Numbers 18:20-21:9
20 Moreover the Lord said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance in the midst of the children of Israel. 21 Behold, I give the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for their liturgical service, whatever they minister liturgically in the tabernacle of testimony. 22 Hereafter the children of Israel shall not come near the tabernacle of testimony, lest they bear guilt and die. 23 But the Levite himself shall minister liturgically in the tabernacle of testimony, and they shall bear their sins; it shall be an eternal ordinance throughout your generations, that in the midst of the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 24 For the tithes of the children of Israel, whatever they may offer as a choice portion to the Lord, I give to the Levites as an inheritance; therefore I say to them, ‘In the midst of the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’ ”
The Levites’ Tithe
25 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 26 “Speak thus to the Levites and say to them, ‘If you receive from the children of Israel the tithe which I give you from them as your inheritance, then you shall remove from it the Lord’s choice portion, a tenth of the tithe. 27 Now your choice portions shall be reckoned to you as the grain from the threshing floor and as the choice portion of the winepress. 28 Thus you shall then remove the Lord’s choice portions from all your tithes, whatever you might receive from the children of Israel, and you shall give from them the Lord’s choice portion to Aaron the priest. 29 From all your gifts you shall remove the choice portion for the Lord, or from all the firstfruits that which is sanctified from it.’ 30 Therefore you shall say to them, ‘When you remove the firstfruit from it, then all the rest shall be accounted to the Levites as the produce of the threshing floor and as the produce of the winepress. 31 You may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is your reward for your liturgical service in the tabernacle of testimony. 32 Now you shall bear no guilt because of it, for you removed the firstfruit from it. But you shall not defile the holy things of the children of Israel, lest you die.’ ”
Laws Concerning Purification
1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “This is the injunction of the law, whatever the Lord ordered, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel, and let them bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no defect and upon which a yoke has never been placed. 3 You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and he shall take it outside the camp to a clean place, and they shall slaughter it before him; 4 and Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood and sprinkle it seven times directly in front of the tabernacle of testimony. 5 Then it shall be burned in his sight: its hide, its flesh, and its blood with its dung shall be burned. 6 The priest shall then take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and cast them into the midst of the fire burning the red heifer. 7 After this, the priest shall wash his clothes, bathe his body in water, and come into the camp; the priest shall be unclean until evening. 8 Also the one who burns it shall wash his clothes in water, bathe his body in water, and be unclean until evening. 9 Then a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the red heifer and put them away outside the camp in a clean place; and they shall be kept in reserve for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of sprinkling; it is for purification. 10 Then the one who gathers the ashes of the red heifer shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. It shall be an eternal ordinance to the children of Israel and to the resident alien who dwells among them.
11 ‘He who touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days. 12 He shall cleanse himself on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean. 13 Whoever touches the dead body of any person who has died and does not purify himself defiles the tabernacle of the Lord. That soul shall be destroyed from Israel. He shall be unclean, because the water of sprinkling was not sprinkled on him; his uncleanness is still on him.
14 ‘Now this is the law if a man dies in a house: Everyone who comes into the house and whoever is in the house shall be unclean seven days; 15 and every open vessel which has no cover fastened on it is unclean. 16 Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain by a sword or who has died a natural death, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. 17 So for the unclean, they shall take some of the ashes of the burnt offering of purification, put them in a vessel, and pour running water on them. 18 Then a clean man shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the house and upon all the vessels and the souls who were there, and upon the one who touched the human bone, or the one slain by the sword, or the one who died a natural death, or the grave. 19 The clean shall sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, wash his clothes, and bathe in water; and he shall be unclean until evening. 20 But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that soul shall be utterly destroyed from among the congregation, because he defiled the holy things of the Lord, and the water of purification was not sprinkled on him; he is unclean. 21 This shall be an eternal ordinance for you: He who sprinkles the water of purification shall wash his clothes; and he who touches the water of purification shall be unclean until evening; 22 and whatever the unclean one touches shall be unclean; and the soul who touches it shall be unclean until evening.’ ”
Contention at Kadesh
1 Now the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the Desert of Sin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died and was buried there. 2 But there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. 3 So the people scoffed at Moses and spoke, saying, “Would we had died in the destruction of our brethren before the Lord. 4 Why have you brought up the Lord’s congregation into this desert to kill us and our cattle? 5 Why did you also bring us up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place?—a place where nothing is sown, neither figs nor vines nor pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” 6 So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the congregation to the door of the tabernacle of testimony and fell on their faces. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to them.
7 The Lord then spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before them, and it will give its waters; thus you shall bring them water out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” 9 So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as the Lord ordered him. 10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear me, you disobedient ones. Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 Moses then lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their cattle drank. 12 But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to sanctify Me before the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this congregation into the land I am giving them.” 13 This was the Water of Contention, because the children of Israel scoffed before the Lord, and He was sanctified among them.
Rejection at Edom
14 Now Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying, “Thus says your brother Israel, ‘You know all the hardship that befell us, 15 how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers. 16 But we cried out to the Lord; and the Lord heard our voice, and sent His Angel and brought us up out of Egypt; now here we are in Kadesh, a city just outside your borders. 17 Let us pass through your country. We will not pass through fields or vineyards, nor will we drink water from wells; we will go along the King’s Highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we pass through your borders.’ ” 18 Then Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through me, lest I come out against you in war.” 19 So the children of Israel said to him, “We would go along the mountainous area, but if I or my cattle should drink any of your water, I would pay you. But the matter is nothing; let us pass along the mountainous area.” 20 But he replied, “You shall not pass through me.” So Edom came out against him with a heavily armed multitude and with a strong hand. 21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his borders; and Israel turned away from him.
The Death of Aaron
22 So the children of Israel, the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. 23 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor by the borders of the land of Edom, saying, 24 “Let Aaron be added to his people, for he shall not enter the land I am giving to the children of Israel, because you provoked Me at the Water of Controversy. 25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to Mount Hor before all the congregation; 26 and strip Aaron of his robe, and put it on Eleazar his son; and let Aaron die there and be added to his people.” 27 So Moses did as the Lord ordered, and took him up to Mount Hor before all the congregation. 28 Then Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them on Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain, and afterward Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 29 Now all the congregation saw Aaron was dead, and all the house of Israel mourned for Aaron thirty days.
Defeating the Canaanites
1 Now the Canaanite king of Arad, who was dwelling in the desert, heard the news—for Israel came by way of Atharim—therefore, he made war against Israel; and they carried off captives from them as booty. 2 Then Israel made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, I will anathematize him and his cities.” 3 So the Lord listened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites; and they anathematized him and his cities. Therefore, they called the name of that place Anathema.
The Copper Serpent
4 Then they departed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea; and they went around the land of Edom, and the people became discouraged on the way. 5 So the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to kill us in the desert? For there is no bread nor water, and our soul is weary of this worthless bread.” 6 So the Lord sent venomous serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the children of Israel died. 7 Then the people came to Moses, and were saying, “We sinned, for we spoke against the Lord and against you; therefore, pray to the Lord, and let Him take away the serpent from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a serpent for yourself and put it on a signal pole; and it shall be, if a serpent should bite someone, when the one bitten looks at it, he shall live.” 9 So Moses made a copper serpent and put it on a signal pole; and it happened, when a serpent bit anyone, and he looked at the copper serpent, he lived.
Psalm 47
1 A psalm of an ode for the sons of Korah; for the second day of the week.
2 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised
In the city of our God, in His holy mountain,
3 Well-rooted in joy throughout the earth,
The mountains of Zion, the sides of the north,
The city of the great King;
4 God is known in her palaces
When He helps her.
5 For behold, the kings assembled;
They came together;
6 They saw her; thus they marveled;
They were troubled; they were shaken;
7 Trembling laid hold of them;
There were labor pains, like a woman giving birth.
8 You shall wreck the ships of Tarshish with a violent wind.
9 As we heard, so we saw
In the city of the Lord of hosts,
In the city of our God;
God established her forever.
(Pause)
10 We pondered Your mercy, O God,
In the midst of Your temple.
11 According to Your name, O God,
So is Your praise to the ends of the earth;
Your right hand is full of righteousness.
12 Let Mount Zion be glad;
Let the daughters of Judah greatly rejoice
Because of Your judgments, O Lord.
13 Encircle Zion and embrace her;
Describe her towers in detail;
14 Set your hearts on her power
And observe her palaces,
That you may describe them to another generation.
15 For He is God, our God,
Forever and unto ages of ages;
He will shepherd us unto the ages.
Proverbs 9:21–25
21 But he does not know that the inhabitants of the earth perish beside her,
And he happens upon a snare of Hades.
22 But hurry off, do not continue in that place,
Neither set your eye toward her;
23 For so you shall pass through strange water
And cross beyond a strange river;
24 And keep away from strange water,
And do not drink from a strange fountain;
25 That you may live a long time
And add years of life to yourself.
Mark 3:1–19
1 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.
2 So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.
3 And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.”
4 Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent.
5 And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.
6 Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.
A Great Multitude Follows Jesus
7 But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea
8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.
9 So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.
10 For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.
11 And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, “You are the Son of God.”
12 But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.
The Twelve Apostles
13 And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him.
14 Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach,
15 and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:
16 Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter;
17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”;
18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite;19 and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.
Thank you Fr. Alexis for this ministry. It has helped me so much with a better Bible habit. I’ve been with you since last year. God Bless 🙏
Glad we are in it together Christina!
Just now finding this after a friend recommended. Thank you.