One Year Bible Challenge, Week 9

Week 9

Feb. 26 to Mar. 4, 2011[1. The notes, summaries and points on this page are intended as bookmarks of important matters which are covered in this week’s readings. They are not intended as complete summaries of readings. Please forgive me if some of my summaries are not 100% on point. Read the manual–i.e. Bible–so that you will get a more clear understanding of the material. Thank you.
–Tom Truex]

This is the “One Year Bible Challenge:” to read the entire Bible in one year. Assuming a normal reading level, this can be done by spending about 10-15 minutes per day, each and every day. It is NOT TOO LATE to join the Challenge! Start with today’s reading and keep reading with us through the end of this year. You’ll have to read a bit more at the beginning of next year to finish. See ReadTheWholeBible.COM for more information. If you would like details so you can join us, or if you have any other questions, please call Tom Truex. Or send an email by using the CONTACT form on K-Line.ORG.

Themes and stories: God gives the Israelites miscellaneous rules for their daily lives. Examples: When you harvest your crops, leave a bit of it in the field for the poor and for foreigners to eat. Don’t steal or defraud others. Don’t make your daughter a prostitute. Don’t turn to mediums or wizards. Etcetera.

God specifies punishments for various sins. The death penalty is specified for sins such as cursing your parents, adultery, incest, and bestiality. Also for variations and combinations of the above.
God gives the priest rules for their conduct and the offerings in the Tabernacle. The standards for animals acceptable for sacrifice are described. Generally, you couldn’t give a sick or damaged animal to God as a sacrifice. God demands only our best.

God spelled out certain seasons and festivals, including Passover, offering of the first fruits, festival of weeks, the day of atonement, and the festival of booths. God described the memorial offering. God does not like when you curse him. The penalty was to be taken outside the camp and stoned to death.

Every seventh year the fields were allowed to rest with no crop. Every 50th year was the Year of Jubilee. Trumpets were sounded to start the celebration. No one could sow or reap during the Jubilee. Ancestral land was returned to everyone, even if it had been sold. Slaves who became slaves to satisfy debt were to be freed. The Year of Jubilee prevented the rich from becoming too rich, and the poor from becoming permanently destitute.

God promised to bless the Israelites if they obey him, and punish them if they disobey Him.

Numbers. God told Moses to take a census. God told him how to report the census and who should assist Moses. The total number of Israelite men, 20 years or older was 603,000. The various tribes of the Israelites camped according to the families of their ancestors. The Levites were designated to assist Aaron as priest. God directed that Moses take another census of Levites whose age was a month or more. The number was 22,000. God directed a census of all firstborn males of the Israelites. The total was found to be 22,273. There were 273 more firstborn than Levites. Moses had to pay money to Aaron and his sons to redeem the 273 by which the firstborns exceeded the Levites.

Discussion points: What is the Year of Jubilee? How does it work, and what is the point of it?
Psalms: Psalm 42:1-47:9
Proverbs: Proverbs 10:17-25

Themes and stories: The Pharisees wanted to argue with Jesus. They asked him for a sign. Jesus told them there’d be no sign. Other than, of course, curing the lame, the blind, the sick; bringing the dead back to life; and being crucified and resurrected on the third day.

Jesus restored sight to a blind man. Peter realized that Jesus was the Messiah, but Jesus asked him to keep this information to himself. Jesus told his followers he would be killed. His followers did not want to hear this kind of talk.

Jesus climbed a high mountain with Peter, James and John. Jesus clothes became a dazzling white. Elijah and Moses appeared to them and spoke to Jesus.

Jesus healed a demon possessed boy. The disciples had been unsuccessful with this boy. Jesus told them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” Mark 9:29 (RSV).

The disciples argued about which one of them would be the greatest. Jesus told them that if they want to be first, they must be a servant to all.

John told someone who was not part of their group to stop casting out demons in Jesus’ name. Jesus told them it was fine for anyone who wished to follow him, to cast out demons in his name.
Jesus used strong words in speaking about temptation. He said it is better to gouge out your own eye, if that eye causes you to stumble—it is better to enter heaven with one eye, than be cast into Hell with two eyes.

Jesus spoke against divorce. When a man and woman are married they become one flesh.
Jesus blesses the little children. He told a rich man not to put his possessions ahead of God. The man was sad when Jesus told him to sell all of his possessions, and give the money to the poor.

Jesus predicted his death a third and final time. He also taught about serving. Jesus lead by example. Jesus himself came to serve others. Even to the point of sacrificing his life as “a ransom for many.”

Jesus healed a blind beggar. He entered Jerusalem riding on the back of a donkey. The crowds spread their clothes and palm branches on the road ahead of him. Palm Sunday. They shouted, “[9] …Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! [10] Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming! Hosanna in the highest!” Mark 11:9-10 (RSV).

Jesus was angry with the moneychangers and people selling doves for sacrificing in the Temple. They were cheating the people who came to the Temple to honor God. Jesus overturned their tables and drove them out of the Temple, telling them, “Is it not written, `My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” Strong actions. Strong words. Too strong for the religious leaders. They wanted to kill Jesus.

Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem. When they returned, the religious leaders challenged Jesus authority. They asked Jesus where he got the authority for the things he said and did. Jesus responded with a question of his own. Did the baptism of John come from heaven or humans. They couldn’t answer him, because if they said “from heaven,” they’d be in trouble because they did not believe in him. But if they said “from humans,” the people would be angry because they belived that John was a prophet. They said they didn’t know, so Jesus refused to answer their question, about his authority, as well.

Jesus told a parable about some tenants who rented a landlord’s vineyard. When the landlord sent a slave to collect the rent, the tenants beat him. They did the same to the second slave the landlord sent. The tenants killed the third slave. Finally the landlord sent his own son to collect the rent. The tenants killed the son too. The landlord will kill the tenants and rent the fields to others.

The religious leaders tried to trick Jesus by asking him if they should pay taxes. They thought he would either anger the Romans, who demanded payment of taxes; or the Jews, who didn’t want to pay taxes. Jesus noted that Ceasar’s image was on the coin. Jesus told them, “Render to Ceasar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Discussion points: Why did Jesus lay his hands on the blind man twice, in order to heal him?

• Does God permit (or approve of) slavery? (Leviticus 25:44)
• Why did God tell Moses to take a census? Was their census like our modern census? (Numbers 1:2-15)
• What is the meaning of the parable about the landlord and tenants of the vineyard? (Mark 12:1-12)
• Why did the Pharisees demand a sign from heaven? (Mark 8:11) Why did Jesus decline.
• What is the significance of the transfiguration? (Mark 9:3-8)
• Are Christians allowed to divorce? (Mark 10:3-9)

The discussion notes ( PDF / TEXT ) for breakfast on Saturday, March 5, 2011 are now online — ”Jubilant”. One of our discussion points this week is the Year of Jubilee. It is an odd concept, by modern standards. Yet the idea does have a present day counterpart. Discussion verses: Leviticus 25:8-34 and Mark 8:22-26.This week’s BACKGROUND is The Book of Numbers.

A women’s study group meets in Davie, FL on the 2nd Friday morning of the month. Contact Janet Truex, or use the Contact tab at CONTACT form on ReadTheWholeBible.COM.