Today our passages are Numbers 19:1–20:29; Luke 1:1-25;
Psalm 56:1-13; and Proverbs 11:8. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H.
Peterson.
Numbers 19-20:29 (The Message)
Numbers 19
The Red Cow
1-4 God spoke to Moses and Aaron: "This is the rule from the Revelation that God commands: Tell the People of Israel to get a red cow, a healthy specimen, ritually clean, that has never been in harness. Present it to Eleazar the priest, then take it outside the camp and butcher it while he looks on. Eleazar will take some of the blood on his finger and splash it seven times in the direction of the Tent of Meeting. 5-8 "Then under Eleazar's supervision burn the cow, the whole thing—hide, meat, blood, even its dung. The priest then will take a stick of cedar, some sprigs of hyssop, and a piece of scarlet material and throw them on the burning cow. Afterwards the priest must wash his clothes and bathe well with water. He can then come into the camp but he remains ritually unclean until evening. The man who burns the cow must also wash his clothes and bathe with water. He also is unclean until evening.9 "Then a man who is ritually clean will gather the ashes of the cow and place them in a ritually clean place outside the camp. The congregation of Israel will keep them to use in the Water-of-Cleansing, an Absolution-Offering.
10 "The man who gathered up the ashes must scrub his clothes; he is ritually unclean until evening. This is to be a standing rule for both native-born Israelites and foreigners living among them.
11-13 "Anyone who touches a dead body is ritually unclean for seven days. He must purify himself with the Water-of-Cleansing on the third day; on the seventh day he will be clean. But if he doesn't follow the procedures for the third and seventh days, he won't be clean. Anyone who touches the dead body of anyone and doesn't get cleansed desecrates God's Dwelling and is to be excommunicated. For as long as the Water-of-Cleansing has not been sprinkled on him, he remains ritually unclean.
14-15 "This is the rule for someone who dies in his tent: Anyone who enters the tent or is already in the tent is ritually unclean for seven days, and every open container without a lid is unclean.
16-21 "Anyone out in the open field who touches a corpse, whether dead from violent or natural causes, or a human bone or a grave is unclean for seven days. For this unclean person, take some ashes from the burned Absolution-Offering and add some fresh water to it in a bowl. Find a ritually clean man to dip a sprig of hyssop into the water and sprinkle the tent and all its furnishings, the persons who were in the tent, the one who touched the bones of the person who was killed or died a natural death, and whoever may have touched a grave. Then he is to sprinkle the unclean person on the third and seventh days. On the seventh day he is considered cleansed. The cleansed person must then scrub his clothes and take a bath; by evening he is clean. But if an unclean person does not go through these cleansing procedures, he must be excommunicated from the community; he has desecrated the Sanctuary of God. The Water-of-Cleansing has not been sprinkled on him and he is ritually unclean. This is the standing rule for these cases.
"The man who sprinkles the Water-of-Cleansing has to scrub his clothes; anyone else who touched the Water-of-Cleansing is also ritually unclean until evening.
22 "Anything the ritually unclean man touches becomes unclean, and the person who touches what he touched is unclean until evening."
Numbers 20
Camp Kadesh
1 In the first month, the entire company of the People of Israel arrived in the Wilderness of Zin. The people stayed in Kadesh. Miriam died there, and she was buried.2-5 There was no water there for the community, so they ganged up on Moses and Aaron. They attacked Moses: "We wish we'd died when the rest of our brothers died before God. Why did you haul this congregation of God out here into this wilderness to die, people and cattle alike? And why did you take us out of Egypt in the first place, dragging us into this miserable country? No grain, no figs, no grapevines, no pomegranates—and now not even any water!"
6 Moses and Aaron walked from the assembled congregation to the Tent of Meeting and threw themselves facedown on the ground. And they saw the Glory of God.
7-8 God spoke to Moses: "Take the staff. Assemble the community, you and your brother Aaron. Speak to that rock that's right in front of them and it will give water. You will bring water out of the rock for them; congregation and cattle will both drink."
9-10 Moses took the staff away from God's presence, as commanded. He and Aaron rounded up the whole congregation in front of the rock. Moses spoke: "Listen, rebels! Do we have to bring water out of this rock for you?"
11 With that Moses raised his arm and slammed his staff against the rock—once, twice. Water poured out. Congregation and cattle drank.
12 God said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you didn't trust me, didn't treat me with holy reverence in front of the People of Israel, you two aren't going to lead this company into the land that I am giving them."
13 These were the Waters of Meribah (Bickering) where the People of Israel bickered with God, and he revealed himself as holy.
14-16 Moses sent emissaries from Kadesh to the king of Edom with this message: "A message from your brother Israel: You are familiar with all the trouble we've run into. Our ancestors went down to Egypt and lived there a long time. The Egyptians viciously abused both us and our ancestors. But when we cried out for help to God, he heard our cry. He sent an angel and got us out of Egypt. And now here we are at Kadesh, a town at the border of your land.
17 "Will you give us permission to cut across your land? We won't trespass through your fields or orchards and we won't drink out of your wells; we'll keep to the main road, the King's Road, straying neither right nor left until we've crossed your border."
18 The king of Edom answered, "Not on your life. If you so much as set a foot on my land, I'll kill you."
19 The People of Israel said, "Look, we'll stay on the main road. If we or our animals drink any water, we'll pay you for it. We're harmless—just a company of footsore travelers."
20-21 He answered again: "No. You may not come through." And Edom came out and blocked the way with a crowd of people brandishing weapons. Edom refused to let them cross through his land. So Israel had to detour around him.
Camp Hor
22 The People of Israel, the entire company, set out from Kadesh and traveled to Mount Hor. 23-26 God said to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor at the border of Edom, "It's time for Aaron to be gathered into the company of his ancestors. He will not enter the land I am giving to the People of Israel because you both rebelled against my orders at the Waters of Meribah. So take Aaron and his son Eleazar and lead them up Mount Hor. Remove Aaron's clothes from him and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron will be gathered there; Aaron will die."27-29 Moses obeyed God's command. They climbed Mount Hor as the whole congregation watched. Moses took off Aaron's clothes and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron died on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. The whole congregation, getting the news that Aaron had died, went into thirty days of mourning for him.
Luke 1:1-25 (The Message)
Luke 1
1-4So many others have tried their hand at putting together
a story of the wonderful harvest of Scripture and history that took place among
us, using reports handed down by the original eyewitnesses who served this Word
with their very lives. Since I have investigated all the reports in close
detail, starting from the story's beginning, I decided to write it all out for
you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can know beyond the shadow of a doubt the
reliability of what you were taught.
A Childless Couple Conceives
5-7During the rule of Herod, King of Judea, there was a
priest assigned service in the regiment of Abijah. His name was Zachariah. His
wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth. Together
they lived honorably before God, careful in keeping to the ways of the
commandments and enjoying a clear conscience before God. But they were childless
because Elizabeth could never conceive, and now they were quite old.
8-12It so happened that as Zachariah was carrying out his
priestly duties before God, working the shift assigned to his regiment, it came
his one turn in life to enter the sanctuary of God and burn incense. The
congregation was gathered and praying outside the Temple at the hour of the
incense offering. Unannounced, an angel of God appeared just to the right of the
altar of incense. Zachariah was paralyzed in fear.
13-15But the angel reassured him, "Don't fear, Zachariah.
Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You
are to name him John. You're going to leap like a gazelle for joy, and not only
you—many will delight in his birth. He'll achieve great stature with God.
15-17"He'll drink neither wine nor beer. He'll be filled
with the Holy Spirit from the moment he leaves his mother's womb. He will turn
many sons and daughters of Israel back to their God. He will herald God's
arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to
children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics—he'll get the
people ready for God."
18Zachariah said to the angel, "Do you expect me to believe
this? I'm an old man and my wife is an old woman."
19-20But the angel said, "I am Gabriel, the sentinel of
God, sent especially to bring you this glad news. But because you won't believe
me, you'll be unable to say a word until the day of your son's birth. Every word
I've spoken to you will come true on time—God's time."
21-22Meanwhile, the congregation waiting for Zachariah was
getting restless, wondering what was keeping him so long in the sanctuary. When
he came out and couldn't speak, they knew he had seen a vision. He continued
speechless and had to use sign language with the people.
23-25When the course of his priestly assignment was
completed, he went back home. It wasn't long before his wife, Elizabeth,
conceived. She went off by herself for five months, relishing her pregnancy.
"So, this is how God acts to remedy my unfortunate condition!" she said.
Psalm 56:1-13 (The Message)
Psalm 56
1-4 Take my side, God—I'm getting kicked around, stomped on every day.Not a day goes by
but somebody beats me up;
They make it their duty
to beat me up.
When I get really afraid
I come to you in trust.
I'm proud to praise God;
fearless now, I trust in God.
What can mere mortals do?
5-6 They don't let up—
they smear my reputation
and huddle to plot my collapse.
They gang up,
sneak together through the alleys
To take me by surprise,
wait their chance to get me.
7 Pay them back in evil!
Get angry, God!
Down with these people!
8 You've kept track of my every toss and turn
through the sleepless nights,
Each tear entered in your ledger,
each ache written in your book.
9 If my enemies run away,
turn tail when I yell at them,
Then I'll know
that God is on my side.
10-11 I'm proud to praise God,
proud to praise God.
Fearless now, I trust in God;
what can mere mortals do to me?
12-13 God, you did everything you promised,
and I'm thanking you with all my heart.
You pulled me from the brink of death,
my feet from the cliff-edge of doom.
Now I stroll at leisure with God
in the sunlit fields of life.
Proverbs 11:8 (The Message)
8 A good person is saved from much trouble;
a bad person runs straight into it.
Verse of the
Day
“We know that God is always at work for the
good of everyone who loves him. They are the ones God has chosen for his
purpose,” - Romans 8:28
Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.
Thought for the Day
American author, journalist, poet, screenwriter and film critic, James Agee wrote, “You must
be in tune with the times and prepared to break with tradition.”
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