Today our passages are Numbers 10:1–11:23; Mark 14:1-21; Psalm
51:1-19; and Proverbs 10:31-32. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.
Numbers 10-11:23 (The Message)
Numbers 10
The Two Bugles
1-3 God spoke to Moses: "Make two bugles of hammered silver. Use them to call the congregation together and give marching orders to the camps. When you blow them, the whole community will meet you at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. 4-7 "When a bugle gives a single, short blast, that's the signal for the leaders, the heads of the clans, to assemble. When it gives a long blast, that's the signal to march. At the first blast the tribes who were camped on the east set out. At the second blast the camps on the south set out. The long blasts are the signals to march. The bugle call that gathers the assembly is different from the signal to march.8-10 "The sons of Aaron, the priests, are in charge of blowing the bugles; it's their assigned duty down through the generations. When you go to war against an aggressor, blow a long blast on the bugle so that God will notice you and deliver you from your enemies. Also at times of celebration, at the appointed feasts and New Moon festivals, blow the bugles over your Whole-Burnt-Offerings and Peace-Offerings: they will keep your attention on God. I am God, your God."
The March from Sinai to Paran
11-13 In the second year, on the twentieth day of the second month, the Cloud went up from over The Dwelling of The Testimony. At that the People of Israel set out on their travels from the Wilderness of Sinai until the Cloud finally settled in the Wilderness of Paran. They began their march at the command of God through Moses. 14-17 The flag of the camp of Judah led the way, rank after rank under the command of Nahshon son of Amminadab. Nethanel son of Zuar commanded the forces of the tribe of Issachar, and Eliab son of Helon commanded the forces of the tribe of Zebulun. As soon as The Dwelling was taken down, the Gershonites and the Merarites set out, carrying The Dwelling.18-21 The flag of the camp of Reuben was next with Elizur son of Shedeur in command. Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai commanded the forces of the tribe of Simeon; Eliasaph son of Deuel commanded the forces of the tribe of Gad. Then the Kohathites left, carrying the holy things. By the time they arrived The Dwelling would be set up.
22-24 The flag of the tribe of Ephraim moved out next, commanded by Elishama son of Ammihud. Gamaliel son of Pedahzur commanded the forces of the tribe of Manasseh; Abidan son of Gideoni commanded the forces of the tribe of Benjamin.
25-27 Finally, under the flag of the tribe of Dan, the rear guard of all the camps marched out with Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai in command. Pagiel son of Ocran commanded the forces of the tribe of Asher; Ahira son of Enan commanded the forces of the tribe of Naphtali.
28 These were the marching units of the People of Israel. They were on their way.
29 Moses said to his brother-in-law Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, "We're marching to the place about which God promised, 'I'll give it to you.' Come with us; we'll treat you well. God has promised good things for Israel."
30 But Hobab said, "I'm not coming; I'm going back home to my own country, to my own family."
31-32 Moses countered, "Don't leave us. You know all the best places to camp in the wilderness. We need your eyes. If you come with us, we'll make sure that you share in all the good things God will do for us."
33-36 And so off they marched. From the Mountain of God they marched three days with the Chest of the Covenant of God in the lead to scout out a campsite. The Cloud of God was above them by day when they marched from the camp. With the Chest leading the way, Moses would say,
Get up, God!
Put down your enemies!
Chase those who hate you to the hills!
And when the Chest was set down, he would say,
Rest with us, God,
Stay with the many,
Many thousands of Israel.
Numbers 11
Camp Taberah
1-3The people fell to grumbling over their hard life. God heard. When he heard his anger flared; then fire blazed up and burned the outer boundaries of the camp. The people cried out for help to Moses; Moses prayed to God and the fire died down. They named the place Taberah (Blaze) because fire from God had blazed up against them.Camp Kibroth Hattaavah
4-6 The riffraff among the people had a craving and soon they had the People of Israel whining, "Why can't we have meat? We ate fish in Egypt—and got it free!—to say nothing of the cucumbers and melons, the leeks and onions and garlic. But nothing tastes good out here; all we get is manna, manna, manna." 7-9 Manna was a seedlike substance with a shiny appearance like resin. The people went around collecting it and ground it between stones or pounded it fine in a mortar. Then they boiled it in a pot and shaped it into cakes. It tasted like a delicacy cooked in olive oil. When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna was right there with it.10 Moses heard the whining, all those families whining in front of their tents. God's anger blazed up. Moses saw that things were in a bad way.
11-15 Moses said to God, "Why are you treating me this way? What did I ever do to you to deserve this? Did I conceive them? Was I their mother? So why dump the responsibility of this people on me? Why tell me to carry them around like a nursing mother, carry them all the way to the land you promised to their ancestors? Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people who are whining to me, 'Give us meat; we want meat.' I can't do this by myself—it's too much, all these people. If this is how you intend to treat me, do me a favor and kill me. I've seen enough; I've had enough. Let me out of here."
16-17 God said to Moses, "Gather together seventy men from among the leaders of Israel, men whom you know to be respected and responsible. Take them to the Tent of Meeting. I'll meet you there. I'll come down and speak with you. I'll take some of the Spirit that is on you and place it on them; they'll then be able to take some of the load of this people—you won't have to carry the whole thing alone.
18-20 "Tell the people, Consecrate yourselves. Get ready for tomorrow when you're going to eat meat. You've been whining to God, 'We want meat; give us meat. We had a better life in Egypt.' God has heard your whining and he's going to give you meat. You're going to eat meat. And it's not just for a day that you'll eat meat, and not two days, or five or ten or twenty, but for a whole month. You're going to eat meat until it's coming out your nostrils. You're going to be so sick of meat that you'll throw up at the mere mention of it. And here's why: Because you have rejected God who is right here among you, whining to his face, 'Oh, why did we ever have to leave Egypt?'"
21-22 Moses said, "I'm standing here surrounded by 600,000 men on foot and you say, 'I'll give them meat, meat every day for a month.' So where's it coming from? Even if all the flocks and herds were butchered, would that be enough? Even if all the fish in the sea were caught, would that be enough?"
23 God answered Moses, "So, do you think I can't take care of you? You'll see soon enough whether what I say happens for you or not."
Mark 14:1-21 (The Message)
Mark 14
Anointing His Head
1-2 In only two days the eight-day Festival of Passover and
the Feast of Unleavened Bread would begin. The high priests and religion
scholars were looking for a way they could seize Jesus by stealth and kill him.
They agreed that it should not be done during Passover Week. "We don't want the
crowds up in arms," they said.
3-5Jesus was at Bethany, a guest of Simon the Leper. While
he was eating dinner, a woman came up carrying a bottle of very expensive
perfume. Opening the bottle, she poured it on his head. Some of the guests
became furious among themselves. "That's criminal! A sheer waste! This perfume
could have been sold for well over a year's wages and handed out to the poor."
They swelled up in anger, nearly bursting with indignation over her.
6-9But Jesus said, "Let her alone. Why are you giving her a
hard time? She has just done something wonderfully significant for me. You will
have the poor with you every day for the rest of your lives. Whenever you feel
like it, you can do something for them. Not so with me. She did what she could
when she could—she pre-anointed my body for burial. And you can be sure that
wherever in the whole world the Message is preached, what she just did is going
to be talked about admiringly."
10-11Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the cabal
of high priests, determined to betray him. They couldn't believe their ears, and
promised to pay him well. He started looking for just the right moment to hand
him over.
Traitor to the Son of Man
12On the first of the Days of Unleavened Bread, the day
they prepare the Passover sacrifice, his disciples asked him, "Where do you want
us to go and make preparations so you can eat the Passover meal?"
13-15He directed two of his disciples, "Go into the city. A
man carrying a water jug will meet you. Follow him. Ask the owner of whichever
house he enters, 'The Teacher wants to know, Where is my guest room where I can
eat the Passover meal with my disciples?' He will show you a spacious
second-story room, swept and ready. Prepare for us there."
16The disciples left, came to the city, found everything
just as he had told them, and prepared the Passover meal.
17-18After sunset he came with the Twelve. As they were at
the supper table eating, Jesus said, "I have something hard but important to say
to you: One of you is going to hand me over to the conspirators, one who at this
moment is eating with me."
19Stunned, they started asking, one after another, "It
isn't me, is it?"
20-21He said, "It's one of the Twelve, one who eats with me
out of the same bowl. In one sense, it turns out that the Son of Man is entering
into a way of treachery well-marked by the Scriptures—no surprises here. In
another sense, the man who turns him in, turns traitor to the Son of Man—better
never to have been born than do this!"
Psalm 51:1-19 (The Message)
Psalm 51
1-3Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.Scrub away my guilt,
soak out my sins in your laundry.
I know how bad I've been;
my sins are staring me down.
4-6 You're the One I've violated, and you've seen
it all, seen the full extent of my evil.
You have all the facts before you;
whatever you decide about me is fair.
I've been out of step with you for a long time,
in the wrong since before I was born.
What you're after is truth from the inside out.
Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.
7-15 Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean,
scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life.
Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,
set these once-broken bones to dancing.
Don't look too close for blemishes,
give me a clean bill of health.
God, make a fresh start in me,
shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don't throw me out with the trash,
or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
put a fresh wind in my sails!
Give me a job teaching rebels your ways
so the lost can find their way home.
Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,
and I'll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.
Unbutton my lips, dear God;
I'll let loose with your praise.
16-17 Going through the motions doesn't please you,
a flawless performance is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship
when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
don't for a moment escape God's notice.
18-19 Make Zion the place you delight in,
repair Jerusalem's broken-down walls.
Then you'll get real worship from us,
acts of worship small and large,
Including all the bulls
they can heave onto your altar!
Proverbs 10:31-32 (The Message)
31 A good person's mouth is a clear fountain of wisdom;
a foul mouth is a stagnant swamp.
32 The speech of a good person clears the air;
the words of the wicked pollute it.
Verse of the
Day
“Look deep into my heart, God, and find out
everything I am thinking. Don't let me follow evil ways, but lead me in the way
that time has proven true.” - Psalm 139:23-24
Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.
Thought
for the Day
Spanish Catalan surrealist painter, Salvador Dali wrote,
“Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it.”
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