The Word & The Way: Recent Episodes
R. A. Snider
These are daily recitals from the Holy Bible, presented to you in the English of the Authorized Version. The Word is pure reading, with the intent of making the Bible come alive in the mind and heart of the listener. We upload new readings every day, seven days a week, and in chronological order for better understanding.
Of course it’s free to listen, but if you can, please support this work. You can subscribe here on Anchor, or head over to Ko-Fi to make a one-time or recurring donation to the cause. Thank you, and may God bless you abundantly as you hear, and do, the Word of God. Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/pastor-ra-snider/support
Jesus, now followed by multitudes, heals the sick, raises the dead, delivers the possessed, confounds and angers the Establishment, and enjoins His disciples to pray for laborers to help with the tremendous harvest of souls.
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The celebrated Sermon on the Mount. Our Lord teaches spiritual and behavioral truths never heard before as He touches the very depths of human motivation, and directs us to put our heart into everything, from prayer to giving, to loving others. And He introduces the Jews to a revolutionary idea: God as a heavenly Father.
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John the Baptist preaches the gospel of the Kingdom, and baptizes multitudes in the river Jordan when Jesus appears to be baptized also. God speaks, the Spirit appears, and Jesus is led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil himself. He victorious return marks the beginning of Jesus’s ministry.
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Season 3 kicks off with a complete reset: New Testament, Matthew’s Gospel, Chapters 1 and 2, which presents us with the 42-generation lineage of Jesus Christ from Abraham. Jesus is born of the virgin, Mary, and Joseph, His adoptive father, is warned to flee from the murderous intent of King Herod. His Bethlehemite birth, His return from His sojourn in Egypt, and His settling in Nazareth of Galilee are all foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament.
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In today’s reading, King David calls for the Ark of the Covenant to be brought to him at the City of David, but fails to have it moved in the manner commanded by the LORD. A man is slain and the celebration turned into mourning. Psalm 68 is a call to praise the God of the heavens.
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Today’s reading recounts the names of many who came to King David’s aid in subduing all Israel under his ordained rule. The segment of 2 Samuel 5 and 1 Chronicles 14 record the same account, with only slight variations of language and spelling.
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In today’s reading, David is again anointed king over Israel, having first reigned over Judah. Under David’s rule, he and his armies go up to Jerusalem (Jebu’s Salem) and take the city, establishing it as the seat of the kingdom. 1 Chronicles 11 is a “clone chapter”, recounting in greater detail the same account as the opening of 2 Samuel 5.
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In today’s reading, power plays continue as the remnant of the House of Saul maneuvers for advantage. Abner, a cousin of Saul and captain of his army, seems to position himself for the throne, but is blocked by Saul’s last living son, the lame Ishbosheth. Abner opens a dialog with David and all seems well, until it isn’t. The House of Saul is wiped out, and those responsible for the end of Saul’s line are killed.
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In today’s reading, David and his men mourn the death of King Saul and Jonathan, and his moving lamentation is recorded in chapter 1. Chapter 2 reveals the shifts of power as David is crowned, but rival to the throne emerges.
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…and continues, including Saul, first king of Israel, and his sons.
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In today’s reading, the genealogy continues…
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In today’s reading, the genealogy continues, briefly interrupted by the celebrated prayer of Jabez.
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In today’s reading, the genealogies from Adam through Noah, Abraham, and the beginnings of many nations of the middle-eastern region.
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In today’s reading - two accounts of the same event which are virtually identical - the Philistines make war against Israel and the armies of Saul, and prevail. All three of Saul’s sons, including Jonathan, are killed in battle, and Saul is mortally wounded. In both accounts when Saul sees that his cause is utterly lost, he commands his own armor bearer to run him through, and when he refuses, commits suicide, ending his reign.
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In today’s reading, the Philistines amass their armies for an invasion at Jezreel, and David’s men are understandably excluded from the campaign. David takes his men back to Ziklag and discovers the aftermath of an Amalekite invasion: the city burned, their wives and children taken captive, and their possessions looted. David enquires of God and God answers… “Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them.”
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In today’s reading, David finds sanctuary among the Philistines with Achish, King of Gath. Saul, no longer hearing from the LORD, seeks counsel from a necromancer - the witch at Endor - and learns in no uncertain terms his death is imminent.
Psalm 141 presents a cry of David to God for help and discretion, declaring his ultimate trust in the LORD.
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After a modest hiatus, we resume our daily recitals where we left off: 1 Samuel, and King Saul’s drama concerning David. In today’s reading, Samuel - priest, prophet and judge of Israel - dies, and is mourned by all the people. David and his men are aided by Abigail, whom he later marries. Saul continues his pursuit of David, and David once again thwarts him. Saul is stricken anew in his heart by his own obsessive wickedness.
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In today’s reading, King Saul is delivered into David’s hands, and David shows him mercy. Saul, not too far gone to realize just how far he’s fallen, palavers with David, honors him, and bids him vow not to end his family line once David ascends the throne.
Psalms 57, 58 and 63 of David speak directly of these events.
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In today’s reading, the Philistines attack the city of Keilah, and David and his company go by the word of God to defend it, saving the city and its people. Upon learning from the LORD that the inhabitants of the city will prove unfaithful to him when Saul comes, David and his company flee to the wilderness of Maon. Saul pursues, but is called away to counter another Philistine attack.
Psalm 17, 31 and 54 reflect David’s challenges during this time, calling upon the LORD for aid and defense.
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In today’s reading, three psalms of David calling upon God to protect him from his enemies, and bring them to ruin and desolation, in spite of their diligence in their own evil work.
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In today’s reading, David finds no quarter with the king of Gath, and so departs for the king of Moab, finding shelter for himself and those who met him en route at the cave of Adullam. At the word of the prophet Gad, David and his supporters depart for the land of Judah. Saul hears of David’s escape, and begins killing anyone who aided him, including the Ahimelech the priest and all his house. Its lone survivor finds David and advises him of Saul’s rampage.
Psalms 142, 35, and 52 refer to David’s experiences on the run, and when hearing of what Doeg the Edomite did to the priests of the LORD.
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In today’s reading, David and Jonathan meet at Naioth to discuss Saul’s intentions toward him, and the two make a covenant for David’s protection. When Saul declares his murderous intentions to Jonathan, David flees for his life, resorting to the priests for food (which Christ Himself references a thousand years later in the gospels), to seek shelter with their enemies in Gath.
Psalms 34 and 56 refer to David’s experiences while in Gath.
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In today’s reading, David the slayer of Goliath, and Jonathan the son of King Saul become fast friends, even as Saul’s madness and jealousy of David grow worse. The king at once values David’s service while also wishing him dead. As time passes and various attempts on David’s life fail, Jonathan intercedes for David and things briefly improve, but not for long. David, now the king’s son-in-law, ultimately flees to Samuel for aid.
Psalms 11 and 59 call to this time of David’s troubles, wherein he declares his trust in the LORD, and calls on Him for deliverance when Saul seeks his life.
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In today’s reading, the Israelites come to a standoff in battle against the Philistines, and the giant Goliath of Gath provokes the Israelite army to send a champion to break the stalemate. The shepherd son of Jesse, David, becomes the unlikely hero…
Psalm 9, a psalm of David, is suggestive of the deliverance God gave in the duel described in 1st Samuel 17, according to some scholar’s interpretations of the subtitle “upon Muth-labben”, which is associated with the phrase “the death of the son”. The ancient Chaldea version reads “Concerning the death of the Champion who went out between the camps”, an obvious reference to Goliath.
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In today’s reading, The LORD commands Saul to destroy the Amalekites for their crimes against the Israelites as they came out of Egypt generations ago, and Saul mobilizes his forces to make war, but in the victory that followed, he again disobeys the LORD, and spares the Amalekite king and much of their livestock alive. For this last offense, the LORD rejects Saul from being king, and prepares the heart of another, David the son of Jesse, to rule in his stead.
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In today’s reading, Saul has reigned two years in Israel when he starts a war with Philistines. When things begin to go badly, Saul, likely moved by fear and impatience, crosses a line and offers an animal sacrifice himself, which thing is forbidden to any but the Levites. Samuel arrives and rebukes him for his transgression and advises him of its cost. Eventually Saul’s son Jonathan attacks the Philistines, provoking a notable victory against them, but is condemned to death for unknowingly breaking a rash oath to which his father had bound their army. His life is saved by the people, after which Saul doubles down on building a standing army and making war against the other nations by Israel.
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In today’s reading, Nahash the Ammonite comes to threaten Jabesh-gilead, who cries out to Israel for help. Saul hears and gathers men from all of Israel and Judah to fight against the Ammonites. They prevail against the Ammonites and scatter the survivors. Samuel and Saul go to Gilgal to renew the kingdom where Saul is then made king, and the people make sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lord. Samuel gives his farewell speech to Israel, reminding them how they wanted a king to lead them rather than God and how they should not turn from serving God with all their heart.
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In today’s reading, Samuel find and anoints Saul to be the first king of Israel at the LORD’s direction, and Saul shows a promising beginning, prophesying among the prophets by the Spirit of God, and well accepted by the people of Israel.
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In today’s reading, following the return of the ark to Israel Samuel calls the people of Israel to repentance, to turn away from false gods, which in their mourning of recent events they readily do, and the LORD grants them a lasting victory over the Philistines at Mizpeh. In the years that follow, as Samuel enters his old age, the Israelites demand a king to be appointed over them “to fight our battles for us”, and Samuel seeks the LORD’s counsel, the prophecy of which declares that the king they would receive will be far more then really wanted.
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In today’s reading, the ark of the covenant is taken by the Philistines in battle, and the LORD quickly plagues them in all their cities where the ark is kept, until they finally relent and send the ark back to Israel with offerings for their trespass.
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In today’s reading, Samuel begins to know the LORD for himself, and the LORD blesses him, increasing his reputation throughout all Israel. Eli hears the prophecy against he and his house confirmed by the mouth of Samuel, and sees it comes to pass in the defeat of Israel against the Philistines.
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The first book of Samuel opens with a barren wife and a heartfelt prayer for a son. Upon vowing to the LORD to loan her son to him all the days of his life, He remembers her at the time appointed, and she conceives and bares the child, Samuel. She keeps her vow and after weening the child, she presents him to Eli the priest, and he begins his new life in the service of the LORD. The sad state of the priesthood is soon revealed by the slack hand of Eli, and the bullying, froward attitude of his sons, for which a man of God confronts Eli and prophesies against him and his house. Samuel, however, grows and ministers before the LORD faithfully even as a child, completely unaware of what the LORD has in store for him.
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In today’s reading, Naomi advises Ruth to position herself to be redeemed with Naomi’s land by the hand of Boaz. One obstacle remains: a kinsman nearer than Boaz, who in accordance with Moses’s Law desires to redeem the land, but not the Moabite woman who would come with it to raise up children to her late husband’s name. After refusing this responsibility, as was hoped for by both Boaz and Naomi, the responsibility of redemption falls to Boaz, and he and Ruth are soon wed. The book concludes with a brief genealogy revealing Boaz and Ruth as the grandparents of David, king of Israel.
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The book of Ruth, a short work at only four chapters, opens with the backstory of a family’s tragic sojourn in Moab, during the time of the judges. The father and sons die, leaving three widows behind, of whom only Naomi and Ruth, a mother and her daughter-in-law, return to Israel to start a new life from the ashes of the old. Their arrival in Bethlehem reunites Naomi with old friends, but she is bitter from her losses, and Ruth, a Moabite, is a foreigner in the land. Nevertheless Ruth sets to work, making herself useful and taking her mother-in-law’s advice. Meager new beginnings soon blossom into God-ordained opportunity as Naomi’s kinsman, Boaz, takes notice of Ruth.
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The book of Judges concludes with all Israel rallying to destroy the men of Gibeah for the murder of the Levite’s concubine, but the Benjamites defend their own rather than giving them up. In the ensuing war, the casualties are high on each side, but the Benjamites are nearly destroyed, and in the aftermath, lest Benjamin should perish from the tribes of Israel, the other tribes make arrangements for the surviving Benjamites to marry and restore both their tribe and their cities which were burned in the conflict. With this bloody intra-Israelite war, the book of Judges comes to an end.
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In today’s reading, we’re introduced to Micah, an idolator, and later to a Levite he hires to be his priest, in an apparent blend of Judaism and idol worship. But when a troop of Danites pass through, they hire the Levite away from Micah, and take his idols under threat of violence. After, another Levite travels with his concubine, and comes to the city of Gibeah, a Benjamin city, where a scene from Sodom plays out that night. His concubine is raped to death, and in a gruesome act that follows, the Levite parses her body and sends her to every tribe of Israel, ostensibly to provoke an outcry for justice.
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In today’s reading, the personal war between Samson and the Philistines continues to escalate, trading blow for blow until Samson takes an interest in a gentile woman in the valley of Sorek, and the Philistines bribe her into betraying him into their hands. After his capture and torment at the hands of the Philistines, the blinded Samson recovers his strength and prays, and the LORD grants him his final revenge against his enemies, a cold victory that kills more Philistines at once that all of his previous conflicts, but costs him his own life.
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In today’s reading, Samson is grown and takes a wife among the Philistines, provoking considerable antagonism between they and himself, and who vex each other over a riddle and possessions, until the conflict escalates and blood is shed. Physically strengthened by the LORD, Samson takes vengeance on the Philistines for the murder of his wife and her family, and lays a thousand of their men dead in the dust.
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In today’s reading, Jephthah is confronted by the Ephraimites for excluding them from the battle against the Ammonites, and a genuine feud ensues between the Israelite tribe of Ephraim and the Israelite tribes in Gilead, namely Reuben, Gad and East Manasseh. The quarrel comes to open conflict with many thousands of Ephraimite casualties, and Jephtha goes on to judge Israel until his death and burial. After a succession of judges rule in Israel, a married couple of the Danites are visited by the angel of the LORD, and are promised a son who would be dedicated as a Nazarite from the womb. Not long after, Samson is born to them, "and the LORD blessed him."
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In today’s reading, Israel again turns to worshiping the false gods of the nations around them, and the LORD allows the Philistines and the Ammonites to oppress and rule over them. When Israel cries for deliverance, the LORD rebukes them for their faithlessnes. As they persist in their plea for deliverance, they put away their idols, and the LORD is moved with compassion to help them. Israel appeals to Jephthah, the son of a harlot once despised for his mother’s sake, to fight for them and deliver them, and even to rule over them should he prevail against their enemies. When he consents, the LORD grants him victory over the Ammonites. But Jephthah had vowed a rash vow unto the LORD, with tragic results…
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In today’s reading, the Ephraimites reprove Gideon for not calling on them to aid in the battle with the Midianites, and Gideon talks them down, abating their anger. When he is refused supplies from the men of Succoth while in the pursuit of two of the Midianite kings, Gideon promises to extract a price for their unwillingness, and likewise for the men of Penuel. When the mission is accomplished and the Midianite kings executed, Gideon makes good on his word. When offered de facto kingship over Israel, he refuses, and returns to his home and life. He dies “at a good old age”, and is buried, and immediately the Israelites return to their idolatrous ways. When one of Gideon’s sons, Abimelech, manipulates the people to become their ruler and murders his brethren, Jotham, the youngest and only survivor of his brethren, prophesies against him and all Shechem, declaring that Abimelech and Shechem will destroy each other. As the drama plays out, Abimelech rules until the men of Shechem revolt, and Jotham’s prophecy comes to pass by the hand of God.
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In today’s reading, the Midianites vex Israel, and after the LORD sends a prophet to rebuke the Israelites for their own part in their woes, the LORD raises up Gideon to deliver them. Under Gideon’s leadership, the LORD works a miraculous victory over the Midianite army with only three hundred men of war.
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The book of Judges starts our strong with further conquests by the tribes of Judah and Simeon, but quickly deteriorates into compromise on the part of nearly all the tribes of Israel, failing to drive out the inhabitants of the land, and opting instead to make their enemies tributaries. Following the death and burial of Joshua, and the eventual deaths of all of Israel’s elders, and the emergence of a new generation of Israelites who had never seen the miracles of God, they turn quickly to idolatry, and are oppressed by the gentile nations around them. Over the course of several decades, the LORD raises up judges in Israel to throw off their oppressors, including Othniel, Ehud and Deborah, each leading a successful revolt against their enemies, and returning peace to the land.
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The book of Joshua concludes with the Levites receiving the cities appointed to them with the surrounding lands for their cattle, which completed and fulfilled the divine promise of the LORD to give to Israel the land He had promised to their fathers, punctuated with the Word’s claim: “There failed not aught of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.” Joshua, now old and not far from death, blesses the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half of Manasseh that had received their land inheritance on the east side of the Jordan river, for keeping their vow to fight along with their brethren to take the whole of the promised land. These same tribes built an altar by the Jordan river on their way home, and were accused of treachery by the nine tribes west of the river. As the nine mobilized for war, cooler heads prevailed and an explanation was demanded, and given, averting a crises: The altar was erected to remind the nine tribes west, in time to come, that the three tribes east were still very much a part of Israel. Joshua soon addresses Israel and offers his last message to them, admonishing them to love the LORD their God, and to stay faithful to Him, his challenging tone seeming to declare little confidence in their long term commitment. His words, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve,” still echo in the hearts of believers today, and Israel openly declares again that they will serve the LORD. Joshua dies at the age of 110, and is buried in the border of his inheritance, and the bones of their ancestor Joseph are laid to rest in the place Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor, hundreds of years prior. Not long after, Eleazar the priest, the son of Aaron, dies and is buried in Mt. Ephraim.
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In today’s reading, we find the detailed descriptions of the land inheritances of each of the tribes of Israel, by their borders, and the six cities of refuge.
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In today’s reading, the conquest continues, with other gentile kings forming an alliance against the Israelites, but the promise of God endured, and moving from city to city, land to land, Joshua and the Israelites defeat every enemy and every king. City after to city fall to the Israelites, and over many years, the north of Canaan is subdued, the kingdoms east and west of Jordan are subdued, with more than thirty kings falling to the armies of Israel. As Joshua grows old, the LORD tells him of much land yet to be possessed. He describes the borders of the lands given to the nine and a half tribes that crossed Jordan to inherit them, and Caleb, the only spy that stood faithful with Joshua when they first spied out the land decades before, receives his promised inheritance, Kirjatharba, now called Hebron.
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In today’s reading, the conquest of the promised land begins with the siege of Jericho and the Israelite’s miraculous victory over the same. Yet immediately following they suffer a humiliating defeat at the city of Ai, and they learn a painful lesson: God is with them only when they are with God: obedience and victory go hand in hand. After searching out the guilty party that brought the disfavor of their holy God upon them, and ridding themself of him, the Israelites go forward again with renewed humility, and under Joshua’s leadership they win battle after battle, subduing the kingdoms of many peoples. In a moment of haste, they are tricked into sparing one of their enemies, the Gibeonites, with a pact, but quickly recover, making them water-bearers and hewers of wood to the Israelites for ever. They then move into southern Canaan, and in another miracle, Joshua defeats the Amorites and slays five of their kings, securing the land for the Israelites.
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The book of Joshua begins with the LORD’s instructions to Joshua, describing again the borders of the land that the LORD promises them. As the people make preparation to cross over Jordan, two spies are dispatched to spy out Jericho, where they take shelter in the home of Rahab the harlot, and make her a promise of protection for herself and her family if she conceals their cause and doesn’t betray them. After the spies return with a good report, the people mobilize, and the LORD does again for the children of Israel as he did when they came out of Egypt: He parts the waters of the Jordan river, given the Israelites passage on dry ground. At the LORD’s command, the people erect twelve stones for a permanent memorial of their crossing, and Joshua has the men of Israel circumcised. At their encampment in Gilgal they observe the Passover, and Joshua encounters the captain of the host of the LORD.
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Deuteronomy concludes with the LORD reassuring the children of Israel that He will hear them when they cry out in repentance, and will restore them. The LORD appoints Joshua to lead the Israelites, and the Moses commands the priests to instruct all Israel in the Law every year of release, in the feast of tabernacles. The LORD appears to Moses, bears witness against the Israelites for their stiff-necked character, and gives Moses a song to bear witness against them, and promises vengeance against the enemies of the LORD and of His people. Moses blesses the tribes of Israel by name, each of them, and after having seen the Promised Land afar off, dies in the land Moab, secure in the knowledge that his people will now go in to inherit the land under Joshua’s leadership.
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In today’s reading, the LORD gives commandments regarding corporal punishment for Lawbreakers, duty to a brother’s childless widow, just weights and measures, offerings of firstfruits, and paying of tithes. He commands the writing of the Law upon great plastered stones at mount Ebal, and the building of an altar there, and pronounces twelve curses upon those who would break the Laws of the LORD. He then declares wonderful blessings upon those who will obey His commandments, and extensive curses upon those who would disobey. Moses then exhorts the people to keep the covenant which the LORD has made with them.
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In today’s reading, the LORD gives commandments regarding military service and waging war, making sacrifice for unknown murderer, marrying captive wives, matters concerning sons, and executing a death penalty by hanging. He gives further commandments on the welfare of others, and on marital and sexual behaviors. The LORD gives commandments concerning wholeness of body, and of purity, and permanently bars both Ammonites and Moabites from their congregations for their hard-heartedness and violence toward Israel in the wilderness. He gives commandments on camp sanitation, and on lending both to Israelites and to strangers, and gives laws about divorce and remarriage, and on protecting the poor.
Into/Outro music: "Unexpectedly" (c) 1995 Alex Grant Used by permission
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In today’s reading, the LORD declares the sabbath years of release, releasing debts and setting Hebrews bondservants free at the appointed time, yet still commanding that the Israelites be always willing to lend to the poor among their brethren, regardless of the approach of a sabbath year. He again commands the observance of the passover and the appointed feasts, and commands the appointment of judges to handle civil matters between Israelites. The LORD reinforces capital punishment for idolatry, and establishes expectations for any future king the Israelites may one day desire to appoint. The portion for the priests is expounded upon, pagan practices forbidden, including dark arts of any kind such as sorcery, and establishes a litmus test for any who would claim to be a prophet. He concludes with the law of the cities of refuge, and establishes a minimum number of witnesses required for a guilty conviction by a judge.
Into/Outro music: "Unexpectedly" (c) 1995 Alex Grant Used by permission
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In today’s reading, Moses recounts to Israel the preparing of the second tables of stone with the Ten Commandments inscribed in them, and reinforces the requirements of the LORD to obey and love Him wholeheartedly, and to teach the commandments to their children, keeping the words of the LORD close to their hearts. The LORD commands the complete destruction of the places and paraphernalia of pagan worship, and commands sacrifice be done only at the places the LORD appoints, warning against idolatry, and condemning false prophets and idolators to death. He commands that idolatrous cities be destroyed with their spoil and burnt, never to be rebuilt, and defines clean and unclean animals - what may be eaten and what may not. He gives commandments concerning the paying of tithes, and ordains they should “not forsake” the Levite that is within their gates, making clear the responsibility of the Tribes to take care of the Levites.
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In today’s reading, Moses recites the Ten Commandments, and recounts the time he spent in the mountain with God, reviewing Israel’s history of recalcitrance toward the LORD. He declares the purpose of the Law, and declares the law of love: “Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” He commands them to teach the law to their children, and again warns of idolatry and its evils, declaring Israel to be a chosen people inheriting the land because of the promise, and driving out its inhabitants because of their wickedness, rather than for Israel’s righteousness. He warns them against pride, reminding them of the tables of the testimony broken for their rebellion, and the golden calf he destroyed, and his own intercession for the salvation of Israel.
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The book of Deuteronomy begins with Moses relating the LORD’s guidance to the people, and commanding them to depart from Horeb and begin to cross over and take the promised land. Moses recounts the choosing of leaders and the unbelief of the Israelites when they first came to the border of the land, and the consequent years spent wandering in the wilderness. He recounts the victories the LORD gave them over the kings of Heshbon and Og, and of the distribution of the land among the tribes of Israel, but that Moses himself was forbidden to cross over Jordan into the good land. He commands obedience to the LORD their God, forbids idolatry, declares Israel to be a chosen nation, and sets apart the first three cities of refuge.
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The book of Numbers concludes with a recounting of the journey of Israel out of Egypt, encampment by encampment, from their departure from Egypt at Rameses to their arrival by Jordan in the plains of Moab. The LORD declares the borders appointed to the children of Israel to be divided among the tribes, and confirms the lands claimed by the tribes of Rueben, Gad, and Manasseh on the near side of Jordan. He appoints cities for the Levites to possess, and cities of refuge and the laws governing their use. The matter of the inheritance of the daughters of Zelophehad arises again, and the LORD establishes the law of the marriage of heiresses to protect inheritances within each tribe.
Into/Outro music: "Unexpectedly" (c) 1995 Alex Grant Used by permission
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In today’s reading, the LORD commands the feast of trumpets be observed, and describes the protocol for its offerings and the offerings for the day of atonement, as well as the feast of tabernacles. He gives commandments concerning vows made to the LORD by men, and by women both single and married. The LORD then commands raising an army among the Israelites to destroy the Midianites, and the captives and the spoil are divided among the victors. The tribes of the Reuben and Gad elect to settle on the east side of Jordan in the land of Gilead, agreeing to Moses’s terms that their men continue on over Jordan to help their brethren conquer the land promised to them by God.
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In today’s reading, Israel commits whoredom and idolatry while dwelling in the region of Shittim, and again the anger of the LORD is kindled. Phinehas in his zeal averts a plague from the LORD by executing two of the offenders, one an Israelite, and the other a Midianite, and the LORD blesses him for it. The LORD then orders a second census of the people, numbering the tribes and establishes the division of the land by tribes. A matter of inheritance is decided when a family has no sons, and the LORD gives Moses a view of the promised land, though he would not pass in to inherit it because of the breach he made at Meribah. Moses beseeches the LORD for a successor to replace him so the Israelites would not become “as sheep which have no shepherd”, and the LORD appoints Joshua.
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In today’s reading, the people complain again concerning a lack of water, and the LORD instructs Moses to bring forth water from the rock at Meribah. Moses incurs the judgment of God for botching the job; he strikes the rock and takes the credit, and the LORD bars him from entering the promised land. As Israel travels in the wilderness, the nations of Edom and the Amorites refuse Israel passage through their lands, and Amorites go to war against Israel and are defeated. Likewise the king of Bashan is defeated in battle against the Israelites, and Israel dwells in the lands taken from the Amorites. Another gentile king seeks the aid of Balaam, a seer who worships the LORD, to curse the children of Israel, but he instead blesses them four times before going his way.
Psalm 90 is a prayer of Moses, wherein he calls upon God for mercy and wisdom, and blessing.
Into/Outro music: "Unexpectedly" (c) 1995 Alex Grant Used by permission
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In today’s reading, the LORD gives commandments concerning required offerings, and offerings for sins committed in ignorance. This new chapter of Israel in the wilderness is quickly darkened, first by execution of a sabbath-breaker, and then by the much more serious insurrection led by Korah, whom the LORD swiftly judged with his followers, and put down rebellion among the people through a plague and the miracle of Aaron’s rod. He later describes the duties of the Levites, establishes the priests’ portions and the system of tithes, and appoints the sacrifice of a red heifer for purifying.
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In today’s reading, Israel departs from the Sinai wilderness toward the promised land, and the people ungratefully complain about their diet. The LORD in His wrath sends quails and a plague, causing many to die. Miriam and Aaron later speak against Moses, and the LORD answers them with a severe rebuke. Twelve spies are dispatched to gather intelligence about the promised land and its inhabitants, ten of whom return a faithless report of Israel’s military inferiority, and their inability to take the land, causing the people to lose faith and disbelieve. Caleb and Joshua alone of the twelve spies stand firm in the LORD’s promise, and all Israel is turned back by the commandment of God to wander in the wilderness until the faithless elder generations die off, leaving their sons and daughters to come in and take the land.
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In today’s reading, the LORD gives the law of the Nazarite vow, and a blessing upon His people, Israel. The altar of the tabernacle is dedicated, with abundant offerings and sacrifices given by the heads of each of the tribes: Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Reuben, Simeon, Gad, Ephraim, Manasseh, Benjamin, Dan, Asher, and Naphtali. Aaron lights the gold candlestick of the tabernacle, and Moses purifies the Levites and separates them from the rest of Israel to serve the LORD. The LORD commands again the keeping of the Passover at the appointed time, and signals the movement of the whole camp of Israel by His guiding cloud upon the tabernacle.
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As we begin the book of Numbers, the LORD orders a census of the people, and accounts the tribes of Israel and their populations. He gives orders as to their encampment positions, and further sets the Levites apart by exempting them from the census as His own servants. The descendants of Aaron are assigned Service responsibilities according to their families, and the LORD gives commandments concerning the unclean, of recompense, and of wives suspected of adultery.
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Today’s reading concludes the book of Leviticus; the LORD declares jubilee years and gives commandments concerning them; also of the redeeming of possessions, the lending of money, and the redeeming of servants. He declares blessings for obedience, punishments for disobedience, and advises that even should they depart into great wickedness, and fall into the punishments the He warns them of, that should they turn again and confess and desire renewal, the LORD will remember His covenant with their ancestors. Leviticus concludes with commandments concerning things devoted to the LORD, and His permanent possession thereof.
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In today’s reading, the LORD declares a litany of sins pertaining to idolatry, sexual pollution, sorcery, cursing one’s parents and blasphemy, to be capital offenses punishable by death or exile; following these declarations is the reiterated command to be holy, and a reminder that for all those sins were the indigenous nations of the promised land destroyed. After, the LORD gives further commandments concerning the priests and holy things, deformities, blemished animals, sabbaths, and the appointed feasts to be observed by all Israel.
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In today’s reading, the LORD gives the laws concerning uncleanness in both men and women, and describes in great detail the annual ceremony of atonement to be performed by the High Priest, including the use of the scapegoat. The LORD then gives laws about special sacrifices, and forbids unlawful sexual relations, including, but not limited to, incest, homosexuality, and bestiality, and describes such acts in no uncertain terms: abomination, confusion, defilement. He then issues a series of widely varied commandments concerning personal holiness and behavior, reinforcing a number of the Ten Commandments, and forbidding theft, abuse of the disabled, corrupt judgment, prostitution and sorcery, and commanding love for one’s neighbor and a willingness to rebuke to keep sin from his door.
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In today’s reading, the LORD gives the laws of clean and unclean animals, purification after childbirth, and detailed laws about skin plagues, plagues in garments and dwellings, and their cleansing.
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In today’s reading, the LORD continues instruction in the sacrifices: the burnt offerings, the sin and trespass offerings, and the peace offerings, and appoints the portions for the priests who offer them. Moses anoints the priests to begin their work as such, and the consecration of the priests is accomplished. But after all has begun so well, tragedy strikes in an act of disobedience as the sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, offer strange fire before the LORD and are destroyed for it. In this, Moses recognizes the meaning of the LORD’s words, “I will be sanctified in all that come nigh me…”, and, not without heart, urges Aaron and his remaining sons to keep their composure and fulfill their office.
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Today we begin in the book of Leviticus, or “That which pertains to the Levites”, the priests of Israel. In the first five chapters the LORD gives instructions for burnt offerings, meat offerings, peace offerings, trespass offerings, and the various sin offerings for priests, the congregation, rulers, common men and women, and the poor.
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Bezaleel and his appointed craftsmen make the ark of the covenant, all the furnishings of the tabernacle, the court of the tabernacle, the garments of the priests, and the priest’s breastplate and robe. They present the finished work to Moses, who validates its faithfulness to the LORD’s design, and blesses them.
Exodus concludes with the complete assembly of the tabernacle, after which the glory of the LORD fills it in a cloud by day, and in fire by night.
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In today’s reading, the LORD renews His covenant with Moses and Israel, and promises to show Moses His glory. After, the second tables of the testimony - the Ten Commandments - are carved and inscribed, and the LORD warns against the idolatry of the Promised Land’s indigenous nations, and gives commandments concerning the appointed feasts. The people give their offerings of materials and labor for the building of the tabernacle, and the total given is far more than is required for the work.
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In today’s reading, the LORD gives instructions for consecrating the priests, and the consecration’s related sacrifices and offerings. He further instructs for the making of the altar of incense and the laver for washing, and personally appoints the workmen to the task of fashioning all that must be made according the LORD’s design. After reiterating the sanctity of the sabbath, He gives to Moses the stone tables of the testimony, “written with the finger of God”. But as Moses communes with the LORD upon the mountain, the Hebrews rebel and demand Aaron make a false god - an idol - which they worship and praise for their deliverance from Egypt. The wrath of God is kindled, and Moses pleads for the people, returning from the mountain and executing a severe penalty for the Hebrew’s sin.
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Today’s reading is heavy with technical writing, as the LORD gives instructions for the offering for the tabernacle, and for the building of the tabernacle and its furnishings, including the Ark of the Testimony, known also as the Ark of the Covenant. Detailed descriptions of designs, measurements and materials - gold, silver, brass, linen, and animals skins of specific kinds - are prescribed for the construction of it. The LORD also gives instructions for the design and creation of the priests’ garments, and for those of the High Priest, including the breastplate with the stones representing the tribes of Israel.
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In today’s reading, God gives more of the Law to Moses and to the people: Laws concerning servants, murder, fighting, livestock and other property, particularly concerning theft, and other matters of personal behavior, and of the sabbath, and the appointed feasts. God promises protection from many evils if they will keep His covenant, His commandments, and assembled Israel openly accepts this “contract” with God.
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In today’s reading, the children of Israel continue their journey through the wilderness of Sin toward the promised land, and begin to demonstrate a propensity for complaints, accusations, and stubbornness. The LORD, patient with the newly liberated Hebrews, miraculously provides food and water to sustain their enormous numbers and livestock, and grants them victory in battle against Amalek. Jethro comes with Moses’s wife and sons, and counsels Moses to establish a hierarchy of judges to ease the burden of leadership on himself. After passing into the wilderness of Sinai, the Hebrews come to the foot of Mount Sinai, where Moses communes with God and receives the Ten Commandments, a concise introduction to the more than 600 commandments that would comprise the whole Law.
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In today’s reading, the plagues continue in Egypt, escalating the standoff between Moses and Pharaoh. Pharaoh vacillates between releasing the Hebrews and retaining them with a hardened heart. The plagues, which increase in severity from nuisance to deadly, ravage the land, destroy the credibility of the Egyptian pantheon, and severely damage the reputation of the Pharaoh, who now seems driven by spite, and likely some real panic over the thought of losing his slave labor force. After the LORD institutes the Passover and releases the final plague - the death of the first-born of all Egyptians, from their cattle to Pharaoh’s own house - Pharaoh relents, and thrusts out the Hebrews with enormous amounts of plunder. In one final act of double-mindedness, Pharaoh pursues the liberated Hebrews, only to lose his army in the Red Sea after the LORD spectacularly parts the waters for the Hebrews to cross into the wilderness beyond, free at last.
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In today’s reading, Moses appears before Pharaoh and demands the release of the Hebrews to go and serve God in the wilderness. Things go poorly for the Hebrews at first, and the pressure on Moses mounts. Soon, however, the LORD begins to rain plagues upon Egypt and its people, impacting every strata of Egyptian society, and to devastating effect.
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In today’s reading, the descendants of Jacob - Israel - have grown from a clan into a nation in Goshen of Egypt. The hospitable Pharaoh of Joseph’s day has died, and another Pharaoh “who knew not Joseph” ascends the throne. Concerned about the massive population of the children of Israel becoming a threat to the Egyptians, he enslaves them. After about four centuries Moses is born to a Hebrew family of the tribe of Levi and given up as an infant to Pharaoh’s house in order to save his life. He is taken in by Pharaoh’s daughter and becomes her son, a member of Pharaoh’s household. When he is grown he kills an Egyptian to save a fellow Hebrew, and after must flee for his own life. Abiding in Midian, he marries and starts a family, living as a shepherd for his father-in-law Jethro. Moses encounters God in the miraculous vision of the burning bush, and is commissioned to spearhead the deliverance of the captive Hebrew nation in Egypt. He returns to Egypt with his brother Aaron and demands the release of the Hebrews to go and serve God in the wilderness.
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In today’s reading, Jacob moves with his people into Egypt and is reunited with Joseph. They settle in Goshen as the famine ravages the Egyptians. In desperation, the Egyptians trade their cattle, land, and even their freedom to Pharaoh for food and seed. As Jacob reaches the end of his life, he gathers his family together and pronounces his final judgments and blessings concerning his children, and blesses the children of Joseph. After he dies, Joseph fulfills his promise, and buries his father in Canaan with Abraham and Isaac.
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In today’s reading, the famine prophesied by Joseph afflicts Egypt and all the lands of the region. Jacob sends his sons into Egypt to buy food, where they encounter Joseph disguised and unrecognizable. They bow themselves in obeisance to him unawares, fulfilling the prophetic dreams Joseph had years earlier. Joseph deceives them until he can no longer bear it, and reveals his identity, reuniting with his brethren in reconciliation. Joseph commands his brethren to return to fetch Jacob and the entire clan of the Hebrews, and bring them into Egypt for refuge from the famine, with Pharaoh’s blessing. Joseph’s sons tell Jacob that Joseph is not only alive and well, but governor of all the land of Egypt. Jacob is overwhelmed by the revelation, and resolves to see his son again before he dies.
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In today’s reading, Jacob’s son Joseph experiences dreams of supremacy among his brethren, provoking their ire. He is betrayed and sold into slavery in Egypt, where serves one master diligently, only to be falsely accused of rape and imprisoned. After earning the favor of Pharaoh, he is placed in charge of a massive royal project to store up food for a coming famine, and is made the second most powerful man in all of Egypt.
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In today’s reading, Jacob prepares to meet his brother Esau for the first time in 20 years, and with the old feud still haunting him. After sending his family on ahead, Jacob has a supernatural encounter with God, wrestling with Him until daybreak, and receiving a new name with His blessing. Jacob, now Israel, meets Esau and reconciles with him, but family dysfunction continues to haunt him. His daughter disgraces herself, and his sons deceive and massacre the men of an entire city over a transgression much less severe than the punishment. Following this, God commands Jacob to return to Bethel - the place where he first spoke with God - and renews His covenant with with him. Rachel dies in childbirth not long after, and Jacob returns to his father Isaac in Mamre. After Isaac dies, Esau and Jacob both lay him to rest.
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In today’s reading, Isaac’s wife Rebekah conspires with Jacob to steal Esau’s blessing by fraud, igniting a deadly feud between the brothers. Isaac, now old and believing himself near death, sends Jacob away to find and take a wife among distant family. Jacob has his first vision, a dream of a ladder ascending to heaven, and angels traversing it, and the LORD speaks with Jacob for the first time. Jacob then journeys to his relatives and reaps deception for deception at the hand of his kinsman Laban, whom he would end up serving for twenty years. During this time, Jacob sires multiple sons by both of his wives, and both of their handmaids, and through trickery increases his own wealth at the expense of Laban. Ultimately Jacob flees from Laban with his wives and children, and his considerable wealth, and makes a covenant with Laban after a confrontation along the way.
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In today’s reading, the LORD tests Abraham’s trust in Him, and provides one of the earliest examples of substitutionary sacrifice that points to Christ. Sarah dies and is laid to rest, and her son Isaac marries. Abraham dies some years later, and we are introduced to Isaac’s sons, Esau and Jacob, from whom would come two nations: the Edomites and the Israelites. Esau unknowingly fulfills the LORD’s prophecy by selling his birthright to his brother Jacob, and the LORD affirms His “Abrahamic” covenant with Isaac.
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In today’s reading, the LORD changes Abram’s name to Abraham, and Sarai’s to Sarah, declaring His covenant with him to make him the father of many nations, to give him a son by his own wife, a nation by his son, and a land for that nation to dwell in. The LORD also institutes the sign of circumcision for males of Abraham’s house, as the sign of His covenant. Three mysterious visitors come to Abraham and discuss the promise of a son, then ultimately reveal the LORD’s decision to destroy the cities of the plain of Jordan for their extraordinary wickedness. Abraham pleads for any righteous within the city of Sodom, and Lot is spared with his immediate family by angels sent to remove them. Lot flees, shelters at Zoar, then dwells in a cave of the mountains with his two widowed daughters after the death of his wife. Isaac is born to Abraham and Sarah, and Hagar is cast out with her son Ishmael, yet not forsaken of God. Later, Abraham enters into a covenant with Abimelech in Gerar.
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In today’s reading, Abram hears the voice of God calling him out of his native Ur into the land He promises to him and his seed for an inheritance. Conflict with several regional kings ensue, and after rescuing a multitude of his own entourage from hostile forces, Abram returns triumphant in battle, pays tithes of all his resulting increase to Melchizedek, the priest of God, and enters into a covenant with the LORD who called him. Later Sarai, Abram’s wife, takes matters into her own hands to bring a child into their marriage with disastrous results.
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Chapters 38-41: The LORD speaks to Job, cites Job’s limited knowledge, and calls his attention to the wonders of Creation; Chapter 42: Job repents and submits to the LORD in humility, the LORD rebukes Job’s friends, and Job is restored and blessed above and beyond his former state.
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Chapter 32: Elihu speaks against Job and his friends; Chapter 33: Elihu speaks for God; Chapter 34: God is just; Elihu rebukes Job for his pride; Chapter 35: Elihu corrects Job further; Chapters 36-37: God is just in all His dealings with Man; Elihu warns Job and praises the work of God, declares the unsearchable depths of God’s power, and judgment, and justice.
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Chapter 25: Bildad declares that no one is justified before God; Chapter 26: Job declares the greatness of God…; Chapter 27: …maintains his own integrity, despises his enemies…; Chapter 28: …describes the search for wisdom, and declares its true source; Chapter 29: Job longs for better days gone by…; Chapter 30: …and decries the mockery of the younger generation and his own suffering; Chapter 31: Job invites God to weigh him in the balance, declares his concern for the slave, the poor, his enemies, and the stranger
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Chapter 20: Zophar monologues about the wicked; Chapter 21: Job speaks of the wicked man’s prosperity, and disagrees with his friends; Chapter 22: Eliphaz accuses Job of great wickedness; Chapter 23: Job desires his day in court with God; Chapter 24: The deeds of the wicked, and their withering away
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Chapter 16: Job reproves his friends, alleges God’s anger with him; Chapter 17: Job’s lament continues; Chapter 18: Bildad reproves Job; Chapter 19: Job tormented by words, abandoned by friends and family; Job’s notable declaration of faith in his Redeemer
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Chapter 11: Zophar accuses Job of iniquity and urges him to repent; Chapter 12: Job denies Zophar’s accusations; God’s power, wisdom and strength described; Chapter 13: Job openly resents his friends, defends his integrity; Chapter 14: Man’s frailty, and the permanence of his death; Chapter 15: Eliphaz criticizes Job, declares the end of the evil man.
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Chapter 6: Job responds to Eliphaz, calls his friends unfaithful, demands evidence of his sins; Chapter 7: Job argues against hope, yet prays aloud to the Almighty; Chapter 8: Bildad answers Job, suggests Job is a hypocrite; Chapter 9: Job defends God’s justice, then complains against Him; Chapter 10: Job acknowledges God as Creator, continues his complaint against Him.
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Chapter 1: Job introduced, the devil’s accusation, and the loss of all that Job has; Chapter 2: The devil attacks Job’s health; the arrival of Job’s friends to mourn with him; Chapter 3: Job’s opening lament; Chapters 4-5: Eliphaz answers Job
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The generations of Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, including the Tower of Babel and when God divided the nations.
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The generations of Adam through Seth and the beginning of the history of man leading up to the flood, when man’s hearts were wicked continually that it grieved God that He had made man. God calls Noah to build an ark on which God invites Noah, his wife, his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth and their wives; and shuts them in. After the flood recedes, God promises not to ever flood the Earth again.
Into/Outro music: "Unexpectedly" (c) 1995 Alex Grant Used by permissionEpisode Notes
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God creates the heavens and the earth. Day 1: Light; Day 2: The firmament; Day 3: Dry land and plants; Day 4: The sun, moon, and stars; Day 5: Birds and sea creatures; Day 6: Animals and man; Day 7: God rested.
Adam and Eve sin by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and they are cursed and kicked out of the Garden of Eden. They have two sons, Abel and Cain, one of whom kills the other and is cursed. Adam and Eve conceive another child, Seth.
Into/Outro music: "Unexpectedly" (c) 1995 Alex Grant Used by permission
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/pastor-ra-snider/support