April 8 (Deuteronomy 21–22; Psalm 90; Acts 14)

Summary

Podcast Summary: Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Jackie Hill Perry

Episode: April 8, 2025
Scripture Readings: Deuteronomy 21–22; Psalm 90; Acts 14

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1. Old Testament Reading: Deuteronomy 21–22

Overview: The episode begins with a detailed reading of Deuteronomy chapters 21 and 22, which outline various laws intended to govern the social and moral conduct of the Israelites. These chapters cover a range of topics, including justice in cases of unsolved murders, the treatment of captives, inheritance rights, and prohibitions against mixing different practices and garments.

Key Points:

• Justice for Unsolved Murders (Deut. 21:1–21): Procedures are established for cases where a person is found slain anonymously. Elders from nearby cities are required to perform rituals to atone for the innocent blood and maintain communal purity.

  • Notable Quote:
    Reader 1: “…testify. Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it shed. Accept atonement, O Lord…” [00:52]

• Treatment of Female Captives (Deut. 21:10–21): Guidelines are provided for Israelite soldiers who capture women in war. The captives must undergo a mourning period before marriage, ensuring their dignity and preventing their mistreatment.

  • Notable Quote:
    Reader 2: “…she shall shave her head and pare her nails, and she shall take off the clothes in which she was captured.” [01:30]

• Inheritance Rights (Deut. 21:15–17): Addresses the rights of firstborn sons, especially in cases where a man has multiple wives. The firstborn of the unloved wife is to receive a double portion, ensuring fairness and recognition of their status.

  • Notable Quote:
    Reader 3: “…He shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved by giving him a double portion of all that he has.” [02:18]

• Regulations Against Mixed Practices (Deut. 22:9–13): Prohibits the mixing of seeds in plowing, wearing garments made of mixed fabrics, and certain sexual immorality, emphasizing the importance of maintaining distinct cultural and religious practices.

  • Notable Quote:
    Reader 3: “A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak.” [03:42]

Insights: These passages highlight the societal emphasis on justice, fairness, and the preservation of cultural integrity within the Israelite community. The laws not only address immediate social issues but also aim to instill a long-lasting moral framework for future generations.

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2. Psalm 90

Overview: Psalm 90, a prayer attributed to Moses, serves as a reflection on the eternal nature of God contrasted with the transience of human life. The psalm contemplates the brevity of human existence, the weight of sin, and the plea for divine wisdom and compassion.

Key Points:

• Eternal God vs. Fleeting Human Life (Psalm 90:1–10): Emphasizes God's timeless existence and sovereignty, highlighting human mortality and the fleeting nature of life.

  • Notable Quote:
    Reader 4: “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations… You return man to dust and say, return, O children of man.” [07:23]

• Human Frailty and Sin (Psalm 90:10–12): Acknowledges human limitations and the consequences of sin, seeking God's mercy and understanding.

  • Notable Quote:
    Reader 4: “For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past… We bring our years to an end like a sigh.” [07:42]

• Plea for Wisdom and Compassion (Psalm 90:13–17): Requests God to teach humans to value their days wisely, to extend their lives, and to bless their efforts, fostering a life of joy and purpose despite its brevity.

  • Notable Quote:
    Reader 2: “So teach us to number our days.” [08:21]
    Reader 4: “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us and establish the work of our hands upon us.” [08:38]

Insights: Psalm 90 serves as a profound meditation on mortality, urging believers to seek God's wisdom in navigating the challenges of life. It underscores the importance of recognizing life's impermanence and the need for divine guidance to lead a meaningful and righteous existence.

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3. New Testament Reading: Acts 14

Overview: The reading from Acts 14 chronicles the missionary journeys of Paul and Barnabas as they spread the Gospel in Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. The chapter highlights their evangelistic efforts, the challenges they face, and the miraculous works that affirm their ministries.

Key Points:

• Missionary Efforts in Iconium (Acts 14:1–7): Paul and Barnabas preach in the Jewish synagogue, garnering both belief and opposition. Their boldness in proclaiming the Lord leads to divisions within the city as both Jews and Greeks react to their message.

  • Notable Quote:
    Reader 4: “They spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed…” [07:43]

• Miracle in Lystra (Acts 14:8–20): In Lystra, Paul heals a crippled man, leading the crowd to mistakenly worship them as Greek gods. Paul and Barnabas correct the misunderstanding, emphasizing the true God and discouraging idol worship. Despite their efforts, opposition escalates, resulting in Paul being stoned and left for dead.

  • Notable Quote:
    Reader 3: “…stand upright on your feet.” [09:00]
    Reader 1: “men, why are you doing these things?” [10:07]

• Persecution and Perseverance (Acts 14:21–28): After facing persecution, Paul and Barnabas continue their mission, strengthening existing believers and establishing new churches. They emphasize the necessity of enduring tribulations to enter the kingdom of God and appoint elders to lead the fledgling communities.

  • Notable Quote:
    Reader 2: “…encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” [10:26]

Insights: Acts 14 illustrates the resilience and unwavering commitment of early Christian missionaries in the face of adversity. The chapter underscores the transformative power of faith, the challenges of cultural misunderstandings, and the foundational efforts to build and sustain Christian communities amidst opposition.

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Conclusion

This episode of Through the ESV Bible in a Year provides listeners with profound scriptural insights across both the Old and New Testaments. From the detailed laws in Deuteronomy that shaped Israelite society, the contemplative reflections of Psalm 90 on human mortality and divine wisdom, to the dynamic missionary work in Acts 14, the readings collectively offer a comprehensive exploration of faith, justice, and perseverance. Notable quotes punctuate the readings, enhancing understanding and encouraging listeners to reflect deeply on the timeless truths presented.

Transcript

[Reader 1]

A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy.

[Reader 2]

If in the land that the Lord.

[Reader 3]

Your God is giving you to possess, someone is found slain lying in the open country, and it is not known who killed him, then your elders and your judges shall come out and they shall measure the distance to the surrounding cities.

[Reader 2]

And the elders of the city that is nearest to the slain man shall take a heifer that has never been.

[Reader 3]

Worked and that has not pulled in a yoke, and the elders of that.

[Reader 2]

City shall bring the heifer down to.

[Reader 3]

A valley with running water, which is neither plowed nor sown, and shall break the heifer's neck there in the valley. Then the priests, the sons of Levi.

[Reader 2]

Shall come forward, for the Lord your God has chosen them to minister to him and to bless in the name of the Lord.

[Reader 1]

And by their word, every dispute and.

[Reader 2]

Every assault shall be settled. And all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck.

[Reader 3]

Was broken in the valley, and they shall testify. Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it shed. Accept atonement, O Lord, for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed.

[Reader 2]

And do not set the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of your.

[Reader 3]

People Israel, so that their blood guilt be atoned for.

[Reader 2]

So you shall purge the guilt of.

[Reader 3]

Innocent blood from your midst when you do what is right in the sight of the Lord. When you go out to war against your enemies, and the Lord your God.

[Reader 2]

Gives them into your hand, and you.

[Reader 3]

Take them captive, and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you desire to take her to be your wife, and you bring her home to your house.

[Reader 2]

She shall shave her head and pare.

[Reader 3]

Her nails, and she shall take off the clothes in which she was captured.

[Reader 2]

And shall remain in your house and.

[Reader 3]

Lament her father and her mother a full month. After that, you may go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife. But if you no longer delight in her, you shall let her go where she wants, but you shall not sell her for money, nor shall you treat her as a slave, since you have humiliated her. If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and.

[Reader 2]

Both the loved and the unloved have borne him children. And if the firstborn son belongs to.

[Reader 3]

The unloved, then on the day when.

[Reader 2]

He assigns his possessions as an inheritance.

[Reader 3]

To his sons, he may not treat.

[Reader 2]

The son of the loved as the firstborn in preference to the son of.

[Reader 3]

The unloved, who is the Firstborn. But he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the.

[Reader 2]

Son of the unloved by giving him a double portion of all that he has.

[Reader 3]

For he is the first fruits of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his. If a man has a stubborn and.

[Reader 2]

Rebellious son who will not obey the.

[Reader 3]

Voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and though they discipline him, will not listen to them, then.

[Reader 2]

His father and his mother shall take.

[Reader 3]

Hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives.

[Reader 2]

And they shall say to the elders.

[Reader 3]

Of his city, this our son is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey our voice. He is a glutton and a drunkard.

[Reader 2]

Then all the men of the city.

[Reader 3]

Shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear and fear. And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death, and he is.

[Reader 2]

Put to death, and you hang him.

[Reader 3]

On a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day.

[Reader 2]

For a hanged man is cursed by God.

[Reader 3]

You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance. You shall not see your brother's ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother, and if he does not live near you and you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall stay with you until your brother seeks it. Then you shall restore it to him, and you shall do the same with his donkey, or with his garment, or.

[Reader 2]

With any lost thing of your brother's.

[Reader 3]

Which he loses and you find. You may not ignore it. You shall not see your brother's donkey or his ox fallen down by the way, and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again. A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak.

[Reader 2]

For whoever does these things is an.

[Reader 3]

Abomination to the Lord your God. If you come across a bird's nest.

[Reader 2]

In any tree, or on the ground with young ones or eggs, and the mother sitting on the young, or on.

[Reader 3]

The eggs, you shall not take the mother. With the young you shall let the.

[Reader 2]

Mother go, but the young you may.

[Reader 3]

Take for yourself, that it may go well with you, and that you may live long. When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof.

[Reader 2]

That you may not bring the guilt.

[Reader 3]

Of blood upon your house if anyone.

[Reader 2]

Should fall from it.

[Reader 3]

You shall not Sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole yield be forfeited. The crop that you have sown and the yield of the vineyard you shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. You shall not wear cloth of wool.

[Reader 2]

And linen mixed together. You shall make yourself tassels on the.

[Reader 3]

Four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself. If any man takes a wife and goes into her and then hates her.

[Reader 2]

And accuses her of misconduct and brings.

[Reader 3]

A bad name upon her, saying, I.

[Reader 2]

Took this woman, and when I came.

[Reader 3]

Near her, I did not find in her evidence of virginity, then the father.

[Reader 2]

Of the young woman and her mother shall take and bring out the evidence of her virginity to the elders of.

[Reader 3]

The city in the gate.

[Reader 2]

And the father of the young woman.

[Reader 3]

Shall say to the elders, I gave.

[Reader 2]

My daughter to this man to Mary.

[Reader 3]

And he hates her.

[Reader 2]

And behold, he has accused her of.

[Reader 3]

Misconduct, saying, I did not find in your daughter evidence of virginity. And yet this is the evidence of my daughter's virginity.

[Reader 2]

And they shall spread the cloak before.

[Reader 1]

The elders of the city.

[Reader 2]

Then the elders of that city shall.

[Reader 3]

Take the man and whip him, and.

[Reader 2]

They shall fine him a hundred shekels.

[Reader 3]

Of silver and give them to the father of the young woman because he.

[Reader 2]

Has brought a bad name upon a.

[Reader 3]

Virgin of Israel, and she shall be his wife. He may not divorce her all his days. But if the thing is true that.

[Reader 2]

Evidence of virginity was not found in.

[Reader 3]

The young woman, then they shall bring.

[Reader 2]

Out the young woman to the door.

[Reader 3]

Of her father's house, and the men.

[Reader 2]

Of her city shall stone her to.

[Reader 3]

Death with stones because she has done an outrageous thing in Israel by whoring.

[Reader 2]

In her father's house.

[Reader 3]

So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

[Reader 2]

If a man is found lying with.

[Reader 3]

The wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel. If there is a betrothed virgin and a man meets her in the city and lies with her, then you shall.

[Reader 2]

Bring them both out to the gate.

[Reader 3]

Of that city and you shall stone them to death with stones. The young woman, because she did not.

[Reader 2]

Cry for help though she was in.

[Reader 3]

The city, and the man, because he violated his neighbor's wife, so you shall purge the evil from your midst.

[Reader 2]

But if in the open country a man meets a young woman who is.

[Reader 3]

Betrothed, and the man seizes her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die.

[Reader 2]

But you shall do nothing to the.

[Reader 3]

Young woman she has committed no offense punishable by death. For this case is like that of a man attacking and murdering his neighbor because he met her in the open country.

[Reader 2]

And though the betrothed young woman cried.

[Reader 3]

For help, there was no one to rescue her. If a man meets a virgin who is not betrothed and seizes her and lies with her and they are found.

[Reader 2]

Then the man who lay with her shall give to the father of the.

[Reader 3]

Young woman 50 shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife. Because he has violated her, he may not divorce her all his days.

[Reader 2]

A man shall not take his father's.

[Reader 3]

Wife so that he does not uncover his father's nakedness.

[Reader 1]

A reading from the Book of Psalms. A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

[Reader 4]

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world from everlasting to everlasting. You are God. You return man to dust and say, return. O children of man. For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the.

[Reader 1]

Night, you sweep them away.

[Reader 4]

As with a flood, they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning. In the morning it flourishes and is renewed. In the evening it fades and withers. For we are brought to an end by your anger, by your wrath. We are dismayed. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. For all our days pass away under your wrath. We bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are 70, or even by reason of strength 80. Yet their span is but toil and trouble. They are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger and your wrath according to the fear of you?

[Reader 2]

So teach us to number our days.

[Reader 4]

That we may get a heart of wisdom.

[Reader 1]

Return, O Lord.

[Reader 4]

How long have pity on your servants.

[Reader 2]

Satisfy us in the morning with your.

[Reader 4]

Steadfast love that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us. And for as many years as we.

[Reader 1]

Have seen evil, let your work be.

[Reader 4]

Shown to your servants and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us and establish the work of our hands upon us. Yes, establish the work of our hands.

[Reader 1]

A reading from the Book of Acts. Now, at Iconium, they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed but the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. But the people of the city were divided. Some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews with their rulers to mistreat them and to stone them, they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country. And there they continued to preach the gospel. Now, at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking and Paul looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made, well said in a loud voice, stand upright on your feet. And he sprang up and began walking. And when the crowd saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, the gods have come down to us in the likeness of men. Barnabas they called Zeus and Paul Hermes.

[Reader 4]

Because he was the chief speaker.

[Reader 1]

And the priests of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, men, why are you doing these things?

[Reader 2]

We also are men of like nature.

[Reader 1]

With you, and we bring you good news that you should turn from these vain things to a living God who made the heaven and the earth and. And the sea and all that is in them. In past generations, he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness. For he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness. Even with these words, they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them. But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city. And on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the Gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Adaliah. And from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they remained no little time with the disciples.