← Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Jackie Hill Perry
Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Jackie Hill Perry
March 20 (Numbers 21–22; Psalm 73; John 15)
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A reading from the Book of Numbers. When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negeb, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atheram, he fought against Israel and took some of them captive. And Israel vowed a vow to the Lord and said, if you will indeed give this people into my hand, then I will devote their cities to destruction. And the Lord heeded the voice of Israel and gave over the Canaanites. And they devoted them and their cities to destruction. So the name of the place was called Hormah. From Mount Hor, they set out by the way to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses. Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food. Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, we have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord that he take away the serpents from us. So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten when he sees it shall live. So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. And the people of Israel set out and camped in Oboth. And they set out from Oboth and camped at a wilderness that is opposite Moab, toward the sunrise. From there they set out and camped in the valley of Zered. From there they set out and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites. For the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. Therefore it is said in the book of the wars of the Lord Wahab and Supha and the valleys of the Yarnon, and the slope of the valleys that extends to the seat of Ar, and leans to the border of Moab. And from there they continued to be. That is the well of which the Lord said to Moses, gather the people together so that I may give them water. Then Israel sang, this spring up, O well, sing to it the well that the princes made, that the nobles of the people dug with the scepter and with their staffs. And from the wilderness they went on to Matinah. And from Matinah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Baymuth, and from Baymuth to the valley lying in the region of Moab by the top of Pisgah that looks down on the desert. Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying, let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into field or vineyard. We will not drink the water of a well. We will go by the king's highway until we have passed through your territory. But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. He gathered all his people together and went out against Israel to the wilderness and came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. And Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabek, as far as to the Ammonites. For the border of the Ammonites was strong. And Israel took all these cities. And Israel settled in all the cities of the Amorites in Heshbon and in all its villages. For Heshbon was the city of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken all his land out of his hand as far as the Arnon. Therefore the ballad singers say, come to Heshbon, let it be built. Let the city of Sihon be established. For fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the city of Sihon. It devoured Ar of Moab and swallowed the heights of the Arnon. Woe to you, O Moab. You are undone, O people of Chemosh. He has made his sons fugitives and his daughters captives to an Amorite king, Sihon. So we overthrew them. Heshbon, as far as Dibon, perished. And we laid waste as far as Nophy, spread as far as Medeba. Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. And Moses sent to spy El Jazer. And they captured its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there. Then they turned and went up by the way of Bashan and Og. The king of Bashan came out against them, he and all his people to battle at Adri. But the Lord said to Moses, do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand and all his people and his land. And you shall do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon. So they defeated him and his sons and all his people until he had no survivor left and they possessed his land. Then the people of Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab. Beyond the Jordan, at Jericho. And Balak, son of Zippor, saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And Moab was in great dread of the people because they were many. Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel. And Moab said to the elders of Midian, this hoard will now lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field. So Balak, the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, at Pethor, which is near the river in the land of the people of Amor, to call him, saying, behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. Come now, curse this people for me. Since they are too mighty for me, perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land. For I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed. So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand, and they came to Balaam and gave him Balak's message. And he said to them, lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you as the Lord speaks to me. So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam, and God came to Balaam and said, who are these men with you? And Balaam said to God, balak, the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, behold, a people has come out of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth. Now come, curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out. God said to Balaam, you shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed. So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, go to your own land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you. So the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak and said, balaam refuses to come with us. Once again Balak sent princes more in number and more honorable than these. And they came to Balaam and said to him, thus says Balak, the son of Zippor, let nothing hinder you from coming to me, for I will surely do you great honor. And whatever you say to me, I will do. Come, curse this people for me. But Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the Lord, my God, to do less or more. So you too. Please stay here tonight that I may know what more the Lord will say to me. And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, if the men have come to call you, rise. Go with them, but only do what I tell you. So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. But God's anger was kindled because he went. And the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey to turn her into the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards with a wall on either side. And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam's foot against the wall. So he struck her again. Then the angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam, and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, what have I done to you that you have struck me these three times? And Balaam said to the donkey, because you have made a fool of me, I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you. And the donkey said to Balaam, am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way? And he said, no. Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, and he bowed down and fell on his face. And the angel of the Lord said to him, why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you, because your way is perverse. Before me the donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live. Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back and the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you. So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak. When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him at the city of Moab, on the border formed by the Arnon, at the extremity of the border. And Balak said to Balaam, did I not send to you to call you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you? Balaam said to Balak, behold, I have come to you. Have I now any power of my own to speak anything? The word that God puts in my mouth that must I speak? Then Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath. Hozoth and Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep and sent for Balaam and for the princes who were with him. And in the morning Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Ba mob. And from there he saw a fraction of the people a reading from the Book of Psalms, a Psalm of Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped, for I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pangs until death. Their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are. They are not stricken like the rest of mankind. Therefore pride is their necklace. Violence covers them as a garment. Their eyes swell out through fatness, their hearts overflow with follies. They scoff and speak with malice. Loftily they threaten oppression. They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue stretch through the earth. Therefore his people turn back to them and find no fault in them. And they say, how can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High? Behold, these are the wicked, always at ease. They increase in riches all. In vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning. If I had said, I will speak thus, I would have betrayed the generation of your children. But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task until I went into the sanctuary of God. Then I discerned their end. Truly, you set them in slippery places, you make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors like a dream when one awakes. O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms. When my soul was embittered When I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant. I was like a beast toward you. Nevertheless, I am continually with you. You hold my right hand, you guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For behold, those who are far from you shall perish. You put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. But for me it is good to be near God. I have made the Lord God my refuge that I may tell of all your works. A reading from the Gospel according to John. I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. And every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers. And the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment. That you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends. For all that I have heard from my Father, I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide so that Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you so that you will love one another. If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before. It hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world. But I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you. A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name. Because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their law must be fulfilled. They hated me without a cause. But when the helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.