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Reader/Narrator
A reading from the book of Leviticus. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel, and say to them, this is the thing that the Lord has. If anyone of the house of Israel kills an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or kills it outside the camp and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a gift to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord, blood guilt shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood, and that man shall be cut off from among his people. This is to the end that the people of Israel may bring their sacrifices, that they sacrifice in the open field, that they may bring them to the Lord to the priests at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the Lord. And the priests shall throw the blood on the altar of the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and burn the fat for a pleasing aroma to the Lord. So they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to goat demons after whom they whore. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations. And you shall say to them, anyone of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it to the Lord, that man shall be cut off from his people. If anyone of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood. And I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls. For it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, no person among you shall eat blood. Neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood. Anyone also of the people of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth. For the life of every creature is its blood. Its blood is its life. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, you shall not eat the blood of any creature. For the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off. And every person who eats what dies of itself or what is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or a sojourner, shall Wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening, then he shall be clean.
Commentator/Preacher
But if he does not wash them
Reader/Narrator
or bathe his flesh, he shall bear his iniquity. And the Lord spoke to Moses saying, speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the Lord your God. You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt where you lived. And you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules. If a person does them, he shall live by them. I am the Lord. None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to uncovered nakedness. I am the Lord. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, which is the nakedness of your mother. She is your mother. You shall not uncover her nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife. It is your father's nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, your father's daughter, or your mother's daughter, whether brought up in the family or in another home. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son's daughter or of your daughter's daughter, for their nakedness is your own nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife's daughter brought up in your father's family since she is your sister. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's sister. She is your father's relative. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister, for she is your mother's relative. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's brother, that is, you shall not approach his wife. She is your aunt. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter in law. She is your son's wife. You shall not uncover her nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife. It is your brother's nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter. And you shall not take her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter to uncover her nakedness. They are relatives.
Commentator/Preacher
It is depravity.
Reader/Narrator
And you shall not take a woman as a rival wife to her sister, uncovering her nakedness while her sister is still alive. You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness while she is in her menstrual uncleanness. And you shall not lie sexually with your neighbor's wife and so make yourself unclean with her. You shall not give any of your children to offer them to Molech and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord. You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination. And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it. Neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it. It is perversion. Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things. For by all these, the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean. And the land became unclean so that I punished its iniquity and the land vomited out its inhabitants. But you shall keep my statutes and my rules and do none of these abominations, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. For the people of the land who were before you did all of these abominations so that the land became unclean. Lest the land vomit you out when you make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was before you. For everyone who does any of these abominations, the persons who do them shall be cut off from among their people. So keep my charge. Never to practice any of these abominable customs that were practiced before you and never to make yourselves unclean by them. I am the Lord your God. A reading from the Book of Psalms to the choirmaster with stringed instruments. Emascul of David. When the Ziphites went and told Saul, is not David hiding among us?
Commentator/Preacher
O God, save me by your name and vindicate me by your might. O God, hear my prayer. Give ear to the words of my mouth, for strangers have risen against me. Ruthless men seek my life. They do not set God before themselves. Selah. Behold, God is my helper. The Lord is the upholder of my life. He will return the evil to my enemies. In your faithfulness, put an end to them with a freewill offering. I will sacrifice to you. I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good. For he has delivered me from every trouble and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.
Reader/Narrator
A reading of the Gospel according to Luke. And he told them a parable to
Commentator/Preacher
the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, in a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, give me justice against my adversary. For a while he Refused. But afterward he said to himself, though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming. And the Lord said, hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt. Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed, God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get. But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house, justified rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it. And a ruler asked him, good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said to him, why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments. Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness. Honor your father and mother. And he said, all these I have
Reader/Narrator
kept from my youth.
Commentator/Preacher
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, one thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven and come, follow me. But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said how difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God. For it is easier for a camel
Reader/Narrator
to go through the eye of a
Commentator/Preacher
needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. Those who heard it said, then who can be saved? But he said, what is impossible with man is possible with God. And Peter said, see, we have left our homes and followed you. And he said to them, truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time and in the age to come, eternal life. And taking the 12, he said to them, see, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him. And on the third day he will rise.
Reader/Narrator
But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them and
Commentator/Preacher
and they did not grasp what was said. As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside, begging. And hearing a crowd going by. He inquired what this meant. They told him, jesus of Nazareth is passing by. And he cried out, jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, what do you want me to do for you? He said, lord, let me recover my sight. And Jesus said to him, recover your sight. Your faith has made you well. And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
Episode: February 27 (Leviticus 17–18; Psalm 54; Luke 18)
Host: Crossway | Date: February 27, 2026
This episode continues Jackie Hill Perry’s year-long journey through the ESV Bible by reading key passages from the Old Testament (Leviticus 17–18), Psalms (Psalm 54), and the New Testament (Luke 18). The readings focus on God’s instructions for holiness and worship, the moral law and purity among His people, a psalm of trust in divine deliverance, and several teachings and parables from Jesus on prayer, humility, wealth, and faith.
[00:01–06:04]
Worship & Sacrifice Regulations
The Sanctity of Blood
Moral Purity and Sexual Boundaries
Consequences of Disobedience
Quote [02:26]:
"For the life of the flesh is in the blood. And I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls." — Reader/Narrator
Summary of Purity Laws [04:20]:
"It is depravity." — Commentator/Preacher
(Regarding prohibited sexual relationships.)
[06:04–06:41]
Context: David’s psalm written when he was betrayed to Saul by the Ziphites.
Themes: Reliance on God as deliverer; contrasting the hostility of foes with God’s faithfulness.
Prayer for Salvation:
Quote [06:04]:
"O God, save me by your name and vindicate me by your might. O God, hear my prayer. Give ear to the words of my mouth, for strangers have risen against me. Ruthless men seek my life. They do not set God before themselves." — Commentator/Preacher
Expression of Confidence: God’s help is assured, and gratitude is shown through sacrifice and praise.
[06:41–End]
The Parable of the Persistent Widow & Unjust Judge
[06:46–07:25]
Quote [06:46]:
"He told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart." — Commentator/Preacher
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
[07:26–08:11]
"God, be merciful to me, a sinner." — Tax Collector (Parable) [08:03] "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." — Jesus [08:11]
Let the Children Come
[08:12–08:36]
"Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." — Jesus [08:25]
The Rich Ruler
[08:36–09:22]
Jesus challenges a wealthy ruler to sell everything and follow Him, revealing the ruler’s dependence on wealth.
"How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God. For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." — Jesus [09:17]
The possibility of salvation is rooted in God, not human effort.
"What is impossible with man is possible with God." — Jesus [09:26]
Promise to Disciples
[09:28–09:32]
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection
[09:33–10:12]
"See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished... And on the third day he will rise." — Jesus [09:35–10:10]
Healing of Blind Bartimaeus
[10:16–End]
"Lord, let me recover my sight." "Recover your sight. Your faith has made you well." — Jesus [10:32]
| Segment | Key Theme | Notable Quote | Timestamp | |----------------------------|-------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|----------------| | Leviticus 17–18 | Holiness & Purity | "The life of the flesh is in the blood." | [02:26] | | Psalm 54 | Prayer in Trouble | "O God, save me by your name..." | [06:04] | | Luke 18 - Widow Parable | Persistence in Prayer | "Ought always to pray and not lose heart." | [06:46] | | Luke 18 - Tax Collector | Humility in Justification | "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." | [08:03] | | Luke 18 - Children | Childlike Faith | "Let the children come to me..." | [08:25] | | Luke 18 - Rich Ruler | Challenges of Wealth | "What is impossible with man is possible with God."| [09:26] | | Luke 18 - Blind Man | Faith and Healing | "Your faith has made you well." | [10:32] |
This episode draws together the Old and New Testament readings around the themes of God's holiness, the seriousness of sin, and the necessity of humble, persistent faith. The passages from Leviticus emphasize the sacredness of worship and ethical living, Psalm 54 models trust in God during trials, and Luke 18 highlights Jesus’ call to persistent prayer, humility, childlike trust, and faith in God's power for salvation and healing. The listeners are encouraged to approach God reverently, honestly, and persistently—trusting in His justice, mercy, and power to save.