Are you going through some difficulty? Are the things of this world pressing in? Do you feel like God isn’t even listening? Meditate on today’s reading in Psalm 30 … joy will come!
Also, read about the mouth of the righteous and the words of the perverse. And from our New Testament reading, how even the disciples struggled to understand some of the things Jesus taught them.
Welcome, to “God’s Word Day by Day.” This year I’ve added a couple of new features. First, check out the “Free Resources” tab at the top. You’ll find a downloadable, printable PDF with “Going Deeper Study Questions” for each day’s post and a list of all the Bible readings so you can check them off as you go. You’ll also find the daily posts on YouTube. The daily emails now have a link to both these Soul Survival posts and the YouTube videos. If you’re not already signed up, you can do it here.
Today’s Readings:
Numbers 3 & 4
Psalm 30.1-7
Proverbs 10.30-32
Mark 8.1-21
Joy Will Come!
Psalm 30.1-7:
Our Light Affliction
For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning (v. 5).
John MacArthur calls this verse “… one of the most worshipful testimonies from the Scriptures.”
In John 16.20-22, Jesus said:
Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.
Sometimes life can be difficult, but this world is not our home and this life is short in comparison to eternity. Jesus is coming back for us and someday we will spend eternity ruling and reigning with Him. Paul said:
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory (2 Cor. 4.17).
Faith allowed Paul to weigh the sufferings of this present life against the glories of eternity and declare that, in comparison, the troubles of this world are light.
We, too, can count it all joy when we encounter various trials knowing that the testing of our faith produces endurance and that endurance produces spiritual maturity (Jas. 1.2-4). Then like Paul, we’ll be able to look back and say “our light affliction” was only for a moment because we no longer remember the anguish, for the joy!
Today’s Other Readings:
Numbers 3 & 4:
Numbers
I guess there’s no doubt about why this book is called “Numbers”! It can be hard reading some of these sections. This is one reason why it’s good to read through the Old and New Testaments, Psalms, and Proverbs simultaneously, so you don’t get bogged down.
Even so, we need to remember that “all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3.16). All of God’s Word was written for His divine purposes and we should read it with an open heart, asking God to reveal Himself to us.
Redeemed
In Exodus 13 after God had delivered the people from Egyptian bondage He told Moses:
¹ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.”
But here In Numbers 3, God commanded Moses to set aside the tribe of Levi in place of the firstborn in each family.
This was to be so precise that each group was counted and the additional firstborn males had to be redeemed, bought back from God.
Jesus, who paid the price for our redemption, did so completely, as well. But He paid the price with something much more precious than silver or gold. He paid with His precious blood.
Proverbs 10.30-32:
What Comes Out of Your Mouth?
The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut out. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked what is perverse (vv. 31-32).
The mouth is where sin often shows up most quickly and most obviously. Let’s pray that God would help us hide His Word in our hearts (Ps. 119.11) and that wisdom would come out of our mouths and not what is perverse.
Mark 8.1-21:
The Leaven of the Pharisees
After the countless miracles Jesus had performed, the religious leaders still refused to see and demanded even greater miracles. Verses 11-18:
11 Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. 12 But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.”
13 And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. 14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. 15 Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have no bread.” 17 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? 18 Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?
At times it must have seemed like even His disciples were never going to “get it”! But Matthew 16.12 tells us they did:
Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
So there’s hope for us, as well.
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about the adultery test, the sovereignty of God, that we have only two real choices, the seriousness of complaining, that hell is real and time is short, and how the sins of our parents and grandparents affect us.
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss them.
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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