Lead:

Why did Moses and Aaron not get to enter the Promised Land? Today you learn why.

Intro:

Hey, welcome to a new week. Hope your weekend was a good one!

As we kick off, you’ve got to know this: this week’s going to be a good one if you like straight-up Bible reading that covers a lot of territory. The truth is, Bible reading plans, including the one we’re using this year, often tackle longer chunks of the Old Testament in a way that’s not always amenable to a podcast or radio format that tries to target a specific duration of time.

That said, today’s show has some of the background and big picture commentary I was going to do until I realized that most days this week are going to be straining the time limit I give myself — I shoot for 25 min and reeeally try to not go longer than 27 or 28, and even that only occasionally. This week’s going to put to that longer boundary multiple times. If you want the extra notes, go to forthehope.org and use search for #1041.

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Not included in podcast:

Today we’ll be doing a bit of big-picture review so we catch a bit of how today’s texts fit in the the over-arching narrative of the Bible which, of course, is a unified whole. We’ll wrap up Colossians today, and I’ll tackle that when we get to the New Testament segment, so let’s zoom out on our Old Testament bit for a moment.

You’ve heard me mention a couple times that after the Israelites left Egypt, there’s a repeating theme of parking it and receiving clarification on the law, and there are periods of travel in between. The first lawgiving segment started back in Exodus at the foot of Mount Sinai where they received the ten commandments, continued through Leviticus, and ended in Numbers 10. Then they journey from Sinai to Kadesh, park it again for forty years, and today we’ll catch the end of that lawgiving segment and embark on the journey from Kadesh to the plains of Moab.

Now here’s the big takeaway: Even as Numbers supports the overarching themes in the Pentateuch such as Moses’ unique role as mediator between God and Israel and his character — including his human failings, even today it’s a good reminder of that God’s heart is for us, He knows what’s best for us, and there are consequences both good and bad in our own relationship with him. We may not be facing overwhelming physical foes and having to trust God to guide and deliver, but we do face that spiritually every day, including the need to keep our eyes on — and trust in — His ultimate promise.

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Old covenant:

Passage: Numbers 19-21
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 86
Words: ~2067

Wisdom

Passage:
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses:
Words:

New covenant:

Passage: Colossians 3:18-4
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 27
Words: ~557

Passage: Luke 1:1-38
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 38
Words: ~812

Commentary:

Let’s put today’s latter 1/3 of Colossians in context. Remember that Paul’s writing to refute false teaching in the church…and part of doing that is helping Jesus-followers recognizing the real thing from counterfeits. Jesus is pre-eminent over all creation and the fulfillment of Jewish expectation, and God works through him to secure redemption and reconciliation for all who put their faith in him and him alone. Consequently, we’re called to participate in a relationship of solidarity with him in the one and only means of salvation, the gospel — his sinless life, atoning death, bodily resurrection and ascension — including our own relationship with God and others by cultivating right virtue and getting rid of our old junk.

Love you!

-R

ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible & conversational apologetics speaking and teaching ministry. We’ve got a passion for keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.

Sources and resources:

#1041: Numbers 19-21 | Colossians 3:18-4 | Luke 1:1-38