himself, we see that God— and not himself, is the center of his spiritual life. LUKE 12a:Jesus definitely gained enemies by his teaching at the end of chapter 11, which was against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and religious experts. NLT Translation notes:Ps. 18:34 He trains my hands for battle;he strengthens my arm [so that I can draw back abronze bow of bronze//to draw a bronze bow.]41 They called for help, but no one came to their rescue.They even cried to [you, LORD, but you//the LORD, but he] refused to answer.====Luk. 12:6 “What is the

LEVITICUS 14:After hearing about the serious skin diseases yesterday, today we hear of the regulations if someone is healed from one. Note that these regulations were probably almost never done— until perhaps when Jesus caused a wave of men who had been healed to come with offerings. Note that our modern translations use either ‘serious skin disease’ or ‘contagious skin disease’ instead of calling these ‘leprosy’ as in older translations. Leprosy— also called Hanson’s Disease, is a very different disease from the ones described in Scripture. PSALM 17:This is one of David’s poems. Olsen quotes Spurgeon commenting on this psalm: “David would never have been [called] a man after God's own heart if he had not been a man of prayer. He was a master in the sacred art of supplication.” LUKE 11b:Yesterday in the first half of Luke 11, Jesus taught about prayer, and persistence in prayer, and taught refuting those who slandered him saying that he worked by the power of Satan. Jesus also taught that demons can leave on

LEVITICUS 13:Yesterday in Lev. 11-12, we learned the animals considered clean and edible, and those that were considered unclean and detestable. Then we heard about the sacrifices for purification after a woman gives birth. PSALM 16:E.C. Olsen says that the Old Testament is like a sundial. “It is not difficult to read the hour marks on a sundial. Anybody can read them and at any time, but one can only tell time when the sun shines upon the sundial. Thus, while the Bible is the Word of God and can be read by all at any time, only the man who has received the Lord Jesus Christ is able to tell divine time by the Bible. It is only as the “Son” shines upon the pages of Scripture, particularly the Old Testament, that we are able to understand, to see and to appreciate that Christ is to be found on every page of Scripture.” With the Son shining on it, we see that this is a Messianic psalm. LUKE 11a:Yesterday in 10b, Jesus agreed with a law expert in the most important commandments, but taught the man the meaning of

LEVITICUS 11-12:Yesterday in Leviticus, Aaron and his sons started their work, and the glory of the Lord was revealed. But right after that Nadab and Abihu died because they offered an unauthorized kind of fire to the Lord. PSALM 15:This is a psalm showing the kind of people who will be welcomed into God's presence. LUKE 10:Yesterday in the first half of the chapter, Jesus sent the 72 disciples out ahead of Him with interesting instructions. A worker will be given his pay as he trusts in the Lord to provide it. And there were strong words for the villages which received most of Jesus' miracles. NLT Translation notes:3 Those who refuse to gossip or [to/0] harm their neighbors or [to/0] speak evil of their friends.====Luk. 10:5 “Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’ 6 If those who live there are [people who desire God's peace//peaceful], the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. 23 Then when they were alone, he turned to the disciples

LEVITICUS 9-10:Yesterday in Leviticus, we heard more regulations for the priests (mainly), and then heard the story of the ordination ceremony that Moses performed for Aaron and his sons. PSALM 14:Psalm 14 can be classed as a messianic psalm because of v7. (However that is made clearer in other translations.) David shows us what God sees when He looks at this world. And that is why Paul quoted from this psalm in Romans 3. LUKE 10:In the second half of Luke 9, Jesus came down from the mountain to find a crowd, and he healed a demon possessed boy. Jesus predicted his death, and talked about the cost of being his disciples. NLT Translation notes:Ps. 14:7 Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel?When the LORD restores his people,Jacob['s people/0] will shout with joy, and all Israel will rejoice.====Luk. 10:5 “Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’ 6 If those who live there are [people who desire God's peace//peaceful], the blessing will stand; if they are not, the

LEVITICUS 7:Yesterday we heard about sin and guilt offerings and about the ordination offering for priests. In today’s reading, it sounds to me that for repayment offerings (repayment being a sin which would usually be intentional), the person offering the sacrifice would not be entitled to receive any of the meat. PSALM 13:David starts by crying out “How long?” and ends with a note of praise. We can be thankful for his difficult experiences which give us these Psalms. LUKE 9b:Yesterday we heard of Jesus sending out his disciples, and afterward the feeding of the 5,000. Peter rightly declared what position Jesus was filling. Jesus predicted his death. He said that some standing there would not die before seeing the Kingdom of God, and perhaps he meant his three disciples who saw the transfiguration, because His kingship was clearly foreshadowed there. NLT Translation notes:Luk. 9:18 One day Jesus left the crowds to pray alone. Only his disciples were with him, and he asked them, “[According to the crowds, who

LEVITICUS 5-6:Yesterday we read about sacrifices given for unintentional sins and for peace offerings. And I said that we would hear about offerings for intentional sins today. PSALM 12:In Psalm 12, we hear of trusting in God's promises even in the midst of hard times. LUKE 9a:Yesterday to the woman healed of bleeding, Jesus said, “It is because you believe in me that you are healed.” And to Jairus, He said, “ Don’t be afraid. Just keep on believing in Me.” NLT Translation notes:Ps. 12:5 The LORD replies, “I have seen [your violence done againstthe helpless,//violence done to the helpless,]and I have heard the groans of the poor.6 [Your promises, O LORD,//The LORD’s promises] are pure,like silver refined in a furnace,purified seven times over.====Mrk. 9:18 One day Jesus left the crowds to pray alone. Only his disciples were with him, and he asked them, “[According to the crowds, whose position am I ministering in?”/ /According to what the people are saying, whose position am I apparently filling?”//Who do peo

Today I would like to give pointers for understanding Jesus’ parables. I consider the parable to be one of the greatest of all teaching devices, and a legacy of the Greatest Teacher. I will end this episode by sharing about one of my favorite writers of non-Biblical parables. One little detail to understand is that the word ‘parable’ (Greek paraboles) had a wider meaning than we normally think of in English, and you may see this sometimes in the New Testament. In English, we normally think of a parable as a story that points to some deeper meaning. However, as an example, the word ‘parable’ is used for a one-sentence figurative teaching in Mark 7:17 where it refers back to Jesus’ statement in verse 15: GW “Nothing that goes into a person from the outside can make him unclean. It’s what comes out of a person that makes him unclean.” In verse 17, the disciples ask Jesus to explain that ‘parable’. With that footnote, I want you to know that I will really just be talking briefly about what we normally think of as

LEVITICUS 3-4:Yesterday we heard about burnt offerings and grain offerings. Andrew Bonar states about Leviticus:“There is no book in the whole compass of that inspired Volume which the Holy Spirit has given us, that contains more of the very words of God than Leviticus. It is God that is the direct speaker in almost every page; His gracious words are recorded in the form wherein they were uttered.” Note this in our reading in Leviticus today: By and large, the sacrificial system was set up to forgive unintentional sins. (Some small exceptions will be noted in tomorrow’s reading in Leviticus.) It is good to draw a distinction— as the book of Hebrews does, between unintentional and intentional sins. Each of us should feel uncomfortable, because each of us can look back and remember sins we committed intentionally. Let us make the firm commitment to never trample upon our Savior’s kindness by sinning intentionally. But we can praise the Lord for this verse spoken by Paul in Acts 13:38-39: “Therefore let it be kn

LEVITICUS 1-2:Yesterday at the end of Exodus, the worship in the completed and dedicated tabernacle was started. Leviticus is a continuation of Exodus, in the same way that Exodus is a continuation of Genesis. Leviticus also starts with the word ‘And’.  The title once again comes from Latin Vulgate which was based on the name in the Septuagint. So the name does not come from the Hebrew. Because of the name, many think that this book is a handbook only for the priests. Not so. Wenham (from Constable) states: “It would be wrong, however, to describe Leviticus simply as a manual for priests. It is equally, if not more, concerned with the part the laity should play in worship. Many of the regulations explain what the layman should sacrifice. They tell him when to go to the sanctuary, what to bring, and what he may expect the priest to do when he arrives. Most of the laws apply to all Israel: only a few sections specifically concern the priests alone, e.g., chs. 21—22. The lay orientation of the legislation is par

EXODUS 40:Yesterday we read about Bezalel making the outside articles for worship— like the altar for burnt offerings. There was a listing of materials used, and then we heard of the making of the priests' clothes— all according to how Moses was instructed by God. And Moses inspected everything and blessed the people. The stage is set for the start of worship according to God's instructions. PSALM 9:Psalm 9 is a song celebrating God sitting on his throne and judging justly. LUKE 7b:Yesterday we read about Jesus healing a favorite slave of a Roman officer and the raising of a widow's son from death. We start today’s rereading where Jesus was speaking about John the Baptist. NLT Translation notes:Luk. 7:2 At that time [a/the] highly valued slave of a Roman officer a was sick and near death.9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t [found someone fully believing//seen faith] like this in all Israel!”15 Then the dead [young man//boy] sat u

EXODUS 38-39:Yesterday we heard of the building of the tabernacle, the Covenant Box, and the other furniture of the Holy Place and Most Holy Place. Everything was done precisely as God had described before. The actor ‘he’ as we start this chapter is again Bezalel. PSALM 8:This psalm is quoted in Hebrews 2 and is frequently misunderstood. “Son of man” does not refer to Jesus in this Psalm or in Hebrews 2, and the NLT is correct in not using that term here. This is a psalm of praise for the awesomeness of God, expressing amazement at the place of _mankind_ in God's creation. LUKE 7a:In chapter 6 we read the Beatitudes, and Jesus taught about loving others and not judging them. Jesus taught using the figures of trees and their fruit, and building houses upon a rock foundation. One of the most frequently misquoted verses in Scripture was included in yesterday’s portion of Luke 6, “Do not judge others and you will not be judged.” But if we take that to the extreme, we would not be able to recognize good and bad pe

EXODUS 36-37:Yesterday we read about how Moses returned to the top of the mountain, taking two stone tablets which he had made, and God repeated many of the terms of the covenant. In the Hebrew text, chapter 34:28 says that ‘he’ engraved the 10 commandments over again on the second set of stone tablets. Because Moses is the last actor mentioned, some translations take it that Moses engraved the second set of tablets. But we know from Ex. 34:1 and Deut. 10:2-4 that God engraved both sets. Then after Moses came back down the mountain, the people responded to God by willingly bringing all that was required to make the Tabernacle. PSALM 7:Psalm 7 is the song of the slandered saint. LUKE 6b:Yesterday we saw the beginning of opposition to Jesus based on the way He kept the Sabbath law. He kept the Law, but did not follow added traditions. He chose his 12 disciples, and called them apostles (representatives). Then he gave the Beatitudes, which in Luke include both the Blessings and corresponding Woes. NLT Translatio

EXODUS 34-35:Yesterday, we read about how God's meeting with Moses was interrupted because of the people making the golden calf. (Don’t ya’ hate interruptions!) Aaron caved in to the people's desires. Moses interceded for the people, and God agreed not to destroy them. God eventually agreed to go with the people to the promised land. As we closed chapter 33, Moses had asked to actually see God. God will hide Moses in a cleft in a rock, and allow Moses to see his back. PSALM 6:This Psalm is a prayer of an wronged and oppressed man crying out to God for help and rescue. God has revealed more to us than was revealed to David. We now know that people can praise God after death. LUKE 6:Yesterday in chapter 5, Jesus called several of his disciples after the miracle of the large catch of fish, healed two men, and answered a question about fasting. NLT Translation notes:13 At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be [his/0] apostles. Here are their names:16 Judas (son of James),

EXODUS 32-33:Yesterday we read about the plans for the incense altar, and about the making of incense and anointing oil. We heard also of God's choosing and giving ability to Bezalel and Oholiab for making everything required in the worship of God. And God emphasized the importance of keeping the Sabbath as a covenant responsibility. PSALM 5:Psalm 5 is a song for early morning (when arising from a night of sleep). Erling Olsen comments that this Psalm says that God hates or detests evil doers. He says that this stands in stark contrast to pictures of God that make him only capable of the sentiment of love. We as God's created beings, have no right to criticize Him or remake him in an image we find more comfortable. God who created us has all emotions, and is just— possessing the right to judge his created beings. LUKE 5:Yesterday we read of Jesus being rejected in his home town, of healings, and casting out demons. He refused to have his identity proclaimed by demons, and silenced them. And He refused to stay

EXODUS 30-31:Yesterday we heard the instructions for consecrating the priests for their special work. PSALM 4:This is an evening hymn expressing our trust in God. LUKE 4:Yesterday we read of Jesus being tested by the devil, and we reread the story of how Jesus was rejected in his home town. When Jesus had finished reading from that special place in Isaiah 61, he sat down. In our culture we are likely to assume that sitting down was without the expectation of teaching. But in Jewish practice of this time, teachers sat down to teach. Frequently in the Gospels we find Jesus taking a sitting position when teaching. NLT Translation notes:Ps. 4: 3 You can be sure of this:The L ORD [has/0] set apart the godly for himself.7 [O Lord,/0] You have given me greater joythan those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.====38 After leaving the synagogue that day, Jesus went to [Peter's/Simon’s] home, where he found [Peter's/Simon’s] mother-in-law very sick with a high fever. “Please heal her,”everyone begged.[Man

EXODUS 29:Yesterday we read about the design of the altar for burnt offerings and the plans for the courtyard. The dimensions we heard the day before were for the sacred tent that was enclosed by the courtyard that we heard about yesterday. And we read about the fabulous garments for the priests, Aaron and his sons. PSALM 3:As the title says, this is “A psalm of David, regarding the time David fled from his son Absalom.” Found at various strategic points in the Psalms is the word ‘Selah’. This has been variously translated. The truth is, we don’t know what it means! But people conjecture that it is a musical term, and it likely could have signalled an interlude. I suspect it could also be a repetition mark. Whatever it is, it likely would have had the effect of allowing the listener to pause and reflect on what was just performed or communicated. Luke 4:Yesterday we heard of John the Baptist's ministry and imprisonment, and the genealogy of Jesus. NLT Translation notes:Ps. 3:4 I cried out to [You/the], LORD ,

EXODUS 27-28:Yesterday in Exodus, we heard the beginning plans given by God for the Tabernacle (or sacred tent) and the Arc of the Covenant that were to become the focal point for worship of God under the Covenant. The whole Tabernacle— and particularly the atonement cover on top of the Arc of the Covenant (called the Mercy Seat), symbolized that God was living among them. (Ex. 25:8) The whole Tabernacle was to be made exquisitely as appropriate for God's own dwelling. PSALM 2:In Psalm 1, the author (probably David) mentioned obeying and studying ‘the Law’. In much of the Old Testament and even in the New, the word ‘Law’ came to mean more than the Mosaic Law or just the first 5 books of the Old Testament. We are within bounds to say that the author intended meditation and study of all of God’s Word. Today we have our first prophetic Psalm. LUKE 3:Yesterday we heard of Jesus' childhood, and now we hear of John the Baptist's ministry. In this newer recording from 2020, the voice of John the Baptist is Nate O'Br