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The Bible Recap Deep Dive
Week 10 (Days 064-070): Were the Israelites making sacrifices 24/7?
00:35:12
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- [00:00]
A
Foreign. Hey, Bible readers, welcome to TBR Deep Dive. I'm Emma Daughter.
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B
I'm Kirsten McCloskey.
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A
And we are so excited to answer some great questions from this week's reading. The first comes from day 64, specifically from numbers 23 3, which reads, and Balaam said to Balak, and stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet me. And whatever he shows me, I will tell you. And he went to a bare height. So the question, does Balaam actually know Yahweh? Why are there so many chapters about his cursing and blessing Israel?
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B
Yeah. So, short answer to the first part of the question. Balaam probably doesn't know Yahweh the way that we think about knowing Yahweh, but we can't say for sure. So it's not overtly clear within the text. But what we do know is that Balaam is interacting with Yahweh. Balaam has some idea about Yahweh as a God. Whether he thinks of him as the Lord of lords and the God of all gods, you know, that is probably not how he's thinking of Yahweh, but he's interacting with Yahweh and he, the Lord tells him these oracles and gives him the words to speak. So there is definitely some sort of interaction happening between.
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A
Sure, yeah. He knows about Yahweh, but he doesn't belong to him. He uses God's name, he hears God's word and even prophesies accurately.
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B
Right.
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A
But scripture consistently over and over again presents him as corrupt. Other books that reference him call him a sorcerer. Joshua 13, greedy, second Peter 2, immoral revelation to and someone who leads Israel into sin. Numbers 31. So he's spiritually gifted in one sense, but also spiritually lost. So it's. This is not the same. When we talk about knowing God or being gifted today as believers. That's very different than what we're seeing here with Balaam.
- [02:17]
B
Yes, exactly. And Balaam was only ever allowed to bless Israel. So we see that he was being paid to curse Israel, but he's only allowed to bless Israel by Yahweh. And that is exactly what he ended up doing. So overall, in this whole situation, God is the one who is in control. Even though it seems like Balaam is kind of trying to use God in some way, but God is definitely the one that's in control with this idea of kind of Balaam maybe is considered a wicked prophet. So you were saying other places where he's not spoken of so highly. So he's a wicked prophet in the sense that he heard from God and he spoke God's words of blessing. So he is a prophet, but his heart wasn't right before.
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A
The Lord did not love God. He did not love God, which shows us that God can use anyone, even unwilling, ungodly people. God can use them to accomplish his purposes because he is in control of all things, even those who don't love him back. And so these things, three chapters, numbers 22 through 24, they zoom in on Balaam because Israel doesn't know they're potentially in danger.
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B
Yes.
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A
Israel doesn't have a clue what's going on. So as the reader, we're getting a unique insight that at the moment these events were unfolding, they probably didn't know. Yeah.
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B
And it is kind of fun if you're again thinking about reading this story of being like, oh, no, Israel is in jeopardy. Like this nation, they're getting close to
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A
returning to the land. They're almost back.
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B
Right. And maybe something bad is gonna happen to them. But I. One of the cool takeaways from this story is, and kind of this section of numbers is that God is going to bless Israel. And I think with the question, the part of it that said, why are there so many chapters about this? I think that is really one of the key takeaways is that God has already established that he is going to bless this nation.
- [04:21]
A
That's right.
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B
And we see that even though a king pays Balaam to curse them, he literally cannot do it. He opens his mouth and all that comes out is blessing. So it's impossible for him to say anything but blessing for these people. And so it's just God's protection, His sovereignty over the situation. It's really cool.
- [04:43]
A
Well, and it's that the spotlight isn't actually then on Balaam's power. It's on God's faithfulness, God's power, God's plan. Yeah, yeah. So Balaam's oracles, they do become some major theological moments in the Old Testament. They're not throwaway lines. So it's not three chapters where this guy who's wicked is getting off course and God's like, let me redirect you. And that's it. There's some really clear prophecies about the Messiah embedded in these, which we'll talk about a little bit more as we progress through this episode, but simply to kind of give a little preview, if that's all right. Numbers 24:17 tells us about the star in the scepter rising from Israel. And that's pointing forward to Israel's king ultimately fulfilled in Jesus. And God uses a wicked prophet to give one of the most famous messianic prophecies, prophecies about Jesus. And only God can write a story like that. Yeah, I mean, he's using this crazy guy to. Right. To do this.
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B
Right. Yeah, with the donkey. The whole story is very. Yeah, it's very unique and fun, but I think it's just nothing is gonna stand in the way of the plan that God has for his people. This wicked prophet can't curse them. It doesn't matter where Balaam stands. You know, he like, goes to the different places. Maybe I could curse him over here. Doesn't matter where he stands, how much money he's being paid. God is sovereign. And God says to Balaam, you're gonna bless my people. And so Balaam does. And I think this is where this whole story and all the details that the author included can really be encouraging to us as readers. It' reminder that God has the final say in your life. Think about this. Israel's enemies hated them so much that they paid someone to curse Israel.
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A
Yeah.
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B
And this enemy was powerful, persistent, but in the end, it amounted to nothing. It only flipped. It was blessing instead. The enemy, kings, time, effort, and money, it was all wasted and on an eternal scale. That's true for us too, as God's kids. Nothing your enemy has ever said about you or to you. None of those words get to win God and his word for your life, his purposes for your life. That's what gets to win.
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A
That's right.
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B
That's cool.
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A
So cool. You ready for the next question?
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B
Yeah, let's go ahead and do it. So next question comes from day 64, specifically numbers 2417. And so we're still in this realm with Balaam's prophecies. So the question is, I have some questions about Balaam's prophecies. What is a scepter and why would one one come out of Israel? And what is the star that would come out of Jacob? So this is from numbers 2417, which says, a star will come out of Jacob, a scepter will rise out of Israel, he will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the people of Sheth.
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A
Great, I love this question. Yeah, this is one of my favorite verses in the Bible.
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B
Wow, that's awesome.
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A
Jacob and Israel are two names for the same people group. Israel reminding us of God's covenant faithfulness ultimately to this family that becomes a Nation God renamed Jacob Israel in Genesis 32:28. So when Balaam says a star will come out of Jacob and a scepter will rise out of Israel, he's getting a little fancy with his prophetic words here. And he's using parallel poetry to reinforce this one singular idea, even though he uses two names. It's that God's promised king will come from God's covenant family. God renamed this family, and God set this family apart. And the king is coming from this family. Yeah, that's the point of the two names. Okay, that's awesome. Emphasizing this truth. So this line is the same family God promised would be a blessing to the nations. Back in Genesis 12, the same family or people God rescued from Egypt, the same tribe Judah, that God promised would carry the kingly line at the end of Genesis. So these are the main people in the prophecy, but let's talk about the images, the scepter and the star.
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B
Okay, cool. So let's start with the. The star. So stars are sometimes used metaphorically for kings. And we see this actually in a few other places in Scripture. So in Isaiah 14:12, the king of Babylon is referred to as the day star. And then in Revelation 22:16, Jesus is referred to as the morning star.
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A
Yeah. And also with the star, we can see it as a symbol of a coming deliverer, specifically a royal one. So a king who brings light or victory. And we can see this in Isaiah 14 in Matthew too, pointing to Jesus, obviously. But here we see it more in the kingly sense. And I. I think what's interesting is that Balaam is seeing him far off, not fully near, but certain. And this king will crush the enemies of God's people. Like, when you read the last part of the verse, I was like, oh, that's. That's intense.
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B
Yeah.
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A
But the language is echoing Genesis 3:15, when God says that this victorious child was. Will crush the head of the serpent. So it's very. Yes. Anticipating David's victories, but ultimately pointing beyond David.
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B
Yes, David being the. The. The king, kind of best king of Israel. Okay, cool. Yeah. So then with the scepter. So a scepter is a staff or a rod that's generally decorated or in some way ornamental, and it's a symbol of authority and sovereignty. So the scepter language, for further highlights, that this is talking about a king because a scepter was part of that royal insignia, or basically it was a distinguishing mark of the royalty and the kingship of that ruler.
- [10:48]
A
So ultimately, what do these star and scepters point to. Well, Balaam's prophecy finally points to Jesus very clearly and ultimately as the true and final king from Israel and ultimately more specifically from Judah. David fulfilled this prophecy in part, whereas Jesus fulfills it perfectly. He is the star that the Magi came searching for in Matthew. He is the king that descended from Judah. He is the final victorious ruler whose scepter is eternal. Hebrews 1.
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B
Yeah.
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A
And he is the one who will ultimately defeat all of God's enemies.
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B
Right. And I think that's what's so interesting in this story is because again, the enemies are paying Balaam to curse this people. And God is like, no, no, no,
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A
no, someone is coming.
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B
Yeah, someone is coming that my people, Israel, can look forward to this king, this ruler who is going to deal with all of the enemies once and for all. And so it's just, again, just such a point to God's sovereignty. And even, I think, just these awesome glimpses we get to see of God's plan in Jesus all the way.
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A
Totally.
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B
All the way back at the beginning of this nation, as they're wandering about in the wilderness, they are getting this prophecy about Jesus.
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A
Yeah.
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B
So cool.
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A
At my church, we teach the kids in kids ministry, we say that the Bible is one big true story made up of a bunch of smaller stories that all point to God's rescue plan through Jesus. Yes, the one true king. And so I love that reminder. Like one big story. It all points to Jesus, but a lot of stories, a lot of smaller stories in between. But even the smaller stories like Balaam, point to Jesus. So here in summary, we see this unwilling prophet ends up giving one of the clearest royal messianic prophecies in the whole Torah.
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B
Yeah.
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A
And God's showing Israel that their hope isn't in sorcerers or kings or alliances, but in the promised king who will rise from their own line, from their family and rule forever. He can be trusted and he's the king our hearts. My heart was made to follow.
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B
Yeah. So cool. Awesome.
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A
You ready for the next one?
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B
Yes.
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A
This next question comes from day 66, numbers chapters 28 and 29. And the question reads, were the Israelites just sacrificing constantly? I'm trying to picture how much their lives lives were centered around sacrifices and worship. So what's. What's going on in these chapters? A brief summary for you. Numbers 28 and 29 lays out Israel's regular systems for sacrifices and offerings, specifically offerings. So daily, weekly, monthly, annual, etc. I guess there's nothing beyond annual, daily, weekly Monthly annual showing, showing a worship rhythm that would order the entire year around God's presence. So God specifies sacrifices for the daily burnt offerings, the Sabbath, the moon, festivals in all the other major festivals, Passover, unleavened bread, first fruits, weeks, trumpets, day of atonement, feast of booths, all those. And these detailed instructions remind Israel that every day, every season, and every celebration belong to the Lord.
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B
Yeah.
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A
An ongoing sacrifice was necessary for a life with God. So I think the question is like, hey, what did this look like? How often were they actually making these sacrifices?
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B
Exactly. Yeah. And I think. I think it's safe to say that if. If the Israelites were following the Lord faithfully, their lives would have been centered around the tabernacle for the sacrifices and for celebrating these feasts. Because worship was commanded to be a part of their ordinary lives. This was the way that God was instructing them. This was how they were supposed to live.
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A
Totally.
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B
So especially when they were in the wilderness with the tabernacle.
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A
Yeah. Their entire calendar revolved around worship because if they want to be in a relationship with God, they needed to be cleansing themselves of sin. So we see this rhythm of daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and it's really a structure about sacrifice and remembrance. Worship wasn't an add on. It was the organizing center of their lives.
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B
Right, exactly. And I think also when I'm thinking about them being in the wilderness with the tabernacle, there would have been incredible proximity to this place of worship, which obviously would change a little bit as they get into the promise promised land as the different tribes settle. It would have been, you know, more of an event to make it to the temple or wherever the tabernacle was before they had the temple. So. But I think in this context where we're at, it would have. I mean, I picture some Israelites walking out of their tent and there they
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are with the tabernacle.
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B
I think that's so fun. And so God was teaching them at this time, like, this is how you're supposed to worship me. So you've got the priests who have daily responsibilities at the tabernacle, but then you also have your average Joe Israelite. Your average Joe.
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A
I know.
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I wasn't gonna say Joe. Cause I was trying to think of a name that sounded Hebrew.
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Your average Benjamin.
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Exactly. You got your average Benjamin who would be going to the tabernacle. And so it would be, okay, I unintentionally sinned yesterday, I need to bring my sacrifice. Or they would go. If they wanted to make a vow or if they wanted to Present some other kind of offering, a peace offering, a fellowship offering. So I think that it would be a busy place if the Israelites were faithfully following the Lord's commands for their sacrifices. And I say if because there are tons of times throughout the rest of Israel's history where we know that they're really not following God's law.
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A
Sure.
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B
So I think that that's kind of a reality, too. Yeah.
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A
Well, and that's part of why it was important, because they lived with a constant visual reminder that sin is real, God is holy, and we need a substitute every single day. Like, we need help every day because we stand before a holy God. So it kept them aware of their need and God's provision.
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B
Yeah. If I'm. You know, I've got my if of like, if they were following faithfully, but I would say when they were following faithfully, I don't know how often someone would be sacrificing. I'm not really sure if we have kind of spots where we see that. We know that obviously the priests have their duties at the tabernacle, so they're there. And there would be a number of different people coming to bring their sacrifice. But, you know, would your average Benjamin Israelite be coming every single day? Probably not. That would be my thought. But I don't know.
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A
There's a priest, definitely.
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B
Yes, exactly. So there's, like, there's a lot going
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A
on, and we know that there is a decay. I mean, as we work through the Old Testament, we're gonna see this. Israel's gonna get more and more lax when it comes to doing things God's way. And the frequency of these sacrifices is definitely going to decrease as we work through the story.
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B
Right. And even we see that they are not celebrating the feasts anymore either.
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So.
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B
Yeah. So I feel like if you've got a good example of a good year where people are really faithfully following Yahweh, I don't know how much people are coming to sacrifice in the sense of maybe a daily. Yeah.
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A
And it probably varied. Family, immediate family to immediate family. Yeah.
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B
So it's just speculation. We're not really sure. But I think really the point is that it was meant to be this hub and this place. Yeah.
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A
It's good.
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B
Yep.
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A
I think all of the repetition. So whether every single average Benjamin was going every single day or three times a week or five times a week, or two times a week or one time a week or however. Well, the average Benjamin did.
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B
Yes.
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A
Did what God wanted.
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B
Yeah.
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A
All of the repetition prepares Us for Jesus, the final sacrifice, the true center of our lives, as Hebrews shows us, or really says that the Old Testament is. Or the Old Covenant. Excuse me. The sacrificial system was a shadow of the good things to come. Shadow. A preview of what was coming. That the endless cycle of sacrifices showed that sin was never fully dealt with until Jesus offered himself once and for all. And so their constant sacrifices, I mean, they just elevate or point to or highlight Christ's complete and ultimate sacrifice. Their whole life revolves around worship at the tabernacle. Our whole lives should revolve around the Savior who fulfills it.
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B
All right, let's move on to our next question. Numbers 33, 1, 49. I will read all 49 verses. Just kidding.
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A
Can you imagine this episode's three hours long? People are like, wow, what did they talk about?
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B
Don't worry, we'll summarize. But let me read the question, then we'll summarize here. So why would Moses list out the Israelites journey again? What's the point of that repetition? Wouldn't the people reading this book already know their history? And so just a little summary of what Moses does in this part of the chapter. So he provides basically this travelogue. It's a travel writing thing for Moses. He's reviewing his journal and he's taking note of Israel's journey from Egypt to the plains of Moab. He's listing the campsites that they stayed at. He's recording every stage to remind the nation how faithfully God led, protected, disciplined, sustained them through their journey in the wilderness. And this long itinerary isn't just geography. It's a testimony of God's steady, consistent presence over 40 years, preparing Israel to finally enter the promised land.
- [20:47]
A
So why does he retell this story right?
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B
Do you think that he just was feeling a little nostalgic? He was feeling sentimental? He took out his parchments.
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A
Who can say?
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B
I'm into him reading his diary. Go ahead.
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A
I think he retells the journey to remind Israel that God was faithful at every step. Even those moments they wanted to forget.
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B
Yes.
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A
Faithful through the loneliness when they were
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B
not doing so well.
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A
Yeah. So it's like. It's like he's got the receipts like this. Every campsite is a receipt of God's presence, his provision, his protection. Listing each place is Moses saying, look back, God was with you the whole way. It's a snapshot. And sometimes God commands repetition, so the truth sinks in even deeper, or so we don't forget it. And if we know anything about Israel, they were prone to forgetting.
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B
Yes, well, and that was one of the things that I was thinking about with this question is that God is so big on remembering. That is such a key theme in the Old Testament, and I mean for us as well, in the New Testament as well. But God is reminding his people to remember their history, to remember what he's done, remember where they came from, and to do this over and over again. So this is a small snapshot for Israel.
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A
This is a brief reminder, right?
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B
This is a brief reminder. And it hasn't been that long, but he's. I'm thinking, setting this up as kind of a way of, you need to reflect so that then you will continue faithfully moving forward with it, because we
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A
also have to remember that this is the new generation. So the old generation who refused to obey God and enter the promised land has died off, wandering in the wilderness. And now at this point in the story, the new generation is kind of rising up. They're coming into their own. And so the repetition is saying, hey, you young ones, you new newbies, don't do what your parents did. Don't repeat their mistakes. Remember, while you've spent all of your childhood wandering through the wilderness because of these. These mistakes. So most of the people who'd be standing on the edge of the Promised Land weren't alive for the Red Sea or the giving of the law at Mount Sinai, or if they were, they were probably very young. And so this repetition also may not have been boring to them. It may have been pretty formational in understanding their family's history. And God wanted their identity to be shaped by his story, not their parents. Failure. Yes. So this idea that God was with us, with them, is also saying, hey, to enter the future, this future home, and be faithful, you need to know your past clearly. And it's not just, hey, you had parents who fell short and messed up. I've been in control, taking care of you the whole time. And I will continue to be with my people to an extent as we journey through the Old Testament, we'll see what happens. But he was like, hey, I want you to know that, yes, people mess up. People will continue to mess up. But I have been with you this whole time.
- [23:59]
B
And. And it's only because of God that they're even in the place that they are, you know? And so I think it's. It's going back over the main themes and those main stories in Exodus and Numbers, going all the way back to Egypt, where Israel was enslaved and God delivered them, so they're remembering where they started.
- [24:22]
A
Yes.
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B
And I think that's really important, too.
- [24:25]
A
It's Moses anchoring Israel's hope in what God had already done before they step into what God will do or what is God going to do. Yeah.
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B
To encourage them, to give them hope for the future.
- [24:36]
A
God led them, God fed them, God protected them. God even disciplined them. And if he was faithful then, of course he'd be faithful now. And so this repetition is becoming a reminder of God's history with his people, revealing God's heart. And we often forget God's heart. We forget his character, and we have to be reminded of what he truly is. Like.
- [24:59]
B
Yep. Yeah. And I was thinking about it just surely was helping them to trust God. It was helping them to trust his ways as they got ready to go into the promised Land. Like what you were saying. And I wonder if it's even was kind of Moses plea or encouragement, like, be faithful in the Promised land, you Israelites, because God has been with you. He will keep being with you. And he is faithful. And he's the reason that we're even standing here today, you know, So I think it's such a good reminder to spend some amount of time in reflection remembering the things that God has done. Whether it's like you do it at a birthday or you do it at the end of the year or the beginning of the year or something like that. But I think kind of doing some of those, like, you could do your own spiritual journey through that year or through, you know, a couple months, just to reflect and look at what God has done and how he's been faithful in your life.
- [25:57]
A
I love it. Let's jump to the next question. This one comes from day 70, Deuteronomy chapters one and two. And the question reads, when I read stories that are familiar, I sometimes find it hard to learn new things. What are some additional practical ways I can take my study deeper? And to recap, Deuteronomy 1 and 2, Moses was recounting the history of Israel from Mount Sinai to the Promised Land, highlighting rebellion, God's judgment, his guidance, all the things. Yeah, it's very.
- [26:29]
B
A moment where they would know what he's talking about. They would have already known these stories, but.
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A
And those journeying through TBR would have just read all of these stories.
- [26:40]
B
Yes. Yeah, very true. Right? Exactly. Yep. Okay, so I think one awesome way to start would be pray and ask God to give you a deeper and more profound understanding of His Word. Like that is a prayer that God really, really wants to answer. You know, he wants us to know him. He wants us to be in his Word, interacting with him. And so when we're recognizing that God's Word is living and active, we can make our reading more relational. It makes our reading more relational. And so I think just when you're coming to your reading or your study, whatever you're doing, having that moment where you recognize this is a relational God who wants to speak to me in his Word and wants to show me new things about himself or deepen my understanding. And so God, I'm asking you to do that for me. Yeah. So I think, like, you can even talk to God about what you're reading. Like, God, I've heard this story a million times.
- [27:43]
A
Or yeah, we can be honest with God. Right.
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B
Like, I've read this before or I'm today, I'm just not feeling it, you know, But I want to go deeper. I love what it says in Psalm 119, 18. It says, Open my eyes so I can truly see marvelous things in your law. And that, I think, is a really powerful prayer.
- [28:03]
A
Totally. If you follow TBR on the Bible app every day, there's the tab that says five prayers under the devotional tab. And you can click on these or choose to look at these before you start the chapters. And they're really helpful for situations like this. But in case you, you don't do TBR with the Bible app, maybe the phone is distracting. Here, I'm going to give them to you. So here are the five prayers. The first one is, God, give me wisdom, knowledge and understanding. The second, let any knowledge I gain help me love you and others more and not puff me up. Help me see something new about you that I've never seen before that's so applicable to this question. The fourth correct any lies I believe about you or anything I misunderstand. Sometimes we think we know, but we're actually off base. And then lastly, direct my steps according to your word. Asking God to give you wisdom and knowledge and understanding and asking God to teach you something new are great ways to prep your heart before you read the scriptures that you're already familiar with. And they put you in a posture of humility.
- [29:14]
B
Yes.
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A
Because by praying those prayers, I'm recognizing I don't know everything. I can't see everything. I know this feels mundane or like I've read it a million times, but there might be something I don't know.
- [29:27]
B
Yeah. And I think that that recognition of God. Correct any area in me where I'm off about you, about your word, about your world, about your story, how it goes. I think that can be such a powerful thing, too, especially if we've gotten to this place where we feel like we kind of get the stories, you know, like, that's where we want to be saying, okay, I know there's no way that I've mastered this, Lord, so help me.
- [29:55]
A
Help me. Yeah. Some other things we can do when familiar passages seem to slow us down is ask more questions or elevate our questions. So you could try things like. Like, what does this teach me about God's character? What does this show me about the human heart? See how many details you could list for each of those.
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B
Yeah.
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A
Asking where is Jesus foreshadowed? Oh, that's reading. Or why did the author include this detail? Yep. Great Bible study is always going to start with great questions. So if it's not feeling great, the questions might need an upgrade.
- [30:27]
B
Yeah. And I had a few other questions along those same lines, but like, why is this story here? What's the author doing by saying it this way or putting it in this context? And also, I think another really helpful question, especially as we're going through the whole story of Scripture, is where does this fit in the bigger story? So the bigger story maybe of what God is doing in Israel at the time, what God is doing in, you know, the New Testament, or what God is doing in the church, or what God is doing in the world, kind of. You can zoom out in that way.
- [31:03]
A
Love it.
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B
Yeah. I think another thing, too, is commentaries are a great way to go deeper.
- [31:09]
A
Absolutely.
- [31:10]
B
They are so helpful, and they can bring clarity to places where there's confusion. And they can also just kind of inspire you to look at the book or the story a little bit differently. So you could get one that would be, like, specifically for numbers, when we're in numbers, or Deuteronomy, or you can get one that would cover maybe more of the Old Testament, the New Testament, or do the whole thing. So that would be a great way to bring some variety.
- [31:35]
A
Yeah. Another way to bring variety, speaking of, is to change your method. So if you normally read quickly, what if you diagram each sentence or copy it out in a journal?
- [31:45]
B
Oh, that gave me stress in my soul.
- [31:49]
A
If you normally, if you're not like,
- [31:51]
B
Emma, please don't feel like you have to diagram a sentence.
- [31:55]
A
You don't have to. You don't have to. If you normally underline what if you write a summary for each paragraph so you're writing less stress, less stressful. If you normally read quietly, try reading aloud or listen to the audio version in the Bible app, or try a different translation, a different version of scripture. Different tools can expose different treasures.
- [32:15]
B
Yep, exactly. And another one that I was gonna suggest is something called the lectio divina, which basically means divine reading. And this is an ancient Christian practice where you pick a smaller passage of scripture and you read it slowly multiple times, and you notice certain words or phrases that stand out to you, and then you meditate or you reflect on those words or phrases, and you kind of let them roll around in your mind, and you chew on them a little bit, and then you respond with prayer based on those words or phrases. And so I think in a very different way, you're talking. The diagramming sentences feels much more like kind of this intense study. And so that can be a great thing for someone. And also kind of in a very different way, this could also be helpful to kind of maybe lighten it up a little bit while going. While letting yourself really think deeply about a smaller passage of scripture.
- [33:17]
A
Yeah. Or even being more sensitive to the spirit.
- [33:19]
B
Yes, exactly. This one is much more about kind of like contemplation of recognizing God loves me. God is here with me as I'm reading this passage of scripture. He has something to say to me in it, and it might just be one little nugget of one word, you know?
- [33:36]
A
So the last thing I'd say on this, when it comes to what do I do when the story's familiar, don't rush to the application. Don't rush to the heart application. Save that for last. Often we want to ask the question, what does this mean for me? Or what do I do? What's my job? Linger with the text first. Understand the context, the commands that are being stated, to what specific audience or what conflict is being presented? What is the author's intent? And then ask, how should this reshape my thinking, how I love others? Or how should this reshape the way I live today or the decisions I'm making? But going deeper often begins with understanding rather than application.
- [34:19]
B
And I think this was another one that just came to me, is talking it out with someone else.
- [34:24]
A
That's a great practice.
- [34:25]
B
I am a verbal processor, and so,
- [34:27]
A
yes, I'm learning things.
- [34:29]
B
You know, I'm learning things as I'm talking on this podcast. I'm learning things from you as you're sharing, and I'm learning things as I'm figuring out what I actually think about all this stuff, you know, and so I think that if you're more of a verbal processor, find a buddy to get a coffee with and share what you're learning, what you're talking about. Yeah, that would be really helpful.
- [34:49]
A
That's great.
- [34:49]
B
All right, well, that's it for today. Thank you so much, Emma. Thanks for taking a deep dive with us. We'll see you again next week as we continue to read, understand and love the Bible and the God who wrote it.