Click Here For Today’s Reading
NUMBERS 26:52-28:15 | LUKE 3:1-22 | PSALM 61:1-8 | PROVERBS 11:16-17
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8 “Say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, turn his inheritance over to his daughter. 9 If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 If his father had no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may possess it. This is to be a legal requirement for the Israelites, as the LORD commanded Moses.’”
This was God’s directive to the people on how property and all inheritance ought to be willed to their next of kin.
Next, there is a business-like conversation that God has with Moses wherein Moses is informed that a new leader must be appointed to lead the people into the Promised Land, and Joshua is the one identified for this purpose. Furthermore, God tells Moses that his days are numbered, and Moses accepts this news without argument.
Soon, Joshua is appointed by the laying of hands by Moses before Eleazar, the priest. Following all this, there is a long list of offerings that is presented to Moses to give to the people: a list of every conceivable offering—sin, burnt, drink, daily, monthly, sabbath, you name it. How the people kept track of each and every offering is a small miracle in itself.
Turning next to our reading in the Book of Luke, we see John the Baptist making an entrance onto the scene. He is most likely a young man, thirty years of age (remember, he was a cousin of Jesus, and was born six month before Jesus), but not your ordinary young man by any means. Other texts describe him as a “wild man”, and here, John begins to preach to the people in this way:
“A voice of one calling in the desert,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
5 Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
6 And all mankind will see God’s salvation.’”
And when the people began to wonder if he might be the Messiah, he tells them unequivocally: “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
John is outspoken from the very start, and he does not flinch to tell it like it is, even if it is concerning the ruling Roman governor. He criticizes Herod for shacking up with his brother’s wife, and at this Herod is quick to arrest John and throw him into prison.
But before John is put away, he does baptize one other man—Jesus himself. And on that day, every person who had witnessed this event would have heard these words come out of heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Do you think any person who heard that would have not instantly become a believer?!
Our Psalm for the day is a plaintive one in which David cries out to God. He says:
1 Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
2 From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3 For you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the foe.
4 I long to dwell in your tent forever
and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
Finally, a couple of verses from the Book of Proverbs in which Solomon, wise king of Israel, extols the virtues of kindness:
16 A kindhearted woman gains honor,
but ruthless men gain only wealth.
17 Those who are kind benefit themselves,
but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.
May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word. Amen.
